STuff You Oughta Know

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

2007-07-12T23:55:00.000-04:00

Apologies all around for the delay in posting this update. I have been a little woozy and somewhat physically uncomfortable since Monday. If you landed here without knowing anything about my ongoing health situation, you may want to start here and follow the back links to get enough information that you are not lost.

First, let's start with the ugly. On Monday afternoon, my doctor removed what was described to me as a "rather large" cancerous tumor from my bladder. The bad - despite expectations for an outpatient procedure, I had to spend the night in the hospital on Monday. But, the good - well, the good is REALLY good - (a) the doctors believe that they got the whole tumor; (b) while they are still waiting for the pathology report to confirm this, it appears as though the tumor was not nearly as embedded into the bladder wall as it appeared from the previously taken surgical photos, and I may not need to have my bladder removed; and (c) ALL of the people that I encountered at Moffitt were top notch.

The only way to look at this, at this point, is that Monday's surgery produced about the best possible outcome that anyone could have hoped. I am trying to temper my enthusiasm until the pathology report comes back, in much the same way that I did not allow myself to get too down about things when they looked a little more bleak. Still, it is my doctor's belief that whatever treatment remains, it is very possible that it will be medicinal in nature, as opposed to surgical - and any way you slice that, it appears to be good news.

While I was initially bummed that I had to stay overnight, I realize that it was absolutely the right thing. What upset me was that I was told it was outpatient, and the only reason I would be staying overnight was if there was a complication during the surgery. So, when I was coming to (but, still groggy), and realized I was being taken to a room, I got really worried. When I was told that things were very successful in the OR, I understood that it was just for observation purposes - not because something had gone wrong.

Random stuff - Every person within the medical profession that I have encountered since this whole mess started has asked if I am a smoker. I am smart enough to know that there is a strong link between cancer and smoking, but it seemed as though the only reaction everyone had was regarding smoking. I finally asked about this while at Moffitt. One of the anesthesiologists that was working on me told me that in all their time in medicine, they had never seen anyone with a tumor in their bladder that was not a smoker. Wow. I like the idea of being a trailblazer, but this isn't exactly what I had in mind.

More random stuff - The Moffitt Center is a first-class, top-rate facility. I realize that my hospital experiences have been pretty limited until now, but these guys did some things that really impressed me. They have complimentary valet parking - and the valet even refused a tip (we didn't have small bills - and he didn't have change - so, he told us to "get him next time" - amazing!). They gave my buddy who drove me full access to the floor's pantry - which was stocked with sodas, Gatorade, snacks, ice cream, etc. - all complimentary. Yes, I realize that I am paying for this, but it is nice to think that visitors looking to spend time with family members - some in pretty bad shape - aren't being nickeled and dimed for everything, least of all a can of soda. Speaking of visitors, there are no pre-set visiting hours. It occurred to me that these types of amenities are in place to ensure that any family and friends visiting cancer patients have one or two less things to worry about. How do you tell someone that they can only visit with their dying father or grandmother between 3-7 pm?

My buddy and I had the nursing staff (and anyone else we encountered) in stitches. I always try to be a good patient - heck, these people are the ones caring for me, and if you were in the position of giving care, who would you want to help - the guy who makes you laugh, or the guy who is a pain in the ass? Of course, my way of dealing with nerves is to just crack jokes - and my nerves were damn well shot. By the time we checked out on Tuesday, I think they were a little sorry to see us go!

Unfortunately, there is little to do right now except to sit back and wait for the pathology report. My next appointment is in 10 days or so. Keep your fingers crossed until then that all of this good news will pan out as such.

Quick Update

2007-07-09T06:39:00.000-04:00

I am on my way out the door to Tampa for the biopsy at Moffitt. Everyone I have spoken with there seems to think that this is an outpatient procedure, but there is the skeptical side of me that won't be surprised if I end up spending the night in the hospital. I am all for making small wishes - so, for the moment, think happy thoughts that I won't be spending the night in the hospital in Tampa!

I will post an update when I can. Thank you all for the kind wishes - it is truly appreciated.

Is Ignorance REALLY Bliss?

2007-07-05T23:23:00.000-04:00

If you don't know the crazy, mixed-up story of my current health issue, you might want to start here, here, and here (at least skim!). Trust me, things will make a lot more sense. Caught up now?

If you have been following this story from the beginning, you should notice that I have tried to keep my sense of humor about things, as best I can. Sure, cracking jokes is my coping mechanism, in general, but I have been making a concerted effort to be as positive as I can about what is coming down the pike. I have a friend who has been suffering from his own cancer for about 15 years - someone who rightfully should have been defeated by his disease years ago, according to his doctors. It seems to me that his attitude, which amazed me every day before my own illness was anywhere on the radar, has helped him defeat his own cancer, almost singlehandedly. If I could duplicate that - heck, I should be in pretty good shape.

I wonder, though, if there isn't a fine line between keeping a positive attitude and burying your head in the sand, when it comes to what may lie ahead. Since I started writing about my health, I have probably downplayed the severity of what has been going on. Did I just not want to confront what was coming at me? Beats me, but if you will recall, at one time, I didn't give my doctor more than a 30% chance of being right in his cancer diagnosis. As of my meeting this morning at Moffitt, I am pretty well convinced that the initial cancer diagnosis was correct.

My visit was enlightening, to say the least. The new doctor, whose specialty is listed as "urological surgeon" took one look at the photos from my last procedure and immediately said that it looks like a serious reality that I will need to have my bladder removed. He concurred with the assessment that there is a large bladder tumor, and based on the size and location of the tumor, many of the less aggressive treatment options may not be available to me. That's the bad news - the good news is that someone my age - and relative good health - should have a better-than-average chance of full recovery (with, hopefully, full use of ALL my pieces and parts).

OK...before we start doing procedures like a radical cystectomy, I am sure that we need to make sure that it is (a) necessary, and (b) all other alternatives have been exhausted. To this end, I have a procedure scheduled for next Monday (7/9) where the surgeon will perform a biopsy - he tells me that he will attempt to get as much of the tumor removed as possible. After that procedure, we will be able to better discuss any and all available treatment options. Chemotherapy looks like a possibility somewhere in my future, as well.

Admittedly, I am a little more nervous than I was yesterday - concerned, too - and, heck, pretty damn scared, on top of all that. The whole idea that "ignorance is bliss" is one thing - right up until you realize that maybe this is a little more serious than you had really considered. For the moment, I have confidence in this doctor. He tells me that he did 80 of these operations last year (bladder removal) - that is 1 1/2 operations per week. On the one hand, it sounds like he knows what he's doing - from what I have read, the most succssful patients are the ones who have the most experienced doctors. On the other hand, there are a few more bits of research that I need to do. For instance, if this guy does this surgery with this degree of frequency, is it because it is his default answer for everything? A guy comes in with a sprained toe, does he think he needs to remove a bladder? Also, of the 80 surgeries he performed, he admits that none of them were performed on anyone as young as me. Perhaps I need to seek out someone who has performed this surgery on someone my own age?

I will try to update with any new information as it becomes available. Or...I will just write my next post about something fun - like fried chicken!

The Waiting is the Hardest Part

2007-06-27T23:07:00.000-04:00

The Tom Petty song has been going through my head the last couple of days. It seems like the very first lesson I learned in dealing with illness (still, as of now, technically UNdiagnosed illness, I might add) is that my patience will be tested - almost daily. Patience has never been one of my strongest traits to begin with, so this should be quite the adventure.

If none of this makes any sense to you, your best bet might be to start here.

The past few days I have been dealing with a seemingly endless run of phone calls. It is the "appointment circle of life."

Call (the cancer center) and schedule an appointment - hear that the next available appointment is 3 1/2 weeks away.
Argue that there must be an appoinment sooner than that.
Listen as I am told that an appointment MIGHT open up, but there is no guarantee.
Call the urologist's office and ask if it was ideal to wait 3 1/2 weeks for an appointment, or should I start to consider other options?
Wait for phone call from the urologist.
Wait for phone call from cancer center to tell me that there is a cancellation.
Call from urologist - he thinks we should punt the cancer center and try another specialist (university hospital).
Call from new specialist to schedule appointment - need to do pre-appointment triage first.
Call new specialist to schedule appointment.
Call from cancer center telling me that an earlier appointment opened.
Call to urologist to confirm cancer center appointment and dispose of new specialist appointment.
Call to cancer center confirming new appointment.

It may not be the cancer that kills me - but this stuff will drive me nuts. Even still, the "pushed up" appointment at Moffitt isn't until July 5. It's only next week, but it seems like a forever-and-a-half.

Instead of waiting around here for the appointment next week, I decided that if I have to wait - then I am going to get out of town for a couple of days. I have some flex time at work, and the July 4 holiday coming up, so I booked a flight out of town Saturday morning. I figure that if I am still feeling healthy enough to do something fun now, why wait until after treatments start and I don't feel like (or physically cannot) do anything fun for any extended period of time.

Fortunately, I have good friends that recognize I need a little push every now and again to do these types of things. Friends that care - and live in fun places that I would want to visit. So, a free flight and free rental car later, I am off to the Taste of Chicago this weekend. Fortunately, the Cubbies are in town, too, and the White Sox are home early next week against the Baltimore Orioles. Food and baseball. Seems like a no-brainer to me.

In the meantime, Tom Petty will continue to ring in my ears. Food and baseball should work to be a good distraction. Besides, at least it's not that God-awful "Live Like You Were Dyin'" song that I manage to hear on the radio about six times a day!

Sometimes it's not what you say...

2007-06-24T20:24:00.000-04:00

If you arrived here by clicking a link in an email from me or don't already know the beginning history of my current health issue, you may want to start here so that things make a little more sense.

When I last wrote, I mentioned that I was due for a procedure that would help identify the alien creature that is inhabiting my body. This past Thursday, I had a friend drive me to the hospital and checked in for a procedure that was medically called a cystoscopy with a transurethral resection of a bladder tumor. In plain English, the doctor was going to knock me out, stick another tube up inside me, slice off a piece of this alleged tumor, and perform a biopsy to ensure a difinitive diagnosis. When I checked in, I wasn't sure if I would be staying overnight in the hospital or leaving after the procedure. Given my general distaste for all things medical - I was in a reasonable frame of mind.

The waiting really was the hardest part. Once they started the IV in pre-op, things started to move quickly, and I ended up becoming a little more relaxed (which I can only assume was the result of a sedative). I remember being rolled into the operating room, and the anesthesiologist making about 10 seconds of small talk and then covering my mouth with what he described as "pure oxygen." The next thing I knew I was awake in recovery.

I guess I could best describe how I felt when I woke up as disappointed. I was in no pain (the drugs were probably still free-flowing in the body!), there was no catheter attached, and only about an hour and a half had elapsed. In my mind, this wasn't very good. The doctor told me that the procedure would take longer if he felt that he was going to be able to "make some progress" on repairing/removing rather than just identification. Since the surgery took such a relatively short time, I had to figure that he got in there and didn't much like what he saw. I was still groggy, but I remember the doctor coming in to talk to me and he showed me some of the pictures that he took - but, everything was way too hazy for me to make any sense of what was happening. I arranged for a post-op appointment the following day, and went to rest, as instructed.

I didn't know what to think when I arrived at the doctor's office the next day - but, in poker terms, I was absolutely "on tilt." The receptionist greeted me with some degree of surprise, as if to say "how are you up and about and in here for an appointment?" She also had a look in her face that made me think I was about to die. Hmmm....OK. The doctor came into the waiting room looking for another patient, spotted me across the room, pointed and said "you - in here!" I guess it's a good thing that your doctor recognizes you and wants to see you, right???

He sat me down and explained, as best he could, what happened during the surgery. He told me that when he got a good look through the scope, he was confident that the obstruction in my bladder was, in fact, a "massive" bladder tumor. OK...probably didn't need to hear the word "massive," but I am hanging in there. He immediately suggested that I seek treatment at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa. He mentioned two doctors names, who he described as the best "bladder guys" in the southeast. This was probably the first time that cancer seemed real to me. Incidentally, the folks from Moffitt seem pretty together - they had actually called me BEFORE I ever left the hospital the day before. I hadn't returned their call, as I was waiting to talk to my doctor first - but, I was impressed that they seemed on top of things.

I asked about the biopsy - did he do one, when would the results be available, etc.? He told me that he didn't actually do a biopsy, as he had "serious concerns" about the mass. His fear was that if he stuck a blade into the tissue to secure a piece for biopsy, he would create a "bloody mess." I only THOUGHT I didn't like the word "massive" until I heard the phrase "bloody mess." As a matter of fact, I am pretty sure that if I had never asked the question, I would probably be a better person for it today. I was told by my friend who accompanied me to the doctor that when he used that phrase, I immediately went flush and probably didn't hear another word he said the whole visit. His overall assessment was that the folks at Moffitt would have the proper tools (lasers to coderize the bleeding, perhaps) to deal with such a medically dicey situation.

Apparently, there are still some things that could be causing this, but are not very likely. One possibility is diverticulitis or diverticulosis. Really, the only reason this is even a possibility is because of the location of the mass, not because of any particular symptoms that I have. To that end, I am calling this remote. However, he does want me to go and get another scope (other end this time) just to be on the safe side. Oh joy. The other remote possibility is that it could be residual infection from the sutures from the previous surgery. Again, this is remote, too, as the location of the mass (anterior) is not consistent with where you would find an infection from sutures. If I was giving my urologist a 30% chance of being right before, I would have to reassess that to be about 90-95%.

How about some good news? First, I am feeling (physically) surprisingly well. I have been amazed by this all weekend. I expected to be attached to a catheter and hopped up on Vicodin. That hasn't been the case at all. I could probably, physically, go back to work tomorrow, but I will take the day to get some details in order and make some appointments. Second, I am glad that the doctor recognized that he needs help in this matter, and referred me to someone who is better equipped to help me. I think doctor's egos sometimes get in the way of the best medical care - and other times, when a doctor is intrigued by a diagnosis (or something he hasn't seen in 20+ years), that s/he might "try" to fix things - kind of like a mechanic who doesn't really know what is making that noise under your hood. Lastly, I am overwhelmed and humbled by the outpouring of support from the blogging community, my friends, and random others who don't even know me - or barely know me. I plan to do a separate post highlighting the other blogs who have picked up on this story, but I did want to share the idea that if laughter is truly the best medicine, I may well live a long and happy life after all.

What do you do when you don't know what to do?

2007-06-20T23:27:00.000-04:00

Things have been a little crazy around here lately. Lately, it seems like it is always a little crazy around here. Still, it has been a little MORE crazy than usual within the last couple of weeks. Truth is, I haven't been feeling well for some time now - I mean, I'm talking months. My symptoms are identical to a situation I had three years ago, when I had surgery to have a very large stone removed from my bladder. At the time, my urologist said that it was the largest stone he had ever seen in over 20 years as a urologist (hey - I win!). The stone was removed, but since I didn't really care for the doctor, I didn't do the follow-up to see what caused the stone or what treatments might be needed to prevent the same from happening again.

Fast forward to the present day. Back in January, I knew that I wasn't feeling well, but since my symptoms were identical to the last stone, I knew what I was in for, and I could tolerate being uncomfortable for a little while - and I didn't really fancy going back to the urologist, I suffered quietly, as best I could. Besides, I didn't want to miss my trip to Texas or the spring travel season for work while I was recuperating from surgery. In retrospect, and in no small part based on how I feel right now, I do realize that was utterly stupid.

When I got back to Florida after spring travel, I started to see a doctor and get the wheels in motion to get this stone out of me. Unfortunately, I learned that doctors are not really willing to rely on my own diagnosis and just schedule me for a surgery requiring multiple incisions. Instead, I have endured a battery of tests - the result of which is that they have found a mass in my bladder that is about 6.5 cm. Confident that this is the stone to which I referred, I again requested that they slice me open and remove the stone so that I could get on with the business of enojoying my summer. My new urologist, before slicing, insisted on doing a cystoscopy (a procedure that no man should ever volunteer for!) and getting a "look" at the mass.

Upon viewing this mass, the doctor informed me, in no uncertain terms, that I have some form of bladder cancer. Knowing that this is almost impossible, I informed the doctor that he was clearly incorrect - merely viewing my (abnormally large sized) stone as something else. Again, he questioned my ability to self-diagnose. To that end, he claimed to be confident that this is not a stone, but rather some form of cancer.

As a 35 year-old, non-smoker who is not exposed to industrial chemicals, it wouldn't seem as though I am in any of the risk categories for this type of cancer. But, the urologist doesn't see it that way. This means that I have to go in for another scope tomorrow (Thursday) to find out exactly what is going on in my bladder. I estimate the urologist's chances of being right at about 30%. However, since hearing this news about 10 days ago - I have been a little freaked out. OK...I started out a LOT freaked out, but I am much better now.

Up until now, this blog has been at least semi-anonymous. I really couldn't figure out how to tell all of the people that I thought should know, so I went for the completely impersonal approach. I deal with talking about myself best that way. I also did some inner battle with whether or not to say anything until I knew something more concrete. So - I almost wussed out on saying anything until hours before I am supposed to go in for surgery. Nothing like pulling the pin out of the grenade, tossing it in the room and then taking off running.

Let me be clear about a few things - in the last week and change, I have done a lot of reading about cancer - this cancer (that I may or may not have), specifically. I have learned even in the worst case scenario, this is not a death sentence. That's the good news; the bad news is that there is a serious likelihood of recurrence somewhere down the road. While death is not likely, some of the things that I may have to live with aren't all that appealing, either. For instance, at 35, I am not sure that I am looking forward to a lifetime of "touching, holding, cuddling, and caressing." I am pretty sure that I will not take the news very well if I am told than I need a radical cystectomy. The thought of having to drain my fake bladder every few hours manually is more than I can stand to think about. I have mentioned that I really do still think that this is just a stone, right?

I have contacted some of my favorite bloggers and asked them to post about the personal finance angle of learning potentially life-altering news. JD from Get Rich Slowly is going to feature this story on his blog in the next day or so, and hopefully, there will be a number of people who can offer up some advice - because I admit to being baffled with a lot of this stuff. And, as independent a guy as I am, going through this alone has me just a touch petrified. Hopefully, other bloggers will pick up on the discussion, as I feel this topic (personal finance as related to possible health issues) is somewhat underrepresented. I will post a follow-up as soon as I can.

Also, I ask that you try to take just a few things away from this post. The first is that I am not looking for sympathy (heck, I don't even think the cancer diagnosis is true yet!), and, even if it is true, I don't think I am going to die. I am not looking for an outpouring of support and prayer (though, I am not going to kick anyone away with a better pipeline to the "Big Guy" than myself). I am fortunate that I have decent health insurance and more sick leave than I ever thought I could use. I hope that any friend of mine who reads this takes away the idea that if your body is telling you something is wrong - and you know it - go to the doctor, go directly to the doctor, do not pass 'Go!', do not collect $200. I know that I have learned my lesson with my own version of "Scared Straight!"

This might be a good time for me to make a sales pitch for you to sign up for the email updates using the block to the upper-right. You won't get spam - and lord knows I don't post all that frequently, but you will get an ad-free, black-on-white, basic formatted HTML version of any updates from this blog only (your name won't be sold or used for any other unsavory things).

This story is updated here.

The Hot Rockin', Flame-Throwin' Carnival of Personal Finance

2007-06-20T18:10:00.000-04:00

When I was a kid, I would sometimes listen to the Z Morning Zoo before school. Scott Shannon and Ross Brittain hosted, with what seemed like a cast of thousands. I always remember one of their bumpers being the "Broadcasting live from the top of the Empire State Building, the Hot Rockin', Flame-Thrown' Z-100!" Side note of Travelin' Man trivia - I was listening when they began broadcasting, though, to this day I have no idea what I was doing awake at 6 am on an August morning. But, I do remember that the first song they played was my favorite song at the time, Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger." Seems like a hundred years ago.

Celebrating firsts (sort of) with a radio theme is JD over at Get Rich Slowly. He is hosting this week's 2nd Anniversary Carnival of Personal Finance. These articles are the best of the best from the personal finance world over the last two years. It is kind of like the pro football, basketball, hockey and baseball All-Star games all rolled into one. I was grateful to have my article, Why Hoarding Airline Miles is a Fool's Game, listed. JD's top picks are marked with a star, and I also picked out a few of my favorite articles for you to check out:

Picking money over time - are we working too much? is at Money and Values. I have mentioned in the past that I have an inability to take time off from work. It is stupid. I need to - I just don't. Maybe if I keep mentioning it, I will get the hint.

I just had my performance review at work, and one of the few things for which I was dinged was disorganization. My office desk is a mess. I am one who operates on the theory that if I had time to clean my desk, I wouldn't be getting any work done. Still, I am always striving for improvement. Here are 16 ways that being disorganized costs you money.

I had a conversation with a friend recently who was worried about money. When I hear people talk about money, I immediately shift into "how can you make more money" mode. Here are 25 Ways to Make Money Quickly and Easily (and Legally)!

Dave Ramsey popularized the debt snowball, but what do you do when you have already paid down all of your debt and started your emergency fund? How about a SAVINGS snowball?

Another conversation with a friend involved the idea of being frugal. I think she interpreted the term to mean "cheap." Fortunately, Money Walks came along and posted Frugal versus Cheap. If I had this article on hand, I could have won my argument a lot quicker!

Those are my Top 5, but there are plenty more listed that may be just what YOU were looking for. Check it out!

I Miss Omaha!

2007-06-19T23:26:00.000-04:00

I mean I REALLY miss Omaha.

This is College World Series week (as though you didn't already know!), and I should be in Omaha. This (psuedo-)annual trip is one in which the planning for the following year begins on the plane ride back. For me, I am never ready to leave when the trip is over - so, I am most gung-ho about going back right when we leave.

I have been talking about this year's Omaha trip since college baseball season started. I caught games in Houston (Rice vs. Long Beach State) and Nashville (Vanderbilt, with MLB's #1 draft pick David Price pitching, versus Florida). I went to the ACC Baseball Tournament in Jacksonville. Heck, I am a college baseball FAN. I planned the trip with my buddy who is heading off to law school in the fall at Louisville. We are both UNC fans, and we always suspected that UNC may make the trip to Omaha with us, but neither of us ever expected Louisville to be there, too. I feel bad for my friend because I bailed out on him at the last minute.

And now I miss Omaha.

I miss the "Greatest Show on Dirt."

I miss my annual steak dinner at Johnny's Cafe. While we are on the subject, I also miss Lo Sole Mio (I would have never expected to find one of the best Italian restaurants around in Omaha!) and the Bohemian Cafe.

I miss the carnival-like atmosphere around Rosenblatt Stadium.

I miss the Henry Doorly Zoo.

I miss the Jesus water people.

I miss getting a free Slim Jim with the local paper every day on the way to the game. Hey - you need the water to wash down SOMETHING, don't you?I miss the brisk walk up the hill - usually in temperatures north of 90-95 degrees - with throngs of baseball fans all hoping to witness some of that CWS magic.

I miss the Titan House. For that matter, I miss all of the rented houses along 13th Street that have people partying from early in the morning until long after the last out is recorded at night.

I miss Zesto's.

I miss staying in the team hotel. One year we stayed in the South Carolina host hotel and one year with LSU. I will never forget having breakfast one morning with the entire South Carolina team. The starting pitcher was sitting about three feet behind me. Cool stuff.

I miss the LSU fans - and the Horns, too. These guys know how to travel. LSU folks all caravan with their giant RVs; hosting large tailgating parties - whether LSU is playing or not - with crawfish boils, jumbalaya, etc. The UT fans have the grills out smoking meats "low and slow" early in the morning.

I miss the eight flags flying over Rosenblatt - the ones that are lowered one at a time, as each team is eliminated from contention.

I miss Harold Reynolds.

I miss the "ball girls" - the ones whose responsibility include retrieving the foul balls hit onto the screen straight back over the grandstand. If the ball is caught - cheers from the crowd; if the ball hits the ground (for ANY reason) - unmerciful boos. One of the great Omaha traditions.

I think Harold Reynolds misses the ball girls, too.

I miss the live organist.

I miss how the whole town embraces "their" event - how when you walk into a restaurant, they don't ask what you want to drink, but rather who won the early game.

I miss the ticket scalpers - they actually seem nice and friendly - and you can still get reasonably priced tickets.

I miss Sammy the Owl - the only real mascot I have seen in all my years in Omaha.

Mostly, I just think I underestimated how much I would miss being a part of it all.

And, if for whatever reason, I am not able to make it back next year, I am going to be really bummed again.

Deep Fried Jacksonville

2007-06-16T21:21:00.000-04:00

Jacksonville is one of those cities that doesn't even really belong in Florida. It gets cold in the winter; Spanish is not the PRIMARY language spoken; and, anywhere else in Florida, hosting something called "The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party" would be considered a badge of honor - not Jacksonville. No, Jacksonville is a misplaced southern city. Most folks realize that the rest of the state is not part of "The South," but rather is at the end of the off-ramp from a secret exit off of the Long Island Expressway.

I decided to take a few days last month to see the ACC Baseball Tournament in Jacksonville. From previous visits, I have found Jacksonville to be lacking somewhat in viable dining options. Fortunately, just prior to this trip, I found out that my cholesterol level was at a very respectable 151. Armed with that information, and taking into account Jacksonville's southern roots, I went out in search of some serious fried critters.

My first serious food stop was Clark's Fish Camp. This place was recommended by a serious foodie buddy, so I was really looking forward to it. Finding Clark's is a bit of a challenge. It isn't on any main road - requires a number of turns to get to from any direction, and is past a road sign that reads "DEAD END." I am kind of amazed that I made it there. I didn't get an exterior shot of this place because I arrived in the evening, with very little daylight - and there ain't much lighting on the exterior of this place to take photos. The parking lot (and adjoining street) was PACKED with cars.

Clark's is famous for their wildlife theme. Greeting you as you walk in the door is this nature scene...

"Florida Kitsch" is the best way I can describe the decorations that are not dead/stuffed animals...

This was the antler chandelier (one of many) that hung over my table....
If you want to see the food, continue down below the fold

I ordered the fried shrimp and fish combo, with fries and mac and cheese.
My buddy recommended the shrimp, and I should learn to take his recommendations very seriously. The shrimp was the star of the plate - by far. They were flavorful and plump - and were not overpowered by the light breading and frying process, which can often happen. Tilapia, which I like (in general), is not a fish that is coducive to frying very well. The nature of the fish is that it takes it's flavor from the preparation - and the frying didn't do well - it tasted like nothing. Catfish, cod, grouper (yeah, right!) - anything would have been better than tilapia. The fries were probably a little better than OK - and the mac and cheese was ordinary. It wasn't until after I left that I realized that my plate did not include the promised hush puppies. I was plenty full, so I didn't even notice them until I was discussing my dinner with a friend later on.

I screwed up on the ordering - should have just gotten the fried shrimp. However, my plan was to hit O'Steen's in St. Augustine at some point during the weekend, and I knew I would be having their fried shrimp (maybe my favorite), so I balked and split the meal with fish - my bad.

