Trying to get it right

Snow in Atlanta

2009-02-06T02:14:00.005-05:00

Yes, there is. You just have to know where to look, and despite waking up the last several mornings to temperatures in the low teens, the snow isn't on my lawn--it's at Snow Mountain located in Stone Mountain Park (aka "Redneck Mount Rushmore").

We visited a week ago Sunday, and the girls and I had a great time. Surprisingly, the place wasn't overcrowded, and our 5 hour visit was the perfect amount of time for the kids to play, sled, build a snow fort, throw a few snowballs, enjoy smores, and even take the Summit Skyride to the top of Stone Mountain (free with cost of admission to Snow Mountain). Tickets were $25 each, but pick up a coupon good for $2 off each ticket from Kroger.

Country First?

2008-11-06T09:20:00.004-05:00

Yes, that was one of the many tag lines of the McCain campaign. For those who voted for the losing ticket, this clip below (from the only news station you trust) should both give you pause and make you question your own judgement...

Never thought I would see the day...

2008-11-04T14:35:00.006-05:00

I'm 39, and in my lifetime I never thought I would live to see this day. It is a day in which I had the privilege of voting for a man who was raised by a single mother from Wichita, Kansas, and whose father was from Kenya, as a candidate for President of the United States. I have faith our next President will end the war in Iraq, invest in American infrastructure, and restore America's standing in the world. My selection of Barack Obama for President gives me hope that my daughters will grow up in a renewed, openly diverse country with opportunities I never imagined.

Regardless who you voted for, here is a bit of levity:

See more funny videos at CollegeHumor.

McCain/Palin ticket and ethics

2008-10-12T23:17:00.007-04:00

Lawmakers in Alaska released a 263-page report on Friday which concluded that Governor Sarah Palin, the Republican vice presidential nominee, abused the power of her office and violated the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act.

As highlighted by the Washington Monthly:

Our nation has had 102 major-party tickets covering 51 presidential elections over more than two centuries. And we've never had a ticket in which both candidates on the same ticket were responsible for ethics violations before a national election. McCain/Palin is the first.

In 1991, John McCain was rebuked by the Senate Ethics Committee for exercising "poor judgement" over his involvement in the Keating Five scandal. McCain later wrote that his attendance at two meetings with banking regulators was "the worst mistake of my life."

Biden vs. Palin

2008-10-03T01:10:00.002-04:00

And to think this folksy "hockey Mom" could actually be a heartbeat away from the Presidency...

McCain and Obama's tax plans compared

2008-09-24T11:21:00.001-04:00

Free 10-year Term Life Insurance

2008-09-19T09:17:00.007-04:00

Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance is giving away $1 billion worth of life insurance coverage in 2008. Through a program called LifeBridge, MassMutual is offering a free $50,000 term life insurance policy (10-year term) for those individuals who are:

- age 19-42
- parent or legal guardian of a dependent child under the age of 18
- permanent, legal resident of the U.S.
- employed full or part time with annual family income between $10,000 and $40,000 per year
- in good health (as determined by their underwriting guidelines)

Only one policy per household is allowed. Death benefits are paid into a trust for the educational benefit of the insured's children.

A FAQ on this program is available by clicking here, and the LifeBridge eligibility form is here.

For those living in metro Atlanta, MassMutual will be taking applications in person on September 28 between 10am and 2pm at the Ben Hill United Methodist Church in Atlanta.

Green lodging in Georgia

2008-08-05T09:43:00.007-04:00

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Arthur Frommer has nothing on me. There are few destinations where people can travel, stay at a beautiful mountain retreat, enjoy a hearty family-style dinner and breakfast, and do so for less than $90. The Len Foote Hike Inn is an hour and a half drive from downtown Atlanta and located in the Amicalola Falls State Park. There is also a 5-mile hike to get to the Hike Inn--there are no roads leading to this property. And they ask that guests bring no cell phones, pagers, or radios... so I'm guessing that also excludes my Blackberry and iPod.

The Hike Inn is the first lodging property in the country to receive the Gold Level Certification in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for an Existing Building (Gold LEED - EB) by the United States Green Building Council. Given its remote location, the Hike Inn is all about conservation, from the composting toilets and solar panels to its policy of "pack it in, pack it out" since there are no trash cans at the Hike Inn!

This weekend will be my first stay at the Hike Inn, and I have but one concern: my 4 1/2 year old daughter I'm taking with me. I'm scheduling two hours for the 5-mile hike and am planning on packing as light as possible in the event I have to carry her on my shoulders part of the way. Once we get there, I know she'll have a blast. Each of the 20 guest rooms have bunk beds, and she's already claimed the top bunk.

Become a Friend of the Hike Inn for just $15, and you'll recoup this fee through the end of August as the Hike Inn is running a 30% discount for members. Other benefits of joining Friends of the Hike Inn are discounts on merchandise (only available at the Hike Inn) as well as the ability to serve as a volunteer at the Hike Inn.

It's a Landlord's Market

2008-07-31T12:28:00.008-04:00

In any economic downturn, there are always opportunities. One such opportunity is the result of higher lending standards, which makes it more difficult for people to purchase homes, as well as a doubling in the number of home foreclosures in the 2nd quarter of this year: higher demand for good quality single family rental homes.

This was my hunch, but it was confirmed this week after receiving a signed lease agreement for a rental property being vacated today. The new lease includes a 5% increase in rent over the previous one and will be the first time I've had no lapse in vacancy upon a tenant's move-out, quite a relief. I've been considering the purchase of another rental property, and after this experience I plan to start researching prospective investment homes.

And watch this to see a disturbing encounter between Will Ferrell and his landlord:

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

Mid-year review

2008-07-25T10:43:00.008-04:00

This entry is more for me than anyone who stumbles upon it, as I wanted to do a mid-year review of some life resolutions which will some day become habit. I'd give myself an arbitrary grade of B-, as good progress has been made in some areas while others are untouched. Below is each area with its respective grade:

- Pare down: F. I'm preparing for an October and November barrage of eBay activity, but that doesn't help in the interim.

- Make running a habit: A. The real evidence is that when I pack running gear on a business trip, it gets used; I now run at least twice a week and more if the schedule allows. I've shed over 15 pounds and moved from "Overweight" to "In Normal Range" according to the WHO and CDC, which defines overweight as having a body-mass-index/BMI of 25 or more. A good BMI calculator can be found here.

- Travel more for leisure: B. Gasoline over $4 a gallon doesn't help, but we've been on three trips so far this year with a big vacation scheduled in early December.

- Reduce exposure to media/news: B. I'm a political news junkie, but you won't find me at a methadone clinic as long as I can get my fix of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report.

- Invest more in community: D. It's not what I originally had in mind, but right now this investment in community is through time and money directed at helping to get Senator Obama elected President.

- Manage ADHD rather than having it manage me: A. Just after the first of the year I switched from Dexedrine to Vyvanse, and it's much more effective with zero side effects.

- Simplify investments: B. I'm down to just four individual stocks considered long-term holds (DIS, MRK, SHPGY, and MSFT). All other holdings are in the form of exchange-traded funds. Unfortunately I'm still down 14% since the first of the year compared to a 12.7% decline in the Dow Jones and a 13% decline in the S&P 500. Fortunately the rental properties are all occupied and throwing off good cash flow.

Revisiting the past

2008-07-23T10:50:00.004-04:00

I enjoyed attending my 10-year high school class reunion, and that didn't seem so long ago. But it was. Now even further removed from those awkward and painful high school days, I just attended my 20-year class reunion last weekend.

There were hints of this 10 years ago, but even more obvious today is that:

academic and athletic success does not translate into success in life
beauty is fleeting
people are resourceful--even idiots find a way to earn a living
if opportunities exist, people don't move far from home
the relationship between money and happiness is not linear
extreme social retardation does not wane over time

Our reunion committee did a great job finding and contacting the nearly 700 alumni in a rather short period of time, but unfortunately turnout was rather low. There were only a half-dozen people I really wanted to see, and only a few of them attended. Fortunately there were others I didn't know in high school who I got to meet and live pretty interesting lives.

Like many reunions, there was a 20-question survey to be filled out prior to attending. As someone who didn't participate in extracurricular sports, I was annoyed that 3 of the 20 questions asked about high school, college, and pro sports involvement. Somewhat in protest I left a snarky response detailing how I trained and then walked on and made the roster as a linebacker with the Atlanta Falcons from 1997 to 1999. At 5'7" and weighing 150 pounds soaking wet in high school, anyone who knew me would have immediately identified this as a ruse. But walking around the room Saturday night reading the "Did you know..." posters about my classmates, I was amused to see that my "success" with the Falcons had made the cut.

Segway tours in Atlanta

2008-06-06T10:30:00.007-04:00

My family loves living in metro Atlanta and are always up for learning more about out adopted home. Early this spring I was excited to learn that City Segway Tours had an Atlanta office, offering 3-hour tours of downtown. For once I knew had the perfect birthday for my wife!

Purchasing a birthday gift for one's spouse gets more and more complicated once kids are in the picture, however, especially when the gift is an activity and a babysitter needs to be scheduled. It was for this reason that my wife's birthday gift was two months late...

We booked our tour a couple of weeks out because the tours often sell out. The 3-hour tour is $70, but if you book through Viator, enter FAB7 for a 7% discount. Tours run twice a day at 10am and 2pm, 7 days a week.

My wife and I arrived 15 minutes before our 2pm tour at the City Segway Tours' office on the top level of Underground Atlanta at 50 Upper Alabama St SW, Suite 256. After signing away our lives we watched a brief video on how to operate the Segway. Afterwards we made our way outside to Upper Alabama Street which is open to pedestrian traffic only, making it a perfect place to learn how to use a Segway.

While tours can have up to 8 clients with a guide, there were only four of us paired with our guide and six in the other group. With help from our guide, we individually learned how to mount, move, turn, and dismount the Segway. Each of us spent about 10 minutes practicing, and then we were off!

The tour took us past the former World of Coca Cola museum to the Georgia State Capitol. From there we went through the campus of Georgia State University, past Grady Hospital, to the Sweet Auburn Historic District. Along Auburn Avenue we saw the Soul Food Museum, Wheat Street Baptist Church, Ebenezer Baptist Church, and the Martin Luther King Jr. Center. After a brief stop, we headed northwest past Woodruff Park to Centennial Olympic Park, where one of the few fountains in Atlanta is currently running due of the drought. After a photo op, we circled the park and then made our way back to Atlanta Underground.

Fortunately my wife loved it and says it was worth the wait.

Summer garden

2008-05-23T13:36:00.004-04:00

Last year's garden was a success in that we had a good supply of tomatoes for salsa, and the peppers did finally deliver even though they weren't receiving enough sun. Despite the garden's southern exposure, I underestimated the amount of shade from trees on a neighbor's property from mid to late afternoon, not optimal for a vegetable garden.

So last summer I didn't lay sod on a plot of land in the northeast corner of the yard during the backyard renovation in order to dedicate this area as the new garden location. Since last summer I've spent countless hours digging out rocks/boulders and tilling in compost to prepare the soil. Late last month my wife and the girls planted 10 tomato plants, 15 strawberry plants, and assorted herbs and flowers from seed. The seeds have sprouted, and the garden is on its way to producing!

Hypermiling: Teaching an old dog new tricks

2008-05-20T13:43:00.006-04:00

With gas approaching $4.00 per gallon, the economics of driving can no longer be ignored. I knew attitudes were changing when my Dad, who loves driving and commutes about 350 miles a week to work in a car that gets about 30 mpg, told me that he had started carpooling. Others are boarding commuter trains and bus service in record numbers to travel to and from work.

I'm cheap, so last year I read with interest an article about a guy getting over 50 mpg in a non-hybrid vehicle, but many of his methods were extreme (never using the air conditioner) and often dangerous (like taking a 25 mph turn at 50 or drafting directly behind a semi). With gas at $2.139 last February, these "hypermiling" tactics weren't worth it as I only fill up once or twice a month. Times have changed, and even though it cost over $75 at $3.769 per gallon, I was looking forward to filling up my '96 Ford Explorer (an automatic with all-wheel drive) this morning because I wanted to calculate its fuel mileage.

