Sticking Smell

Okay, I guess I have finally joined the stereotype of ex-smoker and am starting to preach the non-smoking gospel. Why? Because at the moment I smell like an ashtray!

On the way into work this morning I saw I had forgotten my coffee mug. So I stopped in at a convenience store a fixed a cup. I was only in the store about 90 seconds, but after walking out I could smell the cigarette smoke in my clothes. It's the first thing, and I'm going to be stuck with it all day!

This comes after last week when I met someone and we went on a date. I spent some time in his apartment (actually, a lot of time), and even though he didn't smoke any while indoors, I still had the smell in my shirt when I got home.

I guess I am just super-sensitive to the smell. I am also coming closer to supporting the smoking ban that is making its way through the legislature here in N.C. Actually, I'm not for the ban, because I figure establishments will put their own restrictions in place over time. But after my brief foray into a store and ending up stinking, I am not as forgiving at the moment!

Am I the stereotype yet? Well, not yet and I expect I won't be anytime soon. Still, sometimes it is all I can do to keep myself from lecturing and proselytizing on the subject.

PS: To all of those people in my past that were subjected to my smoking -- my deepest apologies!

Coke Zero

Have you seen the newest line of product from Coke lately? It is a new product called Coke Zero. The name means zero carbs, calories, sugar, or pretty much everything else. In other words, nutritionally empty flavored water.

Not that I'm saying that regular Coke Classic is nutritionally full. But there is something there, even if it is just sugar. And if you are like me and find yourself flagging after lots of work in the yard, a coke classic is perfect to get you up to speed before you collapse!

I was turned onto this drink by a good friend, and I've come to really like it. Unlike other diet sodas I've tried, Zero actually tastes like the original product. It's the same artificial sweeteners as the other diets, but somehow they've blended it to taste real.

It's too bad that it looks to be short lived. When I first started buying it, there seemed plenty to find in the grocery store. but over the past few months it's shelf space has been seriously shrinking. The half-liter 6-pack bottle I usually buy has gone from 12-15 spots on the shelf to a mere 3 6-packs when fully stocked on the shelves. It won't be long before it is only available in cans, and then it can only be found as overstock at a Big Lots store!

That's too bad. Finally a diet product that appeals to people like me and it is short lived!

Film Festival Date Change

I found out last night that the NC Gay & Lesbian Film Festival date has changed. The new date is August 23-26, one week later than it's usual mid-August. The Carolina Theater in downtown Durham, plus some of the surrounding buildings are going through some construction this summer. Although the construction is scheduled to be completed by August 3, the festival organizers decided not to chance it and instead postponed for one week.


This is the 12th year for the festival, and it just keeps getting bigger each year. As always, I am looking forward to it, since it is one of the biggest gay events for our area. This will be my 4th time attending, of which I blogged about in 2004 and 2005 (I missed blogging 2006...I was in transition!).

If you like movies, festivals, or just meeting lots of fun gay people, mark your calendars now!

Empire

I recently completed the book Empire by Orson Scott Card. It was an enjoyable reading (actually listening as I downloaded it from Audible).

The book has an interesting tale about a civil war breaking out in the U.S. between the ultra-left and ultra-right wings. After having listened to Orson Scott Card in a podcast interview with Glenn Reynolds and having enjoyed his prior Ender books, I was looking forward to the story.

As I said, I enjoyed the story. My only complaint is that I had trouble "believing" parts of the story, albeit those parts were of the action scenes, not the story line. For instance in one chapter, our heroes each get up extra early one morning in D.C. and and figure "Well, we're up so lets go see ground zero in NYC." They get there, nobody is to be seen, and suddenly they are at the epicenter of the action. It felt contrived. But after that, I decided to just relax and let the story unfold however it was written.

The plot of a civil war though was much more believable. Granted at first I found most of it ringing completely false. Especially when the Army General starting spouting off sounding like our local talk radio spittle-master (whom I can't stand, and have blogged on before).

