Read an article about how "Tax Freedom Day" (i.e., the day in which we're done working for the government and start working for ourselves) comes 3 days earlier this year - certainly good news. This gem is at the bottom:
"Residents of Connecticut will on average have to wait the longest, until May 8, to earn enough to cover their taxes, the group said. New Jersey residents must wait until May 7, New Yorkers until May 5."
Wow - what a bunch of crap. I'm glad the government up here is so smart and knows better what to do with my money than I do...
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Super Tuesday
Today is Super Tuesday, and I'm suffering through a Hillary Clinton speech on the news coverage at the very moment I'm writing this. How anybody can support this woman is beyond me... ah well.
The only candidate I really like in the race is Ron Paul, and he's only technically "in the race" but has no realistic chance of winning the Republican nomination. It is very simple why I like Paul. While all the other candidates talk about what they're going to do for everybody ("I will give you healthcare!", etc) Paul speaks about what he won't do. Specifically, he realizes that the authority granted to the President by the Constitution is actually pretty limited. This really makes everything simple! It doesn't matter if Paul is pro or anti war, he recognizes that only Congress has the power to declare war and he would support the Congress. It doesn't matter if Paul is pro or anti abortion, he recognizes that "Roe V Wade" is legislating from the bench and would allow people to make their own decisions for their own states. etc, etc. Things would really be so much better if people would vote against big government and vote for the only candidate in the race who really gets what freedom means.
The only candidate I really like in the race is Ron Paul, and he's only technically "in the race" but has no realistic chance of winning the Republican nomination. It is very simple why I like Paul. While all the other candidates talk about what they're going to do for everybody ("I will give you healthcare!", etc) Paul speaks about what he won't do. Specifically, he realizes that the authority granted to the President by the Constitution is actually pretty limited. This really makes everything simple! It doesn't matter if Paul is pro or anti war, he recognizes that only Congress has the power to declare war and he would support the Congress. It doesn't matter if Paul is pro or anti abortion, he recognizes that "Roe V Wade" is legislating from the bench and would allow people to make their own decisions for their own states. etc, etc. Things would really be so much better if people would vote against big government and vote for the only candidate in the race who really gets what freedom means.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Christmas or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love US Airways
So I arrived at LaGuardia airport around 4:10pm for my 6pm flight on the Friday afternoon before Christmas - a bit too early actually as I breezed right through security. I thought it would be smooth sailing from there, but I turned out to be incorrect. Through a lethal combination of increased travel for the holidays and good ol' fashioned airline incompetence, I ended up spending the night in Washington DC before finally boarding a flight for Louisville Saturday morning. So much for a short 45 minute layover at Reagan National and worrying about whether I'd have enough time to make it to the next flight...
In general, airlines remind me of wireless phone carriers. Nobody seems truly thrilled with their phone service, and it seems like everyone is trying to get out of their 2 year contract with company A to sign up with company B ... even though most of company B's customers think company B sucks and want to switch to one of company A, C, or D. If it wasn't US Airways that screwed me this time, it would've been some other airline, some other time ... but its definitely just a matter of time. The lone exception that I'm personally familiar with (there may be others, I hope) is Southwest, who at least do a good job of making you feel like they actually care whether or not you get where you need to go when you need to be there.
At any rate, I did make it home and only 14 hours after my scheduled arrival time! Of course, things weren't really that bad - I got a free flight voucher for my troubles, and I still made it home by noon on Saturday. Friday night I was probably just going to get to bed early anyhow and sleep in ... so mostly I just exchanged a few extra hours of sleep and catching up w/family for a free flight along with some chicken wings and a margarita from the bar at the Sheraton. Considering some people didn't make it home at all due to bad weather, etc thats not so bad.
Christmas itself was really nice and packed with all the traditions: Christmas carols at church, family, friends, ham, cookies ... and last but not least, a new Will Smith movie.
In general, airlines remind me of wireless phone carriers. Nobody seems truly thrilled with their phone service, and it seems like everyone is trying to get out of their 2 year contract with company A to sign up with company B ... even though most of company B's customers think company B sucks and want to switch to one of company A, C, or D. If it wasn't US Airways that screwed me this time, it would've been some other airline, some other time ... but its definitely just a matter of time. The lone exception that I'm personally familiar with (there may be others, I hope) is Southwest, who at least do a good job of making you feel like they actually care whether or not you get where you need to go when you need to be there.
At any rate, I did make it home and only 14 hours after my scheduled arrival time! Of course, things weren't really that bad - I got a free flight voucher for my troubles, and I still made it home by noon on Saturday. Friday night I was probably just going to get to bed early anyhow and sleep in ... so mostly I just exchanged a few extra hours of sleep and catching up w/family for a free flight along with some chicken wings and a margarita from the bar at the Sheraton. Considering some people didn't make it home at all due to bad weather, etc thats not so bad.