For the last month I've been utilizing several hypermiling techniques:

Inflating my 35 psi-rated tires to 40 psi
Removing excess weight (tools in the trunk)
Eliminating jackrabbit starts by accelerating gradually
When approaching a stop sign or red light, putting the car in neutral and coasting to a stop (known as forced auto stop)
Turning off the ignition at long stop lights
Using cruise control
Maintaining a highway speed of 55-60 mph

Fortunately I was already in the habit of documenting mileage, gallons of gas, and price per gallon at each fill-up, so I was able to calculate my average gas mileage for 2007 at 15.6 mpg. My average cost of gas last year was $2.74 which correlates to 17.5¢ per mile (cost per gallon ÷ miles per gallon). Thus far in 2008 I was averaging 14.8 mpg at $3.13 per gallon or 21¢ per mile.

After utilizing the above hypermiling techniques, I am now averaging 17.3 mpg, an 11% improvement over 2007 and 17% better than my average this year! And while gas now costs 20% more than my 2008 average, the cost per mile remained steady at 21¢ per mile.

For additional information on hypermiling, visit this post on CleanMPG.

Never again: Self-storage rental

2008-05-12T13:22:00.004-04:00

Reading a story about how the foreclosure crisis is impacting other industries reminded me that several years ago I made a thousand dollar mistake. That's right--I rented a self-storage unit for just a few months. And as anyone who has ever rented a self-storage unit can attest, a few months can quickly turn into a year or longer.

For reasons I believe involved an offer of a free month's rent as well as a plan to clear out part of our basement in preparation for an upcoming yard sale, my wife and I signed the paperwork to rent a unit for $99 a month and filled up our temporary garage. We moved furniture, full-size arcade games, unused equipment from my wife's former startup business, and building materials for our rental properties. I recall the warm and fuzzy feeling of being able to park a car in one bay of our drive-under garage. Of course we still had too much crap to be able to park both cars in the garage, but it was a start.

And then I'm sure that life just got in the way. A year later I moved whatever hadn't sold back into the basement, where I'm sure it is again collecting dust. There is no longer room to park a car in the garage, but one day I will reclaim the basement and the garage with the help of eBay and Craigslist. Soon, I hope!

Adrenaline rush at the airport

2008-05-01T00:08:00.004-04:00

I was traveling this week on business. At my departure airport, on my way back to Atlanta, I arrived four hours early for my scheduled flight in hopes of catching an earlier one. Unfortunately the next flight was full, so I decided to enjoy my found time by writing some postcards and eating lunch.

It was while eating a Quizno's sandwich that I heard the thud behind me. I turned around to see an older man laying flat on his back, and so I rushed over to see if he was okay. The man, probably in his mid to late 70's, was out cold with his eyes rolled back into his head, and a woman came up and asked me if he had a pulse? I guess that would be a good thing to check, but I was in a complete state of shock that this was happening in front of me.

I put my fingers on his neck and told her that if he had one, it's too weak to feel. Only then did it hit me that this was serious. In the mean time, the man stopped breathing. So the woman took control (she later told me that she's a doctor) and directed me to give him chest compressions after she blew into him. She directed someone else to get the defibrillator and told another to call 911. After several series of breaths and chest compressions, the gentleman's lips and face started to turn red and then blue. The woman checked his pulse again, and there was nothing. He was dead. A few more series of breaths and chest compressions, and I opened up his shirt since the guy with the A.E.D. had returned. Someone read what the heck to do with this thing, and then they put it on his chest.

As this happened, though before he was shocked, his chest rose, and he opened his eyes. "What is your name?" someone asked. The man replied with his name. By then the paramedics had arrived, and I got the hell out of the way. The gentleman was stabilized and was taken to a nearby hospital.

It took me well over an hour for the adrenaline rush to subside. I was surprised and disappointed at my paralysis when confronted by the situation, and thank God that there was a doctor nearby who heard the man fall, was willing to get involved, and knew how to manage the situation. She saved a life today.

Perhaps I'm getting old

2008-04-11T23:23:00.008-04:00

I "get" LinkedIn, which helps real, live professionals connect... but I just don't understand the fascination the press has or the appeal users have with "social media" sites like Facebook, MySpace, Bebo, Orkut, Friendster, and Twitter. As a business model, while the sites have millions of users, most lack the fundamental criteria for success: a path to profitability. As a user, why do I want complete strangers... or my boss to know what I'm up to in my personal life? To me (and some others) the negatives greatly outweigh the positives.

If I want to correspond with friends and family, I either pick up the phone or send an email. And of course when I'm in the same town, I actually visit and have real, live, face-to-face social encounters. I have enough friends, really. I'm not looking to make virtual ones.

Vacation locally

2008-03-27T16:43:00.007-04:00

My wife just enjoyed a well-deserved long weekend in New York away from the family for the first time in 4 1/2 years (since my girls were born), which meant I had sole responsibility for the first time as well. The full-time parenting I was prepared for... what I feared was having to do their hair for the first time!

The girls and I kicked around the idea of going out of town for the weekend, but circumstances led us to stay close to home. We definitely wanted to get away, though. So we decided to book a hotel room in downtown Atlanta for the weekend and take a vacation in our home town. It was a great solution, despite the street closures from the tornado that struck downtown Atlanta a week ago (note photo taken on Saturday: the Omni Hotel's new tower on the left is open while their older tower in the center is closed).

We had a very full weekend and with the exception of the Georgia Aquarium, visited the main tourist destinations: Zoo Atlanta, Centennial Olympic Park--the Children's Playground was a hit, and the World of Coca Cola. We walked and used MARTA rail to get around downtown, and riding MARTA made me wish Cobb County wasn't so ignorant as to not support a regional light-rail transit system. Perhaps that will change with gas approaching $3.50 a gallon, since years of poor air quality have not.

Stretching The Budget: To save on admission to the World of Coca Cola, show your MARTA Breeze card for $2 off each ticket. For other fun things to see and do in Atlanta, visit Viator and enter "FABSAV" (without quotes) as the promotion code for a 7% savings. I'm giving my wife an Atlanta Segway Tour as part of her birthday gift. To keep the hotel cost down, go through Ebates for a 2% rebate and then book the room through Hotwire. Lastly, to save on parking (my hotel charged $18 a day for self-park), consider parking at one of MARTA's stations with long-term secured parking for as little as $4 per day.

Soap box warning... If Atlanta wishes to ever become a major tourist destination, it needs its tourist attractions to be open during minor holidays such as Easter. Both the World of Coca Cola as well as Imagine It!: The Children's Museum of Atlanta were closed last Sunday. I understand the desire to allow employees to be with family on Easter, but you don't find Disneyworld closed on Easter (nor any other day of the year).

Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!

2008-02-28T14:42:00.009-05:00

I'm a fan of NPR, and my favorite weekly program is "the oddly informative news quiz" called Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! My wife and I have listened to this show for years, and I download the podcast weekly. The program is hilarious, and I often get strange looks from others at the YMCA as I laugh out loud listening to the program on my iPod while running on the treadmill.

Hosted by Peter Sagal with Carl Kasell acting as scorekeeper, the show is co-produced by Chicago Public Radio along with NPR, and live tapings are done at the Chase Auditorium in downtown Chicago most Thursday evenings. Despite having been to Chicago dozens of times, I've never been in town with a Thursday evening free. But as luck would have it, I'll be there next week for work and no plans that night.

Panelists for the March 6 taping of Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! are Kyrie O'Connor, Roy Blount Jr., and Adam Felber, and tickets are $21.99. Being a cheap bastard, I Googled for information about discounted tickets and stumbled upon Goldstar, a website that offers such tickets to events in several cities, including Chicago. As a result, I picked up the last two half-price tickets available for $11 + $4 service fee each, and saved $14.00--thanks, Goldstar!

My wife would like nothing more than to have Carl Kasell's voice on our home answering machine, and the only way to make that happen is to be chosen as a contestant on this show. So if one of the producers (are you listening, Doug Berman, Rod Abid, Mike Danforth, Melody Kramer, and Emily Ecton?) would call me to confirm I've been picked to be a contestant... I'm waiting!

Republicans and fiscal discipline

2008-02-25T10:19:00.007-05:00

To secure any change in how the United States is governed, two branches--the Legislative and Executive branches must work hand-in-hand. Not to be insulting but just as a quick primer for those not awake during high school civics class, Article I Section 1 of the Constitution of the United States reads that, "All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives." Further on, Article II Section 1 of the Constitution states that "The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America." So the legislative branch = Senate + House of Representatives (Congress), and executive branch = President.

The purpose of the legislative branch is outlined in Article I Section 8, and in brief, the responsibility of Congress is to lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defense and general Welfare of the United States, borrow Money on the credit of the United States, declare War, and make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.

The President of the United States is responsible for signing or rejecting bills into law (Article I Section 7), act as Commander in Chief of the armed services (Article II Section 2), and enforce the laws of the United States (Article II Section 3).

The Republican party controlled both the Senate and the House of Representatives, the entire legislative branch, from 1994 until 2006, when the Democratic party took control by slim margins. Since the disputed 2000 election when Bush edged out Gore to win the Presidency, the executive branch has been in the control of the Republican party. The Republican party has recently controlled both branches of Congress for 12 years and simultaneously controlled the executive and legislative branches for 6 years, so how does a party which runs on a platform which includes fiscal discipline (see page 46 of the RNC platform, just after "War on Terror" and Lower Taxes) measure up?

The Republicans have a history of failure by any measurement when it comes to fiscal discipline. The federal debt is up 92% since the Republican "Revolution" in 1994, and it's up 62% since George W. Bush became President (see chart above). Actions truly speak louder than words.

Wonder why I'm supporting Senator Barack Obama's candidacy for President? He has a proven record of supporting PAYGO (pay as you go) federal budget rules.

Accidental tree-hugger

2008-02-23T02:05:00.010-05:00

I'm a member of their #1 Club Gold, so when I arrive at a Hertz location I look for my name on a board and proceed to the parking space indicated. While I haven't been specifically requesting them, my last 5 rental cars have all been a hybrid Toyota Prius rented as a compact vehicle.

My guess as to why I'm getting them with great regularity is that Hertz has excess numbers of these vehicles as they're awful if you've never driven one before. Examples of why:

There is no actual key--just a key fob that gets plugged into the dash
The ignition system is not intuitive at all--you need to press the brake while you're hitting the [power] button to start the car
The shift control is weird
When the car uses battery power it doesn't sound like it's running
When the vehicle is stopped and it switches from the gas engine (with sound) to battery power (no sound), you'll think the car has just died on you
The 8" monitor staring you in the face while you're driving can be really distracting (see pic)

On my first rental, I arrived into D/FW feeling like I was coming down with a cold. I managed to get the vehicle started and on the road when I stopped to pick up some Alka-Seltzer Plus Cough & Cold. Getting back into the Prius, it took me 15 minutes of frustration (i.e., I was pissed) followed by a short phone call to Hertz to learn the secret of problem #2 above. I've gotten used to the car's quirks, and I now don't mind when I find a Prius in my assigned space.

I used to own a 1999 Volkswagen Beetle TDI (turbo diesel injected) that got 50 mpg, so one of the things that has really surprised me about the Toyota Prius is its gas mileage. After 5 rentals, I've gotten around 40 mpg doing "normal" city and highway driving. This mileage is great compared to gasoline engines, but it sucks compared to a diesel.

Until car rental companies start building an inventory of fuel-efficient diesel vehicles, I'll do what I can to rent a hybrid as I try to reduce my carbon footprint.

North Point Sermons on iTunes

2008-02-19T14:44:00.011-05:00

Andy Stanley is a fantastic preacher, but last year the PITA factor of attending North Point Community Church (NPCC) became so great that our family quit going to church for a while. We've since resumed attending, though now we visit the Buckhead campus as it's closer and their early (9:00am) service is less crowded than the main North Point campus. Last Sunday my oldest daughter asked to go back to our "old church" because "they had better (more) toys", so we attended the main Alpharetta campus for early service. If anything, the PITA factor of attending NPCC has gotten worse, and I don't think I'll ever return.

If you've ever attended North Point Community Church on a Sunday morning, you know the hassles: parking is about a quarter mile away (unless you have preschool kids, in which case you need to arrive a half hour early in order to find parking in the preschool lot); Waumba Land classrooms fill up, so again you need to arrive early (otherwise you and the kids are stuck attending the adult service); and forget about sitting in the East auditorium to see Andy Stanley preach live as regular-attenders save full rows of seats leaving others relegated to the non-live West auditorium.