But as I continued into the book, and especially after Orson prologue, it doesn't seem so far fetched. I am seeing a lot of examples of just how escalated emotions are becoming. Already mentioned is the spittle-master who talks as though he were teaching a madrasa (substitute the word liberal for infidel and they are interchangeable).

Then there was the meetup.com gathering of gay professionals when the conversation turned to politics (never a good turn of events). It didn't take long before enthusiastic talk about murdering the republican president started flying around the table.

These are not isolate incidents. They are happening all across the country by the extremes on both sides. And, as the book points out, they are being mainstreamed by politicians looking for advantages. Witness Hillary.

In any event, the book was enjoyable, although I would not put it in the same class of quality as the Ender novels. It is relatively short, fast paced, provides enough material to cause you to engage some gray matter, and is fun. I would definitely recommend it for summer reading.

Sodium Bicarbonate

Okay, consider this a lesson learned. It all comes down to the packaging when a consumer is purchasing a commodity. In this case the commodity is sodium bicarbonate.

Last week the motor to the pool was finally repaired and I was able to get to work at bring the pool under control. In the 3 weeks it took for it to be fixed, the water had turned a decidedly fluorescent green, as you can see in this picture!

After testing the water, I found it measured very low on alkalinity, about 30 ppm when it should be over 120-150 ppm. I think the oak leaves must raise the acidity a lot because this happens every spring! Anyway, I guestimated I needed about 40 pounds of "alkalinity up" product to bring it up to the proper level. Having 10-11 pounds on hand, I visited Lowes and bought another 24 pounds. It sold in 12# boxes and averaged out to about $1.16/pound.

Knowing I could buy it in larger quantities than 12#, I called the local pool supply store. The largest they had was 10# and it averaged $1.60/pound. Yikes, it's going up!

But what is the "alkalinity up" product? It's just plain old sodium bicarbonate. Otherwise known as baking soda, like that Arm & Hammer box you put into the fridge. And how much does that cost at the grocery store? For a 1# Arm & Hammer is was $0.69, and if I went with the store brand it was just $0.59 a pound.

What this lesson for me really proves is that when a product is intended to be used on a pool (this also applies to boat owners), the price is automatically doubled. And the marketing and packaging is everything in pricing for a commodity. Meantime, next year I'll purchase it at the local super market!

Need Practice

I guess I still need some practice at flipping eggs. Sunday morning I decided I wanted eggs for breakfast, so I fired up my brand new non-stick pan. Melt a small pat of butter, slip in the eggs and just a dash of salt and pepper and let them cook for a minute.

Okay, they are looking just right, and I go to flip them in the pan to turn them over. Now, since I am still new to this I do it over the sink. That turned out to be both my saving grace and a curse. As I was pushing the pan forward to get a good slide, the pan hit the faucet head, the eggs slid out, and plop! right into the sink!

Luckily for me, I had instant oatmeal in the cupboard!

(This looks to be my first food post since staring the new blog ... but stay tuned for more recipes and food subjects in the future!)

Male Attractiveness

A fascinating research group (I assume it is a group) that is studying faces and peoples responses to them. I just finished taking one of their tests, titled "Male Attractiveness". (If you want to take the test, you will probably need to register.)

I assume that my test responses were added into the aggregate, but here is the feedback I received from my test:

On average, people preferred the more masculine images 60% of the time when the faces were more masculine than average and 39% of the time when the faces were more feminine than average. You preferred the more masculine images 90% of the time when the faces were more masculine than average and 90% of the time when the faces were more feminine than average

So according to the test, I am almost uniformly attracted to men with masculine features. I could have told you that without taking the test! The test was fun, especially when being shown what was essentially the same face with slight differences.

I've take a few other tests, but the Male Attractiveness one is by far the best. Try it out for yourself! For those of you who are more attracted to the female half of our race, there are tests there for you, too!

Bowling

Today for lunch I joined several co-workers and went to lunch at a bowling alley. It has been several years since I last bowled and it was blast.

