makes me want to cry
Posted by bert at 04:37 PM on April 3, 2006 in ME.
http://health.yahoo.com/news/146218
bert's musings
Entries for April, 2006
April 3rd, 2006
April 4th, 2006
Tokyo? or Sydney?
Posted by bert at 11:46 AM on April 4, 2006 in ME.
told luke i was gonna visit him in tokyo
his response. Lets meet up somewhere.. Like Australia.
oh shoot.. I always wanted to go...
still do.
ugh.. this is a $3k plus trip.
soo...
people.. I need help. help me find deals!
just for Roy
Posted by bert at 03:04 PM on April 4, 2006 in ME.
ticker BBBB
i like where this company is going, despite hating the product it currently has. one day.. one can hope.
April 5th, 2006
Google Word of the Day.
Posted by bert at 10:54 AM on April 5, 2006 in ME.
i thought this was mildly amusing word of the day.
http://dictionary.reference.com/wordoftheday/archive/2006/04/05.html
April 10th, 2006
Open Bar + B-school
Posted by bert at 09:20 AM on April 10, 2006 in ME.
b-school kids drink a lot more than enginerding students.
Hardly something that surprises me..
Carolina Fitted the tab for all the incoming class to go drink with the current '06 and '07 class. the result was about 700 drunk b-school kids on Franklin Street at 2 a.m. um.. wow.. these kids just don't stop.. toasted by 11 p.m. and kept going. There is no way I can keep up with this.. Better get known as DD now.. my liver will hate me if i even pretend to try.
Btw.. i already see an elitist attitude creeping into my system about next year. Better curb that one too. =) To hear them say it.. I have about 280 new brothers and sisters. but what it looks like... i have about 280 people to collectively do my homework with.
See Ya Herb!!!
Posted by bert at 12:39 PM on April 10, 2006 in ME.
It's on now!.
who needs herb.. I didn't like his emphasis on non-atheletes.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2403784
I will be dancing if we get this dude.
is it still a scandal?
Posted by bert at 03:13 PM on April 10, 2006 in ME.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/news/story?id=2404002
Immigration Rights
Posted by bert at 06:23 PM on April 10, 2006 in ME.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/04/10/immigration/index.html
Look man.. I'm all for you having your right to come to America and work you ass off and achieve the 'American Dream.' (whatever the heck taht means).. But.. if you do.. stay in America? Is that too much to ask?
April 12th, 2006
"It's easy to be a millionaire"
Posted by bert at 02:54 PM on April 12, 2006 in ME.
well. theoretically speaking.
If you saved $5 a day in a mutual fund that had an average return of 10% for 42 years.. you'd have a million bucks. pretty cool huh?
Anyway.. i stumbled accross Marshall Brain's blog on being millionaires. Yes he's a former NCSU grad who did lectures during my EEP stay back in teh day. you may know him as that "howstuffworks.com" guy.
anyway here's some trends from an unscientific poll about those people who had personal networth over 1 million.
- "The typical member of our group has never spent more than $41,000 for an automobile or $4,500 for an engagement ring. Neither our spouses nor we have ever spent more than $38 (including tip) for a haircut."
- 61 percent received nothing by way of inheritance, financial gifts, trust income, etc.
- 97 percent are homeowners. Median home price was $435,000 at the time of purchase. But only 10 percent bought "new" homes -- homes built in the last ten years. The vast majority are living in "older homes" in long-established neighborhoods.
- 32 percent are business owners. 16 percent are corporate executives. 10 percent are attorneys. 9 percent are physicians. The rest are accountants, sales professionals, engineers, professors, etc. "A disproportionately high percentage of millionaires, multimillionaires, and decamillionaires are self employed business owners and entrepreneurs or self-employed professionals." See How to make a million dollars for a perspective on that.
- Most of these millionaires "have been told by some authority figure or by the results of standardized test scores that we were not intellectually gifted, of law school caliber, medical school material, qualified to pursue a medical degree or smart enough to succeed." Average GPA in college is 2.92.
- This was fascinating to me: "Not one millionaire that I interviewed had anything nice to say about gambling." I have been to Las Vegas many times for various business trips and conventions, but I have never spent a dime gambling. I have never even stuck a quarter in a slot machine. I always thought I was somehow "weird" because of that. Now I find out I am normal.
- Finally, "What are the top five factors most often mentioned by millionaires as being very important in explaining their economic success? After you read them below, take out a card or a sheet of paper and write down these five elements of financial success. Keep a copy in your wallet or purse and paste a copy on your television...
