I subscribe to the Kim Komando Newsletter, so I receive at least three messages per day from her. Most contain very good advice on a variety of topics, and I always view the Video of the Day clip that she inserts in all of her newsletters.
Earlier this week I got a message that gave advice about frugality in these tough times, along with a Website Kim recommends for frugal living tips. The main theme of the message was that we have to control and limit our spending on frivolous items as well as big-ticket purchases.
Unfortunately, that advice is in large part the cause of our current financial crisis. Too many of us have cut back on purchases at a time when those purchases would help to fuel a recovery. The advice comes at exactly the wrong time. I regret that I have to disagree with Kim.
Granted, there are a lot of families who either don’t have any savings in reserve, or who have used up all their reserves already. That is because those people did not put away a little out of each paycheck for that “rainy day” and now the “rainy day” has arrived.
I don’t claim to be an expert on finances, but I learned early on in life that we have to anticipate some bad times and set aside funds to tide us over. Now my wife is a real Nervous Nellie when it comes to money, so we have more than the six-month-savings that is generally recommended for cash reserves.
If I have a major expense that is unanticipated then I also have the money in reserve to cover it. If I don’t ever have that car breakdown or that medical emergency, so much the better. But the fact remains; I have something saved that is over what I normally have to spend for daily living.
My reserve fund isn’t in some risky investment, but it isn’t in a mattress either. I keep it in a safe credit union account that pays a reasonable dividend and is guaranteed by the federal government. If I need it, it is instantly available.
You knew this column would come with some advice of my own, so here it is. If you don’t have a “rainy day” fund, there is no better time to start one. However, don’t make it tough on yourself and your family by pinching your pennies.
Discuss the amount you would need for emergencies —usually 3-6 months of income—and agree on a reasonable time frame to save that much. You might only be able to bank $50 out of each paycheck, but $50 is better than nothing. And you will be pleasantly surprised at how fast the account grows when you deposit regularly.
I wrote an earlier column that gave an excellent way to find and save that extra money. It is titled, “Pay Yourself First.” If you scroll down on this page, you will come to it two down from here. Now you have double incentive to quit paying Uncle Sam interest-free loans by having too much withheld from your pay for federal taxes. And for most of us, that will be more than just $50 per pay.
Meanwhile, my second tidbit of advice is to start a budget that will still allow you to purchase necessities without scrimping or doing without. There are plenty of good budgeting tools available on the Internet, and some public services can also be of use.
So, for at least this one occasion I must take issue with Kim Komando. We have to get this economy moving again, and the best way to do that is to get out there and support your local retailers. Start building that reserve, but keep buying, too.
Did you know that unpaid parking tickets and library fines for overdue books and materials affect your credit score?
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Fields of Gold
We experienced a rare phenomenon in Augusta, Georgia a few weeks ago; snow. Oh, it didn’t stick and accumulate, but it wasn’t a welcome sight to a transplanted Yankee who grew up in the heart of snow country, Buffalo, New York.
I’m not going to try to equate this event with the current craze about global warming. I leave you to ponder that for yourself. However, nearly the entire nation has been in the grip of a cold and snowy winter, and we’re only halfway through it.
Instead of doing a column on winter, I’m going to revisit a column I wrote almost four years ago while I still lived in El Paso. We also had a rare phenomenon there and it was near enough to my home that I was able to enjoy it for several months. Here it is, complete with pictures.
Originally posted April 2, 2005
Since the middle of February we have been experiencing a rare phenomenon here in El Paso. About once every ten years, the weather is just right for the explosion of our species of poppies. (They were identified on Jeopardy this week as California Poppies) They only grow on the east side of the Franklin Mountains in an area known as the Castner Range in Northeast El Paso. It was once the artillery range for Fort Bliss, but it has been inactive for years. The entire field of poppy plants is a restricted area, due mainly to the unexploded ordnance that might still be buried there. However, people like yours truly are brave enough to venture out into the
desert to see and photograph the blooms. The poppies do bloom every year, but this year has been a banner year for them, and folks come from miles away to see our El Paso Fields of Gold.
