Year: 2012

My Own Cousin!

Fun

Take a look at this relationship chart.  Solid lines are blood relationships.  Dotted lines are marriage relationships.  Boxes at the same level are in the same generation.

The chart shows how last month, when my cousin J married L, I became my own cousin.  I am seriously proud of this accomplishment and anyone who is a cousin of J, L, or S can claim this feat and be proud.

My Own Cousin

Kodiak Jack’s versus Red Robin

Observations

Kodiak Jack’s is now offering a “Free Lunch, including unlimited fries” with purchase of the soup and salad bar for $6.99.  It is an interesting ploy — free lunch only $7 — but by the unlimited fries, you know they are targeting Red Robin.  So Let’s compare:

  1. The Salad: KJ’s salad bar is mediocre.  You don’t get a salad with your burger at RR.  Half a point for KJ’s
  2. The Burger: KJ’s burger is solid, perhaps better than RR in it’s basic form.  But RR has all the fancy toppings, so we’ll call this one a draw.
  3. The Fries: KJ’s has unlimited fries, RR has bottomless fries.  KJ’s fries, however, are skin on.  Point for KJ’s.
  4. The Price: KJ’s charges $7 for all this.  At RR you will pay $9-10 for the burger and fries.  Point for KJ’s

At least for lunch, Kodiak Jack’s just blew Red Robin out of the water.

When Money is Tight

Observations

Heard on the radio tonight…this advertisement struck me as particularly asinine:  Have you been wanting an iPad but money is tight?  Then stop on down to the car credit center…we’ll get you approved for an auto loan and with every car purchase we’ll enter you for a chance to win an iPad.  Stunning!

Medical Costs

Observations

Reviewing the most recent bundle of medical bills, we find the following contrast instructive:

  • Cost to see the family doctor and be tested and treated for strep throat: $275
  • Cost to see the quick-care doctor (at Wal-Mart) and be tested and treated for strep throat: $65

Both offices are members of medical group X.

 

 

Bs-First Program

Family

Today, I am bragging about B.  He expressed a strong desire to learn to program, so I dug up and installed Microsoft Small Basic.  It looks like a sweet little IDE for kids.  Every programmer’s first ever program, and often his first a new language, must simply print the message “Hello World.”  Some even consider it bad luck to do otherwise.  So it was an occasion to be remembered, yeah celebrated, when he ran his own first program and showed me “Hello World.”  Now into his second day, he is learning to draw with the turtle, just like I did.  He has a few years head start.