Pick a price Sep 24, 2008
When we first signed up for our current cable TV package, it was about $40 per year.  Each year, the price has gone up $10, so we're now paying $60 for the exact same crappy, overpriced, yet practically indispensable service.  I've read on a few websites that cable companies (and service companies in general) will gladly allow you to pay less if you threaten to switch to a different provider.  This is what Wendy tried on Monday.  But after a moderately long back-and-forth discussion, the customer service person wouldn't budge.  So Wendy said, "Here's the thing:  I don't feel like paying $60 when we used to pay $40."  The CS rep agreed and lowered our monthly rate to $40 (for a year, after which we'll do the exact same thing).  So basically, what we have here is a pick-a-price service.  You name your price, they provide the service.  Don't like your price?  Ask for a lower one.  What a concept. #business
New pennies Sep 24, 2008
Hooray!  We're gittin' new pinnies! 

So not only has our entire economic system eaten itself, leaving our government in charge of several of our nation's (and the world's) largest financial institutions, but we're getting new currency that's still a complete waste of time and space and is still worth less than the material used to make it (but it's actually not that bad).  The only thing we can hope for is that our fine government spends less than $30 million teaching us yokels how to use it.  God bless America. #money
Lost and found objects Sep 24, 2008
Wendy and I were walking on a New Jersey beach a few weeks ago and she found an iPod partially buried in the sand.  It was a fairly empty beach, but we still looked around to see if anyone had dropped it or was looking for it.  There was no telling how long it had been there or who the rightful owner was, so we kept it.  Wendy had recently bought an iPod, so we were both familiar with the cost.  Considering the fact that it was full of music, this iPod was probably worth around $300 for the owner. 

A similar thing happened when we were hiking a few years ago.  We hiked a section of the Appalachian Trail and found a camera in the parking lot where we stopped.  It had a bunch of the same pictures I had just taken, so I knew the owner had just hiked the same section as us.  We looked around but didn't see anyone, so we put it in a place to make it more visible, hoping the person might come back and look in that exact spot. 

The thing with lost and found items is that I would gladly return them to the rightful owner.  I have no use for an iPod, especially one covered in sand (though I cleaned it up and it works fine).  And I have no use for someone's digital camera because I already have a few myself.  Personally, I'd rather return the object to its rightful owner, complete with all its digital media (music and pictures).  With most cameras I use, I'll keep a picture on it that says I own it and that if I lose it, it would be nice to have it returned but to at least email me the pictures.  The thing is, digital cameras are a dime a dozen these days, but the pictures are worth quite a bit more.  One time a "friend" picked up my camera and when he saw my identifier picture, he laughed at me.  He's the kind of person that would steal something directly from my pocket, but either way, he wasn't convinced anyone would have the common decency to return it.  I personally would.  I own several small digital products that have a tendency to fall out of pockets, and I have enough money to go buy my own.  If I find one that belongs to someone else, I'll gladly return it. 

So to all the people who own digital cameras, mp3 players, cell phones, and the like, always put a file on your device that says who the owner is and how to get in contact with them.  Or at least use a sticky note. #psychology
Criminally easy (6) Sep 24, 2008
I feel like I have a disproportionate number of opportunities to commit a major crime than most people do.  For example, I just pulled into a parking spot at Target, and I just so happened to be next to a car that was idling with no driver and no one around.  If I was a criminal, this would practically be an invitation to steal a car.  And since I'm not dumb, I'd probably get away with it, at least for a while.  The key is to get in the car and drive away calmly, as if you own it and know exactly what you're doing.  Most dumb criminals would hastily look over their shoulder, jump in the driver's seat, and peel out.  Thankfully, I already have a car, so I have no need for someone else's.  It's like this recent story of the guy who stole a Ferrari because it was sitting at a dealership with the keys in the ignition and the engine running.  Can you really blame him? 

Then there's the whole idea of theft.  I feel like I could get away with stealing anything.  Whenever I enter or exit a store and the theft deterrent system starts beeping, the cashiers and security people always tell me to not worry about.  Either the machine is malfunctioning, or they forgot to remove the tag from whatever I bought.  What this means to me is that the alarm will go off no matter what, which makes it ridiculously easy to stuff a bunch of things in my pockets and walk out casually as the false alarm sounds. 