Perhaps in acknowledgment of this fact, Andy Stanley and North Point have now made sermons available for download through iTunes as a FREE podcast! If I didn't think my girls were getting "something" out of attending church, I think I'd probably avoid North Point completely except for my weekly time with Andy on my iPod. For now, though, I'll go back to attending Buckhead and offer to buy whatever toys my daughter's classroom lacks.

Update: North Point Community Church is now using YouTube to extend its reach as well.

Living green

2008-02-10T01:49:00.000-05:00

Having traveled for work each week since the start of the year, I've been on a lot of planes. That bothers me, and not for the obvious reason that I don't like to be away from the family, but I know that air travel is the largest component of my carbon footprint.

A Carbon Footprint is a measure of the impact human activities have on the environment in terms of the amount of greenhouse gases produced, measured in units of carbon dioxide. I'm not a rabid tree-hugger, but I do want to live responsibly and leave the earth in good shape for my kids after I turn into compost.

The first step in trying to live green is to know how well (or poorly) you're doing right now. There are numerous calculators to help you determine your carbon footprint, and they vary wildly. On an annual basis, Climatecrisis.net calculated my footprint to be 5.7 tons of CO2, Conservation International pegged my output at 7.9 tons of CO2, GE said I produced 5.76 tons of CO2, and CarbonFootprint.com calculated my output of CO2 to be 7.758 tons. So which is it? I think GE is probably closest as they asked more in-depth questions about how I live. According to GE, the average American is responsible for 9.96 tons of CO2 emissions per year.

So great--I'm below average. But the above calculations excluded my air transportation. Add those in, and I'm an abuser of the planet. Climatecrisis.net now has me at 16.2 tCO2, Conservation International shows I produce 27.6 tCO2, GE reflects 13.52 tCO2, and CarbonFootprint.com calculates my annual CO2 output at 24.766 tons.

Until my employer offers me the ability to pay for (and expense!) carbon offset credits from a company like TerraPass, Carbonfund, LiveNeutral, or NativeEnergy, I'll continue to work to reduce my carbon output from other activities. Click here for some simple steps to help reduce your carbon footprint.

DorkyDad endores Sen. Barack Obama for President

2008-02-04T12:49:00.000-05:00

My politics are pretty simple. I'm for limited government, an equitable tax structure, diplomacy over bombs, balancing the budget, and paying off our $9 trillion federal debt (over $30,000 for every man, woman, and child in America--scary!). I fall solidly in the Libertarian camp, and so I gave very serious consideration to the candidacy of Republican Congressman Ron Paul for President, the 1988 Libertarian Party candidate for President. While there is no perfect candidate, I completely disagree with his ideas on healthcare reform (I believe health coverage for all should be a right, just as is police and fire protection) and believe that Congressman Paul's answers to charges of racism lacking.

America needs to end the war in Iraq. I want diplomacy and peace. I want to save the environment. I'm tired of fear, and I'm tired of division. I'm ready to help change the world for good, and I am endorsing Barack Obama for President.

Let it snow!

2008-02-02T22:38:00.000-05:00

Just a few weeks ago, Atlanta was surprised with several inches of snow--twice within the span of a week. The first snowfall was gone within 24 hours, but the second stayed on the ground several days.

On the evening of the first snowfall I fashioned a toboggan out of cardboard, rope, and duct tape. It worked well enough, but I longed for one of the plastic discs from when I was a kid. When it snowed 3" just days later, I began my quest for a pair of snow saucers for my girls, and there was no use looking in Atlanta as they won't be found.

This past week I found myself in a pair of cities with lots of cold weather and even more snow--St. Louis and Grand Rapids. Fortunately I was in-and-out of St. Louis, but during my visit to Grand Rapids I stopped by Meijer where they were beginning to close out their winter merchandise despite getting about 4" of snow the day before I arrived. I purchased exactly what I was looking for--a pair of foam snow saucers, which attracted plenty of unwanted attention from the TSA (Thousands Standing Around) going through airport security on my way back to Atlanta. Until the next snowfall the saucers will add a splash of color to my garage wall, so let it snow!

I love paying federal taxes

2008-01-17T17:43:00.000-05:00

Am I insane? Perhaps, but my insanity doesn't stem from an appreciation of our convoluted tax laws. No, those convoluted tax laws enabled me to have an effective tax rate of just 1.36% for 2006. In fact my taxes (both dollars paid as well as the tax rate itself) were higher 15 years ago than they were last year.

Under our watch, our federal government has racked up a national debt of $9,190,316,700,166.26 as of this morning, which equates to a debt of $30,305 for every man, woman, and child in America. Our representatives are not balancing our federal budget, and federal spending continues to rise. So paying this low of a tax rate scares me, and I'm not alone.

Last year Warren Buffett made news when he suggested that, "The taxation system has tilted toward the rich and away from the middle class in the last 10 years. It's dramatic and I don't think it's appreciated, and I think it should be addressed." To make his point, he surveyed employees in his office to compare tax rates. Warren found that his total taxes paid (FICA + federal income tax) came to 17.7% vs. an office average of 32.9%, and he paid the lowest tax rate.

For those who think I'm a bleeding heart liberal, here are my politics: I'm for limited government, an equitable tax structure, diplomacy over bombs, and paying off the debt along with balancing the budget. My concerns regarding taxes/tax rates are that they are not equitable and not enough tax income (to the government) is being generated to pay down the national debt.

Life resolutions starting now

2008-01-03T02:38:00.000-05:00

No New Year's resolutions for me. I'm not interested in being part of the majority who commits to a new way of life, only to fail. If I'm going to commit to change, I want it to stick. So below are several commitments I've made to myself that my friends and family are welcome to hold me accountable to. And perhaps it's just a symantics game, but I'm not calling these New Year's resolutions, they're life resolutions.

- Pare down. If 2007 was the year to de-clutter, it was just a start. I'm committed to eliminating physical clutter and unnecessary material items which only lead to mental clutter.

- Make running a habit. Since Thanksgiving I've added an extra 15 pounds, and that needs to go permanently.

- Travel more for leisure.

- Reduce my exposure to media/news, more mental clutter.

- Invest more in my community. I need to practice what I preach to my girls.

- Manage my ADHD rather than having it manage me. Two years ago I switched from Adderall to Dexedrine, and while effective, Dexedrine just isn't working as well as Adderall XR did.

- Simplify my investments. For me this means moving cash investments from individual stocks to index funds. This will help avoid mistakes like NovaStar, down 97% over the last 2 years, despite its hefty dividend (recently discontinued). I'd rather have base hits than strike out swinging for the home runs.

Bobby Flay for Christmas

2007-12-26T19:53:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure if this will become a Christmas tradition, but yesterday I decided to trash the kitchen and spend a few hours preparing something other than our usual Christmas dinner of king crab. Having always enjoyed barbecue ribs but never having cooked them, I watched my share of the Food Network in preparation for this holiday feast.

I settled upon four dishes to cook: ribs, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, and asparagus. The one underrated skill in cooking a meal like this is time/project management. I settled upon four recipes that weren't too complicated which offered good guidance on prep and cooking time. The wine pairing was a Shiraz.

The first recipe is from Guy Fieri, and it's Johnny Garlic's Famous Garlic and Rosemary Mashed potatoes. Should you try this recipe, double the listed cooking time. This was the only item that wasn't ready on time, and I didn't find any reason for them to be famous.

The other three recipes were from Bobby Flay: Ribs with Chipotle-Molasses barbecue sauce, Grilled Asparagus Wrapped in Proscuitto with Shaved Pecorino Romano Cheese, and Grilled Corn on the Cob with Garlic Butter, Fresh Lime, and Queso Fresco. Each of these were fantastic--especially the ribs. Fortunately I have another rack and enough barbecue sauce left over to make another tasty dinner this week!

For the record, my wife gave dinner an "A" for taste with a "C" for presentation, mostly because I didn't have time to clean the kitchen before sitting down for dinner.

Tracking Santa

2007-12-24T19:39:00.001-05:00

NORAD's Santa Tracker has upgraded its technology this year, with webcams and aerial video of Santa and his sleigh as well as a Santa-tracker using Google Earth. Finally... government money well-spent!

Those wanting to speak with a member of the NORAD Santa Tracking team can call toll free: 1 (877) Hi NORAD or 1 (877) 446-6723.

It's time for Mrs. Claus and I to get to work assembling Santa's gifts for our girls. Merry Christmas!

A quitter, liar, coward, and a cancer

2007-12-12T22:29:00.000-05:00

After spending the evening at the Georgia Dome watching their Monday night debacle against the New Orleans Saints, I thought the Atlanta Falcons may have reached rock bottom. I couldn't have been more wrong.

I was floored to check the AJC this morning and read that head coach Bobby Petrino had quit the Atlanta Falcons mid-season and had been named the head coach at the University of Arkansas just before midnight Tuesday evening.

I then watched the Arkansas press conference in disgust as Bobby Petrino and his wife Becky had the Razorback cheerleaders join them on stage and do the "Wooo, Pig, Sooie" cheer. He looked like the ass he is. Good riddance. Here's hoping that Arthur Blank and Rich McKay don't botch the hiring of their 3rd head coach in just 4 years.

Some quotes from Atlanta Falcons players and others...

"He preached team. He preached family. And then he quit on us. That's not what a man does." -Joey Harrington, quarterback

"It's a selfish act by a guy who has no class... who only thinks about himself." -Warrick Dunn, running back

"I think he's a quitter and a fraud. And I've been a supporter of Bobby Petrino... He'll throw water in your face and tell you it's raining. That's Bobby Petrino." -Sean Salisbury, ESPN

"I don't have any respect for him." -DeAngelo Hall, cornerback

"Disloyal." -Jamal Anderson, defensive end and Arkansas alumnus

"He allowed us to be embarrassed on national television while he's cutting a deal... We didn't realize we had a cancer on our team in the form of a head coach." -Lawyer Milloy, safety

"If you're going to preach being a team player, you have to be a team player." -Roddy White, wide receiver

"I feel betrayed with the decision that he made." -Keith Brooking, linebacker

"It just shows his true color, like a coward with a yellow stripe down his back." -Grady Jackson, former defensive tackle with the Falcons who was cut on 10/23 by Petrino (and signed by Jacksonville a week later)

"I think the timing of Bobby's decision was wrong. It was wrong for the coaches. It was wrong for the families depending on him, that he brought here that had invested in him and invested in this team. It's also letting our players down— the players I've heard him tell consistently to play all four quarters. All four quarters does not equal, in my opinion, 13 games." -Arthur Blank, Owner and CEO of the Atlanta Falcons

No more camping for awhile

2007-11-08T15:17:00.000-05:00

I had my reservation booked weeks in advance, and on our day to pitch the tent, conditions were perfect--no rain in the forecast and daytime temperatures in the low 70's with evening temps in the 40's.

So a couple of weeks ago we drove up to Red Top Mountain State Park late in the afternoon and checked in at the lodge. Despite being nearly full, we were able to get a campsite with a fantastic view of Lake Allatoona. The view is much different than normal, however, as the lake is incredibly low.

Grilled hotdogs over an open fire were on the menu for dinner followed by smores for dessert. Sleep came early as we had big plans for the next day. I had a new gas stove to cook scrambled eggs & bacon on, and what is fall camping without hot chocolate? After breakfast we were then going to go on a nature hike, but first we needed a good night's sleep.

By the light of a full moon, we all trecked up to the bathrooms to brush our teeth and then climbed into our cozy sleeping beds. Everyone slowly dozed off to sleep... except for me. I heard the fall leaves rustling in the trees as the wind blew across the lake. I heard the crunch of fellow campers walking along the crushed rock path next to our campsite. I heard the metal zipper in the corner of the tent tapping against the metal teeth. I heard the polyester tent whipping in the wind. And I heard the owl, which couldn't have been but 50 feet from our tent, hooting throughout the night. The hours passed slowly: 10:00pm, 11:00pm, midnight, 1:00am, 2:00am...

