Transparent Thoughts of Phil Mondy

Taste, Taste... "Needs Acid."

2012-01-26T06:00:00.000-05:00

I don't know about you, but I taste my food as I'm making it. When I think it is almost ready to serve, I stop and taste it to see where it is at. Usually, it needs something else that would make it better. But what does it need?

Usually, I get narrow minded when I do this test. I'm looking for 2 things. First, salt because for some reason that always seems to make it taste better. Second I look for spice, maybe some pepper, or maybe some indian, mexican, thai, based on whatever I'm cooking. At my best I start looking for a lack of something savory like cheese or bacon, and I might even try to add some cream. But, there is an entirely different spectrum of taste that I was failing to think about.

Since I've started making wine, I have learned to look for the flavor of acidity, and it's balance with sugar. If you don't normally think about this, you should try it. It has really helped my cooking in a big way. Try thinking about it with your wine as well, it will make you a better wine connoisseur.

How, you ask? Simple. Make some lemonade. Good lemonade is defined by the acid and sugar balance. Once you get the balance right, you can adjust the strength with water all you want and it will still taste pretty balanced. If you need a recipe for lemonade, try 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of lemon juice, and 5 cups of water. If you don't have lemon juice, then make some Koolaid, same idea.

Now back to dinner. How do we change the acid sugar balance of our food?

Acid = Vinegar, Lemon, Lime, Tomato. I recommend trying two teaspoons of apple cider vinegar for acidity, because it's my favorite.
Sugar = Honey, Agave, Sugar, Syrup. I recommend trying a tablespoon of brown sugar to increase the sugar balance, because it's my favorite too.

Transparency About Transparency Part 3

2012-01-23T17:00:00.000-05:00

Realizing that some people feel closer during conflict and others feel farther apart isn't that hard. But for probably 10 years, I did not realize it. I also had no idea how scary my search for the truth can be. So what am I going to do with conflict in the future? Here is my plan.

I was originally thinking that I would throw out some tips here, but that doesn't make any sense. I'm not really a success story, ready to share my story with everyone. So instead I will submit a completely unproven plan which I intend to experiment with.

First, I'm going to keep being selective about the confrontations I choose to take on. No change in this area, but the fewer the conflicts the better actually.

Second, I'm going to always preface a confrontation with an acknowledgement of my personality, and background. I think it is helpful for me to throw out that I have done this before, and that I have regrets from the way I handled it. Simply noting that this is a rare occasion that only happens every couple of years, and that I'm nervous about it would be helpful to know.

I will also write out my intentions, and the entire communication prior to discussion as well. I'd like to clearly state the entire argument, with supporting facts, and logical progression. It seems like that can keep the emotion out of the conversation a bit, and allow it to be more intellectually centered instead.

Finally, I'm going to establish my motive. I believe that there is a secret to this as well. That secret is that my motive will always be the same motive as the person I am confronting. In truth, it is easy for that to be the case, and I think it should be. See, everyone desires community, love, acceptance, close relationships. We all want closer relationships, and less hurt, so if we focus on that we are working to the same end.

In contrast, my goal will never be "Honesty," "Truth," or "Tansparency." This has been a mistake in the past. I don't believe that everyone wants those things by themselves. Some weirdos like me want that, but most don't care that much about them. Especially if they naturally avoid confrontation due to their upbringing. While truth is the tool that gets us to closer, healthier relationships, it is not usually a desire that people have all by itself.

That is my plan and I'm sticking to it.

Transparency About Transparency Part 2

2012-01-22T07:00:00.000-05:00

While I have tried to follow my dad's advice, I have not followed it perfectly throughout the years. I realize that total honesty is harmful to a relationship. Meaning, even if I think someones sweater is ugly, or they actually do look fat, it's never good to say it. Unfiltered truth, is just carelessness.

On the other side of the truth, just because someone has a secret, and I know they have a secret, doesn't mean it is good for me to hear it. I understand this too.

This blog is about those exceptions though, when the truth just needs to be brought out. This needs little explanation probably, but just for the sake of making an argument I submit to you a name from recent news story. Jerry Sandusky. Enough said, some truth needs to be told sooner than later.

So, how does one confront someone in a way that doesn't damage, or in my case, ruin the relationship completely? Well, it turns out, I had a huge blind spot when it came to these situations. I had the guts to confront, but did not understand how it was perceived by the other person.

My blind spot is that I didn't fully answer this question before the confrontation. "What is your motive?"

I answered this question for myself; I knew my motivation. But I never answered the question for the other person. I knew that I was genuinely concerned about multiple human beings, and not myself. If I were only motivated selfishly, I wouldn't have confronted anybody. It simply wouldn't have been worth the risk to the friendship and my reputation. But I don't believe other people saw it that way.

A major side note is that I believe there are 2 distinct ways that families deal with confrontation. Some families feel closer together with confrontation, the others feel farther apart. There also tend to be peacemaker personalities and confrontation loving personalities, but I think the family difference is more critical. Usually, the people I feel the need to confront are the people who grew up in a family that never confronted things. I had no idea.

I didn't realize that it is legitimately scary for people to see my intense desire for the honesty, especially when they were brought up in a home with an difficulty handling conflict. Add to that normal insecurities that come through these situations, and the fact that the truth itself can be very scary, and you've got a recipe for disaster.

In my defense, I just never really thought that I needed to establish my own motive. I assumed that the very fact that I was willing to bring up this deeply personal issue, would be enough to imply that I had thought it through. But I realize now that this isn't the case. People don't assume that my motives are good at all.

That was the major revelation, but I have learned a couple of tips to handling the conflict itself. I think I'll write about that tomorrow because I like to keep my blogs kind of short. More soon.

Transparency About Transparency Part 1

2012-01-21T06:33:00.000-05:00

I believe I made a significant discovery about myself in the last four weeks. It's been kind of life changing actually. It has a lot to do with transparency in relationships, and, well, how I've failed at that personally. So here I am, being transparent about transparency.

See, I have this problem with confrontation. Maybe you have the same problem, or maybe you have been hurt or offended by someone with this problem, or by me personally which I hope you can forgive. Anyway, the problem is that I confront people every year or two, and it leads to damaged relationships.

I'm not talking about small confrontations about stealing a pen or a chair, or getting mud on the floor of my car. I'm talking about big confrontations. Stuff that is really important to people, like their biggest fear, their strongest desire, or their most secret secret.

Honesty has always been an unusually strong value to me. When I sense that something is being hidden, it frustrates me. It gnaws at my soul in a horrible way. It is an extremely unpleasant feeling that continues persistently until I do something about it.

This trait seems to be the one that gets me into these confrontations. When most people would back off, I get more interested. I have such an intense need to uncover hidden things, or sometimes to the need to say things that just need to be said.

One time when I was younger, my dad tried to help me understand that this passion can have negative side effects. He said, "Son, no relationship can stand total honesty." In other words, it isn't healthy to say everything that is true or hear everything that is true about yourself. I completely agree with him.

But, then there are those times. Those are times when it is worth the risk of damaging the relationship. Despite the desire for people to like me, the gnawing feeling in my soul is too much. So I make the decision to confront a person.

To be quite honest, I have failed miserably at keeping a positive relationship with these people historically. It has been damaging to my reputation, and I have really had a hard time learning how to do this well.

In high school, I had a reputation of being very nice. I think people knew I was judgmental, but I rarely confronted anyone, and I generally wanted people to like me. By my early 20s I was a different person almost. I had no fear of confrontation, and charged right into it boldly. Some of the stories are quite comical really. There's the story of denouncing my association with a college group at my church publicly after a meeting, the story of telling another leader that his values were misguided, the time when I discovered that a love interest had cheated, and talked about it with her parents, and the list goes on.

For a long time I thought that my problem could have been the battles that I pick, but that never really made much sense. It was always well thought out, and I knew why I was bringing the discussion up. I believe that my system for deciding whether to bring up a conflict is solid (Dad probably get's credit for that). I pick my battles pretty well, but in the end I never wanted to damage the relationship and it still happened.

Why didn't the confrontations go better?

This is the question that I believe I have found, and I intend to answer it with one or two more blogs. Hopefully it is interesting to think about, and more importantly, an opportunity to be transparent and show the value of honesty.

(More tomorrow)

The Goal 2012 - Rebirth of a Ballpoint Pen

2012-01-10T06:00:00.000-05:00

In 2005, I learned to eat M&M's slowly. In 2010 I finished an entire tube of chapstick one year. In 2012, I am attempting to accomplish something equally as challenging.

I, Phil Mondy, intend to use an entire ink pen until is completely void of ink and no longer writes. I intend to do this by the end of the calendar year 2012. Furthermore I intend REFILL that ink pen with a new cartridge of ink, giving that shell of a pen a second life!

It was early in 2011 when this idea first came to me. I received a set of pens from an online deal site by the name of woot.com. The box of pens came with all of the necessary components I would need for this accomplishment, refills for every pen in the box.

'Absurd!' I thought to myself, having rarely heard of a person owning a pen long enough to empty it's contents completely. Even in all of such cases I'd heard of, the pens were simply disposed of. On the other hand, what was I to do with refills that came with my pens? Kids are starving in Africa! I decided I would put the refills in the drawer in the laundry room for further consideration.

Time passed, and the thought occurred again. Could it be possible? Probably not, but I started to believe the impossible could happen.

Now here I am, against all odds. I'm going to do it. I will refill a pen in 2012, and give it the gift of life again. There's no turning back now.

Simplifying The Basement Part 2

2012-01-05T06:46:00.000-05:00

"There is some perfectly good junk here." I said. "We can't just throw away perfectly good junk, kids have AIDS in Africa."

So naturally, out of my concern for Africa, we thought of Goodwill. They have a drive through drop off. It's so easy.

It's easier than selling for sure, but still more complicated than throwing it all away. Complicated is bad. Complicated is very bad. Like the devil. No, the Anti-Christ. The Anti-Simple.

Simple is the goal, the greater good, the messiah which will rescue us into 2012.

But I was weak. I should have stared my conscience in the face and thrown it all away; forgetting Africa and Goodwill, but I chose the option which made things more... I can barely even say it I'm so ashamed... complicated.

We made two piles. One of trash, and one of donations. It was a setback, but we did it. Then, we pressed on.

After many, many mind-numbingly, word-jumblingly, proof-readingly difficult hours in the basement, we simplified the basement. Nine plastic tubs, a shelving unit, two fridges, a treadmill, and two people survived to tell the tale.

It felt good. We were still bested by consumerism at times, but I believe that we won the battle. We faced the fear. We stared consumerism and the face and said, "Simplicity is better than having more stuff, you ridiculous, consumerist dragon!"

One small step for simplicity, one giant leap for quality of life.

Simplifying The Basement Part 1

2012-01-04T12:30:00.000-05:00

Nobody likes to think about organizing basements or garages or attics. They are a mind trap waiting to suck the energy out of us. Cleaning the basement is worse than standing in line, worse than getting a speeding ticket, possibly even worse than an office Christmas party. It's like voluntarily being banished to the dungeon. The dungeon is lit by a couple of small windows, and has a supernatural power to inflict guilt until it is clean and organized.

Did I mention the dragon? The one that slings cardboard boxes filled with useless things constantly? Difficult to believe unless you see it with your own eyes, but that's what we had to face when we descended into our basement last week.

How hard was it, you ask? How hard was it to go into the basement and answer this simple question, "Do you want to keep this?" I don't want to exaggerate here. It was mind-numbingly difficult, word-jumblingly difficult, proof-readingly difficult. It was hard.

It was hard to answer a simple question 1,000 times in a row, no matter how simple the question was. It was even harder to answer the follow up questions.

Let's say the answer was yes. "Where should we put it?" Was the follow up question.

Well if we knew where to put it, it wouldn't be in the basement. So we had to ask, "How long has it been since we used it?"

Again, it's probably been a long time cause it's in the basement. So we ask the original question again with emphasis. "Do you really want to keep this?" And the cycle continues.

If the answer was no, we don't want to keep said thing, the follow up question was, "Can we sell it?" This was a huge rabbit trail. Selling things takes effort and it has nothing to do with cleaning, organizing, and simplifying which is what we were trying to do. We gave up finally and made a blanket rule. No selling anything.

That felt good. We made a rash blanket rule to help us with our simplifying. That's what I needed. A big fat dramatic rule to keep us on task.

And that's when my conscience kicked in.

(More tomorrow)

Reflection on 2011

2012-01-03T09:57:00.004-05:00

I took a couple of weeks off over the Christmas holiday, and I am just now reflecting on 2011. Just thought I'd post some thoughts on here to get started blogging for 2012.

Moving to Kentucky has resulted in a completely different life. It sounds so simple, but as I reflect on it the change seems massive. If I had fallen asleep in 2010 and woken up in 2011, it would be like waking up in someone else's body, living a completely different life.

Every day looks different now than it did last year. I see different people regularly. I live in the country with 5 acres instead of the city with 0.1 acres. I have a giant dog who requires 2 walks every day regardless of the temperature outside now. I have a pregnant wife now. I'm commuting 2 total hours a day instead of 20 minutes. I'm actively pursuing a career in wine making now on the weekends. Every day looks completely different than it did the year before.

