My Brother Makes Beautiful Things

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Back In Black

With an appropriate head thrash to Brian, Angus and the boys, it’s been too long.  I’m glad to be back.  To make up for lost time, and on the off chance this is my April post, I’ve decided to treat each of my topics:  books, brewing, movies, music, personal finance, and an other if it occurs to me.  My blogging has been sparse of late, but life goes on.

I have been reading a lot.  Some personal finance stuff:  Automatic Millionaire (Bach), The Smartest Investment Book You’ll Ever Read (Solin), Wise Investing Made Simple (Swedroe) — standard Boglehead stuff.  And for what it is worth, I am following a 50/50 strategy of paying down my mortgage and socking away excess in Vanguard Total Stock Market in a taxable account.  Still, investing for the long haul is fundamentally boring, so my mind has turned to other titles like (nobody knows you’re blushing on the Internet) Goals! (Tracy), How To Get Rich (Dennis), and The 4-Hour Workweek (Ferriss).  The latter has been described as snake oil by some reviewers on Amazon, but parts of it have me intrigued.  It is a new year;  time to try something new, money-wise.  No fear;  no retreat;  nothing to lose.

On the brewing front, I haven’t been lately.  Tonight that all changes — planning a blueberry-pomegranite mead and a pyment (grape mead).  After that, as soon as my primaries clear out, it’s a few extract batches of beer, likely American brown, amber, a porter, and a stout.

I haven’t watched many new movies, except Quantum of Solace, which was excellent.  I watched Serenity (one of my faves) again last night on a new Roku Netflix player.  What a cool way to do on-demand movies and TV without paying the cable co for the privilege.  This is the wave of the future.

So music:  currently loving the latest from A Shoreline Dream and Silversun Pickups.  Also TV on the Radio and Thriving Irony.  And if listening to music weren’t enough, I bought a bass guitar.  Because, well, playing in a rock band is just plain fun, and of the three (bass, drums, guitar), it seemed to be the easiest to pick up.  Not that it’s easy.  As I get older, my patience for repetition has diminished, while my conception of how hard things are has increased.  Not a good combination.  But feh, I will persevere and regale the world (or a basement-sized part of it) with my amplified genius.  Or loud competence.  Anybody know a great guitarist in the Chandler AZ area looking for a bass player?

In personal finance, a lot of getting rich involves saving (particularly pre-tax) and living below one’s means.  There is, particularly at bogleheads.org (link at right –>), a lot of debate about which investing philosophy trumps what, and which investments belong in taxable accounts verses tax-deferred.  This is all well and good, but if one ups their savings rate from 10% to 15% or even 20% it will positively swamp those other considerations.  It is boring;  it is unsatisfying; it is not particularly fun;  BUT it is important.  Save, save, and save.  If you do, you will be rich.  Sooner or later.

Forrest Gumping My Way

Sitting on my couch, pondering my triumphant return to blogging, what should show up on one of the 10 or so HBO channels but Forrest Gump?  Which immediately reminded me of one of my favorite insults, uttered by Julia Roberts to Brad Pitt in The Mexican (2001),

You have managed to Forrest Gump your way through this.

And I was going to riff off of that, but just when I started typing this, the very next movie on the same channel came on, and in a truth-is-stranger-than-fiction moment, the very next movie is . . . you guessed it, The Mexican.  I’m half-watching/listening now.  Totally not making this up:  2-25-2009 HBOSGW 10PM MST — look it up if you’re able.  Or care.

So back to the insult:  Forrest Gumping is a pretty snarky thing to say, implying, oh I dunno, an obliviousness (my wife used to call it “lunch boxing” as in acting like a lunch box).  It’s a nice insult, except when you sit down and really watch the movie.  Forrest (brilliantly acted by Tom Hanks) lives life according to his set of morals/scruples and is very aware of his limitations.  Maybe he doesn’t always recognize the gravity of his situation (meeting presidents, giving speech on the Mall, making it big in stock market), but that does not change the purity, the sincerity of his actions and reactions.  His relationships, particularly with his friend/wife and son were poignant enough to make me cry.  Like a weepy William.

All of which is to say:  perhaps Forrest Gumping one’s way through life, work, whatever is not such a bad thing.  Another phrase for it would be “in Zen.”  Either way, and probably both ways several times a day, here I sit Forrest Gumping my way through.

There’s A Bit Of Magic In Everything

and then some loss to even things out.

-  Lou Reed, Magic & Loss

Blog For Sale

Ha, ha, ha, just kidding.  Like I would sell this masterwork.  Ah me, this blog has gone from quasi-daily to weekly to less frequently than that.  So effective immediately, I hereby renounce my quasi-rule of at least one link per post.  Screw it;  I’m just going to type stuff.  Linking slows me down.

