Did you know that 5000 Americans die every year from food-related illnesses? That's more people every year than all those who perished on 9/11. If elected president, I promise to fight the "war on food poisoning" and to bring the fight to the bacteria before the bacteria brings the fight to us. You're either with me or against me.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Thursday, December 07, 2006
"My View"
In preparation for a job interview, a friend asked me, "be sure you have an answer if they ask your view." My view? What do you mean? "Your view of the economy, of financial markets, of a good stock pick..." One better than that - here is a whole slew of various views. Some of which have already come true:
Urban trends: Today the AP reported that more suburbanites live in poverty than urbanites. My prediction has come true: People moving to the suburbs to escape crime and poverty are now confronting it in the suburbs. Suburban master-planned communities' inexpensive home boxes and strip malls that were once gleaming stucco and brick (a whopping 5 years ago) are already showing their age and looking more dilapidated than the urban center of cities. The guy I wrote to in the WSJ, Joel Kotkin, likes to say the idea of urban redevelopment and responsible development are crazy liberal and elitist. He always counters with the great example of Sugar Land, TX: a microcosm of America with an abundance of jobs and cheap land. I'm not sure when was the last time he saw Sugar Land (or where in Sugar Land he lives), but it's not looking that great. Houses that were built 10 years ago are already over-run with broken down cars and weeds. The MBA nerds who developed the communities have moved on to their next projects, while the good citizens with dreams of starting a family and owning a swing set and swimming pool (death traps! :-) are stuck watching their neighborhoods turn into the hood. Grand 6-lane boulevards in Sugar Land are now lined with shuttered storefronts, tiny propped-up trees, litter, and crabgrass.
Stock pick: I love Starbucks, it would be a blast to work there. So should any prospective Starbucks employer read this, be impressed rather than annoyed when I say "short SBUX." How is it SBUX can trade at 50 times its earnings? Ostensibly because Wall Street expects its sales growth to continue at 20% annually for at least the next 10 years. More likely there is a disconnect between expected performance and behavioral bias. A 10 year 20% sales growth justifies a PE ratio of 50/1. You don't have to be a fundamental analyst to know that something is wrong with that scenario. This year SBUX's revenue growth was a whopping 19% - congrats!. But despite Starbucks' recent announcement to increase its long-term store opening total to 40,000 (from 30,000 ... currently there are about 13,000 stores worldwide), a 10-year 20% revenue growth rate is highly unlikely. That is like saying Wal-Mart will grow by 20% for 10 years when investors know that would equal a Wal-Mart on every street corner (including Cedar Mills, Oregon).
Update: As of May 1st, if investors followed this advice in November, they would have earned about $1600 for every $10,000 shorted. SBUX is a great company, and I hope I can work there one day. This analysis just illustrates how basic industry knowledge can yield big gains.
Investment strategy: Unless you have millions to spend in a hedge fund (or an ETF - poor man's hedge fund), simply invest in a passively managed index fund. You can capture some positive beta in a passive fund - mostly because the management fees are kept to a minimum. Active managers try to capture alpha but end up performing virtually the same as passive - except active management costs money! In the end, you're better off without their help.
Next Step: optimize your portfolio. To do this, all you need is market returns. Calculate as follows: 1) Make a list of all the funds you can invest in and get their returns for the last 5-10 years. 2) Find out the annualized mean and standard deviation for each of the assets. 3) Calculate the correlations (or covariances) between them. Excel does this in one simple formula. 4) Use Excel's solver feature to determine how much of what fund to invest in. Easier said than done - Excel doesn't have a "portfolio variance" function, hence my earlier blog post complaining to Microsoft. If you want to learn more about a 2, 3, or 6 asset optimization model, just ask. Anything above 6 assets is just silly unless you're willing to learn Excel's ridiculously tedious matrix multiplication functions (If my employer wants this, I may learn it).
Term life insurance vs. whole life insurance: The basic premise of Todd's and my investments project is "buy term and invest the difference." That is: buy temporary, short-term life insurance. At the same time, start investing all of the money saved from not buying whole life insurance into your 401k. Specifics of the analysis can be found here and here.
Macroeconomy: I envision a day - sooner rather than later - when something happens in US / China relations that causes the US economy to basically collapse. Perhaps set off by a geopolitical event caused by some minor tiff. Or perhaps because the US Congress will keep adamantly pushing China to float its currency against other currencies. But the end result will be the US stuck with a trillion dollars of debt to pay off. The big issue with floating currency is that China keeps theirs artificially low. For the longest time I didn't quite understand what this meant. Basically, China keeps its currency "artificially low" by economic chicanery. The biggest trick up its sleeve is to buy lots and lots of US bonds. China: "We buy US bonds today - the most secure, no-risk investments on planet Earth, and get a modest return from the US government tomorrow." A couple of the results of this are seemingly innocuous act are:
China's currency is "artificially low" because China is buying so much US currency, thereby making sure that its currency, the Yuan, stays incredibly stable. For the longest time it was 8.2 yuan : $1. Seriously, for like 10 years it was 8.2 yuan to $1. In the meantime, every floating currency in the world did something more interesting than that. Now Chinese mom and pops can sell their goods to America and the rest of the world at prices that cover their own costs + profit. And yet because their currency is so low, whatever price the mom and pop sold their plastic toys for is artificially low and American (or any other countries') firms cannot compete. This is the main gripe of the US Congress. "Our firms cannot compete against an artificially low Chinese currency!" Hence the entire US economy is also affected. Additionally, US home mortgages are kept artificially low. China subsidizes our ability to obtain low mortgage rates.
Eventually China will change its domestic policies and it will effect the USA. China will stop buying US bonds and sell its US bonds. The US will be stuck with a horrendous bill to pay. If the US doesn't default on its debt, the good US citizens will be forced to ante up. Big increases in long-term interests rates, no more toys inside Lucky Charms, and significant job losses - especially in the service sector. You can imagine the spiraling effect of this scenario. And the sad truth is that it will happen. Eventually, China will sell its US bonds - its inevitable. No one really seems to care about this, but your economic future depends on how China handles its domestic policy.
Armageddon: I remember watching the 1972 ultra-cult Christian classic (a very niche category) video A Thief in the Night with fear and trembling. Imagine “bell-bottoms and free love” meets “fire and brimstone, end-of-days eschatology.” The premise is as follows:
All that to say: The book of Revelations states that “Only God knows when He will return,” and that any attempt to guess when he returns will be utterly futile. Despite this truth, Christians universally believe that end times will be caused by the violent tendencies of non-believers. Therefore, it is reasonable to deduce that because Christians seem to universally think Armageddon will occur almost uniformly the same way, God will no doubt surprise us all.
I foresee that Christians themselves will unwittingly cause Armageddon. Yes, Christians just like me. My “view” gets hazier after this. Several scenarios could follow, including:
General macroeconomic malaise covers the planet. Possibly instigated by China dumping trillions of dollars of US debt, possibly caused by the Middle East malcontent with seeing the excesses of Western culture as their own governments continue to espouse 7th Century economic principals (such as “interest is immoral”). More likely, the divide between the haves and the have-nots continues to grow, creating Marxist-type leaders (a la Hugo Chaves) that endorse class warfare. Economic imbalances beget bickering, begets fighting, begets terrorism, begets warfare. The US enters the thick of the problem, trying to solve the world’s ills by using what Jim Wallis calls our only diplomatic tool, “the hammer.” We pound and pound at the world, trying to solve its problems, until we unwittingly lead the world to the point of no return.