As far as personal growth, it has been mixed. I'd say that spiritually I did not grow in 2011 much. Mentally, I grew exponentially. Emotionally, I was disconnected and drained because I was away from all of my friends in Colorado. Physically, I have stayed extremely healthy.

I do look forward to 2012, but I have no expectations really. I feel very humble. I don't deserve anything or expect anything, I am simply grateful for the people in my life, and I hope that God has favor on me and is proud of me.

Need A Simple Plan, Any Ideas?

2011-12-14T13:44:00.001-05:00

I need some help here people. I need a plan. I have a goal, but not a plan. Umm... Here let me explain and maybe you can help.

I need ideas for how to simplify my basement quickly. Really quickly.

My house doesn't have a garage, it has a basement. In the basement are tools, boxes, plastic tubs, sporting equipment, and fermenting beverages. Some people have a junk room which hold these types of things. We have one of those as well, but I'll have to tackle that another day. Today is about the basement.

My goal is not to organize the basement, but to simplify it.

Storing things seems to be unavoidable. It would be much simpler to own so few items that there is no need to have storage space, but I have accepted it as a necessity. But how do I set rules about keeping some things, and throwing away others? How do I quickly sort through hundreds of books, papers, gadgets, tools, DVDs and stuff? This is a tedious process, and can get complicated quickly.

Let's revisit the goal. Simplicity. What is the opposite of simplicity? Complexity. See my problem?

If my problem is complexity in my basement, I can't solve the problem with a complex set of rules to eliminate and store stuff. On the contrary, my plan must be simple. So simple that anyone could simplify my basement. It has to be so simple that I can explain it to a 10 year old.

I need a plan. Help me please.

Stories from the Vanpool

2011-12-13T08:19:00.001-05:00

Riding to work with 7 other people every day takes some getting used to. For the most part, we keep to ourselves, trying to maintain a pleasant, low stress environment. Over time however, personalities emerge. So for your entertainment value, I present this story from the vanpool.

"Hello?"

"Hey man I have a question to ask you. I hate to even have to bring this up as it is childish in nature, but did you notice a smell on the van this morning?"

"Not really, why."

"There were some complaints about a passenger possibly having some flatulence issues."

"Well I was sitting all the way in the back of the van, so I didn't notice anything."

"The reason I ask is because this happened yesterday as well, when you didn't ride the van, and we are discussing voting this person off of the vanpool. We are wondering if you would feel comfortable with that."

I knew the person he was referring to. We will call him Bob. I wasn't ready to throw the book at Bob just yet, but I didn't really think people could be voted off like Survivor anyway.

The next morning on the van as we approached the front gate at Fort Knox the woman in the passenger seat abruptly turns down the radio. "Something smells like garlic or fish, and it is not pleasant!"

"Garlic or fish? Not me." Says Bob.

The music went back up and we arrived at our destination shortly after.

That was the last day Bob rode the van.

The Investment Of Time

2011-12-05T09:49:00.001-05:00

If you ask me what I do with my free time, conversation with my wife is at the top of the list. I do lots of other things, but I talk and listen to my wife more than almost anything else I do.

After 6 months apart from each other this year (job and moving transition), I realized that we could afford to be a little less codependent. Still healthy, but not strong enough independently. But after being back together for 6 months now, while we have made adjustments to be less codependent, we still spend most of our free time together.

With a baby on the way, and the Christmas season upon us, I feel good about this. I know that I will invest time in my kids as well. I'm really proud to be that type of guy.

Make no mistake about it, it takes a ton of time to invest in my family. I have to sacrifice other fun things because there is only so much free time. But that's why it's an investment. Invest now, reap rewards in the future.

I think my dad still reaps rewards of reading the entire Chronicle of Narnia series, the Tolkin series, and several others out loud to my brothers and sisters. I think my mother still reaps the benefits of staying at home with us instead of working. I wouldn't say we were poor growing up, but I would say that the time they invested in us included a material sacrifice. They both invested time in each other, in us, and that cost them fun, influence, and money.

One other thought I'd add is that the word "invest" is different than the word "spend."

Deep Thoughts on Failure

2011-11-29T10:53:00.001-05:00

I have heard the story about Thomas Edison inventing the light bulb. You know the one? The one where he's asked about failing 1,000 times before succeeding. He denies any failure and says, “The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps.” To be honest, I try to be a person who sees things this way, but sometimes that is hard.

Last week was the final week of deer season, and I didn't get a deer. I hunted at least 4 full days, and 4 half days to no avail. On top of that, my fantasy football team was 1 and 10. I've been staring at losses all season long. I even botched a 5 gallon batch of wine about a week and a half ago. I had to start over completely.

When I'm in the middle of multiple failures, it is tough to believe in myself. Verbal encouragement doesn't even help. I need to succeed at something. I need to have a glimmer of triumph to begin believing in myself again.

That's why I like challenge little kids to long distance running races. I will surely succeed. After the run, I like to look in the mirror and say, "It may be a 1,000 step process to invent a light bulb, but you can run a mile faster than an 8 year old every single time."

Simplifying My Schedule

2011-11-21T07:00:00.000-05:00

City Girl is talking to Country Girl, "When would be a good time for me to stop by to pick that up tomorrow?" Says City Girl, trying to get a feel for the Country Girl's schedule.

"Well anytime that's good for you. We'll be here." Says Country Girl.

City Girl stops for a minute. She feels the urge to tell her exactly what time she'll arrive, but she doesn't have to. She hesitates. She is realizing that she doesn't even have to call her before she comes over. She can just show up whenever she wants. Then she starts to wonder if she'll have time tomorrow to pick it up. Maybe she should pick it up two days later. Finally she says, "Well if I don't get it tomorrow, I'll be there the next day."

Country Girl laughs, but her answer is the same. "Ok, we'll be here."

A few months ago I was driving down the road in a hurry. Without noticing, I began tailgating the truck in front of me. It was an old farmer, casually cruising along. He pulled over to the shoulder and I thought maybe he was going to check under the truck's hood for something wrong, but as soon as I passed he pulled back up on the road.

The farmer didn't have a care in the world. He wasn't even flustered by my apparent rush. In fact, he seemed genuinely concerned about me. Maybe something bad had happened and I was on my way to the hospital or something. His actions seemed to communicate "Oh, you must be in a hurry, I hope everything is ok. Why don't you go in front of me?"

These situations are the result of a simple schedule and a complex schedule colliding. I prefer the simple schedule. It says something about quality of life I think. Maybe having a simple schedule is more valuable than winning an award for my efforts. Maybe it is more important than money.

Moving Away To The Land of Opportunity

2011-11-19T06:00:00.000-05:00

There is an adventurous appeal moving to a new place. The freedom of selling possessions and leaving our current place behind is exciting. Fueling the excitement is the mystery of the unknown things that lie in that new place. But, the fear of the unknown holds us where we are.

Perhaps it would be good to hear our story about moving, one year later. It won't take the mystery out of it, but maybe some of the fear.

The last 12 months we transitioned. A year ago I interviewed for a job in Kentucky and accepted it. We moved to a completely new city, both got new jobs, and started over. I showed up in Kentucky after two days of driving with a car full of things I would need to live for 6 months. I slept in a hotel.

My wife and I were away from each other for six months. The comfortable routine that we took for granted was turned upside down and turned 180 degrees. It made us stronger for sure, but it added one more complication to the move.

It was a lot of hard work with lots and lots of changes to adapt to. For several months, all we did was take care of one new challenge after another. We were just trying to keep our heads above the water.

Time went by, but we still didn't know enough about our new city. We had to research an incredible amount of information like where to get our car worked on, where to go to the dentist, and which neighborhoods would be best to live in. It sounds like a simple Google search, but when you can't even go to dinner after a long day without stopping to research your options, even Google isn't easy enough.

The transition took a long time. I'm still exhausted from it. I'm so thankful for the opportunity to move, but if I had to do this again next year all my hair would certainly turn gray.

Today, we are settled in to a large degree. We have a home our mail arrives without being forwarded to us, and we walk the dog twice a day. We know all the restaurants in town, all the grocery stores, and where to get our oil changed. We are still considered "brought ins" (outsiders) in Bardstown, Kentucky, but that's not so bad. People are very welcoming anyway.

The biggest enhancement to our lives from the move are the new opportunities. New places always means new opportunities. We get to see live music that is unique because we are 2 hours from Nashville. I am able to make wine commercially, and she is able to have a garden in a climate where things will grow. We get to learn about horse racing, and always have good college basketball fans to chat with.

Did we lose opportunities in Colorado? Of course. I still think about the mountains, coaching basketball, and playing softball with friends, but I still feel connected to Colorado. I actually would say that I feel at home in both places. I don't feel like I left permanently.

Did we change as people? Not really. We are still the same people with the same tastes. Our house still looks the same. We still stock the pantry and fridge with the same foods, and still watch the same TV shows. We have learned a lot though. If anything, we've probably grown up some more.

After a year, I'm glad we moved. Wouldn't change a thing.

One piece of advice. Rushing into moving can be foolish. Listen to that still, small voice inside about the timing. If something doesn't seem right about it, wait for better timing.

Simplifying My Closet

2011-11-16T09:00:00.000-05:00

I get excited when my closet looks like it has extra room on the hangers. I'm excited because it looks like I'm making progress. I am simplifying my life, and getting rid of waste.

One way I'm doing this is, giving away "backup" of something. Having a backup of something is my excuse to buy things I don't need yet. So nowadays, if I wait until I'm actually giving the old shirt away before buying a new one, that is a success.

Another way I'm simplifying my closet is by making things last longer. I bought insoles for several of my shoes recently. The cheapest insoles work just as good as the expensive ones, so $3 can make a pair of shoes comfortable for 6-12 months.

Another thing we've done is that we don't have a dresser in our room. So, no extra chest of drawers to fill space and collect clothes. What I'm finding is that if run out of space for our clothes, we can just get rid of clothes instead of making more space.

Don't get me wrong, there are exceptions to the rules. I'm attempting to move in the right direction, but I'm not going to the extreme. For example, I believe in dressing nicely at work. My perception at work directly impacts my income. So I replace shoes every 2-3 years and pants and shirts every 3-5 years. I'm not going to try to stretch the life on these clothes.

Also, sometimes a backup still makes sense. I churn through jeans and tennis shoes fast enough to have one backup. But I still feel good because I limit it to one backup.

How cool is it to celebrate having LESS in a culture that always desires more money?

Pregnancy is Difficult

2011-11-13T10:09:00.000-05:00

Every new phase of life I go though this happens. My expectation is different from reality. Right now I'm thinking, "Why didn't somebody say what pregnancy was like more clearly? This is much harder than I thought."

I get that every pregnancy is different, that nobody can tell us what our future will be, and that it will all be worth it when I hold a little baby in my arms. No problem. I'm not giving up. But I do feel the need to clarify a few misconceptions that I had about pregnancy in case anybody needs them.

Misconception: Pregnancy is only really uncomfortable in the 9th month.

Not so. Pregnant ladies are exhausted all of the time starting the second week of pregnancy. They have good and bad moments, but their bodies are working overtime and they are tired all the time.

Misconception: Some women get nauseous and others don't, it may be easy.

This is silly. Most women are nauseous for the first trimester. Guess what, the first trimester is 12 weeks long! She feels like she has to throw up for 12 weeks straight!

Misconception: Wives have the hard part. Husbands really don't have to do much after impregnating their wives.

Nonsense. Obviously the hardest part physically is on the woman, no doubt about that. But usually husbands and wives share other responsibilities. When the wife feels like she's going to throw up for say... 12 weeks, somebody has to take care of her responsibilities. That somebody is the man who impregnated her.

On the plus side, society did make it very clear that kids are expensive, and that they are worth it :)

I Like Warren Buffet

2011-11-10T06:57:00.000-05:00

Warren Buffet raised his kids as if they weren't wealthy. In the same way most kids don't know what exactly their parents do, his kids didn't either. It wasn't until their mid twenties that they really even knew the full reality of their father's wealth. He was the richest man in the world.

When they were kids, they thought he was a security guard because he worked in securities. When they turned 19 they were given $90,000 to get started in life, and that is all of the inheritance they would receive.

I just like that. Living below our means creates a lot of freedom. It allows us to focus on important things, and prioritize needs over wants.

What if we did the same thing? What if we set a budget that was well below our income? What if we planned to live that way for our entire lives?

Check this out. Warren Buffet still lives in the same house he raised his kids in which cost him $31,500 in 1957. What if we perminently stopped house shopping? How would that change us?

I believe this way of thinking could nearly eliminate the covetousness. It would put a kibosh on wanting something bigger and better all of the time. It would foster contentment.

Side note: I still haven't bought back into the stock market much. I'm waiting for it to drop to 10,000 on the Dow. Patience is my game still. Warren Buffet says he's back in the market (Berkshire Hathoway is buying), and that he doesn't think recession is coming. Can't argue with him really, it's going to be time to buy back soon.

