Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Operation Twist


Come on baby, let’s do the twist!!… at the Fed.

I’ve nearly stopped listening to the Fed because Ben Bernanke’s beard creeps me out.  It’s bigger than his face, and he is so unanimated when he speaks you find yourself focusing in on the beard, it’s many hues of brown, black grey and white… Eww… it’s just gross.  It reminds me of the Family Guy episode where a bird nests in Peter’s beard and he has to leave it there because it’s endangered.  I feel like if I pay close attention, I will see something come out the beard (other than QE shenanigans and boring nonsense… blah blah blah… OMG there’s a baby kangroo!) Only lumberjacks or Canadians should have beards like that.  AND, it never goes away, it’s not a seasonal beard.  I’m pretty sure he was born with that beard.

Let me break down the Fed announcement process in pictures:

Ominous Fed

Ominous beard


Redbeard (Arrgh me hopes no one missed the official talk like a pirate day on Sept 19!)



Operation Twist
So the latest in monetary policy is the Operation Twist. The Fed has proposed selling short term bonds and using the proceeds to purchase long term bonds (7 to 12 years).  This will bend the yield curve and serve to reduce long term interest rates.  This is different than the quantitative easing over the past 3 years that has focused mostly on keeping short term interest rates low.  No one expects it to have a significant impact, it could make it easier to borrow for longer terms.  I doubt I will even notice if it eventually takes place.  The only “stimulus” that has directly impacted me was Obama’s payroll tax holiday, the 2% off the 6.2% we pay to Social Security (your employer pays 6.2% on your behalf as well).  That will expire at the end of the year.  I didn’t really consider it a “stimulus” as it was basically letting me keep $$ that “theoretically” should come back to me in retirement.   But I live hard and fast so I don’t plan on collecting much social security anyways.  Not to mention in my annual statement from the Social Security Administration they remind me that I should only expect to collect 66% of what I put in.  As such, I’m planning to live 44% less.

Maybe I’m getting old, or didn’t pay attention until recently, but I feel like “back in the day” when the Fed made an announcement some people listened and cared.  Now, it’s almost like the Fed is another political party, and when there is an announcement we just get slathered with another layer of pandering and more beards.  When Ben Bernanke did a press conference back in April (the first in the Fed’s history) it was hyped like a super bowl.  I didn’t see any cheer leaders for the beard.   The best thing the Fed has done recently was when they warned Congress about their approach to the national debt and insinuated (the Fed never actually says anything) that they are responsible for much of the uncertainty that could be holding the economy down. I agree with Beardnanke on that front.   In the future when we look back on the financial crisis and the “great recession” I don’t think anyone will say “we didn’t have enough monetary policy support, that would have been the difference maker!”.  In fact, the Fed is running out of ways to fulfilling its full-employment mandate without violating the other half of its mandate: price stability.

QE1, QE2, now the twist.  Ben, if you really want to make a difference in the economy get rid of your beard!  Investors will not know what to do but the optimism created from not having to look at it on CNBC may spill over into other parts of the economy and people will be more willing to open up their wallets!




Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Long time, no blog

Producing a high quality blog such as mine is not easy!  Especially when you’re coordinating an apartment move with 2 guys and 2 dogs (my ambiguous living situation).  When I started this blog I was hoping it would generate a snowball effect of creativity and motivation that would build and the blog would grow with awesome content and some of the creativity and motivation would overflow into other parts of my life and everything would get better and better.  The reality is that blogging is a commitment.  It’s fulfilling, but you only get out what you put in!  I have a much greater appreciation for the really awesome blogs that I like to read and the ones my friends have created. 

Community tables.  I grew up with tons of people pretty much everywhere.  Privacy was a joke, and closed doors and locks were not allowed.  As such, I’m no stranger to communal tables.  They’re quite unusual in Dallas, but since I go to all the trendy restaurants we are encountering them more frequently.  Communal tables are more common in Europe because they don’t have the space and freedom we enjoy in Texas.  I used to go to the cafeteria at Manor (a Swiss department store and grocer) and sit at the communal tables during lunch or for a snack after getting some groceries and try to eavesdrop on the people talking around me to improve my language skills.  The conversations were always very interesting because my understanding was a synthesis of amateur Italian skills and a huge imagination.