I do not often order dessert, but I was in the mood. What better way to end a deep-fried meal than with...
deep-fried cheesecake with a raspberry sauce. Mmmmm...good. I tried to get a picture of the inside of one of these bad boys, but the lighting would not not cooperate with my camera (and/or operator), and all the photos came out too blurry to use. I ate about half and took the rest back to the hotel. Bad move - this wasn't something that fared well after cooling off substantially. The cheesecake was wonderful warm. It was almost just a different dessert altogether than just to think about cheesecake. I have never even tried any of the deep-fried "fair" food (fried snickers, twinkies, coke, etc.). It just sounded good - for that night. The texture changed completely (not soggy), though, when they cooled - again, not horrible - but, it just wasn't the same experience that I had earlier. While they were no longer hot in the hotel room, they weren't cold, either - just room temperature - and it just didn't work for me.

If I am ever sentenced to be in Jacksonville again, I would give this place another shot - but, I will probably stick to the fried shrimp!

Clark's Fishing Camp • 12903 Hood Landing Road • Mandarin, FL 32258 • (904) 268-FISH (3474)

The REAL Carnival of Dining Out III - Super-Sized Edition

2007-05-29T01:34:00.000-04:00

I don't think that there is a big enough apology to account for my extended absence. I appreciate the emails and well-wishes from those who thought I had gone to meet the Great Blogger in the Sky - and the prodding from friends who wouldn't know where to eat, what to watch on television, or how to grab some extra airline miles or hotel points without me.

Without further ado, here are all of the latest entries for the Carnival of Dining Out. Since I have not posted in a couple of months, I am waiving the normal one-per-month rule. Those that submitted an article for each month, will have both posted.

Breakfast/Brunch

Jennifer Miner starts things off with Best Brunch in Chicago posted at Travel Articles. Jennifer wanted to make sure that my anti-sushi bias didn't preclude her participation, so she chose a topic that even a manly-man diner such as myself would approve. Some of these suggestions might just keep me out of Lou Mitchell's the next time I am in Chicago!

KoffieVerkeerd is our first international contributor this month. The Amsterdam coffee bar scene is happening. Early breakfast at Bagels & Beans posted at DaarZijnWeWeer. Of course, it is possible that I haven't really considered the surge in the Euro against the American dollar, but 7 Euros (~$10US?) sounds like an awful lot of change to kick out for a bagel with a schmear and a cup o' joe.

Jul checks in with a stop in one of America's culinary crown cities - Brunch, New Orleans style posted at Veggie Chic. This may well be the first vegetarian-specific submission. Congratulations!

Multicultural Dining Experiences

Forget that processed "just add boiling water", 10 cents-a-bag "meal" from your college years. Newcomer Mystery Critic will show you where to find MC's Favorite Ramen Shops in the US posted at Mystery Critic Reviews of Best Restaurants.There is a definite west coast bias here, but I suspect that the west may well be where the best ramen can be found!

My good buddy, Kiki Maraschino (one of the all-time great nom-de-plumes) got her blog off the ground and sent in Que Rica! posted at Here, Eat This! (I also think her original blog name was a winner - if not G-rated!). Kiki has a great writing style, so you should definitely check out the rest of her work. Now. Go.

Dhana from Fresh Kitchen dropped in with a non-restaurant dining out experience at the local Thai temple in San Francisco. Dhana claims this to be the best Thai food outside of Thailand! And, since pictures are the way to my heart....well, I can't hotlink to the pictures, so you will need to click on the article to see them for yourself.

I will readily admit that I have never dined in a Ghanaian restaurant. Come to think of it, I don't know that I have ever SEEN a Ghanaian restaurant. If I were looking for one, though, I can think of no better place in the States than Berkeley, CA. Koranteng Ofosu-Amaah tells us aboutA Taste of Africa posted at Koranteng's Toli.

Fine/Upscale Dining Experiences

First-timer snekse writes about a new restaurant in one of my favorite cities - Darwin Bistro - Omaha, NE posted at Gastronomic Fight Club - Mischief. Mayhem. Soup. I am in the midst of planning my annual trip to the College World Series, and I may have to include Darwin Bistro on my list of potential dining options.

Repeat offender Steve Madsen gives us the latest on the Seattle dining scene with Twenty-six Dinners - Market Street Grill posted at South Bank Projects. I have participated in the Dine Around Seattle promotion when out that way in the past. It seems as though that special runs about the same time of year my business takes me to Seattle.

s'kat tells me that there aren't a lot of options in Newport News, VA, but Create Bistro is one of the best. She must know that I am a sucker for food photos, too - and that calamari looks delicious! Check out the rest of her posts, too, at s'kat and the miscellania.

From the "Maybe someday... Department," Sagar Satapathy presents Top 10 Most Expensive Restaurants in the World posted at Credit Card Lowdown. I guess for some restarantuers, this is a list that they would AIM to make. Congratulations, Mr. Keller, et al.

Counters, Cafes, Joints, Huts, and Shacks

belledame222's premier post, Fetch me my axe: "Well, let's have lunch. Everything looks better after lunch." is self-described as "New Yorker-style, first-person piece about an accidentally transcendent experience in a small seafood restaurant." I can't top that. Check out the rest of her work at Fetch me my axe.

Roderick Russell sends the first post from the great State of Connecticut! Traveler Food and Books posted at NOUMENON :: Art, Ideas, Culture & Capricious Opinion. Our run on vegetarian-friendly dining establishments continues. Taking advantage of my slacker status, Russell also brings us the first submission from New Hampshire, with Cold Mountain Cafe Review.

That's going to about wrap things up for this month's edition. My punishment for not posting for so long is that I don't get a link. But, check back periodically, or subscribe to the feed using the button at the top of the page, because I will have some new tales of my own travel coming up soon. In the past few months, I have had the opportunity to visit New York City upstate New York; Nashville, TN; and Jacksonville, FL. Who knows? I might even write about some of those trips!

Submit your articles to the next edition of the Carnival of Dining Out using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Carnival of Dining Out III - Only Fools Rush In Edition

2007-04-01T23:50:00.000-04:00

Greetings. I bet you all thought that you would find the April 1 edition of the Carnival to be no different than any of the previous editions - a collection of the best blog posts over the past month highlighting the restaurant choices spanning the globe. BO-RIIIIING. Who would keep coming back - month after month - to read that drivel? Instead....you get this....(as always, divided into handy sections, for your reading pleasure)

From the world of restaurant marketing:
McDonald's Drops 'Hammurderer' Character from Advertising

New Homestyle Chicken Sandwich Shamelessly Promoted

Food statistics:
Meat Now America's Favorite Condiment

Food on the court blotter:
Supreme Court Rules Restaurant Patron Must Try Cheesecake

International (I do always love our intercontinental appeal):
Japanese Exchange Student Taken to Japanese Restaurant

OK, OK. The truth is I had to work today, and I forgot that it was April 1 (and the Carnival was due) until right before midnight. Longtime readers know that posting at this time of day is nothing new, but I am just plain beat and cannot devote the attention needed to get this done properly. So, I will return tomorrow with the real Carnival of Dining Out III, including my course-by-course review of my most recent dining out experience at the famed Olive Garden**. My sincere apologies to those who made excellent submissions and the two or three of you who are anxiously awaiting me to compile said submissions.

**The last paragraph is absolutely and completely and 100% true (except for the part about the Olive Garden thing - come on, now....get real).

Kiplinger 100: Best Values in Private Education

2007-03-15T02:01:00.000-04:00

College rankings are, for the most part, useless. I believe that college selection is an individual choice that cannot be summed up by rankings. Still, many students chase the same elusive top schools, as though "winning" admission to one of them is the only means by which their high school success (and future success) can be measured. Yet, what may be the #1 school for one student may not be on another students radar. I don't know how that gets factored into rankings.

Kiplinger's, as usual, provides some specific, targeted advice in their current article, Kiplinger 100: Best Values in Private Colleges. The idea behind their rankings is to compare colleges, both research universities and liberal arts colleges, on the basis of the quality of their education versus the relative costs to the students and their families. Also, the article brings to light some disturbing issues that many students face at this time of year.

When Andrew Kositsky applied to colleges several years ago, complicated circumstances prevented him from receiving much family support or qualifying for need-based aid. Rather than abandon his dream of attending an Ivy League institution, Kositsky, of Lummi Island, Wash., considered borrowing $100,000 to foot the bill. "I thought it would be worth it because I'd only go to college once. I wanted the decision to be made irrespective of money."

Fortunately....

Then he talked to Caltech, where a flexible approach to financial aid meant that he could attend a top program without mortgaging his future. "Not only was Caltech understanding in the first place, but it was also willing to listen in case the dynamic changed," says Kositsky. His package, which includes federal and institutional aid, covers about three-fourths of the cost. Kositsky and his family pay the rest.

When Kositsky graduates next year, he plans to share his enthusiasm for math by teaching, a profession he couldn't have pursued had he been saddled with six-figure debt. This brainy kid now recognizes a no-brainer: "Looking back, I'm glad I made the choice not to take out those loans."

I suspect that all too many students (and their families) approach paying for college more in line with Kositsky's first statements - "I only go to college once..." is a familiar refrain.

So, which colleges do manage to blend high quality education, while remaining light on the wallet? The top 10 universities are as follows:

Rank	Name	State	Undergrad. Enroll.	Admission Rate	Total Costs	Cost After Need- Based Aid	Need Met	Aid From Grants	Cost After Non- Need-Based Aid	Non-Need- Based Aid	Average Debt
1	California Institute of Technology, Pasadena	CA	891	17%	$41,595	$14,270	100%	96%	$11,777	20%	$5,395
2	Yale University, New Haven	CT	5,409	10%	$44,000	$16,068	100%	93%	$44,000	0%	$14,306
3	Harvard University, Cambridge	MA	6,649	9%	$44,655	$16,338	100%	92%	$44,655	0%	$8,769
4	Rice University, Houston	TX	3,185	25%	$37,364	$20,475	100%	84%	$31,210	25%	$14,166
5	Duke University, Durham	NC	6,534	22%	$44,532	$20,604	100%	86%	$20,516	6%	$24,391
6	Princeton University, Princeton	NJ	4,906	11%	$45,412	$18,944	100%	93%	$45,412	0%	$4,370
7	Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge	MA	4,066	14%	$44,650	$20,406	100%	87%	$44,650	0%	$19,748
8	Emory University, Atlanta	GA	6,510	37%	$43,428	$22,192	100%	77%	$25,443	10%	$22,175
9	Columbia University, New York	NY	4,225	11%	$45,844	$23,062	100%	82%	$45,844	0%	$16,080
10	University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia	PA	9,841	21%	$44,790	$23,074	100%	80%	$44,790	0%	$21,133

Now, this is an impressive list of schools. They are Top 10, after all. But, how realistic is this collection of schools to the average - heck, even top college students. Only one school admits more than one-quarter of their applicant pool, and Emory (37%) is still no guarantee for most students. 60% of the schools on this list (the Ivies and MIT) offer no merit-based scholarships, so if you don't want to open the pocketbook at these schools, you need to exhibit financial need. Even the schools that do offer merit awards only do so for the top of the applicant pool, or students with special talents that the university seeks.

You can find the complete list of liberal arts colleges here. The statistics are going to be eerily similar. Here, four of the Top 10 admit more than one-quarter (Davidson, Washington and Lee, Colgate, and Wellesley), but only one admits more than one-third (Wellesley - 34%). Getting in will be more than half the battle here, too. Five of the ten do not offer merit-based scholarships, either.

Scour the lists, though, as there are a number of schools that admit a good percentage from their applicant pool, and offer excellent merit-based scholarship opportunities. A brief, cursory glance yields a list including these choices:

Centre College, KY - 63% of their applicant pool admitted; 83% receive some merit aid.
DePauw University (IN), Austin College (TX), Wabash College (IN), Agnes Scott College (GA), and Illinois Wesleyan all admit more than 50% of their applicant pool and offer more than 50% of their admitted students merit-based aid.

On the university side, Trinity University in San Antonio, TX meets the same 50/50 profile. So does Case Western Reserve (OH), Whitworth College (WA), Drake University (IA), Gonzaga University (WA), Butler University (IL), and Valparaiso University in Indiana.

It seems to me that based on those results your best bets for affordable quality schooling can be found in Indiana and at some of the country's better faith-based schools. As with everything else, though, these rankings should be taken at face value, and only considered as part of the college admission decision process.

Of Beer and BBQ

2007-03-14T23:50:00.000-04:00

If you are arriving in the middle of this story, you might want to go back and start with Part I.

When last we left the trip through Texas, I was leaving the Avalon Diner and heading west to Shiner, Texas, and the Spoetzel Brewery - the makers of my favorite brewski, Shiner Bock. I remember my first trip to Texas back in the early '90s. One of my college buddies was getting married in San Antonio, and I flew out for the festivities. Every place we went, I would go to order my beer of choice, Amber Bock, and every place I went, I was told "we don't serve Amber Bock, we have Shiner Bock." Not being familiar with the brand - and not being much of a beer drinker to begin with, I moved on to something else. It wasn't until the night of the bachelor party when my friend was still coherent enough to know that he should stop consuming all the beers people purchased for him, that he passed me (the designated driver) one of his Shiners. I guess we could call it love at first taste - because I was hooked.

For all the times I have been to central Texas, I always wanted to visit Shiner and the brewery. Unfortunately, Shiner is about two hours west of Houston, an hour and a half east of San Antonio and about an hour and a half southeast of Austin. Usually, no matter how well I plan, I just can't swing that much drive time on the work nickel to score a trip to a brewery. This trip, though, was my own doing, and there was a group gathering at the brewery as part of the weekend festivities, so the stars aligned properly - for once!

We arrived in Shiner too late for the morning tour and way early for the afternoon gig (note to self: someone should really check to see the tour times before driving two hours!). We had time to kill, so we went - well, where else? The nearest watering hole. Heck, it was after noon somewhere, right? Right up the road from the brewery was a place (which may well have been named "Bar" or "Tavern" for all I know) that sold frosty cold plastic cups of Shiner Blonde for - get this - $1.25. This will do until the brewery tour begins.

The Shiner folks are a little squirrelly about people taking pictures inside the brewery, so I only got some outside shots. The brewery tour is cool (and free!). I learned a lot about beermaking and that Shiner Bock is now the #1 best-selling craft beer in Texas (not really surprising - those yellow bottles are EVERYWHERE) and the #4 best-selling craft beer in all of the United States. Today's trivia - Who are the three ranked ahead of Shiner Bock? Answer at the end of the post (if I could only figure out a way to post upside down!).

You get a few free samples before, during, or after the tour. They offer more than just the bock for tasting, too. I sampled the blonde, hefeweizen, bock and the seasonal dunkelweizen. The first three were good, but the dunkel is an acquired taste that I have not acquired. I thought it tasted a little thick - but, true beer lovers may love it. Me, when I say "Shiner," I mean "bock."

After navigating our way through the backroad Texas speedtraps, the caravan made it's way up to Taylor, TX - home of the legendary Louie Mueller's BBQ. I visited Louie Mueller's about a year ago, and detailed the bulk of my feelings at that time. Still, there was something so noteworthy at this stop that bears specific mention. For all the readers out there in Internet-land who are fans of menus, Louie Mueller's boasts one of my favorites. Scratched out on butcher paper and posted to the wall with masking tape, all of the days offerings are clearly spelled out. You can pretty well figure that most regulars here don't stop to read the menu.

The barbecue at Mueller's is excellent. As big a fan as I am of Williams Smokehouse in Houston (I won't link to the same article again, but if you haven't read the first post in this series, you'll know what I mean), if I had a choice between the two on a daily basis, I suspect that I wouldn't be eating much at Williams. During this weekend, though, we searched out the pinnacle of all BBQ, and while the beef brisket and pork ribs are really solid choices here, we would find some samples of those products to be superior further along in the trip (how's that for a teaser?). But, the single best thing on the menu here are the phenomenal beef ribs. Pictured to the left is the guy in our group affectionately called "The Mayor" enjoying one of these Flintstone-esque ~~brontosaurus~~ - errrr....beef ribs. I may go so far as to say that these ribs weren't only the best thing on the Mueller's menu, but it may have been the single best piece of meat - any style - that we enjoyed the whole weekend. Maybe after the last post, I will do an "awards" post for the best of this trip. The guys at Mueller's are probably going to hate me for posting this, as they told us that they get a spike in business whenever the local food writer mentions the beef ribs - and they usually cannot keep up with the demand on a daily basis. As a matter of fact, the rib shown in the picture was the last one sold for the day - yes, most of us didn't get to order them, as they were sold out. I managed to sample a small piece of the rib meat that someone else had ordered, and I can assure you - this is a serious nominee for best BBQ of the weekend.

Stay tuned...more to come on visits to Lockhart (Kreutz's Market, Smitty's) and Southside Market in Elgin.

Maybe I Can Still Beat the Tax Man?

2007-03-13T23:54:00.000-04:00

The frequent commenter that posts anonymously but signs her comments "Rache" is one of my co-workers. Not only does she read about my latest obsessions here, but she also gets the added privilege of hearing about them during the day at work. Usually, when she's had enough, she sends me an article that either supports or refutes my claims and attempts to secure herself a few moments of peace. To be honest, it is not a bad plan at all.

When she finally tired of hearing me moan about having to plunk down some dough with my federal tax return, she sent me this article from MSN. Apparently, I am not the one banging my head against the wall this tax season.

I had thought about most of the ideas brought forward before I read them in this article. Unfortunately, I don't have a "green" car, nor did I install energy efficient windows last year. I didn't pay college tuition, either. For that matter, most of the discussion points from the article are things that you would have had to do back in 2006 to have any effect on your tax return now....except one. And, I can actually take advantage.

This will cause a collective :gasp: from the personal finance blogging community....but, I have not yet contributed to my 2006 IRA. I still have a traditional (deductible) IRA. I don't make the maximum contributions because, quite frankly, I cannot afford to stash an additional $4,000 away - with no real ability to touch the money for another 30 years. I would love to - but, I just cannot afford another $4k for retirement savings. But, what if I were getting a discount on the money invested in the IRA? In essence, that what will happen, if I contribute.

TurboTax estimates that for every dollar of deduction that I have, I will save about 18 cents in taxes. So, for every $1,000 deposited into my IRA, it will really only cost me $820 out of my pocket. Since I need to pay Uncle Sam anyway, the money really is discounted. If I were getting a refund, the same theory might be true, but it would have less of a real effect on my thinking. Crazy, isn't it? Sometimes logic has less to personal finance than "personal" has to do with finance.

Still, where am I going to come up with the $1,500 it will take to alleviate my tax bill? While TECHNICALLY I have the cash to make the contribution, it would be coming from money that is earmarked for something else. I do have about $1,000 worth of Motorola stock that I could deposit (actually, I am not sure if I can contribute stock directly and I must be losing my touch with "The Google," because I have yet to find a concrete answer). I just don't know how to apply the tax issue, and I need to make a phone call to TD Ameritrade, the folks who hold my IRA account. Can I deposit the stock directly? What is the amount that is deductible? The tax basis? The fair market value? Would I be better off to sell the stock and just deposit the proceeds (seems like it makes less sense to pay an extra set of commissions to buy and sell, but it wouldn't be the strangest thing I have ever heard)? Of course, another day in the market like today, and I won't need to worry about it, as the MOT stock is just plummeting, of late.

I need to get this situation squared away soon, and still figure out where the difference between what I own in stock and what I still need to contribute to abate my tax obligation is going to come from. The clock is ticking, though, and with one month to go until the filing date, I have little time to secure additional funding.

Why Hoarding Airline Miles is a Fools Game

2007-03-12T23:33:00.000-04:00

Confession: I am an airline miles and hotel points whore. Yes, whore. I am the nut who will fly an extra connection - completely out of the way - just to rack up another 1,000 miles. A few years ago, when a hurricane was bearing down on Hooterville, I had scheduled work travel. I knew that if I waited for my outbound flight, there was a good chance that it would be canceled. I went to the airport early and hoped to get on an earlier flight to New York. The only option that would have gotten my out earlier was to fly from Florida to SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico to JFK - instead of a direct Florida to NYC flight. For an extra 1,900 miles, I would gladly make a detour to San Juan - and I avoided a hurricane - BONUS!

Based on the title, you wouldn't think that I would be the kind of fellow that would be accumulating airline miles, would you? Oh contraire...I love accumulating. I also love using them. I am an "earn and burn" kind of a guy. Many people often make the serious mistake of "saving up" for a destination award - a trip to Hawaii, a summer vacation to Europe, etc. The reality is that airline miles and hotel points are not appreciating assets - that is, you do not earn interest on your miles balance, and there is just no way that the miles you have today are going to be "worth" more tomorrow.

Instead of saving for a Hawaiian vacation, figure that you are saving cash for a kitchen remodel. You know that the new kitchen will cost you $25,000, so you begin stashing away a few extra dollars each month. After one year, you have saved $18,000, but now the cost of the new kitchen has risen to $40,000. You continue to save, and after another year, you have saved about $30,000 - except, the cost of your kitchen has now risen to $50,000. Face it - at this rate, you're starting to think about dining out more often than cooking at home.

How far fetched is this example? Not very, when you consider that within the last couple of weeks, one major airline and one major hotelier have introduced major changes to their award structure that has caused nothing but a serious devaluation in the currency that is your hotel points and airline miles....and they did it completely under the radar...essentially in the middle of the night when no one was looking. That is easily the biggest gripe. Without a doubt, had USAirways or Marriott announced that they were moving the goalposts with a few months notice, allowing people who had been planning on booking these affected awards the opportunity to do so, they would have created some goodwill - even while delivering bad news. By waiting until after the voting for the Freddies (the mileage geeks' equivalent to the Oscars), Marriott really steamed some folks.

Devaluation is the term often heard when disappointed folks talk about their inability to score their intended award, but INFLATION is just as critical. There are just too many airline miles and hotel points on the market right now, all chasing a limited number of available award seats and hotel rooms. It used to be that you actually had to fly or stay at a hotel to earn their respective currencies. Now, you can buy flowers, eat at your favorite restaurants, charge your groceries on a co-branded credit card, or refinance your mortgage to get points and miles. This ease in earning miles has led to a glut on the market. The more miles people "own" as assets, the more miles airlines keep on the books as liabilities. When airlines and hotels realize that there are too many awards sitting unused in loyalty accounts, they need to tighten the strings.

The bottom line is this - if you are saving for a "dream" reward, aim to have the required mileage earned in less than one year. If you cannot do that, there is a good chance you will not get the desired award at the level you are chasing. Reduce your expectations accordingly for each year it will take you to earn the mileage required, and you will be less disappointed. Also, many airlines and hotels readjust their award offerings early in the year. If you think that you MIGHT use an award - and you suspect that the award may cost more when the next devaluation occurs, book it in advance. Most hotels will gladly return the points you have allotted for a canceled award - and some don't even require you to have the points until you are ready to travel. Airlines will usually charge you a fee to do the same, but you might be willing to pay that as insurance to secure the award you really want.

Earn 'em and burn 'em - you will reduce the likelihood that you will be disappointed.

I Owe, I Owe - It's Off to Work I Go!

2007-03-12T00:58:00.000-04:00

It was an unhappy weekend here at the Fortress of Solitude. Yesterday was tax preparation day. I'd been putting off this relatively easy task for a month-plus now, mostly because I was sure that my refund was going to be extremely small this year. If I was expecting enough money to fund a summer vacation, I would have been all over this at the beginning of February.

After plugging in all of the information from the W-2 and 1099s, deducting all of the deductions, exempting all of the exemptions, and ciphering until I could cipher no more, it turns out that I owe $222 to my Uncle Sam. This, of course, led me to believe that there must have been some mistake - I NEVER owe. I usually get a smaller-than-everyone-else refund, which I am OK with, because it means that I have had more of my money to do with as I please than those who get huge refunds. But, I don't OWE. In 18 years of filing a 1040 (or equivalent), I have never owed money on April 15. This year, when all of my friends are talking about spending their tax refunds on a vacation to Bermuda, I am going to be squealing as I write a check that will help subsidize their Hawaiian shirt wearing behinds.

How did this happen? Well, I did make more money this year than last (a good problem to have) from my day job. I also worked as an independent contractor this year (more than last), from which there was no money withheld. On top of that, I also owe self-employment tax on that money. Passive income was up, too. Thanks to my ING account, my interest earned was better than 20 times what I earned last year in my feeble Wachovia account. Unfortunately (fortunately, from a tax paying standpoint), my interest paid was also up on my student loans. I have a decreasing outstanding loan amount, but my interest paid increases....UGH!

From a tax standpoint, my problem is that I don't spend nearly enough. My medical expenses, including health insurance premiums, were well below the required threshold for deductibility. If I got sick more often, I would spend more money on healthcare, and I would save on my tax bill. My mortgage is abominably tiny - and therefore, so is the interest I pay on my primary residence. It is so small, that I also do not meet the minimum threshold for itemizing deductions. If I spent more money, to get a bigger house (that I neither need, nor can afford), I could save money on my taxes. I could also contribute more to charity, make a large capital purchase (sales tax savings), or sell stocks at a loss to reduce my tax burden. Unfortunately, I didn't - so, I can't.

One thing that really chaps me is the low income tax credit for retirement savings. This money is designed to encourage those who would otherwise not contribute to a self-funded retirement account to save money. Obviously, this is a win for the government. If they can get more people to save for retirement, there may be less of a burden on the social security system in years to come. Unfortunately, they think that "low income" caps out at $25k/yr for single filers. By just bumping that up to $50k, it would appear that more people would participate (I am thinking of the 20-something colleagues that I know that have no concept of retirement savings), which would alleviate some government burden in the future, and cost relatively little in present day dollars. Of course, the most important benefit would be that I would have my tax bill eased.

Today's patron saint of this blog is Mr. Pink, from 'Reservoir Dogs' who said it best. "It would seem to me that The Travelin' Man belongs to one of the many groups the government @$^%s in the $^% on a regular basis."

And, it hurts. :-(

The Lowdown on H-Town, Part II

2007-03-09T01:05:00.000-05:00

This is part of a series that begins here.

After returning from Galveston, we made off for dinner at Magnolia Bar & Grill. This was my second trip to this venerable Houston establishment. The last time I was in town, the weather was great and we ate outside. This trip, temperatures dipped into the 40's, so we decided an indoor table was in order. Magnolia has a large and varied menu, but their specialties include a lot of creole seafood. First up on my agenda was this stellar bowl of shrimp gumbo. The picture, as usual, does not do this bowl of spicy goodness any justice. You could not dip the spoon into the bowl without pulling up three shrimp per spoonful. The broth was spicy, but not distractingly so.

My dinner entree was another Texas gulf specialty, stuffed redfish. There were three of us at the table, and two of us ordered the redfish. My other dining companion (the artist formerly known as "Wacky Mutant Assistant Chick") went with the stuffed shrimp, which were also described as excellent. The redfish came with a lump crabmeat stuffing (like the shrimp in the gumbo, you could pick out the large chunks of crabmeat in the stuffing). The mashed potatoes that accompanied the dish were some of the best I have ever had.

Wacky Mutant Assistant Chick also grabbed a piece of their key lime pie, and put away the whole thing. Personally, I liked the fruit garnish, but I am not a fan of key lime pie - and can I just tell you how hard it is to live in Florida and not like key lime pie?

