Rich’s EVIL layer of pessimist over thinking

The second presidential debate

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:17:38 GMT

I watched the first presidential debate and the VP debate. I loaded the second debate and became disinterested about halfway though when they would not play by the rules. I want to load it up at a later time, I am not so sure now. I may when my wife is about.

What is the point of a debate if they do not listen, and answer the points. They way as well just show 90-minuts of commercials. That is all a debate is. They are both too cowardly to answer the questions as asked, and it is a shame. Their cowardly responses have merit as the American people might not like the answer, and base a decision on a question answered.

-----An example of what they fear-----
Q: What do you find attractive?
A: I like blonds
American: My ethnicity does not contain blonds, ergo he does not like me, is a racist, and I will not vote for him.

-----An example of what they hope for-----
Q: What do you find attractive?
A: I find American women attractive. *Waves an American flag* This other guy is a moron because he voted yes or no on this or that.
American: Wow! He thinks I am attractive, that other guy must be a moron.

If only we could inject them with truth serum.

Save $2000 by trading couches with a friend?

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 16:21:19 GMT

Anyone catch the 10/08/2008 Oprah about spending less?

They had a bad idea. Seriously trade couches, and save money. No kidding. I was swearing up a storm like Yosemite Sam.

I am all for using nice sturdy things that with a little cleaning, and a coat of paint or vanish make them look great.

I am not for spending money on items that you do not need. Especially if you are having hard times. This show was about saving money during hard times. Both these women had perfectly good couches. They were proud that they saved $2,000 by trading couches in stay of buying new ones. In my book you don’t buy something new just because you want to redecorate during hard times.

I have a set of table legs I salvaged from the garbage. I removed the old table top, cleaned the legs, repainted them, and bought a tabletop from Ikea. At the same time I salvaged four wooden chairs from the trash, I washed, and repainted them. I have a hand-me-down dining-room set my mother gave me. I love the size of the table with the leaves in for board game nights, or role-playing games. My bedroom furniture was my cousin’s grandparents. I usually have 2-4 couches in the basement that folks can sit on I get from hotels when they buy new ones. I have my childhood bed in the guestroom.

I bought a new bed, box spring, and mattress. I bought a nice wood shelving unit for my RPG books. I bought a nice wood entertainment system for the living-room. My mom got my wife and I our couches for a wedding gift. I bought a large corner computer unit ~15-years ago I have been using (its nice, but big, and built for a CRT monitor). I bought a steel filing cabinet for financial papers and such.

My daughter’s bedroom has a crib on loan from my sister. We bought her two nice wood dressers, and one of those glider rocking chairs.

I think that is just about the extent of my spending on furnature.

These two women were proud that in stay of buying new couches, because they were board of them, they somehow saved $2,000. I think it is a bit funny.

Wow, just wow [credit card commercial]

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 21:01:12 GMT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqLcYtCSlTo

Voiceover: “I love this one. This man finally popped the question . . .”
Fiancé looking at an engagement ring: Oh, it’s so beautiful.
Voiceover: “. . . but his Visa card was over the limit.”
Jewelry Salesman: “I’m so sorry, there seems to be a problem”
Voiceover: “His fiancé told him to call American Express.”
Loverboy: “I’m sorry” (you can bearly make it out . . . subliminal?)

This advertisement takes balls to run in this environment.

All else being equal . . . as a woman would you want to marry this man? You are about to get married, and this guy is maxed out on his credit cards.

All else being equal . . . as man would you want to marry this woman? You are about to get married, and this girl wants you to apply for more credit cards because you are maxed out.

Here are the future elderly Wal-Mart greeters who must work so they can afford medication when they retire.

Here is what I think I understand about the mess America is in.

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 08:16:36 GMT

The problem is that there is a leak in the boat, and we needed to try and plug it before we all drown.

Banks were going to fail, and people were going to panic. Banks are scared witless and are taking away credit lines . . . so if you had a business model including having a credit line of $X, than you do not have $X any longer, and are fucked. No bank wants to loan any other bank cash, as there is no way to tell if a bank is fucked up (how far leveraged they are with mortgages). No one can borrow money to start up the next McDonalds, Microsoft, or any other M-business. Businesses can not borrow money to grow, pay bills, or pay people.

