As the night wears on, my patience wears thin.
CNN and NPR have both called Virginia for Obama. It means that Ohio doesn't matter at all, and neither does Florida. Romney needs to concede. There just is no way to have the math work out in his favor. I see a little note that Romney will speak in 10 minutes now... please do. I'm tired and I have places to go tomorrow.
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Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Four More Years!
Very relieved to see that Obama won. I'm tired, it's been a long day, and I'm just waiting for someone to get Romney to concede already so I can go to bed.
It's not that I really don't like Romney. The problem is that as the Governor of Massachusetts, he was the type of Republican that I would have strongly considered voting for. However, Paul Ryan as President is just too scary to contemplate for someone who is currently financing buying groceries with subsidized student loans. So there's a giant sigh of relief on my part that I won't have to worry about having the Department of Education disappeared.
For now... just listening to Fox complain that Obama is trailing in the popular vote, even though the votes outstanding are predominantly from blue states, including California, the nation's most populous Democratic voting block. This isn't hard statistics to figure out that it's premature to say that the President will not win the popular vote. Maybe... but it's a little less likely as the votes come in.
It's not that I really don't like Romney. The problem is that as the Governor of Massachusetts, he was the type of Republican that I would have strongly considered voting for. However, Paul Ryan as President is just too scary to contemplate for someone who is currently financing buying groceries with subsidized student loans. So there's a giant sigh of relief on my part that I won't have to worry about having the Department of Education disappeared.
For now... just listening to Fox complain that Obama is trailing in the popular vote, even though the votes outstanding are predominantly from blue states, including California, the nation's most populous Democratic voting block. This isn't hard statistics to figure out that it's premature to say that the President will not win the popular vote. Maybe... but it's a little less likely as the votes come in.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Midwest in the House!
I have to admit, the idea of voting for a woman from my hometown for president was rather appealing, but I have a pragmatic side that just can't see the Green Party delivering on anything without a crazy amount of tax increases. The economic policies that provide high levels of benefits and high levels of incentives to drive behaviors the way you want them generally have unreasonable budgetary costs. The pragmatist in me tends to be less revolutionary and more liberal - focusing on market failures and externalities.
However, the Green Party managed to run a native Chicagoan. The Democratic party has a Chicagoan at the top of the ticket. The Republican Party has a native Michigander at the top of the ticket and a Wisconsinite at the bottom. Even if Janesville sucks (which it does... believe me... it's even worse than Beloit...), it was pretty impressive to see that many Midwesterners on the ballot this morning.
However, the Green Party managed to run a native Chicagoan. The Democratic party has a Chicagoan at the top of the ticket. The Republican Party has a native Michigander at the top of the ticket and a Wisconsinite at the bottom. Even if Janesville sucks (which it does... believe me... it's even worse than Beloit...), it was pretty impressive to see that many Midwesterners on the ballot this morning.
VOTE!
Very excited to vote this morning. This will be my first time voting at a synagogue, which has the bonus of being near the Dunkin' Donuts, so I will reward my fulfillment of my patriotic duty with a Boston Kreme donut and coffee.
Speaking about Boston, it's important to note that the Revolutionary War was fought in part about taxes, so yeah, the tea party had a little bit of that right. However it wasn't about the levying of taxes alone, but rather that the colonies had no say on what taxes would be raised, how they would be collected, and the right to determine how the money was spent. In "Taxation without Representation", the "Without Representation" part is the key gripe.
Go. Vote. Have your say on who determines how to spend our money. That's what the Founding Fathers would have wanted. Then, have a cup of coffee to stick it to George III.
Speaking about Boston, it's important to note that the Revolutionary War was fought in part about taxes, so yeah, the tea party had a little bit of that right. However it wasn't about the levying of taxes alone, but rather that the colonies had no say on what taxes would be raised, how they would be collected, and the right to determine how the money was spent. In "Taxation without Representation", the "Without Representation" part is the key gripe.
Go. Vote. Have your say on who determines how to spend our money. That's what the Founding Fathers would have wanted. Then, have a cup of coffee to stick it to George III.