The key to this scenario is that all along, the US was run by a strong, evangelical Christian. Someone who reflects the voters’ own values. Someone that reflects their own moral principles. This leader isn’t necessarily good, but “good” leaders are no longer necessary because we’ve created a political system whereby what “feels good” and is “identifiable to our self-schema” takes precedence over a solid Jeffersonian or Lincoln-type leader (an otherwise crazy character who happened to be a great founding father. You think Jefferson could ever get elected today?). Every night, before s/he goes to sleep, like King Solomon, our US president prays that s/he makes Biblically sound decisions. Those decisions, today, mean “Old Testament” rules of engagement. We can see some of these well-meaning Old Testament rules of engagement in our society even today.
The Lord will use our future US president – a good, solid, morally upright Christian – to fulfill his own ends. After the fact, no Christian will have guessed the tragic comedy of Armageddon. They had been trying to interpret signs of evil extremist warlords and Russian presidents without ever considering that their own Christian leaders might be the ones to set a course towards Tribulation.
Urban trends: Today the AP reported that more suburbanites live in poverty than urbanites. My prediction has come true: People moving to the suburbs to escape crime and poverty are now confronting it in the suburbs. Suburban master-planned communities' inexpensive home boxes and strip malls that were once gleaming stucco and brick (a whopping 5 years ago) are already showing their age and looking more dilapidated than the urban center of cities. The guy I wrote to in the WSJ, Joel Kotkin, likes to say the idea of urban redevelopment and responsible development are crazy liberal and elitist. He always counters with the great example of Sugar Land, TX: a microcosm of America with an abundance of jobs and cheap land. I'm not sure when was the last time he saw Sugar Land (or where in Sugar Land he lives), but it's not looking that great. Houses that were built 10 years ago are already over-run with broken down cars and weeds. The MBA nerds who developed the communities have moved on to their next projects, while the good citizens with dreams of starting a family and owning a swing set and swimming pool (death traps! :-) are stuck watching their neighborhoods turn into the hood. Grand 6-lane boulevards in Sugar Land are now lined with shuttered storefronts, tiny propped-up trees, litter, and crabgrass.
Stock pick: I love Starbucks, it would be a blast to work there. So should any prospective Starbucks employer read this, be impressed rather than annoyed when I say "short SBUX." How is it SBUX can trade at 50 times its earnings? Ostensibly because Wall Street expects its sales growth to continue at 20% annually for at least the next 10 years. More likely there is a disconnect between expected performance and behavioral bias. A 10 year 20% sales growth justifies a PE ratio of 50/1. You don't have to be a fundamental analyst to know that something is wrong with that scenario. This year SBUX's revenue growth was a whopping 19% - congrats!. But despite Starbucks' recent announcement to increase its long-term store opening total to 40,000 (from 30,000 ... currently there are about 13,000 stores worldwide), a 10-year 20% revenue growth rate is highly unlikely. That is like saying Wal-Mart will grow by 20% for 10 years when investors know that would equal a Wal-Mart on every street corner (including Cedar Mills, Oregon).
Update: As of May 1st, if investors followed this advice in November, they would have earned about $1600 for every $10,000 shorted. SBUX is a great company, and I hope I can work there one day. This analysis just illustrates how basic industry knowledge can yield big gains.
Investment strategy: Unless you have millions to spend in a hedge fund (or an ETF - poor man's hedge fund), simply invest in a passively managed index fund. You can capture some positive beta in a passive fund - mostly because the management fees are kept to a minimum. Active managers try to capture alpha but end up performing virtually the same as passive - except active management costs money! In the end, you're better off without their help.
Next Step: optimize your portfolio. To do this, all you need is market returns. Calculate as follows: 1) Make a list of all the funds you can invest in and get their returns for the last 5-10 years. 2) Find out the annualized mean and standard deviation for each of the assets. 3) Calculate the correlations (or covariances) between them. Excel does this in one simple formula. 4) Use Excel's solver feature to determine how much of what fund to invest in. Easier said than done - Excel doesn't have a "portfolio variance" function, hence my earlier blog post complaining to Microsoft. If you want to learn more about a 2, 3, or 6 asset optimization model, just ask. Anything above 6 assets is just silly unless you're willing to learn Excel's ridiculously tedious matrix multiplication functions (If my employer wants this, I may learn it).
Term life insurance vs. whole life insurance: The basic premise of Todd's and my investments project is "buy term and invest the difference." That is: buy temporary, short-term life insurance. At the same time, start investing all of the money saved from not buying whole life insurance into your 401k. Specifics of the analysis can be found here and here.
Macroeconomy: I envision a day - sooner rather than later - when something happens in US / China relations that causes the US economy to basically collapse. Perhaps set off by a geopolitical event caused by some minor tiff. Or perhaps because the US Congress will keep adamantly pushing China to float its currency against other currencies. But the end result will be the US stuck with a trillion dollars of debt to pay off. The big issue with floating currency is that China keeps theirs artificially low. For the longest time I didn't quite understand what this meant. Basically, China keeps its currency "artificially low" by economic chicanery. The biggest trick up its sleeve is to buy lots and lots of US bonds. China: "We buy US bonds today - the most secure, no-risk investments on planet Earth, and get a modest return from the US government tomorrow." A couple of the results of this are seemingly innocuous act are:
China's currency is "artificially low" because China is buying so much US currency, thereby making sure that its currency, the Yuan, stays incredibly stable. For the longest time it was 8.2 yuan : $1. Seriously, for like 10 years it was 8.2 yuan to $1. In the meantime, every floating currency in the world did something more interesting than that. Now Chinese mom and pops can sell their goods to America and the rest of the world at prices that cover their own costs + profit. And yet because their currency is so low, whatever price the mom and pop sold their plastic toys for is artificially low and American (or any other countries') firms cannot compete. This is the main gripe of the US Congress. "Our firms cannot compete against an artificially low Chinese currency!" Hence the entire US economy is also affected. Additionally, US home mortgages are kept artificially low. China subsidizes our ability to obtain low mortgage rates.
Eventually China will change its domestic policies and it will effect the USA. China will stop buying US bonds and sell its US bonds. The US will be stuck with a horrendous bill to pay. If the US doesn't default on its debt, the good US citizens will be forced to ante up. Big increases in long-term interests rates, no more toys inside Lucky Charms, and significant job losses - especially in the service sector. You can imagine the spiraling effect of this scenario. And the sad truth is that it will happen. Eventually, China will sell its US bonds - its inevitable. No one really seems to care about this, but your economic future depends on how China handles its domestic policy.
Armageddon: I remember watching the 1972 ultra-cult Christian classic (a very niche category) video A Thief in the Night with fear and trembling. Imagine “bell-bottoms and free love” meets “fire and brimstone, end-of-days eschatology.” The premise is as follows:
· Step 1: Every believer disappears
· Step 2: Every disbeliever who “almost believed” was left behind on earth to suffer seven years of intense persecution from non-believers. Non-believers progress from “what happened, millions of people disappeared” to “let’s all fight each other” to “we need a leader to unify us – this guy seems really charismatic, let’s elect him our supreme earthly leader” to “oops, we chose our leader incorrectly. I guess he was Satan incarnate. Here comes the Lord on his fiery chariot to punish us all.”
