I got a curious looking letter in the mail this week, but as soon as I opened it up I knew exactly what it meant.  The letter was offering a wide variety of products to display my recently awarded patent.  I have several patent applications in the pipeline through my employer and the notification from them sometimes takes awhile.    This means that once the slow wheels of administration turn far enough there will be a little award bump in my paycheck along with a laminated version of the issued patent for me to put in my leather bound patent binder. […] Read more »

It’s the end of the month, and the beginning of a new budget cycle.  One of my activities today will be to create our budget worksheet for the next two weeks, and make sure Vonnie and I are on the same page. As I started thinking about things that need to be included in our spending plan, I remembered that our car currently has a half a tank of gas, and our van is still over a quarter of a tank. There’s NO WAY we’re using all of our usual gas budget this week.  Is it weird that I’m excited […] Read more »

In last week’s fist pump session, I mentioned I was taking the day off to make a brisket.  I introduced some new things into my process that I had seen on the TV show BBQ Pitmasters, and the result was the best brisket I’ve ever made.  I had a fantastic day tending my smoker, and turning a 16 pound piece of raw beef into something delicious.  The next day, we hosted some friends to help us eat the brisket and play Card Against Humanity.  Overall, the $50 I paid for the brisket provided two days of fun an entertainment, as […] Read more »

I watched an episode of BBQ Pitmasters a few days ago in which the contestants made brisket.  I’m always looking for new tips to help perfect my brisket technique, so I made some notes while I watched.   It put me in the mood to fire up the smoker, so I asked Vonnie if I could make one this weekend.  We agreed to put it in the spending plan.  There’s a chance for storms tomorrow, so I decided to work from home and smoke it today.  All I have to do is throw it in a roaster tomorrow for an hour […] Read more »

It’s been a busy front half of the Summer: Annual Memorial Weekend Party Grandma’s Marathon In Duluth Anniversary 4th Of July Party Vonnie’s Birthday Family Vacation in Wisconsin Dells Whew, I’m worn out, and so is our bank account.  We’ll be coasting the rest of the summer, with no big plans.  That will allow us all to relax, enjoy some good times just hanging out in the summer weather, and for our reserve funds to build back up. Fist pump for coasting the rest of the summer!  What does the rest of YOUR summer look like? Posts That Make Me […] Read more »

Happy almost Independence Day Friday, EOD Nation!  Since the 4th of July falls on a Saturday this year, my employer gives us today off. So what will I be doing today?  Oh, I’m so glad you asked……I’ll be spending it reconciling the checkbook and working with my wife to come up with our spending plan for the next two weeks.  We’re a few days late, but life has been busy lately, and I’m glad to have the day off to play catchup with our financial planning. Tomorrow we’ll be having some friends and family over, busting out the grill, and […] Read more »

Last Saturday, I ran my 5th Marathon in Duluth, MN.  When people talk about running a marathon, they talk about hitting “the wall.”  Well, I didn’t just hit the wall, it fell on me and crushed me. Whew….but I pushed through it and finished in just over 4 hours and 23 minutes.  I had hoped (again) to finish in under 4 hours, but  I misjudged my conditioning.  I’m not too disappointed as I over all we had a GREAT weekend in Duluth seeing the sights and going to a concert.  Next up, I’m training for something called “The Looney Challenge” […] Read more »