I thought I would post really quickly about he major haul we got from Amazon Prime day....Except we didn't LOL. I read online some posts about how this day is really not that great. But Amazon said it was one of their best days ever so I guess somebody bought something. I did actually purchase a new book. Saving Capitalism by Robert Reich. This is part of my summer reading, which I know isn't all that fun but it speaks the PhD part of me :-)
I did also purchase something for myself that is meant to be fun... A wet suit changing matte from Cor Surf, which I am hoping motivates me to get to the beach more this summer. However, I did actually go last week and the water was warm enough that I didn't need my wet suit. Oh well, thing should be useful come this fall when it cools off or next spring. My thoughts on the whole Prime day... It's not really a huge savings and is basically like any good marketing scheme. At least I got free shipping right?!?
Saturday, July 16, 2016
Wednesday, July 6, 2016
Sunday, July 3, 2016
Make Money Driving with Uber!!! Well...Maybe!?!
So why are so many people signing up for Uber and using this service? One word...Convenience!
I have used Uber in several different markets during my travels, which is so much easier than trying to get a taxi or take the super shuttle from the airport. Paying with my phone/account is way better when I've used up all my cash that I would need for a taxi. More importantly, I also drive for Uber and have done so for all most a year. In all my Uber experience and conversations with riders, convenience is by far the most common reason people cite for using this platform. I think as a driver, and the other drivers I have talked to, the most common reasons for driving for Uber is flexibility. I am not driving to support my family or myself, I actually drive because I enjoy driving and I like to have a little money on the side for fun.
So what is like being an Uber driver?
My experience has been pretty positive so far. I have been luck in that I have only had one rider that actually made a mess in my car. They were a little bit, should I say, tipsy and this rider was chewing tobacco. He spilled most of tobacco all over the front seat of my car and after I dropped him off I had to clean it up. I didn't know at the time that I could take a photo with my phone and submit it to Uber to charge the rider a cleaning fee. Otherwise, most riders have been extremely pleasant. You get some that like to chat and some that would rather just text their friends.
How often do I drive?
Well, like I said, I am not really trying to support a family or anything so I drive minimally. I average about 6 trips every 30 days. I put it this way because as a driver we have to complete at least one trip every 30 days or we are kicked off the platform. I could certainly drive more if I wanted to and I could certainly make more money by driving later on Friday and Saturday nights, but I have heard many stories about drunk people leaving things behind...Usually the stinky smelly gooey kinds of things. The one time I had to clean my car was a Friday night drive around midnight.
The money question...How much do you make?
This is a tricky question because I haven't yet broken down all my costs and deducted them from my profits to get a truly accurate measure, but I figure I make enough to cover my gas for the trips as well as the rest of my travels for the month. I think I could probably make more money if I drove more, perhaps as much as $20 an hour. However, the thing you should consider if you want to sign up and drive is the type of car you have, the gas mileage, and whether you want to put extra miles on your vehicle. There are certain restrictions when driving for Uber, but if you are interested in driving you can find out more and sign up here.
Overall, I enjoy using Uber as a driver and as a rider. If you want $20 worth of rider credits you can also use my referral link here. Uber continues to thrive because it fulfills a niche and demand that many people want despite some of the short comings of this model of the Sharing Economy, which I can rant on about in another post. But at the end of the day I think Uber and other platforms like it will continue to grow. So what do you think? Let me know in the comments.
Wednesday, June 22, 2016
DIY Cornhole Boards
Every DAD blog has to have a DIY post about CornHole boards right?!? I set out a couple weeks ago to build my own set after some minor research on Pinterest. Hopefully you will read this entire post and learn from my mistakes. A set of good boards and some bags could cost nearly $150, so I thought I could make mine for less, and I was right...Until I made a few mistakes.
First, I went to the source, The American Cornhole Association website to get the rules and specifications I needed to be legit. You can go there yourself but the basic requirements are two boards that are 12 inches at the top and 2 and half inches at the bottom with a 90 degree angle. The boards should be 48 inches long and 24 inches wide with a 6 inch diameter hole cut at the top. This hole is centered 9 inches from the top and 12 inches from the sides. You can see my work in progress below.
