No News is Good News

Journal Entry, Sept. 13, 2009: Weight = 172.2; Coinage = $3.29, 134 pennies, 5 nickels, 12 dimes, 2 quarters; Ground scores = 9; Best coinage find = 2 quarters at the Burger King on a residual walk.

Journal Entry, Sept. 14, 2009; $.97, 57 pennies, 4 dimes; Glass bottles = 3; Ground score = 1; Best coinage find = 3 dimes at the Pop Eyes drive through.

Photo feature, all those pennies and not a single wheat. Moreover, the MoneyWalker hasn't found paper currency in weeks and weeks.

Fair readers, it was a slow news day.

MoneyWalker

Finality and Death and Dying

Journal entry: Weight = 173.3; Coinage = $.71, 36 pennies, 1 dime, 1 quarter; Glass bottles retrieved = 2; Ground scores = 2; Best coinage find = a 2 coin curb scatter consisting of a quarter and a penny.

Feature entry: Some believe that “all philosophy springs from the phenomenon of death.” On my morning walk, I came upon an automobile wreck. It was raining and had been all night. A light weight SUV coming off the interstate onto one of my walking streets had flipped onto its top. It was surreal--no police, no on-lookers, or no ambulance was present. I feared the worse—I feared finality!

Elisabeth Kȕbler-Ross’s “On Death and Dying: What the Dying Have to Teach Doctors, Nurses, Clergy, and Their Own Families” opines that all of us should make it a habit to think occasionally about death and dying before we encounter it in our own life. Indeed, the foundation of most faiths is that the finality of death is a myth, that we either live on spiritual in an another state (in heaven), or that we are resurrected for this world to live in another time and place.

Still, we humans are hard-wired to seek mortality, or at least to live as long and as well as we can. That is one of the primary motivating factors driving the MoneyWalker’s continuing habit of a constitutional walk. Death comes in many forms, sometimes expectedly during a terminal illness or sometimes unexpectedly from an accident.

The three leading causes of death in the United States are heart disease, cancer, and stroke. Other leading causes include chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, pneumonia and influenza, diabetes, and suicide. Research is clear, an active exercise program coupled with a balanced low-fat low caloric diet can forestall death and extend the quality of life.

As for the accident, it remains a mystery. Upon arrival to the scene, there were no passengers or driver in the car or in the nearby asphalt and green spaces. Soon a nurse stopped, then another samaritan, and finally we heard a firetruck coming. Assuming the authorities were in control and not seeing anyone injured or worse, there was nothing to do but to walk away and deal with my reflections of …finality.

MoneyWalker

Movie Review: Julie and Julia

Journal Entry: Weight = 172.2; Coinage = $1.80, 70 pennies, 4 nickels, 9 dimes; Glass bottles = 8; Best coinage find = a dime and penny at Rally’s Burger parking lot.

Journal Entry: Movie Review: Julie and Julia, a dramatic comedy about the life of Julia Childs starring Meryl Streep. Caution, watching this terrific movie will add five pounds to your waist line by just watching the delicious food coming out of the oven. The Julie part was very funny and moving as Amy Adams cooked and blogged her way in and then out and then back into her marriage. Amy portrayed the rewards and the difficulty of preparing a daily blog. Trust the MoneyWalker, for all of us that enjoy food, a wholesome funny movie, and the trials and tribulations of the blogging game, you will want to see this dramatic comedy.

I am buying Ms MoneyWalker the book,"Mastering the Art of French Cooking."

MoneyWalker

KFC –It must have been “Finger Licking Good”

Journal Entry: Weight = 172.2; Coinage = $1.91; 96 pennies, 2 nickels, 1 dime, 3 quarters; Glass bottles = 7; Ground score = 1; Best coinage find = .93 in a KFC drive up, 3 quarters, a dime, a nickel, and 3 pennies.

Feature Entry: The MoneyWalker found an unusually large amount of change in the local KFC drive through. It made me thing of their tag line “finger licking good.” But what about the calories? Not too bad: Drumstick = 110, breast = 140, fries = 294, biscuit = 74; and coke = 139 or about 750 calories for a two piece with fries, biscuit and a coke. Cut the fries and drink water and the meal comes in at a rather decent 325 calories. Also, congratulations to KFC and their new policy of posting the calorie count of their menu within their KFC outlets.