Breakfast the following morning was at the Avalon Diner, which earned a prominent spot on my Best of 2006 list. You can follow along after the jump...

Before departing Houston, "wanderingjew" and I planned to meet up for breakfast at the Avalon. Unfortunately, he ran into some car trouble and had a rough go getting to the restaurant. We ended up in slightly more of a rush than we had anticipated, but the Avalon is a worthy stop for some pre-road trip grub. Located in a non-descript strip mall in a somewhat upscale neighborhood, the Avalon Diner doesn't look like the kind of place that would normally attract my attention. But, one step in the door, and you immediately feel as though you have taken a step back in time. The decor is retro - the traditional 1950's diner feel. I love the oversized soda caps hanging on the wall.

To be honest, my breakfast was unexciting - I ordered the old-fashioned, thin, small-tread waffle, based on a Michael Stern recommendation. It was good. But, just good. Wanderingjew ordered the chicken fried steak (sorry, I didn't get a photo), and I have to admit - he won. This is definitely an instance of "when in Rome..." and when in Texas, chicken fried steak is usually a pretty good option.

The real reason I added Avalon to the Houston recap, though, was to add the photos and the full attention that my previous visit deserved, but was never written. On my last visit, I sat at the counter and observed the inner workings of a tradtional diner from a cat bird seat at the counter. There is nothing like getting the first-hand view of the interaction between the cooks and the servers at the counter. On top of the ambiance, the thin-patty burgers at Avalon are delicious. The crinkle-cut fries are the ideal accompaniment.

The burger, fries and a shake was a great meal, but on my next trip through town, I want to check out their fresh-squeezed lemonade (they also do limeade). This machine makes the magic. You can see the fresh limes and lemons in the background. I watched as they created each glass, as it was ordered. Each lemon squeezed on the spot, a little syrup and sugar added and blended perfectly and served in an old-style fountain glass.

Well fed, we departed for Shiner, Texas, the home of Spoetzel Brewery - the makers of Shiner Bock beer. More on that in the next installment.

New Years Resolutions Revisited - How YOU Doin'?

2007-03-08T23:54:00.000-05:00

We are about ten weeks into the new year, or about one-fifth of the way through, depending on how you look at it. Remember the New Year's resolutions you made back on January 1 - hopefully in a reasonably sober state? I do. I posted them here (note to self: dumb thing to do). I guess ten weeks is as good a marking point as any to do the first check-up.

#1 - I resolve to take more days off from work in 2007. Hmmm...this is not going as well as I'd hoped, but it is not a complete failure, either. So far, I have used zero vacation or sick days this year - and along the way, I have accumulated more. But, I used my one personal day and the comp day that I earned for working a weekend when we hosted a tour for guidance counselors. Those days were used on my previously mentioned Houston/Austin, TX trip. I also took some partial days off to go and watch our school's basketball teams play some road games. Unfortunately, it is the second week of spring training, the ACC Tournament is going on right now nearby, and our women's basketball team is playing in a regional tournament this week, too. Me, I will be at work. :-( This needs work. Perhaps after I do my taxes, I will start planning summer vacation.

#2 - I resolve to blog more often in 2007. This one is, for now, a win. I am ahead of my pace from last year, and I have been submitting articles to blog carnivals to drive more traffic. I even started my own - the Carnival of Dining Out, which has had two successful issues, so far. I have also begun the work on a new online project that I hope to launch soon. When this happens, I will have to consider this one in the win column.

#3 - I resolve to further reduce my outstanding debt in 2007. The only additional payments that I have made so far have been an additional $50/month on my condo mortgage. I have been earmarking some additional money to pay down my student loans, but I haven't made the payment yet. Also, I have been using part of my travel reimbursement checks to pay down student loans. To date, I have not had any work travel, but expect some coming up in the next few months. I don't know if I am willing to consider $100 of extra principal paid on my mortgage as a true win here, but it is no worse than a push.

#4 - I resolve to make more money in 2007. Kind of like the mortgage payments, the only additional money that I have made when comparing this year to last is the simple change in my salary from one year to the next. Money earned from blogging (actually in my pocket) is zero, but there has been an increase in my AdSense account, and I will hopefully cash a check from them in the near future. If my new online venture hits, there will also likely be a small revenue stream there, too. I have yet to sell anything on eBay, or anywhere else. My latest obsession is covered call options in the stock market. If anything pans out in that direction, I will post some details. I have also been floating a few bucks into Prosper - mostly for giggles - but, I am earning a return of 13.6%, so far, on a small investment. I was willing to call the previous resolution as "no worse than a push," but this one will have to be labeled as "a push, at best." Still, I think things are heading in the right direction.

#5 - I resolve to live a healthier lifestyle in 2007. I knew this would be the toughest one. Let's see - I have eaten more at home - or homemade foods at work for lunch. This has had the side benefit of being frugal, too. Unfortunately, when I cook for myself, one of the things that goes out the window is portion size. Last month, I made a conscious decision to cut out fast food of any kind - I called it "no food that is delivered to you in your car, through a window." I was pretty successful - only two window trips, and one was almost unavoidable. I had no Chick-fil-a, which I do enjoy - and no morning stops for Dunkin' Donuts (medium coffee and two donuts - more than $3!) - so that helped eliminate some of my own "latte factor." Now I need to cut out Publix chicken tenders, and I will really be on the right track. I still lacked in the exercise department. I played tennis once - which is once more than I had played in the previous ten weeks. Net result - no weight gain, but no weight loss. Again, this looks like a "push-minus."

I think that was a pretty objective view of the situation. All in all, I would give myself a grade of C. There is significant room for improvement, but I do think that I am on the right track. So, how did you all do??? Come clean. No one's keeping score.

Carnival of Dining Out II - Now With Smell-O-Vision!

2007-03-01T23:34:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the Carnival of Dining Out II. I mentioned last month that I wanted to increase participation, and we have about 50% more submissions than last month. I am glad to see more and more people participate - even if I have to weed out a few submissions that are completely irrelevant. Last month, I organized things geographically - but, this month, since I am such a rebel, I am going to shake things up and organize things by type of food.

Fine Dining Experiences

Anne-Marie presents On becoming a gourmet nation...in Vegas posted at Anne-Marie. She shares her experiences with the seven course tasting menu at Charlie Palmer's Aureole - complete with a picture log. I do love other bloggers who photograph their meals - my friends think I am a freak!

I thought that I might get a few submissions from some romantic Valentine's Day dinners this month. Well, if you take the plural out of the last sentence, then I was right on track. Brute Force reports on V-Day 2007: Plouf. The lesson that we should take away here is that people who photograph their food get prime real estate at the Carnival of Dining Out (photo credit to the left)! Check out the rest of Brute's blog at Adventures of BruteForce.

Steve Madsen checks in with Sip Restaurant Review posted at South Bank Projects. Usually, when I am out in the Seattle area, I stay downtown, but Steve makes a good case for making a trip out to the suburbs of Issaquah.

For the Sushi Fans

Jennifer Miner makes her case for The Best Sushi in the Country. If I were the kind of guy who liked eating sushi, I suppose that southern California would be one place I would start if I were looking for the best. But....

...our mileage award (distance from home base here in Hooterville) goes to Jul, an ex-pat living in Zurich who wants us all to know that Seefeld doesn't suck. She writes This non-American Life.

"Man Food" - Pizza, Wings and BBQ

Toby Boyce presents Delaware Ohio's Best: Wing Store posted at Sadie's Take, saying, "Every college town has to have its share of wing establishments and Delaware is no exception. So which is the best? Well..."

My own late entry to the dance is from a trip that I took this month to go eat BBQ in Texas. The Lowdown on H-Town is part one of a multi-part series on my trek through the barbecue heartland. Check back and see the posts that follow, too.

Since I don't know of a Carnival of Dining *IN*, I am going to let KevinL slide on in with Ordering Pizza For Delivery - A How To Guide posted at Pizza Delivery Stories. Fortunately, pizza makes a good addition to a section that includes BBQ and chicken wings! Whenever I get store-bought pizza, I usually pick-up, because I like the pick-up place better than the delivery places, but if I am ever going to phone ahead for delivery, I will make sure I follow Kevin's tips.

Snackie-poos

One of the places on my summer vacation radar is the DC area - one more major league baseball stadium where I have never seen a game, so I am glad that Elizabeth stoppped by to talk about Snickers Non-Fat Frozen Yogurt Blend In at Thomas Sweet (Georgetown, DC), which she has posted at A Daily Scoop: Ice Cream Reviews. While this blog is not quite updated daily - someone call Lionel Hutz - this is the most blatant case of false advertising since 'The Neverending Story!' - there is new content added frequently.

Now, one of my favorite sections - Food in the News!

My buddy Lazy Man always has good takes on finances. This month, he talks about the The $25,000 Meal over at Lazy Man and Money. I don't see the big deal. Come on, Lazy, if I get the plane tickets to Taiwan, you buy dinner? :-)

Matthew Paulson presents Getting Green: Information for Those Who Want to Be Millionaires. posted at Getting Green. I suspect that he would be appalled at a dinner check of $25k for one! But, if Lazy Man is buying, I say the more, the merrier.

Arun tackles the seemingly endless problem of The Assumed Tip at Arun is bringing you...Your Daily Remedy. Having participated in a few food discussion boards over the years, this topic always seems to bring out the best in people. To those who choose to leave comments, please play nice.

savingadvice would never stiff anyone on a tip - and doesn't think that you should, either. As a matter of fact, he wants you to know 5 Great Ways To Leave A Tip. Personal Finance Advice, is loaded with other wonderful tidbits to mind your money, but I don't think anyone can put a price on cool money folding tricks.

This post isn't really about dining out, but it is, at least, about food - well, Food TV personalities, but, it made me laugh - and you really can score extra points with that. While the Travelin' Man does not condone anyone referring to themselves in the third person, no one talks about Rickey better than Rickey. In this case, pour yourself a cup of joe and sit down and read Rickey Henderson's take Rickey Examines The Food Network posted at Riding with Rickey. Thank goodness Rickey can find time to post a blog about Rickey while coaching my beloved Mets at spring training.

The last article warrants it's own section. If I had the time, I would immediately start the Carnival of Bad Carnival Submissions. I would probably have more articles than I could ever manage if all the other carnival hosts sent in submissions. Instead of starting a new carnival, I present to you, my faithful readers, a single-post sub-carnival. Ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, the first (and I assure you, ONLY) edition of....

The Carnival of Bad Carnival Submissions

Katie presents IMPACT Defense Against Multiple Assailants class posted at KitKat's Critique. What earns Katie a link here is her sales pitch to me. She wrote "Please post this in an upcoming carnival so everyone who's wondered what a good self-defense course against street muggers (which, if you dine out at interesting places, you might be more likely to run into than the average person!) is like can read a detailed description from a student's point of view." Katie, this post clearly is important, but has a place elsewhere....but, you got stones, kid.

Well, that about wraps things up for this month. I hope that you enjoyed what we had to munch on this month. Last month we had 10 posts and this month brought 15. Hopefully, we can continute the upward trend next month with a very, very, very special April Fool's Day Edition of the Carnival of Dining Out, starring Marlee Matlin, Rick Schroeder, and that chick from 'Blossom'. Submit your articles to the next edition of the Carnival of Dining Out using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

The Lowdown on H-Town

2007-02-28T01:21:00.000-05:00

This is part one of a series. Part two can be found here.

It occurred to me that my own end of the month deadline for the Carnival of Dining Out is rapidly approaching, and I hadn't written a single thing this month worthy of a spot at my own dance. One of the reasons that my posts were a little light there for awhile was because I took a long weekend to attend the annual gathering of the West Tennessee Glee Club and BBQ Appreciation Society, held Presidents' Day weekend (this year) in central Texas.

I flew into Houston and met up with a buddy of mine for our first meal at my favorite barbecue joint in H-town, Williams Smokehouse. Williams is pretty well known, especially in BBQ circles, but most others consider the more well-known barbecue houses in town (Goode & Co. and Otto's come to mind) to be the best. Heck, President Bush eats his barbecue at Otto's when he's in town, so it must be good, right? I found this list on Citysearch from 2005 that doesn't even list Williams Smokehouse in the Top 10 BBQ restaurants in all of Houston (this is the voice of the people - should be able to rely on that, no?).

I will only say this about that - if you don't think that Williams has the best BBQ in Houston, it is probably because you have never been there. Folks that have been, will generally agree with my assessment. I have spoken to many friends and acquaintances who live in and around Houston, and many of them have never been to Williams. Why? Well, for one thing, it is in a horrible part of town. Most every time I have been there, I have been the only white person in the whole place. It is also in a pretty inconvenient part of town - it is not near the Galleria, for instance, so tourists aren't going to seek it out, and employees aren't going to pack the place around lunch time.

Most Texas BBQ is about the beef. Williams makes a fine brisket, and their sauce has just enough bite to let you know that you are IN Texas. But, the star of the show at this place is the ribs. These are not tender baby backs - rather, these long spare ribs have good amount of meat that needs a good tug to come off the bone. Williams gets it - the meat on ribs shouldn't be "falling off the bone" as many people describe. Ribs that are made as such, are probably overcooked. Not only are the ribs excellent, but at $8.50 for the pictured plate, they are a true bargain. If I didn't have my heart set on the ribs, I would have jumped on the daily special - a sliced beef sandwich, small fries and a drink for $4.95.

Williams is on the northwest side of town, and it is usually my first stop whenever I fly into IAH, as it is somewhat convenient to the airport.

After leaving Williams, we decided to drive down to Galveston for the afternoon. Information on that part of the trip will be below the fold.

Galveston is just 45 quick minutes south of Houston, but for all the times I have been to H-town, I have never made the drive down to the beach. I was surprised at what we found. The city of Galveston is much nicer than what I had envisioned. The water was nice - not completely clear, but not nasty. I understand that there are some issues with seaweed infestation during different times of the year, but this was not evident during our trip. It was a chilly day, so spending time at the beach was not something to spend a lot of time on.

We made way towards the downtown "Strand" district and found LaKing's - a place for homemade confections - candy and ice cream, coffee, etc. I am a sucker for homemade ice cream (I am a sucker for homemade chocolates and fudge, too - just ask the girl who sold me all this stuff!), and LaKing's didn't disappoint. They make small batches of some relatively unique flavors. Some of the flavors that they offered were apple and pumpkin pie, strawberry cheesecake, Banana Walnut, and Amaretto Almond. The young gentleman at the counter encouraged me to try most every flavor they had under glass. I went with the apple pie, and it did not disappoint. Unfortunately, the picture didn't come out too well. The picture of the largest jawbreakers I have ever seen, however, photographed quite well. This will be part of a series of photos that I will call "Everything Really Is Bigger in Texas!"

By the time we were done at LaKing's, it was about time to head back up to Houston. We had dinner plans on tap. I will cover dinner and breakfast the following day in the next post.

What Kind Of Day Has It Been?

2007-02-27T01:15:00.000-05:00

I thought that my Monday nights were perfect. Monday was the only night that I actually scheduled three hours of prime time viewing.

8 pm: Countdown with Keith Olbermann - I don't consider it a news source, but I do think that it is one of the funniest shows on television. Regular segments like 'Oddball' and 'Worst Person in the World' make me laugh, and Olbermann's sharp wit and biting commentary make me long for the years he paired with Dan Patrick on the "Big Show" edition of 'SportsCenter.' If you haven't seen the show - and your political leanings would allow it - you should check out 'Countdown.' Be there...aloha.

9 pm: 24 - I would watch James Bond movies if they were on every night (and I do when they run those holiday marathons on Spike). '24' is my way of getting a Bond fix once a week. Sure, the show is flawed - we all know that you can't get from Point A to Point B in LA in under 8 minutes - get over it. Once you can suspend reality for an hour, the show is usually non-stop excitement. I haven't been thrilled with this season yet, but I am willing to give Sutherland, Surnow and gang a chance to let this one run a little, but we are on shaky ground. Wayne Palmer as the PRESIDENT? Come on. Nobody dug up his extra-marital affair from a couple of years ago during that campaign? Morris is seemingly unfazed by some guy drilling a hole in his shoulder, but Chloe bitch-slapping him gets him back to work? Still, the pluses outweigh the minuses weekly and (now) it is the one show every week that I will arrange my schedule around watching.

10 pm: Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip - If you are an Aaaron Sorkin fan, you probably recognized the post title as the namesake for the final episode of Season 1 of both 'The West Wing' and the "Brilliant But Canceled" 'Sports Night.' Unfortunately, a disturbing parallel exists between 'Sports Night' and 'Studio 60' - their respective networks never really gave the shows a chance to succeed, and, in one of the most depressing things to happen this year, NBC placed the show on hiatus - a network term that is usually the equivalent of death row. Sure, the governor may call at the last minute to stave off execution, but it just isn't going to happen.

There is some excellent analysis as to why 'Studio 60' failed on this thread found on the nbc.com chat boards.

The cast was a bad fit. Aside from Matthew Perry (who was a wonderful surprise) and Timothy Busfield (who was underused), not much else worked. Sarah Paulson and D.L. Hughley were not funny in this series playing comics. Nate Corddry is funny in real life and was funny on the show, but his part, like Busfield's, was too small. Had Amanda Peet, as the fictional network president, flipped roles with Paulson, it would have been a major improvement. Bradley Whitford is a wonderful actor but he at first seemed to be rejiggering his "West Wing" role, then his character became periodically unlikable or annoying. Either way, it's not the mix you want.

Steven Weber went from bellicose chairman of the network (which didn't work) to beleaguered chairman of the network (which did, and he became funny while everyone around him went dour by apparent accident.)

The biggest surprise for me was that Matthew Perry escaped being forever typecast as Chandler Bing - a near certainty in my mind, while Bradley Whitford could not set aside his role as Josh Lyman. I have already seen him play Josh - and I liked Josh - my favorite character on 'The West Wing.' Still, it's already been done.

The story arc between DL Hughley and "the new black guy" got tired quickly. We get it - DL Hughley doesn't want TNBG to be an "Uncle Tom" - so, instead he treated him like his own personal bitch for a few episodes. Beating this dead horse was incredibly unneccessary.

Lastly, like the article states, the show just never got better. I kept waiting for it - heck, I kept ROOTING for it. My personal take is that Sorkin and his team got worried when the show started bleeding viewers and tried to tweak the show on the fly. They tried to fit their square peg into NBC's round hole. It doesn't work - it never works.

The reality is that 'Studio 60' is a work in progress that will likely never be completed. It may have been more suited to a cable outlet, like HBO, which can give shows time to develop an audience. Network television is just too competetive to allow a show as expensive as S60 is to produce to falter - at all. The star power that the show packs is probably also responsible for the downfall. For those that lament the lack of quality written television, shame on you for not tuning in early when viewership would have made a difference. Instead, you are left to roll around in the gutter with 'Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?'

Financial Aid Independence

2007-02-26T20:11:00.000-05:00

A Long Overdue Response...sorry...I was out of town for a few days and then the real world kicked in. We have been absolutely slammed at work with folks visiting from out of town. Trust me - it is not a complaint, but when I get home, the last thing I want to do is sit down and write some more.

Still, I promised a commenter on an old thread a response, and I hate to have it buried in the recesses of a year-old post. The commenter wanted to know about "principle residence" and how a second home might qualify the family for additional aid benefits.

If we own second home (recreation) about 45 minutes from primary, is there a way in Junior year our son can claim living on his own at the second home address (maybe paying us rent)so that he can obtain more benefits on financial aid? In essence they would NOT look at parents assets??

There are a number of factors at play here, and the first thing that I would suggest is to contact the financial aid office at the schools that you are considering to see if they have any advice. The reason for this is that while there are some universal guidelines, every school has the opportunity to administer financial aid under the auspice of "professional judgement," which allows for some leeway in some unusual circumstances. My answers below should be considered "common practice," what you might expect at MOST schools.

1. Living at a separate address (especially a house owned by a student's parents) does not mean that you are independent for the sake of financial aid. Generally, there are four (common) circumstances in which a student is considered to be independent for the purposes of financial aid.
(a) The student reaches the age of 24 during the year in which aid is awarded;
(b) The student is married;
(c) The student is a single parent, with custody of child(ren);
(d) Both of the students parents are deceased.
(a) and (d) are not really things that one can control (members of the Menendez family are obviously excluded), but just circumstance. I would not recommend engaging in (b) and/or (c) EXCLUSIVELY for the purpose of gaining additional financial aid. Why do colleges enforce this rule? Students who are not dependent on their parents for funding their education are dependent on the university for funding their education. It is in the school's best interest to ensure that students and families are linked for as long as possible.

2. Some schools have residency requirements that require students to live on campus for a certain number of years. Other schools link their academic scholarship offers to living on campus. Be sure that you are aware of all the rules regarding housing and residency before considering this as a plan to reduce costs on housing.

3. The second home may be killing your chances at financial aid now. While equity in your primary residence is considered an excluded asset, the same is not the case for a second (vacation) home. While you can use a mortgage to offset the value of the second home, it is still considered an asset, and the net value will be included in the FAFSA calculation. If you own the home outright, this could be substantial. Also, some private colleges may view ownership in a second home as a luxury and may be less willing to provide additional need-based institutional aid.

I hope this helps. Further, I hope that my delay in responding was not too inconvenient for you.

Too Late to Apply to College? Not Hardly!

2007-02-13T07:24:00.000-05:00

The application deadline has passed at schools like Duke, Cornell and George Washington, but is all hope lost if you haven't even begun to start the college application process? No way. US News and World Report, the folks who write the Bible on college rankings, have compiled a list of schools with late application deadlines and rolling admission.

How did this topic enter my mind? One of my colleagues (another person who works in the ADMISSION office) has a daughter who has not yet applied to any college. This is a smart kid, who, it has always been assumed, will attend the college where her father is on staff (serious tuition remission benefit). The girl is smart - but may be looking for a different collegiate environment, may not want to live (even on campus) so close to home, etc. For whatever reason, she has dragged her feet in getting applications out to colleges - ours or others.

I was amazed at the sheer number of schools that still accept applications - even schools with a posted deadline. There are a handful of schools with application deadlines AFTER we begin Orientation and fall classes. I suppose that is their subtle way of really utilizing rolling admission while appearing so selective as to have a deadline? With such a daunting list, where does one begin? Well, by now, hopefully, you have some idea of the characteristics you want in a college. There are colleges on this list that could still meet almost any student's academic, geographic, social, and faith-based goals. Even the military academies application deadlines haven't all passed yet!

Looking for the larger state university experience? Quality state universities, such as the University of Kansas, University of Houston, Arizona State University, Colorado State University, and the University of Memphis are just a handful of the quality public schools with application deadlines on or AFTER April 1.

There are top-notch private liberal arts colleges, as well. College of Santa Fe, Manhattan College, Marietta College, Lake Forest College, Albertson, and Mercer University all have deadlines on or after April 1.

Perhaps you are considering a specialized school, say, in art, theater, food, or fashion. The Culinary Institute of America (the Harvard of cooking schools!), Fashion Institute of Technology (the Harvard of the fashion world!), Savannah College of Art and Design (the Harvard of....OK, you get the picture!), Johnson and Wales University, and Columbia College (Art, in Chicago) all have deadlines after April 1.

I am a huge sports fan - and I almost made my college choice based on my ability to watch big time college athletics. This year, of the ten schools that made the Bowl Championship Series (BCS), you can still apply to three of them - Louisville, LSU, and Boise State University. You can still apply to nearly half of the current Top 25 Division I men's basketball schools - Pittsburgh, Kansas, Memphis, Nevada, Washington State, Butler, Marquette, Southern Illinois, Indiana, Oklahoma State, West Virginia, and Arizona. From the six major D-I athletic conferences, applications are still being accepted at nine Big East Schools (WVU, USF, DePaul, Marquette, Rutgers, Seton Hall, St. John's, Pittsburgh, and Louisville); eight Big 12 schools (Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, Iowa State, Kansas State, Kansas, and Missouri); seven SEC schools (Ole Miss, Auburn, Arkansas, Mississippi State, Alabama, Tennessee, and LSU); six Big 10 schools - which many consider to be the most academically rigorous of the major college conferences (Iowa, Michigan State, Minnesota, Indiana, and Purdue); three Pac-10 schools (Arizona, Arizona State, and Washington State); and two ACC schools (Clemson and Florida State).

Of course, you may not have to give up that Ivy dream yet - even if you haven't started the application process. The University of Toronto, sometimes described as the "Harvard of Canada" will accept applications through March 1. Southern Methodist University (SMU), one of many schools that has earned the moniker "Harvard of the South" is still accepting applications, as are Beloit College, the "Harvard of the Midwest;" Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, the "Harvard of the Sky;"Gallaudet University, the "Harvard of the Deaf Community;" and Hiram College, the "Harvard of Northeastern Ohio." Maybe you are not a Harvard Man (or Woman). You can still apply to Samford University, the "Princeton of the South;" or Truman State University, the "Princeton of the Prairie."

In all seriousness, there are a number of excellent colleges out there that are still accepting applications - and many of them will continue to do so right up until the time classes start in August. That said, if you want a solid chance at one of these schools, it could be time to get a move on, as they say. Getting in is one thing - financial aid is something else, and that money will start disappearing quickly.

Deal of the Day - Free Ice Cream

2007-02-10T11:16:00.000-05:00

OK...it's been a REALLY long time since I posted a "Deal of the Day," but this is a pretty good one - and just in time for Valentine's Day! Cold Stone Creamery is giving away free ice cream (really it is buy one-get one, but you're not going by yourself, are you?). I do see the humor in offering free ice cream when most of the country is either digging out from serious snow or cranking up the heater in hopes of bringing their house temp UP to about 58 degrees.

Personally, I think Cold Stone is allright in a pinch, but I am off to central Texas next week, where I will be enjoying a stop at my favorite ice cream joint, Amy's! No one can live on BBQ brisket, alone. These are a few pictures of my previous visit....

This Amy's location is situated in a former roadside motel - hence the "VACANCY/NO VACANCY" signage that is used to express when the store is open for business. Even on a chilly, rainy night, Amy's is a great stop!

The flavors at Amy's are just a little on the unique side. I am told that the Guiness selection is sometimes switched out for Shiner! Pumpkin is likely to be a flavor that was available last time, but not next week.

Amy's hires truly outgoing people who love what they do. Sure, you get the wannabe actors at Cold Stone singing on cue, but these folks are true ice cream lovers that will let you sample everything on the menu (remember, the theme was "free ice cream!") and offer up suggestions as to what ice cream pairs best with which mix-ins. "Lucky Charms" here suggested coffee ice cream with Heath Bar mixed in. It was perfect!

Southwest Airlines Lets Students Double Up

2007-02-03T12:36:00.000-05:00

Southwest Airlines announced a new College Rapid Rewards Program aimed at the nation's legions of collegiate travelers. They are offering four credits for a new sign-up, and double flight credits for each flight booked at their web site. Southwest flights usually earn one flight credit in each direction (two credits for one round-trip ticket) and require 16 credits earned within two years to yield one round-trip award ticket. Hence, the standard Rapid Rewards program usually requires 8 round-trip flights to earn one "free" ticket. With the college program, a student can earn their first award ticket after just three round-trip flights; and subsequent award tickets after four round-trip purchases.