Monday, November 5, 2012
October Surprise
Haven't really had a chance to look through the numbers thoroughly, but the first Friday of the month is like Christmas to data junkies who follow the job market. UNEMPLOYMENT NUMBERS ARE OUT!
Yes, yes, I take joy in the misery of others...
No, not really. While the media does focus on one or two numbers, the Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics looks at a crazy amount of data in 25 separate tables, and throws number after number at you until you have a robust idea of the nature of the workforce at this particular point of time. Or, you know, the Obama campaign mentions that 171,000 jobs were created while the Romney campaign looks at that slight increase in the unemployment rate.
Neither really demonstrates what's at play right now. I kind of like Table A-11 for this type of analysis, unemployed persons by reason of unemployment. If it is true that more jobs existed this month than last, but the unemployment rate did not change, then what's going on? Well, looking at this table, you start to see what it might be when you really think about what the unemployment rate is. To be unemployed, you must have had to have actively looked for work in the preceding week. So, when you look at how the percentages in the distribution shifted from October 2011 to 2012, you see increases in Reentrants and New Entrants to the work force. You also see an increase in job leavers. Put these three things together, and you have an economy where people are a little more optimistic about finding a new job than they had been a year ago. People are leaving their crappy bosses behind figuring that they can do better. The long-term unemployed have decided that they might be able to find jobs again (a more pessimistic point of view is that they've run out of savings and benefits and have no other choice). Kids have decided to try to find jobs rather than hide in law school for three years.
Sure, fine, that's all well and good, but these are subtle shifts - 3 percentage points. Yes, this is true. I'm interested in the movement of the composition of the unemployed. If you worry about the totals, then there's good news there, too. When you remove the frictional unemployment, and look at the nitty-gritty bad shit unemployment, the total number of permanent job losers, there's good news there, too. Over the past year, the unemployed for this reason has fallen from 5.3 million to 4.3 million. It sucks if you are one of those 4.3 million, but the number is headed in the right direction if your goal is total employment.
The news really isn't as bad (or as good) as most in a campaign or the media will make it out to be. The question is whether or not people will form their own opinions when data is thorough and readily available. Sadly, I don't think many people know exactly what the monthly unemployment figures really are, despite how easy they are to find and how widely reported they are.
Yes, yes, I take joy in the misery of others...
No, not really. While the media does focus on one or two numbers, the Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics looks at a crazy amount of data in 25 separate tables, and throws number after number at you until you have a robust idea of the nature of the workforce at this particular point of time. Or, you know, the Obama campaign mentions that 171,000 jobs were created while the Romney campaign looks at that slight increase in the unemployment rate.
Neither really demonstrates what's at play right now. I kind of like Table A-11 for this type of analysis, unemployed persons by reason of unemployment. If it is true that more jobs existed this month than last, but the unemployment rate did not change, then what's going on? Well, looking at this table, you start to see what it might be when you really think about what the unemployment rate is. To be unemployed, you must have had to have actively looked for work in the preceding week. So, when you look at how the percentages in the distribution shifted from October 2011 to 2012, you see increases in Reentrants and New Entrants to the work force. You also see an increase in job leavers. Put these three things together, and you have an economy where people are a little more optimistic about finding a new job than they had been a year ago. People are leaving their crappy bosses behind figuring that they can do better. The long-term unemployed have decided that they might be able to find jobs again (a more pessimistic point of view is that they've run out of savings and benefits and have no other choice). Kids have decided to try to find jobs rather than hide in law school for three years.
Sure, fine, that's all well and good, but these are subtle shifts - 3 percentage points. Yes, this is true. I'm interested in the movement of the composition of the unemployed. If you worry about the totals, then there's good news there, too. When you remove the frictional unemployment, and look at the nitty-gritty bad shit unemployment, the total number of permanent job losers, there's good news there, too. Over the past year, the unemployed for this reason has fallen from 5.3 million to 4.3 million. It sucks if you are one of those 4.3 million, but the number is headed in the right direction if your goal is total employment.
