Links (With Commentary, Of Course)

Here's some links from around the web (with appropriate commentary of course):

• Man accidentally kills self during gun safety demonstration (what are the four rules of gun safety???)
• I'm quitting my job...thanks Obamacare (actually it should be thanks tax payers, they are the one's who will be paying for your insurance in all of these scenarios)
• Hackathons (this is definitely the new wave of learning useful skills for the marketplace)
• The History of Bitcoin (not regulated, not backed by anything...yep that's a great investment /s)
• And now for something more relaxing and enjoyable...Nature Valley Trail Views 

10 Things on My 'To Done' List

After a very nice vacation I came back to perfect Vegas weather and a lengthy to do list which, at this point, is nearly done.

1. Taxes.  These were done simply and inexpensively online, months before some procrastinators will be heading to the post office at midnight to beat the April 15th deadline.
2. Garden.  Unlike most of the country, we got zero snow and now temps in the high 70s which means gardening time.  I've got a half dozen vegetables planted and the fruit trees are already flowering.
3. Cleaning out the garage. Spring cleaning is best done in, well, spring.  And since it is very much spring here, cleaning has been commenced.
4. CraigsList.  Which leads us to CraigsListing many items we no longer need.  This both clears out the clutter and provides cash to add to the emergency fund.
5. Pantry and freezer.  As we get set for the spring influx of guests, it was time to review our food stores in both the pantry and freezer, rotate stored food, and restock.
6. Revamp the BOBs.  Also as the weather changes it is time to dump out the BOBs (house BOB, car BOB) and review/replace/exchange items as needed.
7. A semi-annual home inspection.  Fortunately the "need to fix" list is short after a thorough home inspection but there are a couple of fire extinguishers that need to be recharged, an AC unit that needs an annual service, a vehicle that needs its oil changed, a stockpile of batteries that have dwindled over the winter and need restocked, etc.
8. The annual bill review.  This is done once a year, usually at the beginning of the year, and includes a review each expense we pay.  For example, the house payment.  I am quite please with this and the interest rate is much lower than anything I can get today so that bill is left as is.  However, when I looked at vehicle and home insurance bill the rates seemed a bit high so I did some comparison shopping, got quotes for better rates than what I was currently paying, then marched over to my insurance agent's office and finagled a lowering of said rates to my satisfaction. 
9. Summer travel.  In our case, winter is generally a good time to stay home but summer...not so much.  So summer travel has been planned, tickets purchased, hotels booked, etc.
10. Fitness goals.  Fitness activities are an integral part of my life anyway but I do have some particular goals for this year and need to plan out how they will be reached.  For example, I want to walk 1200 this year which should be accomplished with daily three mile walks and a couple of "big walks" of 20 to 50 miles which need to be scheduled.  Ditto I need to get busy scheduling a Grand Canyon rim to rim hike and a long distance walk in the UK.

And from today's BS-conspiracy-theory-inducing-let's-hope-this-cover-up-gets-exposed news: this

Getting Clobbered By Bad Weather? 10 Things to Remember

Yet another snow story as more than 60% of the US is covered in the stuff.  Here's 10 things to remember:

1. Beware carbon monoxide poisoning, it can kill you
2. And so can suffocation (a la avalanches, etc)
3. Be prepared for power outages of indeterminate length
4. Road conditions are treacherous
5. And there are shortages (of road salt, propane, and natural gas)
6. Cold weather increases the chances of house fires (and seriously impedes response)
7. And it is even worse if your area is not used to very bad weather
8. Chain reaction accidents are common in this weather
9. And you aren't even safe from delays if you are flying
10. No matter what you are doing during the storm, remember to stay safe