Advocate For Simplicity

2011-11-08T06:51:00.000-05:00

I am attempting to change my personal value system in a way that opposes consumerism (trendy right now, I know). In short, I am beginning to value simplicity for simplicity's sake.

Practically speaking, this means I may do some unusual things. If I have an extra item, I may just give it away. Even if the one I have might wear out in six months. I'd rather just own what I need. If I win the lottery, I might just put the money in a foundation to be given to the poor. Maybe I'll pay off debts first, but maybe not. Maybe I'll just be content with what I have.

Obviously this is easier said than done, but I think this describes the value shift that is occurring inside me right now. There is something really valuable about simplicity. It is difficult to fathom, but perhaps simplicity could be more valuable than money.

I'm not talking about time. The trade off between money and time has always been at the forefront of my consciousness, partially because of some books I read when in high school. Creating wealth gives a person freedom with time. True. The value I'm developing for simplicity draws on this concept, but is a much different value that just time.

I'm not talking about fulfillment at work. People should be able to work in an industry that they are passionate about working in. Again, I see this value as related, but simplicity is a value all by itself and is separate from fulfillment at work.

Richard Foster convinced me. He wrote this book about simplicity 20 years ago that still is very relevant today called Freedom of Simplicity. I don't buy into everything of course, but the main theme is really good. The first half of the book is very academic and boring to me, but the second half made me really think about this stuff.

I'd like to be an advocate for simplicity as well. I'd like to talk about it more because I think it really could make life more fun and fulfilling.

To the Board of Directors on Family Expansion

2011-11-07T12:08:00.000-05:00

The Executive Directors of the Phil and Katie Mondy Family are pleased to report that, according to current projections, our family will experience a 50% growth by next summer, 2012. As with standard family growth, we expect the growth to continue beyond 2012, decreasing on a percentage basis over time. We will continue to monitor the opportunities for new growth after the initial expansion in 2012.

Preparation for this new expansion has already begun. A home was purchased in 2011, and savings for new transportation is also underway.

We believe this growth is due to our interaction at the executive level, and our reduction in conception inhibitors over the last 2 years. No changes are anticipated in this area.

Special thanks to our female Co-Director who is sponsoring the expansion and taking on duties of a nine month incubation process in addition to her normal responsibilities.

Wal-Mart Jeans

2011-10-28T09:47:00.001-04:00

I bought a $10 pair of jeans at Wal-Mart. That was the regular price.

The weird thing is, I like them. Haven't washed them yet, but they look fine. It has made me start to think about getting all my jeans at Wal-Mart.

Wine Making

2011-10-25T15:49:00.000-04:00

Most of my free time lately has been applied to wine making. Nothing new right? Actually this is a whole new level of wine making. I feel like I'm going back to school for a wine making degree.

Throughout October, I attended a wine making class at Brooks Hill Winery on Mondays, and a wine appreciation class at the University of Louisville on Wednesdays. Also, Forest Edge Winery has allowed me to observe their wine making first hand.

October is the busiest month for wine makers. Millions of pounds of grapes are being harvested, crushed and destemmed right now. I was able to participate in that this year, helping pick over a ton of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon last week.

This weekend, I helped Forest Edge with over 1,500 gallons of juice from New York.

This week Chardonnay and Riesling arrive, and the week after that is very special last shipment of grapes. That's the week when multiple tons of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Old Vine Zinfandel from Lake County, California arrive. That's what I'm looking forward to most.

The wine kingpin here in Kentucky, Raymond (Butch) Meyer likes to say, "You can't make a good wine out of a bad grape, but you can make a bad wine out of a good grape." Well, in two weeks we get about the best grapes money can buy, and they produce fantastic wine.

It has been very busy, I'm always tired lately, but I can't complain. It's really a dream come true for me.

The Power of Blogging

2011-10-20T08:18:00.002-04:00

For me, the power of blogging is similar to the power of journaling. It's not the power to reach the masses. It's not the power of low cost marketing. It's not the power to make money sitting at home.

The challenge of writing something down and posting it in a public place forces a person to think harder. We are challenged to develop our writing skills, but more importantly we are challenged to develop our ideas. We have to develop an idea, articulate it, and hopefully learn what parts of it were meaningful to someone else.

Journaling is similar, but there is something different about publishing it. I write differently in my journal than I do on my blog.

Also, learning what is meaningful to other people is eye opening to me. When I scan through the stats on my blog, I am able to see which ones generated the most interest. I'm often surprised by this. I'd say maybe 1 out of 7 blogs are interesting, based on the numbers. Usually they are the blogs I think are the most boring. I am not sure what this means, but I do think that it is a benefit for me to know.

When the blogging craze hit, there was a lot of uncertainty about what it would look like with maturity. I don't think there is any debate about that now. There are a small percentage of huge websites generating a lot of hits, and there are hundreds of thousands of people like me who blog for a small group of people, and for themselves. I enjoy being a part of the latter group, and am grateful for the benefit it provides.

Worship

2011-10-18T09:05:00.002-04:00

I find worship difficult to discuss in a blog. On one hand, it should be easy. On the other, it is not easy at all.

On one hand, most religions worship together in some way, and there are many similarities in this (prayer, meditation, fasting, singing). On the other hand there are many differences, and they are big enough to make conversations between worshipers awkward.

On one hand Christians, Muslims, and Jews all worship the same God. On the other, they typically do not feel comfortable worshiping along side one another.

On the one hand Protestants, Catholics, and Mormons worship the same God and also believe in Jesus. On the other hand, worship styles are totally different, on varying days of the week, and the 3 groups cannot usually talk about specifics of worship together.

Evangelical Protestants actually worship in a similar fashion, on the same day of the week, have all the same books in their Bible, and sing the same songs. Surely these groups could talk about their individual and corporate worship with each other. Right? I don't think so. There are some exceptions, but there are still huge differences between a Presbyterian and a "Non Denominational" (Edgy, Seeker Friendly, Free-Starbucks-In- The-Lobby) worship services.

Despite the different ways to worship, I want to blog something about worship that can be on Facebook without sounding completely ignorant to all the different churches and religions out there. So, here it goes.

I think I felt my soul worshiping God yesterday. It wasn't something practical that I understood. It was something mystical that I experienced. It felt very familiar. I don't know what it was, but it felt like it came from inside somewhere. Like my true self, my core, my soul wanted to worship; so I worshiped.

Enjoy Things Without Owning Them

2011-10-11T13:06:00.002-04:00

I was reminded of a valuable principle yesterday. I have been missing out on this lately.

"Learn to enjoy things without owning them. Possession is an obsession in our culture. If we own a thing, we feel that we can control it; and if we control it, we feel that it will give us more pleasure. The idea is an illusion. Many things in life can be enjoyed without possessing or controlling them." -Richard Foster

It is just helpful for me to try to find pleasure in things that I do not own. It is freeing for me to see a beautiful house, or a successful business, or a better sports team than my favorite one, and to enjoy it.

What I learned this week

2011-10-07T08:14:00.001-04:00

I learned that Greg and Lindsey Mckinney were coming up to visit us. We were so glad to see them and hang out a bit.

I learned a lot about wine. I've been taking classes at a winery, and a class at University of Louisville over the last several weeks. This week I'm helping with the grape harvest. In two weeks I'm helping 3 wineries with their shipments from Lake County, California. I'll try to post more on that soon.

I learned that I'd rather have a bag I can use to commute to work now that is cheap, rather than save up for a leather bag that will last forever. So I bought the cheaper messenger bag (timbuk2) when I saw it on sale at Amazon.

I learned that five people are getting together to order grapes and an oak barrel for a small batch of wine this year. It is possible that it will even be aging in our basement! I love the thought of going down to the basement to see a giant barrel.

I learned that I am a chess nerd. I started playing a chess game with someone I'd never played before, and I got really excited to watch his first 6 moves. It was like a suspenseful movie. He beat me in our first game. I enjoyed it though, it's more fun to trade games with somebody than to win every time.

Supply and Demand of Time

2011-09-29T11:41:00.000-04:00

I've thought about what I would do with my time if I won the lottery. I've thought about what I would do with my time if I started my own business. But here are some different questions about time and money that I've been asking myself lately.

If you could get extra time off every week instead of a raise this year, would you take it?

If you could work from home 3 days a week, would you take a lower paycheck?

Time is my scarcest commodity. I leave my house at 6:00am, and get home at 5:30pm. My wife works too so there is less free time when we get home every evening because the house and the dog take time. The more I look at my schedule, the more I realize how valuable my time is.

For me it is a surprising new revelation that the answer to the above questions is yes. I will choose time over money right now. It is simply more valuable to me.

Toyota Commercials Are So Right

2011-09-28T08:56:00.000-04:00

The Toyota commercials about facebook hit home with me. I think they reflect how I feel about the value of true friendships. I wonder if other people feel the same way.

A Video Pep Talk to Myself

2011-09-23T12:37:00.002-04:00

Wednesday morning I made a video pep talk. I then played the video back to myself.

I told myself anything I could think of that seemed positive... I am good at my job, and I am good at learning, and I will be a great wine maker one day.

One interesting thing about watching myself on video is that I could read my own facial expressions. I had never really made a statement before, and then immediately watched that statement replayed. I could see hesitancy in my face when I said things that I didn't actually believe. I could see uncertainty, and insecurity. It was weird to see insecurity on my own face while I'm talking. It surprised me.

I guess this was an exhausting week if I had to make video pep talks for myself. I blame the commute. Working an hour away from where I live is hard. What can you do?

What I Learned This Week

2011-09-19T13:49:00.002-04:00

I find pleasure in buying quality products. I will seek out quality products just for the fun of idolizing them. I want to appreciate the craftsmanship, purpose, and character behind them. I'm feeling pretty guilty about the things I'm coveting right now.

Auburn does not have the team that they had last year. They have one of the worst defenses in college football actually. Sad story.

T Rowe Price has a bunch of clients in Kentucky, and is sending my friend Joel out here again this week.

Super Tonic is a homemade immune booster made of apple cider vinegar, hot peppers, and garlic.

I have more shoes than I need. So if anybody needs some 10.5-11 shoes, let me know.

Bardstown's Bourbon Festival is like Colorado Springs Territory Days. After the day of booths to shop, it also has free concerts in the evening.

Positive Thinking is Exhausting

2011-09-15T10:20:00.000-04:00

Thinking positively can be exhausting. Even the phrase "positive thinking" makes me think of a fake smile. When I was a church intern, we had our intern-face on when we were representing the church. Often we'd make eye contact with other interns in a way that showed the truth; it was an obligatory smile.

That's what positive thinking makes me think of. I imagine catchy phrases attached to a fake smile like, "You just have to believe in yourself."

If positive thinking is so much fun, why do I need a pep talk? Why does everyone around me seem to need a pep talk all of the time? I can't just turn on positive thinking all day every day. That's exhausting.

But nobody wants to be challenged to think negatively. That would be dumb. It feels horrible to think negatively. It's quite sad actually. We have no choice really; we have to think positive thoughts.

So, in an effort to get over the exhaustion of trying to be positive, let's make it easy on ourselves. Let's remove the need to be realistic for a moment. Let's just believe for the sake of believing.

Positive thinking is a fantastic bit of silliness anyway. It is a wondrous belief in fairytales. It doesn't matter how realistic or unrealistic the positive thoughts are, as long as they are positive. It's better to make a wish and believe that it will come true, than not to.

Moolala Review 2

2011-09-13T07:34:00.001-04:00

To summarize my feelings about moolala, it is better than Groupon, but not the next big online trend.

Originally I thought it would be a huge trend and a way to actually make money. I was amazed by Moolala's effort to keep track of referrals. I still think that is awesome. I actually prefer it to Groupon or Living Social, but it wasn't as popular as I thought it would be.

I have 25 people in my pay matrix (see site for details), and have received $7 in about 5 months. Kind of weak actually. Still, it's $7 more than Groupon gave me. I have already spent that money on other deals by the way rather than getting the actual money (clever how that works out).

I really only buy a deal once a month or so. There just aren't that many things I need, and I can't justify buying coupons if I am not certain I will use them. I think other people in my pay matrix are the same.

So if you like coupon sites, definitely check it out. If you want to make more money, just get a new job :)

Which Messenger Bag Should I Buy?

2011-09-12T08:56:00.003-04:00

I have needed to get a new bag for my commute to work for a while now. My current bag lost a zipper, and has a lot of wear. Since I am myself, I have been analyzing this decision for months now.

I've boiled the decision down to 2 options. Either a durable messenger or a leather messenger.

I consider this a long term purchase. When I was in college, I bought the cheapest option for everything, and only used it for a couple years. Now I look for a bit higher quality items that cost more up front, but less in the long run.

Shopping for the cheapest option used to be easy and fast, but shopping for quality takes some effort. It has been a lot of fun thinking about this bag purchase, and here is what I've learned.

Messenger bags are very popular right now. They are very practical and fashionable.
If you try to find one on ebay or a gear deal site, you don't get a very big discount.
Timbuk2 is probably the most popular brand for standard messenger bags, and you can expect to pay $70-$110 for a decent bag. It's a fair price.
A Timbuk2 bag is sturdy, but people usually want to replace them after 5 years, possibly up to 10.
A good leather bag will last 50 years without wearing out.
A good leather bag made in bulk, ordered online, can be purchased for $350-600. This is also a fair price. Unless you can stitch leather yourself, you can't get one for cheaper.

