I’m pretty sure a sleeper cell has nothing to do with this post.  In fact I’m positive other than I did not sleep last night as my mind ran through worst case scenarios for a major software release today.  Hooray for butterflies!

Since posting about a month ago about stinking on keeping track of money I’ve been using Mint.com.  Yup, I’m using an online service.  So far I’m not thrilled with where we’re at and what we have to do to get where we need to be.  That’s rather blunt, but the financial news just seems to be pouring in about how banks are on the fritz, my home loan is going to cause my pants to explode, and how Warren Buffet is sad about the economy but generally not personally worried that he’ll lose all of his tens of billions.

I’ve also started a quick & dirty coffee blog with a couple friends (if you would like to join and write about coffees you’re enjoying/trying, shoot me an email.  You can read about my first of six beans that I’m roasting from the latest order here.

As for the Watch My Money Maker Weekly podcast I need to get on that.  I’ve got 100 excuses, all of which end in, “but I just didn’t make it a priority.”  So since this weekend I’ll be out of town and solo I may have time since I don’t tend to sleep a lot on trips like this.  Sleep is over-rated any way.

The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is coming to my area.  This is a good thing, I’m told, because they’ll bring money to hotels, restaurants, brothels and convenience stores.  Money, in an economy that is supposed to be so bad that the wealthy keep getting wealthier and the poor keep getting poorer, will help keep the poor wealthier and the wealthy hiring.  I’m not much for politics any more, not since I figured out that politics is about man’s solution to man’s problems without ignoring man’s real problem.  However, its nice that they’re coming to the Denver metro area as well because our roadways are designed for slightly less people than currently drive them, and the new crowds of drivers will help keep the price of gas high as gas station owners have figured out that they can pretty much charge as much as they want and we’re a captive audience.  I think that’s a mixed metaphor.

There are some genuinely good reasons to have them in town and one of them is that a reader of this very blog will more than likely come into town to support her husband who will more than likely rule the world before its all said and done, and I’d like to have him in my pocket be in his pocket have the right connections.  The financial impact that is suspected to come with this national convention is roughly $160,000,000.00 in currency influx.  They’re expecting a huge crowd at the Bronco stadium (branded Invesco field) for  B. Obama’s acceptance speech.  Big money, big names, and they bring them in with enough people to populate the town I grew up in.  Which, if it were to be receiving the Democratic Nation Convention, would self implode.  Lets hope that the Dems bring money, but its not debt money, we don’t need that in Denver, Colorado or the US Government

The government’s attempt to give you an early tax refund (even if you don’t need one) which they’re calling ‘economic stimulation’ is a farce for the most part: I may get $600.00 for my family, but I’ll be paying it back in my quarterly taxes. Oh, boy! Here’s a list of things that will not stimulate the economy and bust the intended use for the checks:

1. Stick the check in the bank
2. Pay the check back to the government as a quarterly tax payment the following quarter
3. Pay credit card debt (and not regain that debt on the card)
4. Go on an international spending spree
5. Buy Anime on eBay… from Japan
6. Frame the check and put it on your mantle like the head of a dead dear
7. Give it to a charity that will buy goats for Haitians
8. Invest in lead testing kits for the Chinese toys your children have
9. Drive to Canada and buy cheap meds
10. Use it to move to Canada where their looney money is worth more

What are you going to do that’s financially wise, but not necessarily intended by the Gov’t.?