You would think that after having purchased the Nintendo Wii I would be an ace bowler by now. That would be the assumption, right? Especially when I score such great games. Amazingly, that is not the case. Once again, just like when the Wii guessed my age me a good 10 years older than I really am, the box got it wrong again! I'm beginning to think it is defective in matters related to the real world!

The game was fun, but it took a bit for me to remember some things. You know, minor things such as there are 2 bowls per frame, except when someone knocks all of the pins down the first time. When you do that, as punishment you aren't allowed to bowl a 2nd time! So I made sure that I didn't go on any strikes, 'cause I wanted to bowl every time.

It started out real bad. At the end of the second frame I had a whopping 3 points! And those 3 came on the 2nd ball of the 2nd frame. So you can just guess what the first 3 balls ended up doing!

But a little past the 5th frame I started to warm up to the game, especially at aiming the ball correctly. A couple of times there it was a balance between sending it down the alley correctly, and not throwing out my back, which I could feel I was getting ready to do. I cured that by getting my feet into proper form, especially the offsetting leg thrown back as counter-balance, pictured.

In the end I didn't even break 100, but who cares? It was fun and something new to do. These guys go out on Fridays each week to bowl, so I can see myself joining for a game in the future. Hopefully next time it won't take until the middle of the game before I wake up and start actually hitting a few pins!

Quandry - Where to Use the Money

I've put myself into a quandry about where to stash extra money in my paycheck. To be honest, it's a nice dilemma, and I'm not complaining. I guess I am more asking for peoples advice or suggestions on what to do.

Background: Last month I received my annual bonus at work. I wanted to sock most or all of it away in my 401(k) account, so I finagled my contribution to 50% that month and it all went in, when combined with regular pay. But because such a large amount when in all at once, I needed to put in a lot less each month, otherwise I would hit the $15,000 limit for contributions this year, probably maxing out in August and thereby losing the matching contributions.

So I adjusted the monthly contributions, and this months paycheck shows that I hit it just right. I will max out the contributions in December, and receive the matching contributions. That worked out perfect.

So now I am bringing home an additional $250 a month in pay. Which kinda sucks in that the 401(k) contribution was reduced by $370, meaning I am paying $120 more in taxes each month, or another $1200 a year! Can't help that though (I think!).

So it comes down to two questions: 1) Do I have $250 or $370 a month extra to put somewhere? and 2) Where should it go?

Question one probably sounds strange to you, in that actual take home is only $250. But by my convoluted way of thinking, I used to be putting $370 aside for later, so I should maintain that level. Of course to do this, it means I would need to squeeze that $120 out of other areas (which is managable, barely). The amount also depends on the answer to question 2.

Two, where should it be go? Spend, save, or pay down debt? Most financial advisers would recommend paying down debt, but the only debt I have is a mortgage and it's already gettting many hundreds extra each month. Based on estimates from numbers I plug into this amortization calculator I use, each additional $100/month would end the mortgage approximately 4 months early.

Save is always a good choice, and I could use it to fund the Roth IRA for next year. Spend? I like the idea, especially since I don't do nearly enough shopping to be a "proper" gay man! If I do spend it, then question 1 is easily answered, it is only $250. After all, the extra $120 would come out of this category to begin with.

Am I missing anything? What would you do?

Dilbert is 54 Years Old

Okay, so nobody probably pays any attention to Dilberts age. I've always assumed he was youngish. But as it turns out, there is a good probability that he is 54 years old. As evidence, here is the todays comic:



By coincidence, a front page article in WSJ today reports on research ($) that shows that people reach their peak financial expertise when they are 53 years old, plus a couple of months:

The [researchers] found that middle-aged adults tend to borrow at lower interest rates and pay fewer fees than younger and older adults. The age at which consumers are least likely to make financial mistakes: a few months past their 53rd birthday, despite all the pressures that accompany middle age.

