February 28, 2008

Bush's dividend tax cuts save me a whopping total of $161 this year.

I wonder how much the rich folks saved. Probably $100,000 for each person.

Posted by megabeth at 07:37 AM | Comments (1)

February 27, 2008

I recently got a promo USB drive at work and the instructions were hilarious. Someone in China did not speak English too well, but they gave it their best shot. "Driver in stallion" = "Driver installation". And about a hundred other grammatical or spelling errors. This kind of stuff cracks me up. I love finding errors on restaurant menus. Check it out (pdf).

Posted by megabeth at 01:42 PM | Comments (1)

This does not give me a good feeling. If our country is in more debt than any other country, then why are we spending so much money?

This is evidence that the U.S. wedding tradition has gone way overboard. If a women is willing to jeopardize her health in order to 'look good' on her wedding day, then our values are severely twisted. Weddings have become a largely expensive and stressful event for the bride and groom. It doesn't make sense to me. I'd think people would want to enjoy their own wedding instead of putting themselves into debt and feeling stressed out for several months of wedding planning. But I am too rational of a person, and sometimes don't understand the behavior that goes along with irrational thought (also known as 'emotional motives').

Posted by megabeth at 09:33 AM | Comments (2)

February 26, 2008

This "Ah-ha" moment just hit me. I have a small % of my IRA invested in intermediate term bonds. But the mutual fund's expense ratio is 0.8%. And bonds usually bring in returns of 0.5 to 4% annually. So why bother if at least 25% of your returns are going back to fund management?

The alternative is an intermediate bond ETF. I'm looking at Vanguard's BIV because its expense ratio is 0.11%.

Posted by megabeth at 03:43 PM | Comments (0)

February 25, 2008

I moved my domain-specific email over to Google Apps last week. It took a while because my domain registrar has a confusing user interface and no instructions. But after the kinks were worked out, I now have FREE email for my domain name with the excellent spam filtering that Google provides, as well as POP3 and the same webmail interface as Gmail users.

One reason why I moved it is because AT&T's DSL service has blocked port 25 for sending outgoing email. They are forcing their customers to use a bellsouth.net address if you want to use Outlook or similar mail reader. I prefer doing that over using webmail because it is quicker to send and receive emails. So, the most beautiful thing of all about Google's email (including Gmail) is that they don't use port 25 at all! I have been able to bypass AT&T's stupid rule.

I belive Google Apps has some minimal free webhosting, but I haven't tried it out yet.

Posted by megabeth at 12:43 PM | Comments (0)

February 23, 2008

When courageous homicidal maniacs get behind the wheel of a car and then try to hit cyclists, I wonder why they don't have something better to do. I know they'd rather be chopping up their girlfriend into tiny little pieces and roasting her on a spit, sodomizing their brother down by the river, or perhaps taking the skin off a dog and returning it to its owners, still alive.

Don't lump yourself into this category by trying to push cyclists off the road with your SUV.

Posted by megabeth at 01:18 PM | Comments (1)

February 21, 2008

I have naked DSL with AT&T and decided I want to pay my bill online. So I went to their website and tried to log in with what I thought was my login and password. Then I realized I do not have an online account so I went to the registration page. On that page, you have to request an online registration code that is either given to you over the phone or sent by snail mail. The number that is automatically entered, however, is my account number, and since I have naked DSL, it does not work. So they are going to call a non working number to give me a registration code so that I can have an online account.

I decided to call them to see if there is another way to get that 'code'. The first number I called, was put on hold for 10 minutes to discover that I need to talk to someone at this other number, so she transferred me. Then I chose the option for having technical problems with the website. The automated voice told me to go the website at www.att.com and then hung up on me (!). I called back and when I talked to someone, they said I have to get the code via snail mail since my number is not a working number.

So I went back to the site and requested my only option, snail mail.

The customer service people at AT&T are nice and helpful, but the company's processes are still outdated and stupid.

Posted by megabeth at 04:19 PM | Comments (1)

February 20, 2008

Not because I don't have any. Because I DO have them. I ordered a few boxes and of course, I am going to eat them because they are there. It is hard to believe that sugar is not a physically addictive substance. I have a real problem with a sweet tooth. So I am going to try to substantially reduce my dietary sugar intake. I am calling this Operation Sugarbust. Right now I am in the planning and research stages, so I can eat the Girl Scout cookies. I am sharing them with my coworkers, though, and I keep asking them to eat more cookies.