This week I’m going to share with you the pictures of these flowers. If anyone ever got the idea that the desert is a colorless wasteland, I think this will convince you otherwise. We do have lots of other blooming plants, but these are really spectacular.
There is little likelihood that we will ever lose these wildflowers, because the whole area is still part of Fort Bliss. Unless the Congress closes the fort, a highly unlikely scenario, the flowers will remain in a protected and restricted area where they can be viewed and enjoyed.
These are mainly yellow poppies, but there are three distinct shades, orange, yellow and pale yellow. They blanket the desert with bright color and should last for months.
The close-up shows the bright orange flowers in the foreground with the more predominant yellow ones behind them
If you look closely, you can see that the flowers are also up on the mountainsides. Trans Mountain Highway angles up from right to left in the background, and there is a rest area at the far left just above the yellow hillside—a perfect viewing area.
Oh yes, one other point…
Like all desert plants in Texas, people are forbidden to pick or uproot them
I hope you enjoyed seeing these as much as I enjoyed photographing them.
I’m not going to try to equate this event with the current craze about global warming. I leave you to ponder that for yourself. However, nearly the entire nation has been in the grip of a cold and snowy winter, and we’re only halfway through it.
Instead of doing a column on winter, I’m going to revisit a column I wrote almost four years ago while I still lived in El Paso. We also had a rare phenomenon there and it was near enough to my home that I was able to enjoy it for several months. Here it is, complete with pictures.
Originally posted April 2, 2005
Since the middle of February we have been experiencing a rare phenomenon here in El Paso. About once every ten years, the weather is just right for the explosion of our species of poppies. (They were identified on Jeopardy this week as California Poppies) They only grow on the east side of the Franklin Mountains in an area known as the Castner Range in Northeast El Paso. It was once the artillery range for Fort Bliss, but it has been inactive for years. The entire field of poppy plants is a restricted area, due mainly to the unexploded ordnance that might still be buried there. However, people like yours truly are brave enough to venture out into the
desert to see and photograph the blooms. The poppies do bloom every year, but this year has been a banner year for them, and folks come from miles away to see our El Paso Fields of Gold.
This week I’m going to share with you the pictures of these flowers. If anyone ever got the idea that the desert is a colorless wasteland, I think this will convince you otherwise. We do have lots of other blooming plants, but these are really spectacular.
There is little likelihood that we will ever lose these wildflowers, because the whole area is still part of Fort Bliss. Unless the Congress closes the fort, a highly unlikely scenario, the flowers will remain in a protected and restricted area where they can be viewed and enjoyed.
These are mainly yellow poppies, but there are three distinct shades, orange, yellow and pale yellow. They blanket the desert with bright color and should last for months.
The close-up shows the bright orange flowers in the foreground with the more predominant yellow ones behind them
If you look closely, you can see that the flowers are also up on the mountainsides. Trans Mountain Highway angles up from right to left in the background, and there is a rest area at the far left just above the yellow hillside—a perfect viewing area.
Oh yes, one other point…
Like all desert plants in Texas, people are forbidden to pick or uproot them
I hope you enjoyed seeing these as much as I enjoyed photographing them.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Pay Yourself First
Now that we’re well into the new year of 2009, if you’re anything like me, you are probably starting to gather all of your tax records together to file your 2008 tax return.
I got an ad in the mail today from Jackson-Hewitt. The eye-catcher was a statement that “9 out of 10 Jackson-Hewitt customers get a refund.” That might be true, but it says a lot about how ignorant the average taxpayer is when it comes to withholding.
I am retired, so I don’t have an employer to withhold taxes. I do request that taxes be withheld from my retirement pay and from my IRA withdrawals. I also pay quarterly estimates. As a result, I will owe $124 when I file my tax return on April 15th. That’s right, it is that close to being dead even, even though I have paid in about $4,500 for 2008.
The average tax refund last year (2007 tax year) was close to $3,000. It will probably increase this year, since it has done so almost every year for the past three decades. Did you know that many people who get those refund checks after filing their taxes believe that they didn’t owe taxes. Since they receive a refund, regardless of the fact that it isn’t a full refund of all taxes paid, they actually think they didn’t have to pay anything.