And then around 2:30am, my youngest daughter stood up in her pack-and-play. We got her back down, but then my oldest declared that she wasn't tired at 3:00am. "Close your eyes and go to sleep," was our retort. By 3:30am, I had a full mutiny on my hands. After consultation with my wife, whose idea of 'roughing it' is staying in a Holiday Inn, I asked, "Who wants to go home?" It was unanimous, except for me. I wasn't about to pack up camp in the middle of the night and wake up other campers. So I loaded the family into the minivan, and they left for home. I then had the good fortune of falling to sleep and not waking up until my wife called at 10:30!

I did get to cook that breakfast and drink hot chocolate, albeit alone. I packed up the gear, and was especially careful in folding up the tent, knowing it will be several years before I try to push camping on the family again.

The Moody Blues are wrong

2007-10-11T10:51:00.000-04:00

Ten years ago The Moody Blues sang the tune "You Can Never Go Home," but they're dead wrong.

This week I had meetings in Cincinnati, and two customers have offices just 5 miles from my home town of Reading, Ohio. I had some unexpected time to spare, so on a whim I decided to call two people who made a strong impression on me growing up.

I had the opportunity to catch up with my 7th and 8th grade Latin teacher, Don Lucas, over burgers and Coke. He's been retired from public teaching for 20 years, and his gain was their loss. For someone I so admired, it's almost serendipitous that we're both now in the same line of work--he owns a travel agency while I work for a dot com travel company. My next stop was Reading Junior/Senior High School to see my 8th grade English teacher, Ronda Eisenhard, who is now a counselor and coach.

My visits with Don and Ronda reminded me that I don't want my life measured by professional or financial accomplishments but rather by the quality of my relationships. They lived their lives as examples to thousands of kids, and their influence is still bearing fruit today.

FREE Software from Microsoft and Intuit

2007-10-04T01:12:00.000-04:00

Microsoft is giving away software?! It's true. They're giving away Microsoft Office Accounting Express 2007, but of course they're hoping that some percentage of customers will want to upgrade to their Professional version for $149.95.

Comparing the Express against the Professional version as well as Microsoft Office Small Business Accounting, though, and it's hard to understand why a small business would want to pay to upgrade unless they're in manufacturing, in which case you're probably going to want a more robust accounting product anyway.

For those who prefer to use Intuit's products, there is a version of their QuickBooks product that is free--QuickBooks Simple Start 2008. We've been accounting for our real estate investments in Quicken, but I'm going to try both Microsoft Office Accounting Express and QuickBooks Simple Start to see if either might be better.

Life lesson from a last lecture

2007-09-28T14:19:00.002-04:00

If you had an opportunity to give one final speech, one last chance to be heard, what would you talk about? For Carnegie Mellon University professor Dr. Randy Pausch, that question wasn't a hypothetical. Diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, this husband and father of three children (ages 5, 2, and 1), has only a few months to live. Last week he delivered his final lecture entitled "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams." It's well worth watching (but be forewarned: the video runs an hour 30).

If it seems like something is missing at the end, it is. Click here (Windows Media Player will open) and "fast-forward" to 01:25 in this other video to see the awards and honors presented to Dr. Pausch.

Update 2/22/08: Palliative chemotherapy is working, and Randy Pausch is still alive and healthy.

Update 7/25/08: Randy Pausch died today at the age of 47. He is survived by his wife, Jai, and children, Dylan, 6, Logan, 3, and Chloe, 2. Donations can be made to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, or to Carnegie Mellon's Randy Pausch Memorial Fund, which supports the university's continued work on the Alice project.

Life-changing events

2007-09-25T00:09:00.000-04:00

I can count on one hand the number of events that I find simultaneously scary as well as thrilling. All of these impose great change, and without exception are life-altering. In my experience, most of these turn out to be overwhelmingly positive while the risk of heartbreak always exists. My family is possibly in the early stages of such an event, and we're doing everything we can to prepare. I was recently reminded of a quote by Churchill which I find all-too fitting, however, "Planning is essential, but plans are useless."

I promise to share more when it becomes appropriate.

Second chances

2007-09-18T10:45:00.000-04:00

It's hard being a Falcons fan this year.

The first sucker-punch to the gut happened when the Falcons traded its best quarterback, Matt Schaub, to the Houston Texans in late March. In the event they're not already aware, the Falcons will realize they traded the wrong quarterback when they get their jocks handed to them September 30 when the Texans visit Atlanta to play the Falcons.

The second hit was when the Falcons signed Joey Harrington to a 2-year contract to back up Michael Vick. Harrington is more known for interceptions than touchdowns, having thrown 79 of the former and only 72 of the latter.

And everyone knows the Michael Vick saga, whose illicit activities came to light back in April.

With a record of 0-2, last night the Atlanta Falcons' season began its turnaround by cutting the inaccurate Matt Prater (only making 1 of 4 field goals) and signing Morten Andersen as its placekicker for the 2nd time in as many years. At 47, #5 will be the oldest active player in the NFL. Playing for the Falcons last year, Morten Anderson hit 20 of 23 field goal attempts and made all 27 PATs. In addition, Morten became the greatest scorer in the history of the NFL last year with 2,445 points.

Hopefully the Falcons' next step will be to sign former Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Byron Leftwich to the roster.

Meanwhile, Falcons tickets are readily available (and cheap) for this weekend's game against the Carolina Panthers.

Backyard Update #3

2007-09-14T17:06:00.001-04:00

The playground is complete, the two outdoor electrical outlets are installed, the siding has been repaired, the low voltage transformer has been mounted, and all of the landscape lighting has been installed!

The most rewarding part is that my daughters love it. My oldest daughter would swing all day if we let her.

For those who have asked, this is the Cambridge Wooden Swing Set with Slide by Leisure Time Products purchased from Sam's Club. For 2008, Sam's is carrying the Woodridge version of this same set, and the only difference between it and the Cambridge is the addition of a bench seat on the lower deck.

Never forgetting

2007-09-11T13:53:00.001-04:00

I was waiting in the carpool line to drop off my oldest daughter at preschool this morning when it hit me... today is 9/11, it's a Tuesday just as it was 6 years ago, and the time was 8:55am which was after the first and before the second plane struck the World Trade Center towers. Of course I'll never forget where I was on that date: home and safe along with my wife, who was home sick. Were it not for a late cancellation of a meeting, I would have been in a plane bound for San Francisco along with two other coworkers from the east coast. And were it not for that late cancellation, one of them would be dead. My friend and coworker in New York had a confirmed seat on United Airlines Flight 93.

My daughter wanted to know why Daddy was crying, and I did my best to explain what happened 6 years ago in language that a preschooler would understand. I'm sure I failed miserably. When she's old enough, I'll introduce her to The September 11 Digital Archive, Here is New York, or the New York State Museum's digital history of 9/11 entitled, "The World Trade Center - Rescue, Recovery, Response."

Backyard Update #2

2007-08-27T00:16:00.000-04:00

Of 99 steps needed to complete the playground, I'm down to the last 17. Fortunately the storms held out long enough for me to install the rafters and half of the roof. Once the roof is complete, the swings, a tunnel, and climbing wall are all that's left.

Tonight I worked in the garden. My tiller found a few boulders last week, so I tried to dig them out using a pick and shovel. The boulders won; after trying to dig out a particularly large one, the handle on the pick broke.

At least I was able to finish one job--getting all of the landscape lights installed in front of the retaining wall.

Backyard Update #1

2007-08-23T13:41:00.000-04:00

A third of the landscape lights are installed, the fall garden is tilled, the bird feeder is up (though in Atlanta, I'm sure they'd rather have water--we've had 11 days of 100 degree+ temperatures so far this month), and the playground is half done.

One project leads to another

2007-08-17T00:41:00.001-04:00

Just before final grading and having sod laid during our backyard renovation, we decided we wanted landscape lighting. We did some research and found that low voltage lighting best suited our needs, and the timing was perfect--low voltage wiring doesn't need to be buried, and sod can be laid right over it. I marked where we wanted six well lights and then laid 100 feet of 12-gauge wiring in front of the retaining wall and "looped the wire" in front of each mark. Behind the retaining wall we're going to have three spot lights to illuminate trees, and I laid this wiring at the edge of the sod line, because it can be buried with mulch.

With the crew gone, my first priority has been completing the playground, but last night I worked on running electrical to install an outlet outside the house for the 600 watt transformer and timer. As often happens, the project grew to include installing a light switch to control the outlet as well as expanding the narrow entry to the doggie door.... Stay tuned.

Cheney calls invasion of Iraq a quagmire

2007-08-16T17:29:00.000-04:00

This is a widely seen video from an interview of a then unemployed Dick Cheney in 1994, but it's worth seeing again. It's shocking how prescient his message was, and it begs the question, "If Saddam wasn't worth more than 146 American casualties in 1994, why is the 'liberation of Iraq' and overthrow of Saddam worth over 3,700 American casualties today?"

Backyard living is great!

2007-08-13T16:55:00.000-04:00

After taking a six month hiatus from our last North Point Community Group, we joined a new group earlier this year. It was a horrible experience. Barely a month after meeting weekly, two couples quit, and the group leader asked the remaining couples to "hold tight". A month later he sent out an email letting us know he too was quitting and advised us to find a new group. We won't be joining another one anytime soon as we've found a more productive use of that time--every Sunday afternoon a babysitter arrives and my wife and I enjoy three uninterrupted hours of peace.

Yesterday we traveled to our new Atlanta IKEA to do some shopping, and in addition to a bookcase and some plastic dinnerware, we came away with a great find--a children's picnic table for $30. My oldest daughter (3 1/2) and I put it together last night in less than 10 minutes. It's perfect and saved us over $70 vs. others we were considering.

This morning the same daughter got up, put her clothes on, went downstairs, climbed onto the counter in the kitchen to grab the new dinnerware, and set the table on our back patio before coming back upstairs to wake us. She is so excited about her new backyard and really wanted us to join her for breakfast on the patio! After a quick shower and clothes, we did just that.

The weekend was spent working on assembling the playground... and I'm guessing it'll be Wednesday night before it's done.

My home, my castle: Backyard renovation - Day 9

2007-08-03T16:43:00.000-04:00

Today they poured the steps to the back door, rolled the sod, filled some of the spaces between blocks with mortar, used liquid nails to hold the stair steps to the blocks, and reinstalled the chainlink fence.

The forms need to be removed from the steps leading to the back door, but for all intents and purposes, the project is done!

Of course I still need to install the playground, but I'm going to wait 10 days for the sod to grow before putting it together.

My home, my castle: Backyard renovation - Day 8

2007-08-02T22:18:00.000-04:00

As I surmised two days ago, the backyard renovation wasn't completed today, but it's pretty darned close. Before the sod arrived, I laid cable for low voltage landscape lighting, which will get installed soon.

The sod truck arrived at 9:30am, and as soon as the pallets began to be unloaded, the crew started their final prep work of the soil (mostly raking up surface rocks). By 7:30pm, all of the sod had been laid and the sprinklers were tested. My oldest daughter thinks we've installed a water park in the backyard!

My home, my castle: Backyard renovation - Day 7

2007-08-01T22:59:00.000-04:00

Drama
Back on Day 1, I mentioned that "we got permission from neighbors behind us to allow the equipment to cross their property and enter through the rear of ours." I failed to mention that this permission was through implied consent rather than individual consent. Basically I informed the handful of owners in the townhomes behind my property what I was doing to my yard, when I planned to do it, and that I was going to use their shared drive for access to my property... and if they had any problems or questions to please contact me. Lacking such contact grants me implied consent, which is much easier to secure than getting each homeowner to sign statements granting me explicit access (which also puts me at risk of having one of them say, "No").

On Day 2 I received a call from a neighbor who owned one of these townhomes who was livid that, unbeknownst to me, the guy who was running the stump grinder had parked his truck behind my fence. In the course of the day, I was told he had to move it twice as it was blocking a shared drive my neighbors use to access their garages. The tone of the call was vile, and I didn't feel the neighbor was interested in coming to a reasonable agreement. She was also pissed about my letter and that I was receiving implied rather than individual consent (my words, not hers).

I was frankly embarrassed that I hadn't noticed the truck parked behind the fence, though I later learned that it was shielded by a thick hedge. I knew I needed to have access to their shared drive to get equipment and materials in and out of my back yard. Losing this access would have resulted in added expense which would have made the entire project cost prohibitive. I was wholly apologetic about the parked truck and laid out what I was going to do to resolve this problem so that it would not happen again. Perhaps I wore her down, but we finally reached an agreement that no vehicles would park on their shared drive, no vehicles would park on the public street in front of their homes (despite having the legal right to do so), the shared drive would be swept at the end of each day as the crew left, and their drive would be washed down when the job was completed. I delivered either hand-written or face-to-face apologies to all who shared the driveway behind my property, explaining what had happened and what was being done to ensure it would not happen again.

