I'm not sure if it's a benefit of aging, or being married, or both, but at age 51 (and in year 9 of marriage), I'm finding I no longer have a problem admitting that I like things that simply aren't (or weren't) cool to like.
My wife, Peri (who's much better at being cool than I ever was), summed up this philosophy in what's now become a classic response, at least in our house, to various uncool or unattractive admissions: "That's OK. You already have a wife!"
I had an epiphany about this several years back while listening to the 60s channel on my XM Radio. A Carpenters song came on and I found myself singing it at the top of my lungs, and it suddenly hit me. "Holy S**T. I LIKE the Carpenters. I LOVE the Carpenters!". "Haaangin' around .... nothin' to do but frown ... "
Understand that I grew up in the golden age of rock 'n roll, when it was very cool to like the Beatles, Doors, Led Zeppelin, Kinks, and any number of happening rock bands. And I did (and do) like them (you haven't lived until you've heard me sing "When The Music's Over" at top volume in the car.)
But having watched American Bandstand starting at age one (you can verify this with my 82-year old Mom in Florida) and grown up listening to classic radio stations like WABC and WMCA, I like all sorts of hit music, from Buddy Holly to Neil Sedaka to - yes - the Carpenters and Barry Manilow. Yes, Barry, too. (I made this admission in the Squawk Box control room at CNBC recently, and our director looked at me and said, "Please stop. You're scaring us.")
When I got to the college radio station in 1974, it was the height of the progressive rock era, and if a band wasn't played on WNEW-FM, you couldn't possibly admit you liked it. I took grief for liking Creedence Clearwater Revival, for goodness sakes, so even admitting to myself that I liked the Carpenters was unthinkable. Barry, too. Over time, I convinced myself that I only liked "cool" bands, and bought into my own self-deception with a vengeance.
Except once in a while, my true nature would come out. During an all-night show on our station, I actually played Bread's "Everything I Own". It's a good song. It's a GREAT song. But it didn't belong on progressive rock radio in the 70s, and in reviewing my playlist for the evening, the program director wrote one word next to that song. "No."
But my Carpenters epiphany was one of the most liberating experiences of my recent adult life.
Within short order, I realized I didn't care what ANYONE thought of my tastes in music, movies ("Diner" is one of my favorites), TV Shows (reality junkies, you have a friend in me), clothing - or pretty much anything. In short, I decided it was cool to be uncool.
But that's OK. Because I already have a wife. And she likes Barry and the Carpenters, too!
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Money Isn't Everything, Even Though I Want More
I think about money often. Maybe too often.
Of course, part of that is built into my life as a producer of financial and business news. I also moonlighted as a professional tax preparer for many years and still take responsibility for my family's finances and tax returns. I'm an unwaveringly consistent investor and saver, as well as a Quicken fanatic who enjoys poring over its reports as if they were ancient tablets of wisdom. You could say I'm incurable. Or, as many of my family members like to say to me for no particular reason, "Go make a spreadsheet".
I also fantasize about what it would be like to have a lot more, especially when I drive by the New York Lotto billboard on the Cross Bronx Expressway each morning, which has the latest prize amount for the twice-weekly Mega Millions drawing prominently displayed.
But what I'm talking about here is not so much about wanting and having money as much as it is about how it can make people behave.
So I offer some guidelines that most definitely work for me, and might work for you, too. Or not.
1. If you're out to dinner with a group of friends, split the check evenly and just forget about it.
Hey, wasn't the point just to enjoy the company of other people and some good food? Who cares if your entree cost $2 less than someone else's? This is NOT worth making a fuss over, and next time, YOU can order the lobster thermidor and no one will blink. The next time you and 9 other people are looking over a check and trying to figure out who had what, feel free to tell everyone what some random blogger thinks!
2. Pick up the check once in a while.
Yes, I know I what I said in rule#1. Some people can't get past the idea of spending the extra money, but consider this: in two weeks, you won't miss or even remember what you spend showing your friends a good time, but the goodwill you generate will last a lifetime. And when you give, you get back. That's the fun part of being generous. You get it back in spades.
3. If you're buying something that you want and will use often, get the best or most suitable one, not the cheapest.
That doesn't mean you should seek out the highest price tag, but if you, for example, love barbecuing in the backyard, go ahead and get that Weber Genesis Gold and forego the Cheapo 200 which probably won't last as long nor be as good.