A few weeks ago, I went to a store to fill up the propane tank for my grill.  The store was set up so that you had to pay in one place and pick up in another place.  It occurred to me after I paid and as I was picking up that there was merely a thread of dignity stopping me from not paying at all and simply telling the guy I already paid.  At another store, it was brought to my attention that I could quite easily buy something, go back into the store with the receipt, and walk out with the same receipt and another of the same product, simply by telling the salespeople, "It's ok, I have a receipt."  Am I the only one who notices so many opportunities to commit a crime? #psychology
On eBay sales Sep 24, 2008
I just sold two old cameras on eBay in under 24 hours.  I'm always amazed at what people are willing to buy from me.  The one camera was purchased recently and hardly used, so it wasn't too surprisingly that it sold.  But the other camera was older and much more used.  It even had a scratched LCD.  But I took detailed pictures of everything I would be shipping, and I even wrote in the description that the LCD was scratched.  Maybe my honesty is what attracts people.  Or maybe it's because I offer the Buy It Now option.  I know I personally never bid on anything on eBay; I only use Buy It Now. 

The only bad part about selling stuff on eBay is wondering how much more you could've sold it for.  I purposely priced the older camera extremely low because it was relatively old, it was used and in fair condition, and there were other eBay auctions for identical cameras in better condition.  I'm surprised it sold at all, much less in under 24 hours (actually it was sold in under 5 minutes), and I was left wondering if I could have priced it a little higher. #business
Dallas Cowboys franchise Sep 23, 2008
The Dallas Cowboys have quite a franchise. 
  1. Only the Cowboys imply that it's un-American to not like them, seeing as how they're "America's team".
  2. Only the Cowboys put out their own greatest hits DVDs.
  3. Only the Cowboys have completely broken any sort of geographical merchandising restrictions.  Cowboys gear is available in any state in America, right alongside merchandise from the local team.
Slightly related:  Only the Cowboys are part of a completely incorrect geographical group:  NFC East. #sports
Clearance season Sep 19, 2008
I happened upon the beginning of a store clearance season a couple weeks ago.  It must've been the first day they were getting rid of their summer clothes, so there was still a bunch of stuff that was my size.  It was nice to get some good deals before only the fat clothes were left. #business
Bermuda trip review Sep 19, 2008
A few days ago I posted the recap.  Here is my review and commentary. 

Bermuda was chosen for two reasons.  First, it's the closest tropical island to NJ.  Hawaii was awesome, but it's 10 hours away.  The Caribbean is close, but Bermuda is even closer.  It was a quick two-hour flight, though it took a little longer because it's technically an "overseas" flight which includes customs and such.  Second, it's another part of the Beach Boys song Kokomo, of which we've already traveled to Jamaica and the Bahamas (and technically Key Largo [Key West is close enough] and Montego [which is in Jamaica]).  My goal in life is to travel to all destinations mentioned in the song.  Aruba might be next. 

The bed and breakfast route was interesting.  We rented through BermudaRentals.com after a search for accommodations costing less than the standard $300-per-night hotels.  The island unfortunately has no chain hotels, so we couldn't use points.  So instead of blowing $2000 for a week with a bed and a toilet, we found a few different B&Bs.  However, as I've learned, Bermuda B&Bs are less like family-run hotels, and more like your grandma's house.  The lady we stayed with was an 89-year-old great-grandmother of many, and we stayed in one of her spare bedrooms.  Her room was directly across the hall from ours, so there wasn't much in the way of privacy.  I've heard that in normal B&Bs, the owners' living quarters are usually separate from the guests', and there's a little more room to move around.  We stayed in a small bedroom and shared a bathroom with the other guests (which we hardly ever even saw).  Despite all these negatives, we were provided with a breakfast and a dinner every day (I'm not sure if the dinner was part of the deal or just the outpouring of a great-grandmother's generosity).  Either way, it was a great deal, and though it wasn't ideal, I would gladly do it again. 

Bermuda is a British territory, and as such, it has many British qualities.  One was driving on the left hand side of the road.  This was quite a challenge.  I kept wanting to look behind me when I made a right turn, although that's the absolute wrong thing to do.  If you think about it, everything in American life is geared towards driving on the right.  We drive on the right hand, we bike on the right hand, when walking down a hallway or a sidewalk, we stay to the right.  In Bermuda, it's all the opposite. 

Another part of being a British territory was that the people had a British accent.  But it wasn't normal British.  I think it sounded like British mixed with Philly, which was odd.  Either way, it was sometimes difficult to understand people, especially for someone like me who has zero comprehension of people with accents. 

Renting a scooter is the way to go.  Visitors aren't allowed to rent cars, which is probably good because the steering wheel is on the wrong side.  At first, we planned on relying on the public bus and ferry system to get us around.  That would've worked fine, but we would've had to gear things around when the buses and ferries were running, which didn't always fit into our schedule.  Renting a scooter enabled us to do what we wanted whenever we wanted.  There was a learning curve, however.  Thankfully the only scooters the island rents out are automatic, so once you got the whole driving-on-the-left thing down, everything was good. 

