You are currently browsing the archives for the year 2009.
December 22nd, 2009 |
Looking Back
Each year, I write a blog reflecting on the main events that occurred over the past year. In keeping with that tradition, here is my update for 2009.
The biggest thing to occur this year was the new house that we had built in Las Vegas. We were originally going to buy a foreclosure and fix it and sell or rent it, but there’s no real way to do that while living here in PA. Not only that, prices of new homes sales plummeted, so to us it made sense to build a house to our specs for the future. The house is truly beautiful. We upgraded everything with no compromises. Granite kitchen with full granite backsplashes, 20″ ceramic tile laid diagonally, upgraded structured wiring throughout the house (dual coaxial, ethernet, extra jacks, etc…), extra large lot bordering US Government land (nobody can build behind us – gorgeous views of the mountains), upgraded carpet and padding, upgraded bathroom fixtures and much more. Of course, the best part of this house is the rooftop deck, with breathtaking views of the mountains and the city. We are so excited about this house, it’s pretty much everything we ever wanted and we are so fortunate to be able to have it in this difficult financial times.
We spent Thanksgiving in our new house this year. The family is not crazy about doing this, and I can understand that, but things change and evolve. It’s all good. It was our 3rd Thanksgiving in Las Vegas in the past 4 years. But it was the first time that Jen cooked a dinner in the great state of Nevada. The first time we went out there for Thanksgiving, we ate out. That was totally disappointing. The second time we were invited to a friend’s house in Las Vegas. And this year, we had turkey in our new home. A home isn’t a home until you have Thanksgiving in it.
Everyone always asks me “Are you moving to Las Vegas?“ I should jokingly fire back with the question “Is there tea in China?“ But seriously, we have gone back and forth on this question several times. One day we are moving, the other day we are not. I think it’s safe to say we will move there at some point, but with the economy the way it is, who knows what’s going to happen and when. If I could cash out on our PA house today, I’d move tomorrow.
In the meantime, we will continue to do what we do – travel several times back and forth per year. For me, I’ve been there 6 times this year and have spent a total of 51 days (including travel days) in Vegas. Jen and Arianna slightly less, since I took a 2 trips there without them (to close on the house and CES). In a way, we already partly live there. I like to think of it as “dual-residency”. If and when we actually move there, it will most likely be the reverse. We have family and too many friends not to come back several times each year.
This year, I got my insurance license back after many years of being out of the business. I am licensed in 7 states and have sold insurance across the country. It has certainly been different selling insurance over the phone and over the web, but I am glad that I moved forward with doing so. I’m always looking for new opportunities and businesses, and this has always been a part of me. At times I consider starting a software company, but I am back and forth on doing that. I’ve started writing a program that brings two of my interests together – finance and software. It is not done yet and I’m not sure if I want to make it commercially available or if I just want to use it for my own personal use. Creating the program for sale will require a lot of time and focus. I’m not sure if I am ready for that right now, nor do I think I have enough passion to write software anymore.
Over the past year, we had the chance to bond with our friends the Puringtons as well. We are all friends – husbands, wives and kids. A nice combination. We all went to Las Vegas this summer together in July and Jim came out to Vegas with me in October to help me move furniture into the new house. It’s not every day that someone offers to hop on a plane across the country, leave work behind and help a friend. That was totally rockstar… Thanks Jim.. I mean Jake…
I’m looking forward to Christmas with our families. I’ve been working so much, and it’s been hard to be incredibly festive, so I am looking forward in celebrating life with our families. I can’t wait to taste Frank’s homemade wine and taste my Mom’s cooking.
Most of all, I can look back at this year and say it was a great year of love, family and friendship. I am going on almost 13 years of marriage next year, and it just keeps getting better. I’ve got a beautiful daughter who is such an incredible kid – I am so proud of her. It’s great to be alive.
Ciao.