Christmas itself was really nice and packed with all the traditions: Christmas carols at church, family, friends, ham, cookies ... and last but not least, a new Will Smith movie.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Home for the Holidays
Tomorrow evening after work, I'll be flying the friendly skies on my way back to Louisville to spend Christmas with family and friends at home. Definitely looking forward to that, but not so much to the travel experience itself. As if air travel weren't already bad enough, I stumbled across this eye-opening headline:
Study: Airport Screening Process Pointless
Despite Long Lines and Numerous Security Restrictions a Study Says Flying Isn't Any Safer
You mean stuffing my liquid items into a Ziploc baggie doesn't magically transform them into terrorist kryptonite? Wow, I just don't know what to believe anymore. I trusted the TSA and they really let me down on this one...
At any rate, here's hoping for a safe and relatively hassle-free travel experience, some nice time with family on Christmas, and of course plenty of cookies.
Merry Christmas & God Bless!
Study: Airport Screening Process Pointless
Despite Long Lines and Numerous Security Restrictions a Study Says Flying Isn't Any Safer
You mean stuffing my liquid items into a Ziploc baggie doesn't magically transform them into terrorist kryptonite? Wow, I just don't know what to believe anymore. I trusted the TSA and they really let me down on this one...
At any rate, here's hoping for a safe and relatively hassle-free travel experience, some nice time with family on Christmas, and of course plenty of cookies.
Merry Christmas & God Bless!
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Thanksgiving
Good things about Thanksgiving this year:
1) Seeing family (of course)
2) Colts victory on Thanksgiving night
3) Guitar Hero III
I've never really played any of the GH games before and didn't really "get it", but wow, its a lot of fun. Also cool - "Through The Fire And Flames" by Dragonforce. Way too difficult for me to actually play in the game at this point, but the song rocks! Think I'm going to buy their record.
So today was Black Friday and I happily slept in and did zero shopping. I really don't get the obsession - the deals in most cases aren't even that great. One can come very close to (or in some cases beat) Friday's prices shopping online from the comfort of home ... All without getting up at 4am and standing outside in the cold. Anyway, thats just me, I know lots of people have fun with it and I think thats great too.
On the other hand, some people are ridiculous about it. On the local news, they were speaking with people leaving a store when one lady said she was "devastated" after an unsuccessful attempt at purchasing a sale item. Are we now so spoiled that paying full price for a GPS qualifies as devastating?
1) Seeing family (of course)
2) Colts victory on Thanksgiving night
3) Guitar Hero III
I've never really played any of the GH games before and didn't really "get it", but wow, its a lot of fun. Also cool - "Through The Fire And Flames" by Dragonforce. Way too difficult for me to actually play in the game at this point, but the song rocks! Think I'm going to buy their record.
So today was Black Friday and I happily slept in and did zero shopping. I really don't get the obsession - the deals in most cases aren't even that great. One can come very close to (or in some cases beat) Friday's prices shopping online from the comfort of home ... All without getting up at 4am and standing outside in the cold. Anyway, thats just me, I know lots of people have fun with it and I think thats great too.
On the other hand, some people are ridiculous about it. On the local news, they were speaking with people leaving a store when one lady said she was "devastated" after an unsuccessful attempt at purchasing a sale item. Are we now so spoiled that paying full price for a GPS qualifies as devastating?
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Hindsight
For many years, one of my favorite bands has been Megadeth. An otherwise forgettable song on one of their later records has a lyric I've always liked:
Life can only be understood in reverse, why must we live forwards?
How true. Just thinking back over 2007, there are so many areas of life - relationships, career, etc - where I wish I knew then some of the things I know today. Though I suppose to some extent, not knowing what will happen is part of what makes life exciting... and certainly gives us an appreciation for the eventual positive outcomes of so many lessons learned the hard way. Perhaps without the mistakes and the character developed through them... life wouldn't be so interesting and meaningful in the first place.
Life can only be understood in reverse, why must we live forwards?
How true. Just thinking back over 2007, there are so many areas of life - relationships, career, etc - where I wish I knew then some of the things I know today. Though I suppose to some extent, not knowing what will happen is part of what makes life exciting... and certainly gives us an appreciation for the eventual positive outcomes of so many lessons learned the hard way. Perhaps without the mistakes and the character developed through them... life wouldn't be so interesting and meaningful in the first place.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
D'oh
Today was more or less my worst case scenario when it comes to football. Tom Brady played well enough for the New England Patriots to beat the Colts (boo!), but not quite well enough for my fantasy team to get a victory. It would've been much better to have at least had either a Colts win or a fantasy win... at any rate, its encouraging to see that the Colts were at least able to hold their own against NE, even without some key players who sat out injured. Discouraging though that the loss almost certainly means that a playoff rematch will be in New England in January. If indeed we're having global warming, I suppose at least it'll help the Colts in that one :)
Got a new phone last week - a Blackberry Pearl. Thus far very impressed with the phone and the email capabilities work great. Having access to email everywhere is very useful. I'm not sure how I lived before... having to be tethered to a computer to receive unsolicited offers to purchase penny stocks and "enhancement" products.