Obviously, the two bags have a different look and feel, but both are nice. I think either is appropriate for work or casual use. It's easy to argue a case for either bag.

On one hand, I could afford to wear a timbuk2 bag out and buy another one every 5 years because they are so much cheaper. On the other hand, the leather bag is timeless, and is a one time purchase that lasts a lifetime.

I favor the leather bag right now. I just need to save up for it. If you agree, these are the websites you need to see. J. Peterman, and Saddleback. Seriously, don't even bother looking at other leather sites. These are the two best.

Now Try It Again With Feeling

2011-08-30T06:34:00.048-04:00

A leader who has a commanding presence has a way of saying things that penetrate the soul. A lesser person could say the same words and have no impact.

Volume is not relevant in delivering a powerful message. Anger has nothing to do with it. Actually, it is not very helpful. Belief is important. Delivery is important.

I enjoy asking important questions, and saying things with feeling. I am often afraid to do so, because it can be dangerous. It empowers people. They sometimes take action.

Sometimes I just like to say things with feeling for myself. Sometimes it just feels good to say what I believe. This past weekend I was asked why I love to make wine. It's the question that I love to be asked. It's a question that allows me to talk about religion and philosophy through a simple illustration. I answered the question.

I believed what I was saying, but my delivery was weak. I actually apologized for being so passionate. My answer would never be put into a movie. I just wish I could take back my answer and try again, with feeling this time.

Life Is Good In The Sense That It Is Not Bad

2011-08-29T08:26:00.000-04:00

When somebody asks how things are going, I'm pretty positive. I can't think of anything bad at all.

And I would think of something bad if I could. Not because I want to complain, but because it seems fake to me when people answer that question positively all the time. I'm afraid of being fake.

Everyone I know is in good health, has a good job, and generally has everything they need. Life is good.

If I had to say the hardest thing about life right now, it's that I'm always tired. I still haven't figured my schedule out. I could always use a nap lately. I'm running on fumes a lot of the time. By fumes, I mean caffeine.

If I had to say the best thing about life right now, it would be making wine at Forest Edge Winery on the weekends. It is a dream for me to be getting into this industry. Got to be at Brooks Hill Winery this past weekend when they pressed grapes for a Sauvignon Blanc too. I love it.

Schedules

2011-08-19T08:14:00.001-04:00

One of my friends gets to travel a lot through his job, and he is in a different city every couple of days. Very recently, his company decided they want to cut his travel significantly. I think it's going to be hard for him to watch his schedule change. In some ways it's great because travel wears anybody out. In some ways it's hard because the schedule just doesn't look as interesting as it used to.

My wife is a school teacher, so summers are always a different schedule for her. She just started back to school and has a new daily schedule, new age group, new subjects to teach, completely new environment. It's just too much to change all at once. She is overwhelmed.

I've just been thinking about it lately, wishing I had more of a handle on my own schedule. I've been asking these questions, maybe they will be fun for you to think about too.

Is having a schedule important for you?
Do you get thrown off by changes in routine?
Do you like having a little variation in your schedule?
Do you like sudden changes in your schedule?
What would an ideal schedule look like for you if you could change anything?

Thai Coconut Curry

2011-08-14T10:06:00.031-04:00

Just about a year ago, Katie and I went with our good friends to Thailand and Malaysia. Since then we have been working on making good coconut curry. We probably make this meal once a month, sometimes more. It's spicy and sweet, and good to have in the recipe box.

In saucepan over the stove:
1 TBS Curry Paste (Red, Yellow, Green)
1 can (15 oz) coconut cream (or milk)
2 TBSP Brown Sugar

Add and cook 10 minutes
2 chicken breasts (cubed)

Add and cook for 2 minutes:
1/2 Onion (white or yellow)

Add and cook 5 minutes:
2 whole peppers (yellow, red)
1 cup other vegitable (sprouts, zucinni, anything handy is a possibility)

Add to spice as needed
1 tsp turmeric,
1 tsp dry curry powder
2 tsp curry past
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder

Serve with rice.
2 cups rice, 4 cups water
boil 20 minutes and let it cool. don't stir it.

Why Don't We Use Video Chatting?

2011-08-12T11:29:00.000-04:00

Google plus has this option to "hang out" online with web cameras. In theory, I could "hang out" every night of the week with my friends from all over the country, and never have to leave my own house. My family in Colorado could feel like they are having dinner at my house on a regular basis, and I could feel like I'm having dinner in Colorado.

It doesn't happen, and I don't know why.

I have an iphone4 with facetime. Everyone has Skype and a webcam and has for a few years. I've used all of the technologies, but not even on a weekly basis. It feels like I rarely use them.

For me, I feel like I need to block off an hour of time if I want to use the technology. It doesn't feel like hanging out, but more formal.

Still, we bought the technology and all agree that it is very cool. Why don't we use it much? And can it be used to just "hang out?"

Dish Network Coupons

2011-08-11T06:56:00.001-04:00

Dish is still doing a good job for us since I last mentioned them. Our monthly bill is $36, and we get all the normal channels in HD. It's really all about price for us, and we are pretty thrilled to be able to afford watching college football in HD this year.

They sent me something in the mail to refer a friend. I just decided to post it online instead of using their mail thing. They will give you $50 credit plus free installation and all the sign up bonuses too. If you are interested,go to dish.com/friend and use the code 01DIRCD.

I don't think I get anything for referring you, but maybe. Regardless, it's a good service and I recommend it right now.

Stock Market Slide

2011-08-08T15:23:00.000-04:00

Stocks are interesting again, and I'm finding myself very happy to have stayed in cash all year. I updated the blog the last time I traded, and haven't traded since then, but I'm about to trade again soon, so here's the update.

If you've read much of my blog, you'll know that I'm an amateur. I have lost money many times trying to learn the market. I think this time I was too conservative, but I actually feel good about it. We kept our retirement money with our Northwestern Mutual guy and I don't trade with that, but I do trade with my employer matched money. I cashed out all of my employer matched money last fall. Here is that post from November.

So right now I have cash sitting in my 401k and we are at the beginning of a huge fall! So that is great news. Last time we found a bottom in the 7,000 range for the Dow. It still seems too early to guess what the bottom will be this time. Any guesses?

Even though I didn't ride the market all the way to it's peak, I am still poised to buy back in lower than when I cashed out. It is time to go shopping! It's time to start picking out those favorite companies and watching their stock fall to discount prices. I'm a fan of smaller companies in new industries like GT Solar, and also of bigger companies that are dominating internet sales like Amazon. Seems like the next 10 years could be good for these companies.

Hopefully you find it helpful to hear what some other amateur is doing with his money. Can't promise anything but that.

Really? You'll never know the influence you have on people?

2011-08-03T08:36:00.002-04:00

I've been thinking about that thing people say to inspire leaders. "You'll never know the influence/impact you are having on people."

In one sense this is always true. People don't always tell you that you influenced them for good or bad, it just happens.

On the other hand I'm interested in challenging that concept a little bit. I'd like to submit the theory that the internet is changing our ability to see our own influence. When we tweet or post a blog, or post a photo, people can comment. I mean, most of the time people are silent, but people are still commenting. But even when people are silent you can get rough numbers for how many people are reading with website statistics.

I'm not saying that we can measure influence with the internet, but I'm saying that it provides a measurement tool. On a small scale for example, we can scan through comments on our blogs, look at other peoples blogs to see when we've been quoted, retweeted, shared, stubble upon, etc. We can also look at our own blog stats to see what blogs get the most traffic.

On a large scale we can look at our broader influence. I think this one is fascinating because I wish I were famous. Sadly, I can see numerically how unfamous I am. For instance, I have 75 people following me on twitter, and Gwyneth Paltrow has 295,042 following her. Her jokes, thoughts on politics, opinions on music, and more are heard by approximately 4,000 times more people than mine.

So the next time somebody tells you, "You'll never know the kind of influence you have on other people." Tell them, "True, but I can get a rough estimate."

Budgets: Government or Personal

2011-07-31T10:07:00.098-04:00

I don't really know much about macroeconomics. I don't know much about politics. I couldn't even tell you the names of my representatives in Congress. But I do know budgets.

Actually I'm a bit of a budgeting nerd. I love budgets. I started budgeting when I was 18 years old on one of those light green budget pads with brownish lined paper. I can account for almost every penny of income or expense in my life in since I was 18 years old.

In my opinion, the biggest problem people face in their personal budgets is the same as the government, simplification. Most people find it very difficult to boil down a budget into something simple.

If I hand the average person $20 and tell them that it is for today for food only, that is pretty simple. Most people could handle that budget. But if I hand them $2,000 and tell them it needs to last all month for groceries, gas, food, rent, car repairs, internet, cell phone, fun stuff, gifts for other people, savings for retirement, insurance, and utilities... it sounds impossible.

Simplicity. That's the challenge to budgeting. If it is too complicated we have to simplify it.

In our personal budget, we share bank accounts and view the income as one single income. All of our money is in a single checking account. The money that is in the checking account is divided into different categories ("envelopes") that add up to the amount in the checking account.

The total money that goes into the checking account every month is greater than the total bills that we have every month. If the income drops, we cut expenses to match it.

It sounds simple because it has to be. Complicated doesn't really work for budgets. Complicated gets you into debt.

Peanut Butter and Jelly

2011-07-27T15:02:00.000-04:00

So about this budget. I think I can help Congress.

I think we need to go ahead and feel a bit of the pain of our debt. I mean, let's make lifestyle changes that show that we are in a tough financial spot. Sometimes we overspend. When that happens, we eat peanut butter and jelly for a while. That's the type of thing people do when they have no money.

When we create a budget for a country that's pretty far in debt, we need to eat peanut butter and jelly cooperatively. We need to actually look like a country that is in debt. When people visit the U.S. in the next 10 years, they should notice that we made some serious cuts to get out of debt.

I'd be proud of that actually. It would make me proud to be an American.

Homemade Chocolate Syrup

2011-07-22T08:04:00.001-04:00

I love chocolate milk. I think more restaurants should serve chocolate milk and put it on the menu. So good. Since I love to learn to make things, I decided to use Alton Brown's chocolate syrup recipe to find out more about the goodness of chocolate syrup.

First of all, I was worried about the syrup not dissolving in the chocolate milk. For some reason I just didn't think homemade would disolve quickly. That was completely unfounded. It dissolves completely without any issue. That being said, I do recommend adding an extra cup of water to his recipe. It makes it easier to pour straight out of the fridge.

Second, I was worried that it would taste as good as Hershey's. I was imagining the of brand syrups that I get at the grocery store... wrong again. The recipe tastes very different from Hershey's, but in a good way. The main difference is the high fructose corn syrup. Homemade syrup is made with sugar instead. So it isn't as sweet. I don't mind less sweet because I also get a little extra bitterness from the cocoa. I like his dutch cocoa suggestion (less bitter), but I also add some regular cocoa (about 2 TBSP) because I like a little bitterness.

Link to recipe

Google Plus

2011-07-18T14:41:00.000-04:00

I finally used google plus today. I haven't really been anticipating this new site, but I thought I'd write a quick note in case you haven't tried it yet.

What is it? In short, it's another attempt at social media for google.

Here's my perspective on it. For social media, I've narrowed down my my sites to two, twitter and facebook. Those are the two sites I'll go to in the mornings to check out what my friends and family are up to.

However, there is one site that I go to far more than either of those sites for other things, and that is google. I use igoogle as a homepage, gmail for my email, google reader to catch up on blogs, google documents, google calendar, and google blogger. If I had to choose between keeping facebook and google, facebook doesn't stand a chance.

So I'm giving google a shot at stealing me from Facebook. The biggest problem for google is that people are all in one place right now posting photos and updates, and that's Facebook. I login to google plus and it doesn't matter how cool it is, because all the photos my friends posted this weekend are on Facebook.

Good news though, there are a couple of plugg-ins that I can use to bring my twitter feed and facebook feed into it. So that helps me try to make this work.

What about the site itself? I like it so far. I like the interface, I like that my email is right there at the top of the screen along with my calendar. It's pretty sweet. The biggest thing that it offers is a Skype feature of sorts. I'm still testing that one, but it looks pretty sweet. You can have a bunch of friends on video chat at the same time.

Another major feature for google plus is the search ability. Google has always had a knack for helping you to find what you want to see quickly. Facebook shows me random things. I can find what I want, but it's not usually as easy as google. So I suspect this will be an advantage in google plus.

My fingers are crossed for google on this one. I would really like for this to be a good tool.

The Avatist and a Great Story

2011-07-12T17:43:00.001-04:00

A friend of mine just published a story on Kindle and iPad, and I have to tell you about it.

First of all, the concept for this story is very interesting. Manute Bol was a 7 foot NBA player known for his shot blocking. He also dedicated much of his life to the freedom of his home country Sudan. Sudan just celebrated it's first year of freedom last week. Also, if you read the excerpt you'll learn where the term "my bad" came from.

