All, Favorite Things

Nate’s Favorite Things 2015

1 Comment

Oprah has 87 favorite things this year. For her favorite things, click her picture.

Oprah Christmas
Click the picture for Oprah’s favorite things.

Notice she has teamed up with Amazon this year! She must have stolen that idea from me, since I have been doing that right here on my website since March 2014. Oprah is rich and trendy. Her favorite things are expensive and trendy. My favorite things are just awesome. See below.

1. GE LED Light Bulbs

Technology has finally produced a bulb to truly replace the incandescent light bulb. These have all of the advantages of the incandescent bulb with none of the drawbacks of compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs), and use less energy than CFLs. They even look just like regular light bulbs. Perfect for that guy on your list who just wants cash. One 60W equivalent that costs less than $6 saves more than $100 in electricity over the 22 year life of the bulb!

40 Watt Equivalent

60 Watt Equivalent

I have not bought anything more than a 60 watt. Maybe next year.

2. Simple Kneads Gluten-free Bread

Brand new product available to order only since last week! The best gluten-free bread available. Get it while it’s hot! My favorite is the sourdough.

3. The Best Phone Charger You Can Buy

Ever notice that some chargers charge your phone fast and some take a long time? That is because of the current rating of the charger. This thing puts out enough power to light that 40 watt (equivalent) bulb above! It also has a long cable with a little light on the end and a USB port so you can remove the cable.

4. The Best Car Charger You Can Buy

Same as above, but for your car.

5. Supplemental Battery

This will run any phone (even smart phones) for several days on a charge. I used it while traveling on my bike for days at a time.

6. Trailer Hitch Bike Rack

While not as beefy or secure as its name-brand $450 counterparts, it gets the job done for 130 bucks. It is certainly heavy-duty enough that the bikes will not come off on the highway. You can get it stolen twice and still spend the same as for the name-brand!

7. Go Buckeyes!

8. At a Glance Phrasebooks by Barron’s

For whatever language, At a Glance phrasebooks are the best you can buy. They have the usual phrases, as well as pronunciation, and a handy dictionary in the back. I have personally used the Japanese, Korean, and Portuguese. Good pocket size and sturdy cover. Only one fits in your pocket. This is the best one.

9. The Best Pens

How many different types of pens are out there? Way more than there should be. This should be the only type. They are the best.

10. Kindle Paperwhite and Carrying Case

The Kindle Paperwhite is the best e-reader out there. I haven’t used the other e-readers, so how do I know? Because you can’t improve on perfect. The screen looks like paper, the pages flip fast, and it has a built-in back light for reading at night. You’ll want to be able to carry it without scratching the screen and this case is just that. Nothing fancy, just a well-fitting cover.

11. Jump Rope

A great product for a great exercise. It has ball bearings, adjustable length, and what else do you need in a rope?

 

All

Big Money 2

4 Comments

I wrote a post called Big Money almost 2 years ago in January 2014. This is a follow-up to that post to update the numbers.

$18.1 trillion = annual US gross domestic product estimate (www.BEA.gov)

$3.2 trillion = US government tax revenue, fiscal year 2015 estimated (http://www.gpo.gov, Fiscal Year 2016, Historical Tables, Table 2.1)

$18.7 trillion = US government national debt as of today (www.treasurydirect.gov)

$0.40 trillion = interest expense on US government outstanding debt, fiscal year 2015 (www.treasurydirect.gov)

0.40 / 18.7 = 2.1% average annual interest rate on the national debt

0.40 / 3.2 = 12%, interest expense as a percentage of tax revenue

$3.53 trillion = currency exchange reserves held by the Chinese government as of Oct 2015 (www.tradingeconomics.com) This has been steadily decreasing since it peaked at $3.99 trillion in mid-2014.

$4.25 trillion = money supply inflation as of Nov 2015 by the practice of quantitative easing (www.federalreserve.gov with data interpretation help by Wikipedia) This amount has been relatively steady since Oct 2014.

All of the US government numbers come directly from balance sheets available on .gov sites. It was calming to find the numbers I’ve heard about in the news on a regular old balance sheet. I don’t think I will rush to cash in my savings bond.

All

Turkey Trot 2015!

2 Comments

Who: you

What: Turkey Trot Thanksgiving Day 10K, 5K, or around-the-lake walk

When: meet at 845, start at 9AM Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, 26 November 2015 (tomorrow)

Where: start at Antrim Park

Why: to feel good about all that turkey and stuffing we are going to eat, save $45 compared to the corporate-sponsored Turkey Trot, and because it’s too cold to run and it’s our only day off.