I am a huge Southwest fans, especially when I am traveling on my own nickel. I am meeting a few friends in Texas in a couple of weeks for a weekend outing. I was able to get a round-trip flight from Tampa to Houston for $141, including all taxes and fees, using their Ding feature. Unfortunately, I will only be earning the standard two Rapid Rewards credits for my flight!

I see this promotion as a deal for both Southwest and a lot of college students that live and go to school in cities served by Southwest. This airline is known for their low costs, so their fares should appeal to college student budgets. Southwest has the opportunity to secure some long-term loyal customers (who, by nature, are already a pretty loyal bunch), while they still don't care about things like assigned seats, first-class cabins, and international award destinations. On top of that, college students will have the technological savvy to bring their own in-flight entertainment (iPod, laptop with DVD, etc.) and the resourcefulness to pack their own lunch so they won't miss out on Southwest's lack of in-flight movies or bothered when the flight attendent drops by with only a bag of peanuts.

Hat tip to Free Frequent Flyer Miles.

Carnival of Dining Out - Inaugural Edition

2007-02-01T20:46:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the inaugural edition of the Carnival of Dining Out. Many blog carnivals take the midway theme, but I suppose this may be more of a "County Fair of Dining Out" as there will likely be more references to cotton candy, corn dogs, and fried Twinkies than ferris wheels and bearded ladies. I hope to have a companion map put together soon of all the places that are included in the Carnival (and will add future submissions in subsequent months). I am working on getting it together and it should be done soon. In the meantime, as they say, on with the show...

I literally had submissions from all over the world. Sometimes I forget that the Internets stretch out far past my own backyard. The first ever submission to the first ever Carnival of Dining Out, as a matter of fact, came from neighbor to the north, Mark Levison, who presents Cafe Chez Victor posted at Notes from a Tool User. Next time you are up in Quebec, check them out!

Keeping the international flavor going, a late submission wins the "distance from home base" award. Gillian Polack, from Melbourne, Australia sent us an update on the Melbourne Chinese Food scene posted at Food History. Gillian's current pick is "Tea and Rice." I am a big believer in eating local and regional cuisine. Based on this post, should I find myself in Melbourne, I would definitely consider hitting a few local Chinese restaurants.

I am smart enough to know that Alaska is not an international destination, but I can't think of a better way to transition back to the states than with this post from Michelle Mitchell: Favorite Places to Eat in Anchorage, Alaska posted at scribbit. Three posts - three places I would like to visit to check out the food scene!

We will make one more stop out west before heading back to the east coast (sorry - nothing this month in flyover country!). I have a friend who lived in Seattle for awhile, and one of the things he tells me is that he could never find a good slice of pizza in Seattle. Not so says Mary Jo! Savor the Taste of Authentic Neapolitan Pizza at Tutta Bella Pizzeria is posted at The Seattle Traveler. As a New Yorker (there is no such thing as a "former" New Yorker), folding Neopolitan pizza is the way to go. Maybe the next time my buddy "wanders" out to Seattle (ahem....baseball trip next year?), he will weigh on the merits Tutta Bella. Poor Seattlites have been without quality pizza for far too long.

The Hungover Gourmet tells us about his birthday jaunt to the famed White House Sub Shop in Atlantic City, NJ at The Hungover Gourmet. This guy knows a thing or two about cheesesteaks, Joan Jett, and chowing down with a good view of the water!

Heading down the eastern seaboard, Mary Jo tells us about some DC dining on Pentagon Row. Lebanese Taverna is the place, and it is posted at Flyaway Cafe. In the nation's capital, this is the place to get your shwarma on.

We also had some welcome posts from folks discussing the topic of dining out, rather than specific restaurants. We'll call this "Dining Out in the News" (you should be hearing my best Ted Baxter voice right now!).

Cub reporter, Praveen, tells us about an ongoing battle between Panera Bread and Qdoba Mexican Cafe. Fortunately, a Judge Says Burrito Is Not A Sandwich and immediately clears things up! Check out the rest of Praveen's blog at My Simple Trading System.

My favorite Boston Gal (who will always be Jane Dough to me!) reports on something that hits a little close to home for me: Eating Out is the Reason Americans Can't Save? Yikes. I know that I spend way too much on dining out, but I also save a goodly part of my pathetic income. Boston Gal's Open Wallet is one of my daily reads.

I am not a big wine guy, and one of those reasons may be that it just seems like the price of wine in restaurants is just too much for me. Will Chen presents Pop that corkage: Giant list of restaurants that allows you to BYO wine posted at Wisebread. Perhaps my wino buddies from ROGUEfood already know about these places, but if there is a way for me to save money on wine (see Boston Gal - I can tie almost anything to saving money!), I could definitely find myself imbibing a touch more often.

Lastly, I leave you with my own submission. I thought for awhile about which of my own posts I should choose and I finally settled on my first foodie post of 2007, which was really just a recap of The Best of 2006. I was fortunate enough to hit a few of this country's corners in my travels in 2006, and I think I compiled a pretty good "Best of..." Besides, this gives me 9 extra pins in the map (when it is completed!).

The Carnival of Dining Out II (Roman numberals are en vogue this week with the Super Bowl looming this Sunday) will be up on Thursday, March 1, 2007. Make sure that you submit your blog article to the next edition before 5 pm on Wednesday, February 28 using our handy dandy carnival submission form. Future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page. I hope to see you back here next month. Tell a few of your blogging friends and maybe we can get a few more submissions for the next edition. Thanks!

Technorati tags:
carnival of dining out, blog carnival.

Why Letters of Recommendation are Irrelevant

2007-01-28T22:33:00.000-05:00

As part of my job, I read college applications. I take this pretty seriously. If a student took the time to submit a complete application, I think that I should give it due time to review. Many admission decisions are pretty cut and dry without spending too much time meticulously combing through the entire file; others require a deeper perusal, to include verification of proper high school curriculum, a variety of extracurricular activities, and the letters of recommendation.

Unfortunately, all too many letters of recommendation give me no more insight to a student's ability to succeed in a college environment than a Magic 8-Ball. Most letters don't warrant more than a cursory glance because I have read all of the glowing letters that spout over-the-top plaudits for (usually) average students. Still, once or twice a year, I get a noteworthy letter, and this year was no exception - usually one extraordinary in it's helpfulness and one extraordinary in it's uselessness. My extraordinary (positive) letter came from a good friend who used to work in college admissions and now works as a counselor at a private high school. The letter was forthright, but had style and personality. It also gave me insight into the student that I could not have gleaned from the application or even a personal interview with the student. My OTHER letter arrived this past week:

To Whom It May Concern:

[Student's Full Name] is the student who is going to make a difference in your classroom. I have had the pleasure of knowing [student] for two years. I taught English 11 and World Literature 12. He is a mature young man who gives positive direction for the other students. He is a true role model for others to follow. [student] is intelligent, creative, mature, hardworking and wants to create a positive influence in all he deals with. He excels in all he does with great determination.

[Student] has demonstrated high levels of initiative in learning. wants to make a difference in his life; he is not going to settle for second best. He realizes life is very competetive. knows that he has to earn everything that comes his way. [Student] realizes that education is a privilege and he is going to take full advantage of it. Based on performance, his rite of passage into college will be a smooth one.

[Student] realizes that school is a multi-faceted experience. [Student] is a vital part of [High School Name]. He has strong leadership qualities.

[Student] has left a great mark on me. He realizes education is the foundation cornerstone in starting a rewarding career. [Student]'s initiative to study in your college shows that he has taken the time to find the college that is going to put him on the right foot and in the right directions to give him every opportunity to use education to make a desirable candidate in any profession he chooses to follow.

[Student]'s hard work, responsibilities, creativity, long hours hitting the books, extra curricular activities, self esteem, and strong Christian values has prepared him for the tasks he will be expected to complete in college. [Student] is well rounded and will be a desirable candidate ofr you to consider.

I highly recommend without hesitation [Student] to your institution. He will be a positive asset to your school. You will end up being as proud of him as I have been and [High School Name]. Please do not hesitate to call me with any questions.

Sincerely,
[Teacher's Name and Subject Area]

Stop for a second and try not to focus on the grammar and syntax errors (if you can read my writing, this should be a piece of cake!). The reason why this letter is useless is not really in the content. Rather, the reason why this letter is useless is that it appears to have absolutely no basis in fact.

The student in question submitted a transcript that includes an overall grade point average of 1.7 and standardized test scores almost 33% below our average - almost to the point that one would wonder if the score was for one section of the SAT or the composite score. Lastly, the student earned a grade of 'D' in the course which the letter writer claims to have taught. What about the grades and test scores that this student earned supports the letter that this teacher sent? Why on earth would a teacher who graded a student as barely passing offer up this positive letter of recommendation.

This student was clearly not going to gain admission with or without the above letter. Unfortunately, the letter leaves me with a negative impression of the writer. If I were to receive another application with a letter of recommendation from this person, how could I take what they say seriously? Further, won't this experience come to my mind when I read another application from this high school? I surely don't mean to indict an entire high school on the basis of one bad letter of recommendation, but I think it would be hard to not think of this when I receive the next application(s) from this school.

I can only think that the letter writer was just phoning this one in. I get asked all the time how many letters of recommendation should accompany the application. People give me a baffled look when I give them my standard answer. I usually tell people that they only need one - but, one good one, which they are not likely to get. I go on to explain that sending me five letters that all say pretty much the same thing - how wonderful the student is - "she plays six varsity sports;" "he is working on curing cystic fibrosis;" "when he farts, it smells like roses!" - are not helpful. I would trade five letters filled with unabashed praise for one clear and concise assessment of a student's strengths AND weaknesses. Yes, believe it or not, most 17 year-olds have weaknesses. You would never know it from most letters of recommendation (see above), but the letters that ignore any possible areas in which the student can improve often hold no weight with me. Letters that directly address any student flaws immediately cause me to go back and readdress the letter writer's assessment of the student's positive traits.

Teachers and counselors have the ability to return the letter of recommendation to some relevance, but in it's current form, these letters serve no purpose other than to make the average student's file a touch thicker.

**Welcome Carnival of Education readers! If this is your first visit, you may want to stop by the Introduction page. That will give you a brief overview of what to expect to see elsewhere on this site. This is not a single-focus blog, so you will find posts here on more topics than just education. I do travel a lot for business, so I have quite a few posts (and pictures) of where I have been and the food I have discovered on the road. My finances are equally as important to me, and my work in college admissions allows for some unique perspective on the college search and financial aid.

I am glad you stopped by, and hope that you might poke back again sometime soon. The newest posts can be found by clicking on the "Home" tab at the top of the page.

Love and White Castles

2007-01-27T14:55:00.000-05:00

File this under "Is It Any Wonder I'm Single?"

White Castle is going upscale for Valentine's Day this year. They are offering hostess seating, candlelit dinner, and your own server as part of their dinnertime promotion. As with many an upscale restaurant on this festive holiday, reservations are required. Right now, all I can think of is how bummed I am that there is no White Castle nearby for me to have a proper Valentine's Day celebration. Yep - hard to believe nobody's scooped me right up, huh?

If you would rather treat your sweetie to a sack of Whiteys in the comfort of your own home, White Castle is offering a take-home deal with "eight cheeseburgers, one sack of fries, two regular soft drinks, coupons and keepsake items to heat up your homespun romance." For $20, I would consider this, if only to find out what "keepsake items" White Castle thinks will "heat up my homespun romance." I can't imagine what a White Castle sex toy would look like. [shudder]

Announcing the Carnival of Dining Out

2007-01-12T02:58:00.000-05:00

I have recently sent articles to the Carnival of the Recipes and the Carnival of Personal Finance. I have searched and searched but could not really find an existing carnival devoted to a combination of my two favorite activities - food and travel. When one travels, one tends to dine out quite a bit. I guess also being a single guy lends more to grabbing a meal in a restaurant than cooking and cleaning, too.

I hope to have a monthly review of all of the best posts related to dining out. If there is more than enough demand, perhaps we can go bi-weekly or weekly, but that is probably a few months away, at the bare minimum.

I will be hosting the first edition on February 1, 2007. Subsequent editions will be held on the first of every month thereafter. Submissions are due by 5 pm ET on the last day of the month preceding the carnival. Posts should be current (*within the month), not submitted to other carnivals, and contain your own original content. Acceptable topics include:

Recent dining experiences at a local restaurant
Recent dining experiences at a restaurant while away from home on business or personal travel
Commenting on your local/national restaurant scene
Commenting on the state of the restaurant industry
Almost anything else (within reason) that deals with restaurants and dining out

I will admit to having a bias for locally-owned and operated establishments, and when I am hosting, I will give spacial preference to those dining experiences that do not involve national, corporate food entities.

If you are interested in hosting a future edition of the Carnival of Dining Out, please contact me. I will post future hosts here and on the Blog Carnival web site.

*Leniency for the first edition will be considered, as you may have an "all-star" post that was previously not suitable for another carnival. In the future, all articles should be current.

I hope that this becomes successful, and you enjoy reading the articles as much as I will.

Time for a Career Switch? Try Grocery Stock Clerk!

2007-01-11T12:42:00.000-05:00

Working in college admissions provides me with a lot of job satisfaction (on most days!), but, as I have mentioned before, it does not provide me with a pocketful of $100 bills on a bi-weekly basis. I have grown to accept that (to some extent). I accept that I will be underpaid relative to society - police officers, teachers, doctors, fast food employees, etc.

OK, the fast food thing was a joke....I think.

This week, Money magazine released it's annual list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For 2007. Surprisingly, my employer was not listed among these fine 100 companies (I was shocked!). My favorite supermarket, however, was ranked #57. Publix is a fine company, and I spent one summer working there in between my freshman and sophomore years of college. I worked in the deli, and it was a decent job until I decided that I could make more money working my own business over the Thanksgiving weekend than I could working in the deli. Apparently, Thanksgiving is a busy time in the grocery business. Who knew?

Florida Today had an article about Publix' ranking today. In the hard copy of the paper, there was a chart that highlighted some of the figures mentioned in the article. The one that stood out for me was the average salary for the most common hourly wage job - grocery stock clerk. On average, these folks make $27,453 per year! More than $27k for stocking groceries! Why did this number, in paricular, leap out at me? The starting salary in my office for an entry level admission counselor is $27,500. An extra $57 per year over the average stock clerk, and yet our office generates nearly 80% of the university's operating budget of about $119 million.

Yes, I know that I am comparing starting salary with average salary. It doesn't matter - the comparison is staggering, and surely doesn't make me feel better about my job. I also don't think that my university is unique in underpaying their admission staff. Admission counselors are charged with recruiting new students, a process that includes many days and nights of business travel - time away from family and friends. Most typical business travelers earn more than the average stock clerk at the supermarket. In addition to recruiting, we are also charged with evaluating prospective students' applications - and holding their hands through the entire process - have you sent your SAT scores? did you send all of your recommendation letters? do you have questions about financial aid? etc. Yes...the people who decide whether or not your children get into college make marginally more than the guy who puts cans of soup on the shelves at the supermarket.

The long-standing perception is that the people who work in the admission office are the people who couldn't get "real jobs" after graduation, so they took this entry-level position until something better comes along. There are some people, though, who find that they truly enjoy representing their university to prospective students - they enjoy seeing families moving students into their residence halls on the first day of Orientation - they take pride in seeing "their" student recruits successfully traverse the stage on the morning of commencement, because they just "KNEW" they were going to make it.

Next time you are at the grocery store picking up a dozen eggs and a jar of pickles, think of the guy moving pallets around the docks and the people back at the university reading your daughter's college application.

Carnival of Personal Finance is up!

2007-01-08T12:21:00.000-05:00

The latest edition of the Carnival of Personal Finance is posted over at Get Rich Slowly. This was my first submission to this carnival, and I hope to enter more during the 2007 calendar year. Word is that there were 92 submissions for this week, and some didn't make the cut. I am glad that my article was chosen. Go check out some of the other topics...I know that I have some reading to do myself.

Stuff You Oughta Know - Version 2.0

2007-01-08T01:51:00.000-05:00

I would like to think that the reason I haven't posted too often is because I have spent hours tweaking the layout and design of this site. The truth is that I probably wouldn't have spent that time posting anyway. Still, within the last couple of weeks, mostly due to Blogger's recent upgrade, I was able to do a drastic layout change with relative ease. Understand...I know very little about HTML, CSS, or any of the other helpful acronyms that would make maintaining this online life a little easier.

The most useful information that I found came from Hackosphere. This guy knows a whole big lot about making Blogger templates a lot more usable. He writes in a way that even a relative moron like myself can follow. From Hackosphere, I learned to turn Blogger's two-column format into a stylish three-column page; to reintroduce collapsable posts; and to make the label tabs underneath the header, making it easy to find the most popular categories. I suppose the bigger thanks goes to the folks at Blogger for adding labels/categories to the newest version of Blogger.

Hopefully, some snazzy new colors, shiny new functions, and a renewed commitment will help push me to post more often.

Type rest of the post here

Smart Move 2006: Healthcare Reimbursement Account

2007-01-07T13:20:00.000-05:00

This is the time of year when I spend an inordinate amount of time ~~reviewing~~ obsessing over what went right and what went wrong in the previous year. This is my own way of planning what actions to take to ensure more right things and fewer wrong things in the current year.

I think one of the smartest things that I did happened almost by accident. My employer, like many others, offers a number of medical insurance options. To boil them down to their simplest parts, each plan offers to cover a percentage of medical expenses, descending in value commensurate with the required payment assumed by the employee - 90% (the most expensive plan); 80%; 70%; and "risk-reward," which also covers 80%, but has higher deductibles, annual maximums, and co-pays. The previous year, I had the 70% coverage, which cost me $35.78 every two weeks. The cost for the same coverage for 2006 increased to $37.57, which I thought was pretty reasonable. It seems that I have heard nightmare stories from co-workers, who need to insure their whole families, about double-digit percentage increases in health care coverage.

After I signed up, when I read through the plan coverage, I found that I was eligible for a new benefit - the Healthcare Reimbursement Account (HRA). This new account was funded exclusively by my employer, to the tune of $60/month, and the money could be used by me in a manner similar to that of a medical Flexible Spending Account. In effect, I would be paying about $80/month out of my pocket in medical insurance, and getting $60 of that back to be used to any incurred medical expenses. Some common examples of what the money could be hospital services; physician, dental, vision and chiropractic services; eyeglasses, contact lenses and saline solution; co-pays and deductibles; prescription drugs (including co-pays); home health care; durable medical equipment; and drug and alcohol rehabilitation - almost everything except elective cosmetic surgery. Note: If I had additional dependents on my health plan, my monthly HRA reimbursement would be $120/month; the "risk/reward" plan comes with a $90 monthly HRA payment for singles, and $180/month for families. In addition, the money that remains unused each month earns interest while it sits in my account. The money rolls over from year to year (unlike a medical FSA) and becomes fully vested and portable after three years of participation in this plan, otherwise you would need to spend all of the money prior to terminating employment.

I am fortunate in that I don't spend too much time (translation: don't spend much money!) with doctors. One of the reasons why the 70% plan is a viable option for me is because I can assume some additional risk and hope that I can continue to live a relatively healthy life. I was choosing the 70% option anyway - so, this new benefit didn't really encourage me to assume this additional risk. It was literally, an added bonus, for me.

It is incredibly easy to use. I was sent a debit card last year and I use it just like I would use any other debit or credit card at my doctor's office or pharmacy, etc. I used it at the doctor's office flawlessly - my $20 co-pay was immediately credited, and deducted from my account. I also picked up a prescription and some over-the-counter medication at the drug store. For that transaction, I had to send in a copy of the receipt (so they could be sure that I didn't purchase Twinkies, I guess). I sent in a fax and received a letter in the mail a couple of days later approving the charge. Easy as pie.

Since I didn't bother to crunch any numbers before making my selection last year (I was just really re-upping with what I had), I need to sit down and do that this year to compare the relative value in downsizing my plan to the "risk/reward." It would save me about $8 per paycheck (nothing substantial), but also give me an additional $30/month in HRA money.

I don't think that my employer did a particularly good job of educating people about the availability of this additional benefit - and that it would be paid by them, into an account, for the empoyee. Clearly, this is designed to encourage the insured to assume more risk, as that would be less expensive for the insurance companies. You would think that employers would WANT their employees to sign-up for something that would save them money in health care costs in the long-term. I suspect that when it comes time for choosing plans this year, their will be a better effort to educate people on this plan.

Assuming I can keep up my relative health, my biggest question will be on what to spend the money? I am considering saving for LASIK surgery, but treating this like "found money" in the meantime.

**Welcome Carnival of Personal Finance readers! If this is your first visit, you may want to stop by the Introduction page. That will give you a brief overview of what to expect to see elsewhere on this site. This is not a single-focus blog, so you will find posts here on more topics than just recipes and food. I do travel a lot for business, so I have quite a few posts (and pictures) of where I have been and the food I have discovered on the road. My finances are equally as important to me, and my work in college admissions allows for some unique perspective on the college search and financial aid.

I am glad you stopped by, and hope that you might poke back again sometime soon. The newest posts can be found by clicking on the "Home" tab at the top of the page.

Dining Out: Best of 2006

2007-01-02T02:55:00.000-05:00

Consider this post the sequel to last year's Best of 2005 list.

It seems like I traveled more this year than in years past. Unfortunately, a lot of it was to the same places I have been in the last couple of years. That's not really such a bad thing - I don't suppose that I would have wanted to return to the same places if I didn't like it there - but, since fellow ROGUEfooder "wanderingjew" laid down the challenge of only using places that are new this year, I thought I would have a tough time coming up with a Top 10 of just new places. As it turns out, I had to whittle down a list from about twenty. I will deviate from my past rule of only including restaurants recommended by the Sterns. Still, I think that the quality of the following 10 destinations would prove worthy. To rank one ahead of another would be a grave injustice (but, #1 will be considered #1 for those who feel that there should be a definitive "winner."

10) Smitty's; Lockhart, TX

Central Texas is my absolute favorite place for BBQ in the whole country. The picture of my own meal, however, does not nearly sum up the quality of Smitty's the way this picture of one of their smokers in action does. In addition to serving this wonderful food, the staff here was very freindly and cordial - allowing me to take a number of photos, with full run of the place. I enjoyed a plate that consisted of two healthy slices of beef shoulder (brisket) and two pork ribs. I was trying to eat light so that I might also get to Kreuz's Market (and compare the two!), but alas, my eyes were bigger than my stomach, once again. My plan is to make it back to Lockhart sometime in February. The thought of getting my hands on some of that beef is probably what gets me through the next few days!

208 S Commerce St.
Lockhart, TX

9) Tony's Restaurant; Bridgeton, MO (RIP, as of 12/06)

I am glad to say that I made it to this hidden treasure before it's untimely demise in late 2006. This picture doesn't do the size of this omelette justice. If I was told that there were a half-dozen eggs in there, I wouldn't blink. The menu did not mention that this was an item to be served family style, but it fed three healthy adult males with no problem at all. The pancakes, wonderful as they were, had no business being on the table. These two plates made for too much food for three adults. The best part of the whole meal - that cost of that omelette was around five bucks.

8) Grimaldi's Pizza; Brooklyn, NY

This is the scene outside Grimaldi's most of the time that they are open for business. New Yorkers, impatient bunch that we can be, will wait - for something worth waiting for. Grimadli's pizza is one of the things worth waiting for. In my case, excellent company made the wait for a table and the food seem all too short. Don't poke in expecting to grab a slice to go - there are no slices at Grimaldi's. Even calling and ordering in advance may not get you a pie any quicker. Everyone is queued up together, egalitarianism at it's best. Upon completion of your pie, bang a right out the front door and walk a block or two down to the water and grab a fine dessert at Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory.

19 Old Fulton St.
Brooklyn, NY

7) Dinic's; Philadelphia, PA

Located inside the Reading Terminal Market, Dinic's is destination food in Philly. Pictured above is the roast pork, served "wet," which is just as it sounds - drenched in it's own juices. A side of locally produced Herr's chips is the accompaniment. It would take you weeks to eat your way around RTM without duplicating any single establishment, but Dinic's is on my list of places to hit whenever I am in town. Everyone may tell you that the touristy thing to do in Philadelphia is to get a cheesesteak from Pat's or Geno's. Let the tourists head there while you get a better meal at Dinic's. Everything pictured above was less than $7 (including the fountain drink).

Reading Terminal Market
51 N 12th St.
Philadelphia, PA

6) Pho Van; Portland, OR

This was my first experience with Vietnamese food. I am sure that part of what made this meal exceptional was the company - fellow ROGUEfooder Mr. Chips, and his family - Trudy and Sam. I will be darned if I could remember the name, but the bowl pictured above was my entree, which included BBQ pork, large shrimp, ground pork and veggies in a chicken broth with vermicelli noodles. This bowl followed some excellent spring roll appetizers (well, the bite or two that I managed to sneak in before Sam torched the rest!), and was more than I could finish. What you see pictured above was about $7. I only hope that I didn't set the bar too high with my first Vietnamese experience. The odds of me being able to walk into any other local restaurant expecting to get this same quality is are probably not that high.

1919 SE 82nd Ave.
Portland, OR

5) Puerto Sagua; Miami, FL

The aforementioned "wanderingjew" traveled down to my home state for some baseball and eating, and I met up with him and a friend of his down in Miami. After a sunny afternoon of Marlins baseball, we drove down to Miami Beach to eat some of the best Cuban food served outside of Havana. This picture isn't even my own meal, but upon being served, I immediately regretted not ordering the seafood enchilada.

700 Collins Ave.
Miami Beach, FL

4) Avalon Diner; Houston, TX

Sitting at the counter at the Avalon Diner is like taking a step back in time to the 1950's. I suppose that the 1950's wouldn't have seen the Avalon in as strange a place as a strip mall, but sometimes you just have to roll with the times. A burger, fries, and a shake - All-American comfort food, if ever there was such a designation. In addition to the hand-dipped shakes, the Avalon still squeezes the lemons and limes fresh for their homemade lemonade and limeade, respectively. Seems like every town used to have at least one of these places. Now, they are stretched far and wide.

2417 Westheimer Rd.
Houston, TX

3) Primanti Brothers, Pittsburgh, PA

When I mentioned to friends that I was heading to Pittsburgh, every single person told me that if I only had time for one meal, that meal should be the sandwich made famous in Pittsburgh - the Primanti Brothers. I will admit to being skpetical - a sandwich with bread, french fries, and cole slaw all slathered on a sandwich together did not really appeal to me. I am a basic fellow - I want to taste the meat in a sandwich, and am usually resistant to any and all condiments. Still, I was told, this slaw is different...the fries add a unique texture....it's an experience. I figued that the worst case scenario would be that I would never have to eat another - and I could claim the experience as done. Instead, the sandwich, and the experience was unforgettable. I was seated at the counter in the original Strip District location, next to two college buddies, in town on summer break. One lived in Pittsburgh his whole life, the other was visiting from NY. For the NYer, this was his "must" experience in Pittsburgh, too.

