Personal
Liberals like to use taxation and regulation to bring about social engineering. Unfortunately, they also use those tools as an opportunity to expand the reach of government through new programs funded by those new taxes. Thus they tax cigarettes, for example, rather than outlaw it, so they can fund health-care for poor kids, which is one of the ways they sell the tax to voters. But when the tax has its effect, as in reducing the number of smokers, the liberals cry that these “vital” programs created by these taxes are under-funded, and so another new tax is born.
The latest example of this round-robin is the gas tax in Massachusetts. Years of increasing gas taxes, plus increases in the cost of oil, have forced taxpayers to buy more fuel-efficient cars—whether those cars are otherwise the best car for them or not—or to ride public transportation. This led to decreased purchase of gasoline and lower revenues from the gas taxes, which in turn led to shortfalls in funding for road maintenance and whatever other less necessary pork projects the solons on Beacon Hill dreamed up.
And so, they’re dreaming up new ways to tax us like Gov. Deval Patrick’s idea to create open-road tolling or tracking the mileage you drive and charging you a mileage tax. Open-road tolling means cars drive at highway speed through places on the highway where receivers in the road pick up radio-frequency transponders rather than forcing cars to slow down to go through electronic booths or to stop to give money to a toll taker.
Some folks have asked about the photos in the header of the Bettnet.com page. Starting from the left: A photo of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati (standing, right, holding a cigar and in a 3-piece suit) to whom I’ve had a spiritual devotion for many years; A photo of my dad soon after my parents were married, taken in either 1959 or 1960; A photo of my mom in the kitchen of my parents’ first apartment, again soon after they were married; Melanie and me on our honeymoon in Nova Scotia in 2005; Our kids, Isabella, Benedict, and Sophia, in Feb. 2010 at my in-laws’ home in Texas. Obviously that last photo will change as the kids grow up (and new ones join the fold).
Melanie put together this slideshow giving an overview of our past year. I think it will most appeal to family and friends.
Back in May, when I found out that I was going to need prescription eyeglasses for the first time, I wrote about the fact that it’s possible to buy very inexpensive eyeglasses online. And by that I mean $25 for the whole package versus $200 or more. Since most vision insurance plans have a limit on how much they’ll reimburse you for new glasses and often limit you to a new pair every two years, these inexpensive glasses could be a very useful way to replace lost or broken glasses or to keep a spare pair around. And most of my online research found satisfied customers of the major online retailers.
Yet after all this research, I didn’t actually get around to ordering cheap eyeglasses for myself until December. It was always one thing or another and I had a hard time picking a style and so on. But finally I decided that I need a spare set of glasses in case I lost or broke mine—let’s just say we’ve had a few close calls with the kids—and I could really use some sunglasses. I dealt with the summertime sun, but the glare off the snow in the winter was really what convinced me.
That decided, I picked out a pair of regular glasses and a pair of sunglasses. And since it was only a couple of dollars to add them, for the regular glasses I added the option of the magnetically attached sunglasses. I wasn’t sure I’d like them, but I figured at that price, why not?
Luckily I’d thought ahead about to this very moment and I’d asked my optometrist for my prescription when I’d first gone in, even then I had to get the all-important pupillary distance by looking over her shoulder. Eye doctors don’t like you buying your glasses online for a lot cheaper than they’re selling them.
Anyway, I ordered my glasses from Zenni Optical. Both glasses, including options like magnetic sunshade, anti-refletive coating and the like, with shipping came to a total of $60. That’s about $30 per pair of prescription glasses! The order was placed on December 8. On December 23, I received an email notification that my glasses had shipped from California. I received them via First Class mail on December 28. Not a bad turnaround.
So the all-important question: How are they? I really like them. The next time I order sunglasses I’m going to make sure I get ones where the lenses are a little larger. That’s the downside of ordering online: not being able to try them on before buying. I’m also trying to figure out how to adjust the other glasses so they don’t slide down my nose. Another downside: No optometrist to provide the final fitting. But then I just saved hundreds of dollars for the price of those slight problems. And to answer the next question, Yes, I will be buying my next pair of glasses from online too.
Ever since my bachelor days I’ve been a fan of Indian curries made at home for dinner. Back then, it was not unknown for me to eat tikka masala, vindaloo, or korma four or five times a week.
I’d picked up the habit after a series of priests from India had come for several summers and stayed in the rectory where I lived. At least a few were cooks and they introduced me to their native cuisine. Now when I make curry it’s rarely from scratch but it’s also never straight from a box or jar. I use commercial curry paste but add other ingredients as well. And I almost never make it exactly the same way twice. Lately I’ve been adding curry powder at the simmer stage. In order to boost that flavor. At the end I always add the traditional garam masala, which boosts the flavor depth. And tonight I grated a chunk of ginger and added with onions to sauté. I love curry, as you might guess. Melanie claims I’m addicted. All I know is that on nights when I make it, the leftovers begin to call to me about 9pm and I can’t resist. But who can blame me? I wish I could properly thank those priests who introduced me to homemade curry those summers. You might say they “curried” favor from me.Posted via email from Domenico’s posterous