The format for the story is new. It is not a full published book, but it is not by any means an article either. In short, it is a comfortably digestible amount in information at an extremely reasonable price ($2 for Kindle or $3 for iPad).

I love it for 2 reasons. First, I believe many books are unnecessarily long. Some stories can be told in fewer words, and since I'm a slow reader I appreciate this.

Second, it capitalizes on the opportunity for journalists to get paid for their hard work. We all know that publishing has changed forever with the advent of the Kindle and iPad. We also know that journalists are struggling to make a living in many places because of all the changes. This method of publishing allows great writers to be compensated for their work.

So read a great story, support a great journalist, and let me know what you think of it. It's new for me too, so I'll experiment with it, and be honest about what I think too. Click on the link below for excerpt and ways to purchase. If you do love it, please post the link for other people too!

The Defender, By Jordan Conn

[Update: see comment in blog for an update about content and the iphone version]

Blogging and Online Marketing

2011-07-11T07:08:00.003-04:00

I once thought that blogging would be the opportunity to work from home and make more money. Turns out that only happens for people who treat it like a full time job. I blog for fun and to learn, but I have learned a lot about blogging and marketing online over the years. If you are going to try it, here are a couple keys to successful online marketing.

When facebook started I was among the first people on it. My college had about 300 people signed up, and my high school had maybe 50. People older than me had never heard of it. People younger than me (even by one year) all knew what it was. I was fascinated by how this would be used in marketing.

Many years later, I'm amazed at where the online marketing world is. I've used MySpace for marketing, Facebook, Blogs, videos, all kinds of things. I'm still dabbling in new tools that come along like GroupMe, and Quora, and I'm trying to figure out how to best use them.

A couple of keys to successful online marketing that I've discovered. First, create new content. In the same way a TV station needs to keep changing it's shows based on ratings, bloggers need to update content based on hits and feedback.

Second, marketing online must be personal. People want to feel personally connected to your business. Think small town, mom and pop store, somebody knows you by name. That's what online marketing is about. It seems counter intuitive to me that success online would be connected to very personal interactions, but it's true. Truly successful people are focusing their businesses, and becoming experts at pleasing their marketplace. They give out their email address and personally respond to people. They break down the wall of the world wide web and make friends with people. This is a common theme in marketing books nowadays, but it really is true.

Marketing Meetings

2011-07-08T09:15:00.002-04:00

When people start theorizing about how to make more money or why they are losing money, it's a marketing meeting. The problem with marketing meetings is that they are usually a waste of time.

I'd be willing to predict that many other executive meetings work this way too, but for now we will make it a marketing issue.

Usually marketing meetings are 8-12 people who are very highly paid, sitting in a room for 3-4 hours at a time. Discussion is cyclical, and the same things end up being said over and over. People bring up new theories without very much research. After a the meeting the reality hits. "We need to schedule more meetings to talk about all of the things we couldn't decide." Someone says.

I've been in hundreds of these meetings. I have learned a lot from these meetings actually, but the main thing I've learned is that these meetings waste a lot of money. Literally, one of these meetings is costing the organization thousands of dollars.

My suggestion to Chief Marketing Officers, and Vice Presidents of Marketing is this. Make decisions yourself, and make them quickly. Let other people be the experts, who advise you. Ask them specific questions so that you can make a decision and move on quickly.

They do not need to convince each other, just you.

Ignore people who are not experts. Trust your instinct. Live with the consequences.

The consequences of paying 12 people to be in one room to make a group decision are far greater than you making a mistake.

Put Together

2011-07-06T08:51:00.002-04:00

Feeling put together makes me confident. I like to go to work wearing a freshly ironed shirt and pants. I like wearing polished shoes. When someone asks me a question at work, I like to feel like I've done my research on the subject. This is rare of course, but sometimes that need to feel put together is stronger than others.

I came home this weekend to a house that is still not put together after our move. This is understandable of course, we've only been moved in for one month. In my head though, we had stopped making progress. The house would never be put together. I flipped out.

I acquired obsessive compulsive disorder. I was cleaning the stove top with Barkeeper's Friend, polishing the kitchen table, and using a toothbrush to clean things. I couldn't stop.

My wife didn't mind completely, but when she got home she realized that I was losing my mind. I started talking about how all other things in life were less important than the house being clean and orderly. I would sacrifice my job, sleep, anything. I suggested that we hire a cleaning company or that she take time off of her summer job.

The house is more than a house for me right now. It feels like something I traded for. I traded my house in Colorado, my job in Colorado, 6 months away from my spouse, and a lot of hard work for this property. It represents my life in Kentucky in a way. I feel like I'm looking in the mirror when I look at it.

I need it to be orderly. It must be.

Divorces

2011-06-24T07:46:00.000-04:00

In the past couple of years, several of my friends were divorced. They were always young, and didn't have any kids. I was never close enough to really find out much of the details.

Divorces are always a surprise to some degree. Even if I see a relationship having problems I don't assume divorce. Problems are hard to really grasp from outside the relationship.

My parents are married to each other, and my wife's parent's are too. Her grandparents passed away, but my grandparents are still married to each other as well. So when I talk about divorce, it inevitably comes from an outsider perspective. I sometimes still feel like a little kid asking, "But why? Why do people get divorced?"

Regardless of why they happen, they impact us all. I think it's a tabu thing to talk about. I think it's a sensitive topic. Divorces are painful. But it's important to talk about. Here is my perspective.

Divorces impacted me differently at different ages. When was very young, it would impact my friend's stability. They would move houses, and they seemed to grow up with a sense that something was broken. I was too young to relate to the parent's side of things, just my friends.

As I went through high school I noticed more of the emotional effect on my friends with divorced parents. Many of them had to become an authority figure to younger siblings, so they grew up fast. Others of them needed more attention from the opposite sex than they would have if their parents stayed together. Almost all of them had a hard time trusting the opposite sex.

Now, at 29 years old, divorce is very different. Now my friends are the ones making the decision. It isn't just happening to them like when we were kids. I still have sympathy, but less. Sometimes I even feel frustration with them. Other times, I fear that I'm very similar to them and maybe my marriage will break down too.

I'm already imagining what divorce will look like when all of my friends have children. I don't think it will get any easier as I get older.

I find myself asking other friends who are married whether they are fighting a lot. I don't expect them to be fighting, but I don't want to be surprised by any more break ups. I'm happy when they are honest. I'm happy when they are still committed. I'm thankful to be an outsider still, and to have so many happily married friends and family.

Still, I feel very helpless watching divorce. I wish there is something more I could do, or could have done.

2011 Goals Revisited

2011-06-17T08:29:00.000-04:00

I typically make goals for myself at the beginning of every year. I didn't post them this year because I had just moved over the new year, and then I forgot. But here are those goals as they stand right now. I'm not sure what these goals say about me, I guess that's for you to decide.

Build a great reputation at my new job this year
Obtain a new achievement with brewing; like, sommellier license, or brewing class, or distill a spirit
Pay off our student loans
Visit my grandparents while Katie is gone
Visit Steve and Ann in Chattanooga
Go to Germany, Ireland, Italy

I like to challenge people to set goals, so if you haven't set any goals for youself lately. I hope this inspires you.

To be honest I find myself questioning whether I was too ambitious with these goals. For me it is a delicate balance of setting meaningful goals, and yet trying to challenge myself.

See, I get depressed easily, and goals are a big part of it. If I have no goals, I feel like my life is meaningless. If I don't achieve my goals, I feel like I failed.Imagine being my wife and trying figure out which goals to support? Now that's a skill.

How I Came to Have Close Friends

2011-06-13T06:56:00.002-04:00

I did not have a very many close friends for most of my life. I made friends easily, but I had a very hard time developing close friendships. In the past several years however, I have developed several very close friends. It has changed me in a very positive way. That process is what I wanted to talk about in this blog.

To describe this process, I have to talk about a few things. First, the catalyst to my change was observing my wife's circle of close friends. Second, I put up walls to protect myself, which kept me from making close friends. Finally, I'll talk about the steps I took to develop closer friendships.

My wife has really close friends from college. They have been out of college for 5 years now, and they are all flying from every timezone in the US next week to see each other. These events are called "Roommate Reunions." It's like a second family for them. Who get's together with there college roommates almost every year after they graduate? These are unusually close friendships.

I have watched this for 5 years. Very early on I realized that I had never experienced anything like this. Watching them became the catalyst for my change. I had so many friends, but so few close ones.

I hate the term "put up walls" because I feel like it was handed to me by someone else and not my own way to describe it. But I'm not the best writer, and it is an easy way to describe what happened. A few key situations come to mind which caused me to lose trust in close friendships.

I moved away from my best friend when I was 9 years old 'cause my dad was in the military.
I had a really close friend in high school who started dating a girl secretly while a group of us hung out regularly. He knew I liked the girl, and knew he was betraying me by doing what he did.
A year into college I joined an internship which cultivated a very militaristic environment with an unhealthy view of friendships and teamwork.

I could talk about these more, but they are painful memories and probably not healthy to discuss at length. The point is that I identified some reasons that I was having a hard time developing close friendships.

Then I started trying to develop some close friends. By the way, I favored relationships with girls because it found it easier to be vulnerable with them. But I'm married and I wanted to develop some close male friendships; so I started hanging out regularly with some guys that were looking for closer friendships too. I found out that a lot of guys were looking for the exact same thing.

Not all guys made an effort in return. Not all guys had the same values or things in common. So it was a slow process.

Some of my existing friends became closer, others grew farther away. This seems pretty normal in life so it didn't bother me. I just kept spending time and trying to be vulnerable.

Guys love and hate vulnerability. We like it in a small dose, in the right way. We hate it when it comes across as needy, or offers too much information. I think it takes some trial and error to figure out how to be vulnerable with guys.

At some point I started letting go of the control I have over my friendships. I started realizing that I couldn't hide things from close friends like I could with acquaintances. I chose to let that continue to happen.

My friends could call me out. They could see through what I was saying to my actual intentions. They could even hurt me if they wanted to. They knew my weaknesses, and had the ability to use that to some degree. This is when I knew I had real friends.

It is strange to move away from my friends and get teary eyed. It was the kind of teary eyed where I could still deny that I was teary eyed. After all I'm a grown man. But I guess it is good because it reminds me that I have significant friendships.

How to Make Friends

2011-06-08T07:50:00.000-04:00

I've been thinking about making friends because it's kind of what I have to do right now. We just moved to a new city and we value community highly. I don't know many people here at all.

But aren't we all trying to make new friends? I mean, we still have our old friends, but our lives and circumstances change, and we add new friends to that mix all the time.

When kids are young we give them advice on how to make friends. So I have been flashing back to these ideas from when I was a kid lately.

"To have friends, you have to be a friend."

"Be nice to everyone. You will have lots of friends."

"Be generous, share things, you will make friends."

"Pay attention to others, be a good listener, people will want to be around you."

I've read a couple books on friends, but I don't love quoting other people. I'm not sure why, but I just like to share my own thoughts instead. But I do think I should acknowledge the book that has influenced my thinking the most about friends. How to Win Friends and Influence People, by Dale Carnegie.

Then there are close friends. It seems like we could all use a good close friendship. These seem like the hardest friendships to make. I have some very close friends, and I'm very sad to be far away from all of them. I have some really helpful tips on close friendships if you are interested, but this post is too long for my taste so I'll post about a couple secrets I've learned about close friendships on Saturday morning!

Coldplay Has a New Song

2011-06-03T08:00:00.006-04:00

Coldplay has a new song release today. It has kind of a cheesy title, so I'm a little skeptical but I will still listen to it.

Every Tear Drop Is A Waterfall

Their website is here.

Final Survey Results

2011-05-31T08:44:00.000-04:00

Several people took the time to fill out my family survey last week to add to the responses which were already there. Below you'll find quotes from all of the surveys. This seems like the best way to summarize and bring it to a conclusion. Thanks for everybody for your help on this! I really enjoyed it and learned a lot. I think you'll enjoy reading people's comments as well!

Question: How would you describe the difference between love between spouses, and love between parents and children?

"I think acceptance is more unconditional between parents and children. It seems like there are more strings attached and more expectations between spouses."

"Love between spouses is a best friend, adult love that goes both ways. Love is a give and take relationship, a partnership. Love between a parent/child is different. It's a protection kind of love. It's making your child feel safe. It's a lot of parent love that's one way until the child is older and understands."

"There is no difference, I would give up my life for either."

"It's all the same type of love. It's the same selfless agape love that Jesus showed us. It is unconditional and it is to be given away without expecting anything in return."

"The love parents have for children is almost entirely sacrificial and the love spouses have for one another is... mutually sacrificial. You sacrifice because you know your spouse is sacrificing, but it's not that way with your children."

Question: How is the sense of fulfillment different between a relationship with a spouse, and raising children?

"I feel responsible for the outcome of my children, where my spouse is responsible for his own outcome."

"The fulfillment of being a parent is difficult because the pay off of your hard work isn't immediate and it comes in rare moments."

"With a spouse, there is a constant choice to stay in and hope for fulfillment, with children, the choice is gone, but the hope for fulfillment is still there."

