Seatbelts are on planes because of unexpected turbulence, not because it will do anything for you in a crach. Trains don't need seatbelts because there's no turbulence and they won't do any good in a crash.
Trains in the northeast corridor travel at over 100 MPH. They also travel above 70 MPH in most other places.
There is just so much room on a train, it's not even close to traveling in a car or plane. You can play with the kids, relax in the bar (club car), whatever you like to pass the time. It's not just sitting squeezed in a seat until you reach your destination - it's like taking a relaxing break while someone chauffers you around. You arrive feeling refreshed, not worn out or sore from sitting all cramped up the entire journey.
The delays have greatly improved recently. I frequently take the capitol limited from Chicago to DC, and in the past a delay of several hours was normal. But in the last year the train has been on time or early every single time I've checked it.
Train travel isn't for everyone, but don't dismiss it based on some innacurate comments made here.
I didn't travel when I finished college, but knew it was something I definitely wanted to do. So I've built myself a business that I can take with me, and saved some money in the process, and now I leave Sept 1 for at least a few months. I'm getting some comments about how I'm a little bit older than the average backpacker, but at 28, I don't think it's that big of a deal. In my opinion, being a few years out of college has helped me gain perspective on why I should take this trip anyways, and what I want to do while I'm in Europe.
My grandparents have soft water and I hate it. I feel like I never get all the soap off of my body or out of my hair. I suppose that it's necessary for some folks, but unless I was forced to, I will never have a water softener.
I do try to keep my tank full all the time and fill up when I hit the half way point. It makes me feel better knowing that I don't have to worry about running out of gas on the highway but it makes me feel better about filling up. I don't have to pay for the whole tank, which makes me feel less stressed out about filling up in the first place. While I'm sure I'm not saving any money by doing it, I feel like I am.
I spent an hour and a half on it the first night we took it out of the box and had a blast. I think that it's a step in the right direction ... people love video games and they can play this and get fit.
"If there was a way we could just provide soft water to the washing machine without running a water softener though I think that would be a good compromise."
I have read that adding salt each time you wash a load will help soften water without going the route of a whole-house water softener. I been doing this for years.
My post today is "Are You Your Job?" You can get a taste of what kind of mental/emotional/physical boot camp your company might send you to if you don't follow your heart/bliss to do what you love -- even if you are the superstar employee in your company!
Friends are very important. Too important just to keep for the sake of keeping them. Some are better left to fade away. Ask yourself if you continue to add value to one another's lives. If not, even old -- or for that matter, new -- friendships can become clutter that take up precious space and time in our lives. And, very demanding or needy friends are just more trouble than they're worth. My free ebook Cuckoo in Your Nest! is about how to get rid of these folks who cling to us and try to suck us dry.
I totally agree with taking care of (1) your health with regular exercise (most young people have no idea how much injuries or bad health cost: lost earning capacity, and, hence, investment opportunity; exorbitant medical bills; increased risk of loss of mental/emotional health, i.e., depression, anxiety, etc.), (2) your mind with constant learning about yourself, your chosen field, and other people in general, and (3) your money (starting to invest with just $50 per month -- and who can't sock that away? -- can make you a millionaire by the time you retire without any effort at all! Just set it up and let it grow.
Most young adults don't realize until it's too late that the one thing they have over us older folks is time and that time is actually money when it comes to the magic of compound interest.
Finally, I'd advise young people today to not trust government, employers, parents, friends (especially friends! -- they don't know much more than you do), or anyone else (including me) to tell you the truth about money, finances, relationships, or how to live your life. These decisions are for you to make and eventually live with. The decisions you make now are the ones that you will either be very proud of down the road or regret for decades to come. There are great self help books out there that at least will let you know what your options are. Then, it's up to you what you pick from the buffet of life's lessons.
Good luck to all the recent graduates! Life is an adventure!
We recently bought a house with terrible water. Stinky and with orange stains everywhere. Apparently, a lot of the orange isn't due directly to dissolved iron, but to iron bacteria, which doesn't get removed by a softener. However, our neighbors recommended we shock the well periodically to get rid of it.
Shocking a well is essentially pouring chlorine (bleach, or the stuff in swimming pools) down the well, then flushing it back out. It made a huge difference - even more than the water softener. I would recommend anyone considering a water softener on a private well try it first.
I love your advice -- it took me many years to learn what you already have, though I did practice much of that -- I just couldn't articulate it that well in my 20s. Also making changes is something I should have pursued earlier on.
Re: travel. I didn't travel the world but I did take a cross-country trip right after college, using my earnings from a college job. I planned a trip from North Carolina to Yellowstone Park (where my traveling buddy took a summer job) and then took a Greyhound Bus to LA, where I met up with a college friend who was going to law school at Pepperdine. I knew of someone else who worked his way around the world, working manual labor jobs for a few months and then moving on.