Mr. and Ms. Gullible-American go in to the local Dumb-Ass-Bank to get pre-approved for a home-loan. Dumb-Ass-Bank pushes the American dream on the Gullible-American’s loaning them as much as possible in a sales pitch, bundles the loans up, and then sells a share of the pie to Greedy-Ass-Wall-Street. Greedy-Ass-Wall-Street eats this shit up. As long as Mr. and Ms. Gullible-American keep paying there mortgage the Dumb-Ass-Bank gets paid, and Greedy-Ass-Wall-Street gets paid. Dumb-Ass-Bank takes Greedy-Ass-Wall-Street's money and does the same thing, over and over and over again in an incestuous feeding frenzy . . . setting up one hell of a domino set. Yachts are bought, rich old dudes hit on young ladies, sip champaign, and the fat cats party. Sooner or later the Gullible-Americans realizes that they can not spend more than they earn, and they stop paying the Dumb-Ass-Bank. The Dumb-Ass-Bank, and the Greedy-Ass-Wall-Street are shit out of luck as they no longer have a pay-check. No money in a bank is a bad, bad thing.

Toss in some accounting rule about listing the current value of mortgages being packaged ([url]http://money.cnn.com/2008/10/01/news/economy/mark_to_market/index.htm?postversion=2008100120[/url]) and leveraging somehow goes from a stupid move, to a catastrophe. The banks don’t have any way to raise cash, because greedy-ass Wall Street will no longer touch the stuff with a 10-foot pole, and no one has the cash to buy this stuff in volume enough to make a dent.

Warren Buffet is “only” worth $50,000,000,000(50 billion). It would take 14 Warren Buffet’s net worth’s to make up $700,000,000,000 (700 billion). Banks are fucked. People with money in banks are fucked. The economy is fucked. The sky is falling, shit the sky is ablaze in fire, the seven horseman are starting the appocolyps, and Mad Max just moved in next door . . it’s a shitty time, and place to be in. All because of the American Dream.

This problem is the Ant and Grasshopper story from kindergarten! [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ant_and_the_Grasshopper[/url]

I hope this bill fixes this shit.

-----

On the good side Suzie Orman says maybe in 2-years we very well may be in good shape, and Warren Buffet says that in 5-years this period of time we very well may have looked like the perfect time to buy into the market. So if you have cash, and 2-5 years to not use it, than it may be a good investment.

$700,000,000,000 rant (took away the extra European 0's)

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 07:05:10 GMT

The prevailing theory among economists seems to be that stimulating the banking institutions into making loans, and taking chances is a good thing for the economy.

Long story short: Consumerist propaganda was eaten up by gullible Americans.

Long story: Stupid Americans believed the candy coated horse shit they were fed by the lending institutions (salesmen), and are guilty of being a moron. The greedy bastards shoveling this toxic American dream down the borrowers starry eyed gullet were also to blame in this venomous, vile, childish, and greedy sales pitch that it is possible to live beyond ones means.

I think the lending institutions need to be regulated, because you can’t regulate the stupidity of a good portion of the American population, and this will just occur again in some fashion. It would seem that the gullable borrowers, and the greedy lenders, like Voltron, formed a blazing sword and hacked the economy into shreds. What they are now doing is performing damage control. Unfortunately doing so helps out the sick greedy bastards that convinced Mr. and Ms. America that they too could live a lie. I hope they punish them somehow. At the very least they need to build in a system to make what they did punishable in the future . . . you know add rules and regulations that Mr. Dumbass President thinks harms the economy. What an idiot! President Bush is also a moron for suggesting that folks buy stuff during hard times. Who the fuck should buy shit during hard times? A dumb ass. Every American should have 3-6 months of emergency money . . . not consumerist junk. Who the fuck recommends irresponsibility? Our president . . . god I hate it.

As an aside: Who the hell trusts someone who makes money selling you crap? Who the hell can not bust out Google, and do a search for a simple affordability calculator? I think the morons who trusted salesmen to be sold a product they could not afford deserve what they got. For the love of god . . . salesman were trusted. Who the fuck trusts salesman? Evidently everyone. I do not understand that in the slightest . . . I can not wrap my head about the idea. I borrowed $150,000 to buy a home some 7-years ago, and they wanted to loan me $260,000 . . . way over my budget . . . the sick bastards.

From Anita, not me, about the youngling

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 07:57:58 GMT

Hello all,

Megan went to the Dr. last week and passed quality control yet again. She continues to be little big head; with her head being in the 90%, but her height and weight in the 25%. She only gained a pound but grew several inches. She is a precocious little thing. Lucky for me she hasn't discovered climbing up things yet. She will stand on top of things though. She continues to be teething. I think it will never end. And then one day it will and I’ll be sad. We went blueberry picking, and she likes blueberries. She is a good eater though. She eats anything: fruit, vegetables, and meat. She is learning more words all the time, although we couldn't get her to say pachyderm while visiting them at the zoo. I'll keep working on it. We go to the zoo a lot. She really seemed to like the monkeys. She also likes Elmo and red; because it's the color of Elmo. I bought her one of those animal backpack leaches. It’s a monkey. She likes to be out and about now. It is difficult to chase after her in stores, so we’ll see how the leach works. She went on the sailboat for the first time. She seemed to like it. She slept most of the time.