November 7th, 2009 |
Family,
Personal
Growing up, Moms know best. They’ve been there before. They have life experience and wisdom. They want the best for their kids. My mom always wanted the best for me. She was and is a great mother. Now if you know me, and if you know my mom, we are a pain in each other’s asses. Neither of us would know it any other way. But there is no denying that there is a lot of love there. Now, 37 years later, I can look back and realize all of the things that mom was right about. And some of the things that she was a little wrong on… Since I’ve been keeping tabs all of these years, I figured that I would now itemize them for your reading pleasure.
Mom Said: Lenny does what Lenny wants to do
Was Mom Right?: Yes!
Len’s Analysis: I think this used to drive my mom crazy. I never listened to anyone. I don’t really mean in a bad way. I just like to do things my way. Mom used to always said that I learn things the hard way. And I did. And still do. I like to learn things for myself. As an adult, I can say it is about personal exploration. If you listen to too many opinions (even Mom’s), you don’t have the chance to understand why. And truth be told, everyone has different thoughts and ideas. When it comes to right and wrong and morality, mom was the authority on that. But I have always been a free thinker. I do not consider that bad or wrong. Most of my decisions have been based on having a solid upbringing. But my decisions were mine and mine alone. Lenny does what Lenny wants to do. Mom hit this one right on the head.
Mom Said: You can do whatever you want in your life
Was Mom Right?: Yes!
Len’s Analysis: I think many moms and dads say this to their children. It is empowering and makes everyone feel good. My mom used to say this to me. I was going to be an Astronaut. Oh well… But she was right on this one. I think that many parents rethink these very words as their children grow up and make their own decisions. Especially when these decisions don’t seem to mesh with the way that parents think they should. Me and mom… We went through some bumpy times as I was finding myself. But in the end, she was right. We are all human and subject to emotions. Mom always wants the best for her child. And my mom always wanted that for me.
Mom Said: I want to be as special to your children as you were to your Mom-Mom
Was Mom Right?: Yes!
Len’s Analysis: Well, she may have got the “ren” wrong in children, but other than that, she was right. Known as Mom-Mom to Arianna, she is truly special to my daughter. Arianna gets so excited when she gets to visit her Mom-Mom. I remember how special and exciting it was for me to visit my Mom-Mom.
Mom Said: One day when you’re grown-up, you won’t waste all of that meat!
Was Mom Right?: No!
Len’s Analysis: I do not like fat on meat. In fact, ever since I was a small kid, I cut off every tiny piece of fat on meat. By the time I was done, only half of the meat was left. I could not swallow any fatty piece of meat, no matter how small. T-Bone steaks, pork chops, prime rib… I would eat 50% of it and toss the rest. Well guess what? I do the same thing and I pay for it. I cannot swallow fat of any kind. Fortunately, I have learned in time that the only type of beef I can eat is Filet Mignon or a very lean london broil. I can have lean ground round or chipsteak, but you can forget about most steaks and chops. These days, I eat lots of turkey, chicken and veal, because I want to eat healthier. But once in a while when I go out and desire beef, I will only eat Filet Mignon.
Mom Said: One day when you’re grown-up, you won’t have the air conditioner or heat on as high
Was Mom Right?: No!
Len’s Analysis: I live to be comfortable. There is no double-standard now that I am older and pay for it. In the summer, I love air conditioning. In the winter, I love heat (within reason). My wife and I are used to about a 72 degree temperature in the house. When I go to Mom’s house, I am either freezing (in the cold months) or sweating (in the hot months). I have learned that the best use of my money is on food and temperature comfort.
I could probably think of many more things, but these things are some of the things that stick out most in my mind. In the end, mom did the best that she could and always had me in her heart… Even if she was wrong about a few things. God knows, I am no Saint, that’s for sure. But in the end, she loves me, and that’s all that ever mattered.
Ciao.
October 26th, 2009 |
Political,
Rants
Save the earth. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Reduce your carbon “footprint”. Buy a hybrid vehicle, or better yet an electric vehicle. Use recycled plastic bags at the supermarket. Better yet, use cloth bags. All of this makes perfect sense. It’s common sense. It’s all good… Or is it?