Or let's say you've decided to buy a flat panel TV, and there's some feature that you absolutely love and want, except that it'll cost $100 more. Trust me. Spend the $100. Again, in two weeks you won't miss the $100, but I can promise that the absence of that feature will bug you for a lifetime. Well, at least the TV's lifetime.
4. If you bought something and the price goes down later, don't agonize.
This happens most often, but not only, with electronics. You buy something and a year later you find the cost has dropped by 50%.
So what? You've had the enjoyment for a year, and most likely, it was 50% MORE for those who bought the year before you. So forget about it. Or go buy a second one and rejoice at what a great deal you got.
5. Don't drive all over the known universe trying to save a dollar.
I'm not just talking about gasoline prices here. I often experience shopping fatigue - where I've been to enough places to have a general idea of what something costs, and am ready to be done with the process. I place a very high value on my time, as you probably do. Buy what you need or want to buy, and go home.
Yes, I know many people are on budgets and have to watch their money closely, and believe me, I appreciate that. But trust me - these behaviors will make your life better and you know what? You'll wind up on the plus side of the ledger, in many ways that money can't measure.
Of course, part of that is built into my life as a producer of financial and business news. I also moonlighted as a professional tax preparer for many years and still take responsibility for my family's finances and tax returns. I'm an unwaveringly consistent investor and saver, as well as a Quicken fanatic who enjoys poring over its reports as if they were ancient tablets of wisdom. You could say I'm incurable. Or, as many of my family members like to say to me for no particular reason, "Go make a spreadsheet".
I also fantasize about what it would be like to have a lot more, especially when I drive by the New York Lotto billboard on the Cross Bronx Expressway each morning, which has the latest prize amount for the twice-weekly Mega Millions drawing prominently displayed.
But what I'm talking about here is not so much about wanting and having money as much as it is about how it can make people behave.
So I offer some guidelines that most definitely work for me, and might work for you, too. Or not.
1. If you're out to dinner with a group of friends, split the check evenly and just forget about it.
Hey, wasn't the point just to enjoy the company of other people and some good food? Who cares if your entree cost $2 less than someone else's? This is NOT worth making a fuss over, and next time, YOU can order the lobster thermidor and no one will blink. The next time you and 9 other people are looking over a check and trying to figure out who had what, feel free to tell everyone what some random blogger thinks!
2. Pick up the check once in a while.
Yes, I know I what I said in rule#1. Some people can't get past the idea of spending the extra money, but consider this: in two weeks, you won't miss or even remember what you spend showing your friends a good time, but the goodwill you generate will last a lifetime. And when you give, you get back. That's the fun part of being generous. You get it back in spades.
3. If you're buying something that you want and will use often, get the best or most suitable one, not the cheapest.
That doesn't mean you should seek out the highest price tag, but if you, for example, love barbecuing in the backyard, go ahead and get that Weber Genesis Gold and forego the Cheapo 200 which probably won't last as long nor be as good.
Or let's say you've decided to buy a flat panel TV, and there's some feature that you absolutely love and want, except that it'll cost $100 more. Trust me. Spend the $100. Again, in two weeks you won't miss the $100, but I can promise that the absence of that feature will bug you for a lifetime. Well, at least the TV's lifetime.
4. If you bought something and the price goes down later, don't agonize.
This happens most often, but not only, with electronics. You buy something and a year later you find the cost has dropped by 50%.
So what? You've had the enjoyment for a year, and most likely, it was 50% MORE for those who bought the year before you. So forget about it. Or go buy a second one and rejoice at what a great deal you got.
5. Don't drive all over the known universe trying to save a dollar.
I'm not just talking about gasoline prices here. I often experience shopping fatigue - where I've been to enough places to have a general idea of what something costs, and am ready to be done with the process. I place a very high value on my time, as you probably do. Buy what you need or want to buy, and go home.
Yes, I know many people are on budgets and have to watch their money closely, and believe me, I appreciate that. But trust me - these behaviors will make your life better and you know what? You'll wind up on the plus side of the ledger, in many ways that money can't measure.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
The Case For Handbag Coyotes
I'm generally a good-natured person who isn't bothered by all that much. And I don't want this blog to be a litany of complaints about life, because who wants to hear someone complain all the time? Unless the complainer is Andy Rooney, I don't, and most likely, neither do you.