However, drivers are absolutely insane.  For a tiny island with winding roads, 25mph speed limits, and tons of tourists, the island's natives were ridiculously dangerous drivers.  The cars would ride your butt around blind curves, and the other scooters and motorcycles would pass you without even going into the other lane.  I'm surprised more people don't die. 

Their supermarket sold ShopRite brand products, which was odd because the store wasn't a ShopRite, and ShopRite certainly isn't a name brand. 

I got cell phone reception with my Sprint phone.  I figured the island would be similar to Europe, which only supports GSM phones (AT&T and T-Mobile), not CDMA (Verizon and Sprint). 

Everything is expensive.  It's true.  I didn't want to believe it, but it's impossible to avoid.  I take pride in being able to travel and survive incredibly cheaply, but there was just no way to do it in Bermuda.  In most locations in the world, there's a cheap option for food.  You can usually find a deli or a Subway, or if you absolutely must, a fast food place.  Bermuda had no fast food places (aside from a lone KFC, which I refuse to eat at) and apparently no delis.  There was no cheap alternative.  A typical cheap meal at a restaurant ended up costing about $15 per person, where in the US it might cost half that.  It made a huge difference that our B&B included breakfast and dinner, because a week of meals would quickly add up. 

Everything is expensive, but there's no sales tax and the beaches and parks are free.  It seems like they could make it more affordable by changing a few things around, but Bermuda is an elitist island.  The unwritten philosophy basically says, "If you can't afford it, go away."  It's nice because there isn't really any unemployment or poverty, which means there aren't really any "bad parts" of the island.  It's bad though because, well, it's just so damn expensive.  It's actually similar to staying in a city like New York, where a quick lunch for two usually runs about $30-40.  It's not astronomical, but it's not what I'm used to. 

One nice thing about the island is its peaceful history.  There were no native people when the British arrived in the 1600s, so there was no conflict or genocide.  This is in direct contrast to some previous travel destinations, namely the American southwest and Hawaii.  Native Americans and native Hawaiians really hate white people. 

The snorkeling was awesome, but I didn't agree with many of the recommended snorkeling beaches.  Our travel book recommended a few, and a guy at a store recommended a few of the same.  We checked them all out and found that many of them had pretty rough waters, which doesn't mix well with sharp underwater rocks.  My favorite place was Tobacco Bay, which was actually a really bad beach because of this stupid bar that played pop music all day.  But the rocks right off the coast were awesome and the water was perfectly calm, which greatly increased visibility and made snorkeling amazing.  I saw the most and the biggest fish in that little bay. 

Some of the recommended beaches seemed to be recommended for everyone besides me.  They should've said, "This is a great beach if you like hundreds of people, zero space, and crowded water."  This is the exact opposite of what I like in a beach.  Thankfully, we were able to find quite a few perfect little stretches of beach, which were probably made even better by the fact that it was technically the off-season.  None of the beaches were particularly long, since most of the coastline consists of sharp volcanic rock.  But it was ok.  We managed. 

The weather was in the mid-80s and humid every day.  It was incredibly hot, which we were told was unusual for September.  It's usually more rainy and windy because of the hurricanes coming from the Caribbean.  It rained a few times, but just like any tropical place, it came and went pretty quickly.  We were even able to simply drive to another beach to escape some bad weather.  That's the nice part about a 13-mile long island, just as long as the storm isn't wider than 13 miles. #travel
Season change Sep 19, 2008
I feel like, at least in NJ, winter happens much more suddenly than summer.  Summer seems to take forever to get here, gradually warming and growing things throughout May and June.  Winter seems to happen overnight.  One day it's 85° outside, then the next morning there's frost. #nature
Baseball numbers Sep 19, 2008
Baseball has some unusual numbers to measure success.  I heard in a movie that batters who hit the ball 2 out of 10 times are pretty good.  If they hit 3 out of 10, they're considered great.  What an odd concept.  Numbers in the range of 20-30% would amount to failure in pretty much every other aspect of life.  If you showed up to work 2 days in 2 weeks (10 working days), you'd be fired without a second thought.  If you stopped at 30% of the traffic lights you encountered, you'd lose your drivers license, assuming you didn't get killed first. 

Another number to consider is wins vs. losses.  A good team wins half its games.  A great team wins maybe 60% of its games.  That's ridiculous.  A football team that won half its games would be a failure (unless all the other teams in its division have even worse records, in which case it might clinch a wildcard playoff spot).  A great team in football can win 100% of its games.  Now that's a pretty good measure of success. #sports