I'm not a big fan of Starbucks since I try to keep sugar intake in my diet to a minimum. I think of their products as "sugar masquerading as overpriced coffee".

So far, investing in equities for retirement appears to be a bad choice. My assets are down an estimated 15-20% this year. Including the value of my house. Will my generation will enjoy any of the good fortune that has befallen my parent's generation? Perhaps this is another 1970s and things will look better again in another ten or fifteen years.

If anyone thinks the Democrats are going to fix this, I think that is an incorrect assumption. But I also think that the Republicans aren't going to fix anything, either. I've invested more in international stocks in the past few years because I think the U.S. is no longer going to be the world's economic superpower; we're already on our way out. I wouldn't know where to place blame other than the fact that businesses and consumers in this country have had too much access to cheap credit, and it could take years to get ourselves out of this mess.

I have some equity holdings that were severely under water, and after this week, you could say my portfolio looks like the midwest does right now.

I'm moving most of my investments to Merrill Lynch this month since I am too stupid to manage my accounts without making some very painful mistakes. (Mutual funds, index funds and ETFs can still lose 25%-30%. I'm good at picking those.)

P.S. I thought this article, which presents a different perspective on America's prosperity, was interesting.

We go to the lakehouse several times a year and it's located in the middle of nowhere in Coosa County. The closest town, a 20-25 minute drive, is Wetumpka. The lake itself is privately managed to be a trophy bass fishing lake, which is why we find it somewhat easier than usual to catch a 5+ lb bass (and I have no idea what the heck I am doing out there with a fishing pole).

There are a few fields nearby which are plowed annually and grass is planted that attract deer. I've found several white quartz arrowheads in the field, and again, I have no experience with looking for Indian artifacts. There are numerous random piles of rocks which we can't figure out why they were put there; either to have the area cleared for planting, or as a burial marker. A lot of Coosa County appears to have been logged and then trees were replanted, so some of the forest areas are immature.

I like Coosa County because it is a wonderful place to ride a bike. It is truly in the boonies so traffic volumes are low. And when people do pass, they will slow down and take a good look at the weird people in spandex, then wave hello and continue. Many of the roads on the map don't even have a name or a number assigned to them. We can ride for long stretches without having to stop, and there are farms and other scenery to look at while passing by. During one ride we passed by Equality, then Richville. Both of these towns seem to be non-existant, other than their signs (and a deserted fire department in Richville).

I'll be back in Coosa County for the holiday weekend, looking forward to some more exploration by bike. This time we plan to ride by Weogufka State Forest, which seems to be a very large tract of trees and a mountain, but not much else. I will enjoy the silence.

Ruby usually doesn't act like she is interested in me, she won't snuggle with me but likes men better, especially those who have goatees. I guess because I am her 'mom', that familiarity breeds contempt. I've been told this is what it's like to have a teenage child, being underappreciated all the time. However, when I get home from work, she is very excited to see me and lets me give her a belly rub. Sometimes I scoop her up and hold her like a little baby and talk to her in baby talk. She lets me do this for a minute or two before getting annoyed with me.

The love I have for that little dog strengthens every year. When she passes, I'll probably be devastated.

Every morning when I back my car out of the driveway on the way to work, she stands at the fence and watches me intently. It breaks my heart every single day. I don't want to leave her alone, she is too sweet and good.

You know you love Christmas in (almost) July. ;) Do you feel cooler already?

We didn't take any photos this time because the camera wasn't working and I won't get all up on Facebook and say inane stuff like "OMG This vacation was SO FABULOUS, too bad you weren't there!!!"

The vacation was one week long, from Friday to Friday, and then I had the weekend at home to catch up and recover. That was planned well.

Here are some answers:
Yes at distances less than 100 feet, but it is not safe because at 100 feet your response time is only 1.25 seconds.

Discovery's Mythbusters found an 11 percent savings by following a truck at 100 feet.

A hundred feet seems awfully close, but I didn't find any tests done at 150 or 200 feet, so I suppose at any distance over 100 feet, there is no benefit.

Increasing gas mileage isn't much of a concern right now, anyway. I was driving on the highway yesterday (Memorial day) for a short trip and at 65-70 mph, I was being passed like my car was sitting still.

I just don't think $4 gas is all that big of a deal. If it were, you'd see people changing their habits. I think the news media is blowing it all out of proportion since they like to turn the most insignificant events into doomsday (see: weather related stories like "Thunderstorm 2006" or "The Rain Shower of 2008").

You don't hear Europeans whining about gas prices, and they have been paying $7-8/gallon for at least 15-20 years. I'd like to see gas here go up to $7-8 gallon and see what the general response is. My prediction is: maybe 5-10% will change their habits, but everyone else will keep driving SUVs, driving at high speeds, and driving frequently. Here are some reasons why nothing will change:

a) The U.S. infrastructure was built on cheap gas. Most people can't change where they live or work quickly, so they'll continue to deal with urban sprawl.
b) Most people think in the short term financially. Thus, if you had to take a big hit to sell your SUV to get a smaller car, you'd rather pay the incremental gas cost than lose a few thousand at once.
c) My spending habits may not be typical, but currently gasoline is 3.5% of my monthly spending (includes non-discretionary), with an estimated 10-12,000 miles driven per year. Whoop-te-doo.

The only people hurt by gas prices in my opinion, are people who are earning minimum wage. The rest of us, who may have to sacrifice buying that fifth flat screen tv this year, are not suffering, regardless of what the news media says.