The researchers evaluated the loans made at a large financial institution, unnamed but assumed to be in the north east, and found that repeatedly the interest rates on loans were lower for that age group. Plus there appeared to be a greater ability to spot those "gotcha's" that banks use to charge higher fees and rates, such as applying payments to lower interest rate balances first. This chart from the article makes for a pretty clear picture.

I've noticed in myself the last few years that I am becoming much more financially savvy, even if I ma still many years away from the "prime" age in finances. I always assumed it was because I starting working for a bank, but that may not be the case.

The research is not yet published, nor peer reviewed, so take the information with a grain of salt. I just found it very interesting, and with the timing of todays Dilbert, it was also illuminating.

I see from my categories that this is my first finance related article. I guess I need to get busy in that sector, such as explaining why there is exactly $1.00 difference in your checking account when it lists "available" and "current" balances.

My Code Word Is Cinnamon

Yesterday as I was exercising I caught up with Mondays Daily Show. This "segment" was aired and it is funny as hell! Having watched the clip again, I looked up the "expert" in the show, and it turns out he is a real person, however unlicensed he may be (I always wonder how people can do this to themselves).

Watch the clip here and soon, as Viacom will undoubtedly take it down soon. Oh, and count the number of times cinnamon is said!

The Thrilling Wonder Of It All

I recently came across a web site called Thrilling Wonder that I think is awesome. The collections of pictures they post are always of great quality and uniquely mind stretching.

Todays post is a Humour Digest Part 1. If past collections are any indication, the next parts are also going to be fun. I love this picture, captioned "Darn kids! some of them are contemplating unmentionable, daring feats." I'll say! I'm getting queasy just looking at it.

There are quite a few fascinating collections of photos. I highly recommend visiting and feel yourself becoming engrossed!

Cruising The Deputy

Today at lunch, I had a little bit of fun with a deputy sheriff. While at Subway eating my sandwich and reading the paper, a couple of county sheriffs walked in. They ordered their sandwiches and sat down to enjoy them.


From almost the moment they walked in, I was attracted to the younger one. He looked like he was only 25-30, and cute with a fun smile. He reminded me of Jensen Ackles of Supernatural (see him at BentBlog) . While they were standing in line I looked him over a couple of times, and by the time they had their food and sat down, he knew he was being cruised.

Like all good law enforcement officers, the very idea that they might be thought to be gay just crushes their machismo. And that seems to be how this darling was taking it. The more I innocently cruised, the more butch he became. I could practically smell the testosterone over the airborne yeast!

His forehead and brow furrowed into a not-quite-a-frown, and I swear the crew cut got bristlier. His back straightened up as he sat, and I am sure that if I could have heard his voice it would have gone several octaves lower. His chest had puffed up so much that by the time they walked out it was impossible for him to lower his arms to his sides!

I know that someday I'll pay for the fun that I had with him. Some day or another I will have a run-in with him on business and he'll remember today. I just hope when it happens that he is more of a peacock than a puff fish!

Finally - A Game Console

I finally managed to chase down a Wii game console. It was at the local Circuit City store a week ago Sunday. I, along with about 15-20 other people arrived well before they opened to get our box.

It took no time at all to hook up to the home theater system, and I popped in the included sports games. I played a game of bowling, then took the "age test" which put me at 7 years older than my actual age! I am quite physically fit thank you very much, so I think there is a flaw in that "test"!

I bought The Legend Of Zelda at the same time I picked up the Wii. I have played that game for hours, and I am completely hooked!

This may come as a surprise to some folks, but this is the first game console I've ever owned. I've had a computer for years, so it isn't that I didn't play games. Just never a machine that was dedicated to playing games. Combined with the 118" screen, a body can get completely immersed in playing.

So far I've clocked up over 40 hours on the thing. Luckily I've managed to find the time without it interrupting the "must do" things on my schedule. But I'm pretty sure I'm addicted!

Jihad

This clip is quite entertaining: Jihad: The (Short) Motion Picture