I then immediately went into research mode. I came to learn that I only needed permission from one individual in their whole subdivision to use the shared drive, known legally as an ingress and egress easement. Rights to use this easement are granted to each homeowner in the neighborhood, not just those needing to use it to access their own townhome. In addition, I learned that permission to use this easement would override any individual's objections to use this easement. Fortunately I have a good friend who owns one of these townhomes, and I received his permission to use the easement. I also approached a couple of other neighbors who own townhomes behind my property and received both oral and written permission to access this easement (their drive), though I hoped there would be no further objections.

Things went well for a week, and then...

Storm clouds
Yesterday morning after the crew unloaded the irrigation supplies for the sprinkler system, I started talking to the irrigation specialist to communicate the changes my wife and I had decided upon over the weekend. Of course the irrigation guy was also the driver... and in the five minutes I held him up, a visiting relative of the complaining neighbor wanted to exit the drive. I received a voice mail on my cell phone from the complaining neighbor, and my wife received a call on our home telephone. In the time that it took to call my wife, however, the truck was already moved.

And it should be noted that it didn't take a call to get the truck moved--as soon as the crew recognized someone was trying to exit the drive, they alerted the driver who moved the truck and drove it just over 4 miles to park in front of my house as he did each morning.

I returned the neighbor's voice message but had to leave one of my own as she didn't answer. I explained that the problem was completely my fault as my five minute conversation kept the crew from moving their truck immediately upon unloading the equipment. I thanked her for alerting me and assured her this would be over very soon.

"Well, good morning to you too"
In order to be as courteous as possible to all of my neighbors, the crew always arrived at or after 9:30am so as to not disrupt anyone using the drive to leave for work and to ensure that any noise would occur after most had left home.

This morning was an exception, as the 30 yards of topsoil were being delivered and the landscape crew (and owner) arrived early. By 8:45am the first load of dirt had been dumped, and the second truck was backing down the drive towards my rear property line when the visiting neighbor burst out onto her deck and demanded to know, "What the hell is going on?" I told her I was having dirt delivered, and she demanded the truck stop, claiming I did not have her permission to use the drive. I directed the truck to keep driving, and the crazy relative threatened to call the cops. I told her to go ahead and call the police because I had permission to use the ingress and egress easement. "Ingress what," she asked? "Call your real estate attorney," I said. I asked her what I could do to make her happy, but she didn't respond. She was pissed. I tried to reason with her, but she left her deck and stormed into the house.

While crazy relative fumed, the second truck dumped its 15 cubic yards of topsoil and pulled away. Then minutes later, crazy relative moved her car so as to block the drive. Fortunately as she was doing so, another one of her neighbors drove out of their garage and attempted to leave, forcing crazy relative to move her car.

Knowledge is power
I knew it would be coming, and it didn't take long for complaining neighbor to hear from crazy relative and then call me. I explained that I had secured individual consent from several neighbors to use the drive behind my property (which was more consent than necessary--I only needed consent from one neighbor). I explained that per her neighborhood's conditions, covenants, and restrictions (CC&Rs), she lacked the authority to block my access to the drive after permission had been granted by another homeowner. I also expressed that I wanted to keep peace with all of my neighbors but that her crazy relative was being unreasonable and that if she did block my access, I would not hesitate to call the police myself or sue her for damages (resulting from any delay to this project). We quickly came to an agreement whereby crazy relative would shut up and not interfere with the project.

With that problem behind us, the crew finished grinding stumps, built a small block wall to support one side of the soon-to-be-poured patio, picked up a lot of rocks from the yard, and waited for the cement truck. It arrived just after noon. I was shocked--despite the insane slope of our yard, the cement truck driver was able to maneuver to within 15 feet of the new patio without sliding or rolling his truck.
Within 30 minutes I had a patio poured!

The rest of the afternoon was spent on the patio, cutting and installing capstones, continued soil preparation, spreading the topsoil, and final grading. Sod arrives tomorrow, and the job should be done by the end of the day.

My home, my castle: Backyard renovation - Day 6

2007-07-31T23:34:00.000-04:00

Over the weekend we realized that the retaining wall created a much more level area above it than we expected, so we decided to lay more sod and add another zone to the as yet to be installed sprinkler system. The patio was supposed to be poured today, but with the ground still very wet, we're holding off on that until tomorrow. While nothing else was done today, the crew did get the sprinkler system installed.

I spent 2 hours in the backyard this evening loading a wheelbarrow with large rocks and only managed to clear out the lower area in front of the retaining wall. There is still a good amount of soil preparation that needs to happen before spreading topsoil across the backyard... and the area where the playground will be built still needs to be graded in addition to the area in front of the retaining wall... and there are still 4 stumps that need to be ground down.

The owner of the landscaping company called my wife this afternoon to let her know that the 30 cubic yards of topsoil will be delivered tomorrow at 8:00am while the concrete will arrive at 11:00am. I left messages for the owner this evening asking who from his crew will be here at 8:00am to give the dumptrucks access through my back fence (the chainlink fence gets reinstalled each evening) and advise the drivers where to dump the dirt... I'm guessing the answer is no one since the crew has yet to arrive before 9:30am, but I'm holding out hope.

The new estimated completion date is this Thursday, but given the ever-growing punch list, I'm guessing this won't be done until Friday.

My home, my castle: Backyard renovation - Day 5

2007-07-30T16:07:00.000-04:00

We were rained out today, but hopefully the weather will hold out tomorrow...

My home, my castle: Backyard renovation - Day 4

2007-07-28T07:32:00.000-04:00

Today the form was created for the patio which will be poured on Monday.

A lot more grading was done as well. On Monday the sprinkler system will be installed, 3 dump truck loads of topsoil will be brought in, and final grading will also be done.

My home, my castle: Backyard renovation - Day 3

2007-07-27T23:25:00.000-04:00

The retaining wall is now 90% done, with only capstones remaining to be added. The stump grinder worked all day, but we still have half of the stumps that were cut down which need to be removed.

More grading work was accomplished, and the placement of the patio was staked out.

My home, my castle: Backyard renovation - Day 2

2007-07-26T23:53:00.000-04:00

The day started with laying out the exact location of the retaining wall as well as the poured concrete patio. From there, the bobcat went to work taking out some more of the hillside followed by grading in front of the wall.

The blocks for the retaining wall were unloaded, a level line was struck, the crushed granite was laid, and the crew began setting and leveling the base layer of blocks. Once finished, the wall will be nearly 5' high and over 50' long with stair steps running through the middle of the wall.

Survive a plane crash by avoiding first class

2007-07-26T11:22:00.000-04:00

There is a widely-held belief that seat selection on an airplane has little bearing on whether passengers survive a crash. Popular Mechanics, the only magazine I ever new my grandfather to read, shows that this belief can be deadly.

Their analysis shows that it's much safer in the back of the plane, and in fact, "Passengers near the tail of a plane are about 40 percent more likely to survive a crash than those in the first few rows up front."

Read the full article here.

My home, my castle: Backyard renovation - Day 1

2007-07-25T15:56:00.000-04:00

A 40 foot elevation difference from the back of my house to the property line along with 30+ trees creating too much shade fostered an environment that was very conducive to mosquitoes and erosion while not being very useful or kid-friendly. The shade made it nearly impossible for grass to grow, resulting in a lot of dirt and weeds. A deck on the back of the house was in an advanced state of deterioration, and because of improper grading, the area under the deck had become a breeding ground for mosquitoes as well as an impediment to permanently solving the problem of water seeping (sometimes gushing) into the basement during heavy rains. Several years ago I "temporarily" dug a trench which has kept the basement dry, but it's an eyesore.

This spring we decided to do something about the backyard after I finished remodeling the living room. Our needs were simple; we wanted the following for our backyard: grass, a lot more usable space, some trees removed, the yard graded, a retaining wall built, a playground for the girls, and a patio installed.

With the living room 95% complete (I still need to install the travertine around the fireplace), my wife started making calls. Over a 6-week time, she solicited bids from 7 different landscaping companies, and we settled on 3. One dropped out of the running, and we asked the two finalists to return so that details could be discussed. Experience, cost, and the ability to start immediately favored one of the companies, so we scheduled the job.

Getting the equipment in was a challenge. Because the front yard is steeper than the back, we got permission from neighbors behind us to allow the equipment to cross their property and enter through the rear of ours. The crew of 8 was able to take down 11 trees, a job that would have taken me every weekend for a month.

So at the end of day 1, the trees are gone, a huge pile of mulch is waiting to be spread, and some grading was done. It's amazing how much brighter the yard and the rooms facing the yard are.

Deathly Hallows at Kroger

2007-07-21T00:39:00.000-04:00

Though I don't read, my wife is an avid reader and loves the Harry Potter series. So at midnight I visited my closest 24-hour Wal-Mart in an effort to purchase the final book in the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Upon getting to the entry doors, however, I and the 50+ other prospective book buyers pouring out of the parking lot learned that the store was no longer a 24-hour Wal-Mart.

My next stop was Kroger, and they were well-stocked with no line. By 12:10am they'd already sold 6 boxes of books with 19 boxes remaining. I guess tonight will be a bonding experience for many families, as I saw parents along with their kids, each with a book in hand. I personally think the woman in front of me had the right idea, though. She was buying a 12-pack of Heineken along with her copy of the book.

Me? I'll either wait for the movie or listen to it on my iPod. I'm sure my wife is finishing up Chapter 1 about now.

Garden update

2007-07-20T00:52:00.000-04:00

It's been three months since planting, and we've already made our first batch of salsa with tomatoes from the garden. Unfortunately the peppers aren't getting enough sun and the sunflowers were devoured by birds.

The tomato plants look like they'll keep producing for a good month, and the Sugar Baby watermelons are coming along just fine.

Sometimes it hurts being an early adopter

2007-07-19T14:30:00.001-04:00

Fortunately my home phone service was already in the process of being moved from Sunrocket, but for others, this isn't good news:

from: sunrocket@sunrocket.com
date: Jul 19, 2007 7:34 AM
subject: Important Message from Sunrocket

Dear Customers,

After significant effort by the Company to avoid this result, SunRocket is in the process of closing its operations and therefore will no longer be able to provide you with the phone service that you have been accustomed to. However, this email provides you with an opportunity to sign up with select service providers who we believe will offer outstanding replacement service

In order to assist you, we have entered into negotiations with a number of service providers. As a result of those negotiations, we have entered into agreements with 8x8, Inc., provider of the Packet8 service, and Unified Communications Corp., provider of Teleband service to offer you the best options and we are proud to recommend the following alternatives to you. Please make your decision to move to a new service provides immediately as future service is uncertain.

8x8/Packet8

The Packet8 Internet phone service incorporates patent protected technology from 8x8. Inc., a publicly traded company in business for more than 20 years. The service works in the same way as SunRocket.s and offers a virtually identical feature set.

. No Startup Costs
. FREE activation
. FREE equipment
. FREE shipping
. FREE first month of service
. Quickly port your number at no charge

A Savings of over $100!

Copy and paste the following link into your Internet browser: http://getpacket8.packet8.net/sunrocket/ or call 1-800-868-0068 and mention special offer code SUNROCKET

Unified Communications Corp./TeleBlend

The TeleBlend Internet phone service incorporates patent-protected technology from Unified Communications Corp., a privately held company in business to provide outstanding customer service and telephony products. Teleblends has been working behind the scenes already to restore and continue service for all Sun Rocket customers The service works in the same way as SunRocket.s and offers an identical feature set with our Unlimited Transfer Plan.
. No Startup Costs
. FREE activation
. USE your existing hardware
. FREE and Quick transfer of your current number
. No Need to port your number to another provider
. UNLIMITED calling to the US, Canada, and Puerto Rico

Copy and paste the following link into your Internet browser: http://www.myteleblend.net

It has been our pleasure to service you at SunRocket!

At what point is incompetence treasonous?

