Anyone who is interested in the current economic situation of the United States should take a few minutest to read Too Big to Fail? by Peter Goodman in The New York Times.  It's a very terse look at the current American situation, and some of the questionable things that have been done in an attempt to prop up the declining economy.  While the government is again jumping to bail out poorly run businesses, the article points out that is probably not the best option:

For one thing, this argument goes, taxpayers - who now confront plunging house prices, a drop on Wall Street and soaring costs for food and fuel - will ultimately pay the costs. To finance a bailout, the government can either pull more money from citizens directly, or the Fed can print more money - a step that encourages further inflation.

"They are going to raise the cost of living for every American," said Peter Schiff, president of Euro Pacific Capital Inc., a Connecticut-based brokerage house that focuses on international investments. "The government is debasing the value of our money. Freddie and Fannie need to fail. They are too big to save."

I know I was upset to hear that the government was going to bail out another poorly-run entity.  The biggest problem is that these companies are being saved at the cost of the citizens of this country.  Shouldn't things be happening the other way around?

Well, this week has been a fairly quiet one, as the only semblance of baseball that was played took place an Yankee Stadium. The media is still going on and on about the experience, presumably being paid by the Steinbrenners because I haven't heard a word from anyone else about it. It'll have to do as a send-off though, because it doesn't look like there's going to be much of interest going on at the stadium as the pinstripers are falling further and further behind the Red Sox and Rays in the division.

But now we get back to this crazy and wonderful season where nothing is what you'd expect. Few of the usual candidates are in line for any kind of awards this year, and a number of expected contenders and also-rans have swapped places. With two more weeks until the trade deadline, it looks like things could get a lot more interesting as well.

Most importantly, I'll have to get back to updating my fantasy rosters daily, which is a fun habit to be in!

Yes, I did make a cameo there!

Nearly a decade ago, I spent several weeks playing around with a music making package during my freshman year in college.  This was before I knew how to play guitar, but really wanted to try and express my creative side.  As a result of that experimentation, I created an "album" of techno and dance style music.

For many years, that music laid buried amongst my MP3 collection and a few white elephant gifts that I had given to unsuspecting souls over the years.  But no longer...

Now, I have uploaded that album to share with the world on Last.fm.  Introducing, DJ GuruGreg's first public album, Primero.  Not looking to do much other than put it out there, and maybe cause some discussion.  Just try not to be too harsh...remember, I was just experimenting.

Plus, if you've got some music you've recorded and you'd like to share with the world, Last.fm has introduced the Music Manager which will allow you to do just that.  That's what I did.  After all, what good are our creations if we just keep them to ourselves.  Share them with the world, and you never know what might happen!

Were you one of the hundreds, if not thousands, camped out at various AT&T stores today to get your hands on a new iPhone?  Ya, know...the one with the modestly enhanced features and overall price tag that justifies none of them.

Well, if you were, I feel sorry for you.

I'm so sick about hearing of iAnything that I'd ditch my four year old iPod Mini in favor of the vastly better designed Zune if I could justify the cost (since the Mini still works, even with zero battery life, it gets me by for now).  Heck, I've already abandoned iTunes in favor of the revitalized Winamp player, and don't plan on ever looking back.

Of course, many would rather just believe the Apple hype than view things objectively.

May you be with friends and family as we thank God for this country where we are free to worship him.  Enjoy your long weekend as well!

I'm sure most of you know that over the past year and a half, I've been losing weight. Not drastically, but little by little by eating better and exercising more. And in about 15 months, I had managed to lose and keep off 30 pounds, going from a bloated 267 down to 237, and feeling much better about myself (even though the doctors say that may have contributed to my gallstone/gallbladder problems).

Well, in the two week span around my surgery, I dropped another 16 pounds, checking in last weekend at a svelte 221. I'm sure it's mostly due to the fact that there were about seven days in the hospital when I wasn't allowed to have solid food.

I guess it made such a difference that a number of my co-workers mentioned that I looked a lot slimmer. It's not how I'd normally like to lose weight (yes, the big jumps are nice, but are much harder to maintain), but I'll take it this time. After all, I'm not trying to devour everything that comes near me (though I have had cravings for food I hadn't had for a while). In fact, my appetite has been down so far, and we'll see if it stays that way as I get healed up.

Anyway, now that my clothes are getting baggy, I'm feeling even better about the way I look, and I'm going to keep on working to keep the weight off. At least within the limits of my healing process. That'll just mean more smart eating choices and plenty of walking for now.

Well, today Marci and celebrate three years of marriage, just a few months after celebrating the fifth anniversary of our first date. I know we both feel extremely blessed to have one another, and can't imagine life without one another. We've been through a lot together already in our marriage, but we always seem to be growing closer together.

Even though this year's anniversary snuck up on me (yes, major surgery can do that to you), I know we're both firmly looking towards the future together. We're in the process of buying a house for our family, which is already starting. That's right, while I was in the hospital, Marci found out that she was pregnant. I'm very excited to be a dad, but I've got to make sure I've got myself all healed up before then. So, we've just been grouping all these things together at once, it seems.

Of course, that's just how life goes though. You can plan all you want, but He may have something else in store. So we just continue to move forward in life, and grow in our love, knowing everything else will come together. That's how we've made it through the last three years, and will likely continue for many more.

Unfortunately, all good things come to an end.  Today was one of those days, as my first dog, Copper, had to be put down.  After more than 12 years, his body was just giving out on him, and my dad decided the best decision was to not leave him living in pain and fear.

It's really one of those sad moments, and it's hard to let go.  He was always well behaved and very loving. 

I still remember the night we got him when I was in high school.  He was supposed to be a Christmas surprise, but as a nervous puppy, he got a bit yippy and gave away his presence a bit early.  Then we took him to my grandmother's for our Christmas vacation visit, and while he ran around with us while we were sledding at the local golf course, he got a bit cold and my dad ended up walking around the rest of the afternoon with a little puppy head sticking out of his jacket.

Then there was the summer after I graduated from college when he was my workout buddy.  Three days a week we'd go jogging in the neighborhood for a few miles.  He'd always be pulling me, keeping me going, and he was well trained enough to sit at every intersection without me having to say a word.

While I haven't lived around Copper full-time for a while, he's always welcomed me back every time with a big grin and wagging tail.  He was so loyal and dependable, and it's kinda depressing to think that he is no longer with us.

We'll all miss you buddy!

Came across this interesting breakdown of the changing price in food from last year to this year. 

The Price Of Food: 2007 Versus 2008

It's pretty amazing to see how much the price of field crops (like wheat and lentils) have jumped in comparison to most fruits, vegetables, and meats. I'm sure most of it is due to the rising price of fuel, but it can't explain all the price jumps, can it?  After all, there are some foods whose prices have actually gone down while fuel prices have risen.

Either way, the breakdown is definitely some interesting food for thought.