The tax refund of $3,000 per taxpayer is a free loan to the government, and it is wasted money. You’re likely asking yourself how it is “wasted” since you get it back. Well, it could be saved in an interest-bearing account, or it could be invested in some stocks or bonds. It could also be deposited in a retirement plan like a 401(k) or even an IRA. In any one of these instruments, it could do more for you than it does as a misnamed refund. It isn’t a refund, it is your money and it always was yours.
You might not recall it if you’ve worked for the same employer for several years, but when you were hired you filled out a Federal Form W-4. On it you told your employer either A) how many dependents you had at that time, or B) how much of each paycheck to hold back for taxes. If you are married, I can almost guarantee that you checked the box that reads, “Married, but withhold at higher Single rate.”
The reason I can make the above claim is that all the instructions on the W-4 intimidate you into thinking you might have too little tax withheld. There is no explanation of what happens if you do have too little withheld, but the implication is that you could suffer “penalties” for underpaying. Nothing could be further from the truth.
That last statement has nothing to do with the strange cases of Tim Geithner and Tom Daschle that have received so much publicity in the past few weeks. They probably should have paid both interest and penalties, based on the guidelines I will tell you about shortly. But I digress...
Another source of overpaying taxes is that very few people take the time and effort to submit a new W-4 when life events occur, such as birth or death of a dependent, divorce, additional job, or working spouse. Any of these events that take place after you have turned in the W-4 should trigger a new and revised one. However, you don’t even have to wait for one of these to happen. You can choose to revise your withholding for any reason.
My recommendation is for you to take every legal deduction you can on the W-4 so that the very minimum tax is withheld. That might cause a shortage in your withholding tax. You can correct that very easily by sending in a check with the Form 1040ES four times a year. Anyone can pay quarterly estimates, and there is no penalty for doing so.
The real advantage of using quarterly estimates is that it gives you the opportunity to check your tax status at least four times a year, and it is very quick and easy to accomplish the checkup. You might have to send a check for $100 or so, but at least you have the use of that money until it is due. I use the 1040ES to send in $400 every quarter, and there is no late penalty or interest due for my underpayment during the quarter or the year. The 1040ES is due on April 15, June 15, September 15, and then on January 15 of the following year.
If you can use a calculator and you keep track of your income and the tax that has been withheld, it is very easy to file your final tax return with a minimum deposit or refund. And those penalties and interest only come into play when you A) owe more than $1000 with your return, and B) paid in, or had withheld less than your tax liability for the prior year, or C) did not pay in fairly even installments for each quarter of the year.
How do I know all this stuff? I worked as a tax preparer for H&R Block for several years, and I had to take refresher courses every year. I think I know even more than I divulged to you today.
Please stop giving the government more of your money than you owe, just so you can feel like you don’t owe anything on April 15th. Most important is that you take an active part in determining how much of your money is being used by the government as interest-free loans.
I got an ad in the mail today from Jackson-Hewitt. The eye-catcher was a statement that “9 out of 10 Jackson-Hewitt customers get a refund.” That might be true, but it says a lot about how ignorant the average taxpayer is when it comes to withholding.
I am retired, so I don’t have an employer to withhold taxes. I do request that taxes be withheld from my retirement pay and from my IRA withdrawals. I also pay quarterly estimates. As a result, I will owe $124 when I file my tax return on April 15th. That’s right, it is that close to being dead even, even though I have paid in about $4,500 for 2008.
The average tax refund last year (2007 tax year) was close to $3,000. It will probably increase this year, since it has done so almost every year for the past three decades. Did you know that many people who get those refund checks after filing their taxes believe that they didn’t owe taxes. Since they receive a refund, regardless of the fact that it isn’t a full refund of all taxes paid, they actually think they didn’t have to pay anything.