2007-07-13T09:53:00.000-04:00

Our President is delusional... when will the Senate have the guts to hold our Commander in Chief accountable? For someone with an MBA, President Bush does not understand that the economic and human sacrifices of this war are sunk costs, expenses which are unrecoverable and shouldn't be considered when determining whether to abandon or continue a particular action.

Is Atlanta real estate a buy?

2007-07-09T13:59:00.000-04:00

The NY Times has an article today on Atlanta's increasing rate of foreclosures. What the article fails to highlight is the fact that borrowers in metro Atlanta use interest-only mortgages at a higher rate than the rest of the nation, which is a key contributor to the increased foreclosure rate. Those who took out a 6-month LIBOR +1% interest-only mortgage in June of 2003 when LIBOR was at 1.124% have had their mortgage payments more than triple in the last 4 years.

Buying low and selling high are the keys to profitable investing, but knowing what is a high and/or low is often difficult. My barometer for knowing a good real estate investment opportunity is its ability to generate positive cash flow, but that doesn't apply to people who are in the business of flipping houses.

Lou Ferrigno is calling

2007-07-05T00:19:00.000-04:00

In general I don't like receiving gifts. If I need something I buy it... or I figure out a way to buy it. I have most of what I want, and what I don't have I don't need. Despite peoples' best intentions, unless a gift has been cleared by my wife (who knows what I need before I do) it will probably be converted to cash via eBay unless it has a gift receipt. Remember, it's the year to de-clutter. So around my birthday and Christmas I'm known as being "difficult to buy for".

Several years ago my brother found a crazy and unique birthday gift that didn't get put on a shelf to collect dust. He had Lou Ferrigno call to wish me a happy birthday! Yes, it was the Lou Ferrigno whose 15 minutes of fame ended when The Incredible Hulk television series was cancelled in the early 80's. My brother doesn't have any Hollywood connections, but he did find Hollywood Is Calling who does. You've got to love the Internet! What random and crazy gifts have you received?

Update on Saving with VoIP

2007-07-03T10:33:00.000-04:00

With my Sunrocket deal expiring next month, it's time to switch VoIP providers. And just in time, ViaTalk is running a promotion offering unlimited local & long distance calling for $199 for 2 years with free router (but activation is $29.95 and shipping is $9.95) which comes to $9.95 per month. Until I can convince my wife to drop our "land line" in lieu of cellular only, this is hard to beat.

Visit Amusement Parks for FREE!

2007-06-26T15:24:00.000-04:00

There are numerous scam "mystery shopping" websites, but I wanted to highlight one that is completely legit: Amusement Advantage. Should you choose to apply, be sure and have 25-30 minutes available to register.

I live in Atlanta, and they currently have 5 open assignments (opportunities for prospective mystery shoppers) for Six Flags over Georgia, two for weekdays and three for weekends, as well as 3 weekend assignments for Zoo Atlanta.

The requirements of an assignment as well as the payment varies, but don't expect to quit your day job to become a mystery shopper.

Out of Pocket Cost
For the Six Flags assignment, the shopper is required to: purchase at least one ticket at the ticket booth, buy a prepared food item at a food location, pay to play an employee serviced game, and make a purchase at a gift shop. Here is my "back of the envelope" calculation of the minimum cost for a family of four (two adults & two children--a 4-year old and the other child under 2): $10 parking + a children's ticket is $29.99 + $3 tax (no fee for children < 2) + $30 for food + $5 for the game + $5 for a gift shop purchase ~ $83.

Shopping Requirements
The assignment requires the shopper to have a digital camera and spend 5-6 hours at the park. In addition to the above tasks, the shopper also needs to take 10-15 pictures of employees without name tags as well as any conditions that warrant a picture (such as overflowing trash cans, etc.). After the visit, the shopper will need to upload the photos and complete a 10-12 page evaluation that will take 2-3 hours to complete. Receipts for the ticket booth, food service, and retail purchase will also need to be submitted.

Pay
In return for completing the assignment, the shopper will receive 2 tickets to Six Flags before the "shop" and 2 tickets after. Amusement Advantage indicates that these 4 tickets are worth $175.96, but you can buy tickets online for $39.99 each + $3 charge for "Print-n-go" = $162.96.

I look at mystery shopping as a way to offset some of the cost of visiting an entertainment venue that I already plan on visiting. Should you choose to become a mystery shopper, don't forget to look at other states for assignments before leaving on an out-of-state vacation!

Camping trial run

2007-06-25T03:05:00.000-04:00

Camping in the back yard before venturing away from home was a brilliant idea, and we decided that Saturday was as good a night as any. The tent was raised with ease, and I'm even more happy with the purchase than when I clicked "buy".

My toddler and preschool-age daughters had a late nap in anticipation of a late evening. We gathered up sticks and started a fire in an outdoor metal fire-pit. Once the fire was red hot, the butter-laden and foil-wrapped corn on the cobb was left in the fire for 15 minutes to cook. Hot dogs grilled over the fire rounded out the nutritious backyard dinner.

By the time we finished the first two courses, the sun had set and the mosquitoes were finishing their own feeding (of us). We put my youngest in her pack-and-play, and closed off her "room" of the tent. She didn't like the distractions we provided and let us know with her crying, so she got half the tent.

To round out the camping culinary experience, the rest of us cooked marshmallows & made smores.

Next up was the true test of whether we'd be able to go camping anytime soon... bedtime for our 3 1/2 year old. She was going to sleep in an all-in-one Dora sleeping bag/inflatable mattress while my wife and I were on a queen size inflatable mattress with a cotton blanket to help wick away the sweat; even laying on top of the sleeping bag was too hot. How could I forget to mention the temperature was 86 degrees with absolutely no breeze?

Other environmental factors not boding well for a good night camping included a bright spotlight on a neighbor's house behind us as well as what sounded like an outdoor party at another house in the neighborhood behind us.

Once settled into the tent, I told a couple of camp stories, and my wife and I read several books before officially declaring it bedtime. We stared out the open top (we didn't have the canopy over the tent since there was 0% chance of rain) and saw the moon, a few stars, but mostly we just saw airplanes. This peace was interrupted with, "I need to go potty."

Since I was closest to the tent exit, I climbed out, put my shoes on, and carried her into the house to do her business. This scenario was repeated several more times within a 45 minute period. Once back in the tent, she was too excited to go to sleep. She wanted to lay on the tent floor rather than her sleeping bag/mattress. Then she wanted to sleep on Mommy and Daddy's mattress. Then she wanted to talk about the stars. Everyone was hot, and it was pretty obvious that only my youngest was going to get any meaningful sleep unless something happened. And at 11:21pm Saturday night, it did. Without a complaint, we all decided to head to our cozy beds and air conditioned house.

October sounds like a great month to try this again!

Camping with kids

2007-06-18T15:01:00.001-04:00

For Father's Day this year, my wife and girls surprised me with a family tent along with a plan to go camping next Saturday night. After much thought and discussion, we decided to do more research on tents and give consideration to a "trial run" of camping in the backyard before venturing out for a "real" night out under the stars.

Doing the research, I learned a lot. For one thing, only figure that 2/3 of the manufacturer's listed occupant capacity can comfortably sleep in the tent. So for a 6-person tent, 4 would fit comfortably. Another thing I learned is to seal all of the stitching, regardless of the manufacturer's claims of a tent's ability to stay waterproof. And camping technology has changed a lot since I last went camping as a Boy Scout. There are now tents that are wired for electricity, including the Eureka N!ERGY 1310, which has 3 12-volt outlets inside. And there are now two popular types of tent structures, the traditional dome and the newer cabin-style, which gives you more head-room.

We decided we wanted a tent that could comfortably sleep 5 and had a relatively high ceiling. After hours of time spent online reading reviews and checking out innumerable sites, we finally decided upon the Wenger Lugano 16- by 10-Foot Two-Room Eight-Person Family Tent with Canopy. It has a 4.5* rating after 23 customer reviews, and Amazon was running a special of $20 off, making this tent $100 with free shipping.

Others in the running were the Columbia Cougar Flats Six to Eight-Person Two-Room Cabin Tent for $249.97 which was rated at 4.5* with 75 customer reviews, and the Eureka Titan Luxury Family 13.5- by 9.5-Foot Eight-Person Two-Room Tent for $449.90 which was rated 4* with 4 customer reviews. Should we decide that camping really is for us and the tent we're buying doesn't meet our needs, we'll upgrade later.

Any advice on "gotta have" gadgets or camping with younger children?

Save big by shopping online

2007-06-13T03:04:00.000-04:00

Like many, I loathe shopping in retail stores and most of my purchases are made via the Internet. Prior to making a purchase, I follow several steps to ensure I'm getting the best deal and doing so has saved me thousands:

1) Conduct a Google search to find out if there's a coupon code or promotion available for the item I want to purchase or the merchant from which I'm planning on purchasing the item
2) Check eBay to see if someone has the item available in new or nearly-new condition
3) Search the SlickDeals and FatWallet forums to learn if anyone has found a better deal or an obscure rebate on the item I want
4) Look up the prospective merchant via one of several commission rebate sites and select the site giving the best cash back on the merchant who will get my business

For the fourth step, my sites of choice are Upromise, Ebates, and FatWallet. I checked my commissions from these sites in preparation for writing this entry and was surprised that my commission rebate checks totaled $636.82 over the last 4 years. I've received $392.82 from Upromise, $209.49 from Ebates, and $34.51 from FatWallet.

The premise behind Upromise is terrific--it was started to give families an easy way to save for college. You can even link a 529 plan from Vanguard or one from 8 states so that funds are automatically transferred to your child's 529 account. Some of the companies offering cash-back through Upromise include Exxon, eBay, McDonald's, CVS, Wal-Mart.com, and many others.

Should you choose to sign up for Ebates, do so by clicking here so you'll get a $5 bonus for signing up; I get a $5 referral bonus as well. As long as your cash-back amount is greater than $5, you'll receive a check each quarter. Just a few of Ebates' participating retailers include iTunes, Sears, REI, OfficeDepot, NetFlix, and Gap.

FatWallet has both forums as well as offering commission rebates, and I've recently found that they often give 1 to 2 percentage points more than Upromise or Ebates. Many of the participating retailers overlap those that participate in the Upromise and Ebates programs, but several of those offering a higher commission rebate include Target, Newegg, Apple, Kmart, Snapfish, and uBid.com.

A new entrant and competitor to the previously mentioned sites is Jellyfish which gives commission rebates but also has a live show 24/7 that is basically an online version of the Home Shopping Network with fluctuating prices. Again, it has many of the same retailers participating, but I noticed that Jellyfish is offering a 7.5% rebate from Target vs. only 4.4% from FatWallet and 4% from Ebates & Upromise. It's certainly worth a look.

My home, my castle: Living room renovation - update #8

2007-06-12T12:32:00.000-04:00

With the living room construction done, the decorating has begun. FLOR carpet tiles are going to be used in lieu of an area rug and have been ordered. The lounge chairs and black-out window shades are also on order and will be arriving soon.

Ultimately I'd like to replace the glass-top coffee table as it's not the safest to have with kids in the house, but that's not in the budget now.

Over the weekend I picked up enough 18" travertine tile for the fireplace surround, but the color was too light. Fortunately Atlanta has some great sources for tile. I'll probably end up getting it from Floor-Stone (yes, their website sucks) where I purchased the bamboo several years ago. I've found that their listed prices aren't always firm, and they're much more open to haggling than other retail flooring stores.

Scales of justice

2007-06-07T13:41:00.000-04:00

I got to be up close and personal with the law this week as I was not only picked for jury duty but was actually chosen to serve on a jury.

Georgia used to have pretty liberal laws as it relates to jury duty, and it was easy for white collar professionals to avoid serving. That has changed. In fact I was sitting next to a doctor in the jury waiting room.

As luck would have it, I was among 30 prospective jurors chosen to be queried by the prosecution and defense attorneys. During jury selection, I was picked as juror #12 and thus the last juror to decide the case.

Having two preschool girls, I wasn't eager to hear a case of sexual assault and child molestation, but that was my lot. After sitting through the trial, it surprises me--no, it scares me that the defendant was charged. The Assistant District Attorney did a poor job of prosecuting the case, and the police investigation was beyond incompetent (failing to interview potential witnesses, never visiting the location of the alleged attack, not knowing key details of the child's home life as it related to other adult males, and never answering two critical questions the child refused to answer). There was absolutely no evidence other than he said/she said, and an innocent man's life has been hell for two years as a result.

