Fluff, courtesy of the magic bean

I am torn. I aspire to be a coffee snob, but I’m finding that some of the equipment is a little too pricey. My first steps to snobbery weren’t too expensive… whole bean instead of ground, a once forgotten coffee (blade) grinder received as a wedding gift, and a French press.
I’ve come a long way [...]

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Beware of area code 352

My wife thinks I’m being silly.
But that’s not news.
My latest adventure down the road to lunacy involves my alma mater: The University of Florida. It was about mid-April when I received my very first solicitation for money.
“Can we count on your donation of $1000?”
If I had been drinking it would have shot from my nose [...]

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Out of control

Everyone says I should indulge myself while I’m in the hospital. If only they knew. Armed with a credit card number and a wi-fi connection I’ve been a shareware paying, upgrade buying, web host upgrading mad spender.
And the madness doesn’t end there. In between bouts of fever, chills, and pain I could be resting [...]

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Not a shingle dollar

Thats right friends, no play on words is to lame; we’re officially poor. Late last week we employed a classic strategy for budget busting known as “roofing.” Any time you employ someone to perform strenuous labor in uncomfortable circumstances AND you involve a primary component of the structure of your house… you’re likely to end [...]

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Grocery update

I’ve come to the point in my week when our stores of name-brand products have run dry. I’m almost exclusively down to the generic alternatives I bought on Friday, following my most recent fiscal epiphany. First let me say that anyone who claims generic tastes the same as brand either never tried both, is lying, [...]

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Next

I’ve got great news! I just saved a bunch of money on my grocery bill!
I used to be a grocery snob. You know the type, those people who fall for the raz-mataz of a “name brand.” I’d go grocery shopping and look down my long, anglo-germanic nose at “those people” with the store labels [...]

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I smell a rat

… a dead one, as it turns out. Perhaps this was a little heavenly payback for mocking a well-meaning gift giver.
Let me explain…
It all started in Adam’s bedroom. It smelled bad, but that’s not completely unexpected considering Adam is only one year old. All manner of smelly stuff “happens” in there, so the smell was [...]

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And the band played on

“Hello, Mr. Kauffman? This is (censored) from (my HMO). I just wanted to give you a call to let you know that we’ve resolved the issue with your daughter’s PCP (primary care physician). The claim submitted in October 2004 will be resolved, and you will not be responsible for any charges previously billed by the [...]

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Another epic struggle against the forces of evil

Health insurance, billing departments, complaint resolution offices, and the automated phone answering system… horsemen of the apocalypse or God’s warning shot across the bow of today’s later day ark of bureaucracy and civilization?
All I know is that I don’t want to pay $800 for services that were supposed to be covered by my health insurance [...]

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Gloria in Excelsis Deo

No, I’m not over doing it. My little buddy made it out of surgery this afternoon and sped right through recovery. In fact, he’s out playing right now. If you really must know, he’s playing INXS.
That’s right, this is another iPod post.
I can’t tell you how crushed I was when I thought he was [...]

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