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Kara's Journal

kara
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08/01/2006 11:55 #25006

Financial Planning
Category: money
Does anyone have any recommendations for financial planners? We're looking for suggestions of local people who can give us advice on investments, taxes and retirement funding.
vincent - 08/01/06 13:10
I was with Morgan Stanley a few years back, they wern't too bad just rubbed me the wrong way. Although they did give me a bunch of winners through the years (JP Penny back when it was in the low 20's.

If i was going with some advisor right now I'd go with a smaller company like Mass Mutual or H&R Block but that is my current financial situation at the moment.
olemanrunin - 08/01/06 12:47
The Only Proven Road to Investment Success: Everyone's Simple Guide to a Safe Trip (Hardcover) by Chandan Sengupta
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A GREAT INVESTMENT GUIDE, February 11, 2004
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I've tried it all ; dividend investing, momentum trading, market timing, scale trading, you name it!!! I only wish I'd started on this system long years ago...
But no matter. Fortunately, I still have time. This book will give you a proven, safe way to plan for retirement or other financial goals. It's full of common sense, and I highly recommend it if, like me, you're ready to stop losing money and get serious about your financial future.

07/31/2006 20:14 #25005

The Magic that is Weggies
Category: food
I have long been a fan of Wegmans' magazine, Menu, and today when I visited their web site I was again impressed.
Not only do they have a way to create your own set of personal shopping lists, you can customize them by store, which gives you a neatly ordered listing of which aisles have each item.
I generally group my grocery lists by produce, dairy, and types of food, but Weggies makes it that much more precise.

07/25/2006 20:41 #25004

For jenks
Category: potpourri
image
jenks - 07/25/06 20:54
aww. Thanks. hopefully I'll be able to change my pic back one of these days. I had to draw that one (obviously) since all the pix I have of myself are so damn smily!

07/19/2006 21:52 #25003

The S.S. Muffin
Category: food
As I try to come up with clever names for recipes, like the Ro-Ro-Rollup, here's one that pays homage to my love of boats: the S.S. Muffin. Sounds like a good name for a ship, doesn't it?
Baking when it's 90 degrees in our apartment isn't the worst idea I've ever had, but in the history of bad ideas, it's among the top 20.
The S.S. stands for sunflower seeds and sesame seeds. The recipe is adapted from one on allrecipes.com for five spice muffins.
Tools
One big bowl
One small bowl
Spoons
Muffin tins (I used one tin w/ 6 muffin molds - supermuffins. This recipe would make 12 regular size muffins.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini (I had some frozen - in the summer, when it's local and fresh, I always shred a few and freeze them in bags of 1-2 cups.)
4 tbsp boiling water
1 3/4 cup of AP flour
1 cup sugar, any kind but powdered
2 handfuls sunflower seeds
1 handful sesame seeds
3/4 tsp each of: baking powder, salt, cinnamon, coriander, nutmeg, cloves. I used several liberal dashes of cinnamon, and a giant tablespoon of my four spice mix (cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, and something else that escapes me).
2 eggs, beaten
3 tsbp veggie oil
a splash of vanilla extract
Steps
Preheat oven to 350 F and grease your muffin tins.
Add boiling water to shredded zucchini, mix.
In another bowl, mix all dry ingredients.
Add the eggs, vanilla and oil to the zucchini mix. Combine the wet and dry ingredients.
Add milk by 1/4 cups until it's a muffin consistency. I can't be more specific than that.
Spoon into your muffin pans.
Bake in the oven for 25+ minutes - mine took 28, but I constantly peek in to see its progress. I need an oven with a window.
Gosh they were yummy.
ladycroft - 07/20/06 09:54
ooh, i love allrecipes.com!
chicoschica - 07/19/06 22:43
kara -
I totally feel your pain. We don't have a window in our oven either and it's horrible. I know a watched pot never boils (or bakes), but it's really hard to keep from peeking.

The SS Muffin sounds pretty damn good to me. That's a cruise I'd take some morning during a coffee break. =d

07/18/2006 19:51 #25002

Buy our Boat
Category: buy
We're simplifying our lives a bit here at Casa Kane, and part of that involves divesting ourselves of some boat property.
(e:ladycroft)'s entry made me ask myself: does anyone else on (e:strip) have a boat? Like, a real boat, that you can sail - not a noisy motorboat that wastes gas and hurts eardrums.
We have a Potter 15 and it's the cutest thing. If we didn't already have the Catalina 22 in the marina, this would be our main boat. It's trailerable with a decent sized van or SUV, and comes with an engine and all necessary rigging and sails. I have more pictures and other details available; it's perfect for someone who wants to get into sailing, but who wants to start small. What better way to enjoy a western New York summer than out on the water - this is easily launched into Lake Erie, Chautauqua, or any of the Finger Lakes.

image
If you're interested, or if you know someone who should be, send them my way. Depending on how committed they are to a sale, we could be tempted to take the Potter out for a cruise.
kara - 07/18/06 22:23
Before you get into sailing, here's a little advice that J told me to remember as one makes the decision to buy a sailboat:
Go into the bathroom with several handfuls of $20 bills.
Stand in the shower, fully clothed.
Turn the shower on, and as your clothes are becoming totally soaked, start flushing those $20s down the toilet. That is the closest you can come to sailing without actually getting on a boat.

On the smaller boats, it's no big deal. If you have to spend $13 on some special little bolt, fine. But when you have a gigantic boat, or are big into racing, and all of the sudden those little bolts are $83 and you need 12 of them - well, see my anecdote.
paul - 07/18/06 22:00
I want to buy your boat so bad. Unfortunately, the mansion is eating all of my money. How much are you selling it for?