Bye for now,
Anita

How do you politely request friends, and family not to buy a child clutter?

Mon, 30 Jul 2007 17:36:17 GMT

It seems to be quite a tradition to buy large quantities of unneeded items for children. I have a fifteen week old daughter, and I am sure that I have only seen the beginning of the onslaught. I am considering tactful preemptive options to help stem the tide of gifts.

I have a family friend who includes a message that reads something to the fact that the child has all he needs, and that books, and donations to a college fund (best gift) would be appreciated. This has caused a small social disturbance, and people seem offended. I find the sentiment refreshing, and buy the child a book, a bond, and perhaps a small toy.

I am attempting to phrase my desire for minimal clutter, my dislike for the importance people place on things, and to direct the need for tokens of affection to take the form of learning devices (predominately books), and proper saving vehicles.

Should I attempt to convey these feelings? Or should I just return what I can, and donate the rest? I don’t think I could throw out unwanted items at the rate my wife’s cousins family does, even if it does save them the social awkwardness of dealing with the matter head on.

If I do attempt to convey our wishes, then how can I word them as softly as possible?

1) My daughter has all the possessions all the things she requires.
2) We have a small home.
3) My mother-in-law is a compulsive shopper, and hoards items beyond comprehension. Clutter is not wanted in any shape, or form as it causes stress on my wife.
4) Please keep all gifts smaller than a breadbox. Books are most welcome, as are contributions towards my daughter’s college fund (best gift).

At any rate it never ceases to amaze me how people spend so much money on items we don’t want, or need.

Spirit animal

Wed, 18 Jul 2007 16:56:57 GMT

I like the porcupine. In several reoccurring dreams I have had over the years, a rather large porcupine took the role of a guardian. Quite a neat coincidence. Oddly enough the test said I scored in the 99% of nobility, whatever that is, and then goes off to just about say porcupines are average in nobility.

My score on The What is Your Spirit Animal Test:

The Porcupine

(Here's your results! Your spirit animal has a Nobility ranking of 8 out of 18.)

Your spirit animal is the porcupine. They are considered only slightly noble for their remakably defensive quills. Still, they are slow and uncuddly creatures. As a spirit animal, porcupines are pretty common, and typically are guardians of those with an average nobility and wisdom.

***Wondering how this animal was chosen for you? These questions were carefully thought out to see how important you hold certain virtues such as: humanism, self-knowledge, rationalism, the love of freedom and other somewhat Hellenic ideals. Some of the questions were very subtle. Your score was then matched with an animal of corresponding nobility. However, you shouldn't think this was a right/wrong sort of test, but more of an idealistic values test. It's ok to not hold these values, you'll just get an animal spirit of lower stature if you do!***

Link: The What is Your Spirit Animal Test
(OkCupid Free Online Dating)

Alternative Energy Source: Salt Water

Fri, 13 Jul 2007 16:39:45 GMT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SslCpQ26IY

Festival

Sat, 23 Jun 2007 18:22:59 GMT

Franklin Park is having a festival tonight - fireworks and such

2 free boxes of Kashi cereal at CVS

Sat, 23 Jun 2007 18:20:38 GMT

http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/messageview.php?catid=18&threadid=740770&highlight_key=y&keyword1=kashi

Free Loaf of Panera Bread

Sat, 23 Jun 2007 18:18:37 GMT

http://www.panerabread.com/cafes/nowopen/?mid=1

I saw this thread on Fatwallet.com, and ordered 28 Days Later for $0.00!

Tue, 19 Jun 2007 22:02:00 GMT

Just got an e-mail from MTV: $10 off any order from shop.MTV.com and free shipping if you checkout through Paypal and use the code FREEMONEY. I think the best deal on the site is the Office Space Wide Screen Special Edition with Flair DVD.

1. Go to http://shop.mtv.com/viewproduct.htm?productId=3587518&categoryId=52843
2. Add to cart, then check out through Paypal
3. On the review screen, look for the link at the bottom of the screen that says "Add a coupon," click it, and add the code FREEMONEY
4. No resale value on FleaBay, so limit yourself to one or two and all of FW can enjoy
5. Find other cool stuff around ~$10 and share!