SUPPLIES: Essentially you will need Four 2x4's that measure 96 inches in length. Because they are fairly cheap, you may as well pick up one extra in case your measurements are off, uh like mine were... I ended up having to re-cut the legs because I made them too small. You will also need a sheet of Half inch ply wood. A word of caution. The Home Depot's saw was broken for like two weeks when I wanted to start this project so I ended up getting the pre-cut sheets, two of them, that fit the dimensions perfectly. It was a bit more expensive so to offset the cost I selected some OSB board, which is essentially a bunch of wood chips pressed and glued together. I would not select this material because when I started sanding some of the wood chipped out and gave a rough edge. I patched it up with some wood putty but that just added to my expenses. Also get some lag bolts (4), washers, and wing nuts to secure the legs to the boards.
The first thing I did was build the frame using the 2x4s. If you know anything about 2x4's it is that they are not actually 2 inches by 4 inches. Be sure to adjust your cuts for that. The long pieces I cut to 48 inches or the length of the top sheet. The short cross pieces were 21 inches and I added the middle piece for support and to take away any kind of bounce the boards might have. It adds a little weight when transporting the boards so you could probably leave them out and be okay. Once I had the frames all nailed together with glue I realized that I should have probably used decking screws, but I had nails and wanted to keep my costs down. The screws would hold together better in my opinion. Next, I glued the top of the OSB sheet to the frame and secured it with some wood screws spaced about 6-7 inches apart. Once that was finished I found an old paint can that was about 6 inches in diameter and traced it onto the OSB sheet. I used a reciprocating saw or sawzall to cut the hole. Be sure to use a large drill bit to drill a pilot hole and definitely be careful not to cut yourself. The safer way to cut the hole would be to use a jigsaw or better yet the safest way is to get a 6 inch hole saw, but I made due with the tools I had.
Once I had the top sheet on it was time to cut the legs and drill some holes. I found a tip on one of the blogs that suggested clamping a scrap piece of 2x4 to the top of the board and one behind the leg. The top piece helps with spacing to ensure the legs can rotate backwards enough to be stable. The piece behind the legs just helps with blow out when you drill the hole. Use the right size hole depending on the size of bolt. In my case, it was 3/8 inch. You could also use the next size up to make the hole just slightly bigger to ensure the bolt slides through easily, or just use your drill bit to augh (or is it awg) out the hole.
NEXT, I found a mason jar lid to use as a template to draw a half circle on the legs. I used my chop saw to take away the most material I could and then follow up with my sander. I would test fit the legs as I went to make sure there was enough clearance for the legs to rotate. ANOTHER note here is that I also sanded inside the boards where the legs would be placed to try to make sure there was enough clearance. This took a couple hours and don't worry about over sanding here because if you paint the legs and the board like I did, you will find that the clearance disappears and wishing you would have spent more time sanding.
The top of the board in game play needs to be 12 inches off the ground. The first legs I cut were too short, meaning I had the needed height but when I titled the legs back and cut an angle with my miter saw, the became too short. The second pair of legs I cut I made 14 inches, which gave me enough room to put a miter cut on the bottom of the legs so that they are more stable when set up for game play. Sorry I don't have any photos of how I made that cut, but essentially I set the boards up on a table with the legs hanging off. I measured the top of the board down to the table until I got to the 12 inch mark. I then drew a line from the table to the legs to give me my angle and cut with the miter saw. I tested the legs before painting on the garage floor. The good thing about using wing nuts and having the angle cut into the bottom of the legs is that when you set up a game in the grass or on some uneven ground, you can adjust the legs accordingly and tighten the wing nuts.
One thing I experimented with was dipping the legs as opposed to painting the with a paint brush. I have seen this technique used on some DIY vlogs on YouTube and thought I would give it a try. As you can see above, the process does create a bit of a mess, but once the bottom half dried I reversed and dipped the top to have a nice clean finish. Another top tip for you here on paint! I didn't really look until after I already bought some expensive outdoor paint, but I found the oops paint and better yet the clearance paint at my local Home Depot. The paint I purchased was over $30 and the clearance paint was $10. Because I didn't really care too much about the paint job, I wish I could have taken the paint back and bought the cheaper stuff.
