In March, Pippa and I flew to Portland, Oregon to visit Lewis & Clark College. She was in the homestretch of her college search. When she met up with her student host for a planned overnight, I wondered what to do. I love to cycle, but the nearest bike rental shop was four miles away […]
Is the Museum of the Bible Worth the Cost of Admission?
Nora and Grey shared the same spring break this year, so they made a trip to Maine to visit Fiona, Nora’s college roommate. That left Pippa and me at home. She had school and I had work, but we were determined to have fun in the off hours, so we wouldn’t get jealous of the […]
How a Small-Time Bet Went Right, Then Wrong
Sort of last minute, our long-time friend and neighbor Hannah invited us over for Saturday dinner. Heck yeah! Grey was at a friend’s house. I thought he would be dropped off in time, but when 6 pm rolled around, no sign of him. He had recently gotten a phone for his 16th birthday, so I […]
My Daughter Made a College Decision! Here Are 8 Things I’ve Learned
One year ago this month, I wrote about How We Have – and Haven’t – Saved Money on Our Daughter’s College Search. This is the second – and last – post on her college search – she has made a decision! Read on. It’s been an intense 2-year process that seems more like 5 years. […]
My 12 Best Beautiful/Ugly Pics of Baltimore
Switching things up a bit this week, I’m featuring some photos I’ve taken over the past couple years on my Baltimore bike rides. Related: 7 Reasons Why Cycling Is the Best Frugal Exercise There is nothing super significant about the shots. They just strike a cord for me, and together I think they capture the […]
7 Reasons Why Cycling Is the Best Frugal Exercise
I hate going to the gym. It’s boring and it feels like work. So I’m not going to do it, no matter how guilty I feel about not using a gym membership that I purchased just to make me feel guilty and force me to go to the gym. Running outdoors is equally boring. And, […]
Christmas Socks And a Father-Son Trade That Was Reversed
This past Christmas, I distributed a gift wish list to family. As a 40-something, I have everything I need, but we adults in the family still maintain the tradition of giving and receiving gifts. It’s a small expense and it’s an easy way to show love and we’ve always done it. And it’s kinda fun […]
The Case for Not Paying Taxes Designated for the Military, Part 2
Read Part 1 here. War resistance via nonpayment of war taxes has a long history. It’s been led by Christian groups, like Mennonites and Quakers, and by secular pacifists. There are a number of different tactics: Earn less than the taxable income Refuse to file any federal tax return, despite needing to File 1040 form […]
The Case for Not Paying Taxes Designated for the Military
With tax season here, it’s natural to think about where your money goes and whether it is well spent. Spoiler alert: Much of it isn’t. Last year, Nora joined the women of our church on a spiritual retreat to a Mennonite center in Lancaster County, PA. It’s a time of fellowship, rest, and diving deeper […]
My Brother Lives in the County; I Live in the City. He Got Fios Internet & I Can’t
My brother Grant lives in Harford County, Maryland on a 9-acre wooded property with a 1/8-mile-long driveway. For internet, he’s always had a Verizon DSL plan. In recent months, he began experiencing static on his landline phone that sometimes interrupted the internet connection, so he called Verizon to fix it. Verizon said the static came […]
An Old Baltimore Cat Needed a $19,000 Operation – His Owner Didn’t Blink
Did you hear the story of Stanley? The 17-year-old Baltimore cat needed a $19,000 kidney transplant in late 2017. What would you do in that situation? In our family, we’d do a really quick calculation: Super Old Cat + Really Expensive Operation = Mandatory Cat ‘Separation’ from Family Super Old How old is 17 in […]
How Should We Respond to Needy People on the Street?
About a year ago, a friend was sitting at a light in Baltimore where some ‘squeegee kids’ were washing car windows and collecting tips. It’s not as common as intersection cardboard sign panhandling, but it’s pretty prevalent. And, naturally, there is some angst about it. After her windshield was cleaned, she wanted to encourage the […]
Maryland Woman Buys Prayers With Stolen Money
The Baltimore Sun recently ran a piece that detailed how a Chevy Chase woman paid $720,000 between 2015 and 2017 for Hindu priests in India to pray to shield her from federal investigation of her $20M Ponzi scheme. A scheme that drained the elderly of their life savings, including $816,805 from one family. In a […]
Before I Look Forward, I’m Appreciating the Rear View
As 2019 starts, many people detail resolutions and goals. Not me – I’m taking a moment for gratitude. Yes, I have an amazing wife and smart, clever kids, but here I want to recount a few smaller things that recently stood out as blessings in my life. Faithful Readers I have the best blog followers. […]