46 18th St.
Pittsburgh, PA

2) Round Rock Donuts; Round Rock, TX

It is almost hard for me to justify a "Top 10" spot on donuts - but, these donuts are THAT good. I made two visits to the Austin area in 2006. In March, I stayed in Round Rock, and Roadfooder "Bushie" sent me to these fried doughy delights. When I booked my hotel for my October trip, I clearly wasn't thinking about donuts, and booked a hotel on the south side of Austin, near the airport. Waking up and needing a donut fix, I drove about 1/2 hour, in driving rain, to Round Rock to get my hands on these treats. They raised the price from my first visit to my second - up a nickel now, to FIFTY cents a piece. On a recent road trip, I stopped at a roadside Dunkin' Donuts and found donuts had risen in price to 84 cents. I know that it is only 34 cents per donut, but a difference of about 40% in price, for quality that is not anywhere close is a complete injustice. Round Rock Donuts is just one more reason to look forward to that February trip.

106 W Liberty St.
Round Rock, TX

1) Ess-a-Bagel, New York, NY

I try not to throw around the label of "best ever" too often, or it loses its impact. Unfortunately, I don't know any other way to say it - these are the best bagels I have ever eaten. Period. The cinammon raisin that you see right in the middle are fresh and warm out of the oven. I ordered a half-dozen, and walked out towards my hotel. As I was walking, the heat from the bagels permeated the bag and began toasting my hands. Between the physical signs of the warm bagels, and the aroma coming out of the bag, I couldn't resist reaching into the bag and tearing off a hunk of fresh bagel as I walked. The crusty exterior texture blended with the chewy interior to make bagel bliss. My boss often asks me to bring back "real" New York bagels whenever I travel to the Motherland. If she only knew, she would think that anything else I had brought back to this point was absolutely inferior!

831 3rd Avenue
New York, NY 10022

As I look back at the remaining restaurants on my 2006 list that didn't make the cut, I could easily make ANOTHER Top 10 list that would rival most anybody's travels. It really was a good year. In the next couple of days, I will try to highlight some of the honorable mentions, some of the places that would have made a Top 10 if there was no "first visit" rule, and feature my biggest disappointment of 2006.

I wish you all good eats and safe travels in 2007!

2007 New Year's Resolutions

2007-01-01T14:35:00.000-05:00

I am not usually a resolution guy, but what else should one blog about on New Year's Day? They may be a little vague, but I like success stories.

I resolve to take more days off from work in 2007. I am ending the year with nearly 200 hours of vacation time banked (and another 350+ hours of sick time, too!). Fortunately, they will all roll over to the new year (of course, I have another 160 vacation hours to earn in 2007). I will make every effort to NOT grow the number too much higher than 200.

I resolve to blog more often in 2007. Who knows if anyone cares what I have to say, but dammit, I am going to say it. I took too many extended periods of darkness in 2006, and will make every effort to not let that happen again. I will also submit articles to blog "carnivals" in an effort to increase exposure and readership. This is really about making the next resolution a little bit easier....

I resolve to make more money in 2007. I make a pathetically small salary, even with an almost 10% salary bump this year. Another 10% is a pipe dream, so I need to figure out how to make money via other means. I did some consulting-type work for a friend the last couple of years to boost my income, but that will not be available for 2007. Passive income streams, like investments, selling things on ebay, and the small amount of revenue generated from my own web site would help. This is really about making my NEXT resolution a little bit easier....

I resolve to further reduce my outstanding debt in 2007. I am down to two outstanding credit lines - my mortgage (relatively small - I owe about 1/3 of the value of my home) and my student loan (for my outstanding balance, the payment that cleared a few days ago reduced the number to the left of the comma by one!). Obviously, the benefit to reducing debt is to free up the money being paid to creditors to do the things that I like - travel, good food, baseball, and gambling (both the Vegas variety and the much more common investing in the stock market!). 2006 saw the elimination of all credit card debt and medical bills. Hopefully, I will be able to keep that going in the new year.

Lastly, the tough one...I resolve to live a healthier lifestyle in 2007. I need to exercise more and eat less crap. Throw in a few vegetables, and I can be on the right path. For me, this will easily be the toughest of the tough. I have very little willpower when it comes to exercise AND eating healthy. Still, I am going to take a shot at this one. Look, I know that I love fried chicken and a good corned beef sandwich. I am confident that I can continue to eat those things - in moderation - but interspersing some miscellaneous green things and a walk on the beach every now and again can only do good. BTW - this is the first time this sort of resolution has been even thought of by me.

Hopefully, I will be able to revisit this list in a few months and say that progress is being made on all accounts. If not, I am not going to jump off the causeway...this time! :-)

I wish you all luck in whatever resolutions you choose to make for 2007.

Carnival of the Recipes

2006-12-31T04:41:00.000-05:00

The latest edition of the Carnival of the Recipes is posted over at Booklore. This was my first ever carnival submission, and I plan to enter more during the 2007 calendar year. Go and check things out at the carnival. There are a number of good recipes for the chef in all of us.

Holiday Cookin'

2006-12-28T22:15:00.000-05:00

Traditional Thanksgiving dinner - turkey, stuffing, mashed taters, and a veggie - is the meal that I could eat four to five times a week, if I had to. I love turkey - white meat, dark meat, legs - you name it. If I am in a restaurant and they have turkey dinner on the menu, I have a hard time choosing something else - especially a homestyle New York diner. Cooking turkey dinner, on the other hand, is a tough deal for a single guy. Cooking a turkey has a complexity level that exceeds heating up a can of soup or microwaving a bag of popcorn (my usual home cooking!) by a large margin. The holidays, though, bring out the best in me.

I had Thanksgiving dinner at a friend's home where I was one of 35 guests. While happy for the invitation, "seconds" to take home were not an option. Heck, I was lucky to get "firsts" - some of those people could eat! Ever since, I have been eager for some turkey dinner. Publix, apparently upon hearing of my want for turkey, had them on sale for 79 cents a pound last week. I picked up a small bird (less than 10 lbs.), and based on this Roguefood.com thread, I decided to make the stuffing the focus of the meal. Any good turkey dinner should be measured on the merits of the accompaniments, as well as the flavor and texture of the turkey, itself. Naturally, I tweaked the recipe to my own liking (soft pretzels were not an option, and the original recipe lacked traditional stuffing seasonings). The full recipe and photos of the adventure can be found after the break...

PRETZEL STUFFING

l box Snyder's broken sourdough hard pretzels
1 cup chopped sweet onion
2 cups chopped celery
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
2 eggs beaten
2 cups chicken broth
Add ground pepper, rosemary, thyme, sage to taste

Saute onion & celery in butter until soft. Mix in pretzels & remaining ingredients. The original recipe calls for the mixture to be set overnight in the refrigerator. In this case, that was not an option, and the end result worked. I may try it next time - just to see what difference it makes.

Bake in casserole dish (I used 13X9 Pyrex) at 350 for about 25 minutes.

The stuffing (yeah, I know that if it is prepared in the stove, as opposed to in the bird, that it should be called "dressing" - I just don't care) turned out delicious. The pretzels definitely add a different flavor and texture compared to what most folks usually expect from traditional stuffing.

At this point, I was still pretty skeptical. We had some seasoned and sauteed onion and celery and some broken pretzels. But, things started to take shape....

I won't lie. There is a good reason that there is a box of Stove Top sitting on the counter. If this stuff turned out bad, I wasn't having dinner with no stuffing! There is a part of me that thinks that this is common sense and needs no mentioning, but....DO NOT ADD SALT. There is plenty on the pretzels. I didn't think that the final product was too salty, but I like Stove Top - and that stuff is loaded with salt.

No worries, though - it tasted as good as it looks! One of the truest stuffing tests is to see how it holds up the next day as leftovers, and I happily report that the flavor and texture didn't lose anything overnight in the fridge.

The ultimate plate of food - mashed Yukon Gold potatoes (five potatoes - almost one whole stick of butter - a ratio that should be set in stone), green beans, pretzel stuffing, and mixed light and dark turkey - all covered in homemade giblet gravy. I am pretty sure that THIS is what God created on the eighth day.

Never satisfied, though, I am thinking about making a sweet version of the pretzel stuffing. It works with bread stuffing, right? I think I can add apples, cinammon, and maybe raisins. If it happens, I will do a follow-up post.

**Welcome Carnival of the Recipes readers! If this is your first visit, you may want to stop by the Introduction page. That will give you a brief overview of what to expect to see elsewhere on this site. This is not a single-focus blog, so you will find posts here on more topics than just recipes and food. I do travel a lot for business, so I have quite a few posts (and pictures) of where I have been and the food I have discovered on the road.

I am glad you stopped by, and hope that you might poke back again sometime soon. The newest posts can be found by clicking on the "Home" tab at the top of the page.

RIP: Tony's Restaurant; Bridgetown, MO

2006-12-07T04:30:00.000-05:00

I hate for this news tidbit to get buried in the comments section of a months-old post, but a commenter posted today that Tony's Restaurant, which lured me in with their "Missouri's Largest Omelet" sign is no more.

I have not been able to find a news article that substantiates the post (not that I am doubting, but I do like accountable sources). In the meantime, I am going to assume that the story is true and I will mourn this omelet (a true bargain at around 5 bucks!) and the pancakes, too.

UPDATE: I have been contacted by the owner of Tony's Restaurant's granddaughter, and she tells me that the fire was attributed to an electrical fault in the kitchen, not a grease fire as the original poster had mentioned. She also tells me that the restaurant will not reopen in its previous location, but that her father is planning on opening a place nearby sometime soon. So long as that omelette makes the transition to the new place, I am there.

Live Long and....Prosper???

2006-12-07T03:00:00.001-05:00

I would have to live an awfully long time to prosper from Prosper, that's for sure. At least, that's my take on the peer-to-peer lending service that seems to be all the talk in the personal finance blogosphere.

Lazy Man is all for it.
Scott is all for it, aslo.
It sounds like Mapgirl is wading into the shallow end of the lending pool.
~Dawn of Queercents gives the borrower's prospective.

I guess I am on the outside here, but my experience has not been that positive, and I don't know that I want to repeat it a few more times before I am sure. I wanted to start off with a relatively low amount of money, so I transferred $300 into my Prosper account. I authorized the transfer FROM my account on 11/15. It left my bank account on 11/16. It arrived, for use, in my Prosper account on 11/20. Since I initially didn't get the handle on standing orders, I ended up bidding (and subsequently winning) for the same auction twice - $100 and $75. I won another auction for $100, too. I now realize that with such a small amount of money to lend, I would have been better off with bidding on six $50 loans and spreading my risk, but there weren't many listings that met my lending criteria (higher credit grades with interest rates > 10-12%), so I figured I would do better to get my money lent out than to let it sit without earning interest.

I won both my $100 and $75 bids on the first loan on 11/21. This loan is still "pending review." Two-and-a-half weeks later, and Prosper is still verifying the loan? You would think that they would start the approval process when the request goes into the queue, or maybe when X% of the loan is funded. Still, two-and-a-half weeks seems like an awfully long time - even if this is supposed to help my money be more secure.

My other $100 loan was approved at 12.5% interest on 11/22. That loan was just completed on 12/5. I will receive my first payment of $3.73 on January 5 if all goes well. I figure it is going to take a lot of $3.73 monthly payments - and no defaults - for me to feel the least bit prosperous.

Right now, I suspect I won't be too bummed if my other $175 worth of loans don't ever fund. For a rate of return that is less than what the stock market will return this year, it seems like a lot of risk and a lengthy time with your money spent sitting idle. Actually, it is not sitting idle, exactly. Prosper is surely making money off of my money. Heck, you can guaranteed returns in a high-yield online savings account around 5%, so how much of an added risk factor should be counted on to yield enough to offset the difference between Federally guaranteed and high risk?

Tired but Happy does a pretty thorough job of discussing many of the things that I don't like about Prosper, but somehow manages to put a positive spin on it. Hmmm? Maybe I am just doing something wrong?

Airport "Roadfood"?

2006-10-27T18:47:00.000-04:00

It may be that I have finally reached my travel limits this fall, but I am starting to see an increase in the quality of the stories - even the fluff pieces - in USA Today. This morning, the McPaper had a story on eating locally in airports, a subject near and dear to my heart.

Travel Globally, but Eat Locally, Between Flights

They list the Salt Lick BBQ in the Austin airport as their choice for that airport. I will add that, purely from an eating standpoint, if I were to ever WANT to be stranded in an airport, Austin is the place that I would want to be stranded. Not only do they have the Salt Lick, but they also have Matt's El Rancho, a popular, local Tex-Mex joint; Amy's Ice Creams, which I will soon feature in their own thread; and a location to pick up my beloved Round Rock Donuts.

On top of all the eating, the Austin airport is relatively small, the rental cars are on-site, and it is located in one area of Austin that is not heavily congested right now. That all adds up to make Austin my current favorite airport in the country.

My preference is still not to eat in airports, except under the most unusual circumstances, but if you are trapped or making a connection, some of the places listed in the article may save you from another run of McDonald's, Dunkin' Donuts or Chili's Too!

Where'd Y'Eat?

2006-10-26T16:44:00.000-04:00

I started a thread with the same title at my favorite foodie discussion board. It highlights the vast collection of food porn I have collected over the past few weeks. In most cases, I think my photography has gotten exponentially better since I first started taking photos of my food about a year ago.

A friend recently showed me a book that may inspire an idea for myself. Everything I Ate: A Year in the Life of My Mouth is a wonderful "read." Actually, I don't know of anyone who has read it. Most people just look up what the guy ate on their birthday, or holidays and such. I think I can start a blog (keep the giggles to yourself) about the daily food intake for 2007. Of course, my thinking is that I will be appalled at the sheer volume of food that makes it into my trap, and will subsequently eat less. For instance, I would hate to post a week straight (there's that cackling noise again...cut it out!) and have the series contain not a single vegetable. That has been known to happen in my real life, so this may hold me more accountable to what I eat....maybe?

Anyway, I am still just bouncing the idea around. If you have any feedback, or if you found out that someone else is doing this already and has the idea copyrighted and will sue me for 10s of dollars, throw it in the comments section!

Say It Ain't So!

2006-09-22T01:51:00.000-04:00

Once again, history in baseball means absolutely nothing when focused on the future and the almighty dollar. Baseball America is reporting a pretty major shake-up among the AAA baseball ranks. AAA is the level closest to the major leagues; affiliates are usually located in larger metropolitan areas; and don't shuffle major league affiliations quite as often as some of the lower level.

All the moving around started when the Phillies announced that they were moving their top affiliate from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to Allentown, via Ottawa (they purchased the Ottawa franchise, and are remaining in Canada until the new stadium in Allentown is ready next year). That left the Scranton area as a desirable destination, and the Orioles, previously located in Ottawa looking for a home. In most years, the simple thing that would have happened is that the Orioles (who, right about now might be wishing that they were still affiliated with the Rochester Red Wings) would move to Scranton. Ummm...not this year. Enter the New York Yankees.

The Yankees affiliate had been in Columbus, OH since the late 70's. Scranton is a lot closer to the Yankees fan base, so they make an attractive courting partner. The problem is - Yankees fans are EVERYWHERE. They have a great fan base built up in Columbus. They don't need a nearby affiliate for injury rehab assignments, as they have teams in Staten Island and Trenton, NJ. In a year in which the Mets are not conceding any back page headlines to the Evil Empire, they also decide that Scranton would look pretty good, so they tell Norfolk (their AAA home since **1969**) that, well, they love Norfolk, but they think they might want to see other people. If you are Scranton, who would you rather have - the Yankees or the Mets? Duh. Most people wouldn't even blink before taking the Yanks.

The Orioles (remember them?) will likely jump into bed with Norfolk. That leaves the Mets and Columbus (the former Yankee affiliate) without dance partners. OK...enter the Washington Nationals, who have been relegated to AAA purgatory in New Orleans the last few years. The Nats jump on Columbus - leaving the Mets to toil in AAA hell...New Orleans. Ugh.

I always wanted to go and see the Mets in Norfolk. I understand that the ballpark there is a top-notch minor league facility. Instead, I am left to mourn the loss of another part of my childhood.

RIP...

Much Love for Money Saving Tips

2006-09-20T02:24:00.000-04:00

During my blog semi-hiatus, I have neglected to mention (and thank for the traffic bump) the No Credit Needed blog, and the mission to come up with 100 of the very, very, very best money saving tips. I have contributed my own suggestion, and if you have something to add, please do. I am looking forward to the complete list of 100, as there are already some excellent suggestioins.

Meat, meat, and more meat!

2006-09-19T23:19:00.000-04:00

Why would anyone go to Texas and not just gorge themselves on ounce after ounce and pound after glorious pound of red meat? I don't even think that I tried that hard, and I came away from one week in the Dallas/Fort Worth area having packed away steak three nights, barbecued beef brisket three times for lunch, and two of the most phenomenal hamburgers I have ever consumed.

Unfortunately, I did not have my camera with me the whole time, and didn't get photos of the steaks (the best of which was the "Panhandle" at Love and War in Texas) or the brisket. I ate at Spring Creek, Randy White's and Sonny Bryan's - and ol' Sonny B is still the king of Dallas 'Q. However, I did take care of you, all those who seek food porn. Read on, my friends...

Finishing my high school visits in Fort Worth usually means one thing - a trip to Kincaid's. The fact that Kincaid's makes a darn fine burger is not a big secret in Fort Worth. One of the college counselors I met with even seemed a little jealous that I was headed out that way! As is standard for me, I had a hard time finding the place - it is a little hidden, just off Camp Bowie Blvd, just outside of downtown. Once inside, I made my way to the counter to place my order. The staff is sharp, and greets all guests pretty quickly. I ordered the bacon cheeseburger with fries, and it was prepared fresh and quickly. Everything is packed and prepared as a to-go meal, but many patrons eat in at stand-up counters and long, family-style tables that are anchored throughout the restaurant. For additional photos, click to see below the next review and then the fold.

I don't usually need to have my arm twisted to go and visit the uber-talented kids up at the Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science, either. TAMS is a residential high school housed at the University of North Texas. I usually meet with one or two students while I am there, and the college counselor is excellent. Still, if I am going to drive 45 minutes outside of Dallas, there had best be a meal attached to this trip, too! About 10 minutes west of Denton is the tiny town of Ponder, which may or may not have a stop-light. I am not going there in search of traffic control devices, though - I am going for one of the best hamburgers in the country.

Ranchman's Cafe serves up some excellent dead cow. They lure a crowd from Dallas, Fort Worth, the mid-cities, and all over for dinnertime steaks. At lunchtime, they lure me back year after year by serving some of the freshest hamburgers, grilled under the watchful eye of an on-site perfectionist owner. I am a little surprised that the Texas Burger Guy hasn't made his way out to Ponder yet. This place would be right up his alley! Being a New Yorker, Texas hospitality always throws me for a little bit of a loop, but the gang at Ranchman's Cafe is straight of central casting for Texas friendly. In addition to making a meal you would want to buy, you will also feel good about spending your money will such fine folks.

Follow along below the fold and see the great pictures of the food (and menus!)....

The exterior of Charles Kincaid's former grocery store. Now, Kincaid's sells only hamburgers (well, there is a limited menu of other items, but who are we kidding?). The car on the right was my rental for the week, a snazzy (if purple) Hyundai Azera - a surprisingly nice luxury car, which is probably somewhat affordable.
This is the bacon cheeseburger I ordered. Actually, this is the replacement for the bacon cheeseburger that I ordered. I neglected to omit the mustard from my order, and when it arrived, I asked the counter guy for a an extra bun bottom to eliminate the bulk of the mustard-y taste, but he insisted on remaking the burger. The standard dressed burger comes with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, onions, and mustard. The crinkle-cut fries were tasty, but unspectacular.
A good view of the burger, mid-meal. Note the grease-stained paper, which has already soaked up some ample burger juices.
The interior of Kincaid's. As mentioned before, the seating is all family-style, and some is not seating, at all. The oversized blow-up thingies hanging from the ceiling make for odd decor, but I think I want one of those Shiner bottle-shaped ones for my office!

For those of you who enjoy reading menus in establishments like this.
I have heard Ranchman's Cafe referred to as Ponder Steakhouse, as well. Maybe having two signs with different names on the exterior of the building doesn't help dispell the confusion! :)
Let me assure you...this is a man's hamburger. It is 1/2 pound of freshly ground beef (yes, they do their own, on site). Those fries were an actual potato mere moments before this picture was taken. Come to think of it, the hamburger may have been a cow up until just a few minutes before that. My server (Allison?) informed me that Ranchman's is now serving these burgers as DOUBLES, as well. She told me that they have a regular customer who can put away two of those bad boys in one sitting (no fries, mind you). Most people get a little freaked when they see some dope taking pictures of his food. Not Allison...she actually said that she has the same hobby. She may be my kindred spirit!
If we are going to use the food porn analogy, this would have to be the money shot. The lettuce on this burger was just filler, but the tomatoes, bacon, and melted cheddar were burger perfection. The Mrs. Baird's bun was almost enough to hold this beast together, but, in the end, wasn't quite up to the task. I am not sure there is a bun that WOULD be up to the job of holding this burger together.
The interior of Ranchman's, an exquisite historic building, built next to a bank that was once robbed by Bonnie and Clyde. The doorway in the rear leads to an addition that was built more recently for extra seating. The gentleman standing on the left is Dave Ross, owner of Ranchamn's, who offers first-time visitors an opportunity to sign his guest book, which has entries from around the world.

The only downer of the day in Ponder was that I didn't order the pie. In the past, I have had the apple pie and the buttermilk pie. They were both divine, and I knew that I wanted something sweet. Still, I had been referred to a place in Denton called the Southern Fried Pie Company. My plan was to attend my meeting at TAMS and then seek out some delicious fried pies. I researched the place previously, got directions from the gang at TAMS, and drove out to the middle of town. Unfortunately, the Southern Fried Pie Company is no more, or so I was told by a local, after making three or four passes looking for a storefront that did not exist. Not only was I bummed, but I was also pie-free as I made the 45 minute trek back down to Dallas!

Completely DIS-Interest-ed

2006-09-05T01:01:00.000-04:00

I usually take whatever I read from The Motley Fool with a grain of salt, as it seems most of their articles are just a tease to get you to buy their premium product. This article, An Appalling Lack of Interest, is no different. However, it hits close to home for me, as I am a Wachovia customer and shareholder. The author calls out Wachovia for their pathetic savings account interest rate of .35% per year. Heck, .35% would be TRIPLE what Wachovia pays me - a paltry .11%, as of my last account statement.

I am not mad, though. I wised up along the way, and moved the bulk of my savings from Wachovia to ING Direct. My ING account pays 4.35% interest - not the BEST offer out there, but a very easy interface to use, and a very generous new account bonus, which more than offsets the loss of a few cents in interest. Had I kept the same balance at Wachovia as I now have in my ING account, I would have earned about $5 in interest over the course of the year. As of today, I have earned almost $170. By the end of the year, between interest earned and account referral bonuses, I will have made enough money to make one full extra payment on my student loans. It may not seem like much, but chiseling away at that last non-mortgage debt is coming along nicely because of the alterations I made to my lifestyle. Changing my savings account was nothing that I would even notice on a day-to-day basis, but sure pays a healthy dividend over time. Moreover, I have had more incentive to raise my balance in the savings account, because I am actually seeing the interest amount grow every month. Had I left the bulk of my savings at Wachovia, I am inclined to think that my savings would have been relatively stagnant.

ING posted my interest on the last day of the month, as they always do. I am still waiting for the shiny new NICKEL I will receive from Wachovia this month!

If you are interested in opening an ING Direct account, please let me know and I will send you a referral. With a $250 opening deposit, and no minimum balance requirements after that, you can earn a $25 bonus (making 10% on your money immediately!), and I will get $10 for referring you.

Hello, Yeah, It's Been Awhile....

2006-07-30T00:03:00.000-04:00

....not much, how 'bout you?

With apologies to both England Dan and John Ford Coley, I realize I have been pretty neglectful lately. There will be some good posts coming up, as I am typing this from Pittsburgh, PA in the middle of a four day weekend, covering four cities, four baseball games, and 500 miles of travel. As a matter of fact, as I glance down at the clock, I am EXACTLY in the middle of this trip -- two cities down, two to go, and my flights gets back home just before midnight late Monday.

So far, things are not going quite as planned. My outbound flight was delayed over 2 hours, negating my planned dinner in Cleveland. I slept in a little longer than I planned today, so my trips to the Cathedral of Learning at the University of Pittsburgh and the Andy Warhol Museum were scrapped. I suppose I needed the rest, but vegging in the hotel for the better part of the morning was not what I had in mind. I was also supposed to meet up with an online friend from Roguefood.com for lunch, but I guess she was called in to work and couldn't make it.

No worries. I am enjoying this trip immensely, so far, and things are shaping up to get better tomorrow. I am meeting up with two college recruiting friends in Baltimore, and I am very excited about my first trip to Camden Yards in 10 years. I am also anxious to replace the memories of my last trip there. My overriding memory is that it was the place where I broke up with one of my favorite ex-girlfriends (heck, SHE invited me to a baseball game!). My appreciation of different baseball stadiums wasn't quite as refined then, either, so I am curious to see where Camden Yards, often highly regarded from most folks who have been to a few stadiums, rates with me.

I wrap up this trip with a day game in Philadelphia on Monday afternoon. There's still a lot to do - including a four-hour drive tomorrow morning - and 5:30 is going to come around quickly, I suspect. I hope to have posts upcoming on frugal vacationing (or, more appropriately, properly using your resources for a vacation); where to eat in the 'Burgh, Charm City, and Philly; and why I don't think I will ever cheat on Hertz again!

The only teaser pic that I have right now is this one...and it is only because I hope this dolt who walked in front of my camera got nice and blinded.

Tom Hanks Reads My Blog?

2006-07-20T01:02:00.000-04:00

What else could explain this?

On a rainy Wednesday night in Cincinnati, a glittering Hollywood trio of Tom Hanks, Ron Howard and Dennis Miller was in the house, and they even stayed through a two-hour rain delay. Three show-business buddies on a cross-country baseball trip.

This was their night to see the Mets. Hanks said all a guy needed to get on their traveling bus was "to be a baseball fan and be funny."

News will be forthcoming about my own upcoming travels, but I suspect that my own trip won't draw the same media coverage.

But, you never know!

Site Layout Update

2006-07-18T02:42:00.000-04:00

Due to the number of restaurant links, the "Stuff You Oughta Know About Where to Eat" section has been resorted alphabetically. You can now easily find any restaurant review sorted by State first, then City, then restaurant name. I am up to 29, and I would be doing a lot better if I could just remember to bring my camera with me when I leave the house once in awhile!

There is a new section in the sidebar called "Stuff Lots of Other People Think You Oughta Know (discussion boards)." These are links to discussion fora that I frequent, at least as a reader, sometimes as a poster. There is a wealth of information contained therein, and the best way to approach as a new user is to search first, ask second! Each of those boards has a wealth of archived knowledged and many frequent posters who generally help out newbies.

My "Upcoming Travel" section has been updated to reflect my next travel down to south Florida for a week at the end of August. I haven't posted the cities to which I will be traveling for work in the fall, because a lot of that travel is up in the air.