"A spouse is someone who is there for you, has your back, supports you, loves you. A spouse is a best friend that you are able to do things with. A child is part of both of you who for the first part of their life needs love, support, etc. They are your pride and joy."

"With a spouse you accomplish your goals together. Fulfillment comes from being able to do more than you could have alone and simply getting to do it with someone. With raising children, fulfillment comes from seeing them succeed and then being successful by themselves (without you. Which is generally the harder part of being a parent.)

"The relationships are completely different so the fulfillment is different. My fulfillment in completing and "helping" my spouse carries a sense of spousal fulfillment, while raising and training kids carries a maternal satisfaction."

Other comments from original Facebook post:

"I feel like if the kids ever become more important to me then my spouse, well that's when the relationship with my spouse deteriorates. I think in order to have a strong family/household there has to be priority of spouse first children second."

"You can't compare the love of your wife to the love of your kids because it is so different."

"I feel like most kids are the symbol of love between their mom and dad. When my parents are proud of me and look at me after an accomplishment, their eyes shine with this amazing light and it feels so good to know that they both love me very much. But, when they hold hands in public, say goodbye with a quick kiss before work or something, and talk to each other, I see a look of similar intensity in their eyes. But it is different. I don't think I can place it because it is something I've never experienced."

Also, you can see the other 2 posts about this topic below.
May 21st Post
May 16th Post

Dog Ownership Costs

2011-05-28T08:34:00.001-04:00

Our dog has become a member of our family after 6 months, but it has come at a cost. I just thought I'd be honest about how much he actually has cost us since we got him. It's over $1,300. Seriously. I think he's worth it, but in the interest of being transparent I have to acknowledge that it is a lot of money over a short period of time.

If you are thinking about getting a dog, I'll break it down for you so that you can analyze.

$75 adoption fee
$60 kennel to keep him in during the day
$99 kennel to replace the $60 kennel which was chewed to pieces
$100 shots that aren't covered by the adoption
$100 leashes, collars, shedding brushes, chew toys, etc.
$250 repairing the carpet from after he chewed through it
$300 boarding fees to be able to leave him for several weekends
$80 tick and flea stuff
$200 food
$100 shock collar

I think there is probably more than this actually, but that is a pretty good estimate.

Marketing A Rental House

2011-05-25T09:47:00.012-04:00

After a couple months of cleaning, craigslist ads, emails, and phone calls, we are are officially leasing our home in Colorado. I just thought I'd post on the things we did to market it.

MilitaryByOwner.com
This site has been a good place to host the house information. It hasn't been the main source for people's searches, but it is certainly a great place to direct them after they click on a Craigslist ad.

Craigslist
Craigslist produces the most useful hits on the house so far. We just used a simple ad that we refreshed every week or so. We would regularly take it down and then repost it to make it come to the top of the list.

Sign in the yard
This has actually gotten us a ton of phone calls. The major downside is that the callers have no idea what the house is like, so 75% of the calls don't even turn into a showing.

Lease Agreement
This wasn't marketing related, but it was necessary. Our friends and family have been really helpful by sending us lease agreements they've used. So we just took what others have done and tweaked it slightly. Turns out there were still a couple typos in the final copy, so proof read it well.

Credit Check
This one has been a bit of a pain, but I think it is really important. The more research we can do up front about renters, the better. Expect to pay about $30, and the applicant sometimes has to pay a couple dollars as well.

Soulmate to Children Survey

2011-05-21T16:59:00.000-04:00

Since several people mentioned that they were interested in talking about the dynamics of starting a family, and I didn't have anything really solid to frame the conversation, I decided to put together this survey to gather some content.

The thing I'm trying to learn about is the shift that happens after you are married from searching for a soulmate, to building a family. To me there seems to be a shift that happens, or should happen, but it is hard to put my finger on it.

If you want to take the survey, please do. I'll post some final results next week.

For now, here are some early results.

Over 80% of people surveyed said that the relationship to the spouse is more important than the relationship with the kids.

When asked to describe the difference between love for a spouse and love for children, answers varied widely. Most people said they are the same. Some said that there is a sense of being known by a spouse which children may not be able to know for many years. Still others described the love of children to be stronger and more stable than with a spouse.

When asked to describe how the sense of fulfillment is different between spouses and children, almost every answer described a responsibility for children. People did not feel responsible for their spouse like they do with their children. Also, the expectation for fulfillment with children was talked about in terms of the future, where as the expectation for spouses was in the present.

When asked what the most important characteristic in a family is, answers were various. Here are some answers from that.

"Commitment to each other. To me love is shown in many ways, but there is an underlying commitment that gives you a sense of stability in the relationship."
"Communication, honesty and unconditional love"
"Unity"
"The connection within the relationships"
"Commitment to the good of others."

So... not the end of the world.

2011-05-21T07:53:00.000-04:00

If you are reading this, the world has not yet ended.

Fly Fishing Gurus, The Allen Brothers

2011-05-17T15:09:00.002-04:00

The purpose of this post is just have to refer anybody who fly fishes to the Allen Brothers. I haven't referred people in a while, and I just wanted to do a quick write up about them.

The site looks amazing, and you find that the articles are very well thought through. Some of it is over my head as a wannabe fisherman, but it has something to offer newbies as well as an experienced angler.

There are an incredible amount of unique fly fishing resources available online a their website. They have fly tying instructions, photos, and articles and videos.

I realize that this is a niche market, and not everybody fly fishes, but if you know anyone who does, it is worth checking them out.

From Finding a Soulmate to Building a Family

2011-05-16T11:50:00.002-04:00

I wrote a post about the shift between searching for a soulmate and desiring to have a whole family. I couldn't figure out a way to write it in a way that was interesting. So I deleted it. I'm sure you wouldn't have liked it .

That is frustrating for me because this idea is really important to think about. These values change over time. The things we want in our relationship develop and change!

People are out there searching for a soulmate, but they are unaware of this desire for family that will soon come to them.

People are in marriages, starting families, trying to decide which is more important, the spouse or the kids. Then, they have to ask, "How much more important are they?" And, "In what ways are they more important?"

It's an important topic that I would like to write about... If I could just figure out a way to write about it.

The End of the World As We Know It

2011-05-12T08:02:00.002-04:00

Some people seem to think that the Bible indicates the world will end on May 21st. I think that sounds like the perfect prediction to be wrong about. I mean, it couldn't be easier to be wrong about something than predicting the end of the world. Alas, people keep trying.

Still for the sake of discussion, let's say the world is going to end on May 21st. Would you do anything differently for the rest of the time you have?

Travel Beyond Just the Possibility

2011-05-09T08:10:00.001-04:00

What is something you've always wanted to do?

I'm not going to challenge you to do it. Instead I'm going to challenge you to find out if you could do it.

A lot of people think about something they would like to do and stop at the realm of possibility. They think, "Sure it's possible for someone else, but is it possible for me?" And instead of finding out for sure, they stop. They fail to wander beyond the possibility.

It is usually something that isn't very important in the scheme of things, but it is kind of a dream you've always had. So far you have only thrown out the possibility, and maybe wondered about how it works.

You haven't figured out just how hard it is, how much it would cost for you, how long each part of the process would take, what legalities and licenses are involved, anything. You might not even know a name of someone who you could call to ask these questions of.

But today, because you are reading this, you must follow through. You must do the research on the thing you've always wanted to do. You don't have to do it. It may be too difficult, too expensive, bad timing, etc. But you have to do the work to get beyond the standard level of ignorance on the subject. If you can't talk about it for 10 minutes, you didn't do enough research. In that 10 minutes, if you start a sentence with, "It's probably..." Then you didn't do enough research.

There is something different about today's culture which makes this process much easier than it was even 10 years ago. The experts are almost always out on the internet. All you have to do is ask the question. Then ask another question, and another questions, and answer them all.

If the answers aren't on the internet. That is not an excuse. The internet was only going to get you started really. Make some phone calls, figure it out, and post your own note about it on the internet so it can be found by the next person who decides to wander beyond the possibility of an idea.

Hornswoggled

2011-05-06T08:14:00.000-04:00

I've been duped by a company called Sturm Foods Inc. They sold me this.

It's for an individual coffee maker (Keurig) which I have access to at the office. I'm sure you all have seen these coffee makers and used them, so you understand my reaction.

I paid $8 for 24 of these. It's instant coffee! It's not brewing me a fresh cup of coffee, it's just mixing hot water with instant coffee!

To the good people at Sturm Foods,
Don't underestimate your market. They are like me, and they feel like they've been hornswoggled when they use your product. They aren't going to buy your product a second time. The market you are going for will buy instant coffee, but not in containers that are intended for brewable coffee which cost 3 times as much as instant coffee. They can figure it out, and every time they do they will be insulted by you Sturm Foods.

It's like George W. Bush said, "Fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again."

29 And Treading Water Financially

2011-05-04T08:12:00.164-04:00

Today I am twenty nine years old. I thought I was over the hill at 22, but now I'm looking at my thirties! This must be the last good year I have left :)

Well, regardless of whether I'm over the hill, it is a good time to reflect on my twenties and make broad sweeping statements about them, don't you think?

Money seems to be central to my twenties. I feel really bad about saying that. I want to be more philosophical and romantic about my twenties. I did graduate college, and I did get married in my twenties. So it seems wrong to summarize my twenties by talking about money. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it is probably central to most people in their twenties and they don't want to talk about it either. Money is the backbone of most major decisions in a twenty-something's life.

It was the central part of my twenties. I was ignorant of expenses when I left high school. I didn't know what it was like to pay for my own life. I didn't realize what a house payment was like, and what buying my own food was like. It's a HUGE responsibility.

If you know someone in their twenties, they feel the weight of this, I promise. They are passionate about many things, but they are struggling to make ends meet first. Money is the reason they are living where they are living, and doing what they are doing most of the time. They are in the deep end of the pool, treading water, and trying to build a raft for the future at the same time.

Throughout my twenties, most of my time was spent in an office. When you add it up, it's a heck of a lot of hours in a cubicle. I was not in that office because I love offices or cubicles. I did it to pay for my life. Working in a cubicle has been critical to paying for my student loans, medical insurance, housing, food, gas, and saving for the future.

My point is first to acknowledge the importance of building a raft while treading this water. I think sometimes it's so hard that we forget to try to save money and think ahead.

Also I think it's important to try to make my thirties different than my twenties. I hope that I will think less about cash flow, because there is more money in the bank. I hope that I can spend more time doing things that I'm passionate about, and making a positive impact on people around me. I hope that the raft I've been building while treading water will begin to float.

Building A Tree Swing From An Oak Barrel

2011-04-30T07:51:00.030-04:00

I built this swing last weekend from and oak barrel! I'm pretty happy with it and an thought I'd pass on the details in case somebody wants to try it.

First, to get the oak barrel staves, you have to do some searching. If you are in wine country or whiskey country, make some phone calls to places nearby. That way you don't have pay shipping costs.

I was lucky enough to get some from the local distillery, Heaven Hill. They normally don't sell their barrels, so don't bother trying to order from them, but if you are ever in Kentucky I recommend them highly!

I cut 3 oak staves in the same length, 29 inches. I probably could have gone 28 inches and been at a more normal swing size, but it works.

Then I cut 2 brace pieces at 8 inches. Then I screwed them all together.

After that I used a marine grade polyurethane finish on a recommendation from a guy who makes awesome oak barrel furniture. His site was actually my inspiration for the swing, so I have to give credit where it is due. I ended up buying the polyeurethane from Wal-Mart and it worked great. Minwax^® Helmsman^® Spar Urethane.

After that I drilled 4 holes and tied 2 foot ropes into the holes. I tied clove hitch knots from the other ropes to those ropes, and the same knot to the tree.

The rope I chose is debatable. Very strong, and very easy to grip, but I don't know what kind of longevity I'll get from it.

One other tip is to sand the top edges of the staves down a bit to make the edges more rounded than in the photograph. i have done that since taking the photograph. It just makes it more comfortable.

Jobs Are Manufactured?

2011-04-27T10:33:00.057-04:00

A lot of people seem to believe that someone in the government makes jobs. These jobs simply exist because they are supposed to.

Getting a job for this person is like getting a license plate for a car. They stand in line, put in their paperwork, and wait for someone to give them the job. I met these people at my last employer, and I am meeting these people here at Fort Knox as well.

Getting promoted in a job for these people takes them back to elementary school. It is like playing "firemen" where everybody imagines they have a specific job to do. Somebody gets to be the chief, somebody gets to be the hose carrier, somebody gets to go in and rescue people. If you want to have a different job than you have, you basically beg the other kids to let you have a different job, or complain about your job a lot. If no agreement can be reached, you just make up a new job. "You don't have to be the hose operator anymore, you can be the dog trainer."

While working at Fort Knox, I feel like this is actually happening. After being here 5 months, I see this mentality more often than not.

Jobs don't grow on trees, and they don't get created by the government. Well that's not true, they do get created by the government... but we are not entitled to those jobs just because we have a pulse!

Farming

2011-04-24T09:26:00.032-04:00

We have been working on planting some crops lately. Above is the soon to be garden, and we've already planted some blueberries, blackberries and raspberries. Apple trees and nut trees are in the mail.