Along the way, meteors, pestilence, and war ravage the earth for seven years. It’s a very intense story, and both A Thief in the Night and Left Behind paint an extremely bleak picture. Throughout it all, however, Christians escape as being virtuous and smart; while those left behind are carnal, primeval warmongers.All that to say: The book of Revelations states that “Only God knows when He will return,” and that any attempt to guess when he returns will be utterly futile. Despite this truth, Christians universally believe that end times will be caused by the violent tendencies of non-believers. Therefore, it is reasonable to deduce that because Christians seem to universally think Armageddon will occur almost uniformly the same way, God will no doubt surprise us all.
I foresee that Christians themselves will unwittingly cause Armageddon. Yes, Christians just like me. My “view” gets hazier after this. Several scenarios could follow, including:
General macroeconomic malaise covers the planet. Possibly instigated by China dumping trillions of dollars of US debt, possibly caused by the Middle East malcontent with seeing the excesses of Western culture as their own governments continue to espouse 7th Century economic principals (such as “interest is immoral”). More likely, the divide between the haves and the have-nots continues to grow, creating Marxist-type leaders (a la Hugo Chaves) that endorse class warfare. Economic imbalances beget bickering, begets fighting, begets terrorism, begets warfare. The US enters the thick of the problem, trying to solve the world’s ills by using what Jim Wallis calls our only diplomatic tool, “the hammer.” We pound and pound at the world, trying to solve its problems, until we unwittingly lead the world to the point of no return.
The key to this scenario is that all along, the US was run by a strong, evangelical Christian. Someone who reflects the voters’ own values. Someone that reflects their own moral principles. This leader isn’t necessarily good, but “good” leaders are no longer necessary because we’ve created a political system whereby what “feels good” and is “identifiable to our self-schema” takes precedence over a solid Jeffersonian or Lincoln-type leader (an otherwise crazy character who happened to be a great founding father. You think Jefferson could ever get elected today?). Every night, before s/he goes to sleep, like King Solomon, our US president prays that s/he makes Biblically sound decisions. Those decisions, today, mean “Old Testament” rules of engagement. We can see some of these well-meaning Old Testament rules of engagement in our society even today.
The Lord will use our future US president – a good, solid, morally upright Christian – to fulfill his own ends. After the fact, no Christian will have guessed the tragic comedy of Armageddon. They had been trying to interpret signs of evil extremist warlords and Russian presidents without ever considering that their own Christian leaders might be the ones to set a course towards Tribulation.
Saturday, December 02, 2006
Deloitte Holiday Party
(Rachel) Rachel and Rob got all dressed up to go to the Deloitte Holiday Party on Friday night. They had some great food and socialized with many of the delightful people in the Houston practice. Here are a few photos in case anyone hasn't had the pleasure of seeing Rob in a suit!They had a lovely evening and it was fun to have an excuse to wear formals.
Pictures from the Party - compliments of Deloitte!
Rob and Rachel
Ryanne, Ejituru, and Rachel
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Two for the Price of One
Timothy (a younger and bulkier version of Rob … what Rob should have looked like if he hadn’t inherited his mother’s skinny Irish genes) wed the beautiful and vivacious Sara over an already full Thanksgiving holiday. Sort of a wham-bam wedding, nevertheless it was wonderful. It was the first time in five years that the entire “Bob and Carol” clan of 25-odd people assembled in the same place. Grandparents, Ratzlaffs, Lusks, and Mardocks enjoyed four days of food, fun, fellowship, and festivities in Springville, CA.
Major players:
A couple of months ago, Bob and Carol saw the light and moved from the sprawling, over-developed mass that is “LA-SD-Riverside/San Bernardino” to the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas. (It would have been better if they moved into a townhouse in the foothills of the mountains, but such is the appeal of the American Dream!). Fun fact: Bob and Carol were recently awarded Azusa Pacific University’s “Alumni of the Year” award for their indefatigable non-profit and humanitarian aid efforts – including helping to place over 3,500 orphans in loving homes across the 50-states (and Americans living overseas).
About four years ago, Matt and Jen were asked to be executive director(s) of the famous 67-year old Quaker Meadow Christian Camp – nestled 7,000+ ft in the heart of the Sequoia National Forest. Thankfully the entire forest burned down all around the camp two years ago, so the camp itself should be safe for another 60 years. (I’m such a pessimist; I don’t know how my family puts up with me). I can’t imagine a more fairy-tale job than being the boss of a summer / winter camp. Fun fact: Matt, a singer and songwriter in his spare time, was recently asked to be part of a MAJOR contemporary Christian music band until the original members decided to retire early.
Mitch & Kel live in Dallas, OR where Mitch operates his own State Farm agency. He is nearing the end of the tortuous start-up phase of his business and continues to be a top-rated agent. He founded the Dallas (Oregon) chapter of Le Tip, and still has time for his other passion: bird watching and sportsman-stuff. Fun fact: Mitch is an avid ornithologist with articles published in birding periodicles, and leads university ornithology trips to eastern Oregon. He has also been assistant coach of the George Fox men’s basketball team.
Grandpa and Grandma had the financial foresight not to count on social security and had a portfolio of fixer-upper homes in the LA area. Today Grandpa spends his autumns growing "giant pumpkins" and eviscerating his church denomination's political-correctness. He's a giant among men. Fun fact: in addition to being a PhD and former professor of English, Marvin Mardock was also honored as NAIA's track and field coach of the year in 1980. Don't believe it? Check here. At Azusa Pacific University, he trained Dave (of 1992 Barcelona Olympics' Dan and Dave) and personally brought the Kansas City Chief's Christian Okoye from Nigeria to California to throw the hammer on APU's track and field team (Marvin was also director of international student admissions).
Of course, there's the rest of the family ... but I'll give them a couple more years to start making the world a better place. In the meantime, Tim, Sara, Nick, and Angela are leaders in their own circles and I know they all will go far in life.
Hannah and Christina sporting their chic Urban Outfitter t-shirts; each representative of their unique personalities
Mitch and Matt carving two of the three birds (Dad in background)
Monster table at Matt and Jen's house
Even our photogenic Uncle Richard and Aunt Linda came up from Hollywood!
"The Clan"
Tim and Sara: no longer "living in sin," or, final picture as virgins. Whichever.
Major players:
A couple of months ago, Bob and Carol saw the light and moved from the sprawling, over-developed mass that is “LA-SD-Riverside/San Bernardino” to the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas. (It would have been better if they moved into a townhouse in the foothills of the mountains, but such is the appeal of the American Dream!). Fun fact: Bob and Carol were recently awarded Azusa Pacific University’s “Alumni of the Year” award for their indefatigable non-profit and humanitarian aid efforts – including helping to place over 3,500 orphans in loving homes across the 50-states (and Americans living overseas).