Supposedly people who have intense sugar cravings have a brain similarity to coke addicts: a low number of dopamine receptors.

I HATE this. My diet has improved considerably over the last year, but this is the last and most difficult problem I want to overcome. The goal isn't about losing weight; I am thin. It's about eating a healthier diet. (And if I stopped cycling, I would probably gain 20 lbs in a year's time, eating like this.)

Posted by megabeth at 03:32 PM | Comments (2)

February 18, 2008

I have been doing some research on plants that will grow in crappy Alabama clay soil. Which has no air pockets, is hard as a rock, is filled with small rocks, and has no organic material. Well, guess what. Only weed-like and/or invasive plants grow naturally in this kind of soil. Not the kind of plants you would purposefully go out and buy seed or seedlings to plant, but the kind you spend hundreds of dollars (on weed killer) and hours of time (digging them up or using weed eater device) to get rid of. Perhaps this is why people in Alabama used to eat so much pokeweed.

Regardless, I am going to attempt to grow various types of thyme on the hillside in my backyard in hopes that it would take the place of the weeds that normally occupy the hill.

I hope that thyme can suffer through four or five weeks of searing 100+ degree heat and zero rain in the summertime.

If you like to make things out of clay, then the soil here is awesome. Otherwise, it sucks.

If this experiment fails, I am turning my backyard into an Arizona cactus haven. (I'll have to truckload in a few tons of sand, but the cacti will love the drought conditions.)

Posted by megabeth at 09:10 AM | Comments (2)

February 15, 2008

I joined Toastmasters in January as a way to reach my goal of becoming a better public speaker. It is very easy since my company hosts a local club and the meetings are held in my office building.

Everyone gets a little nervous when speaking. I seem to have less problems with being nervous and more of an issue with saying the right things. This seems like an activity that I could potentially enjoy if I were good at it. The problem is: I think I am permanently broken. There is a connection between my brain and mouth that is either severed or not present. I can write all day long but when it comes time to speak, I spit out a few broken phrases as if I am channeling Tarzan.

"I Like. Proposal."
"Works good."
"Thanks, er. Yeah."

When I discover that I am speaking like a primitive creature, my anxiety balloons and creates even worse of a problem. My response is the opposite of typical nervous symptoms such as a red face, shaking hands, and stammering. Instead, my brain completely shuts down, and I become a dead statue.

Hypothetically, if I were to give a speech about oranges, it would go something like this:

"Oranges are... orange. Citrus fruit. Um, juicy. You can make juice from them. Have vitamin C in them. Okay. Thanks for listening. The end."

I would never be one of those people who goes on and on and puts the audience to sleep. Instead I would set a record for shortest speech ever.

But if given a sheet of paper and a pen (or a keyboard), I will wax eloquent on the many qualities and characteristics of an orange.

Who is this person I become when speaking in front of a group?

The great thing about Toastmasters is that it provides you with the chance to speak in front of people, over and over again. It is the ONLY way to get better at it. You can attend a little one-day class and hear an instructor talk about what to do and what not to do. Then you will return back to work and try to give a speech, and suck at it. Nobody ever learned to play a musical instrument by listening to someone else play one.

Yesterday I stood up in front of the group for the first time and gave a two-minute impromptu speech. I said "um" FIFTEEN times. What's funny is that I did not hear myself say "um" ONCE. The feedback is very eye-opening. I wonder if I am a hopeless cause. ;)

Posted by megabeth at 08:36 AM | Comments (3)

February 14, 2008

I made some creme brulee last night for a Valentine's day dinner tonight with my Valentine. It needs to refrigerate for a while so it's better to make it day ahead. This stuff should be illegal, it is so good. Heavy cream by itself is sinfully good. Then I added sugar and vanilla bean and wanted to drink the entire mix immediately. I held back but did have several, uh, twenty little tastes. Then I added the egg yolks to the mix and poured it into the ramekins. And had a few more tastes. Then baked it in a water bath in the oven, and when I took it out, I had to talk myself out of eating one of them early. Why is it that something tastes so good has to be so full of fat and cholesterol? Is the definition of good "bad"?