Jury deliberation was very interesting, and I'm growing to dislike evangelical Christians more and more. Something bad happened to a little girl, but just because a defendant is black and male does not mean that individual should be the one to pay for the crime. Fortunately logic and reason prevailed, but only after hours of challenging the juror's stubborn belief that was not supported by evidence.

In the end justice was served and an innocent man is free, though it wasn't a pretty process.

My home, my castle: Living room renovation - Weekend update #7

2007-06-05T01:59:00.000-04:00

One thing I've learned after doing the living room remodel: I suck at measuring, cutting, and installing crown molding. Fortunately my wife is great at using wood filler and caulk to hide my mistakes.

The room was habitable by Monday morning, and by the end of the evening, most of the finishing touches were done to the room.

I still have some things to do along the hallway between the living room and kitchen as well as tile around the fireplace, but the project is 90% complete and looks fantastic. I can't believe this is the same room that was dark and felt cramped; the room feels huge, and getting rid of unnecessary doorways along the hallway and leading from the foyer has made the living room so much brighter.

My home, my castle: Living room renovation - Weekend update #6

2007-06-02T22:35:00.001-04:00

The flooring will be down by the day's end, which means the living room renovation should be finished by Sunday night!!

My home, my castle: Living room renovation - update #5

2007-06-01T09:58:00.000-04:00

Whereas many homes have a single layer of plywood, OSB, or planks, my builder saved a couple of bucks and used 1/2" particle board over 1/2" OSB. Because I'm going to be nailing down bamboo flooring and because the particle board is warped (it absorbs moisture & then expands), doesn't hold nails, and generally sucks, it was removed.

The original flooring was nailed down, so I walked the floor to locate squeaks and then used about 4 pounds of 1-5/8" decking screws to secure the OSB to the joists. Voilà, no more squeaks!

An uninsulated two-car garage is under this room, so I decided to put a layer of 15# roofing felt over the OSB (I glued and hammer-stapled the felt down). For the top layer of subfloor I could have installed 1/2" OSB on top of the bottom layer, but I prefer plywood. I "glued and screwed" 15/32" Plytanium plywood as the top layer using 2-1/2" deck screws.

To be sure my screws were finding their way into joists, I located the first one by measuring approximately 16" from the outer wall (my joists are 16" on center) and then drilled using a 1/8" bit. When my first attempt didn't "feel" like I was hitting solid wood all of the way through, I moved 1/2" closer to the outer wall and drilled again... that one hit the joist. I then marked off every 16" from that point across the floor and drilled to confirm I was hitting a joist. I repeated this process on the opposite wall and then struck a chalk line (seen in red in the photo) to mark where the joists were across the floor, which made the process of screwing down the floors much faster.

Next up is to hammer-staple 30# roofing felt over the top of this plywood and begin installing the bamboo flooring!

My home, my castle: Living room renovation - Weekend update #4

2007-05-29T15:54:00.000-04:00

Some problems with my digital camera (actually the SmartMedia card reader) have kept me from posting pictures of the progress on my living room remodel, but a few blasts of compressed air fixed the problem.

Some of the things that have been accomplished since the last update: walls textured, ceiling repaired and textured, trim painted, doors painted, walls painted, ceiling painted, Decora electrical outlets installed, thermostat moved, top layer of subfloor removed, and bottom layer of subfloor screwed down (to eliminate the squeaks).

Items remaining: finish installing new subfloor, install new bamboo flooring, install trim molding (base, windows, and crown), install outlets for surround sound, install speaker mounting brackets, install concrete board around fireplace, install tile around fireplace, install fireplace mantel.

A heartfelt thanks on Memorial Day

2007-05-28T22:41:00.001-04:00

Despite the chasm separating my political beliefs with those of some family members, I made a phone call today to thank my aunt and uncle for their most painful sacrifice to our nation. Tim, their son and my cousin, was an Air Force Academy graduate and Lieutenant in the Air Force. Tim was killed 21 years ago on a night training flight in south Georgia. As a parent, I can't imagine the pain of losing a child ever dulls.

If you don't have a friend or family member who has died in service to our country, know there have been 3,452 American military men and women sacrificed to the cause of war in Iraq since March, 2003. Regardless of your political beliefs, today is a day to remember their final sacrifice. I have.

My home, my castle: Living room renovation - Weekend update #3

2007-05-11T16:17:00.000-04:00

Last weekend was another one spent doing drywall & electrical. I insulated the chimney, framed out the wall so I'd have something to staple insulation to, re-ran the electrical for the outlet in the mantle, and put up a 4'x8' sheet of drywall.

Not much progress happened this week as I needed to do yardwork on the vacant rental house, but I should have the walls textured this weekend.

The dangers of DIY... stories you won't hear on HGTV

2007-05-03T10:03:00.000-04:00

While I've had my share of home improvement accidents... falling off a roof, falling through a ceiling, smashing fingers with a hammer, and severe burns from dripping solder while plumbing... I've never experienced anything that came close to being life-threatening. Others aren't so fortunate, and The New York Times has an article today on the dangers of do it yourself home repair. Warning: this article isn't for the squeamish.

My home, my castle: Living room renovation - Weekend update #2

2007-04-30T14:03:00.000-04:00

A long Saturday was spent sanding & applying additional coats of mud in an effort to get the walls ready for applying knock-down texture.

I also opened up the fireplace to learn that a live electrical switch that is designed for a fireplace blower instead runs to just an outlet... the builder or fireplace installer didn't include the blower. I'll now run that electrical line to an outlet that I'm going to flush-mount on the fireplace mantle for Christmas lights.

And in going through the debris left by a vacating tenant at one of our rental houses, my wife had to bring this spray home. We'd be tempted to spray it through the entire house if Money House Blessing Money Pine Spray containing genuine 9 Indian money pine oil didn't smell like body odor.

Bravery of Lt. Col. Paul Yingling

2007-04-28T09:36:00.000-04:00

Reading the brave editorial by Lieutenant Colonel Paul Yingling, deputy commander of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, in the Armed Forces Journal reminded me of a statement made by former Chief Justice Earl Warren, "Everything I did in my life that was worthwhile, I caught hell for."

Sunrises may not be overrated

2007-04-25T09:54:00.000-04:00

While sunrises and sunsets can be beautiful, I'm not a morning person... especially after a red-eye... especially after flying out the day before. My wife and I have this saying that, "Sunrises are overrated," but this morning I was almost convinced they're not, especially from 30,000 feet.

Grow, damnit!

2007-04-23T09:34:00.000-04:00

The title for today's blog was from a sign in my great Uncle Paul's garden. While Uncle Paul is long gone, those words live on since every time I think of planting a garden I'm reminded of them.

As I continue to work on the living room renovation, this weekend I took some time out with my 3 1/2 year old daughter to plant a garden. For years I've wanted to grow tomatoes and peppers for my wife's homemade salsa but never did. Since my daughter has asked to plant one for a couple of months, I told her we could as long as she would help. I let her know there was a lot of work involved in planting a garden, but she was eager to help. I thought it would be a great educational opportunity for her but quickly realized this applied to me as well.

Last week I was on the road all week, so Friday night she and I had some daddy/daughter time at the park and then went to Home Depot for Sugar Baby watermelon, Cayenne pepper, and Lemon Queen sunflower seeds. Then it was off to Pike Nursery to get Jalapeño pepper and Big Boy tomato starter plants. Saturday morning we got our tools together and loaded some compost into the wheel barrow to dump it on the site we'd chosen for our garden.

It was during this process that I learned what my wife already knew. "Daddy, can we plant a garden?" really means, "Daddy, can I watch you do all of the work to prepare the garden so that I can do the fun stuff like plant seeds, transplant the starter plants, and spray the water hose?" She was a good sport, and I was able to cajole and bribe her into helping me with most of the work, especially picking up acorns and rocks from our future garden. I was able to get my rototiller working, which saved us a lot of time in preparing the soil. By Sunday afternoon, everything was in the ground. We should start harvesting peppers and tomatoes around the second week of July.

Day of Mourning

2007-04-20T23:21:00.000-04:00

My wife noted that while the English language has a word for a child who has lost his/her parents and a word for one spouse who loses the other, there is no word for a parent who has lost a child. She suggested the reason for this omission is because it is never supposed to happen. Regrettably it did this week.

Someone I worked with in the past knows the family of Rachael Elizabeth Hill. Rachael was murdered on Monday at Virginia Tech. What hit me the most is knowing that her parents will never again feel the embrace of a child they love; Rachael was an only child.

On this day of mourning and remembrance of those killed at Virginia Polytechnic, I haven't forgotten the family of the murderer, Seung-Hui Cho. I imagine that feeling "hopeless, helpless, and lost" only touches on the depths of their despair.

My home, my castle: Living room renovation - Weekend update #1

2007-04-16T10:35:00.000-04:00

While I spent the week out of town for work, my wife sanded the wood doors so that they're ready to paint. This weekend I finished installing the corner bead and then taped and applied the first coat of mud bed to all of the drywall seams (and corner bead). My goal is to have all of the drywall work done by next Sunday night.

2007 Entertainment Books now 50% off

2007-04-13T14:57:00.000-04:00

I typically save the cost of my Entertainment Book with one or two purchases, and now you can save even more with 50% off the price of the 2007 Entertainment Book. Prices for several cities are below:

Dallas... was ~~$27.00~~ now $13.50
Seattle... was ~~$37.00~~ now $18.50
Atlanta... was ~~$27.00~~ now $13.50
Chicago... was ~~$27.00~~ now $13.50
Orlando... was ~~$32.00~~ now $16.00
Boston... was ~~$32.00~~ now $16.00
San Francisco... was ~~$32.00~~ now $16.00
Washington DC... was ~~$32.00~~ now $16.00
Phoenix... was ~~$32.00~~ now $16.00
New York City... was ~~$32.00~~ now $16.00

This promotion ends April 30.

My home, my castle: Living room renovation - Day 8

2007-04-09T11:37:00.000-04:00

My effort to use plastic sheeting as a barrier to try and keep drywall dust isolated was in vain. Dust is everywhere, and I mean everywhere. It even got into second floor rooms where the doors were closed.

I ran out of drywall at 5:00am, so I got a few hours of sleep Saturday night/Sunday morning. I then made the trip to Home Depot for one last 4x8 sheet along with some corner bead. I finished hanging the last of the drywall in the TV nook and then installed its recessed light. I also screwed down some plywood over the hole in the floor so as to not lose any children to the void of the basement.

The rest of the day was spent clearing out the room, cleaning up, and preparing for the family to come home.

While I didn't get everything on my list accomplished this week, I'm very, very pleased. And more importantly, so is my wife! We'll finish the rest of the project during evenings and weekends.

My home, my castle: Living room renovation - Day 7

2007-04-08T10:14:00.000-04:00

After too many 16-20 hour work days, my back is killing me (in addition to my hands, wrist, and forearms) so I'm chewing ibuprofin like it's candy. I wonder if Jesus felt like this when he arose on the third day? Call me a heathen, but I always skip church on Easter to make room for visitors. Andy gets me the other 50 weeks out of the year (North Point is closed one Sunday around Christmas/New Year).

Fortunately the living room is moving closer to livable. I grew up knowing this term. For those who haven't been exposed to my family's quirks, you probably won't find our definition of "livable" in Merriam-Webster... by livable I mean, "it's going to look like we're living in squalor, but there is a plan and we're working on it."

So the flooring will get done... just not by Sunday night. The ceiling and walls will get painted... just not by Sunday night. The walls will also get textured... just probably not by Sunday night. The drywall work (repair, patching, corner bead, and sanding) should be finished by the time my wife and girls return home.

So here is the niche I've been working on. And yes, the hallway light is going away in lieu of a recessed light fixture.

My home, my castle: Living room renovation - Day 6

2007-04-07T22:59:00.000-04:00

Things always take longer than expected, so while I accomplished a lot yesterday and stayed up until 3:00am, I'm not going to get the bamboo floors down by the time my wife and girls return from a long week to Texas. I worked out some technical snafus with the niche that involved taking up some room in the closet, but the problem is solved & the lighting is wired.

The hallway from the living room to the kitchen now lacks the two narrow doorway openings at either end.