On the other hand, there's something quite satisfying about zeroing in on a pet peeve that people will read and say "Yeah! That happens to me all the time, and I hate it!".
OK, here's today's life lesson: When you get to the cash register, you need to pay.
Yes, I can hear you saying, "What is this crap? I'm off to another blog!" But wait ..
I don't much like waiting in line, but I can handle it if all parties involved are doing their best to move things along. What drives me absolutely berserk, however, is when someone gets to the register, is told how much their purchase is, and THEN AND ONLY THEN do they make the first slow, leisurely move towards getting their money or their credit cards out. If I didn't know better, I'd think the fact that they have to pay is a complete and total surprise.
What, you ask, has this to do with handbag coyotes?
This stems from an absolutely brilliant Dilbert comic strip I saw years ago. I'm working strictly from memory here, but Dilbert is on line at the grocery store in a similar situation. The woman in front of him takes out her handbag, and starts digging through and taking a few dozen things out, and then finally finds what she's looking for: a third party check from the bank of Yemen that she'd like to use to pay for her purchase. She reaches back into her bag and is pulled inside it by what appears to be the arm of a ferocious animal and completely disappears. The checkout clerk nods knowingly and says "Hmmm. Handbag coyotes."
I don't REALLY wish anyone the fate of being devoured by a handbag coyote, but for a fictional conclusion, it was quite satisfying.
At CNBC, our cafeteria has a wonderful system called FreedomPay. You take out this little swipey keychain thing with a bar code, swipe it, and you're done. The money comes out of your checking account or a credit card. Maddeningly enough, not everyone uses it. The people who don't use it, for some inexplicable reason, are always the ones in front of me in the cafeteria line.
Listen, I know you can't help it if the checkout person stares at the register as if it were a complex air traffic control system, but please, do your part. Have your money ready. Pay. And get out of the way!
On the other hand, there's something quite satisfying about zeroing in on a pet peeve that people will read and say "Yeah! That happens to me all the time, and I hate it!".
OK, here's today's life lesson: When you get to the cash register, you need to pay.
Yes, I can hear you saying, "What is this crap? I'm off to another blog!" But wait ..
I don't much like waiting in line, but I can handle it if all parties involved are doing their best to move things along. What drives me absolutely berserk, however, is when someone gets to the register, is told how much their purchase is, and THEN AND ONLY THEN do they make the first slow, leisurely move towards getting their money or their credit cards out. If I didn't know better, I'd think the fact that they have to pay is a complete and total surprise.
What, you ask, has this to do with handbag coyotes?
This stems from an absolutely brilliant Dilbert comic strip I saw years ago. I'm working strictly from memory here, but Dilbert is on line at the grocery store in a similar situation. The woman in front of him takes out her handbag, and starts digging through and taking a few dozen things out, and then finally finds what she's looking for: a third party check from the bank of Yemen that she'd like to use to pay for her purchase. She reaches back into her bag and is pulled inside it by what appears to be the arm of a ferocious animal and completely disappears. The checkout clerk nods knowingly and says "Hmmm. Handbag coyotes."
I don't REALLY wish anyone the fate of being devoured by a handbag coyote, but for a fictional conclusion, it was quite satisfying.
At CNBC, our cafeteria has a wonderful system called FreedomPay. You take out this little swipey keychain thing with a bar code, swipe it, and you're done. The money comes out of your checking account or a credit card. Maddeningly enough, not everyone uses it. The people who don't use it, for some inexplicable reason, are always the ones in front of me in the cafeteria line.
Listen, I know you can't help it if the checkout person stares at the register as if it were a complex air traffic control system, but please, do your part. Have your money ready. Pay. And get out of the way!
Monday, December 3, 2007
Wacky Friends, Or How I Learned To Love Casey Kasem
"Let's stay in touch."
I've said this - and so have you - upon leaving a job and saying goodbye to your soon-to-be-former coworkers.
One of two things will now happen. You will. Or you won't. It doesn't matter what your stated intentions are. It's a process that takes on a life of its own, and suddenly that person you swore to keep in touch with is now very far in the rear view mirror, while others are in your life with stunning regularity.
I'm happy to say my good friend Ed, a former co-worker at Bloomberg Radio, fits into the latter category.
But why? How did Ed make the cut when others did not?
It might be our common fondness for breakfast at IHOP, where we meet every month or so. It might be the fact that we both have an undying love for the radio business, even if it hasn't always treated us so well.