It takes quite a bit of time and effort to make creme brulee. It's very simple in terms of the ingredients, but requires a complicated process to make it. I would not complain when a restaurant asks $7-8 for it. Unless they are using a pre-made powdered mix, which I tried at a dessert expo last spring. It was good, but not the real thing.

Posted by megabeth at 03:13 PM | Comments (0)

February 13, 2008

There is this Ann Taylor at the mall here in B'ham (Galleria) that has always been the strangest place. For several years their sales associates were icy and snobby, which cracked me up since it is just a CHAIN clothing store, not a high-end boutique, and while I find their prices to be too high, if you compare them with a wide range of clothing stores, they aren't particularly pricey in comparison. Clothes in general are just a ridiculous rip-off.

A while back, the store moved to a different space in the mall, and since then, their sales associates vigorously attack every customer who walks in the store. I have been asked if I needed any assistance about five times in two minutes. Once by an associate who looked like she ran into a vat of blue eye shadow. I was in too much surprise and had to look away quickly so I wouldn't laugh out loud. When I'm shopping, if I am accosted every thirty seconds, it is not possible for me to focus on the store's products long enough to decide if I have any interest.

So, after being asked if I need any help five times by three different women, I am trying to look at some clothes and garner enough concentration to decide if there is something I want to try on. I chose a few items and one associate again vigorously assisted me by taking these clothes to the dressing room. You'd think they were wanting tips. I tried the clothes on, and more often than not, Ann Taylor's clothes do not fit me right. My measurements are different from theirs. So there is this one sweater that does fit and look good, and I decide to buy it. It is on sale. I take it to the register, where the sales associate treats me icily because I am apparently not spending enough money for her approval.

I can't think of a single person on the planet who would enjoy being treated like a machine that spits out money, and if the money is not coming out, then the machine is a piece of crap which should be discarded immediately.

I will not go back to that store again.

Posted by megabeth at 03:40 PM | Comments (5)

February 12, 2008

At least half of the people who own dogs don't deserve them. I'm not a perfect dog owner, but there are a couple of things I would NEVER do. One is leaving a dog outside all the time, including nights, and never paying any attention to the dog. These dogs bark incessantly because they are trying to tell the world that their owner sucks. Unfortunately there is only legal recourse for physical neglect, so nothing can be done about people who consistenly ignore their dogs, but continue to feed them. Two is allowing a dog to roam wherever it pleases. This is particularly common in rural areas. Cars hit and kill dogs. It is cruel to allow your dog to be hit by a car. I don't think a person would enjoy being injured or killed in that manner, so why would you allow that to happen to a dog?

Makes me wonder how/if some people take care of their kids.

Posted by megabeth at 04:58 PM | Comments (1)

February 10, 2008

Beware of the rabid monkey who carries a Pooch Tube in its mouth. It is a very dangerous creature.

Posted by megabeth at 11:28 AM | Comments (2)

February 06, 2008

I've read a LOT of "Best Albums/Songs of 2007" on the internet in the past few weeks. These lists sound so cool. I'd rather get the autograph of the list writer instead of the featured artists. So in an effort to be reaallly cool, I'm writing a list of my own.

1. The Blah Blah Blahs - Living in a Blah. This band came on the scene just a year ago, and their sophomore album is even more incredible than the first. I often stop people walking by on the sidewalk or in the store and ask them if they listen to the Blah Blah Blahs. If they say no, I have found an opportunity to tell them that they are stupid losers. Yesterday I called some old Granny a loser, and she looked at me quizzically and walked away. Me, 1. Granny, 0.

2. Blahcity - Droning Blahs. Lord. Lord. LORD. LORD LORD LORD. This album sends me into an ethereal whimsy, the guitar sounds reverberating deep into my dark, mysterious soul. I want to write poetry. I want to love fiercely. I want to roll around in a field of daisies. If you haven't heard Blahcity, you are a stupid idiot who is clueless.

3. Bleeping Blahs - Da Bleepin' Blah. I know, this is a different genre than what I usually listen to, but I do have a diverse set of musical interests. I mean, most people don't, and they are stupid losers. Anyway. Da Bleepin' Blah is a foul-mouthed, angst-ridden, partyfest of lascivious wild partying music. Play it at your next party and your guests will think you are da bomb.