Bolsa. Last weekend we went to Bolsa, actually it probably wasn’t the weekend, I think it was Thursday.  The weather has been so beautiful lately that we wanted to eat local organic food on a patio with some wine: Bolsa’s specialty.  When we arrived the hostess told us we would have to wait 20 minutes for a spot on the patio or we could be seated now at a communal table.  I was intrigued. I wanted to shout out Yes! that is the table for us.  We will gladly break bread with strangers!  However, my main man M is not the communal table type unless it’s with a bunch of dogs or computers. Small talk with strangers is painfully brutal for M; conversations are a practicality in his world. It was best to leave this decision to him.  
Meanwhile, I’m quietly wondering, “who will it be?”, ”what will they be eating?”, “will they be older or younger than me”, “what if it’s a special occasion”, “am I dressed appropriately to meet what could be our new BFFs?” “will they like me!?”

And then M responded to the hostess “We’ll take the communal table”. 

I was shocked! But M is a smart guy so he probably knew I was excited by the prospect of a communal table.

When we sat down both M and I were delighted to find out that we would dine with a group of 5 ladies having a girl’s night out and celebrating a birthday! FUN.  Order the wine.

Okay I was the only one excited by this.  M was disquieted by the two kids at the table, adorable girls between the ages of 5 and 7?? (I’m horrible at guessing the age of children). 

We enjoyed a delicious dinner starting with a cheese plate.  Always get the cheese plate at Bolsa.  They use local artisan cheese and usually feature at least one cheese that is made in-house by the chef.  That evening, the in-house cheese was my favorite.  It was blue cheese with vegetable mash.  Also, at Bolsa they don’t skimp on the fruit and nut selection on the cheese plate.  What is more frustrating than running out of accompaniments on your cheese plate?? Our communal table birthday partiers had the flatbread.  Not a bad choice either but I prefer the cheese plate.

For our entrees I had the redfish with bok choy and M had a double size order of the skirt steak (it only comes with 4 ounces for a regular order).  We agreed that the redfish was the right choice because it had a Louisiana-style spicy sauce that was different and tasty. Caveat, it was a little too salty for my taste.  Our neighbors shared some small plates and got the roasted chicken to share, which was a contender for my selection but I was satisfied with my choice (no food envy).

Then came the b-day celebration at the other end of the table! I sang along and M tried to act like he didn’t notice.

The b-day celebration inspired me to get some desserts – take out.  Bolsa has awesome desserts and 2 that feature bananas, a welcome addition to any dessert in my opinion.  We got the banana cake to-go and the white chocolate rum tile.  The banana cake was like a very moist banana flavored spice cake with cream cheese icing that seemed whipped.  It was light and delicious.  Our neighbors had it for the b-day cake.  The tile is one of our favs, I gotta have it!.  The crust is crushed vanilla wafers, the middle is some delicious miracle of white chocolate cheesecake type stuff, and it’s topped with bruleed bananas and toffee sauce. YUum! I love dessert with bananas. soo good.  I’ve included a pic below to enhance my blog.  This pic came from the internet because I got my tile to-go that evening and devoured it before I could snap a pic.



At the end of the night I had to tell the ladies how lovely their 2 daughters are and that we were glad to have chosen the communal table.  They laughed and responded that their decision to take the communal table was based on the idea that no one would want to sit with a bunch of ladies and kids, so they thought they would have the place to themselves.  Dallas is a city that is spread out.  Despite all the southern hospitality and friendliness it can feel lonely here.  We all have cars and it’s very easy to go about your life without any interaction with strangers (which is probably why M moved here).  However, sharing an evening with 5 strangers was an enriching experience that made Thursday (or whatever day it was) a little different and a lot of fun.

Here is a picture of our community table (I tried to be discreet with the camera, so I couldn’t get all of the ladies in the shot, but doesn't that cheese plate look divine!):




Friday, September 9, 2011

Separation anxiety


Working in a cube is an unnatural ways to exist.  I have a cube, and there is a certain level of comfort/productivity generated by not having to look at people on three sides of you and being sheltered from distractions of other people's work or socializing habits at the office.  On the other hand, the lack of natural light and the feeling that you’re closed in, or backed into a corner starts to ware.

Ohh, and I cannot forget about my previous cube at my old job, the “centralized bube”.  The name originated from a typo in an email referring to my cube in the middle of the office (centralized).  That was back when I decorated my cube so it was pretty fancy.  I don’t do that anymore.  I learned that if you have stuff in your cube, the likelihood that someone will stop by and chat about it increases exponentially.

