A Busy Holiday Season

I just realized that I had better check in lest people think I dropped off of this mortal coil.  While I am keeping the website updated, blogging, not so much.  So with literally dozens of friends and relatives coming and going over the past couple weeks and more to come for Christmas and New Years, there probably won't be many blog posts until after the first of the year (I tend to head out hiking when the house gets crazy busy and not spend much time online).

And ten more things:

1. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
2. Please don't drink and drive.
3. Remember that this is one of the busiest seasons for thieves so keep your house locked up, nothing visible in your car, and keep and eye on your credit cards for charges you didn't make.
4. Set some reasonable new year's resolutions (and a couple of unreasonable ones).
5. Donate to those who are less fortunate.
6. Keep exercising even though there are probably dozens of other things you could be doing at this busy time of the year.
7. If you are gift giving this holiday season, give useful gifts (while the spouse may not agree, I think that guns and knives and Smartwool socks are perfectly reasonable gifts to give).
8. Be safe!  Burning candles, overloaded electrical outlet, turkey deep fryers, little kids visiting (lock up your firearms when they are around)...all can lead to disaster so think safety.
9. Be kind.  The holidays also tend to amp up the stress levels in people who can least afford to be amped up (depression, financial problems, marital problems, etc. all seem to come to the fore at this time of year).
10. Enjoy the holidays--making good memories is much more important than what kind of gift gets given or received.

Stay tuned for more blog posts after the 1st.

20 Back-ups You Should Make Today

After a month of cyber insecurity--a crashed website, switching to a new cell phone/SIM card which nearly wiped out all of my phone data, and having my email service become inaccessible for a few days...thanks Yahoo--I decided I better get busy with some end of the year tasks that I have been putting off (like backing up all of my important stuff).  Here are 20 back-ups you should make today (save these things to a thumb drive or external hard drive):

1. All of the files on your computer.
2. All of your scanned/digital pictures.
3. All of your cell phone contacts.
4. Any other important information on your cell phone.
5. All of your email contacts.
6. Any important emails that you don't want to lose.
7. All important paper documents (passport, driver's license, marriage certificate, wills and medical power of attorney, etc).
8. Any papers you have collected that you would be lost without (I have generations of paper birth and death records from my genealogy research, many of which would be difficult if not impossible to replace so these are scanned into my computer then saved with my backed up files).
9. A sheet with all of your usernames and passwords, bank account information, etc.
10. Your calendar.
11. Your websites and blogs.
12. Music from your computer/cell phone/iPod/etc.
13. Any videos that you don't want to lose.
14. Important financial records (taxes, income statements, etc).
15. Bookmarked websites (if you have a giant list of them and don't want to lose them).
16. Your computer operating system (if you need to wipe your entire system and your computer didn't come with a backup/restoration disc this is a good idea).
17. Any work files you would be lost without (computer files, scanned paper files, etc).
18. Other people's files as appropriate (for example, a friend has sent me some of his personal records to keep "just in case" like his DD-214 and a copy of his Will which I am the executor of; the daughter who is going through a divorce sends me copies of all documents relating to her divorce; etc.  I may never need any of these things but if the people who sent them to me for safe keeping request them, I would like to have them easily accessible and not lost in the black hole of cyberspace).
19. Any proprietary data that you could lose access too (in the case of using Ancestry for genealogy research/file keeping, if you stop paying for the service you could lose access to your information so be sure to download and save this information regularly). 
20. Any other digital data not included above (ie: you may have files on your tablet that aren't on your computer or cell phone that you want to keep copies of).

And five more tips:

1. Using the cloud (DropBox, etc) for back up is OK but I still don't trust that their system won't be hacked and all of your data could be lost.
2. Be sure to regularly back up all of these documents (changing formats if necessary).  If you back up all of your documents then don't revisit this data occasionally, software/hardware may change and you could lose access to the data.  For example, if you backed up your files to a floppy disc years ago, good luck finding both the hardware (floppy disc drive) and software (MS Office 1.5) needed to access the files.
3. Determine where you will back up your files.  I prefer a thumb drive with adequate capacity but others find these unstable and prefer to use an external hard drive.
4. Always keep your backed up files somewhere other than where your computer is.  If your home burns down you don't want to lose both your computer and the external hard drive where all of your files are backed up to.  Similarly, if you keep your back up at work and the business shuts down with no notice you would lose access to your back up as well.
5. Be sure that whatever back up system you choose is able to password protect your documents (you don't want someone to find your external drive and be able to access all of your personal documents).

Black Out in a Major City...Are You Ready?