- Integrity - being honest with all people
- Dsicipline - applying self control
- Social skills - getting along with people
- A supportive spouse
- Hard work - more than most people"
thought that was interesting.
hrm... that 2nd to last one puts a serious crimp in my book huh? I'll have to shoot for Billionaire status.
more fun reading.
http://marshallbrain.com/million.htm
ok enjoy.
the Ariel Atom (MUST SEE)
Posted by bert at 03:20 PM on April 12, 2006 in ME.
if you are any sort of driving enthusiast....
http://youtube.com/watch?v=5fpfv8FsNQo&search=ariel%20atom
and your welcome.
April 13th, 2006
3 cheers for Boeing (stock)
Posted by bert at 09:17 AM on April 13, 2006 in ME.
http://www.heraldnewsdaily.com/stories/news-00174991.html
well.. ok.. so I may be a little biased.. but.. I LIKE flying in Boeing planes. They just seem sturdier. but anyway.. good job China.. even out some trade deficit some.. Buy American planes... and... SEND MY STOCK UP!!!
ok.. so i'll be the first to admit this.. I don' think boeing should be worth anywhere over 70. it's at 83 now.
oh well =P a goodportion of my 401k right now is attached to boeing stock. *dance*
lets just say... since i started at Boeing (3 years ago) that my 401k investment in Boeing has more than doubled. This is easily outperforming any other index that I have invested in. Keep selling Boeing!!.. just need 2 more months of this... and i can roll it into some value fund while i'm in School.!
April 14th, 2006
Trip to Mexico
Posted by bert at 09:34 AM on April 14, 2006 in ME.
got this in a fwd... so sad that I enjoyed it so much.
Subject trip to mexico
Dear President Bush:
I'm about to plan a little trip with my family and extended family, and I would like to ask you to assist me. I'm going to walk across the border from the U.S. into Mexico, and I need to make a few arrangements. I know you can help with this.
I plan to skip all the legal stuff like visas, passports, immigration quotas and laws. I'm sure they handle those things the same way you do here.
So, would you mind telling your buddy, President Vicente Fox, that I'm on my way over? Please let him know that I will be expecting the following:
1. Free medical care for my entire family.
2. English-speaking government bureaucrats for all services I might need, whether I use them or not.
3. All government forms need to be printed in English.
4. I want my kids to be taught by English-speaking teachers.
5. Schools need to include classes on American culture and history.
6. I want my kids to see the American flag flying on the top of the flag pole at their school with the Mexican flag flying lower down.
7. Please plan to feed my kids at school for both breakfast and lunch.
8. I will need a local Mexican driver's license so I can get easy access to government services.
9. I do not plan to have any car insurance, and I won't make any effort to learn local traffic laws.
10. In case one of the Mexican police officers does not get the memo from Pres. Fox to leave me alone, please be sure that all police officers speak English.
11. I plan to fly the U.S. flag from my house top, put flag decals on my car, and have a gigantic celebration on July 4th. I do not want any complaints or negative comments from the locals.
12. I would also like to have a nice job without paying any taxes, and don't enforce any labor laws or tax laws.
13. Please tell all the people in the country to be extremely nice and never say a critical word about me, or about the strain I might place on the economy.
I know this is an easy request because you already do all these things for all the people who come to the U.S. from Mexico. I am sure that Pres.
Fox won't mind returning the favor if you ask him nicely.
However, if he gives you any trouble, just invite him to go quail hunting with your V.P.
Thank you so much for your kind help.
Sincerely,
Ralph C. Millard
loyalties of a reporter.
Posted by bert at 09:45 AM on April 14, 2006 in ME.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/04/14/afghan.shopkeepers.ap/index.html
Curious.. any Journalism Majors out there?
are you required to take a class in Journalism Ethics?
what the heck would that class teach you?
lets see here... journalist hears about blackmarket shops selling Flash drives with potentially senstive military information on it. Goes to shop and finds said flash drives. VIEWS such flash drives on laptop.
and then reports to everyone and their mother that they can buy these flash drives....
why did they not just buy them up and returns them to the government? is that' against journalism ethics?
it's like that one journalist who penetrated terrorist lines to bring stories about the composition of that organization. after he was done, he wanted to protect those terrorists' best interests and left them anonymous. HELLO MCFLY!!... their best interest is to blow up Americans. Irony is best if they blew up that guy's family.
yes yes.. i should be more sensitive. Somehow.. i feel that if i become successful one day... a lot of my insensitive blogging will come back to bite me in teh ass.