I'm not sure I agree about the round the world trip. Yes, I would have done it if I could have afforded to do it. But going into more debt didn't seem like a financially responsible decision at the time (for me).
What I really I had done was started budgeting for travel when I started work (i.e. setting aside money each pay cheque). I know people who worked for four years and saved 25% of their salary each year so they could take the fifth year off to travel. Perhaps that's a bit extreme, but if you can't afford travel when you graduate and it's something you really want to do, then start planning for it as soon as possible.
I'm not sure if you can get this over in the USA, but here in Europe we have this product called "Calgon", which is essentially a water softener that you put into with your washing powder/tablets. It doesn't seem to affect sensitive skin at all (I have a young child with particularly sensitive skin), and best of all it's fairly low cost.
Bottom line for me is a simple calculation: how much does it cost to repair the washing machine (and in our case, repair the wooden flooring when the machine goes bang). At the moment this way is cheaper :)
PS: for some reason the Captcha system used on the site really dislikes me :o
It seems like the classic Catch-22 of business. You need to put money into a business to get anybody to put money in your business. And the costs can be enormous. It seems like people in business like to think big. If you have any desire to involve VC people, then you can't envision a small business out of your home. It has to involve millions, if not more.
My sense is that it all begins with a business model. But how many people really have any experience with this? And the thought of maxing out your credit cards is not a desirable one.
Thanks for the informative post. It touches on a lot of issues.
We have two wells and one had a serious mineral problem. Not sure if it was hard water, but our clothes turned orange and our tub had the classic orange-red residue. AND, it smelled like eggs.
We switched to our shallow well and the problem was gone. I think some people have skin sensitivity issues that require soft water, but I'm not sure. And the equipment to make it soft can be expensive to buy and maintain.
How many of us really know what's going on at the gas stations across the country, or for that matter, just across town? Most of us are only concerned with the local gas stations that we frequent, and they pretty much represent our universe. When shortages or rationing occur at these stations, even though the effect is limited, it sends us a message that this is the state of the world. And as you mention, when the media steps in and starts hyping up the so-called crisis, it snowballs from there.
Nice words, Xin. I think it's hard to find your way when you're fresh out of school but the academic world is so sheltered and it's easy to fall into an unrealistic sense of oneself. Life is simpler (not necessarily easy) when all you have to think about is studying.
I think the advice that I would embrace the most is to explore the world around you as much as possible. It's the only way to really figure out what means the most to you. While I admire kids who have it all figured out by the time they're freshman in college, and are consequently focused like a laser, I think they can also miss out on a world of adventure in exploring their opportunities.
And let's face it, how many 18 year olds, or even 21 year olds for that matter, really have the wherewithal to know what life is all about? I'm forty and I'm still figuring it out. Like Henry Miller said, life is a journey of discovery, and many of us lose sight of this in the pursuit of our careers.
My husband just bought me the Wii balance board (and the rest of the Wii, since we did not own one yet) as an early birthday present. I really like it, since we have a 12 week old baby in the house and going to a gym just doesn't fit our life right now. I do go out walking with the stroller, but the Wii fit is a nice supplement to that.
Best feature: feedback and rankings of your efforts.
This is so true, and I think it's something people struggle with, because it doesn't fit the romantic notion of the artist struck with inspiration. If I waited till I felt like drawing, I would do it once a month!
alrighty, since fermenting a mash of just sucrose and water only makes ethanol and co2, then would there be any benefit in discarding the heads, distilling multiple times(besides to get a stronger product) or puting it through a carbon filter? i see lots of tutorials that say to do all three of these things even if the mash is sucrose+water and i dont really understand why. are there still impurities? if so where do they come from? if someone could explain this to me that would be cool. i was also wondering where i could get one of those sweet ass bottles that dudeman has in the first picture. cant wait to distill my first batch tomorrow.
I am old enough to remember the very real shortages and consequent rationing of the early 1970's. You could only buy a limited quantity of fuel on even/odd days (based on license number); there were always lines wrapped around the block and people routinely ran out of gas, sometimes while waiting in line at the pump. Price was not the issue, there was an actual shortage. By the end of that crises, speed limits had been dropped to 65, car design changed radically, and fuel efficiency was the #1 buzz word. It was taken VERY seriously.
I paid $5.60/gal for regular yesterday. It was in a small town where it doesn't take much to create a spot shortage. I really needed the gas, so I paid. Keeping my tank full could have prevented the problem.
Sigh....
Seatbelts are on planes because of unexpected turbulence, not because it will do anything for you in a crach. Trains don't need seatbelts because there's no turbulence and they won't do any good in a crash.