This whole recycle thing started about 20 years ago or so. I remember as a teenager that the town required us to separate our garbage. We had a bin for each color of glass – brown, green and clear. I had to bundle newspapers – we were not allowed to place them in a paper bag. I also had to bundle cardboard. I don’t think we were recycling plastic in the 80′s, but it came later in the early 90′s. And then, there were certain types of plastic that we couldn’t recycle. What a pain. Throwing away garbage was like sorting mail at the post office. But we all need to do our part to save the planet.
The US Government makes laws to reduce the amount of carbon emissions from automobiles. This is great, the air really is so much cleaner, at least it seems so. And we are encouraged to buy energy-efficient appliances to save electricity, which in return reduces the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere. Replace your inefficient incandescent light bulbs with ultra-efficient fluorescent light bulbs. At the same time, we will save money on electricity.
In my opinion, we are being deceived. I have a couple of key points that need to be pointed out. Before you scream that it’s all BS, just sit back and think about it for a bit. It took me years to figure out what’s going on, and I have gone back and forth on the issue, but I think I finally get it.
1. We are saving the environment
This is the emotional propaganda that is used to sell this to you. Today, I went to Lowe’s to replace one of my ultra-efficient fluorescent light bulbs (yes, most of my house has these). First off, the replacement bulb for the bathroom was $5! But I’m doing my part to save the earth. Umm, until I look on the light bulb and it states CONTAINS MERCURY. Hmmm, now that doesn’t sound so eco-cool, does it? Mercury is so incredibly toxic, why would we now start putting this into lightbulbs? We took it out of thermometers because it was so toxic. All of these “green” bulbs are going to wind up in a landfill, and will ultimately contribute to poisoned groundwater. And since the US Congress has outlawed incandescent bulbs as of 2014, you will have no choice but to use these mercury-laced bulbs.
A similar thing can be said for batteries for electric cars, but I would expect there would be a lot more control over this. I do not think all of those electric batteries will wind up in a junk yard. Time will tell how that plays out. I see a lot of toxic batteries in our future, and I cannot see how this can be managed on a grand scale. The verdict is still out on that.
We are buying energy-efficient Energy Star rated appliances! We are saving on our electric bill and reducing our carbon footprint! WOW! Wait a second… Read my next point.
2. We are saving money on our electric bill
I only wish this was true. It may be true in the short-term, but that’s not the electric company’s goal. Why would they want us to pay them less? This makes no sense whatsoever. The truth is that in this digital age, the electric infrastructure is being taxed like never before. The need for electricity is great, so the utilities need us to reduce our usage while they upgrade the power grid. Nuclear energy could easily solve this problem, but that’s not going to happen anytime soon.
Electricity service is being deregulated in PA in early 2010. And guess what? Our rates are increasing by 34%! Deregulation is happening in states across the country. Now that we are all brainwashed into reducing our carbon footprint and saving energy and lowering our bills, they go ahead and raise our bill by one-third!
3. We are reducing our carbon footprint
It’s baaaaad for the environment. It causes cancer. In fact, the government wants to tax you if you use too much of it. The government likes to tax things that they know people are going to use (even though they shouldn’t). Think of alcohol and tobacco. They do not outlaw it, they over-tax it. You can expect taxes to increase on petroleum products. Count on it. But what scares me is a carbon tax. They want to tax you if you buy something that has a high “carbon footprint”. Do you understand what this means? If you buy a TV that does not meet certain environmental “standards”, they will tax you. They are not going to force these TVs not to be made, that would be too easy. They want your tax money.
4. And the TRUTH of the reality is…
Green has nothing to do with saving the earth. The entire movement, while possibly founded by the hippies and tree-huggers, has been hijacked by the government and has ulterior motives. While not necessarily bad, Green is greed. I just wish they would tell us the truth. Here are the reasons that we are hell-bent on green:
a) GREEN equals something for nothing – “Give” your recyclables to your town who can sell the resources in bulk to suppliers and make money. Sounds fine, but most towns have ordinances that require you to do so. Personally, I should be free to sell my recyclables to the highest bidder. The only recyclable that really has any true value is aluminum due to the market value of the metal itself. Furthermore, the recycle process actually is a money-loser, while at the same time creating a huge “carbon footprint” to be green and recycle. And more than half of recycled materials wind up in a landfill anyway. The entire recycle process is a contradiction of the green initiative itself.
