I was Saying Boo-urns...

Because I coach a Masters Swim Team, people often assume that I must be fabulously wealthy. And admittedly, most people who have my combination of Stephen Tobolowski good looks, superb haiku-writing talent, and Nimoy-esque singing voice ARE highly compensated for their gifts, the truth is that I have not quite achieved financial independence. In fact, I barely make enough money to fund my Del Taco habit...and I certainly can't afford the Gibson 57 Archtop that would so nicely complement my smooth jazz guitar stylings. I am a little bit jealous of my friends who have the resources to take spur-of-the-moment vacations to Siam, or buy Ferraris that used to belong to Robin Masters, etc...but I also understand that they have such resources because they worked hard and haven't spent their lives making poor fiscal decisions the way I have. Oh well.

In other words:

Interpretation
Of debt to income ratios
Means ramen noodles

Some of my recent expenditures could probably be considered "investments," such as the money spent on my materials for my Personal Trainer Certification. And others, such as my race entry fees for the USAT Nationals, fall into the category of "rare opportunities you really shouldn't pass up". Still others, such as blister-causing shoes and that big bag of nasty day-old faux-cheese bagels, could probably be considered counterproductive.

The point is that I'm trying to be a little wiser with my money lately. When it came time to buy a new bike lock, I decided to shop carefully.

I made the decision to drive to Milwaukee primarily because it would be such a royal pain to get my bike to the race otherwise. I don't have a travel case, nor do I want to buy one. I also didn't want to grapple with such an object at the airport, nor deal with the associated rental car hassles. And because I have a two-bike rack on my Honda, I offered to transport my friend Carrie's bike as well as my own.

My Kuat rack came with a locking cable that is probably secure enough to deter bike thieves...but if I'm going to be responsible for somebody else's expensive racing machine as well as my own, I thought I ought to add another layer of protection onto what came with the rack.

I went with the OnGuard Pitbull model (pictured above.) They had another product with a higher security rating, but it was quit a bit more expensive, and didn't look as easy to use. This model has a braided cable, where the other used a thick chain.

Here's a hint for you -- if you ever want to experience buyer's remorse, go pick up a 2nd-tier product at the store...and then watch the company's YouTube video about their top-of-the-line offering. I now have blowtorch envy.



As for the bad parenting discussion, I won't bore you with too many specific details, but the bottom line is that if I had done a better job raising my son, he might have been able to pay for his own plane tickets to Milwaukee. As it is, though, I am delighted to make the purchase -- because it means that I'll have at least one person cheering for me at the race.

Well, OK...that's probably not realistic. The race starts at about 7am. He'll still be in bed. But at least it'll be nice to have his company in the car during the drive back to Denver. That is what I'm most looking forward to about the entire trip. We haven't decided which tourist destinations to hit yet, but there's bound to be some exciting and wonderful stuff to see in the journey across Nebraska.

Right?

Um, yeah. Well, if any of you have any suggestions for what we should visit during this trip, let me know. Anything that is generally on the way between Milwaukee and Denver is fair game; the more outlandish, the better.

Carhenge, Sturgis, and Devil's Tower are under consideration. Though we've both been to Rushmore and Crazy Horse, those would be fun to revisit, too. Any other suggestions?

OK, that's all I have time for today. Gotta go buy a Lotto ticket.

Have a great day!