Moo! The Musings of a Plaid Cow

After [finally getting to Inbox Zero][0], I have found that my numbers have started creeping up again.


Having some sort of maintenance plan would go a long way to keeping it at zero. The first part of my maintenance plan is shown above. Just knowing how many I have outstanding in a nice concise manner is a big help. Sometimes I would rather go take care of something in the inbox rather than see the number count up. And this method does work.

Dieters claim that just by writing down everything you eat for the day can magically lower the amount that you eat. I would have to agree that it is true. (And, it is supported by [particle physics and quantum mechanics][1].) Just taking the effort to write down at the end of the day how many are left, gives me the encouragement to make sure there are fewer left. (As a proof to this, I offer that when I started writing down my counts again on the third, my numbers were three times as high as they are now. I would rather deal with it than have to write it down.)

[0]: http://moo.plaidcow.net/2008/10/inbox_zero–finally_there
[1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Observer_effect_(physics)

> Your online security is always a top priority with us. That’s why we are taking steps to increase the security of your account. With that in mind, we need you to change your Username.

There is absolutely nothing about “securing my account” in changing my account login. The next paragraph goes on to explain:

> Over the next few weeks, your online account will move to Chase OnlineSM. We want to make sure this transition is as smooth and easy as possible for you. You’ll still have many of the online features you currently use, from managing your account to paying your credit card online.

So, the problem is my account user name is in use at Chase already. Why didn’t they just say that? Of course I know my account name at Wamu is in use at Chase–it’s in use by me.

When I left for work yesterday morning, I was just a bit “out of it”. After getting into the car I noticed that the windshield was a bit fogged up, so I turned on the defogger and backed out the driveway. By the time I got to the end of our street (less than a mile), I was concerned that the defogger wasn’t working–I still couldn’t see real well. So I figured my glasses must be fogged up and reached up to grab them.

At this point, I poked myself in the eye. Apparently I had forgotten to put them on. So after five minutes of circling back, I made it home safely, retrieved my glasses, and started on my way with a much clearer field of view.

I started wearing glasses my Junior year in high school. I probably should have started much sooner, but it took some convincing my parents that I really couldn’t see things that were going on. I got them on a Saturday and convinced myself that I was only doing it for my parents benefit and that I would take them off every day before going to school. Since I could actually see much better with them, I never did take them off. And I have been wearing them ever since.

Since I tend to use the mantra of trashing an email once I have dealt with it, I quite often run into needing to forward or reply to a message that I have already trashed. Most email programs handle this fairly nicely:

1. Switch to Trash folder
2. Find message
3. Click Forward (or Reply)

Apparently this is too simple for Lotus Notes, which adds a few steps into the process:

1. Switch to Trash folder
2. Find message
3. Click Restore
4. Switch back to Inbox (or other folder that the message was deleted from)
5. Find message
6. Click Forward (or Reply)

And do not, whatever you do click the “Restore All” button which is conveniently located right next to “Restore”. This has got to be an engineering added function. Who in their right mind would ever want to restore all of the messages in the trash? And even if you did, performing “Select All” and then clicking “Restore” would do this just fine. There is absolutely no reason to put a button on a toolbar whose most likely purpose is to allow the user to shoot himself in the foot. Would you put an [`rm -rf ~`] button in the toolbar of a file manager (unless you hated your users)?

The [IndyStar][0] has an article today about a resolution *Republican* lawmakers are looking to pass which would [discourage moving Guantanamo Bay detainees to the state][1]. What seemed like an open and shut case of NIMBY when I heard it on the radio this morning, takes on a different meaning when you note it is *Republican* lawmakers. Their message? You can’t make a unilateral decision to move people away from one place if you don’t have an idea of where you are going to put them. Perhaps since they are military prisoners they can be sent to an different army prision.

> Indiana is not the only state trying to discourage transfers. The Kansas Senate voted Monday to adopt a similar resolution to keep the prisoners out of Fort Leavenworth, home to the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks, one of at least three military locations mentioned as a potential relocation site for the detainees.

Oops. I’m not trying to condone the incarceration, but there is a reason that they all were held at a facility in Cuba: Cuba is not here. Cuba is not in my backyard. Closing Gitmo may sound like a good idea, but you can’t pick up one end of the stick without picking up the other.

[0]: http://www.indystar.com/
[1]: http://www.indystar.com/article/20090204/NEWS05/902040371

If part of the registration fee on your car is based on the *value* of your car, then that portion is deductible on a Schedule A. After searching for half an hour, I finally ran across [this post][1] by Mr Tax Preparer:

> According to the Indiana Code 6-6-5 (specifically, [IC 6-6-5-3][2]), the County Excise Tax is the part that is calculated based on the value of the vehicle. It would seem that this part is definitely deductible.

This is definitely different than when I lived in New Hampshire. There, they looked up the tax based on the model and year of your car. And that kind of lookup (somehow not based on value) is non-deductible.

*Please note that anyone relying on me for tax advice, is nuttier than I am. Contact your tax professional if you want to be sure you know the right answer.*

[1]: http://ca.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070201183911AAGwdfg
[2]: http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title6/ar6/ch5.html

[First Premier Bank](http://www.firstpremier.com/) is definitely premier at one thing: charging fees. First there is the list of mandatory fees (even if you do everything perfectly):

* $29.00 Account Setup Fee
* $95.00 Program Fee
* $48.00 Annual Fee
* $7.00 Monthly Fee

Then the list of optional fees:

* $25.00 Credit Limit Increase Fee (whenever they want to increase your line)
* $3.95 Internet Access Fee (Thankfully only one time)
* $20.00 optional card fee

And all this is assuming that you pay the bill in full at the end of the month! You know that the fees have to be bad when they list out how much credit you are guaranteed to have once you get your card. The answer? $51 (based on a minimum initial credit line of $250).

Earlier in the month I wrote about [The Applewood Julep][1], and referenced Smilg’s Law of Ordering. It was fairly well undefined, but that was OK because I was going to write about it the next day. Oops.

Smilg’s Law of Ordering can be simply stated:

> When at a restaurant you should order:
> (1) the item containing or referenced by the name of the restaurant, or
> (2) the special.

So, when you visit [John’s Famous Stew][2], Smilg’s Law would urge you to get the stew. And a Skyliner at [Skyline][3]. And a shake at [Steak n Shake][4].

[1]: http://moo.plaidcow.net/2009/01/applewood_julep
[2]: http://indysfamousstew.com/
[3]: http://www.skylinechili.com/
[4]: http://www.steaknshake.com/

While the [Citibank][0] Credit Card website does have a few good features (like being able to download PDFs of your statements), it does have one thing that I absolutely hate. Enough so that I complained about it to their customer service:

> The “Select a Payment Date” portion of making an online payment is misleading in the days it shows available for payment. Payments can be scheduled for after the due date with no further indication that is probably not what you want to do. The other credit cards I pay online have a selection of dates that includes only up to the actual due date–they won’t let you accidentally make a late online payment.

And I got an answer back:

> Thank you for taking time to send us your suggestions. Your comments are valuable and will help guide us as we continue to enhance our service. We have forwarded this information to the proper department for further consideration.

I’m guessing that the “further consideration” will involve how much money they are fleecing off people.

[0]: http://www.citicards.com/

When I first read [The War of Art][1], I could liken it to my desire to express myself more through writing. And it seems so hard. Just writing one thought a day shouldn’t be too hard, should it? I need to do a better job of following the book’s advice:

> The most important thing about [writing] is to work. Nothing else matters except sitting down everyday and trying.

[1]: http://www.amazon.com/War-Art-Through-Creative-Battles/dp/0446691437