But here's the real reason: Ed is totally wacky, which allows me to act the same way, with impunity. We could have the same silly conversation about the same thing 427,000 times in a row, and we'll laugh hysterically EVERY time.
The subject doesn't matter, although we have one favorite: Stupid management tricks, as practiced by my former and his still-current bosses.
However, the centerpiece of our wackiness revolves around Casey Kasem, the radio host who put American Top 40 on the radio map.
There's an AT40 outtake involving Casey that's made the rounds for years: he gets upset because his producer has him going from an upbeat song to a dedication to a now-deceased dog, a transition he's finding nearly impossible to make. As his rant continues, he gets angrier and moves on to pretty much every other subject that's bothering him.
The rant crescendos when he tries to calm down and read a custom promo for one of the radio stations that runs the show. It goes something like: " .. so tune in to American Top 40 Sunday mornings at 2 ..... TWO???????????"
Trust me. It's funny. It may be the funniest thing I've ever heard. It may not be apparent from the reading but it's funny. It is. It is. It really is. And it gets funnier each time.
Ed agrees. That alone would be enough to make him a friend, but it gets better. If our conversation (or any other within 457 miles) even comes close to referencing the number two .. you can bet your last dollar that one or both of us will yell out .. "TWO????????"
I know what you're thinking. "What's WRONG with these people?" But that's not really the point. No matter how stupid something may seem to be, it's a possible bonding point. And thanks to Casey Kasem, Ed and I will be friends for a long, long time. Even if IHOP goes out of business.
I've said this - and so have you - upon leaving a job and saying goodbye to your soon-to-be-former coworkers.
One of two things will now happen. You will. Or you won't. It doesn't matter what your stated intentions are. It's a process that takes on a life of its own, and suddenly that person you swore to keep in touch with is now very far in the rear view mirror, while others are in your life with stunning regularity.
I'm happy to say my good friend Ed, a former co-worker at Bloomberg Radio, fits into the latter category.
But why? How did Ed make the cut when others did not?
It might be our common fondness for breakfast at IHOP, where we meet every month or so. It might be the fact that we both have an undying love for the radio business, even if it hasn't always treated us so well.
But here's the real reason: Ed is totally wacky, which allows me to act the same way, with impunity. We could have the same silly conversation about the same thing 427,000 times in a row, and we'll laugh hysterically EVERY time.
The subject doesn't matter, although we have one favorite: Stupid management tricks, as practiced by my former and his still-current bosses.
However, the centerpiece of our wackiness revolves around Casey Kasem, the radio host who put American Top 40 on the radio map.
There's an AT40 outtake involving Casey that's made the rounds for years: he gets upset because his producer has him going from an upbeat song to a dedication to a now-deceased dog, a transition he's finding nearly impossible to make. As his rant continues, he gets angrier and moves on to pretty much every other subject that's bothering him.
The rant crescendos when he tries to calm down and read a custom promo for one of the radio stations that runs the show. It goes something like: " .. so tune in to American Top 40 Sunday mornings at 2 ..... TWO???????????"
Trust me. It's funny. It may be the funniest thing I've ever heard. It may not be apparent from the reading but it's funny. It is. It is. It really is. And it gets funnier each time.
Ed agrees. That alone would be enough to make him a friend, but it gets better. If our conversation (or any other within 457 miles) even comes close to referencing the number two .. you can bet your last dollar that one or both of us will yell out .. "TWO????????"
I know what you're thinking. "What's WRONG with these people?" But that's not really the point. No matter how stupid something may seem to be, it's a possible bonding point. And thanks to Casey Kasem, Ed and I will be friends for a long, long time. Even if IHOP goes out of business.
Saturday, December 1, 2007
No, I Won't Introduce You To Maria
In my years of working in financial/business journalism, I've been on the receiving end of many observations, questions, and downright wrong-headed notions about business, the stock market, and the media. Consider this list a time-saver so that if you meet me, we can skip past all this and get right to the good stuff:
1. In answer to the oft-asked question, yes, I do know all the hot female anchors who work at CNBC and no, I'm not going to introduce you to them. They're very happy to have that TV screen between you and them!
2. The guys who run your local gasoline station are NOT the ones making all the money from high gasoline prices, so don't yell at them. (I'm assuming you don't get your repair work done at the same place you fill up.)