The tax refund of $3,000 per taxpayer is a free loan to the government, and it is wasted money. You’re likely asking yourself how it is “wasted” since you get it back. Well, it could be saved in an interest-bearing account, or it could be invested in some stocks or bonds. It could also be deposited in a retirement plan like a 401(k) or even an IRA. In any one of these instruments, it could do more for you than it does as a misnamed refund. It isn’t a refund, it is your money and it always was yours.
You might not recall it if you’ve worked for the same employer for several years, but when you were hired you filled out a Federal Form W-4. On it you told your employer either A) how many dependents you had at that time, or B) how much of each paycheck to hold back for taxes. If you are married, I can almost guarantee that you checked the box that reads, “Married, but withhold at higher Single rate.”
The reason I can make the above claim is that all the instructions on the W-4 intimidate you into thinking you might have too little tax withheld. There is no explanation of what happens if you do have too little withheld, but the implication is that you could suffer “penalties” for underpaying. Nothing could be further from the truth.
That last statement has nothing to do with the strange cases of Tim Geithner and Tom Daschle that have received so much publicity in the past few weeks. They probably should have paid both interest and penalties, based on the guidelines I will tell you about shortly. But I digress...
Another source of overpaying taxes is that very few people take the time and effort to submit a new W-4 when life events occur, such as birth or death of a dependent, divorce, additional job, or working spouse. Any of these events that take place after you have turned in the W-4 should trigger a new and revised one. However, you don’t even have to wait for one of these to happen. You can choose to revise your withholding for any reason.
My recommendation is for you to take every legal deduction you can on the W-4 so that the very minimum tax is withheld. That might cause a shortage in your withholding tax. You can correct that very easily by sending in a check with the Form 1040ES four times a year. Anyone can pay quarterly estimates, and there is no penalty for doing so.
The real advantage of using quarterly estimates is that it gives you the opportunity to check your tax status at least four times a year, and it is very quick and easy to accomplish the checkup. You might have to send a check for $100 or so, but at least you have the use of that money until it is due. I use the 1040ES to send in $400 every quarter, and there is no late penalty or interest due for my underpayment during the quarter or the year. The 1040ES is due on April 15, June 15, September 15, and then on January 15 of the following year.
If you can use a calculator and you keep track of your income and the tax that has been withheld, it is very easy to file your final tax return with a minimum deposit or refund. And those penalties and interest only come into play when you A) owe more than $1000 with your return, and B) paid in, or had withheld less than your tax liability for the prior year, or C) did not pay in fairly even installments for each quarter of the year.
How do I know all this stuff? I worked as a tax preparer for H&R Block for several years, and I had to take refresher courses every year. I think I know even more than I divulged to you today.
Please stop giving the government more of your money than you owe, just so you can feel like you don’t owe anything on April 15th. Most important is that you take an active part in determining how much of your money is being used by the government as interest-free loans.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Singing Valentines
I am writing this column on February 16, 2008, but I won’t be posting it on my blog until the end of January in 2009. The topic is only good once a year for the two weeks preceding Valentine Day.
I had the privilege of singing Valentines this year for the first time, and it was one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve ever had. If you’ve never bought a singing valentine for your wife, or girlfriend, or fiancé, or other significant loved one in your life, you don’t know what you’re missing. I doubt that there is anything else you can do on Valentine Day that will equal the experience she will have when four tuxedo-clad men show up at her home or in her workplace, present a long-stem red rose and a card with your personal greeting on it and then sing two love songs to her.
Our quartet sang about 30 times this year, and the response was phenomenal. The ones we sang in the home were the most personal, and the tears flowed every time. But the ones we sang at the workplace, especially at schools, were the most fun, because our audience was larger, and the school children were so impressed.
We sang to women and men—that’s right, we’re gender neutral—and our audience included teenage girls, widows, mothers and daughters. We started at 7 AM and didn’t quit until 7 PM. Several others went on until 9 o’clock.
We were one of six quartets that circulated throughout the metropolitan area singing, and we presented 148 Singing Valentines. It wasn’t inexpensive for the senders, but I bet every one of them felt it was worth every penny.