Trains in the northeast corridor travel at over 100 MPH. They also travel above 70 MPH in most other places.
There is just so much room on a train, it's not even close to traveling in a car or plane. You can play with the kids, relax in the bar (club car), whatever you like to pass the time. It's not just sitting squeezed in a seat until you reach your destination - it's like taking a relaxing break while someone chauffers you around. You arrive feeling refreshed, not worn out or sore from sitting all cramped up the entire journey.
The delays have greatly improved recently. I frequently take the capitol limited from Chicago to DC, and in the past a delay of several hours was normal. But in the last year the train has been on time or early every single time I've checked it.
Train travel isn't for everyone, but don't dismiss it based on some innacurate comments made here.
You can buy groceries in bulk online at www.bulkhome.com
There are no membership fees and shipping is free.
I didn't travel when I finished college, but knew it was something I definitely wanted to do. So I've built myself a business that I can take with me, and saved some money in the process, and now I leave Sept 1 for at least a few months. I'm getting some comments about how I'm a little bit older than the average backpacker, but at 28, I don't think it's that big of a deal. In my opinion, being a few years out of college has helped me gain perspective on why I should take this trip anyways, and what I want to do while I'm in Europe.
My grandparents have soft water and I hate it. I feel like I never get all the soap off of my body or out of my hair. I suppose that it's necessary for some folks, but unless I was forced to, I will never have a water softener.
I do try to keep my tank full all the time and fill up when I hit the half way point. It makes me feel better knowing that I don't have to worry about running out of gas on the highway but it makes me feel better about filling up. I don't have to pay for the whole tank, which makes me feel less stressed out about filling up in the first place. While I'm sure I'm not saving any money by doing it, I feel like I am.
Thank goodness, I don't think this has become a problem where I live but at least now I will know the steps to take to avoid it.
I spent an hour and a half on it the first night we took it out of the box and had a blast. I think that it's a step in the right direction ... people love video games and they can play this and get fit.
"If there was a way we could just provide soft water to the washing machine without running a water softener though I think that would be a good compromise."
I have read that adding salt each time you wash a load will help soften water without going the route of a whole-house water softener. I been doing this for years.
My post today is "Are You Your Job?" You can get a taste of what kind of mental/emotional/physical boot camp your company might send you to if you don't follow your heart/bliss to do what you love -- even if you are the superstar employee in your company!
Friends are very important. Too important just to keep for the sake of keeping them. Some are better left to fade away. Ask yourself if you continue to add value to one another's lives. If not, even old -- or for that matter, new -- friendships can become clutter that take up precious space and time in our lives. And, very demanding or needy friends are just more trouble than they're worth. My free ebook Cuckoo in Your Nest! is about how to get rid of these folks who cling to us and try to suck us dry.
I totally agree with taking care of (1) your health with regular exercise (most young people have no idea how much injuries or bad health cost: lost earning capacity, and, hence, investment opportunity; exorbitant medical bills; increased risk of loss of mental/emotional health, i.e., depression, anxiety, etc.), (2) your mind with constant learning about yourself, your chosen field, and other people in general, and (3) your money (starting to invest with just $50 per month -- and who can't sock that away? -- can make you a millionaire by the time you retire without any effort at all! Just set it up and let it grow.
Most young adults don't realize until it's too late that the one thing they have over us older folks is time and that time is actually money when it comes to the magic of compound interest.
Finally, I'd advise young people today to not trust government, employers, parents, friends (especially friends! -- they don't know much more than you do), or anyone else (including me) to tell you the truth about money, finances, relationships, or how to live your life. These decisions are for you to make and eventually live with. The decisions you make now are the ones that you will either be very proud of down the road or regret for decades to come. There are great self help books out there that at least will let you know what your options are. Then, it's up to you what you pick from the buffet of life's lessons.
Good luck to all the recent graduates! Life is an adventure!
We recently bought a house with terrible water. Stinky and with orange stains everywhere. Apparently, a lot of the orange isn't due directly to dissolved iron, but to iron bacteria, which doesn't get removed by a softener. However, our neighbors recommended we shock the well periodically to get rid of it.
Shocking a well is essentially pouring chlorine (bleach, or the stuff in swimming pools) down the well, then flushing it back out. It made a huge difference - even more than the water softener. I would recommend anyone considering a water softener on a private well try it first.
I love your advice -- it took me many years to learn what you already have, though I did practice much of that -- I just couldn't articulate it that well in my 20s. Also making changes is something I should have pursued earlier on.
Re: travel. I didn't travel the world but I did take a cross-country trip right after college, using my earnings from a college job. I planned a trip from North Carolina to Yellowstone Park (where my traveling buddy took a summer job) and then took a Greyhound Bus to LA, where I met up with a college friend who was going to law school at Pepperdine. I knew of someone else who worked his way around the world, working manual labor jobs for a few months and then moving on.