A major black out hit Detroit this morning reiterating the problem with #1) our rapidly deteriorating infrastructure, #2) the necessity to prepare for such an unforeseen occurrence, and #3) the possibility that such a black out could happen anywhere at anytime and last for a lot longer than this one did.  Are you ready for such an event in your city/town?  Here are some things to consider:

• Be prepared to protect yourself.  When there is a major event that impacts a city, the last thing the police are going to do is respond to an individual calling for help.  They have bigger problems to deal with.
• Have the basics to see you through a major power outage.  Flashlights, spare batteries, candles, matches, extra blankets, an alternative cooking system, an alternative heating system.
• Consider what to do if the power goes out and you have systems that rely on power (ie: security system, medical life support equipment, door and garage door locks, well pump, livestock fencing, etc).
• Always keep cash on hand (ATMs may not work, banks may not be open).
• Always keep your car's gas tank at least half full (gas stations may not be able to pump gas).
• Consider getting a generator and storing extra fuel for it.
• Have a food plan (have food that doesn't require cooking, be prepared to eat the food in your fridge first then cook up the food in your freezer so it doesn't spoil).
• Store bottled water for drinking.  In addition, have ways to purify water if needed (in many cities their water purification systems won't work without electricity).
• Stock enough supplies (toilet paper, baby food, etc) so you don't need to go to the store for a week or more (stores without power will probably stay closed).
• Have a battery-operated/hand-crank radio on hand to keep up with the  latest news.
• Have non-electronic means of entertainment in your home (such as books and board games).
• Consider using solar-powered lights in and around your yard (they recharge during the day then can be used as indoor or outdoor lights at night).
• Be prepared to be as self-sufficient as possible for as long as possible.
• Be prepared to evacuate to the next closest town that has power if necessary.  If someone is seriously ill or you have a newborn and it is the dead of winter it may be more prudent to hole up in a hotel that has power then to stick it out in your home.
• Determine if it is safe enough to leave your home (driving can be an issue if the street lights are out, on the other hand, it may be easier to alleviate boredom if the other side of town has power and you can take the family bowling or to the movies).
• Be able to charge your cell phones and laptops in your car (ie: a car charger for your cell and an AC/DC converter to plug your laptop into).

25 Items Your Emergency Fund Should Cover

Now as people being spending copious amounts of money on Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Christmas in general, here is a little reminder about your emergency fund.  These are some of the items your emergency fund might be needed to cover (so it behooves you to have this fund in place sooner rather than later...):

1. To replace a dead furnace.
2. To replace a dead appliance (stove, refrigerator, hot water tank, etc).
3. To cover your home insurance deductible.
4. To cover your car insurance deductible.
5. To replace your vehicle if you only have liability coverage on it.
6. To pay for a week or more in a hotel if you need to evacuate during an emergency.
7. To pay for six months of your mortgage if you become unemployed.
8. To pay for six months of utilities if you become unemployed.
9. To have a general cushion (food, toiletries, etc) if you become unemployed.
10. To pay for a semester of college if you are currently paying for your child's education.
11. To pay for a burial/funeral/cremation for a loved one.
12. To pay for worn brakes, a busted water pump, or other car-related emergency.
13. To pay for medical expenses over and above your medical insurance coverage.
14. To pay first month's rent, last month's rent, and deposit, if you need to move in a hurry.
15. To pay for an emergency dental procedure.
16. To pay for an emergency vet bill.
17. To cover a spouse who suddenly can't work for a period of time (due to illness or injury).
18. To survive/pay for expenses related to a natural or man-made disaster.
19. To pay for an attorney if you end up in an unexpected legal situation.
20. To flee the country (unlikely but still possible).
21. To get back to your country (due to a vacation disaster).
22. To relocate (due to a domestic violence situation or a great new job).
23. To pay for a once in a lifetime opportunity (it has to be a literally once in a lifetime opportunity; big sales on material goods don't count).
24. To help a friend or loved one out of a difficult situation (money is given as a gift, you should have some reassurance the situation won't arise again, and it should not be used for bail).
25. To replace needed emergency item (ie: your weather radio broke, your sleeping bag was eaten by moths, your handgun was stolen, etc).

Things that aren't an emergency include but not limited to:

• Most restaurant meals.
• A vacation.
• Any material item unless you will die without it.
• Bail (if someone is in jail they probably belong there).
• A great sale on a: car, gun, guitar, suit, etc.
• A new, expensive cell phone (if you break yours, get a cheap-o replacement until you save up the money for a better one).
• A better car.
• A nicer house.
• Gifts (Christmas or otherwise).