Lastly, the newest link in the "Stuff Other People Think You Oughta Know" section is for my pal Dave's site. He describes as "The Official Site of All Things Dave." It is new, so check it out, if you like.

Chowing on Cuban Food Across Florida

2006-07-18T00:47:00.000-04:00

In the past month, I have had the good fortune to hit two of the best Cuban restaurants in Florida - Puerto Sagua in Miami and Rolando's Cuban Restaurant in Orlando. My trip to Rolando's was somewhat unexpected, so I don't have the pictures to document the visit, but I like the place enough, and plan to make it a point to go more often, so I will try to photograph my next visit. I will save the teasing for one of my frequent posters, "Clothier" until the next time.

A couple of weeks ago, I took a weekend trip to Miami to meet up with a few friends, eat a couple of good meals, and catch a ballgame at the Worst Stadium in the Majors. Following the game, the group of us made off to South Beach for one of the oldest Cuban restaurants in south Florida. Puerto Sagua is located on Collins Ave (A1A) and is very easy to find. There is a convenient, city-owned parking lot right across the street that charges about a buck an hour.

This was my first visit here, and now I cannot imagine making any more trips to Miami without including this restaurant in my itinerary. There are two dining areas; one comprised of a counter with surrounding stools, and one a traditional dining room. They do their best to pack folks in here pretty well. My understanding is that there is often a wait for a table at the most peak hours. Fortunately, we were seated right away. One thing most of White America will notice first is that they are likely one of the few English-only speakers in the joint. Puerto Sagua definitely caters to a very Spanish clientele, but welcomes non-Spanish speakers in kind.

The three of us put away some food. Two of us had arroz con pollo (chicken with yellow rice) with maduros (fried ripe/sweet plantains). I added sopa de pollo (chicken soup), which was prepared with large chunks of chicken, thin noodles, carrots and potatoes. Also, notice in the picture the freshly baked Cuban bread. It is light in the middle, but crusty on the outside.

One of the guys in the group drew some odd looks when he ordered the Seafood Enchilada. The rest of us thought that enchiladas were a Mexican dish, but as the only member of the group who had ever been to Havana, he assured us that they served such a dish in Cuba. This was one of the most interesting meals I had seen in quite some time. If there was a piece of seafood that somehow managed to avoid making it into this dish, I don't know what it is. I could spot clam, shrimp, fish, and even a lobster tail in that broth. The plain white rice soaked up the juice from the broth, as well, making for what looked like a delicious meal.

Make no mistake about it - this place is the authentic, real deal. Check out the pictures of the dining room and the truly bizarre 3-D mural of downtown Havana. We did not cap our meal with a traditional Cuban espresso drink, but by the time we finished, I think we were all stuffed. The total bill, including the one pricey seafood dish, came to about $50 plus tip for three. Puerto Sagua qualifies as one of the great South Beach bargains!

For details on the trip to Rolando's, please continue below the fold...

This past weekend, I had the good fortune to hit central Florida's best Cuban restaurant, Rolando's in Casselberry. Rolando's has also been serving up Cuban for a good while, and the family-run business keeps quality the top priority. The dining room features white clothed covered tables, which gives an air of fanciness, but after just a few minutes seated at your table, you know that Rolando's offers a very casual environment with fast and friendly service. Where Puerto Sagua seemingly caters to the local Hispanic crowd, and accommodates non-Spanish speakers, Rolando's menu is primarily in English with Spanish translations.

A group of three of us ordered the plantain chips and mojo, fried eggplant, and a beef empanada as appetizers for the table. One of the guys commented that it was the best mojo sauce he had ever had. I had never tried it before, and will only say that you had better like garlic! It was some potent stuff. I am not a fan of eggplant, in general, so I shied away - but, to be truthful, it seemed a little out of place. The empanada was good - crunchy exterior with moist, flavorful ground beef. I stuck with my Cuban standard for my entree, arroz con pollo with maduros. The chicken was fall-off-the-bone tender and very moist. The rice was flavorful, but not overpowering. The plantains were wonderful. My buddy had one of their combination plates, which included ropa vieja, another beef dish, and a pork dish (I wish I knew or could remember the names - or find a Rolando's menu online - sadly, I cannot!). His meal came with mofongo (white rice cooked with black beans) and maduros. His wife had a traditional grilled chicken dish, that was also accompanied by mofongo and maduros. We all capped our meal with a coffee drink, that I think was called "cortadito," but I am not sure. It was Cuban espresso with sugar, and some milk (it was not cafe con leche). My buddy's combination meal was the most expensive of the group - and still under $15. My arroz con pollo (white meat version) was under $10.

One of the hidden highlights of the Rolando's meal was the bread. This was not the style of Cuban bread pictured above, but rather a cross between Cuban bread and a dinner roll, all in the shape of a traditional biscuit. The basket that was brought to the table for three of us was polished off in short order by just two of us (fortunately, one didn't much care for the bread).

The proliferation of Cuban restaurants is one more reason to enjoy living in Florida. I was very fortunate to be able to catch two of the very best in all the land (maybe two out of the three best, if you want to throw La Teresita in Tampa in the group). I have a friend who believes strongly in seeking out the most regional foods in his travels. In other words, trying to seek out the best NY-style Kosher deli foods in, say, Charleston, the home of Low Country seafood boils, would be utterly ridiculous. If you are looking to find some of the most regional foods available in Florida, make sure you tackle some great Cuban!

Puerto Sagua
700 Collins Ave.
Miami Beach, FL

Rolando's Cuban Restaurant
870 Semoran Blvd (SR 436)
Casselberry, FL

Edit: Puerto Sagua was featured in the Dining Out: Best of 2006 post.

The Price of Convenience

2006-07-17T23:57:00.000-04:00

Living the single life doesn't always afford one all of the opportunities to save that a typically frugal person might hope. This situation rears up on me sometimes at the grocery store. It is not easy to stock up on staples, nor is it practical for me to make a full turkey dinner with all the fixings. Since I am also trying to cut down on dining out at restaurants (an area that has not been all to successful, of late), so trying to navigate around the grocery store looking for something unique to eat, but mindful of the time/effort/expense of some of the things that I like. Honestly, I think I could be one of the few people in America who could date more often and SAVE money!

Last night, Publix was hawking some of their convenience items in the aisles. At the seafood department, I found some tasty tilapia stuffed with crabmeat. For the first time in quite awhile, I was induced to purchase by a sample tasting. They offered a freshly packaged (in-store, same day) whole fillet, seasoned and stuffed, and ready to spend some quality time in the oven. The price for this convenience, I felt, was quite reasonable - $5.99/lb. I know that tilapia, alone, can be found cheaper, but $5.99/lb isn't really a bad price for a slab of fresh fish. Since this came as a ready-made meal, I would expect to pay a little bit of a premium. The whole cost for the package was just over $7.00.

It made me realize that I am willing to pay for a few other convenience items, especially at Publix. In the deli, I like their chicken tenders - even the cold ones that I have as grab-and-go, and their fried chicken (yes, all the healthy stuff!). In the bakery, I will always grab a loaf of challah bread, if they have one unsliced out on the shelf. Their danish are also good, and I previously mentioned their fresh pizza dough.

I do have my limits, though. It seems preposterous to me to pay for someone to cut up fruit for me in advance. When I look at the price that they charge for a melon cut into chunks versus the cost of a whole melon, I wonder why people pay for that sort of thing. Then I think if other people think that I am nuts for buying a loaf of bread or chicken tenders instead of making them myself.

In case you were wondering, the tilapia turned out great. All it took was adding a pat of butter on top of the fish and about 1/2 hour in the oven at 350. It was delicious, and I was able to portion myself out something for dinner and some for lunch tomorrow. Now, if only I could have grabbed some type of vegetable-type substance, I could have made a whole meal!

The Perfect Woman

2006-07-17T23:01:00.000-04:00

It's been awhile since my divorce, and I have softened my "I am never getting married" stance to something more like "I am not likely to ever get married again." Baby steps, friends, baby steps. If I thought I could find someone like this, I might consider it.

"Cyclone relief pitcher Grady Hinchman, 24, is the only player on the team who is married (for all of a month!), but he had a good feeling about the Kerpen-Fisher nuptials.
“If he’s found a woman who will get married on a baseball field, he’s found the right girl,” he said.

So, I sent an email out to some friends earlier today about this article. I don't usually use this forum to share my personal email exchanges, but this one was notable. My very first email back was from a recently married friend of mine who simply said his wife would have nothing of that. I wrote back:

"Nor would the former Mrs. Travelin' Man. :-) Which is why if there ever is to be a FUTURE Mrs. Travelin' Man, she should plan on her nuptials to take place in one of two environs: home plate at the mutual ballpark of our choosing (sure as hell ain't going to be Yankee Stadium) or VEGAS Baby - at the Elvis Chapel of Love, where we will be married by an Elvis impersonator -- and not some thin 1950's Elvis. I want the authentic, 1970's coke-riddled, obese, fried peanut butter and banana sandwich eating Elvis!

If I find a woman who would endure that - then I know that she won't ever leave!"

Surprisingly, one of my very attractive, single friends wrote back and said that she would "totally" do this. It took all I had to not write back in my Joey Trebiani voice "How YOUUUUU doin'?"

Who knows if there is a perfect woman, though? Yet another guy apparently got tired of waking up next to every man's fantasy, Christie Brinkley.

I realize that I can count the number of supermodels with whom I have slept on....ummm....well, no hands, but that doesn't change the fact that this is Christie Freakin' Brinkley. How hard must she be to get along with? This was Husband Number Four - and he would rather schtoop a 19 year-old?

On the other hand, I guess it means that Christie Brinkley is back on the market. I wonder if she is a baseball fan?

Adventures in Cooking

2006-07-12T02:12:00.000-04:00

I really am trying to make a concerted effort to cook more and eat at home. To do this, I need to come up with foods that I would be likely to make at home. I actually have some reasonably good cooking skills, and what I don't know how to do, I can usually pick up pretty quickly (solid learning curve potential). My problem is that, as a single guy, cooking for one just stinks. In the past, I posted about trying something a little more difficult. Tonight, I went for something a little more simple -- homemade pizza.

We are going to use the term "homemade" in the broadest sense here. I bought fresh pizza dough from Publix. So, I didn't "make" the dough. I used jar pasta sauce - so, I didn't really "make" the sauce. I bought a pre-packaged cheese blend - so, I didn't shred or slice my own fresh mozzarella. I also bought pre-sliced pepperoni, too. But, I did combine and prepare all of those ingredients myself. I will say, though, that writing about this experience sure makes it seem like I didn't really do all that much.

First, let's discuss the positives. This was one cheap meal. The total cost for the whole pizza breaks down like this:

Publix fresh dough - $1.59
1/4 jar of Barilla sauce - ~$.50
1/3 bag of shredded cheese - ~$.70
1/10 bag of sliced pepperoni - ~$.35
oregano sprinkled on top - negligible?

Around $3 for a homemade pizza - not bad! It was also very easy to make and better than many grocery store-bought pizzas that I have had in the past. I had dinner at a friend's house a few weeks ago, and I was treated to some excellent homemade pizza, using most of the same ingredients, including the Publix pizza dough. I thought that I had observed the cook well enough to give it a shot myself.

The biggest downside was that it didn't taste as good as it could have. The crust seemed a little "heavy." I am a crust guy. All of the other ingredients worked really well, but the crust was lacking. It almost had the texture of one of those frozen DiGiorno pizzas. I am confident that I can do better, though, so I will give another attempt.

The procedure...

Set the dough out to rise - usually 1/2 hour to an hour.

Prepare your ingredients.

Press dough into pie shape on a pizza stone, and bake at 425 degrees for about five minutes - just about until the dough is set and slightly browned. When you remove the crust from the oven, you will likely need to poke some holes into the top with a fork, as the crust will "puff" up.

Use your own discretion, but spread an even amount of sauce across the crust's surface. I sprinkled some oregano on the sauce. On top of the sauce, add your cheese. I used a shredded mix of Italian cheeses, including mozzarella, romano, provolone, parmesan, asiago and fontina. In the past, I have used sliced mozzarella. Use what you like. I also added some sliced pepperoni, for flavor. Get creative in your own way here. Add whatever you like.

Bake for about 15 minutes, but keep a good eye on your pizza, as you may like yours more or less well-done as I do. I pulled mine out of the oven at the perfect color for what I like.

I can only wish that my pie tasted half as good as it looked. I am sure that I did something to screw up the crust, and I will give another go sometime in the near future.

All in all, a successful venture, and a learning experience. If you have any pizza baking tips, please post them in the comments section to share!

One More Thing...

2006-07-12T01:51:00.000-04:00

A few days ago, I gave you five reasons why the World Cup is dumb. Leave it to FIFA to not let a sleeping dog lie, and add fodder for a solid SIXTH reason why the World Cup is dumb!

Monday, one day after the exciting (yawn) final match between Italy and France, FIFA awarded their MVP, called the "Golden Ball" to Zinedine Zidane. You might remember Zidane as the player who scored France's goal in the final match on a penatly kick. Of course, if that is how you remember Zidane, you are the only one, and you obviously turned the game off at the end of regulation time. The rest of the world remembers Zidane as the guy who headbutted an opponent after an exchange of words late in the extra time session. The rest of the world's last sight of Zidane was of him walking out through the tunnel, just underneath the World Cup trophy. The rest of the world - at least, the rest of the world that has an ounce of common sense, would think that awarding the tournament's highest individual honor to a man who was kicked out of the final match with the game on the line would be insane.

Not FIFA. And, not the media who covered the matches (they were the ones who voted on the award). Major League Baseball should make sure that anyone who participated in that vote doesn't also have a say in the upcoming Cy Young Award balloting. I hear Jason Grimsley could be a longshot candidate to win!

Is 'The Eel' the New Mole?

2006-07-12T01:18:00.000-04:00

News came out this week that Peter MacNicol will be joining the cast of '24' for the upcoming season. Word is that he will be playing a "high-ranking government official." This is a good fit for me. I love '24' and I have loved Peter MacNicol since I saw him in 'Chicago Hope' as in-house counsel, Alan Birch, affectionately referred to as "The Eel."

'Chicago Hope' was a well-done show with an excellent cast (Mandy Patinkin, Hector Elizondo, Adam Arkin, Mark Harmon, Christine Lahti, Thomas Gibson - before he met Dharma) that most definitely began trolling the shark-infested waters the day The Eel was shot and killed. 'Chicago Hope' never recovered.

I hope that The Eel doesn't meet the same ugly fate that befell last year's new "star" addition, Rudy!

The Best Way to Save More Money

2006-07-10T01:36:00.000-04:00

This is going to sound simple...too simple, but it is true. The easiest way to save more money is to make more money. I am serious. I thought about this long and hard. I have cut most of the expenses I am reasonably willing to cut from my budget and still maintain a lifestyle that will not drive me insane. My small amount of credit card debt is all at 0%, and will be paid off within the next two months. Even if I were willing to give up my cable television (and I am not), it is built into my monthly condo association dues. I think I am about to cut out my blockbuster.com subscription, as I am just not using it nearly enough. That's less than $20/month, though, so we are not talking about huge dollars. Could I eat out less? Sure, but as a single guy, who is not a huge fan of cleaning, dining out carries a multitude of benefits, not the least of which is that it keeps my kitchen and refrigerator relatively clean, which I think is a health benefit! Seriously, I am making an effort to eat at home more frequently...and, dare I suggest, carry my lunch to work???

On top of that, I don't spend a lot more than I have to on gasoline (I live less than 5 miles from work), home cooling (thermo set to 78 in the summer, and off when I am not home), phone ($40 monthly cell plan), and incidentals (I only buy clothes and most other necessities when they are on sale, etc.). Still, I feel like I need to make more a serious dent in my outstanding student loans (paid down below $19k, finally!) and increase my savings - both retirement and current/short-term. It's not hard to see that I do not have much of an outflow problem, but I have a distinct income problem. What to do???

Get a second job (sort of). I have friends who own a talent agency, and I am able to do some contract work for them seasonally. Fortunately, that season is coming up! This type of second job really works for me. My career job is not conducive to a regular, post 5 pm, waiting tables kind of second job, as I am required to travel frequently for work. This work, however, is able to be done in the course of a few days in the winter and a few days in the summer, and pays extremely well. I haven't done the math, but I am pretty sure that the money I make would be more than I would if I worked 10 hours a week all year at some minimum wage job. Next month, I will likely take in around $2,500 from this extra work. This is found money, as far as I am concerned, and my current plan is to send $2,000 off to the student loan and add the rest to my savings. My advice: If you feel like you need more money, get a second job. Obviously, my situation is ideal for me, but get ANY second job. Take the money that you make and use at least 80% of it to pay down your debt or increase your savings (you said you NEEDED the money, right?). Use the remainder to do something fun for yourself. Human nature dictates that if you don't see some kind of immediate benefit, you will start to resent the second job, and it may even effect your performance at your first job.

Assess the interest rate on your savings. Compared to a year ago, I am making a lot more money with the money I have than I was before. Did that make sense? A year ago, I had my emergency savings fund sitting in my Wachovia savings account, earning a whopping 0.10% interest. I was able to earn a grand total of around 38 cents per month on my savings. Last December, I opened a savings account with ING Direct, mostly because of the $25 account opening bonus that they offered. In addition, their interest rate is quite attractive, currently at 4.35%. Yes, I know that there are banks that offer a slightly higher rate, but all of my research says that ING has the best customer service and an easy to use web interface. Besides, compared to what I was earning, the rate I currently get is HUGE! What was 38 cents a month last year is now almost $20/mo. I know that I mentioned a few paragraphs ago that $20 wasn't all that significant, but it is better than nothing. My advice: If you haven't already, open an account with ING Direct. They still offer a $25 sign-up bonus, if you are referred by a current member. Email me, and I will be happy to send you a referral. It is a win-win for both of us. You get a $25 bonus if you open an account and fund it with $250 or more, and I get $10 for referring you. I just did this with a friend last week, and both of our bonuses posted promptly. Even if you don't choose to keep the money there for any long period of time, earning 10% on your money instantly is a very nice rate of return.

Increase peripheral income. I think that this could be the hardest thing on my list. I have a few ads set up on this web page, but even if I encouraged everyone I know to buy their textbooks through my Amazon link, I don't think that I would generate enough money to buy an extra ice cream cone every month! Still, if you blog, you should have an account set up with Amazon, as well as Google AdSense. Also, make sure that you are getting a rebate on all of your online purchases. I mentioned previously about Ebates, and there are other sites that offer similar deals, as well. Many online purchases with major retailers qualify for cash back from somewhere. One thing I would like to commit to do more is sell some things on eBay. Everyone has clutter around their house that just isn't used. Do you need your "stuff" or do you need cash? I need to get off my behind and determine what I have that I can move out. The benefit is two-fold -- increase cash flow, and reduce the amount of junk in the house. My advice: Take inventory of the things you can sell around your place. Try to make a manageable schedule to prepare, post, and package eBay items. You don't have to make a lot of money here - think of it is a yard sale. If you clear a few bucks and clean out the house, you are ahead in two areas. Don't worry about what you paid for something or the perceived worth. It is worth whatever someone else is willing to pay for it.

See, it's just that easy. Make more money. Why didn't I think of that.

Oh yeah...I did.

Five Reasons Why the World Cup is Dumb!

2006-07-09T19:59:00.000-04:00

I don't suppose this is the most popular opinion, but it's mine...and I kind of like soccer. I was fortunate enough to see my college soccer squad win an NCAA championship while I was a student - on our own pitch. My interest in soccer has waned over the years, as I realized that the game I saw as an undergraduate was not the same game that was being played worldwide. We had an aggressive team that scored a lot of goals - and we won a lot of games. Isn't it just like an American to like a high scoring game - and one at which we succeed. The World Cup, though, is flawed...badly.

First, there is the corruption. I don't know how anyone can explain to me how someone like Jorge Larrionda can be selected to referee even one match - let alone four, including a semifinal match. The guy was suspended in 2002 by his home federation, for what was cited as "irregularities." If this is the signature event of the world's sport, how can the referees chosen not be above reproach. Of course, Larrionda's history becomes notable because he officiated a match involving the US squad, which was roundly criticized almost universally as being one of the worst officiated games in World Cup history. His reward for this fine performance? Not one more assignment, but two, including the France/Portugal semi-final match.

Along the same lines as corruption, this World Cup will be remembered for the number of players faking injuries and taking dives. I understand that this is a part of the game, but the amount of cheating (and, really, who are we kidding by calling it anything else?) in this World Cup taints the sport on a world stage.

Extra time is another twisted reality for this sport. I don't understand in a sport where goals are nearly impossible to come by, why they wouldn't use something exciting to end a match, like a sudden death overtime period. FIFA toyed with the idea of "golden goal," using this terminology for the same result as sudden death, because it had less of a "negative connotation" (panzy Euro-freaks!). One of the reasons why Americans like hockey and football (sports where scoring is also somewhat limited) is because they know that if regulation time ends with the score tied, play will continue until someone scores - and only until someone scores. I don't see why we need to play ninety minutes to a tie, and solve that tie with a guaranteed thirty additional minutes of play. For sports like basketball, where scoring is frequent, requiring a fixed amount of time for overtime makes a lot more sense. I think a much more exciting end to the Italy-Germany semi-final match would have been a golden goal from the foot of Fabio Grosso in the 119th minute. Instead, Italy scored and then had to get back and play again. For lack of a better phrase, this is just plain dumb.

It seems like a basketball comparison would make even more sense to point out the sheer idiocy of settling the championship game of the World Cup with penatly kicks. I know this argument has been made before, likely by folks more eloquent than myself, but it is akin to settling the NBA Finals with the two teams having a free throw competition. I would be curious to see the statistics, but I suspect that teams shooting PKs have a better chance of scoring than most NBA players shooting free throws (Dwayne Wade is a notable exception). Again, the issue is the lack of scoring that teams produce over the course of the regular game. It makes it seem all the more random that you would settle a match using a technique that rewards a team whose goalie happens to guess correctly, at the right time, to which direction the ball will be kicked by his opponent. Ninety minutes of well-played soccer, plus another 30 minutes of extra time, on top of four previous weeks of competition just doesn't seem like the best way to solve the championship, does it?

Lastly, the World Cup is dumb because the Americans just can't seem to field a good team. The US is widely regarded as claiming the first victory in World Cup history back in 1930. That team reached the semi-finals, where it was promptly thumped by Argentina. More than 75 years later, it is still the best finish by a US squad. Wouldn't FIFA and soccer world-wide benefit from a strong US program? The 1994 World Cup, hosted by the United States set attendance records that still last today. The amount of money spent by Americans on sports memorabilia is enormous. Sure, calling the World Cup dumb just because America cannot field a competetive team is ridiculous, but isn't it just like Americans to blame the sport on our inability to succeed?

Fortunately, we don't have to endure this nonsense for another four years. Four more years to show the world why the best sporting event anywhere is held in Omaha, Nebraska!

Stuff You Oughta Know About College Orientation

2006-07-09T17:52:00.000-04:00

Boston Gal's Open Wallet has a post about an article in today's Boston Globe, Life-away-from-home 101. The article discusses how Boston area colleges and universities are dealing with the annual ritual that is freshman orientation.

I realize that my college experience was not the norm. I arrived at school by myself, moved in with no parental help, and was happy to be 1,200 miles away from where almost anyone else knew me. Now, the college orientation process involves as many seminars and programs for parents and families as there are for the students. My orientation was a series of placement exams, a number of social events, and a loose collection of gatherings designed to encourage "involvement." Now, placement exams are done online during the summer. The social events are all planned and sponsored, using expensive guest talent. The term "loose collection" doesn't apply anywhere anymore, because of the need to hold everyone's hand at every step along the way.

This time of year, I receive phone calls every day from parents asking how long they are "allowed" to stay. Parents can't imagine that they might leave their kids somewhere - and they will be just fine. If they're not fine, they are going to call you - on the cell phone that you bought them, with more minutes than they could reasonably speak to someone else in one month.

I recently had a conversation with one of our academic deans and he told me that he wished there was some way that we, in the Admission Office, could better evaluate a student's maturity level in the application process. This article, at least, reinforces the idea that it is not just our students who are coming to college lacking academic, physical, and emotional maturity.

We now spend so much time holding students hands that some actual education that would be beneficial during Orientation gets lost in the shuffle. It would be helpful if students were educated on the dangers of using blogs, personal web space (myspace.com/facebook.com), and photo sharing services (flickr.com, imageshack.us). Sharing personal information is OK, as long as you know with whom you are sharing your personal information. Anything posted ANYWHERE on the Internet is fair game for a search engine and could possibly end up in the hands of someone you had not intended. On the other hand, when you get called into the Dean of Students' office on an alcohol charge, don't assume that s/he hasn't seen your myspace page, or the picture you posted on facebook doing a keg stand.

The message for all students heading off to orientation this season is simple - don't be stupid. That's my advice for almost everything, but it is something that you likely won't hear at your school's formal presentations. They will cloak it in family-friendly words and cover it up with the bandage that is political correctness. Sometimes, though, you just need to get smacked in the head, without hidden messages.

So, don't be stupid.

No Love for the KC Royals?

2006-07-08T23:49:00.000-04:00

I was asked why we arranged our previous trip through Kansas City, but didn't go to a Royals game. The primary baseball focus on this trip was twofold -- the new Busch Stadium in St. Louis and the College World Series. If scheduling would have worked out better, we thought about doing an interleague game there - Pittsburgh was in town. Since we only had a few days in Omaha to soak in as much as we could of the CWS, when we saw the limited scheduling opportunity, we decided to pass.

We attended a game at Kauffman Stadium during our first trip to the College World Series back in 2003. You will have to use "attended a game" in the most broad sense, as we got much more of a story than a game that night. Get a quick look at the sky -- it isn't poor coloring on the photo, it is ugly weather rolling in.

We secured tickets outside the stadium from what appeared to be a season ticket holder, who just didn't want to be bothered with the impending weather. Total cost for two excellent seats was about $20 (less than 1/2 the face value of $24 each). My general rule of the thumb when going to a new ballpark is to buy the cheapest ticket I can find, and then see what better seats are available. I like walking around a park anyway, and this way almost forces me to wander. I am sure we could have purchased cheaper general admission tickets (or their equivalent), but this worked out well. Surprising as it may sound, not that many people turned out for a rainy night to see the Royals play the Diamondbacks (not exactly one of those marquee interleague matchups).

I was surprised at how much I liked this ballpark, considering how sparsely attended the game was, the horrible weather, and the incorrect perception that this stadium was similar to the other cookie-cutter stadiums of the same era in Cincinnati, Philadelphia, St. Louis, and Pittsburgh. The fountains, seen often on TV (as often as the Royals are on TV) are pretty cool, and they also had a mini-park just outside the main stadium where kids played with the team mascot.

Kauffman is also home to the worst Hall of Fame in the history of sports. George Brett is a worthy candidate. Name another Royal worthy of induction to ANY Hall of Fame. This one contains the likes of Dennis Leonard (no All-Star game appearances), Freddie Patek (a career .242 batting average), Lary Gura (won 18 games twice, All-Star once), and Paul Splittorff (never an All-Star appearance). Ouch.