My home, my castle: Living room renovation - Day 5

2007-04-06T06:18:00.000-04:00

I hate plumbing. Usually it has something to do with Home Depot and leaks, and while it didn't involve a leak this time, it did involve the Orange Monopoly. Despite the fact that Home Depot owns Apex Supply (now called Home Depot Supply), one of the largest plumbing supply companies in the southeast, Home Depot's retail stock of plumbing supplies is in desperate need of better inventory control management. Their stores always seem to be out of a "must-have" part, as was the case today. Fortunately Home Depot has almost as many retail locations in Atlanta as McDonald's, so there's always another store 5 miles away.

I capped off the hot and cold water lines running to the former wet bar, but the sanitary T proved to be a pain in the ass. Though the side outlets were threaded, whomever plumbed this house decided to use an epoxy to seal the threaded PVC connections. This left me no choice but to replace it, which prompted my trip(s) to Home Depot.

Five hours later, it was finished.

I then did a lot of electrical work and also ran speaker wiring for the surround sound. I'm almost finished with a niche I'm building, and those pics will be up tomorrow.

Today's plumbing snafu put me a day behind schedule, but I can make it up if I'm able to put the bamboo flooring down in a day (hey, anything is possible)!

My home, my castle: Living room renovation - Day 4

2007-04-05T02:15:00.000-04:00

Today I'll show two of my bloopers... the first is the hole in the subfloor created when several hundred pounds of bricks from the fireplace came tumbling off the wall, only inches from the gas line running to the fireplace.

The second blooper is when I removed the 2x4 at the top of the header from what was the wet bar, only to find that the builder nailed a 2x8 on top of it so that the ceiling would have something to attach to. Needless to say, the ceiling over the wet bar came falling down as well.

Four hours of the day were spent between Lowe's and Home Depot getting drywall, cement backer board, drywall mud, recessed lights, insulation to go around a noisy drain pipe, faceplates with RCA jacks for the surround sound being installed, and a few other things. I've got more drywall work to do tomorrow and will update with more pictures. So far I'm on schedule, though tomorrow is critical.

I have 4 days to complete the following: finish the drywall work, texture the walls, paint the molding & doors, paint the ceiling, paint the walls, install the bamboo flooring, install molding, and rehang doors.

My home, my castle: Living room renovation - Day 3

2007-04-04T10:42:00.000-04:00

Today was more of the same: widening of passageways (i.e., tearing down drywall removal and removing 2x4s, hoping they're not loadbearing!) along with the diversions of a trip to Home Depot as well as a hail storm.

My home, my castle: Living room renovation - Day 2

2007-04-03T04:06:00.000-04:00

90% of the brick & mortar is out of the living room & drywall was removed in preparation for widening the passageway into the hallway as well as eliminating the former wet bar seen on the left.

My home, my castle: Living room renovation - Day 1

2007-04-02T00:48:00.000-04:00

The brick fireplace is no more, and thus the goal of today was accomplished.

Résumé writing: professional reference list

2007-03-29T15:31:00.000-04:00

I'll offer my tips on résumé writing in the future, but today I want to address an often-ignored and yet critical component--professional references.

When you're looking for a new job, you've become a sales person... of yourself. Every phone call made, every Monster.com update, and every résumé submitted is a reflection on you and your quality of work. By giving thought to the names included on your list of references as well as time and attention to the document itself, you can create another powerful tool that works to sell you.

The first step in developing a list of references is to decide who you should ask to serve as a reference (NEVER assume someone will be willing to serve as a reference). I recommend including 3-6 people on this list. Ideally you will include no more than 2 individuals at your same peer level with the others having more senior titles. People on this list need to have seen your accomplishments first-hand and should know you well.

Once you have your list, the next step is to reach out to those individuals and ask if they will serve as a reference. Your reference list should include an individual's name, title, company, address, phone number, and email address. While you're asking someone to serve as a reference, be sure and find out what contact information you may use since people often have multiple phone numbers and email addresses .

It is critical that your references take their responsibility of selling you seriously, so anything you can do to prepare them is recommended. During the recent job search, I asked those on my reference list to review my résumé with a critical eye and provide honest feedback. I then rewrote the résumé based on their feedback and sent them a copy. Following this process achieves two things: 1) it makes your résumé exponentially better, and 2) it's a great reminder to your references of your accomplishments.

The last step is to format your reference list. Here are some rules: use the same font as your résumé, keep it to one page, use the same "look and feel" as your résumé [example here], laser print it on high-quality paper, and proof-read and double-check the contact information several times. While I never recommend attaching your reference list to the résumé itself, be sure to have it available so that when a prospective employer asks, you'll have your professional reference list ready to work for you.

The yellow haze of spring

2007-03-27T10:40:00.000-04:00

For someone with allergy-induced asthma, spring in Georgia requires two things to survive: plenty of inhaler refills and good prescription allergy meds. I had to laugh when I checked the pollen count this morning and saw that it was at 5,208, which is over 43 times a level considered "extremely high". Ironically, the yellow pollen from pine trees which covers metro Atlanta this time of year isn't considered allergenic.

Insecurity at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport

2007-03-21T23:03:00.000-04:00

Last night I saw first-hand that the TSA has bigger things to worry about than my bottle of cologne. Yes, I happened to see this at the right moment, but prior to boarding a flight last night from gate D21 I could have picked up a tool bag complete with claw hammer, drywall saw, and utility knife. Sorry for the blurry picture, but the claw hammer is clearly visible and unattended.

My home, my castle: Living room renovation

2007-03-19T00:04:00.000-04:00

This weekend another remodeling project started: the living room. The plan is to turn a former wet-bar into part of the room, remove and replace the brick hearth and wall around the fireplace with beige travertine tile, rip up the carpet and pad, wire the room for surround sound, texture and paint the walls, repair the subfloor, and then install bamboo flooring.

My wife has already ripped out the wet bar and removed the chair molding. I was able to remove the crown, base, window, and door trim/molding, and then the fun really started: trying to remove the brick hearth. I guessed the hearth would be brick over a plywood box, but I was wrong. The hearth is nothing but brick & mortar. The goal is to have everything done by this time next month, but it's not starting out well....

DIY iPod TV video cable

2007-03-16T15:59:00.000-04:00

I received a 30gb video iPod last fall, and I've quickly filled it with hundreds of songs and dozens of videos. I knew it had the capability to send the video output to a TV, but I didn't want to spend $20 on Apple's proprietary cable.

I already had a cable that should work, but matching my cable colors to their corresponding RCA input jacks on the TV didn't produce a picture. I decided to try other combinations of the colors to see if that might work, and sure enough....

Below are the pairings of cable color with video/TV RCA input:
Yellow out --> White in
White out --> Red in
Red out --> Yellow in

FREE TaxCut Premium Federal + FREE DeductionPro

2007-03-15T10:34:00.000-04:00

With apologies to my non-U.S. readers, through a promotion with travelocity, H&R Block is giving away its TaxCut Premium Federal along with DeductionPro software for free [all credit goes to slickdeals.net for identifying this offer].

Those readers living in Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming (all states with no state income tax) should have few reasons to buy tax software this year. The same goes for those in New Hampshire and Tennessee since you only pay state tax on dividend & interest income.

Visualizing data

2007-03-12T22:18:00.000-04:00

Early in my professional life I recognized that the world is swimming in data (raw numbers) and that too little of it ever becomes information (actionable). A former boss was so passionate about this subject that he co-founded Statability to work on this full time. While I never see myself tackling this as my profession, it is one of the biggest challenges I face. And the best way I've found to turn data into information is by presenting the data in a graphical format which only then becomes relevant and actionable.

In 1983 Edward Tufte became every data-geek's hero when he wrote The Visual Display of Quantitative Information, which was revised in 2001. It's a fascinating book for those of us trying to turn data into information. And while you can even learn directly from this master, Tufte doesn't offer any web 2.0 tools to assist in this task. Fortunately others do.

Swivel is such a company. I've spent a good amount of time with this site, and it's definitely worth a look though the functionality is pretty basic.

After watching Hans Rosling's presentation at TED, I'm fascinated by the product behind his data and am anxiously awaiting Gapminder. The company is working with Google to enable people to use their own data with the product, but this feature is still in development.

And while it's beyond the scope of my limited needs, ILOG appears to have an interesting "experimental visualization tool for analyzing data sets intuitively" in its ILOG Discovery Preview application. Lastly, I Googled the topic and stumbled upon Data360, EditGrid, 1010Data, and many eyes, all of which I need to look into. Do any readers have recommendations for other web tools to turn data into information?

Keypad entry code for Ford Explorer

2007-03-11T22:34:00.000-04:00

My weekend was spent trying to get some things done that had been on my to-do list for a while and that I planned to start working on after filing for unemployment on Monday. Plans changed for the better, though. I found myself reading and re-reading a Chilton's manual, learning from other in the ExplorerForum, running to the auto parts store, and working under my '96 Explorer replacing all four original shock absorbers (long past their useful life after 158,000 miles) and changing the transmission filter, also original. After owning it for 7 years, though, I was most happy to finally learn what the 5-digit keypad entry code is on my Ford Explorer.

My local Ford dealer had previously quoted a price of $70 to determine this code for my vehicle, but the knowledge wasn't worth the cost. Patience has saved me $70, as has the ExplorerForum [read the thread here]. You'll find the code printed on a sticker located on the gray GEM System control module tucked away in the rear compartment that houses the rear window washer reservoir, jack, and lug wrench.

My next project will be to change all 13.9 quarts of transmission fluid rather than just the 3 quarts you can easily change installing a new transmission filter.

Hired

2007-03-08T22:24:00.000-05:00

The last several days have been surreal, but I'm now back among the employed and starting a new job on Monday.

First 10 things to do after being laid off

2007-03-06T11:10:00.000-05:00

Fired? The news can be a shock, but by taking a systematic approach to this news you can reduce the financial stress and set yourself up to be re-employed in no time. Resist the urge to panic, drink, or grouse. Chin-up, develop a plan, and approach finding a job as your job. Below are my recommendations for the first 10 things to do after being laid off:

1. File for unemployment.
2. Update (or create) your resume.
3. Reach out to several individuals you respect who will review your resume with a critical eye and provide honest feedback... and then rewrite your resume based upon that feedback.
4. Check the job postings of companies you wish to work for and submit your resume for consideration. If you know of someone who works for one of these companies, try and submit your resume through that individual as referrals are often given preference, and the employee may receive a referral bonus if you are hired.
5. Post your resume on Monster.com, hotjobs, careerbuilder.com, and the new Hound.com.
6. Contact recruiters in your industry and submit your resume for consideration.
7. Eliminate the "want to have but don't need" expenses such as the local newspaper (it's probably available online), premium cable (just how often do you really watch HBO or Showtime?), and even NetFlix (my local library has hundreds of DVDs that can be checked out for free).
8. Go through your closets, attic, and basement to find unnecessary items to sell on eBay and/or Craigslist.
9. Consider refinancing your home or opening a home equity line of credit in the event you don't have a 3-month financial cushion or just want to have access to cash "just in case".
10. Do your taxes & file now if owed a refund; file on the due date if you owe taxes (which is April 17 this year).

Hiring?

2007-03-05T10:55:00.000-05:00

Getting fired is never a pleasant experience, but I've learned from my wife that if you go into a meeting expecting the worst outcome, you're seldom disappointed. During my review today I wasn't surprised to hear that my position had been eliminated. Fortunately my resume is up to date because the severance package is insulting. Now I just need to decide what I want to be when I grow up!

Do it yourself auto maintenance

2007-02-27T17:22:00.000-05:00

When I turned 16 and started driving, I didn't know a tie rod from a leaf spring, but I was fortunate enough to have a shade tree mechanic neighbor who, along with my Chilton's manual, taught me the basics. I've done my own car maintenance ever since. If you don't have a handy neighbor, you're in luck... and don't even have to leave your PC to learn things like how to change your oil.

With my 11 year old Ford Explorer hitting 158,000 miles, I know I need to be more diligent about its maintenance. So this morning at the crack of dawn I picked up new oil, air, and transmission filters along with a case of Mobil 1 synthetic oil.

What would have cost $150 and taken several hours of my time at an auto repair shop was only $67.67 and took only an hour. I also have the peace of mind in knowing the job was done right. And if I can do it, anyone can.