One thing you cannot avoid or deny when working in a cube environment is learning a lot about your cube-wall-mate.  The cube-wall-mate is an important role in your work-cube-life.  S-he can make or break your daily existence.  I’m very fortunate to have a corner cube, so only 2 cube-wall-mates for me.  The one in front sits kind of farther away, but the one opposite of me has become a companion.  And today, she told me she is leaving.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

So yeah, I’m really sad she’s leaving.  She is really cool, tells great stories, doesn’t take bs from anyone (at work or at home), shares my enthusiasm for monthly birthday cake and other snacks at work, and probably does good work.  She will be missed.

I’m also worried about who they will replace her with as my cube-wall-mate (unfortunately, I think I already know who that will be and it’s not a good prospect).  What if I get someone who smells bad and talks too much?  How about one of those people who blows their nose excessively loud? or does the constant sinus clearing/sniffling/grunting sound (which is totally disgusting)?  My quality of life may deteriorate in the coming weeks.

So today I have a little bit of separation anxiety.  It’s anxiety because the separation part hasn’t happened yet.  Also, it just feeds into the general anxiety that I always have about work.  But, this is not about me, she’s moving onto better things so let’s be happy for her!  
…and I’m stuck with a loud smelly fatty (okay the whole blog is about me)…

Dearest readers (Lacey and Chelsea), please have a nice weekend. 

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Just for Kicks

There is a short list of things I’m not good at and shopping is on that list.  It’s true, even though I want to have it all I do not particularly enjoy shopping.  While I like having new things my distaste for crowds, high prices, valets, and frustration generated by my own indecision, usually keeps me wearing the same thing again and again.  Not to mention, I would rather spend my money at bars or restaurants.  I have a few theories as to how I got this way.  The first is Catholic school.  If you’re forced to wear the same horrible, ugly and uncomfortable ensemble every day for 10 years it builds a deep rooted complacency that makes you feel like it’s okay to wear the same thing all the time  as long as it’s clean, properly pressed, and modest.  Oh, and skirts and dresses; I’m still retaliating against them.  They were forced on me at an early age when it’s nearly impossible to sit still.  Their solution?? Modesty shorts. Yep, young Catholic girls get to wear the skirts and the shorts AT THE SAME TIME.  Brilliant.  Overall though, I feel like the uniforms were okay because of the character building aspects.  I can appear relaxed in the most awkward and uncomfortable situations and I actually know how to act in a skirt (no Brittany photo ops for me).
The second theory is genetic.  I don’t know anyone in my family that enjoys a good trip to the mall.  Even with my passion for food and booze, I still do not like going to the grocery store (too much loading and unloading, not to mention you may run into kids and old ladies).  Whole Foods is bridging that gap for me now that most locations have a bar so I can combine drinking (yay!) and shopping (ughh) for a mediocre time at the supermarket.

So I don’t go shopping that often.   And when I do, I find myself with a series of impulse purchases that make me smile because having it all is mostly about being happy, not well dressed.  Here are a few of my recent prizes:

When I failed the Level 2 CFA exam I had to buy these:














Because gift registries are really just a suggestion, I had to get this for my friend’s Asian baby:




And just last weekend, I bought these new running shoes and customized them myself.  Why go the distance and design your own shoes in the store if you don’t like shopping?  Because if my shoes are tackier than all the others in the gym I may run a little faster.  If my shoes have my name on them, I will certainly wear them more often… that means more time exercising! … riiigghhhtt.


 





Sunday, September 4, 2011

Stuff

Before the party starts today I thought I would take some time to show love to the blog.  Since I don't have anything interesting to write about I thought I would enhance previous blog posts with photos.  Please enjoy!

Have a great labor day weekend y'all.


Thursday, September 1, 2011

YUM!

Warm delicious coffee. ohh companion of companions!

Today I found out that Dunkin’ Donuts k-cups are finally available. ALLELUJIA! ALLELUJIA! I have been anticipating this moment since early May when Dunkin released their S1 and in the business plan mentioned that they would introduce a k-cup.  However at the time they did not disclose a date for the release.  No, I did not buy Dunkin IPO stock because I don’t have a brokerage account.  Currently, all my money goes to living expenses, savings (because I have an irrational fear of getting laid off), student loans, weddings and baby showers.  However, I am almost finished paying off my car so I will start trading and my blaugience will be the first to know.

I drink all kinds of coffee.  I am not a coffee elitist nor am I loyal to only one brand.  How can you have it all if you stick to the same brand?? I can’t say I haven’t met a coffee I didn’t like… it’s true, I find iced coffee to be… well kind of like dirt water with ice chunks. But does that even count as coffee?

In pondering my coffee obsession I found that various phases of my life can be defined by my coffee drinking habits.  Come to think of it, my long-time romance with the bean could be responsible for the fact that I’m the shortest person in my family… whatever.