ONCE everything was painted I decided to add some handles using some marine rope I bought at the hardware store. I drilled the holes using a 1/2 inch drill bit because the rope was 3/4 inch in diameter and the bigger hole meant I could slide the rope through much easier. I secured it on the inside using some carpet staples and a metal strap I found at the hardware store with some wood screws. I found this handle to be functional but when transporting the boards over longer distances I often just grab the board without the handle. But at least the handles look cool.
On a final note. I found the bags pictured at Walmart on clearance. Actually the main reason for kicking off this project. Although they have an official logo, the bags split on the first day of play and I took them back for a refund. I ended up purchasing some bags off amazon (Link below) that are made of Duck cloth and have the real corn inside. These bags are much more durable and should hold up, plus they come with a 1 year warranty. Perhaps the theme of this post should be "You get what you pay for," because in the end I think everything ended up costing me as much as a set of decent boards would cost on Amazon. YES, I could have kept my costs down if I was more aware but time became short in supply and well, I wanted to play cornhole so I finished up the boards and got the bags just in time for Fathers Day and ended up having some great games in the backyard with the Bar-B-Que. So let me know what you think and if you have any ideas. Thanks----- Dr. Jim!
First, I went to the source, The American Cornhole Association website to get the rules and specifications I needed to be legit. You can go there yourself but the basic requirements are two boards that are 12 inches at the top and 2 and half inches at the bottom with a 90 degree angle. The boards should be 48 inches long and 24 inches wide with a 6 inch diameter hole cut at the top. This hole is centered 9 inches from the top and 12 inches from the sides. You can see my work in progress below.
SUPPLIES: Essentially you will need Four 2x4's that measure 96 inches in length. Because they are fairly cheap, you may as well pick up one extra in case your measurements are off, uh like mine were... I ended up having to re-cut the legs because I made them too small. You will also need a sheet of Half inch ply wood. A word of caution. The Home Depot's saw was broken for like two weeks when I wanted to start this project so I ended up getting the pre-cut sheets, two of them, that fit the dimensions perfectly. It was a bit more expensive so to offset the cost I selected some OSB board, which is essentially a bunch of wood chips pressed and glued together. I would not select this material because when I started sanding some of the wood chipped out and gave a rough edge. I patched it up with some wood putty but that just added to my expenses. Also get some lag bolts (4), washers, and wing nuts to secure the legs to the boards.
Once I had the top sheet on it was time to cut the legs and drill some holes. I found a tip on one of the blogs that suggested clamping a scrap piece of 2x4 to the top of the board and one behind the leg. The top piece helps with spacing to ensure the legs can rotate backwards enough to be stable. The piece behind the legs just helps with blow out when you drill the hole. Use the right size hole depending on the size of bolt. In my case, it was 3/8 inch. You could also use the next size up to make the hole just slightly bigger to ensure the bolt slides through easily, or just use your drill bit to augh (or is it awg) out the hole. 
NEXT, I found a mason jar lid to use as a template to draw a half circle on the legs. I used my chop saw to take away the most material I could and then follow up with my sander. I would test fit the legs as I went to make sure there was enough clearance for the legs to rotate. ANOTHER note here is that I also sanded inside the boards where the legs would be placed to try to make sure there was enough clearance. This took a couple hours and don't worry about over sanding here because if you paint the legs and the board like I did, you will find that the clearance disappears and wishing you would have spent more time sanding.
The top of the board in game play needs to be 12 inches off the ground. The first legs I cut were too short, meaning I had the needed height but when I titled the legs back and cut an angle with my miter saw, the became too short. The second pair of legs I cut I made 14 inches, which gave me enough room to put a miter cut on the bottom of the legs so that they are more stable when set up for game play. Sorry I don't have any photos of how I made that cut, but essentially I set the boards up on a table with the legs hanging off. I measured the top of the board down to the table until I got to the 12 inch mark. I then drew a line from the table to the legs to give me my angle and cut with the miter saw. I tested the legs before painting on the garage floor. The good thing about using wing nuts and having the angle cut into the bottom of the legs is that when you set up a game in the grass or on some uneven ground, you can adjust the legs accordingly and tighten the wing nuts.