Three-plus innings into our game, the sky opened up like I have rarely seen. We get some powerful thunderstorms here in central Florida, and this one gave any of ours a run for the money. If you are a fan of storms, this was one to watch. Our seats were not far from the nearest overhang, so we got a good view of the storm, and stayed relatively dry. Since our goal is not to watch bad baseball, but rather to "collect" stadiums, we were OK with taking calling our visit complete and making a run for the car at the earliest sign of a weather break. After about a 45 minute wait, the game was called. The picture was taken before 8:30 pm - still light at this time of year. The weather was just that ugly.

On our way out of town the following day, we decided to exchange our tickets for an upcoming game. It turns out that the Yankees were coming to town soon, and we would be able to exchange our tickets and then list them for sale on eBay. They exchanged our tickets (remember, these were season tickets) for some cheaper seats (there was no exact match for pricing purposes) and gave me a $6 refund, to boot. So, now I have two $21 tickets to the Yankees one and only series in town, and I only paid $14! The tickets sold for about $20 each, making Kansas City one of our more profitable stadium excursions.

Delta Offers Similar 25,000 Mile Bonus

2006-07-03T00:54:00.000-04:00

I mentioned in a previous post that United is offering 25,000 bonus miles through Rewards Network (formerly iDine). Delta is offering a similar deal -- one that I think is a little better. The gist of their deal is that if you do 25 qualified dines of $25 or more before the end of the year, they will give you 25,000 bonus miles. United's deal required you to spend $125 per month, every month, until the end of the year to get their bonus. If you don't spend the $125 one month, then you get no bonus. With Delta's deal, they don't specify when you need to do your 25 dines, just that you need to have 25 done by the end of the year.

I don't always spend $25 per meal, especially when I dine alone for work, but I have worked out a way to take advantage of deals like this anyway. It really only works for places where you do some repeat business, but it is a handy tool. Instead of paying for your (under $25) meal with your registered credit card, purchase a gift card/certificate for $25 and pay for your meal with the gift card. You will get the remaining balance to spend next time, and you will meet the requirement for a $25 dine.

I am still hoping that American will kick in with a deal of their own. Remember to register for this deal BEFORE you dine out to qualify!

Hat tip to Free Frequent Flyer Miles.

$10 Savings at Amazon.com Grocery

2006-07-03T00:21:00.000-04:00

I mentioned in an earlier Amazon post that Amazon is now selling grocery items. It appears as though they are trying to induce business into their new department, because they are offering a $10 discount on orders of $49 or more. Since everything also qualifies for free shipping (with orders of more than $25), you will get the discount and have it shipped to you for free.

It seems to me that you would need to be the type of person who already buys at warehouse stores to benefit from this. A single guy like myself probably couldn't eat 7 boxes of Raisin Bran in any reasonable period of time. But, shop Amazon Grocery, and see if they have anything you need.

Twilight Zone Marathon on SciFi Channel!

2006-07-02T23:50:00.000-04:00

I just got back from a weekend trip to Miami (one food post coming soon!). I listened to the Mets/Yankees game for the last part of the way up. Off to a good start with a 4-0 lead, chasing the Yankees starting pitcher, things were looking good. Well...not so much. I don't know how the game is going to end up, but I can't bear to watch any more of it on television.

Flipping around the channels, I discovered that SciFi Channel is running a July 4 Twilight Zone marathon. I tuned in just in time to see one of my favorite episodes, "The Masks." The next episode up is the one where the sun is moving closer to the earth. I love it. If I wasn't already pissed that I had to go to work tomorrow (after having a three-day weekend), I am now! I could have easily camped out on the couch and watched Twilight Zone episodes all day! Instead, Insomnia Boy (The Travelin' Man's alter ego) will soak in as much as possible tonight, and likely watch a few more episodes tomorrow!

Trip Log, Day 6; Omaha

2006-07-02T10:31:00.000-04:00

Note: This is one of a series. You can find the complete series index here.

One of the biggest lessons that I learned from typing this trip journal is that I really need to do a better job of daily writing when I am on vacation and then just put it into proper format and add pictures. On the other hand, this is a great way to relive a wonderful vacation, so maybe it is not so bad that I am still writing about my Omaha adventures almost a week after the College World Series ended (unhappily, I might add).

This shaped up to be a weird day. One of the things that we tossed around for an agenda prior to the trip, was the idea of seeing the early game in Omaha, then driving back to KC to see a game between the two worst teams in the majors (Pittsburgh was in town), catch one more meal in KC, and fly out the next day. The scheduling gods were not with us, though, as the "early" game was scheduled for 4 pm local time. There would be no chance to see any part of that game, and then make the drive to KC for a 7 pm start. Instead, our new plan would be a late lunch at the famous Johnny's Cafe, and then a day and evening of baseball, with evening food consisting of ballpark fare.

We got to Johnny's (4702 S. 27th St.) a little before 2 pm (good thing, too -- their lunch service ends at 2!). Johnny's is an old cattleman's hangout, just outside the Omaha stockyards. Greeting you at the entrance is a larger than life photo of Jack Nicholson, grinning ear to ear (naturally) in that way that only he does. Nicholson filmed "About Schmidt" here, and, even as shy and demure as he is, apparently had his arm twisted into taking a photo for the wall. The dining room is decorated in what can only be called 1950's chic - a dimly lit room with big leather chairs and booths. The server, a robust midwestern woman, takes her time greeting the table, but she is always moving. You definitely feel like you have taken a step back in time. Lunch is served with a somewhat pared down menu, but they note that dinner steaks are available for lunch, as well.

We both had our hearts set on two things - the filet and the hash browns. Our server told us that the hash browns would be an upcharge for the lunch-sized 6 oz. filets, but come as an standard side to the 9 oz. dinner cut filets. Hmmm...more steak? OK. As for the photo, no there is not a mirror splitting the middle of the table - but, when you know what you want, why order something else? Split open, there was a significant difference between my buddy's medium rare and my medium. Actually, I would be amazed if these guys EVER had a steak sent back. The hash browns lacked the crispness that I prefer. I recall them being a little crispier the last time, but I am not sure if I ordered them that way, or if at dinner time you just get better hash browns? I am not much of a wine drinker, but their house Cabernet was delicious, and I thought a bargain at $4.75/glass. The bread plate is pretty pedestrian, but the spread that was served with the bread was cottage cheese-like, and pretty tasty. Suuficiently stuffed, and wallets emptied ($70 lunch for two), we made off to Rosenblatt.

The beginning of the first game was lightly attended, so we were able to walk right in again (no general admission line) and secure decent seats behind home plate. Today's session was two games long, so unless you had the desire to see one of the two teams playing the early games, you didn't need to arrive particularly early. Knuckleheads like us, on the other hand, were able to get good seats! My favorite thing about Tuesday in Omaha is that it is "Elimination Day!" Both brackets have both of their teams with one loss play each other. Since this is the double elimination part of the tournament, the losers go home. The first game was Cal State Fullerton against Clemson. Two of the top seeds in the tournament, who had each lost a game to North Carolina. I thought this was going to be a great game - two of the top teams, and each looked better than at least three of the four teams in the other bracket. It was a shame that someone would no longer be playing after this contest.

The reality didn't live up to my self-promoted hype. The game was sloppy and long. It took over four hours before Fullerton came back and broke the hearts of these guys sitting behind us. As a matter of fact, it was the second or third longest nine inning game in CWS history. What that meant for us was sheer baseball overload. We'd seen enough. I wasn't looking forward to sitting through a 50-minute break to see Oregon State-Miami, a replay of the lone blowout in the entire CWS. It seemed Miami would have it in the bag (hmmm...have I been RIGHT yet?). Instead of catching the late baseball game, we could just grab one more good meal in Omaha, and that is what we decided to do.

The Bohemian Cafe is another of the legendary Omaha restaurants that most people just assume you hit when you tell them that you went to Omaha. I had never been there - heck, I wasn't really sure that I liked Czech food, but what the hey...I'll give it a shot. The recommendation that we got was to order the duck and pilsner. I like duck and I like beer - should be a winner. Again, we walked in the door just about as the place was closing. I wouldn't think that a Tuesday night in Omaha would be all that hopping, but 9 pm seems to be when the whole town shuts down. We were seated, graciously, and next to us was a father/son duo who had clearly made the same bee-line for the place as we did from the stadium. They must have had better seats or a better parking spot, because they already had their food. I also let the sight of their meal talk me out of the duck.

I ordered the jaeger schnitzel, sort of czech veal cutlets in what tasted like a very thick marsala sauce. It came with a cup of their chicken and dumpling soup, which was fabulous and two of the thickest and tastiest dumplings I have ever had the pleasure of consuming. My buddy stuck with the roasted duck, and was not disappointed. The Pilsner Urquell is served on draft in a frosty ceramic mug. Homemade bread accompanies the meal, but there is enough carbs in those dumplings to get anyone with even the slightest sense of watching their carb intake to take heed. For the first time on this trip, I could not finish the meal. I couldn't come close to finishing this meal. I left a whole dumpling, some of the veggies, didn't touch the bread, and it was even tough to finish the beer.

Needless to say, this was the perfect ending to a great trip. The flight the following day left little room for anything but a wake-up and a drive south to the KC airport. Fortunately, we were back in first class on the way home, so even though MCI-ORD (O'Hare) offered little more than a bag of pretzels, our flight from ORD-MCO would at least give us a similar snack to the flight up. Refer back to the first post in this trip report if you must, but this is a great vacation for any true baseball fan who has had it with the typical spoiled professional athlete!

Trip Log, Day 5; Omaha

2006-06-29T04:23:00.000-04:00

Note: This is one of a series. You can find the complete series index here.

At this point in the trip, life is very good. I am in Omaha, for the College World Series, and my team is 2-0 and holding some serious chips heading into the midweek games. Having been to Omaha previously, I have developed some favorites. Knowing that this trip was short on time here, we had a finely planned operation to make sure that we hit all the favorite places, and still make the ballpark for a decent number of hours.

This day was to be prime ballpark day. We got an early start because the area surrounding the stadium is something to simply soak up. I wanted to get some serious soaking time in. Merchandise tents line 13th Street, stretching a solid mile in front of the stadium. Vendors hawking t-shirts, pizza slices, and aluminum bats all stake out their spots, while religious groups hand out bottled water, the local paper is given out free, and supporters for legalizing gambling in Nebraska all try to mark time with passers-by. It is an all-out street carnival, with a serious baseball theme.

We entered the ballpark around noon for the game scheduled to begin at 1 pm. By now, I had developed a stroke of hunger. In planning our day, we planned to grab "something light" at the ballpark, and gorge on a meal in between the two games. The food scene at Rosenblatt is something to behold. It is a veritable food orgy, and for stadium food, is surprisingly affordable. After doing a bit of a recon mission, I decided on a salt pretzel ($3). This was a huge mistake. I don't know if the problem was just the time of day, but it was awful. It was soft -- too soft, as though it had not even been baked. The salt, applied upon ordering, was excessive. I ate about half and tossed the rest. Blech. The food that I had previously had at Rosenblatt had always been very good. They have an excellent chicken fingers platter for about $7 which comes with four chicken fingers and more fries than most can finish. The nachos are always a hit with fans, as are the onion blossoms and funnel cakes (which seem to come from an outside vendor).

There is always a confluence of food smells in and around the stadium -- the burgers, sold inside, are grilled out in the open (don't see that anywhere anymore). Outside the stadium, Omaha Steaks sells their products, as does Famous Dave's BBQ. One of the more baffling treats to be considered a hit in Omaha is Dippin' Dots. Yes, it is hot, and anything cold is a welcome respite. But, I have never seen any place as crazy for Dippin' Dots as the midwest, and Omaha, in particular. They advertise themselves as "The Ice Cream of the Future," but it seems as though the future has been coming for a long time. I doesn't even look the least bit appetizing to me, but folks scarf this stuff up.

Eight flags representing the teams in Omaha fly over the centerfield fence. One of the new traditions at Omaha this year is the lowering of the flags for the eliminated teams. After Oregon State beat the University of Georgia in a pretty poorly played game, UGA's flag joined the Georgia Tech flag as those flying at half-staff.

Our late afternoon meal (again, I would only call this dinner at the AARP Early Bird specials in Florida) was at a place we discovered our first year in Omaha, Lo Sole Mio. Back in 2004, we were sitting in the upper reaches of the grandstand, chatting with a local family. We told them of our ballpark adventures and mentioned that it was our first time in Omaha. They asked us where we were planning on eating in town, as we had mentioned that food was an equal part of our ballpark journeys. We, of course, asked for their suggestions. The woman in the group turned to me and asked if we liked Italian. I kind of shrugged my shoulders, as if to say "sure, but why would I come to Omaha to eat Italian?" She told me that she could refer me to the "best Italian meal I have ever had." I gave her the raised eyebrow, and politely told her that I grew up on Long Island, and have had a pretty good fair share of decent Italian meals. She conceded, but still offered that it would be the best Italian I would have in a solid 300 mile radius. Fair enough - and we had the afternoon free, so we checked it out. Well, the lady was right....it is VERY GOOD Italian, and it has been part of our regular stops since then.

On this trip, I (the less adventurous eater of the two of us) ordered the chicken marsala and my buddy ate the Pasta Con Pomodori Secchi, a dish of sun dried tomatoes, grilled chicken and some veggies served over pasta. Both meals were enormous. Unfortunately, we didn't have a fridge in our hotel, so leftovers would be a waste. Successfully, gorged, it was time to head back to the ballpark.

The evening matchup was one that we really looked forward to. University of Miami against mighty Rice U. Since UNC was in the other half of the bracket, I felt like it was OK to root for Rice - besides, the last time we saw Rice in Omaha, they brought their mascot, and I was able to get my picture taken with the Rice Owl! Since they were the only team to bring a mascot that year, they were able to secure my support. That was the year Rice won the championship - the only championship in their school's history.

More basbeall...and some really good steak in the next post!

Trip Log, Day 4; St. Louis to Kansas City to Omaha

2006-06-28T00:59:00.000-04:00

Note: This is one of a series. You can find the complete series index here.

Day 4 (Sunday) was a travel day, which in this case means -- awake at the butt crack of dawn. When you see the title "St. Louis to Kansas City," a reasonable person would assume that we would be driving. Not exactly. We are flying -- first class! But, American doesn't fly from STL-MCI (yes, Kansas City is MCI...why? I don't know). We have to fly STL-DFW-MCI, because when American fliers die, they connect to heaven through DFW. Two shorthop flights (read: nothing to eat!) and a short connection.

On the other hand, upon landing in Kansas City, I was starved. We had planned on only one meal in KCMO, and it was set up to be a good one. We were going to one of the nation's barbecue treasures -- the legendary Arthur Bryant's. Some will say that Arthur Bryant's has slipped over the years, but I am not one of them. While there are some folks who think that Arthur Bryant's isn't even the best BBQ in Kansas City, others will argue that there is a very good chance that Arthur Bryant's BBQ is the BEST in the country.

This is my second visit to Arthur Bryant's, so I have a pretty good idea as to what I want to eat. AB's is known for a few things, including the KC specialty, burnt ends (the crispy, flavorful end pieces that some places actually discard), but I know that these are some of the finest ribs in the land. The beef brisket is also very good -- which leads me to wonder how similar KC BBQ is to that which you find in central Texas? The two of us decided to split a rack of ribs, a beef sandwich, and an order of homemade, hand-cut fries. I have eaten some pretty good barbecue this year (just checkout the sidebar to the right for some examples), but this may well have been tops.

The ribs were tender, but required just the right amount of "pull" to get the meat off of the bones. Anyone who tells you that their ribs are "fall off the bone tender" is selling you crappy ribs! They should require a little bit of a fight. These do. Compliment the smoky flavor from the meat with some of AB's tangy sauce. There is no need to overpower the flavor of the meat with the sauce, but just a touch makes for the perfect addition. Dipping your fries in a pool of sauce is another time honored Arthur Bryant's tradition. In short time, we had demolished an absolute orgy of food.

Debate the best BBQ for as long as you like, but I would gladly stand in the corner with some Arthur Bryant's as my nominee. I hope to get to KC sometime when I can spend more time in the area and sample some of the other renowned locales (and grab some Stroud's fried chicken, too), but so far my travels to KC have all been one shot deals.

Full and nearly comatose, we pointed the rental car north on I-29 for the nearly three hour trek to our final destination, Omaha, NE. This was one boring drive, and with as much food as I had in my belly, it was all I could do to stay awake the whole drive. Fortunately, my driving responsibilities ended when we dropped off the car in STL, but I didn't want to nap all the way to Omaha, either.

The goal was to make it to Omaha in time for the 6 pm game. My beloved Tar Heels were playing the winner's bracket game against Clemson. This was a BIG game, as whoever emerged victorious would have a serious edge to get to the championship series. In the past, when we have gone to the College World Series, we have never really had any intended rooting interest, so this was a little weird. Usually, we would go and pick which teams we liked or who had the best personalities and we would root for them. This time, I really wanted to see Carolina. Unfortunately, our flight was delayed slightly out of DFW and we were running just a touch late to make the 6 o'clock game. With the foot on the gas, we might make it, but it wasn't a lock.

We approached the exit for the stadium (which was also the exit for the hotel) at about 10 minutes to 6. Upon exiting the highway, it was immediately apparent, based on our past experiences, that we would have a difficult time finding a nearby parking space and a further difficult time navigating the general admission line. The line was already snaked around the stadium, and it appeared that we would not see the inside of the stadium until about the third inning. Since I wanted to actually SEE the game, and we were going to be around for the next few days, we agreed that it made more sense to check into the hotel and watch this game on TV.

We stayed at the Sheraton Omaha Hotel, which is an historic hotel near downtown and the Old Market area. This was one of the oddest hotel rooms in which I have ever stayed. As a Starwood Platinum member, I was upgraded to a full "Club Suite," which was actually a two-story room, with an enormous living area, full kitchen, and separate upstairs bedroom. The room, though, was decorated as though all the furnishings had been acquired at a yard sale. For the right stay, I would recommend this hotel, but in a lot of instances, and depending on what amenities are important to you, this hotel may not work for every traveler. I am also not sure why they are called "Club Suites," as there is no "club" or concierge lounge.

Obviously, my Heels won...and we're off to see Rosenblatt tomorrow!

Trip Log, Day 3; St. Louis

2006-06-27T21:13:00.000-04:00

Note: This is one of a series. You can find the complete series index here.

Day 3 in St. Louis was Saturday, and I was already a little worn out. Sleeping in until the mid-morning (not all that usual for me on vacation) was a nice little treat. Once we finally got dragging out of the hotel, it was time for lunch.

First stop was O'Connell's Pub (Kingshighway in The Hill section). O'Connell's has made a few lists for best burgers. I have been there once before, and on that trip, I was encouraged to order the roast beef sandwich. The argument was made that a good burger could be had in any number of places, but it was much harder to cross paths with a good roast beef sandwich. The roast beef was excellent, but I also saw a burger head out from the kitchen to a table and it looked really good. I was certain that if I were to ever come back to O'Connell's, I would have to order one of those burgers. As we drove down, I mentioned my plan to my fellow travelers, who immediately scoffed at my suggestion. The same argument was thrown at me -- why get a burger here (especially after eating at Blueberry Hill a few days prior), when the roast beef was unique to this particular place? I was hearing nothing of it. I wanted a burger -- and, by god, I was going to order one.

When we arrived, I kept telling myself to order the burger and not be swayed. In my head, I was replaying "order the burger...order the burger...order the burger..." The server came by and asked what we would like. Around the table, my travel companions, one after the other, repeated "roast beef...medium rare...fries." Same thing at the next stop. OK...my turn, and I am still thinking "order the burger...order the burger..." when I can only assume the film director in my head said "stop...cue the roast beef sandwich!" Because, right at that very moment, about five gorgeous roast beef sandwiches were carried right past my snout and on to their awaiting patrons. "I'll have the roast beef," I muttered, immediately taking on a heap of grief from the rest of my table. Heck, I even sprung for the extra 25 cents to get a ramiken of au jus.

I remembered the roast beef as being very good. I don't know how it happened, but in two years, it has somehow improved to be the best roast beef sandwich I have ever eaten. The au jus was a little bland, but it made for an excellent texture. I was just a little surprised, because this meat is well seasoned. I am really disappointed that I didn't get any pictures, because you can actually see the difference in the color of the meat from medium-rare to medium -- each of which was perfect for my tastes. The french fries were superb, but I was again told that onion rings should be the compliment to most sandwiches. Also, while toasted ravioli gets the press as the local appetizer native to St. Louis, it also seems that many places have excellent stuffed mushroom caps.

My friend who had lived in St. Louis previously said that he understood what I was going through with the hamburger choice. When he lived there, he would go to O'Connell's for lunch, have the roast beef, and then try to come back for dinner, thinking he would order the hamburger. He would sit down, see a roast beef go by, and order the roast beef.

After a filling and very fulfilling lunch, we needed an activity to burn off some of these needless calories. My choice was a visit to Grant's Farm. I admit...I only wanted to go to Grant's Farm to see the cabin in which the worst president in the history of the United States once lived (present company excluded, of course!). This is another free attraction in St. Louis, which I now believe to be a very affordable vacation option for many Americans (I read somewhere that St. Louis is within one day's drive to more than 1/3 of the US population). Since there is virtually no mention of President Grant, except for a brief pass in a guided tram, I guess I was a little disappointed. But, without the whole lack of Grant thing, this place is a hit. The Farm is now run by Anheuser-Busch, and is home to one of the full Budweiser Clydesdale teams. The Clydesdales are truly majestic animals, and you just don't get the opportunity to see them every day. A few other positives -- free beer in the hospitality area (gotta love that!) and a great wildlife preserve and petting zoo for kids. Rain dampened the day a little, but there are enough dry attractions there to keep you busy even in the rain.

On the way towards downtown, we stopped in for another visit to Ted Drewes. I know that Ted Drewe's a St. Louis institution, but I had no idea that it was so ingrained into a native St. Louisan that it would be a necessary stop for a wedding party. While we were there, in early afternoon, TWO wedding parties drove up in full coach buses. I overheard a conversation between two of the counter girls. They didn't seem the least bit phased by the wedding parties, but were a little surprised at the SIZE of the wedding parties, and the necessity for coach buses. I have to admit, I am not too inclined to think about marriage again, but if I find the woman who insists on including Ted Drewe's as part of our wedding party, I may know that I have found a keeper! Check these fine ladies out....

After the stop for concrete (mine was chocolate chip cookie dough), we made off for a stop at Union Station. If you are a fan of Roman architecture, this is a must-stop. If you want to find a serious shopping tourist trap in the middle of downtown, this is also a must-stop. Fortunately, I was able to accomplish much of (A) with little interference from (B). History and train buffs are also sure to already know that this was the hub of train service between the east and the west for many, many years. One of the stained glass windows celebrates this:

You can also see that one of the more bizarre feats of architectural accident - the whisper arch (scroll down). One can stand and face the wall into the inside arch, speak at a normal tone of voice and be heard by someone else at the other end of the arch. It was discovered purely by chance during construction, and has since been used by proposing grooms to pop the question, as well as practical jokes on unsuspecting noobs.

For dinner, we sought out a sports bar to watch the College World Series (Miami vs. Oregon State), Game 6 of the NHL Finals (yeah, right), and just soak up some sports environment. Frankly, the food was secondary, but cold beer was a must. We ended up at a place called the Locker Room in Florissant. The locals at the table next to us raved about the wings, so we grabbed some of those. We also added an appetizer sampler - your basic bar food. The wings were heavily breaded (kind of like Hooter's wings, but with a little more taste), but the hot sauce had a little tang. Overall, the food was average, but reasonably priced. The beer was cold, and they had some good local and national selections. The service was exceptional -- the owner was around and visible, keeping control and tabs on all of the televisions set to the proper mix of sporting events. We must have been the only folks in the bar watching the CWS, and he went to change TVs on us, but upon brief discussion, he reaccommodated us to the perfect viewing scenario. Really, in a sports bar setting, can you ask for more? Adequate food, cold beer, and the availability of all the sporting events you want!

25,000 Bonus United Mileage Plus Miles

2006-06-27T01:37:00.000-04:00

This year, frequent flyer programs are celebrating their 25th anniversary. American Airlines was the first to introduce the AAdvantage program, and United was right behind with Mileage Plus. I mentioned last month a number of promotions that American was running to celebrate. Now, it is United's turn.

You can earn 25,000 bonus miles using Mileage Plus Dining by Rewards Network (formerly iDine). Spend $125 per month at qualifying restaurants, including tax and tip, every month from July through December, and you will receive 25,000 bonus miles -- enough for one round-trip domestic ticket! You must register first.

I hope that American offers a competing deal.

Men Don't Know Jack About Retirement

2006-06-27T01:15:00.000-04:00

....or anything else, for that matter. That's our little secret. Let's hope the women folk don't find out.

MONEY Magazine's recent article discusses the lack of retirement savings savvy inherent in men. The article, of course, fails to mention that women don't seem to know any more about retirement than men do. So, maybe, they should have retitled the article "Nobody Knows Jack About Retirement."

I don't claim to know everything about retirement, but I know a few rock solid facts:

There is no reason to not start a retirement savings plan. It doesn't matter how old you are -- as a matter of fact, your money has a longer period to earn for you the earlier you start. No matter what, if you haven't already....get started in your employer's 401k/403b plan or start a Roth IRA.
In almost all circumstances, it is not advisable to take an early withdrawl from your retirement plan. You will likely be on the hook for a penalty and outstanding taxes. On top of that, you no longer have that money working for you to grow over time for your retirement.
If your employer offers a match, you should at least contribute the amount to which your employer will match your contributions. In other words, if your employer will match your 401k contributions up to your first 5%, then you should at least save that much. The money that your company matches is like making 100% on your money right from the get-go.

This article focuses on what to do when you reach retirement age. I am still a ways away from that, so I am less concerned about what to do 30 years from now than I am with what I am supposed to do today. I am concerned with building my pot of gold as best I can. Even with the relatively low salary that I make, I have always contributed as much as I can possibly afford. I have tried to maintain an aggressive approach to investing; which, for me, means investing primarily in growth stocks, international investments, and some real estate. I figure that I am relatively young, and even if my whole nest egg were to evaporate tomorrow, I still have enough time to save for retirement (less time, but I would still have time).

I don't know if I am going to pass any quizzes from MONEY Magazine any time soon, but I am pretty sure that my retirement planning is one of the few financial things that I have done right over the years -- when so many other things have been wrong!

Site Layout Update Redux

2006-06-26T00:46:00.000-04:00

Since the last time I posted about this, I changed a few things around on the layout. All of these changes are to the right hand sidebar. Start at the top, and follow along...

I added a section for upcoming travel (which, of course, is not up-to-date). If you have suggestions on where to eat or wacky things or places to see, please drop me a note.
I created links to all of the active restaurant posts. Currently, it is arranged chronologically. Is it easy to follow? Would alphabetically be better? Some other categorization?
I added a section for complete travel logs. The only one posted currently is actually an INcomplete travel log, but will be done soon. Hopefully, I will add some other posts that all have a common thread in the future.
I added a Google search bar. You can easily search things on this site or on the whole Internet from right here.
I added a "Get Firefox" button. I believe in Firefox, and use it myself. It is light years ahead of IE and Netscape, and less susceptible to virus and malicious code than the other browsers.
I added a few more site feeds. Scroll down (assuming your on the top of the page right now) and you will find some standard readers which you can add easily. Let me know if there are others you would like me to add, and I will see what I can do.

