Micsamorphosis

Sometimes a caterpillar evolves into a butterfly, but other times—at least in the virtual world of blogging—it's the opposite that occurs.

Yes, I refer to Mic's Tape. Admittedly, this analogy is a bit silly and perhaps ill-chosen (can a blog that's never floated higher than five posts in a month really be likened to a creature with wings?). But regardless of whether this blog could ever "fly", there's little doubt that in recent months its activity has slowed to a caterpillar's crawl. And just like the voracious appetite of that famously hungry caterpillar, Mic's Tape has surely done nothing over the past six weeks if not gluttonously devour the time (and hopes) of its loyal, beloved readership who've checked for updates each day in vain.

Pressure, blogging down on me
During these six weeks, brumpelstitskin (BS) has been pondering the causes of this reverse metamorphosis. In doing so, it's become clear that at some point we've lost the plot—instead of a joy, blogging has become a burden.

One would think that a blog with six contributors would have no trouble generating new material, and initially this was the case—if Michail ran out of ideas, MC Gallagher was there to pick up the slack, and so on. And while the BS creative process was never effortless (far from it), for the first year or so this effort remained firmly a labor of love. But as BS exhausted our original list of material, and as the endlessly inspiring 2008 political season winded down, a collective case of writer's blog undeniably crept in. Yet as the creativity dried up, a self-imposed pressure to produce undoubtedly remained. Two twin desires—an inner longing to regularly create new material & an outer longing to not disappoint those readers who regularly check the blog for new material—together fed this self-pressure, which in turn fed upon the fun of creating (and the quality of the creation).

Can't we give blogging one more chance?
So, what can be done about this? For about an hour or so (out of the past six weeks of contemplation), BS considered retirement, but quickly thought better of it: our love of writing is way too strong to throw in the towel. Instead, an alternative two-part solution has come to fruition. First, BS has decided to henceforth reject any self-generated expectations of blogging at a certain frequency (e.g., once per week); rather, we will only write when we feel a genuine inspiration to do so (even if it's only once per year). Second, to address our strong desire to not disappoint those who've regularly checked the blog, BS wishes to formally encourage our beloved readers to sign up for automatic notifications of new Mic's Tape posts (this way, you'll only need to check the blog when you're certain there's new material).

To receive automatic notifications, you can either: (a) ask me to set it up so that a notification of each new post will be sent directly to your email address; or (b) subscribe yourself to Mic's Tape posts via a web portal/aggregator service such as iGoogle, Google Reader or Netvibes using the "Subscribe To" tool on the right side of the blog. Just let me know if you have any questions about this.

In closing, here's hoping that the future will regain in fun what it loses in frequency.

A Quarter-Induced Quarter-Life Crisis

I recently had a “conversation” in my mind—err, in the Mic’s Tape newsroom—about things that make brumpelstiltskin feel old.

For MC Gallagher, it was discovering that the teenage sister of his friend and fellow blogger, Anna MD, had never even heard of a band named Oasis. For Mike-Michael, it was the curious mixture of annoyance and rejection he experienced "late" Sunday night when canvassers for the University of Iowa Student Government (UISG) Go Party ticket (a) woke him up at 10:30pm on a "work night" by knocking on his college-aged neighbors' door, but (b) did not knock on his (27-year-old alumni) door several minutes thereafter.

For me, though, it was a recent realization that the US Mint's "50 State Quarters" program has officially run its course. The 10-year program started with the release of the Delaware coin on 4 Jan 1999—back when I had about as much need for a Roth IRA as I did for a razor—and I remember thinking that it was gonna take somewhere between a "wicked long time" and "forever" for the 50th coin to finally enter circulation. But now, a quick decade later, the Hawaii coin (pictured) is already here. Oh...time [single tear].

Has anything made you feel older lately?

Rien de Fawlty à Propos de Basil

My cooking horizons were expanded gigantiquement three years ago when mon cher ami Eli shipped me a copy of "Fast Food My Way" by French Chef, Jacques Pépin.

Since all of my culinary mentors up until this point had been Swedes (notably this guy), I was initially skeptical of learning recipes from a Frenchman, but Pépin's kind visage (familiar from PBS) quickly set me at ease, as did his pledge (in the Introduction) to "easily transform [various] ingredients into fast and elegant dishes".

One ingredient introduced to me by Chef Jacques quickly became one of my favorites—basil (pictured below). This green, lusciously aromatic herb is used to great effect in Pépin's recipe for "Summertime Pasta" which I highly recommend to cooks of any skill level, including beginners.

To start, gather the following inside a large microwavable bowl: 3 cups diced (1-inch) tomatoes, 1 diced (½-inch) zucchini, 1 cup diced (½-inch) white button mushrooms, 1 teaspoon salt, ¾ teaspoon pepper, and one-third cup extra-virgin olive oil. Then, cook 6-10 ounces of pasta shells (Jacques calls for 6 oz, I prefer 10). Shortly before the pasta is finished cooking, microwave the bowl of vegetables for ~2 minutes (until lukewarm). Next, drain the pasta and add it to the bowl of vegetables, sprinkle with 1 cup of Parmesan cheese and 1½ cups of coarsely shredded, loosely packed fresh basil. Toss well. Serve immediately.

Bring Out Your Dead Electronics!

Procrastination has plagued me for years, but now, after merely talking the talk for so long, I'm finally ready to walk the GreenDisk walk.