I have been brewing recently.  Just bottled a Belgian Pale ale last weekend — may sample tomorrow or the next day.  Also went over to my friend Steve-o’s house a couple of weekends ago and brewed my second all-grain batch, a Brown Porter.  Currently have two secondaries full of it, and I probably should bottle one.  Or buy a fridge for the garage and keg them both.  Decisions . . . .

And the economy . . . WTF is up?!  Some of this is self-fulfilling (golly THANKS media — can’t you come up with a good missing person story to distract everybody?).  My employer seems to be doing OK, which is nice.  Keep buying computers, y’all.  Good news is the new low prices on gas, travel, real estate, mortgage rates, etc.  I am pondering whether the 2009 plan should be to continue debt reduction, or to dollar cost average (DCA) into the market, or maybe both.  The middle path does have some appeal . . . . except that it limits the upside along with the down.  Again, screw it;  I should re-read my own “can’t predict the future” post.

Finally books — I have listened to both Tribes and The Dip by Seth Godin.  Both spoke to me, the former in a strategic sense and the latter in a tactical sense.  Together they should give me just enough rope to hang myself next year at work.  Or succeed wildly, if the author is to be believed.  Which reminds me . . . given the opportunity, should one speak the truth to power?  There are definite downsides. I may have the chance tomorrow.  Generally, I think yes — there are different types of loyalties:  to people, organizations, ideas, institutions, symbols, leaders, authority figures, ideologies, etc.  My chief loyalty is to people, but this requires a strong personal relationship, and is relatively rare.  A good second-place proxy is the organization/client, who I am meeting with tomorrow AM.  Wish me luck.

Of Mice And Keyboards

Gee, it has been too long since my last post.  In the interim, I was politely asked at work if I wanted a new computer mouse.  My existing one, a laser mouse from Microsoft the better part of a decade old was working fine;  it was just, ah, scuzzy.  Years and years of mousing while eating lunch has consequences.  So I accepted and was given a Logitech wireless optical notebook mouse.  The thing is little, responsive and feels great in the hand.  Its wireless dongle is barely larger than the USB connector.  Given a free USB port, it can be inserted and forgotten.  This is mouse design done right.

In stark contrast is the frustrating Apple mighty mouse that came with our iMac.  Apple does a lot of things right, design-wise but mice are not among them.  The little scroll wheel on top has just enough of a gap to collect crud from fingers, trap it irretrievably, and then stop working forever.  There is no easy and repeatable way to clean it.  

I would feel worse about this mouse-of-frustration, except that I bought an Apple wired keyboard when my MacAlly IceKey died several months ago.  Best keyboard ever.  It is well made, thin, and a joy to type on.  Bravo, Apple.  In addition, it has two hidden USB ports on the sides, that are perfect for hiding the Logitech wireless dongle.  Honorable mention goes to the Apple wireless keyboard, which is the irreducible minimum for keyboards, like the iPod shuffle is the irreducible minimum for music players.  Look at the side-view picture.  Wonderful design.  I have spent today wondering whether the wireless aspect of this keyboard justifies the extra money.  Oh who am I kidding?  I’d pay $30 for that extra quantum of design.

Coming a close second on elegance of design in keyboards is the infrared keyboard for Palm devices, originally developed by Think Outside.  You have to unfold one of these to appreciate its compactness and rigidity when extended.  I am not sure whether this folding keyboard or the Apple wireless keyboard would be the ideal complement to an iPhone or iPod touch-based word processor.  Either one would be fine by me.  I suppose it would depend on one’s personal size/cost/weight sweet spot, assuming that 1) Apple ever supports and external keyboard, and 2) both of these are choices.

Hop Hop Hoppin Along

Did you know hops are antibacterial?  Well they are.  Based on the two beers I had today, I should be bacteria-free in and around my upper digestive tract for a couple of weeks.  No lie.

The first in time was Hop Knot IPA by Four Peaks brewery in Tempe, AZ.  The bad news for non-locals is that they do not yet bottle this one. The good news is that they plan on starting after Thanksgiving.  It may not be widely available, but say if you happen to be at ASU and of a certain age, go get thee a six pack.  This wonderfully citrusy brew clocks in at about 6% ABV, and it has a lighter color for an IPA.  Hop Knot has a wonderful nose, and finishes like a grapefruitty bitter bell — pure, ringing, and lingering.  This beer, which I am told uses Cascade, Simcoe, Liberty, and Glacier hops (not necessarily in that order) is the best beer Four Peaks makes according to the bartender who served us lunch (salmon fish & chips!) today.  I wholeheartedly agree.