About four years ago, Matt and Jen were asked to be executive director(s) of the famous 67-year old Quaker Meadow Christian Camp – nestled 7,000+ ft in the heart of the Sequoia National Forest. Thankfully the entire forest burned down all around the camp two years ago, so the camp itself should be safe for another 60 years. (I’m such a pessimist; I don’t know how my family puts up with me). I can’t imagine a more fairy-tale job than being the boss of a summer / winter camp. Fun fact: Matt, a singer and songwriter in his spare time, was recently asked to be part of a MAJOR contemporary Christian music band until the original members decided to retire early.
Mitch & Kel live in Dallas, OR where Mitch operates his own State Farm agency. He is nearing the end of the tortuous start-up phase of his business and continues to be a top-rated agent. He founded the Dallas (Oregon) chapter of Le Tip, and still has time for his other passion: bird watching and sportsman-stuff. Fun fact: Mitch is an avid ornithologist with articles published in birding periodicles, and leads university ornithology trips to eastern Oregon. He has also been assistant coach of the George Fox men’s basketball team.
Grandpa and Grandma had the financial foresight not to count on social security and had a portfolio of fixer-upper homes in the LA area. Today Grandpa spends his autumns growing "giant pumpkins" and eviscerating his church denomination's political-correctness. He's a giant among men. Fun fact: in addition to being a PhD and former professor of English, Marvin Mardock was also honored as NAIA's track and field coach of the year in 1980. Don't believe it? Check here. At Azusa Pacific University, he trained Dave (of 1992 Barcelona Olympics' Dan and Dave) and personally brought the Kansas City Chief's Christian Okoye from Nigeria to California to throw the hammer on APU's track and field team (Marvin was also director of international student admissions).
Of course, there's the rest of the family ... but I'll give them a couple more years to start making the world a better place. In the meantime, Tim, Sara, Nick, and Angela are leaders in their own circles and I know they all will go far in life.
Hannah and Christina sporting their chic Urban Outfitter t-shirts; each representative of their unique personalities
Mitch and Matt carving two of the three birds (Dad in background)
Monster table at Matt and Jen's house
Even our photogenic Uncle Richard and Aunt Linda came up from Hollywood!
"The Clan"
Tim and Sara: no longer "living in sin," or, final picture as virgins. Whichever.
Monday, November 20, 2006
4 Tests Down
Rachel is almost a CPA! Congratulations!
My brilliant wife is amazing. She passed all four exams on the very first try - each well above the minimum score required. That's not normal. Rachel's smarts and leadership skills will certainly serve her well as she becomes CFO of some big company. All of her hard work is finally beginning to pay off. Diligence and determination. Go Rachel! The sky's the limit!
Okay, just to clarify - this post originally said Rachel was a CPA, but technically passing your CPA exams is the main hurdle, but small tedious steps still remain - getting documentation, passing another two silly ethics quizzes, and paying more money for the actual certificate. As soon as Rachel gets her darn CPA certificate, then she'll be a CPA. I'll post when she gets it.
My brilliant wife is amazing. She passed all four exams on the very first try - each well above the minimum score required. That's not normal. Rachel's smarts and leadership skills will certainly serve her well as she becomes CFO of some big company. All of her hard work is finally beginning to pay off. Diligence and determination. Go Rachel! The sky's the limit!
Okay, just to clarify - this post originally said Rachel was a CPA, but technically passing your CPA exams is the main hurdle, but small tedious steps still remain - getting documentation, passing another two silly ethics quizzes, and paying more money for the actual certificate. As soon as Rachel gets her darn CPA certificate, then she'll be a CPA. I'll post when she gets it.
Monday, November 06, 2006
'Tis the Season
...for Egg Nog Lattes from Starbucks!
We live in Highland Village: home of several upscale chain stores, Central Market, and Houston's first Starbucks. HV hung the Christmas lights in mid-October. At first we were annoyed by the flagrant implication of holiday binge buying so far before the holidays. But we quickly forgot our annoyance and learned to love our wonderful commercial home.
We live in Highland Village: home of several upscale chain stores, Central Market, and Houston's first Starbucks. HV hung the Christmas lights in mid-October. At first we were annoyed by the flagrant implication of holiday binge buying so far before the holidays. But we quickly forgot our annoyance and learned to love our wonderful commercial home.
Saturday, November 04, 2006
Ben Folds Live
Our apologies for the poor quality picture below. It's the only one we have from a fabulous Ben Folds concert with the Houston Symphony (from Rob's trusty camera phone). Rachel and Rob were amazed that it sounded so great. The symphony created a solid wall of sound that's often lacking in live performances. Rachel described it as, "crazy good. So awesome," and "the best concert I've ever been to." Rob says, "ditto, it's a lot like his Austin City Limits concert but with a rockin' 90-member symphony behind him!" Ben Folds was hilarious: "These musicians behind me are trained to make difficult music sound easy. We rock stars try to make easy music sound hard." BF is the white blob in the middle.
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Unsolicited Letter to Microsoft
Dear Microsoft,
Please update the next version of Excel to include a portfolio variance and portfolio sigma function. Otherwise, we poor users have to resort to equations like this for a mere 6-asset optimization: =((AK18^2*$Q$5+ AK19^2*$R$6+ AK20^2*$S$7+ AK21^2*$T$8+ AK22^2*$U$9+ AK23^2*$V$10)+ (2*AK18*AK19*$Q$6+ 2*AK18*AK20*$Q$7+ 2*AK18*AK21*$Q$8+ 2*AK18*AK22*$Q$9+ 2*AK18*AK23*$Q$10+ 2*AK19*AK20*$R$7+ 2*AK19*AK21*$R$8+ 2*AK19*AK22*$R$9+ 2*AK19*AK23*$R$10+ 2*AK20*AK21*$S$8+ 2*AK20*AK22*$S$9+ 2*AK20*AK23*$S$10+ 2*AK21*AK22*$T$9+ 2*AK21*AK23*$T$10+ 2*AK22*AK23*$U$10))
If we call the new function "portvar," then the whole equation is simply: =portvar(I4:N142), and that is much more efficient.
Sincerely,
RM
Please update the next version of Excel to include a portfolio variance and portfolio sigma function. Otherwise, we poor users have to resort to equations like this for a mere 6-asset optimization: =((AK18^2*$Q$5+ AK19^2*$R$6+ AK20^2*$S$7+ AK21^2*$T$8+ AK22^2*$U$9+ AK23^2*$V$10)+ (2*AK18*AK19*$Q$6+ 2*AK18*AK20*$Q$7+ 2*AK18*AK21*$Q$8+ 2*AK18*AK22*$Q$9+ 2*AK18*AK23*$Q$10+ 2*AK19*AK20*$R$7+ 2*AK19*AK21*$R$8+ 2*AK19*AK22*$R$9+ 2*AK19*AK23*$R$10+ 2*AK20*AK21*$S$8+ 2*AK20*AK22*$S$9+ 2*AK20*AK23*$S$10+ 2*AK21*AK22*$T$9+ 2*AK21*AK23*$T$10+ 2*AK22*AK23*$U$10))
If we call the new function "portvar," then the whole equation is simply: =portvar(I4:N142), and that is much more efficient.
