I was at a gathering at the house of my friends Benny and Ellen, and we lit the menorah. Instead of the normal blessings one says on Hanukkah days, which oddly seem to me to bless God, she used a far more inclusive set of blessings that her father wrote:

• One little candle for respect for others, to remind us that the right of others to think, speak, and live as they choose is just as important as our right to do so.
• and one little candle for learning, to remind us that in order to be able intelligently to choose our way of life, we must learn as much as we can.
• and one little candle for respect for nature, to remind us that the earth and all things on it are for us to use and enjoy without spoiling it for others, including those who have not yet been born.
• and one little candle for thinking for ourselves, to remind us never to do something just because everyone else is doing it, because that would be like being a slave; and also never to not do something just because everyone else is doing it.
• and one little candle for honesty, to remind us that just as we do not like to be cheated, we should not cheat others.
• and one little candle for loyalty, to remind us to be loyal and to help our family, our friends, and our community when we are needed.
• and one little candle for charity, to remind us to help others who are not as fortunate as we are.
• and one little candle for peace, to remind us always to settle our differences with reasoning, not with fighting.

I love Ellen’s dad.

People say this was a bad Christmas for retail, but not for our family.  We didn’t buy anything, and it was great.

Communicate honestly, and forgive honesty.

Just because I threw up in my mouth a little writing this doesn’t mean it’s not a good idea.

Mary’s the secretary of the PTA at the girls’ school.  I’m pretty sure most minutes aren’t as irreverent as hers.

PTA Board Meeting
Thursday, December 11, 2008

Cindy called the meeting to order at 8:10 a.m. Or something like that.

In attendance were the same people that always show.

Principal’s Report:

The principal has to give a presentation about the school configuration and facilities. She had to attend a boring meeting where she was informed that the pennies are screaming even louder than usual, and that we’ll probably have fewer, bigger schools. The school district will spend less dough on rent that way.

Treasurer Report:

Quincy lucked out this month, and Cindy did the report for him. Why, I don’t know. Whoo. We’ve got some money, but could always use more.

We discussed the Reflections program. Geez. Just because the kids don’t get a grade on a Reflections project doesn’t mean they shouldn’t want to do it.

Membership:

Tracy was at her class, so Cindy gave the report. We’d like more members. Duh.

Pershing T-shirts will be sold at the Santa’s breakfast.

We don’t know if the teachers with the highest membership have cashed in their prize money yet. They have to be reimbursed, instead of just getting a damn check, though.

Programs:

Amy is hot shit. Bitch. Everything she does is smooth, and that’s the honest truth. The Santa’s breakfast is no exception.

Pennies for Patients: we’re going to give some pennies to some patients.

3/5: Chili dinner. Amy hates that fattening pasta, so we’re going to do high fiber, high protein chili instead.

Barnes and Nobles: we’ll get a percentage of sales money from them. This doesn’t apply to gift cards, or anything fun. Just book sales.

Pickup and drop-offs: no one has the guts to tell Vince that he’s screwing around too long when he’s supposed to get the parents, kids, and cars in and out.

Special Projects:

Phil will get the damn jump rope, already. Jeez. Will everyone get off his back?

Benches will be installed in the summer, because we won’t have to pay for the installation then.

Amy got bored. She has things to do. Meeting adjourned at 9:15 a.m.

People usually define investment as making your money raise more money safely, while speculation means doing it in a way that entails risk.

I say when you buy something in the hope (however well justified) that you’ll be able to sellit for more money later, that’s speculation. If it will generate money for you over time whether you sell it or not, that’s investment.

Buying a house can be an investment, in that it can save you money on rent, which is similar to making money.  You can tell if it’s a reasonable investment by keeping track of how much you’re saving on rent, then subtracting taxes, maintenance, insurance, repairs, interest, and such.

If a house costs $250,000, you can figure about $2500 in taxes, $2500 in maintenance and repairs, $1000 in insurance, and $18,000 or so in interest (even if you don’t owe money on it, there’s the opportunity cost of tying up the money), or about $2,000 per month.  If you’d pay less than that in rent, it’s not an investment.  If you’d pay less, it’s consumption.  If your rent would be $2500 per month for the house, your $250,000 is effectively generating $6,000 per year in income, or about a 4% return.  If your rent would be $1500, then your “investment” is losing $6,000 per year.

Sometimes house prices go up, but, as people are discovering, you can’t count on it.

A rule of thumb for a reasonable price for houses is about 100 times the monthly rental price.

It is better to light a single candle than to curse the fucking darkness.