If you would like to send a Singing Valentine to your sweetheart this year, most cities have the service available. You can usually place an order online or by phone. If you order early and you allow a four-hour window, you can probably get a discount. The extras, like having the presentation at your Valentine dinner at your favorite restaurant are a little extra money, but are always worth it.
Like most quartets, we will be singing for two days this year, since Valentines Day falls on a Saturday. You can choose between Friday or Saturday, so there is a large window of opportunity to surprise and romance her.
So here it is fellas. If you are trying to come up with a good gift for Valentine Day, I guarantee that you cannot do any better than a Singing Valentine. If you don’t score big with your honey, it won’t be our fault.
Here are the lyrics to the two songs usually sung for the ladies:
Let Me Call You Sweetheart
Let Me Call You Sweetheart, I’m in love with you.
Let me hear you whisper that you love me too.
Keep the lovelight glowing in your eyes so true.
Let me call you sweetheart, I’m in love with you.
Heart Of My Heart
Heart of my heart, I love you.
Life would be naught without you.
Light of my life, my darling,
I love you, I love you.
I can forget you never.
From you I ne’er can sever.
Say you’ll be mine – forever.
I love you.
How can she resist?
I had the privilege of singing Valentines this year for the first time, and it was one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve ever had. If you’ve never bought a singing valentine for your wife, or girlfriend, or fiancé, or other significant loved one in your life, you don’t know what you’re missing. I doubt that there is anything else you can do on Valentine Day that will equal the experience she will have when four tuxedo-clad men show up at her home or in her workplace, present a long-stem red rose and a card with your personal greeting on it and then sing two love songs to her.
Our quartet sang about 30 times this year, and the response was phenomenal. The ones we sang in the home were the most personal, and the tears flowed every time. But the ones we sang at the workplace, especially at schools, were the most fun, because our audience was larger, and the school children were so impressed.
We sang to women and men—that’s right, we’re gender neutral—and our audience included teenage girls, widows, mothers and daughters. We started at 7 AM and didn’t quit until 7 PM. Several others went on until 9 o’clock.
We were one of six quartets that circulated throughout the metropolitan area singing, and we presented 148 Singing Valentines. It wasn’t inexpensive for the senders, but I bet every one of them felt it was worth every penny.
If you would like to send a Singing Valentine to your sweetheart this year, most cities have the service available. You can usually place an order online or by phone. If you order early and you allow a four-hour window, you can probably get a discount. The extras, like having the presentation at your Valentine dinner at your favorite restaurant are a little extra money, but are always worth it.
Like most quartets, we will be singing for two days this year, since Valentines Day falls on a Saturday. You can choose between Friday or Saturday, so there is a large window of opportunity to surprise and romance her.
So here it is fellas. If you are trying to come up with a good gift for Valentine Day, I guarantee that you cannot do any better than a Singing Valentine. If you don’t score big with your honey, it won’t be our fault.
Here are the lyrics to the two songs usually sung for the ladies:
Let Me Call You Sweetheart
Let Me Call You Sweetheart, I’m in love with you.
Let me hear you whisper that you love me too.
Keep the lovelight glowing in your eyes so true.
Let me call you sweetheart, I’m in love with you.
Heart Of My Heart
Heart of my heart, I love you.
Life would be naught without you.
Light of my life, my darling,
I love you, I love you.
I can forget you never.
From you I ne’er can sever.
Say you’ll be mine – forever.
I love you.
How can she resist?
Friday, January 23, 2009
WTC Photo
Shortly after the attacks on September 11, 2001, I received a picture of the WTC towers that had been taken just after sunrise on a date prior to the their collapse. I was very impressed with the image it presented, especially the illusion that you can see between the twin towers.
I don’t recall who sent me the photo, and if it was one of you, my correspondents, I hope you will not object to my using it today as the centerpiece of the column. I want to share this photograph that has an almost sacred image on it. Of course, it is an illusion caused by the filtration of the sun and the lens of the camera. Even so, it resembles a cross.
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I took the liberty of altering the photo slightly. I view it as a reminder of the horror of that day. I hope it inspires you as much as it did for me.
These photos were not photo shopped or enhanced in any way except to insert the words at the bottom of the second one.