Sincerely,
RM
Sunday, October 08, 2006
Haaktoberfest
This weekend I (Rob) took a stroll down memory lane - and dragged Rachel with me. We attended my high school alma mater's football game; my first time at Friendswood High School in 10+ years. It was quite a hoot being back in the pastoral 'burb. Friendswood's band is much better than when I was first-chair saxophone. I showed Rachel the band hall and an old plaque with my name on it - documented proof that I had "leadership skills" back in high school. Kelleigh: I also have pictures of the Wranglerettes. My sister Kelleigh was once so limber she could put her feet behind her head. So could most of the Wranglerettes. After 10 years, they still look the same - like Macy's Rockettes on caffeine.
The next day (today) we visited Haak Vineyards in Santa Fe. To the best of our knowledge, it's the only vineyard brave enough to have settled in the swamps of the Gulf Coastal plains. Today is their "Haaktoberfest," complete with a Bavarian polka band, yodler, and lots of bratwurst. We encourage anyone in the greater Houston area to check the place out.
The next day (today) we visited Haak Vineyards in Santa Fe. To the best of our knowledge, it's the only vineyard brave enough to have settled in the swamps of the Gulf Coastal plains. Today is their "Haaktoberfest," complete with a Bavarian polka band, yodler, and lots of bratwurst. We encourage anyone in the greater Houston area to check the place out.
Sunday, September 24, 2006
To Another Five Years
Rachel and Rob vacationed in San Antonio over the weekend for their 5-Year Anniversary. Can you believe it? We stayed in a fabulous 19th Century B&B on the famed Riverwalk. Our room literally looked down onto the water. After two days of walking up and down the Riverwalk, we got bored and dove to our favorite Mexican restaurant in Texas: Trudy's. Anyone who has been to Trudy's knows that the 90-mile drive to Austin wasn't too far out of the way. Lastly - unrelated news - Rachel found out she passed part 3 of the CPA exam. That's 3 down, 1 to go. What a smarty-pants!
Free creme brule at Pesca - Portugese for "really good seafood"
Our B&B - our room is the top right corner ... it was rad
A trip to SA is never complete until you visit the Alamo
Trudy's in Austin
Free creme brule at Pesca - Portugese for "really good seafood"
Our B&B - our room is the top right corner ... it was rad
A trip to SA is never complete until you visit the Alamo
Trudy's in Austin
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Summer Vacation (pt 3)
Ah, summertime on the beautiful Oregon coast. Travel 5 miles inland and the sky opens up and the temperature increases 30 degrees.
Chris & Heather and the "banana jump"
Andy & Rachel picking wild blackberries. Now in Texas and they want us to pay $4 for a tiny carton...
The family enjoying a game of Settlers. Rachel won one round, Chris probably won one as well - he doesn't like to lose. Rob had great positioning one round with a monopoly on brick and wheat, but he was no match for Josh's cunning.
On our way up the coast to Newport, we encountered two traffic jams. The second was bad enough for our caravan to ditch plans and return home. On the way home we stopped by a hole-in-the-wall fish market. What a fun little adventure. Two fishermen stopped by with their Coleman full of 40 Dungenouss crabs. Here, Josh inspects the fresh catch.
All the ladies cringe as the crabs boil in hot water. Andy and Chris (like Rob) see a great photo op. We also bought a couple pounds of clams, crab, and halibut for a killer seafood chowder.
Returning to TX, we stop by Boise to visit Sarah. Sarah takes us to downtown Boise - a groovy place indeed!
Rachel and Rob at the groovy breakfast bistro in Boise.
Chris & Heather and the "banana jump"
Andy & Rachel picking wild blackberries. Now in Texas and they want us to pay $4 for a tiny carton...
The family enjoying a game of Settlers. Rachel won one round, Chris probably won one as well - he doesn't like to lose. Rob had great positioning one round with a monopoly on brick and wheat, but he was no match for Josh's cunning.
On our way up the coast to Newport, we encountered two traffic jams. The second was bad enough for our caravan to ditch plans and return home. On the way home we stopped by a hole-in-the-wall fish market. What a fun little adventure. Two fishermen stopped by with their Coleman full of 40 Dungenouss crabs. Here, Josh inspects the fresh catch.
All the ladies cringe as the crabs boil in hot water. Andy and Chris (like Rob) see a great photo op. We also bought a couple pounds of clams, crab, and halibut for a killer seafood chowder.
Returning to TX, we stop by Boise to visit Sarah. Sarah takes us to downtown Boise - a groovy place indeed!
Rachel and Rob at the groovy breakfast bistro in Boise.
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Rob's Really Good Pulled Chicken Enchiladas
Three things I’m really good at (Rob). Two of which are enchiladas and lasagna. So far I haven’t tasted any better than my own. While we’re still waiting for our camera to arrive so we can post vacation photos, I thought I’d take a moment to jot down a good chicken enchilada recipe.
It’s as easy as 1,2,3,4,5,6,7:
Roll up 1) chicken, 2) sour crème mix, and 3) cheese into 4) corn tortillas (not flour); place close together in a 13x9 dish; 5) pour red sauce over everything, and 6) sprinkle with more cheese. 7) Cook at about 350 until the red sauce boils. Voila!
Pulled chicken recipe: place whole chicken into pot, add 5-7 cups of water, 4 sprigs of basil, and 6 sprigs of oregano. (You can also use a bunch of chicken breasts instead of a whole chicken, but add a cube of chicken bullion for depth of flavor.) Cover. On medium, bring to boil. Simmer 5 minutes. Turn off stove and let it sit (covered) for between 10 minutes to 1 hour. Then simply pull the chicken off. Stringy, chunky, whatever is your fancy! Keep the broth for the next part.
Sour crème mix: Mix in a bowl a container (8 oz) of sour crème, about 1/4 cup of the spicy chicken broth, and 1/2 can of diced peppers (jalapeno, hatch, etc).
Cheese: Chedder, what else. If you have never tried Tillamook cheese, you’re missing out. Yes, you can even get Tillamook in Texas at almost any grocery store.
Red sauce: Olive oil (or whatever) with 1/2 onion and 4 cloves of garlic. Add 2 sprigs of basil and 2 sprigs of oregano. When onions are translucent, add 1 can of tomato sauce (organic is best) and 1 can of expensive enchilada sauce (most enchilada sauces are nasty gravy). Add spices (2 tsp cumin, 1 tsp Italian Seasoning (or something else green-ish), 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (or something else spicy), and salt & pepper. Add the other 1/2 can of peppers. Simmer for a while (10-30 minutes, whatever). Remember to take out the sprigs of basil and oregano. That would be a nasty surprise in an enchilada.
It’s as easy as 1,2,3,4,5,6,7:
Roll up 1) chicken, 2) sour crème mix, and 3) cheese into 4) corn tortillas (not flour); place close together in a 13x9 dish; 5) pour red sauce over everything, and 6) sprinkle with more cheese. 7) Cook at about 350 until the red sauce boils. Voila!
Pulled chicken recipe: place whole chicken into pot, add 5-7 cups of water, 4 sprigs of basil, and 6 sprigs of oregano. (You can also use a bunch of chicken breasts instead of a whole chicken, but add a cube of chicken bullion for depth of flavor.) Cover. On medium, bring to boil. Simmer 5 minutes. Turn off stove and let it sit (covered) for between 10 minutes to 1 hour. Then simply pull the chicken off. Stringy, chunky, whatever is your fancy! Keep the broth for the next part.