The news really isn't as bad (or as good) as most in a campaign or the media will make it out to be. The question is whether or not people will form their own opinions when data is thorough and readily available. Sadly, I don't think many people know exactly what the monthly unemployment figures really are, despite how easy they are to find and how widely reported they are.
Pot Pie
The weather turned for the worse last week, and while Sandy did not do too much damage in the area, it did end up producing a decent storm. However, it did really drop the temperature, and we had our first little flurries today. Major snow is expected on Thursday, but for now, I'm just getting into a nice, cozy, late fall routine.
Yesterday, I roasted a chicken with some mashed potatoes, then made some gravy from the pan drippings. This means... LEFTOVERS!
Behold, my chicken pot pie...
1) Get a really deep dish. I have an Anchor Hocking round glass bowl that fits in a carrying case, which ends up being perfect. It's the diameter of a pie plate, but a couple inches high.
2) Unroll one premade pie crust into your bowl/dish/pie plate. I am not gifted in the world of pie crusts. Or, rather, I really can't tell the difference between my best pie crust and a refrigerated store bought crust. Also, moving to New York, I have no counter space to roll out a crust.
3) This is why you want a deep dish: Add 1 cup leftover chicken, 1 cup thawed frozen peas, a cup of diced carrots, a finely diced onions, maybe a cup of diced celery, and a cup of leftover gravy. Gravy should be such that it's practically solid coming out of the fridge. This is not a low-fat recipe. Basic rule is at least two cups of veggies for your cup of chicken. Combine all of this together, and throw this into your pie crust.
4) Grab the other crust. Lay it over the top, crimp, and make the edge look pretty. If you have no idea how to accomplish this, just roll the one crust into the other. Pierce the crust to allow the steam to escape... 8 times should do it, making sure to space them evenly.
5) Bake. This is where it really depends on your brand of dough. General rule would be to see what temperature the package recommends, then bake until the top is browned and flaky. Otherwise, 375 for 30 minutes, check it, then adjust the time. Because everything is pre-cooked, your main concern is cooking the crust through.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
No, Still Alive
There comes a point in the life of every blog where the blogger appears to disappear completely. I'm reasonably certain that I have not let down a large number of loyal readers, seeing that each post gets around 6 views.
I wasn't really sure if there was an overarching theme to my posts, and I still don't know if there should be. What I do know is that I now live in an area of the country where it's going to snow a lot, that I'm not going to be going outside much because of it, and I better have some outlet or I'm going to go stir crazy. When people go stir crazy in this part of New York, they tend to commit suicide or start religious cults, neither of which sounds like a good idea. (However, do check out the history of the Oneida Colony... fascinating stuff.)
What I don't want to do is give up on this blog. It does not feel as necessary as before, as I am now surrounded by the bicoastal urban liberal elites. Yet, I do have a lot to say on the adoption of liberal policies and the resulting economic consequences. I'm not fully sure what form this may take, but I'll work on it. Last year at this time, I had no idea that I would have quit my job to move out of the Midwest, but it's been a good decision. Hoping that I make some good decisions here, even if they are not fully apparent right now.
I wasn't really sure if there was an overarching theme to my posts, and I still don't know if there should be. What I do know is that I now live in an area of the country where it's going to snow a lot, that I'm not going to be going outside much because of it, and I better have some outlet or I'm going to go stir crazy. When people go stir crazy in this part of New York, they tend to commit suicide or start religious cults, neither of which sounds like a good idea. (However, do check out the history of the Oneida Colony... fascinating stuff.)
What I don't want to do is give up on this blog. It does not feel as necessary as before, as I am now surrounded by the bicoastal urban liberal elites. Yet, I do have a lot to say on the adoption of liberal policies and the resulting economic consequences. I'm not fully sure what form this may take, but I'll work on it. Last year at this time, I had no idea that I would have quit my job to move out of the Midwest, but it's been a good decision. Hoping that I make some good decisions here, even if they are not fully apparent right now.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Bottle Deposits and Identity Theft
It took me a little time to figure this out, but New York State has a super annoying policy of charging 5 cents per bottle in deposits. The amount is too paltry for people to fret about (less than a buck for a 12-pack), but just enough to encourage people to riffle through my dumpster looking for items that were thrown away. Except, that they aren't thrown away - these are in the dumpster for our zero-sort recycling pick up. The third night I was in my new apartment, there was someone, knee deep in cardboard and glass, looking for cans and bottles with the deposit labels on them.