And, yes, I added a few new ads. Any money generated from this site (which I assure you is, as of this very moment, zero!) will be used to pay down my outstanding student loan debt. If companies will pay a little to have an ad here, well, so long as it doesn't become cumbersome, I am OK with it. As for Amazon.com, I am also a user. I will not take any advertisements for anything that I would feel uncomfortable sending anyone to use.

Lastly, if anyone would like to exchange web links, please drop me a line. You should have a history of regular posts (at least as regular as my feeble attempt), your content should be somewhat complimentary to mine (and there are enough topics that I cover to make that happen), and you should add my link. Nothing too complicated, but I do reserve the right to tell you to go fly a kite! :-)

Regularly scheduled programming will continue next...

Trip Log, Day 2; St. Louis (continued)

2006-06-25T19:00:00.000-04:00

Note: This is one of a series. You can find the complete series index here.

We decided to grab a late afternoon meal (only in Florida would a meal this time of day be considered dinner) before heading out to the ballpark to limit the intake of lips and snouts. Our first choice was Connelly's Goody Goody Diner, but they were closed by the time we arrived. Before we spent our entire time trying to figure out what would be the best substitute, we quickly decided on using some serious "foodie nose" to get the job done. Sometimes, you just have a feel -- with no guide book or anything.

Located right in front of the Bel-Nor City Hall, we found The Breakaway Cafe (8418 Natural Bridge Road). Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of this place, but you can trust me, the food was tasty. Breakaway Cafe serves a number of pasta dishes and other varieties of comfort food. This was my first experience trying toasted ravioli, and they did not disappoint. I don't know how much better they could have been at the more well-known Italian institutions on "The Hill," but these served this novice pretty well -- a crusty exterior, and a well-seasoned filling, all dipped in homemade marinara. Appetizers were generally under $6 and entrees could be had in the neighborhood of $10.

For us, one of the most important reasons for choosing The Breakaway Cafe was the proximity to the MetroLink station at University of Missouri-St. Louis. Taking the MetroLink downtown the ballpark was very inexpensive ($1.75/each way), but very crowded. I have taken the subway to Shea and the El to Wrigley, so I know crowds, but this was pretty crowded (the reverse trip was even worse!).

We arrived early at Busch. There were three of us, and we only had two tickets. Needing one, we set out around the stadium trying to find a scalper with singles. Funniest thing, though -- there were hardly any scalpers. I knew that the games were sold out -- St. Louis fans are rabid for baseball, and they finally have a new stadium to enjoy. Still, the freakin' Rockies were in town, not the Cubs. As we dragged past the box office, I stopped to see if they still had an standing room tickets -- they told us THOSE were sold out, too! The clerk told me that they did have some single tickets, but that was all. Single tickets? Why, we NEED a single ticket...what have you got? $34 later, I was on my way into the stadium.

There are a couple of quirky things about this ballpark. For one thing, there doesn't seem to be much of a "front." Supposedly, this is the front of stadium, with the statue of Stan Musial moved, by crane, over from the old ballpark. People have a convenient place to "meet at Stan," but it surely appears that one of the corners would have made a better front of the stadium. The area is still under a lot of reconstruction, so maybe as time passes, and more peripheral businesses develop, it will become more evident that this is, in fact, the front.

In the past, I have had decent $34 seats, and I had some really bad $34 seats (Dodger Stadium comes to mind). These were not good $34 seats. They were located in the outfield, in the second deck, all the way in fair territory in left field. They called it Big Mac Land, named after the juiced (errr...allegedly juiced) slugger, and sponsored by the place that serves crappy hamburgers. My understanding is that if someone hits a home run up there, everyone in those seats gets a crappy hamburger named after said juiced slugger. My guess is that second prize is TWO hamburgers named after said juiced slugger, but that may just be the cynic in me. These seats were a kind of limited view seat -- nothing too pretty for that kind of money. I didn't even take a picture from my seats...they were THAT bad.

My buddies 2/$11 deal ended up netting them standing room access. Anyone with any kind of sports acumen knows, though, so long as the ushers are not overly vigilant, after a few innings, you can scout out where there are available seats, and plant yourself until someone asks you to move. By the fourth inning, we were sitting in seats about 12 rows up off the field right behind the visitor's dugout. My opinion of the stadium changed immediately with the better seats. The key to this place is definitely the view -- and these seats had THE view. The photo is the standard panoramic behind home plate shot, but you can see what we saw -- beyond the left field fence, is a great view of downtown St. Louis. The Arch is visible from almost every seat in the stadium -- a big plus, because the Arch gives you a unique view from almost every different angle.

Overall, though, I didn't find the major's newest stadium all that remarkable. There are a ton of ads EVERYWHERE. Seating sections, as mentioned above, are sponsored, as are the scoreboard, outfield walls, and just about any place else they could plaster a placard. I know that all stadiums have advertising, but some have more obnoxious advertising than others - and this stuff is pretty obnoxious. One of my favorite things about the "old" Busch stadium was the unique way the retired jersey numbers were memorialized. Here, they are just plastered on the outfield wall....boring. I may want to revisit this park in a few years, but for now, this place would probably end up somewhere in the middle of the pack, in terms of favorite stadiums. One serious plus for the stadium is the enthusiasm of the St. Louis fans. They did have this in the old ballpark, too, though...so, it only goes so far. There is a nice Cardinals history done on the outside promenade in brick. If so many of the Cardinals highlights hadn't come against the Mets, I might have enjoyed that a little more.

Cards won big...and we can check this new stadium off the list! Day 2 complete.

Trip Log, Day 2; St. Louis

2006-06-25T15:16:00.000-04:00

Note: This is one of a series. You can find the complete series index here.

Waking up to go stand in line is not usually the first step to a happy day for me. But, it is the day we are headed to the new Busch Stadium, and tickets are tough to come by. Our best chance for tickets was what they call "First Pitch" tickets. Considering that all tickets have been sold for the whole season at the new Busch, this is a really good deal -- two tickets, randomly selected anywhere in the ballpark (including SRO) for just $11 - and an hour or so wait in line. The time passed along quickly enough, and we exchanged our $11 for a voucher, which we would later need to bring to the gate, where we will pick up our tickets. On the surface, it seems like a convoluted way to distribute tickets, but the locals tell me that the series of events are in place to ensure that these tickets are not purchased by those looking to scalp them for a profit.

After securing our tickets, three of us adjourned for breakfast at Tony's Restaurant (12246 Natural Bridge Rd, Bridgeton, MO), which proudly advertises themselves as the "Home of Missouri's Largest Omelet." I think I have mentioned before that I am a sucker for this type of marketing. I always want to see "the biggest," "the best," "the tallest," etc.

Tony's did not disappoint. The restaurant is not large, and well off any kind of beaten path that anyone but the locals would find. It is, however, near the airport, so it is an easy stop on your way in or out of town. Specials were listed on a board near the kitchen, and a sizeable menu exists, but when a place advertises that they are "Home of Missouri's Largest Omelet," why would you order anything else?

The three of us -- all healthy adult males -- split two dishes. One bacon and cheese omelet and a stack of apple pancakes.

I can only tell you that this picture doesn't do this omelet justice. Realize that the omelet is the same size as those pancakes, and about as thick as a stack of five! Maybe this close-up does it better...

Not only was the omelet ENORMOUS, but it was also delicious. It fed THREE of us, and we couldn't finish the whole thing. I can only imagine how many eggs it took to make this -- my guess is 6 or more. There may have also been about 1/3 of a pound of bacon in there. To top it all off, the omelet runs about five bucks. As a matter of fact, the whole check for the three of us was about $15, including tip. If you are looking for a place to grab a good, filling, hearty, inexpensive breakfast, Tony's shouldn't be missed. Bring a defribulator, though, it may come in handy.

Afternoon activities included a trip to the Missouri Botanical Garden, specifically to see the Glass in the Garden exhibit by Dale Chihuly. I had previously seen a similar exhibit in Chicago a few years ago, and subsequently became a Chihuly fan. For one thing, the guy wears an eye patch, which is kind of pirate-ish. Extra points, for sure. On top of that, he has figured out a way to earn worldwide renown and make a ton of money, as an artist, while alive. Imagine how many folks aspire to any part of that! I won't bore you with a ton of Chihuly photos here, but I will add some below the fold for anyone who wants to catch a peek.

The Gardens were cool, but I think I liked the Chicago exhibit a little better. It seemed that these sculptures were a little more random, whereas at the Chicago exhibit, the sculptures took on more of the personality of the gardens. Either way, it was good to add a little culture to the baseball and red meat trip!

After Chihuly, we needed a little time to regroup before heading out to the ballpark. I will continue there in the next post, and, as promised, throw a few glass pictures up below the fold. For full visual effect, you should probably click on the pics to see the larger and more detailed versions.

This was probably my favorite piece. The illusion of flamingos in the garden is what appealed to me.

Many of the glass sculptures interact with the light in beautiful ways.

OK...I suppose you have had more than enough by now. Neat stuff, though, and if you get the chance to see a Chihuly exhibit in your neck of the woods, you should try to check it out.

Edit: Tony's Restaurant was featured in the Dining Out: Best of 2006 post.

Trip Log, Day 1; St. Louis

2006-06-25T01:16:00.000-04:00

Note: This is this first post in a series. You can find the complete series index here.

Travel days on vacation always seem like such a waste to me. I travel for a living, so I usually get PAID to fly. Burning a vacation day to fly seems proposterous to me. My preference would have been to fly out after work and arrive in the late evening at my destination. Since I take two summer trips with one buddy of mine, we are each responsible for travel arrangements for one trip. I had no say in this one, so we flew out in the morning! Fortunately, it was a first-class flight into STL, which arrived around 1 pm.

Vacation meal #1 was burned on airline food. I had a lovely, overly salted, turkey sandwich on a croissant. Accompanying the sandwich was a salad with not-quite-wilted lettuce, and a bag of walnut cookies. I am glad that I don't ever see those cookies in the supermarket, because I like them a lot. Most of the products from Old Colony are pretty good (on the return flight, I had one variety that I had never seen -- Chocolate Mint), and if they were readily available locally, I am afraid I would buy a bag every trip to the grocery store. And, even though they are very reasonably priced online, I don't think that I need 100 bags of cookies lying around the house.

Rental car pickup and hotel check-in were quick and smooth. I used Hotwire for this trip, as opposed to my favored Hertz because the Hotwire cost was almost 1/3 the charge for the Hertz rental. Now, I love Hertz, but not that much.

After a quick change at the hotel, we drove off to check out the world famous St. Louis Zoo. The St. Louis Zoo flourished under the care of Marlin Perkins, of Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom fame. The St. Louis Zoo was one of the first zoos to eliminate the old-style cage system, and provide more of a free-roaming environment for it's animals. Best of all, for all you penny pinchers out there, the place is absolutely free. They do charge $9 to park a car there, but you can load up as many as you like in the ol' family truckster and head out for a good day at the zoo.

I have become a fan of good zoos over the years. As much as I love to travel, I haven't been outside North America since a trip to Europe in the eighth grade. For me, zoos are a way to see some of nature that I would not otherwise be able to inside this region of the world.

Every time I go to the zoo, I never fail to see something that I had not ever seen before. This trip was no exception. I happen to think that lemurs are among the coolest of the mammals, and so I always make it a point to check out the monkeys, orangutans, and other primates, which are housed together at most zoos. The St. Louis zoo recently added a new species of lemur, which may well be one of the coolest animals I have ever seen, the sifaka. Native to Madagascar, it was only recently discovered how to care for these animals in captivity.

I also want to check out how they have my favorite animals cared for -- the penguins. The St. Louis Zoo had an excellent penguin and puffin exhibit, and on the day we went, many different species were roaming about and making quite a bit of noise.

Due to the layout of the exhibits, you do quite a bit of walking at this zoo. It makes for a decent bump in the heart rate (for a while, it seems like everything is uphill). Needless to say, after about three hours, I was exhausted.

Dinner on the first night was burgers at Blueberry Hill. Traveling with someone who has lived in STL previously, I got quite a bit of historical background on this area...unfortunately, not many pictures! While the burger was fabulous, what I was most pleased with was the Shiner Bock on draft. Whenever I travel to Texas, Shiner is THE beer of choice, and I can even get in bottles from the local Publix. My understanding, though, was that Shiner beer is only available on draft in Texas. A pleasant surprise, to say the least.

The specialty burger here is the Cheddar Burger. It is 7 oz. of beef slathered with spreadable cheddar cheese. I am not usually a big fan of any kind of cheese spread, but this gooey cheese added a unique flavor to the burger. At our table, one burger was ordered medium and one medium rare -- and there was a discernable difference in the two. The fries were tasty, but I was subsequently told to order the onion rings instead. If you are in the STL area for the first time, I would add this place to my musts. They have live music (Chuck Berry still plays here once a month!), dart room, pinball, displays of toy and sports memorabilia, and GREAT food. You can find them in the Loop on Delmar.

The last stop of the day was the ultimate St. Louis institution -- Ted Drewes for frozen custard. I read in one of those cheesy tourist books how St. Louis is famous for two things -- one made of steel (The Arch) and the other made of concrete (the name for Ted Drewe's blended custard concoction). This was my second visit to Ted Drewe's, and I recalled that during my last visit I had an apple pie concrete. For the uninitiated, this is vanilla custard blended with a hunk of fresh apple pie -- similar to a DQ Blizzard, but with quality ingredients! The server turns the dish upside down to show just how thick (kind of like....concrete!) this treat is. For some reason, they serve your custard with a spoon AND a straw -- but, I have never seen anyone eat their concrete with a straw.

However, after perusing the menu thoroughly, I did not see apple pie on the menu. I understand that the menu rotates somewhat periodically, but I was bummed. One of the folks I was with suggested that I ask for it, as they sometimes have stuff that is not on the menu. Good call...and moments later, I was chowing down on my apple pie concrete!

An exhausting first day of vacation done. Good sleep was the next order of business.

For anyone interested, I will post a few more pictures from the zoo below the fold.

My favorite bad ass lookin' penguin!

We caught this polar bear at feeding time. Here he is mauling a fish!

The insectarium at the St. Louis Zoo is wonderful, including a large collection of butterflies.

Friday Deals at Amazon

2006-06-23T04:11:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite ways to pick up a bargain is to see what Amazon is offering in their weekly Friday Sale. In the past, I have purchased the Martex Egyptian Bath Towels, which are featured this week for $8.99 each, with a free hand towel. If you spend $25, you will get free shipping, too! This could also be time to check out the newest section, the grocery department.

Each week, Amazon offers 150 new items at a discount on Friday. Most of the items are somewhere between 25 and 70% off. Check back each week to find out what is available.

The Worst Day on the Calendar

2006-06-23T00:55:00.000-04:00

No, it is not a specific date. For me, it is the first day back from a week-long vacation. Getting back into the spirit of work and out of the sleep-in mentality takes more than a couple of days. I guess I suffer from some sort of vacation hangover.

Worse, too, is the excessive amount of time that I end up spending defending my choice of vacation spots. Visualize people who, without saying a word, have a look on their face that just screams "You took your vacation and went to OMAHA? Nebraska?" How about the look of bewilderment that says "Saint LOOOOOOOis???"

I guess most people think of more typical vacation spots -- Hawaii, Las Vegas, New York City...heck, even Pittsburgh would elicit less odd looks than Omaha. On the inside, though, I am the one chuckling. Friends of mine recently took a very fancy cruise through the Caribbean for a week. I guaran-damn-tee you that I had a better time than they did, and spent about 1/3 the amount of money.

People complain all the time about not being able to use their accrued miles on award flights or their hotel points for prime hotel rooms on their vacations. While some may not consider the midwest to be a prime vacation destination, I never have a hard time using miles for a flight or points for hotels, whenever I want -- even at peak times, like the College World Series, when hotel rooms tend to go for upwards of $150-200/night in prime locations -- if you can find a room.

Those who mock my vacation choices are the ones who would spend their time off battling some overcrowded area, to get into the touristy places (that are most like the ones we have here in central Florida), to do overpriced vacation-y things, I will keep my little secret. I am having more fun, for less money....so stay the hell away from where I am headed! :-)

Sickly Amount of Beef

2006-06-23T00:07:00.000-04:00

I was going to title this post "Gooey Blood," but that was even too gross for me.

In-N-Out Burgers are some of the finest "fast food" in the country. But, this guy takes his lust for "animal style" just a little too far.

Earlier this year, 20-year-old Anaheim resident Merwin Barrientos ate a 26x26 at In-N-Out Burger: 26 hamburger patties glued together with 26 slices of American cheese.

Their regular menu calls for a "double-double," two beef patties with two slices of cheese on a burger. In what might be considered one of the world's worst secrets, In-N-Out is well known to have a secret menu, and they will gladly make a burger of any size combination of meat patties and cheese slices.

I tried to figure why anyone would even think about doing this kind of disservice to their bowels, when I came across this line in the article:

Nevertheless, he doesn’t plan on joining the competitive-eating circuit: he’s just a Cal Poly Pomona computer science major who really, really likes to eat. “I’m sure I’ll try something else soon,” he says. “I hear there’s a 96-ounce steak in Texas . . . ”

Ahhh....a computer science major. That does explain a LOT. It's kind of hard to believe that computer science majors have a reputation of having difficulty getting dates on Friday nights.

It sounds like he has his eyes set on the Big Texan Steak House in Amarillo, TX. If I were them, I would get ready to give up a free steak soon!

The Greatest Show On Dirt

2006-06-21T03:13:00.000-04:00

Having spent the last three days in baseball nirvana, the NCAA's trademarked phrase, which I blatantly stole as a thread title, is so true. Stand back, kids....I am about to make an incredibly bold statement...

The NCAA Division I Men's Baseball College World Series is the single greatest live sporting event held annually in this country.

Soak that in for a second. Go ahead. I'll wait.

Yes, there are a few parameters in place, but I am not going to get into an argument with the World Cup freaks out there. Me, I would take the CWS over the World Cup anyday. But, the World Cup is a four-year worldwide event - and one that celebrates the world's most popular sport. That's tough to beat. I wouldn't trade my tickets in Omaha for a Group E undercard in Dusseldorf, but to each his own. The Olympics are also a unique series of events, which bears some merit in the "Greatest Sporting Events to Attend" competition. But, the Olympics stroll around every other year -- alternating winter and summer gatherings. Interest in the Olympics, domestically, waxes and wanes with the United States' athletes on the field.

Why does the CWS rank ahead of the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the Major League Baseball World Series -- heck, all of the professional sports championships, the BCS, the Kentucky Derby, the Indianapolis 500, and anything else you want to throw my way? Well, I'll tell you -- but, you would know, if you made just one trip to Omaha.

Come to think of it, Omaha is probably the Number One reason why the CWS earns this title. The CWS envelopes Omaha each June, and Omaha embraces "their" event like no one else would. This championship has been played in the same city for the last 57 years, and Omaha wraps its collective arms around this 10 (or so) day tournament as though it were their own child. The people here are so friendly, it almost seems fake -- until you realize that everyone is genuinely THAT nice. I live in an area that gets overrun with tourists and snowbirds. Most locals resent, if not hate them. Please spend your money and then leave quietly -- and try not to break anything -- that's what we'd tell our tourists, if we had the nerve. Here, we were invited to someone's home to have some brats and kebabs -- after meeting the guy in the stands for one of the games between two teams in which none of us had a rooting interest. These folks want to show you around -- share with you their pride in what they have to offer. Folks will ask you "Have you been to the Zoo?" (yes); "Did you make it to Johnny's for steak?" (hell yes); and my favorite, after arriving for a meal at a local restaurant in between two games at the stadium, our server greeted our table and didn't ask us what we would like to drink or tell us the day's specials -- she asked us simply, "Who won the early game?"

Still need more convincing? Check below the break....

Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium hosts this event. Seating capacity is just over 23,000, but there are always standing room/general admission tickets available, and I have personally been to a few games where attendance has exceeded 25,000 people. How do they draw 25,000+ people to college baseball games, often hundreds or thousands of miles away from where the schools are located? EVERY ticket to every game is affordable, that's how! Anyone can purchase a book of 10 general admission tickets for $60. These tickets are good to ANY game in the CWS. You want to go to the finals for $6/ticket -- go ahead. All you need to do is wait in line. I have never actually been to the finals -- I prefer to go to the early round games, usually culminating on Tuesday. Affectionately known as "Elimination Day," four teams play in two different games, with the idea simple -- win or go home. One day, two games, two teams moving on to live another day, two going home unhappy. Ticket scalpers hawk their wares outside the stadium, so there are usually plenty of tickets available to the early round games. The general admission tickets get you an unmarket seat in the bleachers, but veterans know that not everyone will show up in the seat-backs. Given that temparatures can make it oppressively hot (even for this Florida boy), the best seats to be had are under the shade, a little higher up, so that the breeze kicks through. Total cost -- SIX bucks (and the desire to move around a little if someone comes along and claims your seat) -- and if that isn't the kind of thing that is affordable to most anybody, I don't know what is. How much would that Super Bowl ticket cost you?

Parking can be a little tricky, but if you know where to look, you can even avoid paying the $10 or $20 per game that local homeowners garner selling off their lawn as parking space. Believe it or not, there is plentiful street parking around the stadium. This does fill up fast, and the more you are willing to walk a distance (uphill going to the game, but downhill coming back!), the more likely you are to find free parking. For me, part of the added thrill is the walk through the neighborhood - people out grilling burgers and brats, locals hawking sodas or bottled water (remember, I told you it was hot), the local paper is handed out free to all fans, and then a tent city of companies selling shirts, hats, and other logoed knick-knacks. It is quite the festive atmosphere. Of course, all the while, fans line the street decked out from head to toe in their college's colors -- or even wearing the logos of schools not in attendance. I saw my fair share of displaced LSU and University of Texas fans these past few days.

Hotels fill up fast, so going at the last minute is not the best plan of attack. Still, I have NEVER come here without being able to use points accrued from some hotel chains loyalty program for free nights. Most of the people who decide to go at the last minute are people with a rooting interest in one of the teams that made it. These people get soaked on hotel rooms and flights. Planning in advance is the way to go, and if your team happens to make it (Go Tar Heels!), then just be pleasantly surprised. One more affordable way to go can be to stay in nearby Council Bluffs, Iowa, which is right across the Missouri River. Just try getting a hotel room on points for the days surrrounding the Kentucky Derby in Lexington.

Accessibility to the players is unmatched, from a fan's perspective. Last night, we sat one row behind five guys from the Carolina baseball team. Chad Flack, who hit the two decisive home runs against Alabama in the Super Regional chatted with me about baseball. In years past, we have stayed in the same hotel as the University of South Carolina and LSU. Both times, we had breakfast two tables over from either the starting pitcher, head coach, or former star players. Do you think that Heat fans in Dallas had breakfast with Shaq this morning?

If you haven't bought in yet, you don't have a sports pulse -- or, you are just so hung up on professional sports and being spoonfed whatever networks want you to believe is the best.

Don't believe me? Head to Omaha, and prove me wrong!

Where Have You Gone, Joe DiMaggio?

2006-06-20T12:04:00.000-04:00

Well, Joltin' Joe (or The Travelin' Man, in this case) has left and gone away.

Coo coo ca choo.

I am off traveling the great midwest, and have had VERY limited Internet access to post about my travels. Before leaving, I was buried in last minute work that just had to be done before departure, so I didn't even get to post a "Gone Fishin'" message for my regular following. I guess one of the surprising things that I have learned is that I *HAVE* something of a regular following -- my site meter down below tells me. So, to the three or four of you -- my apologies for bolting out the door without having the bed made.

When I am able, I will share my eating and baseball journeys in St. Louis, Kansas City, and Omaha, Nebraska. I did a few side trips that involved neither eating nor baseball in those days, as well. I have some great pictures from the St. Louis Zoo, the Chihuly exhibit (also in STL), Grant's Farm (as in Ulysses S. Grant, the "Worst President in the History of the United States," as told to me in high school), as well as some decent food porn from the phenomenal restaurants that I have managed to hit along the way.

No baseball today until 4 pm CT, so I may get a few other posts in -- still waiting to get all the pics together for the travel log.

Killer Shrimp

2006-06-08T00:07:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite restaurants in southern California is a place in Marina Del Rey called "Killer Shrimp." To say that the place is a little "minimalist" might be a huge understatement. They have one thing on their menu -- three guesses as to what it is? Their shrimp is served a few different ways -- over pasta, over rice, or simply in a broth with a side of crusty French bread. The restaurant is barely decorated, the tables are nearly empty. Most folks know the original way to eat is with no utensils -- just diving into the bowl of broth-covered shrimp, peeling and eating the fleshy prawns; then soaking up the spicy broth with bread. It's so simple, it's complex.

So complex was this meal, that I decided that I had to be able to duplicate it. And, since I wanted to replicate the minimalist experience, I served the meal on TV trays! I made my first attempt last night. The recipe is as follows:

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp fresh or dried rosemary
2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp white pepper
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1/2 tsp fennel seed
1 tsp celery seed
1 tsp crushed red pepper
2 qts clam broth (I used crab broth, made from leftovers from my snow crab dinner)
6 ozs tomato paste
1 stick butter
5 lbs shrimp; med to large
loaf(ves) of crusty french bread

Let me just say that this recipe yields A TON of broth. I only cooked two pounds of shrimp, and I am only guesstimating that I could have easily added three more pounds -- but, I may have been able to make 10 pounds -- who knows? I figure that extra broth is not such a bad thing. It will keep. I was also unsure as to where the kick comes from in this recipe. I don't see anything listed in there that would create the kind of spicy effect that I had back in MDR. Well, I assure you -- this has some kick. I don't know if it is the red pepper (doesn't add kick like that to a slice of pizza!), the black pepper, or just the combination of spices, but it has kick -- you should like spicy foods if you want to try this.

Process:

Break up the spices, rather than grinding them. You should see recognizable pieces of rosemary, etc. when you are done. Mix the ingredients in a large stock pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for about two hours. If you are in a pinch for time, you can get by with less time, but the more time you allow, the better flavor you will get. Just before serving, add unpeeled shrimp to the stock pot. Continue to simmer for two to four minutes. The shrimp will be done QUICKLY.

Serve in bowls. Each bowl should contain a number of shrimp and a lot of broth. The broth should almost cover the shrimp.

The dish is eaten with your fingers -- no utensils. Grab a shrimp and peel and eat. Soak up the broth with the bread. Enjoy.

The broth was EXCELLENT -- about just like I remembered from California. But, I definitely made a mistake on the shrimp. Albertson's had a great price on some very large (16 ct.) frozen fresh water shrimp. Hmmm....they weren't that good. I need to find a good local source of shrimp -- maybe gulf shrimp. I don't know if the frozen aspect was an issue, but I guess fresh would be better. I take all of this on me, but the recipe rocks.

As I mentioned, I have plenty of broth, so I am going to make an attempt on some other shrimp and maybe give this a go again this weekend.