In high school, my drip of choice came from 7-11.  They were the first ones to really step it up and brew a variety of fresh pots every morning.  It wasn’t just “regular” and “decaf”, there were usually 4 coffee brews to choose from, French Roast, Columbian (which was usually a dark roast), and Another that would fluctuate and of course they also had decaf (which I wouldn’t touch at the time). 

I usually partook in the French Roast and dressed it up with some hazelnut or vanilla and a little sugar.  Whenever they had the faux Baily’s flavor creamer I would load up on that!  While I was getting my coffee, everyone else was stopping in for their morning routine.  The construction workers were stocking up for the day, purchasing their sandwiches and drinks.  Some also had coffee.  The white collar citizens were getting coffee as well, and some snacks for the day.  Other people came in just to pay for gas.  When I got coffee at 7-11 it made me feel like part of the “real world”, people that were actually doing something that day would come to 7-11 and I was there with them.  Of course, that was probably the more interesting part of my day because I really hated high school. 

Grotto cappuccinos.  If you know what I’m talking about then you are craving one right now!  Ohh so creamy and frothy. But not too creamy and frothy as I have found many cappuccinos to be in the US.  Before class, after class, during breaks there was always a coffee for me at the grotto.  Nothing was better than a grotto cappuccino with my girl MN (I love and miss her).  Cappuccinos in the morning evolved into espressos in the afternoon.  Sometimes I had to keep it real and order an Americana. 

In college I really stepped up my coffee drinking game.  Coffee is everywhere in Europe and I love coffee everywhere.  This was where I was first introduced to coffee vending machines.  Bar Caruso had delicious coffees in addition to a fine panino selection.  Café Parigino on “the hill” was also a favorite; it was very European and crowded so I enjoyed having coffee there and trying to “blend in”.  When I was feeling particularly fancy, or trying to keep up with my high-tone friends, I would get coffee at Grand Café.  Lugano was also where I tried my first McCafé, not bad! They were all special and delicious in their own rite.

One of my fav professors at Franklin gave me her coffee maker when she decided to leave Lugano.  Interestingly I never took a class from her, but she was very kind and I got to know her as a freshman.  It was a regular style brewed coffee machine and I would pick up some Café Chico d’oro from Manor and make coffee for all of my friends.  This easily transitioned into coffee with Bailey’s: my study-drink of choice.  Coffee and Bailey’s is the right combination of caffeine, to keep you going, and alcohol, to keep you relaxed and happy.  My friend JD was my first convert.  He would purchase the largest size bottles from duty free in different flavors.  We would drink them all semester.  Yu-um!  One thing I never mastered was the perfect blend of Red Cup, which is a type of instant coffee that was kind of popular in Switzerland.

Voi un café? Si! Grazie.

After college my life became a litany of office coffee and trips to Starbucks.  My first job didn’t have a Starbucks, or any other type of coffee bar, in the building.  That was okay though because I enjoyed many trips to Starbucks with my colleagues.  One thing Europeans have not thought of yet is drive through coffee! We would pile into a mid-sized sedan and sit in the drive through line at sbux to order coffee for ourselves and others at the office. What happened if there was a mistake in the order?? Did we forget the cookies??? Back to the car! This order will be rescued.

Now I work in a fancy building downtown and we have a variety of coffee options and horrible office coffee.  I go to Starbucks most mornings and order a tall bold (the way I like my men).  If you order a drink in the morning you can get a refill in the afternoon for 50₵.  On the weekends I usually brew coffee and I maintain a pretty decent selection of Dunkin donuts coffee, grocery store blends, and some fancier coffees that people have given me as gifts.

My boyfriend introduced me the Keurig.  I didn’t like it at first because I thought the individual-size plastic pods were a bit wasteful.  I still believe that is true, but if you recycle the plastic then it’s justified.  I also didn’t feel like coffee from the k-cups tasted as good as regularly brewed coffee.  I have found some acceptable brands such as Emeril’s brand k-cups and “Jamaica-me-crazy”.  Also, as I have gotten older I have begun drinking decaf in the evenings.  Pretty much any decaf in the Keurig tastes the same so you can’t go wrong there.  And, to be honest, if I’m making coffee at night it will be a fancy coffee with some special ingredients.  
 
Anyways, I’m excited about the Dunkin k cups.  Sbux will have a k-cup in November and I will try those too! 


Readers (aka Chelsea and Lacey), please tell me about your coffee habits. Do you love it as much as I do??