Sour crème mix: Mix in a bowl a container (8 oz) of sour crème, about 1/4 cup of the spicy chicken broth, and 1/2 can of diced peppers (jalapeno, hatch, etc).
Cheese: Chedder, what else. If you have never tried Tillamook cheese, you’re missing out. Yes, you can even get Tillamook in Texas at almost any grocery store.
Red sauce: Olive oil (or whatever) with 1/2 onion and 4 cloves of garlic. Add 2 sprigs of basil and 2 sprigs of oregano. When onions are translucent, add 1 can of tomato sauce (organic is best) and 1 can of expensive enchilada sauce (most enchilada sauces are nasty gravy). Add spices (2 tsp cumin, 1 tsp Italian Seasoning (or something else green-ish), 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (or something else spicy), and salt & pepper. Add the other 1/2 can of peppers. Simmer for a while (10-30 minutes, whatever). Remember to take out the sprigs of basil and oregano. That would be a nasty surprise in an enchilada.
Monday, August 21, 2006
Vacation Photos Soon
We left our camera in Boise (a surprisingly enjoyable city) - Sarah is mailing it to us soon, then we'll post some fun pics of our trip to Waldport. We really wish we had our camera between Boise and Houston. Some crazy stuff on the sides of the road in WY, NE, MO, KS, and OK.
In the meantime, here is a fun link: Wikihow. It's a compilation of "how to's" that anyone can edit. There's one on China adoptions, pretty nifty. The original author, Patti Urban, is a great help to prospective adoptive parents in the pre-adoption paperwork stage (of course my old agency, IFS, does this part of the adoption for free).
In the meantime, here is a fun link: Wikihow. It's a compilation of "how to's" that anyone can edit. There's one on China adoptions, pretty nifty. The original author, Patti Urban, is a great help to prospective adoptive parents in the pre-adoption paperwork stage (of course my old agency, IFS, does this part of the adoption for free).
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Summer Comes to an End
Two months ago I spoke to my old friend Jon. I mentioned I was in
Rob says: Many thanks to my colleagues in LTD Strategic Finance at Intel. Five months ago I finagled my way into an internship by bugging more than a dozen employees. LTD provided a positive learning experience beyond my expectations. I’m looking forward to bragging about my adventures to my Rice colleagues: cool project, lots of support (thanks Chau, Craig, Roberto, George), fun activities, “private” jet to
Rachel says: Thanks for giving me back my husband
Next up: 3 day trip to
Sunday, August 06, 2006
Good Cuppa Joe
Now that we live next to a Starbucks, Rachel is starting to train their baristas (coffee makers). Rachel has specific taste when it comes to coffee, and it's not uncommon for her to have a drink remade, only to have me ask for it to be remade a 3rd time. An example of Rachel's discriminating palate: anything hot should be 170 degrees, and anything iced should have an extra shot. Not only this, but a mocha should have half the chocolate, and 1 pump of vanilla. Her summer drink is an "iced double tall 2-pump caramel latte with pump caramel instead of real caramel." (My summer drink is an iced grande no-water Americano with extra ice, Rachel just calls this "3 shots over ice." When at The Coffee Cottage, we both get a double iced white chocolate mochas, because they're fabulous)
Coffee Thoughts:
1) Baristas should have a license (like bartenders, only optional) so customers will know where to find the consistently good coffee.
2) A great idea is to have a computer screen where complicated drink-orderers can enter their drink information, and the information is sent to the barista ensuring that the drink will be correct.
3) Any coffee shop that invests the money in a La Marzocco machine probably cares about the coffee they make. Two places to find great coffee and La Marzoccos: Dog River Coffee in Hood River (owner thought I was swiping the logo from the machine), and Vivace Coffee & Crepes on Portland's 23rd Street (owner winked as I exclaimed, "ooh, La Marzocco").
Coffee Thoughts:
1) Baristas should have a license (like bartenders, only optional) so customers will know where to find the consistently good coffee.
2) A great idea is to have a computer screen where complicated drink-orderers can enter their drink information, and the information is sent to the barista ensuring that the drink will be correct.
3) Any coffee shop that invests the money in a La Marzocco machine probably cares about the coffee they make. Two places to find great coffee and La Marzoccos: Dog River Coffee in Hood River (owner thought I was swiping the logo from the machine), and Vivace Coffee & Crepes on Portland's 23rd Street (owner winked as I exclaimed, "ooh, La Marzocco").
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Tater Tot Popularity
I have a theory that the popularity of tater tots has increased markedly in America since Napoleon Dynamite's famous lines: "Come on, Napoleon, give me some of your tots ... No, I'm freakin' starving!" Since I haven't found the answer, and it doesn't look like anyone has either, someone else can do the research and can probably get published.
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Summer Fun in Timbuktu
Our good friend Sarah Lawrence is always gallivanting around the world. I bet she's on her second passport by now (I'm on my third, but the second doesn't really count because it went through the washing machine). Sarah works with Reign Ministries, traveling to such exotic locals as Nepal and Cuba (legally). This summer she outdoes herself again by missioning in a country so cool, its name contains an article: THE Gambia. Where is The Gambia? All I'll say is, it's somewhere in Africa, somewhere around Western Africa, somewhere surrounded by Senegal. I'm envisioning lions, monkeys, leaches, and fire-breathing dragons. Learn more about her exciting life here at her website: www.xanga.com/sclawren.
Fun fact: Timbuktu, Mali, is actually 941 miles to Banjul, The Gambia.
Fun fact: Timbuktu, Mali, is actually 941 miles to Banjul, The Gambia.
Monday, July 24, 2006
Life Changes Again!
Practicing what we preach, Rachel and Rob strive to take up as little space on this Earth as possible. Witness our new apartment: we downgraded in size (to 750 sq ft), but upgraded in location and amenities.
Tangent: by "amenities," developers point to their walking paths, golf courses, and cheap-o fitness centers. But what about true quality of life? Living where you work, proximity to shopping, entertainment, social interaction with neighbors, and walking trails / green-space should not be mutually exclusive luxuries. If more people like yourselves demanded more densely developed areas and safe neighborhoods and better transportation and proximity to the rest of the world (rather than separation via cul-de-sacs, 6-lane suburban arteries and Petsmarts) developers and city-planners would certainly respond. I think we may give up too quickly on a truly good life by ghettoizing ourselves in the MBA nerd's NPV positive, poorly constructed world of master-planned communities (that's a mouth-full!) Ironically, these "amenity-rich" ticky-tacky communities become undesirable after 10 years because of said poor construction and isolation from the outside world. The once white-washed stucco Krogers are replaced by dingy 99c Only stores, and as home value deteriorates, so do ancillary amenities such as safety and socialization.
Those green letters I'm pointing to outside our door say "Central Market" (like a really good Whole Foods). It's as far from our apartment to CM as our old apartment to our old parking spot! Hmm... I'm feeling like a portobello mushroom with hatch chili pesto spread... I'll be back in 5 minutes!
