“Talk is cheap.” That’s what we say. And, to a degree, it’s true. But bear this in mind: all action is precipitated by talk. People will often try to silence your voice expressly for that reason — because they know it will lead to action. In the age where hating on millenials is trendy, dismissing the value …
Category: On the Side
Nov 03
Investment vs. Loan Payoff
A few weeks back, I was contemplating various ways Jess and I could possibly payoff school debt sooner rather than later. I had a spreadsheet detailing my current Loan Payment Plan, but I was more than willing to knock months off the bottom of that plan, if at all possible. So I mulled over several …
Jul 30
Paying Off Your Loans
Everybody has debt. And, I assume, we all want to pay it off. But how quickly should we pay it off? Did you know that on a $100,000 home mortgage at 12.0% interest, increasing your monthly payment by only $100 (from $1,100 to $1,200) will save you nearly $50,000 of interest paid over …
Jul 17
Ernie’s Adventure
What … Is This? If you’re like my brother and me, you love old-timey computer games almost more than the latest and greatest shoot-em-up. For as long as I can remember, my brother and I have loved playing classic puzzle games like King’s Quest, Commander Keen (yah, I realize that’s not really a puzzle game), …
May 04
The Question Project
Music, as defined by Webster, is “the science or art of ordering tones or sounds in succession, in combination, and in temporal relationships to produce a composition having unity and continuity.” This has come to be the generally accepted definition of music. However, Webster also defines music as, “An agreeable sound.” Sound, by its second …
Dec 03
Hotel California
Joe Kmetz and I were on our way to Krista’s house over Turkey Break and I had designated Joe as the DJ for the trip. At some point during the drive we ended up listening to “Hotel California,” probably the best song the Eagles ever wrote and performed. This spawned a discussion as to the …
Nov 19
The Question of Music, Meaning, and Life Project
After viewing a few John Cage videos on YouTube (like this one, this one, and possibly this one), I thought to myself, “What the heck … I could write this crap.” And so, using his song 4’33” as my deepest inspiration, I proceeded to do just that. In fact, I made an entire album, with …
Nov 07
Cotton Balls and Cramps
I was never really good at Chemistry. Better at it than at Biology, but still not exceptional. Granted, I earned an A when I took Chemistry in college, but this was from Kirkwood, which doesn’t have the highest academic prestige, so the A was easily achieved without completely understanding the material. The same goes for …