I'm not sure I agree about the round the world trip. Yes, I would have done it if I could have afforded to do it. But going into more debt didn't seem like a financially responsible decision at the time (for me).
What I really I had done was started budgeting for travel when I started work (i.e. setting aside money each pay cheque). I know people who worked for four years and saved 25% of their salary each year so they could take the fifth year off to travel. Perhaps that's a bit extreme, but if you can't afford travel when you graduate and it's something you really want to do, then start planning for it as soon as possible.
That's a great point Fred.
"I wish that I had taken a year off after graduating and just traveled around the world."
Me too! People are always putting off stuff like that for the "right time"
Great advice Xin.
I'm not sure if you can get this over in the USA, but here in Europe we have this product called "Calgon", which is essentially a water softener that you put into with your washing powder/tablets. It doesn't seem to affect sensitive skin at all (I have a young child with particularly sensitive skin), and best of all it's fairly low cost.
Bottom line for me is a simple calculation: how much does it cost to repair the washing machine (and in our case, repair the wooden flooring when the machine goes bang). At the moment this way is cheaper :)
PS: for some reason the Captcha system used on the site really dislikes me :o
It seems like the classic Catch-22 of business. You need to put money into a business to get anybody to put money in your business. And the costs can be enormous. It seems like people in business like to think big. If you have any desire to involve VC people, then you can't envision a small business out of your home. It has to involve millions, if not more.
My sense is that it all begins with a business model. But how many people really have any experience with this? And the thought of maxing out your credit cards is not a desirable one.
Thanks for the informative post. It touches on a lot of issues.
We have two wells and one had a serious mineral problem. Not sure if it was hard water, but our clothes turned orange and our tub had the classic orange-red residue. AND, it smelled like eggs.
We switched to our shallow well and the problem was gone. I think some people have skin sensitivity issues that require soft water, but I'm not sure. And the equipment to make it soft can be expensive to buy and maintain.
How many of us really know what's going on at the gas stations across the country, or for that matter, just across town? Most of us are only concerned with the local gas stations that we frequent, and they pretty much represent our universe. When shortages or rationing occur at these stations, even though the effect is limited, it sends us a message that this is the state of the world. And as you mention, when the media steps in and starts hyping up the so-called crisis, it snowballs from there.
Nice words, Xin. I think it's hard to find your way when you're fresh out of school but the academic world is so sheltered and it's easy to fall into an unrealistic sense of oneself. Life is simpler (not necessarily easy) when all you have to think about is studying.
I think the advice that I would embrace the most is to explore the world around you as much as possible. It's the only way to really figure out what means the most to you. While I admire kids who have it all figured out by the time they're freshman in college, and are consequently focused like a laser, I think they can also miss out on a world of adventure in exploring their opportunities.
And let's face it, how many 18 year olds, or even 21 year olds for that matter, really have the wherewithal to know what life is all about? I'm forty and I'm still figuring it out. Like Henry Miller said, life is a journey of discovery, and many of us lose sight of this in the pursuit of our careers.
My husband just bought me the Wii balance board (and the rest of the Wii, since we did not own one yet) as an early birthday present. I really like it, since we have a 12 week old baby in the house and going to a gym just doesn't fit our life right now. I do go out walking with the stroller, but the Wii fit is a nice supplement to that.
Best feature: feedback and rankings of your efforts.
This is so true, and I think it's something people struggle with, because it doesn't fit the romantic notion of the artist struck with inspiration. If I waited till I felt like drawing, I would do it once a month!
alrighty, since fermenting a mash of just sucrose and water only makes ethanol and co2, then would there be any benefit in discarding the heads, distilling multiple times(besides to get a stronger product) or puting it through a carbon filter? i see lots of tutorials that say to do all three of these things even if the mash is sucrose+water and i dont really understand why. are there still impurities? if so where do they come from? if someone could explain this to me that would be cool. i was also wondering where i could get one of those sweet ass bottles that dudeman has in the first picture. cant wait to distill my first batch tomorrow.
I am old enough to remember the very real shortages and consequent rationing of the early 1970's. You could only buy a limited quantity of fuel on even/odd days (based on license number); there were always lines wrapped around the block and people routinely ran out of gas, sometimes while waiting in line at the pump. Price was not the issue, there was an actual shortage. By the end of that crises, speed limits had been dropped to 65, car design changed radically, and fuel efficiency was the #1 buzz word. It was taken VERY seriously.
I paid $5.60/gal for regular yesterday. It was in a small town where it doesn't take much to create a spot shortage. I really needed the gas, so I paid. Keeping my tank full could have prevented the problem.
Thanks for being so thorough with the description of the process. I appreciate it a lot. Have a great week!