Around the Lake Walk

Around the Lake = 1.2 miles / 2K
Around the Lake = 1.2 miles / 2K

 

Your Standard 5K

Around the lake, east on 161, turn around in front of TWHS = 3.1miles / 5K
Around the lake, east on 161, turn around in front of TWHS = 3.1miles / 5K

10K

Around the lake, just past the tennis courts and back = 10K
Around the lake, just past the tennis courts and back = 10K
All, Travel

Day 7, Home for the Holidays, and Summary

I slept in Monday morning until I could hear the frost on my tent dripping from the sun melting it. I hit the road intending to be on the bus in Grove City by sunset.

I had a couple donuts from Jolly Pirate while I waited for the bus and called my brother who would be getting out of work at the same time my bus rolled through downtown. Turns out, he was going to a Donald Trump rally with his girlfriend, so I joined them. After the rally, I went home.

In summary, I rode 314 miles in 7 days, an average of about 45 very flat and very straight miles per day. I visited 6 different people. Big thanks to those who lent me a couch to sleep on!

163 miles to Cleveland
A trail and a rail
153 miles to Cleveland

SW Ohio by Bike November 2015

Click here for the whole Columbus to Cincinnati and return bike trip.

All, Travel

Day 5, Recovery Day

Welcome back to Ohio, Rachel and Tony! Saturday morning, rode across town through Beavercreek to my cousin’s new apartment complex to help them move in. With about ten people helping out, they were ready for a party by kickoff. We all watched the Buckeyes lose, then hung out for the night.

Moving complete, we kicked back and watched the game.

SW Ohio by Bike November 2015

All, Travel

Day 4, Beavercreek

Friday morning, hit the trail north from Mason to Beavercreek.

I intended this trip to be more leisurely than my first, but some quick addition could have revealed that would not be the case. It has gone to plan so far, and 225 miles in 4 days is not leisurely. I have 3 books to read and don’t have to be back until… I don’t know, Thursday? I’ll take it easy on the way home.

The southwest Ohio trail network is centered in Xenia Station, hence the 0.0 mile marker there. It truly is a great network that connects almost continuously with dedicated bicycle trails from Cincinnati to Cleveland.

I arrived at Ahmed and Emily’s home in Beavercreek on Friday afternoon and enjoyed lunch, Young’s Dairy, and chicken for dinner. I met their two kids, Alistair and Bazile for the first time also.

Ally, Me, Bazile, Ahmed, Emily
Camera was rolling

SW Ohio by Bike November 2015

All, Travel

Day 3, Cincinnati

Biked from Mason to Cincinnati and back today. At some point today biking miles passed up miles on the truck.

Had lunch at Skyline Chili with my cousin Shannon and her husband, who both work downtown. Thanks for lunch, Shannon and Brett.

Along the Ohio River in Cincinnati

On the way back my friend Kevin met me in Loveland and rode 10 miles back with me to his house.

Saw the newest Bond movie Spectre tonight. It was good, Definitely worth seeing.

With the Kevin, Caelin, and Carter family. Toy Story DVD in the foreground, a mesmerizing movie.

SW Ohio by Bike November 2015

All, Travel

Day 2, Cedarville to Mason

This is my first post on the road. It’s actually pretty easy to do from my phone. I’m here with Kevin Furay at his lovely townhome and we are both being antisocial on the internet.

This morning, I woke up, broke camp, and started riding southwest from Cedarville.

The path is straight and flat just like the railroad it replaced. The coolest part today was the construction on the new I-71 bridge over the Little Miami River. There was drainage water falling from the road like rain on the path from 100 feet above. I also saw a large buck on the path, but he disappeared into a field before I rode close.

A new bridge is being built while traffic continues to use the old bridge.

SW Ohio by Bike November 2015

All, Travel

Day 1, Columbus to Cedarville

I’m on the road again, this time touring southwest Ohio on the bike path from Columbus to Cincinnati. I got a late start, rode the COTA bus from home to Grove City in order to pick up the bike path in Galloway. I stopped in Galloway for dinner before really even riding and didn’t hit the trail until after dark.

From 2000-2345 Tuesday night, I rode from Galloway to just short of Cedarville.

When I started out, I was worried that I would have some trouble on an unfamiliar trail at night, but with a warm tailwind and enough of a moon for light, it was my new favorite ride since returning to Ohio. Of note, toward the end of the ride, I ran over an animal about the size of a possum. It ran right in front of me in the dark. I could hardly see it and it scurried off into the grass quickly afterward.

The path is as straight and flat as can be!

SW Ohio by Bike November 2015

Produce. Persist. Own. Succeed. Fail. Care. Do. Learn. Win.