All sorts of fun and craziness
August 31st, 2006
We made our way to Spring Lake, Michigan to visit some friends and had a blast. Spent most of the time boating and enjoying great weather and food. I’ll leave it to G if she wants to put up some pictures here. Let’s just say, it is a nice place to enjoy a long weekend and relax.
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August 21st, 2006
… this post on Freakonimcs about Dubner’s kids is funny.
Categories: Uncategorized | 2 Comments
August 21st, 2006
That’s right, I said it, best meal in Georgia - at Dolce Vita in Duluth, GA. This is, I swear, some of the best Italian food I’ve ever had - maybe some of the best food I’ve ever had.
I have been to this place 3 times now in 2 trips to this office. Each time has been a great experience. Once for lunch, once for drinks, and now for dinner. Each time the owner (who looks a bit like Al Pacino) has come by to ask about the food and atmosphere (which is great). Warm, inviting and personable. You have no doubt he cares that you are having the best possible experience. It comes through with the staff too.
I had a seared Ahi tuna entree, which you normally expect to be 3 - 4 medallions of less than sashimi grade fish and a little bit of veggies on the side. This was close to a half pound of the most tender tuna I’ve had with perfectly sauteed veggies and garlic mashed potatoes. It was fantastic, and very reasonably priced. If you’re ever out this way, please stop by, it is well worth it.
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August 21st, 2006
I thought I had a great seat on my flight today. The row behind first class on the DC-9 - good leg room and 2 seats in a 3 seat row. On top of that, the flight was over sold and over weight - I had meetings virtually the moment I walked off the plane and could not volunteer for a later flight. I got on, skipped the gate level bag check and sat down.
Kick ass seat, until my row mate sat down. This was a big boned man. Very big boned. He did not fit in the seat by any stretch of the imagination. I envision the day when Americans have become so large that coach seats are the same width as today’s first class. The man did not fit. There was no territorial attempts at the arm rest, it was overflowed with flesh. I spent over three hours leaning far to the left in order to avoid being smacked in the face by an elbow. Thank god the row afforded room to lean way over without obstructing the aisle.
This might not seem like a big deal, but try leaning one direction for three hours, just try it. Gets old fast. Can’t we get this guy a first class seat? I’d give up my first class seat for the greater good of this gentleman the person(s) seated next to him.
I don’t want to sound disparaging, but it made for an uncomfortable situation. He tried to be polite about the elbow in my face. But when one’s stomach doubles as a book rest, that’s a bad sign.
America is becoming less beautiful. While the magazine cover image is not healthy, the general trend toward super-size is not pleasant either. Even the Bruegle image is closer to healthy than either. Richard Simmons we need you!
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August 21st, 2006
I got this NYTimes article through my Google Reader and my dear friend Genya who as of lately has been burdened with one-too-many-weddings.
Here’s the most imporant bit:
A survey this year found that the average wedding costs $27,852, compared with $15,208 in 1990
The author goes on talking about the fact that the average number of wedding guests is about 200 nowadays and many people in their late 20’s and early 30’s suffer from “wedding fatigue” every summer as they’re invited to multiple lavish affairs. Is this a sign of an excess society? Did average income go up that much in the last 20 years to justify this change? Or there’s something else in play? What do you think, my dear readers? (I would love to hear what “Freakonomics” guys have to say about it but I shouldn’t get my hopes too high)
A couple ideas that came to my head are:
Categories: Delinquent Bride | No Comments
August 20th, 2006
If you’re one of the econ geeks who happens to read this blog (I think there might be one of you), and for some dumbass reason you don’t read Marginal Revolution regularly, this post on Gordon Tullock is a great read - be sure to read the comments.
Mr. Tollock is one of the more interesting minds in economics (no offense Mr. Cowen, Mr. Levitt, Mr. Harford, Mr. Krugman, Mr. Friedman, and many, many more). Mr. Tollock just has a very interesting combination of perspectives, and is happy to speak his mind (as the comments in the above link attest).
If you’re not an econ geek, you might still be able to enjoy it a bit 
I’m quite sure I will never be elevated to point of receiving a good burn from Mr. Tollock - but you never know.
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August 20th, 2006
Evolution Shift has an interesting post comparing European and American energy consumption.
I noticed the same thing in India, where blackouts were common and most offices had generators. The office I worked in while in Chennai was air conditioned, but only on the actual office floors. The elevators and stairwells were not. Only half the lights were ever on. The 4 star hotel I stayed in had lights that would turn off if you weren’t moving about for a while (the electric outlets stayed on for charging things though).
India also has a huge water conservation/reclamation system. In the south at least, fresh water is scarce for a good part of the year. There are water collectors on the roofs of the more modern buildings to collect the water during monsoon season for use during the rest of the year. I was told this water was mostly used for sanitation and washing, not for drinking. The toilets in India were certainly low flow, and the showers highly efficient (maybe too efficient to get fully clean). The traditional method of bathing (and toilet) in southern India is very, very water efficient.
Bathing utilizes a cup to wet and rinse the body - I imagine it would take only 3 - 4 cups to cleanse well. For the foreigners, there was a shower, though definitely of the the efficient type. Using the toilet requires splashing oneself with a bit of water from a cup or a hose. Imagine a manual bidet.
At any rate, it is interesting to note the differences in energy use in different cultures. Even with my limited travels to India with a stop in Europe, it seems the Americans are the least energy conscious, and not just when it come to motor vehicles.
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August 19th, 2006
…….People?
I don’t really believe it myself, but Damn Interesting has an article on Hufu, which is supposed to be “The Healthy Human Flesh Alternative.”
According to Wikipedia, Hufu might be a hoax and their web site has been down.
The first question, of course, is why would anyone want to do this? I can’t believe there would be much of a market for this - at least I hope there isn’t.
Categories: Random/Funny | No Comments
August 14th, 2006
Well, this week I ended up in Toledo, OH. Actually Bowling Green, just south of Toledo. I didn’t mention last week’s quick trip to Orange County, CA - that was much, much more fun.
Anyway, if you can avoid Bowling Green, or really Ohio in general, I’d recommend that. I’ve been to every major city in Ohio, a few minor ones. Ohio is uniformly fine. There is nothing exciting, nothing significantly depressing, just fine all around. The people are nice, but not really, really nice, nor really rude. It is the heartland, and boring as hell.
So, here’s to Ohio - mediocrity at its best.
Categories: Travel | No Comments