All that, but I still can’t get past the image of the customer’s Pavlovian response in anticipation of that chicken so that total focus is lost on anything else including the retrieval of all that change.

MoneyWalker

Brad Pitt for Mayor!

Journal Entry, September 7, 2009: Coinage = $1.11, 31 pennies, 4 nickels, 6 dimes; Glass bottles = 9; Ground scores =6; Best coinage find = a well tanned dime from a heavily walked curb.

Journal Entry, September 8, 2009: Coinage = $3.03, 98 pennies, 4 nickels, 11 dimes, 3 quarters (yes these finds reflect an early morning raid of the vacuum cannisters of the local car wash); Glass bottles = 4; Ground scores = 2; Best coinage find = a nickel and 3 pennies in the curb in front of a coffee shop featuring the likeness of Brad Pitt (see photo above), also a dime was found in the Times Picayune vending machine at the building.

Feature Entry: Brad Pitt for Mayor!, he has my vote. Brad and Angelina Pitt are among the many national personalities that have given their time, money, and energy for the rebuilding of New Orleans. Among their worthy contributions is the rebuilding of the Upper Ninth Ward, the so-call “Musicians Village.” With their leadership, many of the City's musical treasures, the musicians, were able to return to New Orleans and rekindle the French Quarter music scene. This multi-sponsored Habitat for Humanity project has attracted many volunteers including the MoneyWalkers.

Just down our street is Warren Easton High School. This public and chartered high school is the recipient of thousands of dollars contributed by Sandra Bullock. The Moneywalker’s famous car wash is just five blocks away.

Perhaps more important to the recovery of New Orleans are the thousands of college students, high school students, church groups, and general population that continue to flock to the city and volunteer their vacation time for the recovery effort. One Idaho high school group totally “gutted” one of my properties two years ago.

Brad, you are a symbol of the great good will that we have experience from all parts of the U.S. and abroad. Thank you!

MoneyWalker

Creating a Living Trust Fund

Journal Entry, Sept. 3, 2009: Weight = 172.8; Coinage = $1.60; 135 pennies, 1 nickel, 2 dimes; Glass bottles = 4; Ground scores = 9; Best coinage find = 135 pennies in three stacks on a bridge guard (I have no idea)

Journal Entry, Sept. 4, 2009: Weight = 173.2; Coinage = $1.75, 60 pennies, six nickels, six dimes; Glass bottles = 8; Ground score = 1; Best coinage = the six dimes, six nickels, and 49 pennies found at the car wash.

Feature Entry: Ms MoneyWalker is putting forward convincing evidence for changing our will to something called a “living trust.” We have read that the heirs of our modest estate will save much time and expense in not having to go through probate. However, I’m banking on my walking regiment to forestall the need for such a document for many years.

One problem is the upfront time required to dutifully and accurately record each and every item for the Living Trust. The question is, just which ones of my children will be the proud owners of all my Ground Scores such as the ones featured above.

MoneyWalker

Patience and Confidence

Journal Entry, Sept. 1, 2009: Weight = 171.8; Coinage = $1.18, 18 pennies, 3 nickels, 1 dime, 3 quarters; Bottles = 3; Ground Scores = 4; Best coinage find = one lonely nickel in an asphalt crater in the middle of a street crossing.

Journal Entry, September 2, 2009: Weight = 172.6; Coinage = $.82, 42 pennies, 4 dimes; Glass bottles = 6; Ground scores = 3; Best coinage find = a dime in a gas bay at a service station.

Feature Entry: Those that study health and fitness usually include a spiritual component. This past Sunday, the MoneyWalker attended a Bible study with a theme of confidence and patience. The text for the message was James 5, verse 7: “Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord.”
The text has two important messages for moneywalkers. First, when the goal is to lose weight, be patient with time. Don’t fall for the quick promises of diets featured on glossy front covers of magazines at the grocery line. Plan to lose one or two pounds a month with a slow but reliable reduction of caloric intake and an increase in aerobic exercise. Second, carry yourself with confidence knowing that you can and will be successful.

As for the Spiritual component, believe in something larger than yourself. For me, it is faith in a supreme being. For others it might be a secular belief. What is important is to avoid a vacuum of belief in which you take on the world without anyone but yourself. Boredom, depression, loneliness, disillusionment, and often poor health including poor eating habits are usually the result. Be patient, be confident and you will lose weight.

MoneyWalker