4. Bla! - Blahshnauzen Blauerahs. I feel so Euro when I listen to this album. I put on my tight black mock turtleneck and do the Sprockets dance. I tell my friends, look, if you're not into the Euro scene, then you are a total loser. The techno rhythms are infectious. I particularly like the song, "Bappity Bap". I can feel the synthesizer rhythm deep down in my bones, and Fred Frauline's voice is deeply satisfying. In "Bappity Bap", he laments, "I took too much acid at the club / Now I am crying in the toilet stall". That lyric really touched my heart.

5. Songs of Blah - Lisa Blahman. My list only has five items, so it was incredibly hard to decide between the amazing releases of 2007 that I haven't previously mentioned. I thought about it for a couple of hours, then made an Excel spreadsheet with all the pros and cons of the albums I was considering. I finally, with much stress and hair pulling, decided on Lisa Blahman. This up-and-coming singer songwriter has a high, lilting, soft, tender, tasty, songbird-like, gravelly, dark, mighty, loud, country, monotonous voice that just screams to me, "I am a pretty little songbird who needs rescuing". Her songs are about real life stories, some of which will bring you to tears. If you like her songs on Myspace, please buy them on iTunes instead of bootlegging, because I am cool enough to be on the insider track and heard from my sister's boyfriend's uncle's cousin who posted on her fan board that she is living in a van, traveling to shows all over the country. I really feel for these starving artists. If you haven't been to her website yet (www.lisablahmansingersongwritersongbird.com), then you are so not cool, and shouldn't be my friend. Ha.

So, there's my list. Go out and buy these albums. Or be a loser. It's your choice. Make the right one.

Posted by megabeth at 01:46 PM | Comments (4)

February 04, 2008

At training camp, my homemade energy bars were mostly gone after the first ride, even the ones that had soy flour that I thought tasted a little chalky.

The next thing I started thinking about was the fact that I am using an egg in each batch. I don't know how good the shelf life is for a food item that has egg in it, even if baked. Probably not long. So I did some research and found that lecithin is often used as an emulsifier in commercial food products in lieu of egg.

Most articles proclaim lecithin to be safe and not particularly bad for you to eat. However, most lecithin is derived from soy beans and I am starting to think that soy is not the food it is cracked up to be. For one, it is an estrogen blocker**. This author states that soy lecithin is the gummy crap left over from processing soy beans and contains whatever pesticides were used to grow the beans. There are other sources of lecithin such as sunflower seeds and eggs, but apparently soy is the cheapest to produce.

Some proponents of lecithin note that it is an excellent substitution for those who don't eat eggs for whatever reason (high cholesterol, vegan). You can use it in place of egg when baking things that require an emulsifier, though lecithin is not going to provide the fluffiness that an egg white provides.

I haven't looked for powdered lecithin in non-supplemental form, so I don't know how/if it is sold for non-commercial use. In the meanwhile, I'm going to keep tweaking other ingredients (variables) in my recipe.

** I should explain this in more detail. Isoflavones in soy have been shown to possibly aid in lowering the chance of breast cancer in women because it neutralizes estrogen. However, when I overconsume soy products, my menstrual cycle goes all out of whack. I can't imagine that being a good thing.

Posted by megabeth at 03:55 PM | Comments (0)

When I vote tomorrow, should I vote for the candidate who does not have a chance to get the party nomination, or vote strategically?

From al.com:
"If I vote in one party's primary, does that mean I must support that party's candidates in the Nov. 2 general election? At the bottom of the Democratic ballot, there is a paragraph that says in part, 'I do pledge ... to aid and support all the Nominees thereof in the ensuing General Election.' However, that pledge is unenforceable. In the general election, where you have a secret ballot, you can vote for whomever you choose. "

I may want to vote for the candidate least likely to select Edwards as his/her running mate.

Posted by megabeth at 03:40 PM | Comments (5)

February 01, 2008

I decided to try the bike rollers the other night and after a few fumbles, I was spinning support-free in just a few minutes. I started practicing looking away at something else and did okay with that, too. I'm not sure about the likelihood of successfully doing some hard riding on rollers without tossing one's self and the bike into an adjoining wall. I'll stick with my trainer for that.

Note. I had to change the title of this post (previously: "rollers") because I kept getting spam comments about Las Vegas.

Posted by megabeth at 04:50 PM | Comments (2)