I welcome your comments.
I don’t recall who sent me the photo, and if it was one of you, my correspondents, I hope you will not object to my using it today as the centerpiece of the column. I want to share this photograph that has an almost sacred image on it. Of course, it is an illusion caused by the filtration of the sun and the lens of the camera. Even so, it resembles a cross.
.jpg)
I took the liberty of altering the photo slightly. I view it as a reminder of the horror of that day. I hope it inspires you as much as it did for me.
These photos were not photo shopped or enhanced in any way except to insert the words at the bottom of the second one.
I welcome your comments.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
The Water Drip Solution
No, this isn’t a treatise on torture methods, though God knows, we need one. This topic concerns an annual practice that I question: dripping water from faucets during the winter.
Am I missing something? I am a Yankee transplant currently living in Augusta, Georgia, in the heart of the South. I grew up in Kenmore, New York, just north of Buffalo. I moved from there in 1975 and have lived in New York City, Omaha, Kansas City and El Paso prior to moving here in 2006. All of those with the possible exception of El Paso are cold weather cities. El Paso has its own cold issues, due to elevation.
This is the third winter I’ve spent in Augusta, and all three of them have been marked by several cold snaps. However, a cold snap here is the equivalent of a day in late fall or early spring in any of those northern cities.
We are currently in one of those cold snaps, and the temperature during the night drops to the low 20s or high teens. During the day, temperatures go back up to above freezing, and sometimes even get into the 40s and 50s.
Now, here is the part that confuses me. On nights when the temperature goes below 32 degrees, we are warned to keep a small stream of water running in all sinks and outdoor faucets. The reason is obviously to keep water pipes from bursting.
In all of the 65 years that I lived in those cold weather cities, I don’t recall ever hearing any warnings similar to those we get every winter here. Oh, I do remember that the drip-method was recommended for those outdoor faucets and any sinks on outer walls. And we did open doors on the cabinets below those sinks. However, those recommendations were usually given when the temperature was expected to be below zero for extended periods.
Even allowing for the increased insulation in homes built in northern cities, I fail to see any danger of burst pipes in a southern home as long as the sink is not by an outer wall.
I know, you are probably thinking to yourself, “I wonder if he heeds the warning and turns a low stream on from all sinks and outdoor faucets?”
Well, I have the exterior faucets covered with the foam insulators, so I don’t turn those on. I do drip the water in the interior sinks when the temperature goes below 15 degrees, but that’s due to the fact that the idiots who built this town home put the hot water heater up in the unheated attic. It is completely unprotected, so I worry that it could freeze up those pipes.
My only other question about this weird water practice is, “How are we supposed to rectify this with the environmental/conservationist movement in this age?” It flies in the face of all those dire warnings that we are running out of fresh water.
I’ve read that a dripping water faucet wastes fifteen gallons a day. Since I have a hobby of brewing beer and fermenting wine, I think I know a little about water volume. I guarantee that that number is grossly exaggerated. I tried a drip method once, and overnight (8 full hours) I had less than a gallon of water in the jug. At that rate, it would have taken about a week to “waste” fifteen gallons.
Oh, as a little addendum to this column, the temperature here was predicted for an overnight low of 12 degrees, which spurred all the warnings in the first place. When I got up this morning it was almost double that—23 degrees, so I doubt that the precautions were necessary anyway.
Have a nice day!
Am I missing something? I am a Yankee transplant currently living in Augusta, Georgia, in the heart of the South. I grew up in Kenmore, New York, just north of Buffalo. I moved from there in 1975 and have lived in New York City, Omaha, Kansas City and El Paso prior to moving here in 2006. All of those with the possible exception of El Paso are cold weather cities. El Paso has its own cold issues, due to elevation.
This is the third winter I’ve spent in Augusta, and all three of them have been marked by several cold snaps. However, a cold snap here is the equivalent of a day in late fall or early spring in any of those northern cities.
We are currently in one of those cold snaps, and the temperature during the night drops to the low 20s or high teens. During the day, temperatures go back up to above freezing, and sometimes even get into the 40s and 50s.