Remember paper bags at the grocery store? Those were green. There was no harm to the environment. Paper is a renewable resource. You can plant more trees. We were forced to use plastic bags because it was more eco-friendly. Huh? Plastic bags made from oil that wind up in our landfills? And what about all of those metal cans we used to have? Remember Hawaiian Punch and the like? Now it’s all plastic. Plastic from oil. Why? It is cheaper. Now they sell cloth bags at the supermarket, because we are all realizing that the switch to plastic was never really a good idea to start with.
It all comes down to money. Plastic is cheaper than paper or metal. That’s the truth. And the only way not to destroy the environment when using these materials is to recycle. We were fine the way it was before. It comes down to corporate profit. They just play on the emotions of people. It’s all a scam.
b) GREEN equals the switch to more ELECTRIC power. This is the same electric power that is now being deregulated and increasing in cost. This is all being done for a reason, and it has nothing to do with reducing our carbon footprint. Not a thing. So what could it be? I know what you are thinking. This is happening all over the world, not just in the USA. And you are correct. The reason is so obvious and simple. Too simple. But the connection between green and the truth is never communicated. It all comes down to the goal of energy independence from the middle east, which in turn will take the money out of their hands and place it into the world’s leading governments. Electricity is the new oil.
In order to make electricity the new oil, you must make people not want to use oil. Make them feel guilty for destroying the environment. But tax the hell out of them in the process. What you are now seeing is a carefully planned strategy to shift the power from the middle east to the world’s leading nations.
Now you can speculate on your own, but one thing is for sure. It all comes down to money and power. Let me say it again: money and power. Your government doesn’t care about the manatee or the fish or the trees or the carbon in the air. They care about the money and power (and tax dollars).
I am for saving the manatee and fish. (Sorry, trees are a renewable resource that should be used.) But I happen to be a fan of common sense and truth at the same time.
While all of this green seems great, it’s a huge lie in the process. They are generating all kinds of harmful waste and toxic chemicals and materials in the ongoing quest to go green. The idea of green sounds nice, but so do unicorns and rainbows. I’m not sure true green is possible.
I’m all for saving the earth and stuff, but I don’t like deception.
October 23rd, 2009 |
Humor,
Personal
I have things. Lots of things. Too many things. I’ve got things that I’ve always wanted. Things that take up a lot of space. Things that are heavy to move. Things that I have just because I can’t get rid of them. Some people call these things shit. I simply call them things.
I’ve got things that plug in, like computers, stereos, TVs, and other electronic gizmos that would make the typical man smile. I’ve got manly things like a tractor, a chainsaw and that old collection of Playboy magazines. I’ve got all kinds of things that I’ve saved over the years (in the attic of course). The attic is just a place to store more things.
I’ve got things like cars and houses and quads (and the “things” that go along them, some call them bills, I call them shit). And then there’s furniture. Got lots of those things too. I’ve got the formal dining room thing that I rarely use. I’ve got a ball chair thing that cost me a lot of money which now sits unused in my hallway. And an old couch that is in the basement because we had to make room for 2 new things to replace it.
Man, all of these things cost a ton of money to get. And now that I have them, I really don’t feel like having them anymore. Well, most of them, I love the real estate things. Having all of these things just makes it harder to buy more things. First of all, where do you put the new things? Next to the old things which becomes more things. Then that gets old, and your new things become old things. So what’s the point?
Imagine what it would be like to not have things. Well, some things, but not all of the things that we typically buy. We work to acquire things so that we can have them. And I guess that’s fine and dandy. I mean, I do need some things. And I like nice things. But this is ridiculous. I guess all of my things aren’t things at all. It’s all just a bunch of shit.
Maybe I’ll stop buying so much shit and instead travel the world. Seriously.
October 14th, 2009 |
Financial
The Dow Jones Industrial Average hit 10,000 for the first time since October 2008. But then, it hit 10,000 on its way down to 5800. I do expect some sort of sell-off soon as investors lock in some profits.