Tangent: by "amenities," developers point to their walking paths, golf courses, and cheap-o fitness centers. But what about true quality of life? Living where you work, proximity to shopping, entertainment, social interaction with neighbors, and walking trails / green-space should not be mutually exclusive luxuries. If more people like yourselves demanded more densely developed areas and safe neighborhoods and better transportation and proximity to the rest of the world (rather than separation via cul-de-sacs, 6-lane suburban arteries and Petsmarts) developers and city-planners would certainly respond. I think we may give up too quickly on a truly good life by ghettoizing ourselves in the MBA nerd's NPV positive, poorly constructed world of master-planned communities (that's a mouth-full!) Ironically, these "amenity-rich" ticky-tacky communities become undesirable after 10 years because of said poor construction and isolation from the outside world. The once white-washed stucco Krogers are replaced by dingy 99c Only stores, and as home value deteriorates, so do ancillary amenities such as safety and socialization.
Anyway! Rachel and Rob found a wonderful apartment at the corner of Westheimer and Wesleyan, in Highland Village. Highland Village? Yes, in the mornings we walk to Starbucks, for lunch it's PF Changs, and for dinner it's a fantrasmical meal from Central Market (like a really cool Whole Foods). Rachel loves window shopping at Banana Republic and Crate and Barrel!
Those green letters I'm pointing to outside our door say "Central Market" (like a really good Whole Foods). It's as far from our apartment to CM as our old apartment to our old parking spot! Hmm... I'm feeling like a portobello mushroom with hatch chili pesto spread... I'll be back in 5 minutes!
Monday, July 17, 2006
Intel and AMD
Click on the image for a cool tech story - Intel's newest line of chips, the Core 2 Duo, are blowing away AMD's current top-end chips. To be fair, AMD had a great run the past couple of years. But just as Airbus had better planes than Boeing for a couple of years, those times are now past.Okay Chris, Airbus didn't have "better" planes, but they did sell a lot more than Boeing over the past 5 years.
Saturday, July 08, 2006
Summer Vacation (pt 2)
Rachel's visits to Oregon always culminate into some excellent times. Never ones to sit idle, Rob and Rachel jaunted off to several places, including Coffee Cottage, Van Duzer, Dallas (Oregon), Hood River, Cannon Beach, the Tillimook Chease Factory (yum!), and many places in between. Thanks to everyone for making her visits so memorable. Here are some pictures from Rachel's most recent visit to Oregon:
Picking up Rachel at the airport (Rob, Rachel, Chris, Jeanne, Josh)
What we would look like if we had a baby! (Cole, Mitch & Kelleigh's baby)
Jeanne, Rachel, Kelleigh, Mom (Mardock) at Pacific City
Rachel and Dad (Mardock) at Pacific City
Grant and Mitch at Pacific City
Desi, Rachel, Jeanne, Heather at Vista House, Columbia River Gorge
Mardocks and Bellamys mingling on July 4th
Rachel, Chris, Josh, Heather, Joanne, Andy, Jeanne, Desi (Rob always takes the pictures) at Lincoln City getting ready for fireworks. Notice the squinting eyes and strained smiles... it's very smoky at the Lincoln City fireworks show.
Enjoying smores before fireworks at Lincoln City. Crazy fun times had by all!
Picking up Rachel at the airport (Rob, Rachel, Chris, Jeanne, Josh)
What we would look like if we had a baby! (Cole, Mitch & Kelleigh's baby)
Jeanne, Rachel, Kelleigh, Mom (Mardock) at Pacific City
Rachel and Dad (Mardock) at Pacific City
Grant and Mitch at Pacific City
Desi, Rachel, Jeanne, Heather at Vista House, Columbia River Gorge
Mardocks and Bellamys mingling on July 4th
Rachel, Chris, Josh, Heather, Joanne, Andy, Jeanne, Desi (Rob always takes the pictures) at Lincoln City getting ready for fireworks. Notice the squinting eyes and strained smiles... it's very smoky at the Lincoln City fireworks show.
Enjoying smores before fireworks at Lincoln City. Crazy fun times had by all!
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Chris' Blog
Chris W. (my brother-in-law, Jeanne's husband) has a new blog. Unlike Rachel's and my family blog*, Chris is narrowly scoping his to general politics, religion, and technology trends. Chris is turning into quite the prolific writer - the next Matt Drudge. Check it out here: browngargle.blogspot.com
*that's how you describe 2 possessives: Dave's and my yorkie, Val's and my house...
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Rachel vs. The CPA
Congratulations, Rachel, on passing part 2 (of 4 parts) of your CPA. Passing the first time, again! Beginners luck, or just super-smart? Deloitte is luckier than a drunken lottery winner for landing you. BEC and REG down, FAR and AUD to go.
CPA current events: A few years ago, accounting geeks complained that the "all-or-nothing" 1-weekend CPA exam was too gruelling. If the student didn't pass all 4 sections of the exam over the 2-day period, the student had to retake the exam months later. Everyone thinks they love the new system, whereby prospective CPAs have up to 18 months to complete the four sections at their own pace. Sounds great, and so think the students (including Rachel). I (Rob) have another theory - now that students have 18 months to take 4 separate tests, the level of business acumen and financial analysis required to exceed the 75th percentile passing score has increased commensurately. Students have more time to focus their energy on a specific test, and test-makers have more leeway to intensify each test's scope and difficulty. My own anecdotal evidence reveals that fewer people are passing the CPA, either from fatigue, indifference, or intensified difficulty and competition. What does this mean for the future of the accounting world? I predict that the CPA will be both more distinguished if you have it, and less necessary if you don't. Those who have a CPA will end up being managers who oversee business decisions and subordinates. However, it will also be more unnecessary on a daily-basis as fewer people manage to acquire the designation.
Big 4 firms spend million of dollars training bright-eyed youngsters to pass the exam, but increasingly their victory does not outweigh the Pyrrhic (self-inflicted) battle. I predict that more emphasis will be placed on obtaining a masters in accounting. Whereas today it is required to have a CPA to become a senior, in the future the only requirement will be "masters degree and 2 years of experience." Are these observations wrong? Any accountants want to comment?
CPA current events: A few years ago, accounting geeks complained that the "all-or-nothing" 1-weekend CPA exam was too gruelling. If the student didn't pass all 4 sections of the exam over the 2-day period, the student had to retake the exam months later. Everyone thinks they love the new system, whereby prospective CPAs have up to 18 months to complete the four sections at their own pace. Sounds great, and so think the students (including Rachel). I (Rob) have another theory - now that students have 18 months to take 4 separate tests, the level of business acumen and financial analysis required to exceed the 75th percentile passing score has increased commensurately. Students have more time to focus their energy on a specific test, and test-makers have more leeway to intensify each test's scope and difficulty. My own anecdotal evidence reveals that fewer people are passing the CPA, either from fatigue, indifference, or intensified difficulty and competition. What does this mean for the future of the accounting world? I predict that the CPA will be both more distinguished if you have it, and less necessary if you don't. Those who have a CPA will end up being managers who oversee business decisions and subordinates. However, it will also be more unnecessary on a daily-basis as fewer people manage to acquire the designation.
Big 4 firms spend million of dollars training bright-eyed youngsters to pass the exam, but increasingly their victory does not outweigh the Pyrrhic (self-inflicted) battle. I predict that more emphasis will be placed on obtaining a masters in accounting. Whereas today it is required to have a CPA to become a senior, in the future the only requirement will be "masters degree and 2 years of experience." Are these observations wrong? Any accountants want to comment?