Got a new phone last week - a Blackberry Pearl. Thus far very impressed with the phone and the email capabilities work great. Having access to email everywhere is very useful. I'm not sure how I lived before... having to be tethered to a computer to receive unsolicited offers to purchase penny stocks and "enhancement" products.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Best time of the Year
Been living in Jersey City, NJ for about a month now - just across the Hudson River from lower Manhattan. Aside from the whole not wanting to tell people I'm "from" Jersey thing, its actually pretty nice. The apartment is great and certainly anything of similar quality in Manhattan would cost a small fortune... actually make that a large fortune.
The apartment is literally right next door to a wonderful local brick oven pizza shops that sells slices ... both a blessing and a curse for me. Kind of dangerous for my waistline that any time I get a craving for pizza, it can be satisfied in under 5 minutes and for just a few bucks. Too bad its not one of those meat free, chemical free, taste free organic/vegan hippie cafes instead :)
Right in the midst of the NFL season, this is definitely one of my favorite times of the year. The Colts and Patriots appear headed for a huge matchup on Nov 4. As a Colts fan, I'm just hopeful that we can knock off the New England juggernaut by using a bit different strategy than in years past. Namely, lots of running the ball and short passes ... controlling the clock and keeping Brady, Moss & company off the field for long stretches at a time. The Colts defense looks to be much improved over last year too (at least the regular season), but I'm not sure if thats going to make much of a difference against New England anyhow. Its hard to tell how good the NE defense is - they've given up a lot of points, but typically they're up by 3+ touchdowns and the game is more or less in garbage time.
I'm doing very well this season in my fantasy league, still undefeated going into week 8! I don't expect that to last though, doing well in fantasy takes a whole lot of both skill and luck, and in my case its probably more luck than it is skill ... although I've made a handful of decent maneuvers...
Here's looking to 8-0 :)
The apartment is literally right next door to a wonderful local brick oven pizza shops that sells slices ... both a blessing and a curse for me. Kind of dangerous for my waistline that any time I get a craving for pizza, it can be satisfied in under 5 minutes and for just a few bucks. Too bad its not one of those meat free, chemical free, taste free organic/vegan hippie cafes instead :)
Right in the midst of the NFL season, this is definitely one of my favorite times of the year. The Colts and Patriots appear headed for a huge matchup on Nov 4. As a Colts fan, I'm just hopeful that we can knock off the New England juggernaut by using a bit different strategy than in years past. Namely, lots of running the ball and short passes ... controlling the clock and keeping Brady, Moss & company off the field for long stretches at a time. The Colts defense looks to be much improved over last year too (at least the regular season), but I'm not sure if thats going to make much of a difference against New England anyhow. Its hard to tell how good the NE defense is - they've given up a lot of points, but typically they're up by 3+ touchdowns and the game is more or less in garbage time.
I'm doing very well this season in my fantasy league, still undefeated going into week 8! I don't expect that to last though, doing well in fantasy takes a whole lot of both skill and luck, and in my case its probably more luck than it is skill ... although I've made a handful of decent maneuvers...
Here's looking to 8-0 :)
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
DWI
Make that Driving Whilst Irritated - my first experience tonight with driving in New York City area traffic. I rented a ZipCar to haul some stuff from the office to my new place, loaded up, and hit the roads for a brisk 5.3 mile 35 minute drive to my destination. It was actually kind of fun at first, but that wears off pretty quickly ... I'd had my fill by about the 10th blaring car horn and 3rd gesture demonstrating where in fact I could stick "it", though I'm still unclear about what it is. Nonetheless, I don't think I'm interested in that or much more driving through Manhattan.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Coney Island
Went to check out Coney Island today. Rode the Cyclone and downed a hot dogs & fries at Nathan's famous. Mmmmm. For anyone wondering, I had significantly fewer hot dogs than the 66 eaten by Joey Chestnut at this year's hot dog eating contest.
Here's a view of the beach from the pier. Its not quite Florida, but its not bad for being a mere subway ride away.
Finally, I'm staying in a high-rise apartment on the western edge of Queens. Here's the view out my bedroom window, featuring Manhattan and the southern tip of Roosevelt Island:
Pretty convenient - a short walk to the subway & one stop away from Manhattan. Convenient, that is, until a torrential downpour causes a disruption in service like this past week... who knew a little rain could cause such a problem?
Here's a view of the beach from the pier. Its not quite Florida, but its not bad for being a mere subway ride away.
Finally, I'm staying in a high-rise apartment on the western edge of Queens. Here's the view out my bedroom window, featuring Manhattan and the southern tip of Roosevelt Island:
Pretty convenient - a short walk to the subway & one stop away from Manhattan. Convenient, that is, until a torrential downpour causes a disruption in service like this past week... who knew a little rain could cause such a problem?
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