AntSaint

Splitting firewood - tips, tricks & tools

As we burn through the wood that came with the house, we're looking for a good firewood source. I'm also kicking around learning to split our own firewood. Here are a few things I've been looking over, including some interesting tools:

• splitting firewood - Google Search
  
• How to split wood - woodheat.org
  
• epowiki: Splitting Firewood
  
• "Mean Green Splitting Machine" - The Safe and Easy Way to Split Firewood
  
• Fireplace Accessories - North Line Express
  
• Wood Splitters - Super Spear Wood Splitters
  
• Easy-Split Wood Splitter - North Line Express
  
• G5451 Preparing Wood for Your Wood Stove, MU Extension
  
• Fireplace Gloves - North Line Express
  

The Finance Buff: A Baby Step for Simplifying My Finances

Interesting idea to simplify accounts. Currently I've got checking and savings with different banks, and have been looking into a few other ones, mainly for other investment stuff such as a Roth IRA and a money market fund. But maybe this is something to consider instead, especially given the free checking noted below. But what about no-fee ATM access?

Link: The Finance Buff: A Baby Step for Simplifying My Finances.

I now realize I will do perfectly fine if I just stick with what I had for many years -- a Vanguard money market mutual fund. The yield difference between it and an online savings account is trivial

What do I get with a Vanguard money market fund?
* Unlimited free check writing = immediate access in case of emergency. Free checks too. I don't have to wait 2-4 days for ACH. If I'm really in a pinch I can ask for a free wire transfer.
* Unlimited number of withdrawals. No Reg. D limit of 6 withdrawals per month.
* Same day exchange to any Vanguard mutual fund. I don't have to move the money around when I invest.

Cleaning out my Bloglines

Info packrat. I'm such a damn packrat. Before computers it was — and still is — paper. Articles, printouts, things I'm convinced I'll need at some point and better file for future reference. Then, every now and again, I go back through the pile and alternate smacking myself on the head with throwing stuff away.

Bad blog habit. This is a habit I may never care enough about breaking to actually break, if only because it's saved my tail quite a few times. I just should have also realized that my info-hoarding habit would extend into the 32 blogs I currently monitor. Of those 32 blogs, and I've had a Bloglines account only for a few months, I've saved over 600 posts. 600.

Or, to put it another way, too damn many.

At this point, I could start on a bulleted list of the top 10 ways you can reduce your blog clutter. I could throw in some snappy pictures from flicker, er, flcker, er, oh feck it. I could start punching out snappy little bold headlines.

But I'm not. I'm just going to go through my Bloglines, and delete anything that doesn't make me pause over the delete key.

And maybe, just maybe, I'll not packrat so many of these damn articles from here on out. Maybe. But I doubt it.

Email Newsletters - Best and Worst Subject Lines by Open Rate

Fascinating read about newsletters, promo emails and such. The subject lines that you think would be flops, are the ones that work best — and vice versa.

Link: Study: Best and Worst Subject Lines by Open Rate.

On the "best" side, you'll notice the subject lines are pretty straightforward. They're not very "salesy" or "pushy" at all. Heck, some people might even say they're "boring." On the "worst" side however, notice how the subject lines read like headlines from advertisements you'd see in the Sunday paper. They might look more "creative," but their open rates are horrible.

Good wine under $10: Amaicha 2005 - Torrontes, from Argentina

While whipping up some chicken stew this evening, Jodie and I — oh, so sadly — had to open a bottle of white wine. For the stew and the chefs we chose a bottle of 2005 Amaicha, from Argentina. We found this at Trader Joe's for, oh, maybe $5.99. Might've been cheaper; the details are a little fuzzy at the moment, no matter how much I ask the empty bottle to jog my memory.

Jodie and I are huge fans of sweet crisp Rieslings, but loved the Amaicha because it was so different. This wine is much drier, yet with a sweet, citrusy crispness at the edge of every sip. It's well worth a try, both in the pot and in the glass. Check your local Trader Joe's or other wine shop.

Madrone, oak, Douglas fir and other good Oregon firewood

Oregon State University's Extension Service breaks down different trees found in Oregon and their characteristics, good and bad, for use as firewood:

Link: Different trees offer varying qualities of firewood.

Madrone: When seasoned, this hard, dense wood burns very hot and produces long-lasting coals. Having little bark, madrone is clean to bring indoors. Some madrone is knotty and difficult to cut and split. It is expensive to purchase, but a little goes a long way in heating.

Now's the time to get crabs in Oregon

Dungeness crab, that is.

Link: Don't let the crab fest pass you by - The Register-Guard, Eugene, Oregon, USA.

"supplies of fresh, local Dungeness crab have been good. Crab season along the Oregon Coast began on Dec. 1 and will continue through Aug. 14. The peak harvest, however, according to the Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission (www.oregondungeness.org) occurs during the first eight weeks of the season, with up to 75 percent of the annual production landed during this period. So right now is prime crab fest time."

Winco - Great Monterey Jack cheese in Eugene

In Eugene/Springfield and want to buy some of the best Monterey Jack cheese available? Head to Winco.

We do a lot of shopping at Winco, mainly for the awesome prices (and some of the best bulk bins in town). Cheese has always been a bit hit and miss. Winco cheddar? Ah, not so great. But the Monterey Jack? Stellar. Flavorful, creamy, versatile — we've even been using it in place of mozzarella on pizzas and pasta lately.

A big block of Winco Monterey Jack — when we last got it — will set you back around $1.88 a pound. It's a great and tasty buy, as far as this cheese field is concerned.

The Most Annoying Buzzwords of 2006

When it comes to this article about annoying buzzwords, all I have to say is that this paradigm is really thinking outside the box. If we get on the same page, I believe with the right value-added metrics and synergy we can really take our redeployed people on the runway, and take this customer centric solution offline. At the end of the day, the big idea is that we'll achieve ROI by breaking through the clutter our accountability management, core competency and alignment should provide an incremental win-win on low-hanging fruit in Generation X, Generation Y, the Boomers and beyond to the next level.

Link: Marketing Today Blog: The Most Annoying Buzzwords of 2006

How to save for college and make a difference, too

Socially responsible investing, or SRI, has been an option in various investments for years. Now, states are making SRIs an option in their 529 plans. Like any other investment, putting your money in an SRI has risks and costs — read the prospectus and do some good searching and researching before you put a penny down:

Link: How to save for college and make a difference, too | csmonitor.com.