The second was Hopsickle Imperial Ale by Moylan’s brewing in Novato, CA.  This stunning Imperial IPA weighs in at a whopping 9.2% ABV, not that you could tell what with ALL.  THE.  HOPS.  There is a nice citrusy/piney aroma, and a darker, tending toward amber color typical of IPAs.  My darling wife bought me this one at AJ’s a few weeks ago, and it comes in a deliciously ample 22 oz bomber.  The label helpfully lists the hops used:  Cascade, Simcoe, Columbus (my fave American hop FWIW), Ahtanum (whozzit?  I had to look it up:  similar to Cascade), and Chinook.  This beer starts and finishes bitter, with some citrus, and some other note that I really couldn’t pick out from all the other bitter.  Hopsickle (loving the name) could be used as a litmus test on whether you are, in fact, a hop-head.  If this beer is the best thing you ever tasted, congrats & welcome to the club.  If you think this beer might possibly be ever so slightly on the bitter side, well sorry, son . . .

Both of these beers, the Hop Knot and the Hopsickle, are definitely, and for different reasons, my bag, baby!

Tough Year

Late 2008 has indeed been rough for authors and the readers who love them.  Our latest loss, I am sorry to report, is Michael Crichton to cancer.   He was the author of many wonderful books (and movie adaptations) including The Andromeda Strain, Congo, Disclosure, Jurassic Park, The Lost World, Sphere, Rising Sun, State of Fear, and Prey.  He was also a medical doctor and the creator of the television series ER.

I have not read his latest books, and now I am remedying that.  Currently reading State of Fear, and later Prey when done.  The real lure of Michael Crichton’s books is their believability, in particular their scientific plausibility.  Crichton excelled at writing fiction that was set in some not-to-distant future.  He had the hardcore technical chops to pull it off.  My favorite work is still Andromeda Strain, but we will see after reading the more recent stuff.  

Finally what I remember about this remarkable author are his speeches.  Michael Crichton was a scientist, and therefore a skeptic on matters of science.  And he was articulate in his skepticism.  So I will leave you with a Crichton quote about consensus generally: 

Historically, the claim of consensus has been the first refuge of scoundrels; it is a way to avoid debate by claiming that the matter is already settled.

And this absolute gem on scientific consensus in particular:

Whenever you hear the consensus of scientists agrees on something or other, reach for your wallet, because you’re being had.

Finally, Michael Crichton on writing:

Books aren’t written – they’re rewritten. Including your own. It is one of the hardest things to accept, especially after the seventh rewrite hasn’t quite done it.

In Good Company

What.  They.  Said.  Him too.

The procedural miscarriage in all of this was the blatant political activity by churches in these initiatives.  I certainly hope the IRS revokes a tax-exempt status or two.  You cannot be both a religious institution and a political action committee (PAC).

I am deeply gratified that others are as upset as I am.  Civil rights cannot be left to simple (pun intended) majorities.

Dave’s OK, Except . . .

For a financial writer, critiquing Dave Ramsey is like the compulsory figures in ice skating.  Not very exciting, but everyone has to do it.  Dave Ramsey is known for his book the Total Money Makeover (among others), including the much-discussed seven baby steps:

1)  Establish $1000 emergency fund.  2)  Pay off debts with debt snowball.  3)  Three to six months of expenses in savings.  4)  Invest 15% of income for retirement.  5)  College funding for children.  6)  Pay off home early.  7)  Invest in mutual funds and real estate.

This list, like all general advice, suffers some from lack of specificity, but I will not ding it on that basis.  It is the nature of the beast, and it is (not to give away the ending) ultimately good advice.  Some have quibbled with the “snowball” part of debt payment, where debts are tackled from littlest to biggest, regardless of interest rates.  Whatever.  I agree with those who think that the psychology is more important:  getting them paid off matters, and not the extra month or three paying on a higher rate loan.  Some even question the order of the steps, but really, cut the guy some slack.  Debt payment is second, and everything after that is asset allocation, really.

So what are my differences?  #1 is a relatively minor niggle with the 15% number for retirement.  Call me a dirty delayer of gratification, but I think everyone should strive to save the maximum allowable each year in tax-deferred accounts, such as 401k(s), (Roth) IRAs, etc.  I realize that sometimes this may not be possible, depending on total income.

My main critique, however, is with the suggested vehicles of “four types of mutual funds” in his last, investing step.  No, no, no, you do not tell people to be in 100% equities.  Particularly, when you throw in statements indicating that it is relatively easy to make, say 10% returns.  Repeat after me, Mr. Ramsey in your southern drawl, that past performance says nothing about future performance.  Equities as a class of investments may, or may not, perform in the future as well as they historically have.  No, Dave, you are not doing these newly debt-free folks any favors there.  DO NOT listen to Dave Ramsey on investing.  Listen to the Bogleheads, the early retirees, or Jane Bryant Quinn instead.

Don’t get me wrong.  Dave’s (mostly) OK.  I read the TMM, and it convinced me to stop babying my various debts and allowing them to hang around.  My sister also benefitted from the book.  Definitely worth a read for most folks.