Now, here is the part that confuses me. On nights when the temperature goes below 32 degrees, we are warned to keep a small stream of water running in all sinks and outdoor faucets. The reason is obviously to keep water pipes from bursting.
In all of the 65 years that I lived in those cold weather cities, I don’t recall ever hearing any warnings similar to those we get every winter here. Oh, I do remember that the drip-method was recommended for those outdoor faucets and any sinks on outer walls. And we did open doors on the cabinets below those sinks. However, those recommendations were usually given when the temperature was expected to be below zero for extended periods.
Even allowing for the increased insulation in homes built in northern cities, I fail to see any danger of burst pipes in a southern home as long as the sink is not by an outer wall.
I know, you are probably thinking to yourself, “I wonder if he heeds the warning and turns a low stream on from all sinks and outdoor faucets?”
Well, I have the exterior faucets covered with the foam insulators, so I don’t turn those on. I do drip the water in the interior sinks when the temperature goes below 15 degrees, but that’s due to the fact that the idiots who built this town home put the hot water heater up in the unheated attic. It is completely unprotected, so I worry that it could freeze up those pipes.
My only other question about this weird water practice is, “How are we supposed to rectify this with the environmental/conservationist movement in this age?” It flies in the face of all those dire warnings that we are running out of fresh water.
I’ve read that a dripping water faucet wastes fifteen gallons a day. Since I have a hobby of brewing beer and fermenting wine, I think I know a little about water volume. I guarantee that that number is grossly exaggerated. I tried a drip method once, and overnight (8 full hours) I had less than a gallon of water in the jug. At that rate, it would have taken about a week to “waste” fifteen gallons.
Oh, as a little addendum to this column, the temperature here was predicted for an overnight low of 12 degrees, which spurred all the warnings in the first place. When I got up this morning it was almost double that—23 degrees, so I doubt that the precautions were necessary anyway.
Have a nice day!
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Little Disorder - Big Name
Have you ever noticed that most medical conditions have really long unpronounceable names?
I went to visit my doctor the other day and one of my complaints had to do with fluid in my lungs during the night. This condition wakes me up with shortness of breath and sounds that I can hear at the end of each exhalation.
The doctor said he knew exactly what was causing the problem. Then he gave me the medical term for my condition. Awakening at night due to accumulation of fluid within the lungs is call paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea. It may be associated with orthopnea, breathless while lying flat or need to use several pillows at night as well as swelling in the feet or ankles. It is usually due to congestive heart failure. It is caused by edema fluid translocating from the lower extremities into the lungs on changing position from standing to lying down.
I do have congestive heart failure, I sleep with two pillows, and I experience swelling in the feet and ankles. I wear pressure sock to keep the swelling down, but still always have some.
I suppose there is a shortened name for paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea, like maybe PND. I like the long name, since it makes it seem even more serious than it really is. In fact, the easy treatment for it is a prescription drug called furosemide, a water pill. Taken in moderate doses, it keeps fluid levels in the body down. But it does make trips to the bathroom more frequent.
I have another little disorder with a huge name. I also share that disorder with some pretty heady—you’ll soon see that “heady” is my first pun of 2009—big-name celebrities. However, I have mine under control (finally) and I don’t think they have that distinction.
Are you ready for this? I suffered for years with a strange and subconscious habit of pulling my eyebrows. The condition is called trichotillomania, “trich” for short. I never knew how many people have this problem until I was reading a Dear Abby column one day and she addressed it for one of her readers who had mustered up the nerve to write to her about it.
If you don’t have this OCD behavior, and you don’t know anyone who does have it, you might think it is a minor malady and not very dangerous or serious. If that is the case, then I have news for you. It is disfiguring when there are no eyebrows, eyelashes, and in some instances, no nose or ear hairs visible. Those are the most frequent hairs that come under attack, but there are some people who pull body hair from other places.
There are cures for the behavior, but I seem to have cured mine without help. In fact, I grew a mustache for exactly a year, from July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2008. My wife hated it, but I never told her that a major reason for it was to distract myself from hair pulling.