ONCE everything was painted I decided to add some handles using some marine rope I bought at the hardware store. I drilled the holes using a 1/2 inch drill bit because the rope was 3/4 inch in diameter and the bigger hole meant I could slide the rope through much easier. I secured it on the inside using some carpet staples and a metal strap I found at the hardware store with some wood screws. I found this handle to be functional but when transporting the boards over longer distances I often just grab the board without the handle. But at least the handles look cool.
On a final note. I found the bags pictured at Walmart on clearance. Actually the main reason for kicking off this project. Although they have an official logo, the bags split on the first day of play and I took them back for a refund. I ended up purchasing some bags off amazon (Link below) that are made of Duck cloth and have the real corn inside. These bags are much more durable and should hold up, plus they come with a 1 year warranty. Perhaps the theme of this post should be "You get what you pay for," because in the end I think everything ended up costing me as much as a set of decent boards would cost on Amazon. YES, I could have kept my costs down if I was more aware but time became short in supply and well, I wanted to play cornhole so I finished up the boards and got the bags just in time for Fathers Day and ended up having some great games in the backyard with the Bar-B-Que. So let me know what you think and if you have any ideas. Thanks----- Dr. Jim!
Sunday, June 19, 2016
Sick of Redbox? Try VidAngel and skip the line by streaming movie goodness over the interwebs
It's been a long time since I have updated this space and I have been struggling with the first post to share with anyone who might stumble across this blog. Nevertheless, I have to get something up or I will never achieve this new goal of regularly writing on this blog.
So my first post is a bit of a review about the streaming movie service VidAngel.com, which if you haven't seen or heard about this company you should definitely check them out. I first came across them on Facebook and thought it was some kind of gimmick, but after spending a long day at the beach with my kids, my wife and I were just too tired to drive to a Redbox to get a movie, so we figured we would try it out. Well, we haven't been back to Redbox since...
How's it work? Well, you can always check out their FAQ online but you basically need a credit card to sign up for an account. You can then purchase a movie to stream right to your TV. Purchase? I know right...This might seem a little complicated but it really isn't. You purchase the movie for $20 so that you legally own it and can edit out any junk like profanity or nudity that you don't want to see. The filters they have are pretty good and simple to use. Then once you are finished watching the movie, you just sell it back to VidAngel for $19 and that $19 stays in your account so you can purchase and watch another movie. Don't worry, if you would rather cash out you can always have the money returned to your card. They also have convenient Auto Sell Back features so you can sell back the movie right after you are done viewing it. And that's pretty much it. If you have more questions you can always head over to their website or watch this video:
My wife and I have really been the main VidAngel movie watchers in our household, but we did rent the newest Star Wars movie the other day to watch with our six year old and it was great. The convenience factor is through the roof since we don't have to go out to Redbox, wrestle all the kids in the car, or wait in line. Trust me, you will love it too. So head on over there and feel free to use my referral code by clicking on the link below.
https://www.vidangel.com?vip=9qtt11to
Let me know if you have any questions. Jim
https://www.vidangel.com?vip=9qtt11to
Let me know if you have any questions. Jim
Sunday, January 15, 2012
My Tri-Fecta of HAPPINESS
The other day I was fixing my lunch as I normally do when I'm home taking care of the little one and I thought I should share this little morsel of advice with all of you. I have been doing this for nearly 5 years now, and although some of the three items change, the theme of it all has remained consistent over that time. The theme of my lunch is the TRI-FECTA OF HAPPINESS.
Essentially what I have discovered is that there is usually multiple things that can make one happy. Money, friends, family, etc. all taken by themselves or in concert with another can help make you happy. There are other things that have less of an effect when by themselves, but combined with other equally or perhaps less mundane, can become AMAZING. For me, the formula is three. Three items that left alone do not really do much in the way of producing happiness. They may still offer something, but when coupled with the others, the effect is much greater. This is kind of a systems approach where the sum of the parts is greater than the whole...I think I got that right.
