ghoul spoof

Playing dress up isn't just for girls. Although it's been a historically female practice, there is one day a year when all participate on a grand scale; and that day is Halloween. Moreover, it's not really "one day". Halloween falls on a Monday this year so most of the festivities I've been told about are actually taking place on the weekend nights leading up to the day of spookiness. Therefore, there are a few days a year when costumes are kosher. Many good things come from Halloween: oodles of sugary delicious candy (that was my absolute favorite part as a kid, candy was as good as gold), those clever and ridiculous costumes that always entertain, and probably the most important thing, Tracy Jordan's hit Halloween themed Bar Mitzvah classic "Werewolf Bar Mitzvah". I say enjoy the holiday! Rack your brain and come up with the best costume you can muster! Whether you go minimalist or all out, you're certain to draw some praise. Here's to the spoofing of ghouls, goons, and celebrities alike! To scrumptious delights consumed in dim light! Here's to us, and everyone, interested in some late October Halloween fun!

pinning hopes

I never feel more helpless than when I watch the UofA Wildcats play. Be it football or basketball, I watch with anticipation, hope, and love. Sadly, that trio of fluffy feelings is often met by the harsh and heavy hand of reality, in the form of a loss. What happens next is, I become incensed. Pseudo expletives fly! My shrill voice pierces the air! Anger! Malice! Hate! Disdain! All because one team, out of hundreds, fails to win one game, out of dozens. These sporting events have a powerful effect on my emotions. I heard once that you shouldn't pin your hopes on outcomes you have no control over. In regards to sports fandom, I see it more as a double edged sword. If I want to experience the ecstatic elation of a big win, then it's only right that I make myself susceptible to the tormented sorrow of a disappointing loss. Perhaps I should take the lofty expectations I have for my beloved sports teams and turn them inward. If I expect excellence from them, then I can't expect any less from myself. Too often I settle for mediocrity. If I focus on attaining personal successes, their attainment will certainly outweigh any outside disappointments. Living a life of excellence, that's a good goal.

compound interest

Compound interest will either crush you or lift you up, financially speaking of course. The value of a "rented" dollar over time is wild. I don't want to rent money, I'd love to rent other people money; too bad I'm not a freaking bank! I stumbled upon khanacademy.org; it's dope. I watched the first two lessons under Finance about interest (I also watched one on the Bay of Pigs, that story is nuts!). These particular videos seemed too simple for me, but having the lesson develop in a basic way helped me appreciate the profound lesson. Watch the videos, then pay attention to the difference between 200 bones and 816 American dollars! Holy bejoly! That's a wide chasm. None of the interest I pay on my loans is simple; it's compounding folks. It can be a frightening realization. I'll tell you what, rather than owing Wells Fargo $125,000 and me owing them daily compounding interest, I'd like to have $125,000 in a fund and bank that interest myself. But that's a mortgage for ya huh? No wonder the Church has always counseled to get and stay out of debt. I've always known that making your money make money makes you rich, but now I know it.