The economic meltdown explained

I hereby trademark this explanation.

Mortgages, many of which are subprime = apples
Stocks = oranges
Bonds = pecans
Other investments = bananas

Rather than sell them separately, bankers decide to chop up all the investments and make them into a fruit salad. They sell small portions of the salad to other banks and investors.

Mortgages go into default, they discover that the apples have salmonella, and the whole fruit salad goes bad.

Government bails out the investment salad with some Fruit Fresh. Now it will cost a few thousand just to buy some peaches!

Revival…

It looks as though I’ve forgotten about this blog. Not really…I knew it was here, I just didn’t have much of anything to say. My time has been consumed with my work. Consequently, my work blog (jonathanfowler.blogspot.com) has fared much better than this one.

Earlier this month, I bought a French Press for my coffee. I love it. The big 12-cup Mr. Coffee has been whisked away to the pantry shelf, waiting for company to come and the need for 12 cups of coffee at 1 time to be brewed. Truth be told, though, I’ll probably buy a 12-cup press for that.

I have taken a low-tech approach to many things…shaving with vintage (sterilized) DE razors, writing with fountain pens and vintage ink, and now, coffee. I have moved from a monster Mr. Coffee and Krups espresso machine to a Bodum press (two, actually) and a moka pot for espresso. The Krups gets used for steaming the milk, but I’ll find a better way soon.

Coffee from the press is one of those great things that you thought you knew but rediscovered. Beans I had used for a long time tasted different in the press–more crisp, more alive, more intense–and I chucked the Mr. Coffee after using the press just once. In the absence of machined mediocrity, I realized what the press had removed from my coffee. Plastic aftertaste. Burn, brought on by the warmer. Flat flavor. The press simply pushed these mistakes out of the way and allowed the simple process of water and coarsely-ground beans to come alive.

Kitchen radio

From the “absolute geekery” corner…

I’m pretty psyched about moving a table radio from the den to the kitchen. It didn’t get good reception in the den and I wanted it in a central location with a good signal. I’ve often thought about a WiFi radio but this is essentially free. I put it on top of the cabinets, slightly recessed, and ran the power cord in a gap between the cabinets (behind a facing board). I am tall, so it’s pretty easy to turn on. Now, when I come home from work, I can turn on NPR and continue my listening of All Things Considered from the car. Then, Marketplace.

Yes, this is absolute geekery. But my wife loves it, and that’s what counts. She even allowed it a space between her antique glassware.

Grey water recycling

Angela & I were talking about how to recycle grey water in our house without any major fuss. I thought about the oil vacuum pump I use for changing the oil in the lawnmower and came up with this.

1) Purchase a plastic bucket, lid, and two lengths of flexible tubing from a home center. For my prototype, I bought a 2 gallon bucket, a length of 1/2″ flexible tubing, and a length of 3/8″ flexible tubing.
2) Cut holes in lid of bucket that are barely too small for the tubing. Slit the tubing about 1/2″ from the end and compress it so that it fits into the hole. Do this for both lengths of tubing.
3) Both lengths of tubing should protrude inside the lid just enough to make them securely fit.
4) Caulk around the tubing entries into the lid to cover any possible air leaks.

After I ran a sink full of cold water, waiting for it to get hot, I placed the 1/2″ tube into the sink and drew air through the 3/8″ tube. The water drained into the bucket. I was able to use this water to flush the toilet later. We don’t have a tankless water heater yet so this is a good use of the otherwise wasted water.

Proofreading & editing

I’m hanging my shingle as a freelance proofreader & editor. Here’s the craigslist ad:

In short, my wife and I are full-time educators looking to do a bit of proofreading and/or editing on the side.

I have a BA in English Lit and MEd in School Counseling. I am a school counselor and continue to keep my reading habits in literature and letters current. I have been published and have experience (part-time jobs and assistantships in college) doing quite a bit of web editing, proofreading, and grading papers.

My wife has a BA and MA in English Lit. She teaches high school English and taught composition courses at Clemson. She was also a copy editor for The South Carolina Review, and has a strong background in analysis and writing.

If we may be of service to you, please contact us through craigslist. Going rates for freelance editors are $2-4 per page. We can do much better than that.

Indeed, we can do much better than that. Email me for inquiries.

Why credit unions?

Do yourself a huge favor: see if you qualify for a local credit union (CU). Why?

• Philosophy: In a CU, you are a shareholder. You are part of a bigger collective that manages itself. You have a vote and a voice in business affairs. Your money isn’t going to line the pockets of megabank CEOs. You’re not financing multiple mergers and takeovers. Your money stays local (mostly).
• Practicality: CU’s typically offer much better rates than banks. For auto loans, you’ll see roughly a percentage and a half better than banks can do. (4.9%, for example.) Have your money parked in a bank savings account earning 0.0000001%? Park it in a CU savings account and earn 1% or more. (That’s right, a whole percent, no decimal places.) Want to park a larger amount of money for a period of time? CU investment options average much better than banks.
• Stick it to the man: Banks get more arrogant every day. Show them that you want better control over your money, a better return on your money, and you want to keep your business local.

A good place to look, if you’re in upstate SC, is SC State Credit Union. You’re eligible if you live, work, or go to school in the county wherein the branch is located.

Or, visit http://www.creditunion.coop/cu_locator/ to find a CU near you.

On a similar note, if you have an independent pharmacy in your area, go there…for reasons not unlike those above.

And for a shaving note, I went back to my boar bristle brush today just for kicks and it lathered the Kiss My Face gel up quite nicely. This may be a weekday morning routine. I prefer the gel to the soap because it lathers more quickly and I can still do it in the mug…a must for weekday mornings when I’m up at 5 and have to get to school. It also seems to warm better.