The Gray Family has a new little someone to love!

Sun, 15 Apr 2007 19:38:03 GMT

Megan Elizabeth Gray
Born on Friday, April 13, 2007 @ 4:41 P.M.
6 pounds, 11 ounces, and 19 inches long

Mother, and baby are doing fine . . . the father is wigging out.

Post an email address and I will send you a photo (limited time only, some restrictions apply, coupon is non-transferable. Void in Alaska, Puerto Rico, and Hawaii).

HEROSCAPE

Fri, 12 Jan 2007 23:08:24 GMT

I have picked up some of the HEROSCAPE boardgame sets, and I am itching to give them a try! Is anyone up for a game? I know Scott has a coppy.

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/11170
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heroscape
http://www.hasbro.com/heroscape/

NEW WORLD OF DARKNESS & VAMPIRE THE REQUIEM

Fri, 12 Jan 2007 17:00:02 GMT

Well I just won 5 of each book on eBay for ~$60 (190070546502). If anyone would like a set for $12, just let me know.

Anyone up for food, and a movie?

Fri, 24 Nov 2006 22:14:19 GMT

Eh?

Black Friday! Microcenter! Camping!

Thu, 23 Nov 2006 12:55:51 GMT

Anyone want to go early to get something at Microcenter on Friday? I plan on picking up the 37" HDTV LCD TV for $499, and the 19" LCD Display for $89 if I can help it.

http://www.fatwallet.com/t/18/673072/
http://www.microcenter.com/images/specials/friday.sale.06/11.24.06.01.pdf

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thu, 23 Nov 2006 12:47:19 GMT

This is by far my second favorite holiday! A second only to Gencon! Happy holidays!

Sat, 18 Nov 2006 13:03:36 GMT

Well I have been offered the first phase of being hired on Friday. Apparently I need to update my resume, do another interview, take a personality test, and some other tests. I was also given an award for excellence. I am hopeful that I can pass these crummy tests. I mean how do they grade your personality?

I am an INTJ, according to Meyers-Brigs, and less than 1% of the population is one of them. So I fear that I’ll be an oddball, and fail. I have been told that the test just tests for consistency. This also makes me fear this test. This company would fail a consistency test. In my two weeks of 401(k) training I have heard widely different, contradictory, and our right falsehoods on definitions.

Like . . .

1. Mutual funds do not have shares.
2. Forms cannot be electronic . . . when we use all sorts of electronic forms.
3. Getting paid on the 15th, and the 30th is bi-weekly.
4. Giving four examples of people who would receive a stock spin-off . . . when one could just say anyone, and everyone, who owns the stock gets the spin-off.
5. It still bugs me to no end that they refer to one window, in a program with many windows, as the GUI. Everything on your screen is a GUI! Everything! Well not all the fingerprints some of you enjoy, but it stands for Graphical user interface.

Essentially my fear is either (1) being tested for personality traits I don’t have, or (2) being tested for consistency in a place without any to begin with.

Rant: Press the “Continue” button . . .

Sat, 18 Nov 2006 13:00:09 GMT

Well I voted. I used the new touch screen. At first it was nice. I got to sit down this year. Usually I have had to stand with the chad system. At first I was impressed. Everything went smoothly. Then it prompted me to press the “Continue” button. For the love of god there was no “Continue” button. There was a “Next” button, but no “Continue” button. This is my pet peeve. I have written many procedures in my years, and always use exact language. I paid tax money to buy something that tells me to press a button that is not there. I want to write my congressman, and get the company to run an update to fix this issue. I mean if the company that made this touch screen voting system does not know that “Next” is not spelled “C-O-N-T-I-N-U-E” what else don’t they know?

Sat, 11 Nov 2006 21:27:25 GMT

Arby's seems to be a re-occurring subject of ridicule on the animated series The Simpsons. In one episode, Bart Simpson's classmate Terri, (who has a twin sister, Sherri), once stated, "I'm so hungry I could eat at Arby's!" after being stranded on an island. After this was said, other children stranded on the island responded in unison, "Ewww!" On another episode, Kirk Van Houten replied "Just throw it over the fence, let Arby's worry about it!" when asked what to do with a dead possum. In another episode of The Simpsons, Marge Simpson said, "People do crazy things in commercials. Like eat at Arby's." In Treehouse of Horror XVII, after eating an green-alien-blob which tries to escape Homer's mouth, Homer says, "If I can keep down Arby's, I can keep down you."
-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arby's

I am tempted to add these to my sig.