GreenDisk is a Washington-based company that recycles a wide range of computer and technology-related products. The company originated around two main concerns: (1) protecting privacy via the secure destruction of private information contained in "technotrash" (i.e., obsolete and unwanted computer/electronic materials); and (2) recycling these materials in an environmentally responsible manner. Accepted items include CDs, DVDs, ink cartridges, cell phones, iPods, VHS tapes, computer cables, laptops, and more (full list here).

I first discovered GreenDisk a few years ago (whilst surfing the web for a way to recycle burned CDs), but only now—amid some long overdue spring cleaning—am I at last preparing to send them a big barrowload of e-crap. With that in mind, if you have some "technotrash" of your own that you'd like to get rid of, please let me know and I'll gladly include it in my shipment.

Greenspankonomics 101

This pie graph depicts the relative amount of money I spent between Dec '08 and Feb '09 on cat food/litter (blue), coffee (yellow), and laundry (green). As you can see, the cost of caring for 2 cats was roughly equivalent to the combined cost of supporting my caffeine addiction and washing my skivvies. Based on these numbers, one conclusion is that I could financially justify the adoption of 2 additional cats simply by giving up coffee and laundry...

The above example is just one of countless insights that money management software packages like Quicken and Microsoft Money can provide. Another insight they offer concerns the topic I've chosen to blog about today: budgets!

The tri-MOLE goal
Any graduate of the Greenspankian school of personal finance can tell you that my most basic recommended savings objective is the "Tri-MOLE Goal": that is, to amass at least 3 (and ideally 6) Months Of Living Expenses (aka "MOLEs") inside a liquid savings or checking account. Of course, to do this, one first needs to know what their personal MOLE actually amounts to. In my opinion, the simplest and most logical way to determine this figure is to create a budget.

While the old-fashioned way of crafting a budget—pen, paper, calculator—certainly remains a respectable option, if you own a personal computer I'd highly recommend using the abovementioned Money or Quicken software instead (note: one or the other is usually included with a new computer). Both programs allow users to set up electronic ledgers (corresponding to checking accounts, credit cards, etc) in which the amounts, dates, and categories of transactions can be easily entered and organized. What's more, transactions can typically be downloaded directly from a bank's website, too.

Once you've entered transactions from, say, the past 3 months, the software can then use that information to automatically generate a breakdown of your average monthly income and expenses and—voila!—you've got yourself a budget, mon ami! With this new data at one's disposal, it's much easier to calculate just how much 3-6 MOLEs really amounts to, and therefore how much money should ideally be tucked away into an emergency savings fund.

Of budgeting and bartering
OK, the time required to read this article is quickly approaching 90 seconds (i.e., the average attention span for reading a financial blog post written by complete tool), so I'd best wrap it up. In conclusion, let me just add that if there's anyone out there who'd like more info about budgeting with Money or Quicken (or even a tutorial), please let me know. I don't charge for my services, although I am now accepting free coffee and laundry.

Can You Rear(end) Me Now?

In many ways, I've always been a 60-year-old man in an under-30-year-old body. Take, for instance, my instinctively uptight and resolute "they just didn't do that when I was a boy" aversion to using a cell phone while driving.

If I'm conversing with a loved one and realize they're on the road, I feel nervous; if I'm driving and spot a fellow motorist on their phone, I feel less safe; and if I talk on the phone while driving (warning: hypocrite alert!), I feel more dangerous than Iceman accused Maverick of being in Top Gun (see here). Thus, count me among those disappointed by a recent article alleging that a proposed state ban on using handheld cell phones while driving "will likely die in the Iowa legislature this year".

My rationale for supporting such a ban initially stemmed from an intuitive, unscientific assumption that talking on the phone makes drivers (including myself) less cautious behind the wheel. A subsequent review of the scientific literature leads me to the same conclusion. For example, one recent report, which provided a statistical summary of 33 prior studies, concluded unequivocally that "cell phone conversation while driving increases reaction time to events and stimuli".

Thus, I do hope that the state legislature has a change of heart and votes to make Iowa the sixth US state (behind California, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and Washington) to pass a handheld cell phone ban for all drivers. Can anyone think of a compelling reason why they should not?

The Soiled Fruits of Conscience

So, feeling particularly inspired by Gustaf’s recent post on "brain food", I decided to buy some antioxidant-laden berries during a recent trip to the food store on Tuesday night. (Yeah, that’s right, I called it a “food store”—do you wanna fight about it?) Anyway, lo and behold, there they were: blackberries, on sale for $1.99. I picked up a carton, sized it up, liked what I saw, and nonchalantly placed it into my grocery cart (into the upper "basket" area by the handle). But alas, it seems my placement was a little too nonchalant as the carton immediately fell out the back of the cart and onto the floor:
Upon impact, the carton popped open, berries flew everywhere, pandemonium ensued. My 1st reaction was to giggle and look around nervously to see if there were any witnesses (there weren't). My 2nd reaction was to realize I had quite the crisis of conscience on my hands. I could...

a) Put a canvas bag over my head and run out of the store with identity concealed and dignity intact.
b) Grab a new container and continue shopping as if the whole thing never happened only to become wracked with guilt a few minutes later when a voice got on the PA to request "cleanup in produce".
c) Go ask the high school kid working at the deli what I should do, and be told: "Screw 'em, man, s*** happens".
d) Get on my knees, put the fallen berries back in the carton, buy them, wash them ridiculously thoroughly with water, and eat them.

Which option do you think I chose? What would you have done?