Perhaps if recycling rates were lower, I'd be in favor of the program. Or, if the deposit was so high that empty Coke cans were treated as currency and guarded until redeemed... so infrequently tossed aside that too few remained in the open for people to try to collect. Instead, the middle ground finds me worried about what else I've thrown into the recycling lately. Papers? Important papers? Needless to say, a criss-cross shredder was high on my list of purchases for the new apartment.
Perhaps if recycling rates were lower, I'd be in favor of the program. Or, if the deposit was so high that empty Coke cans were treated as currency and guarded until redeemed... so infrequently tossed aside that too few remained in the open for people to try to collect. Instead, the middle ground finds me worried about what else I've thrown into the recycling lately. Papers? Important papers? Needless to say, a criss-cross shredder was high on my list of purchases for the new apartment.
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Back to Basics
I'm finding myself enjoying a lovely Sunday morning / early afternoon in Upstate New York. It's a little adjustment (my local paper has no Sunday edition? Seriously?), but all in all, I'm adjusting pretty well.
One thing I haven't quite gotten down is my eating habits. I've been in my new home for a grand total of 32 days and have had my new work schedule for 11 days, but I still am not really cooking or exercising or doing house cleaning with any sense of regularity. The cat is being fed, and I've gotten to church a couple times, but I'm not really taking care of myself very well. Part of this is the uncertainty involved with moving, the other is the expense. Having burned through a significant chunk of savings between security deposits, hiring movers, renting Uhauls, arranging new utilities, and the like, I really don't have a lot of money, but my routine is starting to settle down.
Last night, I found myself watching Julie and Julia, a tale of modern-day stalking and obsession. Or, an endearing plucky young writer pays homage to her cooking heroine. I grew up watching Julia Child on PBS, but I think that may be where this movie falls flat for me. I liked her as a cook and a part of my Saturdays, but I wouldn't want to become posessed by her in the way that is depicted in the movie. Julia's show was never really about what to make on a daily basis, but what to cook when company comes over or for a special event in the family. The Frugal Gourmet was much more along the lines of what to cook on a Tuesday. Those two, and Justin Wilson's Louisiana Chef, were my only real insights into how to cook growing up before the Food Network.
Wondering if I could get some inspiration to rid myself of my current cooking cunnundrum, I'm watching the Food Network. This is Food Porn. I'm watching cuts between the chef and close ups of herb jars, and a slow pan over a pan of slowing sauteeing meat, over to a beautifully lit jar of McCormick's spices which will eventually be the key ingrediant to this recipe. Then, you do have the shows that are about being in the kitchen cooking (not arranging flowers and setting tables that overlook the ocean), but the recipes are horrible. Even post-diabetes, Paula Dean is cooking with butter and pork fat, and there is a curious lack of vegetables. There's also no sense that people have food budgets. I just watched someone burn through $5 worth of fresh limes when you could have bought organic lime juice for a fourth of the price. So who today is cooking really healthy meals, quickly, and without burning through stacks of cash?
It seems like we are in the middle of changing the food culture of the United States into something that celebrates local foods, fresh produce, and healthy food choices. But, how do you do this in a budget-conscious way that does not become a full-time job? Figure out how to combine these three competing interests, and you've created a show I want to watch.
One thing I haven't quite gotten down is my eating habits. I've been in my new home for a grand total of 32 days and have had my new work schedule for 11 days, but I still am not really cooking or exercising or doing house cleaning with any sense of regularity. The cat is being fed, and I've gotten to church a couple times, but I'm not really taking care of myself very well. Part of this is the uncertainty involved with moving, the other is the expense. Having burned through a significant chunk of savings between security deposits, hiring movers, renting Uhauls, arranging new utilities, and the like, I really don't have a lot of money, but my routine is starting to settle down.