Let's not forget about my bibs.

The thing that is most surprising to me is how complex it is. If I were only planting one crop, that would be complex because of the different species of that crop, soil type, climate, property scenario. As it is, we are planning about 30 different crops. This would be a full time job for a perfectionist like me.

I guess that is my only point of this blog. To show our garden, and admit that farming is a lot harder than I thought it would be.

Ultimately the reality is that we will screw some of it up. But hey, we will try and learn from it, and then next year we will try again.

Maybe in a couple of years we won't even have to buy groceries :) Just dog food for this guy.

Time Zone Issues

2011-04-22T08:53:00.014-04:00

You wouldn't think that east coast time is so different from mountain time. I mean 2-hours is not going to cause you any jet lag. But it is a big difference.

A lot of people text and email before bed or first thing in the morning. Well if somebody texts me from mountain time at 9:30 pm, I'm in bed. So I get it the next morning. But then I can't text them back because I wake up at 5:00 which would be a 3:00 in the morning text.

When I get home from work, everyone in Colorado is still at work. When I get done with dinner, everyone in Colorado is having dinner. When they get done with dinner, I'm getting ready for bed.

Who knew time zones could be so tricky to work with?

Glenmerle

2011-04-20T08:57:00.002-04:00

Glenmerle is a place to go to escape the fast pace of the city. It is a place to enjoy the little things of life. It represents rest, calm, good food, wine, freedom, love, family, art, and reading books. For the movie fans, it is kind of like a concept in Legends of the Fall called "The quiet heart of life", when "the bear inside was sleeping."

The dream we all have of this part of life exists independently of a specific place. But sometimes an actual place can represent this too. In my case, there is a specific place now. It is pictured above. The informal name of this place is home, but it has a formal name too.

The name is from a book called A Severe Mercy, written by Sheldon VanAuken. He writes of a place called Glenmerle, which was a home he had in a time period when he and his wife spent many hours together. They would read, paint, talk about ideas, and enjoy the moments they had together. It is only a small part of the book, but I think of it every time I drive into the driveway.

Compost Bucket

2011-04-16T09:44:00.000-04:00

We were looking at the fancy compost devices that you can buy for our garden, but then we realized that it might not be necessary. Here is an article on how to use a 5 gallon bucket for composting if you are interested in an cheap solution like we were.

http://www.ehow.com/how_2182966_small-back-yard-compost-bucket.html

Moolala Business Review

2011-04-14T07:30:00.000-04:00

I'm a big fan of this business idea, and after a week of watching Moolala I do have a request. Better deals!

The short synopsis of Moolala is that you get daily coupon offerings to various stores, and you get 2% commission on everything sold in your network of friends. I love that. Absolutely love it. It makes me want the company to succeed because I get get to share in the profits. It's not a ton of money, but a few dollars is always helpful.

Since I want the company to succeed, I'm analyzing them a bit. Call it marketing consulting, which nobody asked for. Let's take a look at the last few deals from this week.

Saturday: $15 for $30 of necklaces charms and more
Sunday: $14 for $30 worth of high quality decals for your wall
Monday: $16 for $32 worth of hip onesies
Tuesday: $10 for $50 bookchatting subscription
Today: $25 for $50 worth of photo scanning

I believe a key to being successful in this business model is offering widely used products, with mass marketing appeal. There is nothing wrong with niche markets, and they should be able to use this business model too, but they are not the meat-and-potatoes of the business. This past week, Moolala has been ALL niche markets. Not everybody needs onesies, wall decals, photo scanning, or necklaces. What is a book chatting subscription anyway?

Everybody needs things like restaurants, car washes, vitamins, groceries, and house cleaning products. Honestly, you could pretty much stick to restaurants and be successful.

So you have 2 options if you are Moolala to increase revenue. Either offer multiple niche coupons at a time, trying to cover a broad range of people through many different niches. Or you could offer mostly broadly appealing coupons, an only offer niche products a couple times per week. If you want my advice, go for the latter.

-Your Biggest Fan

The Secret to Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-04-13T07:41:00.003-04:00

I could write a long post about chocolate chip cookies. They have been my favorite thing to make since I was a kid. Instead, I think I'll just give you the secret to making good ones in case you are having trouble making them.

1. Whip real butter into the sugar first.
2. Tweak the amount of flour at the end depending on altitude (usually add some extra four).
3. Take them out from 350 degrees between 10 and 11 minutes no matter what.

I chose my words carefully in that list. Don't go screwing this up by whipping the eggs in with the butter, cooking them too long, or anything foolish like that. Trust me on this one.

Dish Network Review

2011-04-10T08:49:00.000-04:00

We had to get a new internet service and cable when we moved, so we went with a local internet Dish Network. In Colorado we had Comcast for both.

Over time TV companies tend to do the same things... raise the rates, reduce the service quality, etc. So any switch in cable companies is going to be positive at first. I acknowledge that.

I would still like to state that Dish Network is making us very happy right now. They provide us 200 channels of mostly HD programming, and that includes all of the regional sports around the country for $35 per month. The rate stays until next year, when it goes to $45 per month. It's a 2 year contract.

The person who came out to set it up told us to call him directly if we have any problems, and he will fix it the next day.

The next big online thing.

2011-04-06T17:02:00.003-04:00

Trust me, this is the next big thing.

I have been thinking for a few years about how to do a multi-level business that actually makes sense. Well technology has made it possible.

Check out what Moolala did. They are selling coupons for business (Groupon style), but they are giving you commission for when your friends buy one.

The business gets a good deal because customers come in the door with a coupon, and you get a 2% referral fee for every friend (and friends of friends up to 5 levels deep) that purchase the coupon.

It's free. There's no catch.

I think this is a legitimate way to do a multi level business where everybody wins. Click here to sign up for free. It should automatically link you to my username (philmondy).

This is the first of many multi-levels like this I think. We will see a lot more ways to get credit for forwarding an email or Twittering about something. I think this one is the ground breaker though. Much bigger than Groupon.

The Sort Of Language Of NPR, If You Will

2011-04-06T07:30:00.000-04:00

I listen to NPR podcasts. Not all NPR podcasts, but I have 2 favorites. I recommend This American Life, All Songs Considered. Outside of those 2, I watch a video podcast called Basic Brewing Video, but that is another blog post altogether.

The thing that I want to observe today is the language that they use on NPR. It's like a code language for a certain group of people. I would go so far as to call them academics.

If you don't listen to NPR, imagine an interview with a doctorate professor from the University of Virginia. They are asked a question. In the first 10 seconds of their answer, you will hear these 2 words. "Sort of."

You know what I'm talking about. It's at the beginning of the sentence; or sort of thrown in to a sentence. Sort of describing something, but feeling very sort of limited by the English language. They sort of pause while thinking of the best phrase or metaphor for the discussion and then sort of second guess it at the last minute, so they qualify it by throwing in a, "sort of."

Then I started to think about a few other keys to talking like the academic expert. And I came up with an idea that I'd like to share with you.

Interestingly enough, I would like to, so to speak, sort of unknowingly, not to say unintentionally, offer something that is very much, not like any other idea.

If you will.

Feed Stores

2011-04-03T08:45:00.007-04:00

We are testing out a new dog food again. I thought we had made a decision, but here were are testing a recommendation from the feed store.

I'll keep you posted on the success of that, but the important thing here is that I said "feed store." That's right, I'm becoming a farmer. Got my Carhartt bibs to prove it. What is more important than that is that buying dog food at a feed store is about half the price of a pet store! Just thought you should know if you have a big dog or two.

We paid $18 for a 50 pound bag of food. Yeah, I'm serious.

Bardstown

2011-04-02T11:24:00.037-04:00

Bardstown, Kentucky is most famous for being the Bourbon capital of the world, and it is the home of the annual Bourbon Festival. It is also where I live now.

Living here makes me quite a bit more aware of the whiskey industry. Since the history of Bourbon is the history of my city now, I thought I would pass on a little information about it.

The two biggest whiskey brands in the world are within 20 miles of my house. Evan Williams is made at Heaven Hill Distillery in Bardstown, and Jim Beam is made in the next county, about 30 minutes away.

There are other big distilleries in this area too. 95 percent of the world's Bourbon is made the Louisville area.

They started making whiskey from corn in the 1770s. Whiskey had been made in Europe for a long time of course, but not from corn.

Elijah Craig was a reverend who made whiskey in the 1780s. He got credit for charring the inside of the oak barrels to get better flavor. The whiskey made today called Elijah Craig is also made here in Bardstown at Heaven Hill.

Before prohibition there were hundreds of small distilleries in this county; like brew pubs in big cities today. It was like this for 150 years. When prohibition ended in 1934, the biggest distilleries started buying up all of the recipes and equipment of all the small distilleries, so now there are just a few big ones.

Today Heaven Hill is the second largest employer in Bardstown. They employ about 300 people who roll barrels, bottle whiskey, and label bottles.

When you take a drive around Bardstown you inevitably see some of the white warehouses that are aging some of Heaven Hill's different brands of whiskey, mostly Evan Williams and Elijah Craig brands. They are now aging 1,0000,0000 barrels at a time.

More can be found on Wikipedia of course, which is probably more accurate than this anyway :)

Cast Iron Grill

2011-03-30T11:03:00.023-04:00

I bought a cast iron grill on the Ft. Knox unofficial bulletin board. It was $9. It is really handy for chicken and steak inside. I made chicken teriyaki stir fry in it the other day and it was amazing.

I didn't do a lot of research on cast iron before this purchase because we already have one and have been pricing grill pans for a bit.

Things I like about cast iron:
1. It is very sturdy and can also be used as a weapon if someone breaks into your house.
2. It maintains heat very well so the temperature stays constant under the food.
3. It breaths just a little bit and retains some oil to keep things from sticking to it.
4. It makes me feel manly to cook in cast iron.

Ft. Knox Bullettin Board

2011-03-28T09:04:00.021-04:00

It's like an email inbox that is made public. It functions like craigslist, but it is private to Fort Knox. I've always known that people in the Army move a lot, but now I get to be the first to find out when they are selling something.

Working on an Army post has some other advantages too. I have a government issued ID which means discounts at local stores. I get to ride a vanpool to work and save some gas money. The bulletin board is the coolest though. I like it.

Crock Pot Meals

2011-03-24T09:05:00.001-04:00

Recently I lived in a house with 4 other guys. Most of them are in the Army, and all of us would eat most anything. For a while I was the designated cook because I like to cook. By far my most popular meal was a crock pot roast.

Slow cooking a roast or stew or soup is always a good idea. The meat comes out nice and tender, and the flavors get to gel together for hours. So what is the secret to a good crock pot meal?

After you get the cheapest deal on a beef or pork roast at the grocery store (or commissary if you military), do these things.

1. Cook it on low heat in the morning and it will be ready for dinner. Medium and high are too much.
2. Put 5 strips of bacon in with the meat (especially beef roasts). Keeps it from drying out, and makes it taste much better.
3. Throw some potatoes in with the roast. They are cheap and make a nice side item later.
4. Don't add too much spice or marinade. You can put salt and some spices, but you can use the same roast for multiple meals if you add most of your flavoring at the end.
5. I pull all the meat apart and add barbecue seasoning (dry or sauce) or taco seasoning to it. Season to your own taste.

The rest of the meal is usually easy to pull together once you get enough seasoning in it.

Donut Sticks

2011-03-21T08:01:00.000-04:00

These things are terrible for me, but somehow they made it into my daily diet. Right after I drink my healthy shake in the morning I eat one of these. Brilliant!

Vanpool

2011-03-19T07:27:00.000-04:00

I'm sitting in a van riding to work this morning. I just checked my email, and now I get to do whatever. It was a bit unusual actually; I got on the van and didn't talk to anybody.

It's my first day in the vanpool. I kind of expected someone to present themselves as the leader, but no such luck. There is a small black lady driving who I may have emailed, and then an older white guy in the front seat who seemed to be expecting a new guy, but didn't say anything.

So I piled in just like the other 6 people. Everyone is quiet, and some are sleeping. It's still dark outside and I'm not very chatty early, so I'm thankful for a quiet drive.

Since my commute to work is about 50 minutes, I'm also thankful not to have to drive.

Louisville Traffic, A Calm Commute

2011-03-17T09:03:00.001-04:00

Navigating Louisville traffic is a lot like in any city. Normal traffic times are congested, main roads are busier than side roads, etc. Some things are different though. There are a lot of country roads here too with 55 mph speed limits, but tons of turn offs and driveways going onto them. There is a lot of road kill. The main thing that I think is different though is the long commuting time for most commuters. Most drivers seem to commute between 30 to 60 minutes each direction to work, which helps traffic a bit I think.

Louisville is spread out over a lot of living space. Jobs in the city draw a lot of commuters and Fort Knox also draws a lot of commuters. The end result is that the drivers are pretty good, and considerate most of the time. They have accepted the commute and seem to be responsible with it.

Dog Training

2011-03-13T08:51:00.001-04:00

This is going to be controversial so I'm just going to say it. Shock collar. We used it to train our dog.

