Agave Nectar

Javi was over at my house before Collegiate Nationals and he told me that he has been making his own sports drinks by mixing stuff together.  Black strap molases, agave nectar, salt, whatever else.  He recommended that I try some agave nectar.  I queried if it tastes anything like tequila (which comes from blue agave) and he said no.  I picked some up at Publix (in the organic section) and tried it.  Doesn't taste like tequila...actually pretty good.  It's got a really low glycemic index so it'll give you sustained energy.  I've mixed it in with smoothies a couple times and that works out pretty well.  I think you could also cook with it in leiu of honey.

As for tequila...I just don't like it.  Lotsa kids have a bad tequila night that makes them develop resentment for that kind of fire water.  I never had one of those nights.  I just don't like the scent or the taste of tequila plata or oro.  

Pick #124

Stereo Fuse - "Everything" from All That Remains

Invest in Energy Efficiency

You can get pretty awesome, tax free returns from investing in energy efficiency. The way you make these returns is by saving money on your utility bill. Basically, the money you save is like a dividend payment on your initial investment. One really cool difference between these dividends and those that are paid by the bank: you don't pay taxes on these dividends. You aren't actually "making" money, you're just saving it so you can spend it on other stuff. There's also the added bonus of better services from appliances. For instance, if you put in a new refrigerator, it's likely to have spill proof (resistant) shelves where your old fridge had the wire racks...or it makes ice faster...or there's a light in the freezer, etc. My gas stove saves me time by heating up faster.

You can often get tax credits or grants or some other credit for making energy efficiency improvements to your house. Another advantage is the stability of your investment. It's not volatile like the stock market. Also, it's countercyclical. In times when energy prices rise, you'll be getting a higher return on your investment. Right now, many people are scared to invest in stocks and real estate, so this provides a good alternative to holding your money under the mattress. There's never been a better time to invest in energy efficiency.

Old Ladies on a 4-Wheeler

I think this is pretty funny. If I remember correctly, the driver's son got this for Christmas and she wanted to take it for a spin. Went & picked up back seat passenger for a spin down the road. :::w00t!:::

Money Changes People

I was talking to Dan about how money changes people. Say you get a windfall of several million dollars. Your behavior will definitely change. But is it because you have changed as a person? I contend that the answer is no.

Basically, I say that your budget constraint has changed but your underlying preferences (utility function, if you will) hasn't changed. The things you start doing are things that you would have done before if you could have.

I realize that tons of $$$ can change the way people treat you and likewise the way you treat them back. However, I don't think that the thing changing is your core being. It's just that now you can do bigger things than you ever used to.

Wild Blackberries

Carmen came to visit me this weekend. She arrived on Friday night/Saturday morning just after 4am and left on Sunday around 6pm. Round trip road time: 24 hours! It was so nice to get to see her again.

On Saturday morning, she noticed that I have wild blackberries growing in my yard. She made me eat one after I'd just brushed my teeth and it wasn't so awesome. I tried one later and it was pretty good. I think I'm going to plant some (maybe not so wild) blackberries in a garden. She said that I could grow raspberries too! How cool & tasty would that be?

New Appliances

I upgraded the following appliances: AC/heat, water heater, stove. I got new energy efficient (14 SEER v. my old ~5 SEER, 40 gallon gas v. 52 gallon electric 33 year old water heater) gas appliances. The work all got completed and inspected on my birthday. That was a good present. The city's giving me $2,000 in incentive money along with hooking up a 5 year, 5% interest energy loan. My home warranty company gave me $925 for the air handler which brings my out of pocket costs to $5,600...leading to a $160/month payment. I think I'll save around $80/month on my utility bill, but we'll see what the actual figure is. The crappy thing is that I have to pay an extra $9/month just to be hooked up to the gas...they don't put that part in the brochures.

Anyway, not much to say about the water heater. We never ran out of hot water before and we certainly won't now. It is cool that you can take a panel off the unit and peer at the flame inside through a window. The AC is way better than my old one. You can hear the difference in volume at the return. The stove is sweet. It doesn't boil water instantly like everyone said it would. However, I've managed to make it this far without burning anything although I'm sure that will happen some time. I've made some tasty dishes on it. The oven preheats really fast and you can really tweak the temperature on the stove top.

I think these new appliances will increase the resale value of my house, but who knows by how much. Looking back, I should have got gas when I moved in. Dang. Oh well, I didn't have the money back then (but wait, there was a loan program...!). I would have bought a gas dryer too and saved even more. The guy doing work here tried to talk me into a gas dryer but I already have a matching washer/dryer set and they work well so I didn't see the need to replace the dryer. It would be easy to hook one up in the future.

Come visit if you want to cook on my sweet new stove. I found out that there's a piece for it that you can put over 2 burners and it becomes a griddle! Too bad it's $100. I might try to find one on sale.