3. Yes, I've bought and sold quite a few stocks in my lifetime. No, I'm not filthy rich from it. Did you notice I still work for a living? (And I enjoy doing so. Good thing!)
4. When stocks go down, I've noticed over the years that people like to chase me down the hall and say "What are you doing to me???" (That's why I ran the equivalent of 45 marathons following the bursting of the internet bubble.) I use the Bart Simpson defense on this one: "I didn't do it." I may write it, but I didn't cause it. Hey, if you're not going to give me credit when they go up, why should I take the blame when they fall?
5. Yes, having your company match 50% of your 401(K) contribution is a good deal. It's free money!! We have a complex financial term for those who don't do this: "lunkhead".
6. TV and radio broadcasters actually DO write some of what you hear them say. (When I was a morning radio anchor, some people were actually shocked to hear that I didn't just show up two minutes before airtime and read.)
7. No, being on TV or radio is not as easy as it may look to you.
8. The amount of money withheld from your paycheck for taxes is completely under your control, and the amount you ultimately pay in taxes is not the fault of your employer.
9. For those who wonder every year about whether to participate in "flexible spending" accounts for health benefits, see #5, especially the part about "lunkhead".
10. The stock market is, indeed, a big casino, without the free drinks.
1. In answer to the oft-asked question, yes, I do know all the hot female anchors who work at CNBC and no, I'm not going to introduce you to them. They're very happy to have that TV screen between you and them!
2. The guys who run your local gasoline station are NOT the ones making all the money from high gasoline prices, so don't yell at them. (I'm assuming you don't get your repair work done at the same place you fill up.)
3. Yes, I've bought and sold quite a few stocks in my lifetime. No, I'm not filthy rich from it. Did you notice I still work for a living? (And I enjoy doing so. Good thing!)
4. When stocks go down, I've noticed over the years that people like to chase me down the hall and say "What are you doing to me???" (That's why I ran the equivalent of 45 marathons following the bursting of the internet bubble.) I use the Bart Simpson defense on this one: "I didn't do it." I may write it, but I didn't cause it. Hey, if you're not going to give me credit when they go up, why should I take the blame when they fall?
5. Yes, having your company match 50% of your 401(K) contribution is a good deal. It's free money!! We have a complex financial term for those who don't do this: "lunkhead".
6. TV and radio broadcasters actually DO write some of what you hear them say. (When I was a morning radio anchor, some people were actually shocked to hear that I didn't just show up two minutes before airtime and read.)
7. No, being on TV or radio is not as easy as it may look to you.
8. The amount of money withheld from your paycheck for taxes is completely under your control, and the amount you ultimately pay in taxes is not the fault of your employer.
9. For those who wonder every year about whether to participate in "flexible spending" accounts for health benefits, see #5, especially the part about "lunkhead".
10. The stock market is, indeed, a big casino, without the free drinks.
Just Because You CAN Do Something ..
... doesn't mean you should.
Let's cut right to the chase: wireless Bluetooth headsets for mobile phones are great. They're much safer for car use, and they give you the opportunity to be mistaken for a crazy person when you're walking down the street appearing to talk to no one in particular. But:
PLEASE STOP USING THEM IN THE BATHROOM.
I don't know why, but this drives me nuts. I see people doing this in the men's room at work ALL THE TIME. C'mon. Whatever you have to say just cannot possibly be that important. And I'll bet a week's salary that the person on the other end doesn't want to be talking to you while you're doing .. well, what you do in the bathroom.
I've not had the opportunity to research whether women do this in the ladies' room, but I'd bet not. So guys ... KNOCK IT OFF! Your conversation can wait. Take a newspaper into the bathroom like a real man!
Let's cut right to the chase: wireless Bluetooth headsets for mobile phones are great. They're much safer for car use, and they give you the opportunity to be mistaken for a crazy person when you're walking down the street appearing to talk to no one in particular. But:
PLEASE STOP USING THEM IN THE BATHROOM.
I don't know why, but this drives me nuts. I see people doing this in the men's room at work ALL THE TIME. C'mon. Whatever you have to say just cannot possibly be that important. And I'll bet a week's salary that the person on the other end doesn't want to be talking to you while you're doing .. well, what you do in the bathroom.
I've not had the opportunity to research whether women do this in the ladies' room, but I'd bet not. So guys ... KNOCK IT OFF! Your conversation can wait. Take a newspaper into the bathroom like a real man!
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