2009 October | Crispy Paper

Monthly Archives: October 2009

Mastery

By Jack | Published: October 18, 2009

1. There is something about seeing a 30 year old man playing violin with unbridled excellence that makes me feel a little sad. The thing is, that it is so beautiful, so inspiring, that I want to go out and learn violin today. But being 25 years old, it is, at this point, completely futile. [...]

Posted in Uncategorized, Ups and Downs | Leave a comment

Luck Hacks: Six Practices That Will Lead to Good Fortune

By J B | Published: October 14, 2009

Forget lucky coins, magical boxer-briefs, or a crusty rabbit’s foot, because your luck is about to change. Whether you’re cursed in finding opportunities or prone to strike-outs with beautiful women, the key to finding your lucky charm is a mixed bag of opportunity and hard work. » By Jack Busch // tweetmeme_style = ‘compact’; tweetmeme_source [...]

Posted in Blurbs | Tagged | Comments closed

Skip Dry Corporate Language if You Want to Instill Confidence in Your Readers

By J B | Published: October 14, 2009

Last weekend, I flew Southwest Airlines for the first time. What really struck me about the trip, aside from the several hour delay,  was the tone of the Southwest staff. Here’s a quick sample from the flight attendant’s safety presentation: “At this time, please pretend to pay attention as we go over the safety features [...]

Posted in Blurbs | Tagged , | Comments closed

What Your Credit Card Says about Your Personality Type

By J B | Published: October 14, 2009

Photo: szlea You may think that your vanity credit card with pictures of puppies or your alma mater’s mascot is what helps the cashier at the grocery store peg your personality, but in reality, the features and terms of your credit card are far more telling. Of course, no one but you and your issuer [...]

Posted in Blurbs | Tagged | Comments closed

A Less Scary Way to Look at Self-Employment

By J B | Published: October 14, 2009

When I first discovered MyWifeQuitHerJob.com, I was thrilled. For years, my wife and I have been discussing ways to gain financial independence so we could spend less time at our jobs, which we didn’t necessarily hate, but simply demanded too much of our time and energy. The best plan that we came up with was [...]

Posted in Blurbs | Tagged | Comments closed

Shopping for a New Credit Card? Consider Credit Unions

By J B | Published: October 14, 2009

Yesterday, we briefly discussed some of the recent drawbacks of debit cards, which elicited an interesting comment Dawn from Getting Nine Hundred: because she gets her card through a credit union, she doesn’t get the deception and the hassle (paraphrase). Dawn raises a very valid point, and one that bears deeper examination. At a time [...]

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Comments closed

Required Math for Credit Card Users

By J B | Published: October 14, 2009

Sometimes the best stumps for reform come from the mouths of jesters. Consider this bit from Maria Bamford: I really think that before giving me a credit card they really should have given me a math test. Like a series of story problems: Question Number One: If Maria works as a comedian for $100 a [...]

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Comments closed

Nickled and Dimed: The High Cost of Banking While Poor

By J B | Published: October 14, 2009

You load sixteen tons, and what do you get? Another day older and deeper in debt. Saint Peter, don’t you call me, ’cause I can’t go; I owe my soul to the company store… That’s the chorus to an old coal mining song first recorded by Merle Travis in 1946. When he talks about the [...]

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Comments closed

Pleasant and Not-so Pleasant Surprises from the First Few Months of Marriage

By J B | Published: October 14, 2009

So marriage is a few years off (at least), but every now and then some girl gets you thinking about it and you freeze up. Sure, we’ve all heard horror stories – and some of them are true. But it’s not all bad. Take it from Jack as he gives you the low down on [...]

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | Comments closed

Lay Low to Avoid Being Laid Off: Don’t Be These 6 Guys

By J B | Published: October 14, 2009

With the current economic crunch going on, keeping your job is as important to you as cutting costs is to your employer. Make sure you’re nowhere near the list of “expendables” by avoiding these traits that could make you history. With the economy down in the dumps, layoffs have become a sad fact of life. [...]

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Comments closed