(I guess I should tell you here that it is pretty difficult and painful to pull mustache hair. I tried it once, just to test it, and I never did it again.)
There has been a lot of research into OCD behavior, and trichotillomania is one of the ones where great strides have been made to change it. If a person really wants to take the cure, it can be done.
Okay, who are those stars who share “trich?’ Two of them are Whoopi Goldberg and Chris Kristofferson. Go ahead and Google them and look at their photos; not a brow hair between them. They are pretty “heady,” aren’t they?
I have never seen either of these stars up close, so I don’t know whether or not they pull eyelash hairs (I never got into that) or hair from other parts of the body.
One of the bad remnants of trichotillomania—I like that word—is that my now visible eyebrows are not only grey, due to my age; they are also growing wild and have to be trimmed frequently. Of course, I could let them grow like Andy Rooney’s, but that is worse, I think.
Well, now you know. If you learned something about yourself, and if you would like more information about it, there are numerous sources on the Internet. You no longer have to suffer from this “nasty habit.”
I went to visit my doctor the other day and one of my complaints had to do with fluid in my lungs during the night. This condition wakes me up with shortness of breath and sounds that I can hear at the end of each exhalation.
The doctor said he knew exactly what was causing the problem. Then he gave me the medical term for my condition. Awakening at night due to accumulation of fluid within the lungs is call paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea. It may be associated with orthopnea, breathless while lying flat or need to use several pillows at night as well as swelling in the feet or ankles. It is usually due to congestive heart failure. It is caused by edema fluid translocating from the lower extremities into the lungs on changing position from standing to lying down.
I do have congestive heart failure, I sleep with two pillows, and I experience swelling in the feet and ankles. I wear pressure sock to keep the swelling down, but still always have some.
I suppose there is a shortened name for paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea, like maybe PND. I like the long name, since it makes it seem even more serious than it really is. In fact, the easy treatment for it is a prescription drug called furosemide, a water pill. Taken in moderate doses, it keeps fluid levels in the body down. But it does make trips to the bathroom more frequent.
I have another little disorder with a huge name. I also share that disorder with some pretty heady—you’ll soon see that “heady” is my first pun of 2009—big-name celebrities. However, I have mine under control (finally) and I don’t think they have that distinction.
Are you ready for this? I suffered for years with a strange and subconscious habit of pulling my eyebrows. The condition is called trichotillomania, “trich” for short. I never knew how many people have this problem until I was reading a Dear Abby column one day and she addressed it for one of her readers who had mustered up the nerve to write to her about it.
If you don’t have this OCD behavior, and you don’t know anyone who does have it, you might think it is a minor malady and not very dangerous or serious. If that is the case, then I have news for you. It is disfiguring when there are no eyebrows, eyelashes, and in some instances, no nose or ear hairs visible. Those are the most frequent hairs that come under attack, but there are some people who pull body hair from other places.
There are cures for the behavior, but I seem to have cured mine without help. In fact, I grew a mustache for exactly a year, from July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2008. My wife hated it, but I never told her that a major reason for it was to distract myself from hair pulling.
(I guess I should tell you here that it is pretty difficult and painful to pull mustache hair. I tried it once, just to test it, and I never did it again.)
There has been a lot of research into OCD behavior, and trichotillomania is one of the ones where great strides have been made to change it. If a person really wants to take the cure, it can be done.
Okay, who are those stars who share “trich?’ Two of them are Whoopi Goldberg and Chris Kristofferson. Go ahead and Google them and look at their photos; not a brow hair between them. They are pretty “heady,” aren’t they?
I have never seen either of these stars up close, so I don’t know whether or not they pull eyelash hairs (I never got into that) or hair from other parts of the body.
One of the bad remnants of trichotillomania—I like that word—is that my now visible eyebrows are not only grey, due to my age; they are also growing wild and have to be trimmed frequently. Of course, I could let them grow like Andy Rooney’s, but that is worse, I think.
Well, now you know. If you learned something about yourself, and if you would like more information about it, there are numerous sources on the Internet. You no longer have to suffer from this “nasty habit.”
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