April 16th, 2006
April 18th, 2006
Getting Medical Records
Posted by bert at 08:36 AM on April 18, 2006 in Kenan-Flagler.
ok.. starting a new category here about whats going on in B-school. I figure this would be something worth Journaling.
So.. I've turned in my enrollment deposit, and am about to start enrolling in ASW II (analytical skills workshop). Basically this thing is made for all of us losers who have been away from school for awhile.. to "catch up." yeah.. one finance class, one econ class, and an accounting class, plus multiple Microsoft Excel tips along the way. Yes friends.. this will be my July. So whats everyone doing those evenings?
Anyway.. Schools have a need of medical records. They always request it, and there's no way I can escape this. Silly me... i never moved my medical records over to Kaiser (my medical provider out in Cali) when I moved. So to get my immunization shot record, I needed to ask it from NC State. (oh joyous day).
So here's the process.
You call them to request a medical release form. which they e-mail to you 6 hours later, "because it takes that long."
you fill out your request and then you get put in a line. ????
i've filled out my sheet and faxed it in. 2 days later... i'm still in line.
"sir there are many many MANY people ahead of you in line."
it's like there's people waiting for days now to get their medical records.
ugh.. North Carolina....
in lighter news.. I took some of the self evaluation tests... I'm in trouble. I don't know all the cute excel tricks to do everything. I only (sorta) know how to do all the calculations by hand.
And where the hell is my TI-83?!?!?
House Hunting
Posted by bert at 09:54 AM on April 18, 2006 in Kenan-Flagler.
House Hunting is always a very interesting proposition. Its even more interesting when I sit here and search and do everything from 3000 miles away.
so anyway.. i found the place i want to buy
it's not too far away from campus.. just a bit far from the freeways.. but that's ok i guess.
first offer $275k.
April 19th, 2006
don't need to say anything else....
Posted by bert at 11:56 PM on April 19, 2006 in ME.
God I love Entourage! =)
btw... man.. i feel like my life mimics E's =) except i'm not Vincent Chase's manager =P
April 21st, 2006
Thanks Roy
Posted by bert at 09:54 AM on April 21, 2006 in ME.
because roy ranted about it and i thought about it a long time before.. and missed part of teh bandwagon, I picked up a stock yesterday (on a whim kinda).. lets just call it B =)
up $1+ a share in a day =).. come on dividends..
Idiot Protestor from Crapel Hill.
Posted by bert at 02:47 PM on April 21, 2006 in ME.
this was in a CNN article regarding President Hu's visit to Yale.
Everhart, of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, wore a "Free China" headband. "I'm here because I'm against the torture, the death penalty and nuclear weapons," he said.
Genius. this is president of China. if he's so concerned about the death penalty he should go to Texas. and who has more nuclear weapons than the US. idiot.
April 24th, 2006
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by bert at 01:07 PM on April 24, 2006 in ME.
http://money.cnn.com/2006/04/24/news/funny/monopoly/index.htm?cnn=yes
NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
/endRant
ddr vs....
Posted by bert at 04:58 PM on April 24, 2006 in ME.
http://www.hedonistica.com/yt.php?path=http://www.youtube.com/v/kE3zUhTUo2I
April 26th, 2006
LA Traffic and 24 irony
Posted by bert at 08:39 AM on April 26, 2006 in ME.
ok... yeah.. so i forgot to post this after it happened.. and just remembered it last night when a friend brought it up.
so a couple of weekends ago, I was driving back from LA. and OF COURSE i would be stuck in traffic (what else is new). some accident on the 210. so i was futzing around and then noticed the guy behind me looked really familiar. yes my friends it was Kiefer Sutherlan... *ahem* jack bauer.
So i've always wanted to know.. How the heck 24 manages to get from one part of LA into another in like NO TIME whatsoever. Surely Jack Bauer has demonstrated he is capable of manipulating LA traffic, but his aura just didn't seem to bend traffic to his will. Or maybe he was just admiring my hot impreza! =P
for a good 30 minutes or so.. he was just sitting behind in bumper to bumper traffic chilling in his m5. i almost jumped out and asked him for a walkon role... =P.
"uh... mr. sutherland. Can i play a chinese terrorist? k, thanks."