There are some things that our dog simply wasn't learning.

He loves to roam, but we live in a suburban neighborhood (at least for another month). It is irresponsible for us to let our dog roam. When he is off the leash, he wouldn't come consistently when we call him. We are responsible for what he does, and we couldn't trust him to wander wherever he wants without getting in trouble.

He was house trained when we got him, and has never gone to the bathroom in our house. He's not aggressive at all. He is good on a leash too. But we wanted him to be able to be off of his leash and not have to worry about him.

The bottom line is that the shock collar worked. He comes when we call him the first time, and we can let him off the leash. And it only took a couple weeks. He has a ton more freedom and so do we.

Sweat Tea

2011-03-10T08:29:00.000-05:00

I moved to Alabama when I was 19 years old, and I learned about Milo's sweet tea. Honestly, it took me a while to love it. I had never liked tea of any kind growing up. Now I crave sweet tea often, and it brings me warm and comforting feelings to drink it.

The trick with any tea is the steeping time and temperature. This will vary your results more than anything.

For everyone who has not lived in the south, here's how you make some good sweet tea at home.

1 gallon sized tea bag from Lipton (you might need 5 small bags if you don't find this type in the grocery store)
1 pot of boiling water (let it cool for a minute before you steep the tea for a bit better flavor).

Let it steep for about 10 minutes, then remove the tea bag.

1.5 cups of sugar and enough cold water to almost fill a gallon container. If you are feeling adventurous, make it 1 cup granulated, and .5 cup brown sugar.

Stir it up and put it in the fridge!

Have a glass for me!

Homemade Pizza Dough

2011-03-08T08:48:00.002-05:00

If you'd like an amazing recipe for dough, use this.

1 cup hot water
1 TBSP sugar
1 tsp yeast
Combine and stir, 30 seconds

Add 1 cup cold water
Add 3 cups flour (use your judgment on the amount)
Whisk and let rise 30 min

Add 1 tsp salt
Add 3 cups flour
Knead and divide in half
Leave covered in fridge for 1-4 days (aging it a bit makes it better)

March Madness

2011-03-04T08:22:00.000-05:00

I do love college basketball. This year basketball has been special to me for a few reasons. First, I'm living in Kentucky. On any given day I can walk into work and talk about Louisville or Kentucky basketball. Colorado just doesn't have a culture that embraces basketball as much.

Second, I was able to go watch some games with my Grandpa in Poplar Bluff, Missouri not too long ago. He really enjoys basketball and knows it better that almost anybody I know. So I enjoy talking basketball with him, and being closer to them.

Third, my friends Gary and Joel watch a lot of games, and they always disagree with me on which teams are better. My brother Andrew also watches a lot of Duke games, and never stops believing in them. It makes the tournament more exciting.

If you haven't been watching, a couple teams to watch from this area of the country are Louisville and St. John's. A couple team to watch from Joel and Gary's part of the country are BYU and San Diego State. From my Grandpa's part of the country my only love is Missouri, but they don't really have a chance this year. The rest of the big 12 conference is weak in my opinion. As for Duke, and they are really good this year, but I'm going say that I think the ACC is a weak conference this year too.

I think the safest prediction for me to make this early is that the winner of the tournament is from the Big East Conference.

What dog food should I buy?

2011-03-02T08:46:00.016-05:00

My wife and I have been searching for a great dog food for our 90 pound Rhodesian Ridgeback. We have tried a few different brands, and we think we have found our bag.

We are not impressed with brand names, and that works out well because brand name dog foods are usually the least healthy for the dog.

Here is what we have learned. Read the label of the bag. You are looking for 3 things.
1. The first ingredient.
2. The protein content.
3. The fat content.

The first ingredient should not be corn. It depends a bit on the dog to know what you want the protein and fat content to be exactly, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist. If the dog likes it and it seems good for them, go with it. How can you tell? Well the easiest way for us to tell was to look at the dog's poop. It's really light in color and soft when the food is primarily corn. You can also look at energy and the quality of the dog's fur, but that isn't as easy.

We have decided on a brand called Red Flannel, and we will probably only use a one of their 8 different kinds. We like the active formula type.

Breakfast Shakes Still Going Strong

2011-02-28T09:23:00.002-05:00

After over 6 months, I still make the breakfast shakes I blogged about every weekday morning. Best breakfast ever.

Rocking Chairs

2011-02-25T07:30:00.000-05:00

When I shop for something I study it, much like any consumer.

My goal is to spend just the right amount of time researching so that I can make the decision. It's the balance between buying the first thing that I see, and spending more time researching than the product could possibly be worth.

Most of my research time lately has been for a house, but to go with the house I have also been shopping for a set of rocking chairs. I have not purchased them yet because we haven't closed on the house, but the below photo is roughly what I'm going for.

I imagine myself barefoot on the front porch with a glass of sweet tea in my hand. I slowly rock back and forth as I look off over the front yard, letting my mind wander wherever the spring breeze wants to take it.

I get images like this in my head sometimes, and they become a comforting, euphoric escape for my mind. When things get stressful I stop and imagine myself on the front porch in my rocking chair. It motivates me to keep working. I think, "It may be stressful today, but on a Saturday in the near future I will be on my porch, in paradise."

Another thought that creeps into my head when I think of a rocking chair is having children. I imagine buying smaller rocking chairs for the front porch. Then I imagine having sweet tea on the porch with energetic youngsters running all around the yard, making noise. Then high schoolers creep into the picture, and then college students want to sit on the front porch to talk about a big decision.

Is that strange? I actually think about raising an entire family when I think about buying a rocking chair. Perhaps I put more effort into the research of buying a rocking chair because of this too.

I wish I had more to show for my research. There isn't much to know. I wanted there to be a little known rocking chair company that is better than all of the rest, but I don't think that is the case. They all have a similar level of comfort, and they all have about the same durability.

Rocking chairs are about $100-180 new. If you pay more than that, you probably paid too much. When it comes down to it, the best thing to do is craigslist it and get one for $30.

If you want to get them new, Cracker Barrel has the best selection and a great price at about $130.

Too Much Input

2011-02-23T15:47:00.000-05:00

As I transition to a new place, I find myself with a status of input overload. I have been learning about the housing market, the mortgage loan world, a new job, the Army in general, Ft. Knox specifically, college basketball, Louisville traffic, rocking chairs, home made pizza dough, the history of Bourbon, crock pot meals, dog training, healthy dog food, and I am sure there are some things I'm missing. I supposed that means I have a lot to write about. But I want my thoughts to be well thought out before I write about them, so I haven't tried to write about any of it.

When this information overload dies down I'll write some blogs about each of the topics above. Should be pretty entertaining. Hopefully thought provoking as well.

A song to share.

2011-02-01T13:29:00.000-05:00

I heard a song that I think is worthy of sharing with my friends. Sleeping At Last is the artist. The song is called January White. Below you should see a play button to listen to it. If not, you may need to install a plug-in or go to my blog directly.

January White by sleepingatlast

Broken Real Estate System

2011-01-19T13:51:00.001-05:00

I think the system is broken in the real estate market. It is the kind of system that is very hard to change, like the health care system in the US. Does anyone feel the same way? Let me expound.

I have a great relationship with my realtor. The expertise that he offers is tremendous, and I love what he does. I also have family members that are realtors. The thing is, I can't afford to use them because the system is broken.

Problem number one. Too many parties are involved in the transaction. Brokerage, realtor, other brokerage, other realtor, title company, appraiser, bank, loan officer, inspector, and others get involved in a single sale. There are too many people to pay.

Problem number two. Realtors can't negotiate their commission much. Most of the fees are tied up in other parts of the deal, so the free market can't operate between a house seller and the realtor.

Problem number three. The realtor ends up with a legal obligation that she doesn't deserve. She should not be responsible legally for so much of the transaction. Rather, buyers and sellers should bear the burden of it.

Problem number four. Realtors have a powerful union. If you want to sell your house without a realtor it feels like the world is against you. Realtors effectively hide your property from buyers when a you list it by owner.

Problem number five. Commission is a percentage of the sale. Roughly the same amount of work goes into selling a $100,000 house as a $900,000 house, but the commission is about 9 times higher for the more expensive house.

These are just a few indicators that the system is broken. I hope that technology and the internet are the catalysts to change here.

E Town Wal Mart

2011-01-10T10:10:00.002-05:00

First of all I live in E-Town, which is actually Elizabethtown but nobody calls it that. It's a nice place. Nice but boring.

The interesting thing is that since everyone is military around here, they all get paid on the first and the 16th. When that happens you don't want to be anywhere near a Wal-Mart. Lines out the door, crazy parking lots... it's like Christmas.

The trick is to be on top of the holidays. Sure, anybody can avoid Wal-Mart on the first and 16th, but what about January third after a holiday weekend? I am not on top of my game. I was in line for 30 minutes.

Falcon Basketball

2011-01-06T23:46:00.003-05:00

The basketball team is doing an amazing job again this year. After getting to the sweet 16 last year and returning most players, I'm anticipating a final 4 showing or better. If they get to the elite 8 I'm already planning to fly out to watch them play finals!

The team has faced so much already this past year. Injuries, suspensions, even a lost family member who was a grandmother to the entire team. They are in the heart of the season now, and they are really playing together.

The latest was a big win against Cheyenne Mountain High School, one of the best in the league. Wish I was there to help coach :( I'm just happy to get to watch them play!

A New Chapter

2010-12-09T14:57:00.001-05:00

I was ready for a new chapter in life about 2 years ago. I was getting antsy with my job, and feeling unimportant. Then 2 years went by. No new chapter, no changes, just the same old stuff. So I accepted that, and enjoyed life very much despite my restlessness. While a new chapter would be great, I had found contentment. Until about 4 weeks ago.

I crave adventure. I love to be challenged. I desperately want to make an impact on the world. It is an underlying feeling that may never go away. So even though I learned to be content, I think I was always on the lookout for the next adventure. An opportunity presented itself.

The short story is that the next adventure turned out to be in Louisville, KY. I'm contracting with the government on some marketing software. I love marketing and I love helping businesses, and so far I love Louisville, so there are many things to be thankful for in all of this.

The best thing is the sense of adventure. I feel alive in a new way. Something about this change brings about something good in me.

Fearing the Stock Market, or Just Myself

2010-11-12T10:19:00.000-05:00

They say that the market works on fear and greed. I suppose I'm in the fear category. Not really afraid of the market, but afraid of my ability to predict it.

I've posted thoughts on the stock market historically, and stopped doing that because I am usually wrong. I would do better to flip a coin when predicting the stock market.

Right now I don't have any idea why the indexes are as high as they are. There are a ton of opinions about that, so I'm not even going to guess.

In the interest of being transparent though, here is what I actually did over the past couple years with the money that I control. By the way, my wife and I contribute most of our savings to a financial guy at Northwestern Mutual, and we take his advice instead of following our own on most of the retirement money. So I only control the part that is matched by my employer. That is probably also good to add since I'm being transparent.

Anyway, I kept putting money into the 403B the last couple of years, maximizing what my employer matches, and when the Dow hit 10,000 I cashed everything. Then I kept contributing and it went up to 11,000. I cashed out again. If the market keeps going up I won't be in very good position, because will keep cashing out, but if it has another big crash in the next year or two, I'll be doing great.

Inspiring Entrepreneurs

2010-10-25T17:02:00.001-04:00

I want to be a person who inspires entrepreneurship. I just believe in it.

We have a local small business development center in Colorado Springs. Most cities have them actually. Cities know that businesses create jobs and ultimately bring in more taxes, so they set up these offices to help people get started. The problem with the one in our city is that it is uninspiring. Can they help you get a loan? Yes. Can they help answer questions? Yes. But will they inspire entrepreneurs to achieve powerful goals? Eh. Probably not.

I believe that it is in every city's interest to inspire entrepreneurs. Cities like Austin and Portland are talked about in business magazines as the best cities to start businesses. Young entrepreneurs are literally leaving other cities to start businesses in places that they will be inspired to achieve their dreams.

So, if you have started a business. Well done! I hope that you will continue to challenge your business to step up to the next level. If you know someone who has started a business, tell them something nice for me and challenge them to strive for greatness. One day when I start a business, I hope to be surrounded by people who are inspiring me too.

Healthy Breakfast

2010-08-10T10:45:00.002-04:00

Check this breakfast shake idea out. We have been making these for breakfast and end up with more energy and feel healthier all day. The idea came from a place we visited in Thailand called Healthy Breakfast.

1 TBSP red beans
1 TBSP steamed carrots
2 TBSP pearl barley (cooked)
1 TBSP frozen spinach
1 whole mushroom
1 scoop of protein powder (we use soy)
1 banana
1 apple (sliced)
1/4 cup frozen fruit (any kind)
2 tsps flax seed (ground)
1 cup water
1 cup ice

Some ingredients vary, depending on what we run out of, but the top 6 items stay the same.

We are busy people, and have high stress at work many days. Anything that can give us a better start to the day is much appreciated as the week goes by. I don't know how long we will keep this as our breakfast routine, but after a couple months we are addicted.

How the World Cup Ball is Made

2010-07-09T17:04:00.000-04:00