My three things include, a soda pop (usually a coke zero because I don't need all those calories), a Costco Chicken Bake, and a great TV show. Now you are beginning to see how my three things can change from time to time. The TV show used to be the Office, but recently I have been re-watching the UK version of Top Gear. The Chicken bake can change to hamburgers or some other type of sandwich, and the soda can be a number of different flavors. Now let me explain why these three items work better together than they do alone, at least for me.
I started drinking Coke Zero (or other diet sodas) at the urging of my sweet wife. I guess she noticed that I wasn't the chiseled man that I used to be and nicely requested that I switched to diet. It took some time to get used to and I must admit that regular soda is 10 times better. So that's why I need to have something else with the soda, because diet soda by itself just doesn't make me happy.
The chicken bake is easy to make and I love simpleness. I pop it in the microwave, get my soda and my show ready and three minutes later I am good to go. The chicken bake by itself is definitely not worth it and I DO have to have a soda to wash it down. I just can't eat those Chicken bakes, or other lunch food, without a soda and a show.
The TV show is perhaps the icing on the cake. I thoroughly enjoy the time relaxing and watching a great show while I consume my lunch. Eating the type of lunch I have just explained really is disparaging unless coupled with a show. Therefore, these three items really do work together to make up a wonderful tri-fecta.
The advice I have gleaned from creating this small slice of happiness that I wish to pass onto you is just that. No matter how small or insignificant something is, there is value there. Coupled with several things it begins to take on something greater. I may be just a simpleton but I do know that finding things to make you happy can also make you healthy. Well, I mean that in a loose sense of the word because I'm sure I could always eat a much more healthy lunch. However, that would alter the balance of my happiness, so right now it's just not worth it :D
UPDATE: I have moved onto regular cherry coke, something on YouTube, and Quesadilla's!!!!
Essentially what I have discovered is that there is usually multiple things that can make one happy. Money, friends, family, etc. all taken by themselves or in concert with another can help make you happy. There are other things that have less of an effect when by themselves, but combined with other equally or perhaps less mundane, can become AMAZING. For me, the formula is three. Three items that left alone do not really do much in the way of producing happiness. They may still offer something, but when coupled with the others, the effect is much greater. This is kind of a systems approach where the sum of the parts is greater than the whole...I think I got that right.
My three things include, a soda pop (usually a coke zero because I don't need all those calories), a Costco Chicken Bake, and a great TV show. Now you are beginning to see how my three things can change from time to time. The TV show used to be the Office, but recently I have been re-watching the UK version of Top Gear. The Chicken bake can change to hamburgers or some other type of sandwich, and the soda can be a number of different flavors. Now let me explain why these three items work better together than they do alone, at least for me.
I started drinking Coke Zero (or other diet sodas) at the urging of my sweet wife. I guess she noticed that I wasn't the chiseled man that I used to be and nicely requested that I switched to diet. It took some time to get used to and I must admit that regular soda is 10 times better. So that's why I need to have something else with the soda, because diet soda by itself just doesn't make me happy.
The chicken bake is easy to make and I love simpleness. I pop it in the microwave, get my soda and my show ready and three minutes later I am good to go. The chicken bake by itself is definitely not worth it and I DO have to have a soda to wash it down. I just can't eat those Chicken bakes, or other lunch food, without a soda and a show.
The TV show is perhaps the icing on the cake. I thoroughly enjoy the time relaxing and watching a great show while I consume my lunch. Eating the type of lunch I have just explained really is disparaging unless coupled with a show. Therefore, these three items really do work together to make up a wonderful tri-fecta.
The advice I have gleaned from creating this small slice of happiness that I wish to pass onto you is just that. No matter how small or insignificant something is, there is value there. Coupled with several things it begins to take on something greater. I may be just a simpleton but I do know that finding things to make you happy can also make you healthy. Well, I mean that in a loose sense of the word because I'm sure I could always eat a much more healthy lunch. However, that would alter the balance of my happiness, so right now it's just not worth it :D
UPDATE: I have moved onto regular cherry coke, something on YouTube, and Quesadilla's!!!!