299,022,231 Americans and Counting...
Congratulations, Kelleigh, on successfully bringing a beating heart into this world. Cole ROBERT Ratzlaff was born June 14th after a lengthy labor. Kelleigh is already hopping around and jazzercizing. Alright, that might be stretching the truth, but she (and Mitch) are looking great.
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Summer Vacation (pt 1)
Trying to make the most of our summer apart, we (Rob and Rachel) fill our days with hard work and whatever social activities we can find. Rob's living with Chris and Jeanne this summer. Chris & Jeanne just bought a new home in the Cedar Mills area of Portland. Thankfully the place is a mere 15 minutes from Intel - commutes are a breeze. Random note: today I saw a poor driver spin out on the freeway when the road came to a sudden halt... did a complete 180 right in front of me... very interesting... he was okay... My evenings are typically spent chillin' with C-Dawg and Green Jeans.Rachel was brutally bored the first week I was gone. She worked from home half the day, which added to her under-stimulated state. Rachel gets to pack up our apartment this July for our move to a cheaper and better apartment. Our new place will be in the same parking lot as Central Market (like a really good Whole Foods). It's also in the same parking lot as PF Changs, Banana Republic, Pottery Barn, Gap, Williams Sonoma, etc. After spending a year in Houston, we discovered the very best place to stay. Just our part to entice would-be visitors to our stoop. On a separate note, we just found out our only friends in Texas (Jarrod & Katherine - of the fishing story below) are moving from Austin to Houston. Tangent: many months ago J & K mentioned they wanted to travel to Napa Valley for their honeymoon, but it was overpriced. We implored them to consider the Willamette Valley instead. After some research, they concluded they would do the Oregon wine country and coast. Good call, guys! Remember to check out Portland City Grill if it's a nice day! Back to story...
Rachel is severely lacking stimulation for over a week, so she gets up here to Oregon to visit and she's a little ball of energy (pictured). Rob and Rachel go crazy doing all the things we've been wanting to do up here ... most of which involves food and coffee. On one occasion, Rob (me) get's a nasty bout of food poisoning from one of our very favorite restaurants (no names mentioned... I still love that wonderful Bavarian restaurant). Rob spends Memorial Day worshiping the ceramic god until he breaks down and goes to urgent care ... doctor is impressed I'm still standing and I.V.'s 2 liters of fluid (and happy medicine) in my itty-bitty vein. The worst part was that I missed my dad who was in town for only the weekend. The Mardock clan was meeting in Dallas (Oregon) at Mitch and Kelleigh's place. Kelleigh is about to have boy # 2. Evidently the Ratzlaff's haven't given birth to a girl since the Pilgrim times. Some mutant gene or something. Kelleigh rocks though, a great mother and hilarious like her brother.
A couple of days later we give food another try - visiting our favorite Thai restaurant (Typhoon). Andy orders up the spiciest pad thai known to man. We all make him eat it - the results are illustrated in the nearby photo.During all this, Rachel gets suckered into painting C & J's home - but she does such a good job. Rob (me) did a great job with the roller - that's my weapon of choice. Afterwards, the entire Bellamy clan jaunts off to Medford for Heather's high school graduation (pictured - it's the best I could do!). Our clan also passed the time at the go-kart track, in Jacksonville, and generally having a great time in S. Oregon. Heather's graduation ended at 9:30pm, we all socialized for another couple of hours. Then Rachel, Rob, and Mom (Linda) drove up to Portland. Poor Rachel's cheap flight left at 8:00am. We arrived in Portland with enough time to catch 2 hours of shut-eye. The next part of the story is very fuzzy - I was probably not okay to drive to the airport, but whatever. We evidently said our goodbyes. I remember it was the closest to crying I've felt in several years (something you never cared about: I can't cry. It's psychosomatic).
The story continues... Mom (Linda) flew to Houston 4 hours later (my 2nd trip to the airport that morning). Mom is spending a week down in Houston keeping Rachel company and generally enjoying a quiet week away from family and friends in Medford. Rachel is happy to have a friend in Houston. Rob plays Mario Kart with Chris. We both seem to be doing okay. I'll write more in a few weeks should there be something neat-o to write about.
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Like Pulling Teeth (for Sarah)
My brain (Rob) has devolved rapidly since school ended last week. It's so flipping hard to think of something inteligent to post. All I want to do is lie in bed, catch up on current events, attend happy hour at McCormicks with Rachel, and watch Grey's Anatomy (also with Rachel). But oh, Sarah keeps wanting to know what's going on in our lives. Sarah Lawrence (no relation to the university, as far as I know) is one of the best people in America. So here, Sarah, is an update: I'm driving to Oregon on May 17. Oil has been changed, tires have been rotated - I'm ready for the 3 day trek. I start work at Intel the 22nd and expect 60-70 hour weeks.
Busy season is over for Rachel - she's now working on a hospital benefits plan. During the evenings she's been studying for part 2 of the CPA exam. A year ago I had no idea how intense the CPA was - it's like an MBA degree in a single test. No wonder they split it into 4 separate tests.
We both try to keep this blog totally non-political, but we love politics so much, it's sometimes very hard. Rachel has some really great thoughts about the role of females in church and business. She's right on - it's good stuff. But who knows if she'll ever write about such a hot topic. Me - well, every day I supress the urge to attack urban sprawl. The fundamental problems and solutions are so obvious to me, but for some crazy reason, people (including my own mother) disagree :-)
Busy season is over for Rachel - she's now working on a hospital benefits plan. During the evenings she's been studying for part 2 of the CPA exam. A year ago I had no idea how intense the CPA was - it's like an MBA degree in a single test. No wonder they split it into 4 separate tests.
We both try to keep this blog totally non-political, but we love politics so much, it's sometimes very hard. Rachel has some really great thoughts about the role of females in church and business. She's right on - it's good stuff. But who knows if she'll ever write about such a hot topic. Me - well, every day I supress the urge to attack urban sprawl. The fundamental problems and solutions are so obvious to me, but for some crazy reason, people (including my own mother) disagree :-)
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Summer Internship
Wow, I totally just landed an internship at Intel. In Hillsboro. It's a very fun story of how I got the internship, involving months of determination and friendly reminders about my great interest, copious amounts of networking, and - evidently - interviewing very well. Everyone's first response has so far been "oh no, what's Rachel going to do!?" She's already bought a plane ticket to visit, and will probably buy another couple of tickets to visit during the summer. Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Still, we spent 2 years staring at each other in Romania, so a summer apart will be rough!
Monday, March 27, 2006
Mixing Work and Play
Rob visited Rachel in Corpus Christi (aka, the place where Dick Cheney shot a grandpa in the face). They had a great time. By day, Rachel reconciled accounts payable, and Rob updated their blog while drinking coffee. (They highly recommend Agua Java for caffeinated treats. Who knew CC had such great a great coffee place). By night, they dined at Landry's and enjoyed the cable TV mind-candy. Thursday, March 16, 2006
Go Rachel!
Congratulations, Rachel, on passing part 1 (of 4 parts) of the CPA exam! And on your first try too! I'm so proud of you. A lot has changed since those summer days in Romania eating $0.15 ice cream. You've grown to be such a responsible lady...
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