"If I can keep down Arbys, I can keep down you.”
-Homer Sipson _The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror XVII"

"I'm so hungry I could eat at Arby's!"
Terri _The Simpsons: xxx_

"Just throw it over the fence, let Arby's worry about it!"
Kirk Van Houten _The Simpsons: xxx_

"People do crazy things in commercials. Like eat at Arby's."
Marge _The Simpsons: xxx_

Wish me luck!

Thu, 09 Nov 2006 00:11:48 GMT

Well I survived eight weeks at my contracting job. I was never late, was there every day, and worked overtime. I never shared nude photos with coworkers, over company servers. Nor did I break out in a fist fight. You would think that these feats would be simple to accomplish. Yet some 40 people were fired over the past eight weeks for being late, calling in sick, emailing porn, and fighting. I don’t get it.

I have been doing annual enrolment medical HR benefits stuff. Today I was told that I am going to start training on 401k stuff on Monday. I was also told that having training in two areas would greatly increase my chances of being hired permanently. Beyond that it sounds fun mucking with money.

Wish me luck!

Old people are dirt poor, and get shafted.

Sun, 22 Oct 2006 18:19:34 GMT

Well I have a temp job helping old people pick out their benefits, and it is quite the eye opener. Old people are dirt poor, and get shafted. Don’t let this be you!

Planning for life is something that most Americans fail at. Most of us will live to a retirement age. Most of us do not plan for retirement. It is my greatest fear to be old, and poor. It is my greatest fear to be unable to afford medicine, or have to work as a greeter at Wal-Mart. Investing, for me, is an easy no-brainer. Live below you means, invest, and watch the wonder that is compound interest effortlessly work for you.

Note: I am not a licensed professional, and the following advice is my non-professional opinion. The following has worked for me. I could know what I am talking about, or I could just be a lucky idiot. You have been warned.

1. Spend less than you earn, and pay all of your bills in full.
2. Invest 10-20% of your income.
3. Dollar cost average: save early, often, and with each paycheck.
4. Go to the library, Read the dummy, idiot, and/or motley fool books, and also pick out the Morning Star rating guide to mutual funds (or whatever books are comparable).
5. Interview no less than five financial advisors. Hire none, or one (if more than one, then let them each know what the others are doing. They work for you. Fire them if they don't like it).
6. If you are between 20, and 100, then invest 120 – age % into stock mutual funds, and age - 20 % into bond mutual funds. If you are under than 20, then invest 100% in stock mutual funds, and if you are over 100, then invest 100% in bond mutual funds.
7. Invest 50% into index mutual funds, and 50% into managed mutual funds.
8. Pick mutual funds that invest in a wide range of sectors.
9. Invest the maximum amount matched by your companies 401(k) or equivalent IRA (investing retirement account).
10. Invest the maximum allowed into a Roth IRA.
11. Invest the remaining retirement monies, if any, into non IRA mutual funds as well as any non-retirement investments.

Sit back, and become rich on auto-pilot.

I had an interesting interview experience with a scatterbrain.

Sun, 27 Aug 2006 15:36:37 GMT

I got a call Thursday asking if I would be available to start a job on Monday. I said I would be available.

She then told me that the job was Monday though Friday, from 8AM to 5PM. I said good, I like that.

She then explained that the job is a tier 1 job (I worked in a tier 4 job previously), and that I may find it to be boring. I said that I was fine with boring, and added that perhaps in time I could get promoted to tier 2 (hoping to convey that I was a hard worker, and willing to work hard).

She told me that the job was in Itasca, and asked me if I was okay with that. I told her that I was okay with Itasca as it is only a 30-minuit drive.

We then negotiated a price. We both agreed on it.

Then she began giving a bunch of information over the phone. I asked her if she had my email address, and if it would be okay to send me the information that way. She agreed.

I got an email a few minutes later with the job description, and the pay-rate we agreed on. I then emailed her for her name, phone number, address, and such. I shortly got the stuff that I needed.

When I showed up for the interview she asked me all the same questions, repeatedly asking them over, and over. She changed her mind several times on where the job was located. She then told me that the job begins on Tuesday, and they are still interviewing. She then went on to ask me if I had financial problems, and then went on to negotiate the price I wanted.

I gave her my references, said that I would do the job for the price we first negotiated, then told her that I would be happy to do the job, and stay at the job for the year contract (with hopes of being hired), thanked her for her time, and left.

• So Monday changed to Tuesday.
• Itasca changed to someplace else.
• She wanted to know about my finances.
• The salary we negotiated on the phone was forgotten.
• And she kept asking the same thing over, and over.

I never interviewed with such a scatterbrain in my life.