Friday, January 6, 2012
One great IDEA
This blog has been dormant for nearly a year now and I just came up with an idea to revive it. My only hope is that I have the motivation to follow through with this idea as I think it could be really interesting.
The plan for this blog in the future centers around the word ADVICE. I am planning on talking to as many people as I can, well as many convenient people as I can, and asking them what the best advice is that they have ever received? I think it could be a great way to have a conversation and I also think I will get some really good information.
The genesis of this idea developed from insomnia really, but as I was struggling with sleep I realized the amount of bad and good advice that I have received throughout my life. The one thing I realized is that most of the advice I remember has turned out to be fairly negative for me. For instances, my high school career exploration teacher told me and the class that we should NOT choose an occupation that mirrors a hobby/activity that we love. For me at that time it was anything that had to do with a motor. Her thinking was that if you do what you love for work, then you will end up hating it.
I understand her logic, but I think it is extremely flawed. I love cars and I think I would have loved a job that involved the use of cars or motors or something. Instead, I am going into academia, which I have grown to love and am really excited about. However, cars and motors just seem fun and who wouldn't love a job that is fun. I see some people doing what they truly love and getting paid for it and think, wow that has got to be awesome. Then I think, I don't know if I would have the guts to completely change my life to go after something like that. I wish I could say that I would but I just don't know.
The other thing about ADVICE is that I think it is basically one's opinion. I think that people who give good advice know how influential they can be and thus they present a fair opinion. Some people don't always present advice this way, which I think is detrimental. My brother is one of those who gives great advice. I would say some of it stems from his counseling background and training, but I also think some of it is life experience. I mean that is really what advice should convey, right? Someones life lessons.
The final thought I have about advice is also about who gives it and the way they feel. Advice is essentially one's opinion and opinion is heavily influenced by emotion. Talk to someone who is living the good life and I think their advice is generally positive. Talk to someone down in the dumps and their advice may be more negative. I guess through this little project of mine I will find out.
I hope that you will come back and follow my journey as I write about the ADVICE I receive from everyday people.
Thanks.
The plan for this blog in the future centers around the word ADVICE. I am planning on talking to as many people as I can, well as many convenient people as I can, and asking them what the best advice is that they have ever received? I think it could be a great way to have a conversation and I also think I will get some really good information.
The genesis of this idea developed from insomnia really, but as I was struggling with sleep I realized the amount of bad and good advice that I have received throughout my life. The one thing I realized is that most of the advice I remember has turned out to be fairly negative for me. For instances, my high school career exploration teacher told me and the class that we should NOT choose an occupation that mirrors a hobby/activity that we love. For me at that time it was anything that had to do with a motor. Her thinking was that if you do what you love for work, then you will end up hating it.
I understand her logic, but I think it is extremely flawed. I love cars and I think I would have loved a job that involved the use of cars or motors or something. Instead, I am going into academia, which I have grown to love and am really excited about. However, cars and motors just seem fun and who wouldn't love a job that is fun. I see some people doing what they truly love and getting paid for it and think, wow that has got to be awesome. Then I think, I don't know if I would have the guts to completely change my life to go after something like that. I wish I could say that I would but I just don't know.
The other thing about ADVICE is that I think it is basically one's opinion. I think that people who give good advice know how influential they can be and thus they present a fair opinion. Some people don't always present advice this way, which I think is detrimental. My brother is one of those who gives great advice. I would say some of it stems from his counseling background and training, but I also think some of it is life experience. I mean that is really what advice should convey, right? Someones life lessons.
The final thought I have about advice is also about who gives it and the way they feel. Advice is essentially one's opinion and opinion is heavily influenced by emotion. Talk to someone who is living the good life and I think their advice is generally positive. Talk to someone down in the dumps and their advice may be more negative. I guess through this little project of mine I will find out.
I hope that you will come back and follow my journey as I write about the ADVICE I receive from everyday people.
Thanks.
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