10 Tasks for December

Here's hoping you had a wonderful Thanksgiving (it's been a zoo around our place with people coming in from all over the country to spend the holiday in Vegas thus the dearth of posts...).

Here are 10 tasks to consider for December:

1. If you are going to hit up the Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales, you might as well buy some useful stuff.  I went to REI yesterday and made a haul on some new gear (new headlamp, new trekking poles, a daypack, etc).  Many places will have outdoor gear on sale during the month of December so if you need to replace stuff, now is the time to do it.
2. Pull your free credit report.  I make this an annual habit just to make sure no one has jacked my credit.  If you do notice things on your credit report that aren't yours, be sure to get them corrected as soon as possible.
3. Sign up for health insurance if you need it.  Apparently the whole Obamacare thing is a cluster f*^k but it is open enrollment time for healthcare so if you need it, now is the time to sign up.
4. Stock your food pantry.  The holidays bring some pretty good loss leaders/sales on all kinds of staples so now is the time to add to your pantry.  Our local store had turkeys on sale for 57 cents a pound (much cheaper  than chicken these days) so now I have a half dozen turkeys in the freezer for future use.  Ditto for flour, sugar, butter, etc.
5. Make note of anything that needs to be fixed, either now or in the spring.  You really can't tell that there is wind whistling through the door frame or a leaky spot in the roof until winter so if you notice things that need to be fixed around the homestead, make a note of it so you will remember to fix it in the spring (or sooner if the situation will create an emergency if it isn't repaired soon).
6. Use up your HSA dollars.  Depending on what kind of health/dental insurance you have, you might have left over money in your account that needs to be used up by the end of the year.  If this is the case for you, make a quick appointment with the doc/dentist/ophthalmologist/etc and get those use-it-or-lose-it dollars spent.
7. Consult your accountant (or your previous tax returns, online financial program, etc) and make sure any financial loose ends get wrapped up by the end of the year.  Here's a good checklist to cover all of your end-of-the-year financial bases.
8. Do it up for the holidays.  Whether that means hosting a big Christmas dinner, going on vacation, or making new holiday traditions, you have only a couple of weeks to pull this off so start now.  One idea, go out an cut your own Christmas tree.  Google cut your own Christmas tree and your state for information on local u-cut places and/or permits needed for cutting on state or federal land.
9. Get outside and get active.  Yes it is December and in some places the snow is knee deep but it is also a good time to expand your abilities and learn some winter skills.  Camping in the winter is totally different than in the summer, shooting in the winter is totally different than in the summer...you get the idea...
10. Give back to others.  Although those in need can use help all year round, December is usually when people realize how much they have and how much others need.  Whether you choose to donate you time, money, or skills, helping others in your community is a great way to make the place that you live even better.

Conspiracy Theories

While I am not one of those tin-foil-hat wearing conspiracy theorists, there are some theories floating around that are just so blatant that it makes one wonder why the whole of the general public doesn't rise up in revolt over being treated like unwitting pawns in a global game of greed and power plays.  But I suppose if the public is kept fat and happy and drowning in the swill of mass media and government handouts they are loath to complain and 'rock the boat'.  Quite a sad state of affairs.

Here's some of those blatant conspiracies..

• A dying Vet's letter to Cheney and Bush   (and the comments generated on reddit)
• The Obama Administration Dupes the Public with Obamacare
• And while the 9/11 event has been quietly put to bed, there are still plenty of people who think the government was more involved in the situation than the public was led to believe
• Our food is making us fat and sick (thanks to the FDA, USDA, and those in power who own stock in both the food companies that make us sick as well as stock in the pharmaceutical companies that purport to "save us").

Remembering Those Who Served on Veteran's Day

Today is Veteran's Day.  Take a minute to remember those who served, thank those who served for their sacrifice and, if possible, help those who have served our country or who are currently in the armed forces.

Veteran's Day is a big deal in Las Vegas.  There is a parade, a run, many restaurants and casinos give all sorts of freebies to vets (I had a nice buffet lunch compliments of the Southpoint Casino which provides free meals to vets each Veteran's day; bonus, while I was standing in line I got to thank a WWII vet for his service), the Lt Dan Band and Gary Sinisi were entertaining the troops and everyone else downtown this weekend, and the MGM hosted Veteran's Day weekend for wounded warriors.

It made for a very celebratory atmosphere and reiterated the fact that those who serve and protect our country are true heroes and should be recognized as such.  If you are a vet, thanks for your service.