Last night, I found myself watching Julie and Julia, a tale of modern-day stalking and obsession. Or, an endearing plucky young writer pays homage to her cooking heroine. I grew up watching Julia Child on PBS, but I think that may be where this movie falls flat for me. I liked her as a cook and a part of my Saturdays, but I wouldn't want to become posessed by her in the way that is depicted in the movie. Julia's show was never really about what to make on a daily basis, but what to cook when company comes over or for a special event in the family. The Frugal Gourmet was much more along the lines of what to cook on a Tuesday. Those two, and Justin Wilson's Louisiana Chef, were my only real insights into how to cook growing up before the Food Network.
Wondering if I could get some inspiration to rid myself of my current cooking cunnundrum, I'm watching the Food Network. This is Food Porn. I'm watching cuts between the chef and close ups of herb jars, and a slow pan over a pan of slowing sauteeing meat, over to a beautifully lit jar of McCormick's spices which will eventually be the key ingrediant to this recipe. Then, you do have the shows that are about being in the kitchen cooking (not arranging flowers and setting tables that overlook the ocean), but the recipes are horrible. Even post-diabetes, Paula Dean is cooking with butter and pork fat, and there is a curious lack of vegetables. There's also no sense that people have food budgets. I just watched someone burn through $5 worth of fresh limes when you could have bought organic lime juice for a fourth of the price. So who today is cooking really healthy meals, quickly, and without burning through stacks of cash?
It seems like we are in the middle of changing the food culture of the United States into something that celebrates local foods, fresh produce, and healthy food choices. But, how do you do this in a budget-conscious way that does not become a full-time job? Figure out how to combine these three competing interests, and you've created a show I want to watch.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
What I really need is a 2003 IKEA Catalog
Planning a long distance move out of state is somewhat stressful. Between calling landlords, hoping they'll return my calls, hiring people through Craigslist to check out apartments for me, and still trying to work and finish my certificate program, I really have little time. I also have little money, which is why there will be no new furniture for the time being.
When I moved into my first apartment in Chicago after graduation, I went with the bare essentials: Bed, clothes. However, the next apartment, my dream pad down the street from Wrigley, was fully furnished with matching furniture. My bedroom set was lovely pine and grey wool upholstered items from IKEA. While the various particle board stuff I've picked up here and there since then has broken and fallen apart, the solid wood stuff from IKEA remains, and is headed to Upstate New York with me.
Not being able to buy new stuff, I'd really like to get another bedside table to make the next apartment slightly more functional. When I purchased the line of bedroom furniture, there was only myself to consider. Now, there's a boy in my bed. I'd rather like to try to get another table, but I can't remember the name of the series. I'm pretty sure there was a circle on one of the vowels? What I need is a 2002 or 2003 IKEA catalog so I can find the name of the thing, then maybe have a chance of tracking one down online. What I can't find is an actual copy of the darn catalog. I guess IKEA wants me to just go to their store and buy something new, but not even a fan page of the discontinued items? What is a poor IKEAn to do?
When I moved into my first apartment in Chicago after graduation, I went with the bare essentials: Bed, clothes. However, the next apartment, my dream pad down the street from Wrigley, was fully furnished with matching furniture. My bedroom set was lovely pine and grey wool upholstered items from IKEA. While the various particle board stuff I've picked up here and there since then has broken and fallen apart, the solid wood stuff from IKEA remains, and is headed to Upstate New York with me.
Not being able to buy new stuff, I'd really like to get another bedside table to make the next apartment slightly more functional. When I purchased the line of bedroom furniture, there was only myself to consider. Now, there's a boy in my bed. I'd rather like to try to get another table, but I can't remember the name of the series. I'm pretty sure there was a circle on one of the vowels? What I need is a 2002 or 2003 IKEA catalog so I can find the name of the thing, then maybe have a chance of tracking one down online. What I can't find is an actual copy of the darn catalog. I guess IKEA wants me to just go to their store and buy something new, but not even a fan page of the discontinued items? What is a poor IKEAn to do?
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