Rotundus.com

One of the things that I like about being a grad student, is that no one expects you to be anything other than broke. Thus there's comparatively little pressure to buy a flashy car, own a big house, or eat out all the time. (That said, I did spend quite a chunk of change traveling earlier this year).

What I find amazing though is just how poorly many people seem to do when it comes to the issue of money management. The base principle really isn't that hard: don't spend money you don't have. In other words, live within your means. It may be tough for some, particularly those raising young families. However, should you really be living month to month if you're making $100,000+ a year, as 21% of those folks are reported as doing?

Some 21 percent of those with salaries of $100,000 or more say they are living paycheck to paycheck, according to a recent survey conducted by CareerBuilder.com.

While experts are quick to acknowledge that high gasoline prices, the slumping housing market and a generally weak economy are weighing on consumers' finances, they also agree that the general difficulty in making ends meet is also the result of persistently bad spending and saving habits that are now catching up with the spendthrift American.

(Excerpted from CNBC)

When booking a flight on Alaska Air a month or so ago, I noticed that turboprops seem to be becoming more common. With the cost of fuel going up and environment concerns also coming into play, we may see even more of these. Supposedly these planes result in 30% less fuel consumption than jets on shorter routes.

MSNBC had more to say on this topic:

The 50-seat jet has become a financial albatross on many routes. On shorter trips, a jet's operational advantages quickly disappear. A jet uses large amounts of fuel on its departure "climb out" and works best financially when it's able to reach thin-air altitudes above 30,000 feet, zipping along at a normal cruise speed of 500 mph to 530 mph with a full payload. Regional jets work well on routes such as Los Angeles to San Francisco, Chicago to Dallas, Atlanta to Denver.

Shorten the route, though—and triple the price of fuel—and a new-generation, large turboprop starts making a lot more sense.

Now planes are reverting to propellers and airlines are flying slower. What do you think the airline industry will look like in 5 years?

[M]ost of us lean heavily toward the contemplative or the active disciplines at the expense of the other. Furthermore, it is not uncommon for people to read about Jesus in their Bible and only see His contemplative or activist scenes at the expense of seeing the healthy tension that Jesus lived in.

...

One of the worst things I have witnessed is immature Christians who judge another Christian as immature because they do not have the same natural strength in a particular spiritual discipline. This takes many forms, such as the spiritually disciplined evangelist who looks down on people who don’t share their faith every moment of every day with everyone they encounter. Another example is the spiritually disciplined student who looks down on people who do not read enormous books written by dead guys for hours at a time and geek out learning the difference between things like transubstantiation and consubstantiation.

(Excerpted from an article at TheResurgence)

About halfway through the summer I decided that in the fall I should try to get back to doing something vaguely athletic. At the time the idea was to join an intramural team in some sport or other. Then, while visiting my parents in BC, I stumbled across a reference to the Marathon du Medoc in Reader's Digest. Strangely, enough the next day the Food Network had an episode of "Glutton for Punishment" specifically on this event.

I tend to be the type of person who'll take almost anything in life seriously - including insanity. For example, I survived high school English by taking seriously conventions while writing on the strangest topics I could think of. Somewhere or other I probably still have a copy of my Ode to Kraft Dinner.

Unfortunately, the Marathon du Medoc is run in September, when I have school commitments that prevent me from making it to France at that time of year. However, there's another similar marathon which is run in May - the Marathon de Blaye, Cotes de Bordeaux.

Picture this: Dave is dressed up in some unknown costume, 33 km into a 42 km marathon weaving through the fields of France, and pausing briefly at the 19th wine-tasting station on the course for a sip. (There's a reason that the Marathon du Medoc has gained the title of "the world's longest marathon)

That sounds like almost a textbook example of a serious approach to oddity. It seems like a great way to simultaneously thumb one's nose at marathon runners, wine snobs, and the French while simultaneously enjoying all the aforementioned.

Now the question that remains: am I crazy enough?