OK, gotta run to sleep tonight - big day tomorrow getting to work early, getting home early, and carefully managing the DirecTV installer. Must set up a temporary fence for the pooches to keep them out of the way on Saturday, and try to clean up the house a little bit before the move. It sure would be nice to get some of that floor trim installed too! We're excited - it will be a push, but with so many friends willing to help out I think it will really be fun.

If any of you just happened to purchase a TV at Circuit City this week, you might want to make sure you got the 10% off. I walked in tonight to pick up some cables, saw the promotion, and complained that I didn't get the same promotion on my TV last Friday night. So, they gave it to me - instead of the $200 Circuit City gift card rebate, I got $300 off directly. Nice surprise - helps to balance all these damn expensive cables I had to buy.

This terrorist event in Madrid is really terrible. I'm not a big news watcher, so I am not up-to-date on the details. It sounds like the initial reaction was that some Spanish group was to blame, but now it appears that Al Qeada perpetrated the attack. Bastards. The Spanish have been our allies in the war against Al Qeada and their ilk, and they've now suffered their own devastating attack. We will stand with them, and help them eliminate the threat. I don't think Senator Kerry will be calling Spain part of an "illegitimate coalition" anytime soon.

So, that's a bit of serious real-world trouble to wake me up from my self-interests of working, moving, etc. Still, life goes on and we'll do our weekend thing. In fact, we'll have a lot of fun while doing it - because that's our way. We live happy lives, defend those happy lives, and try to extend the freedom and prosperity throughout the country and world when possible. Many people recite the old phrase "Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die", and they don't really consider the parting thought. Today a lot of people met their end for no good reason, an attack fueled by ignorance, hate, and malevolence. Today our way of life took a body shot, and there's no happy rejoinder to that. So throw one back for the glorious residents of Madrid and do what you can.

Whew am I tired. I just bagged up a bunch of the garbage that has been gracing our new front yard...mostly old carpet and padding. Bleah.

It's not all bad though - I also picked up the beverages for the "move in" party this Saturday. Let me know if you want to come help! As for my purchase, let's just say that none need fear going thirsty or forcibly sober. Lots of good stuff in the 'fridge.

Also moved my desk today - about 12 feet from my old location. God I have a lot of crap at the office. Well, about 30% less now that I did this morning, but I still have a lot. Most people don't keep 3 pair of gym shoes, a basketball, a soccer ball & carrier, 2 pumps, 5 changes of underwear, shirts, shorts, and socks, powdered gatorade, bottles to mix the gatorade, and 5 pairs of headphones in their cubicle. But then, I'm not most people.

A bit of quick tech talk. My new TV is a HDTV-friendly, which means that if I can get a HD signal to the TV, I can watch it. However, it's not quite as simple as that.

First, one needs to get the HD signal. Some local stations broadcast certain shows in HD, which can be picked up by an antenna. More popular is cable or satellite. Considering that cable companies have terrible service and I hate them all from the core of my soul, that leaves satellite. I looked at Voom, but they are actually part of a cable company. So, looks like DirecTV is the way to go.

Good news - if you are already a DirecTV customer, you can get a big discount on the HD receiver and satellite installation. I am, so I pay "only" $199. The regular price is $399. For 2 year customers of DirecTV, it's only $99 - really a great deal.

So, the signal comes from the sky, through the dish, through several coaxial cables, and gets processed by the receiver. The output of the HD receiver, then, is HD. Next come the cables. They need to be high quality to carry the HD - Component (Red, Green, Blue) seems to be the way to go. Red, White, Yellow are low quality, a single coaxial can't carry the entire signal, and S-video is good but not HD quality. At least that's how I understand it.

I use a Home Theater system, also by Sony. It has component out, but not component in. So, I'm not sure if I can pass HD through the dream system - DVDs should look money, though. Hopefully the optical in from the HD receiver will do the trick. Otherwise, the sound will suffer (I think).

The main limiting factor for me is my Tivo. I can't watch TV without the Tivo, but the Tivo can't store HD content. Even if I watch live TV the Tivo can't pass through the HD signal. So, it looks like I'll be switching signals back and forth, watching HD live and standard television on Tivo (picture-in-picture, anyone?). Until, that is, the HD DirecTivo comes out. That's a mouthful. It should also be TV nirvana...and a lot of dorks like me are waiting for it! Later this year...

OK, let's talk cash.

First, do you know your net worth? Say, within $5k? You should. It's pretty easy. Just add up all your debts, including mortgages, car loans, and credit cards. Then, add up all your assets, including savings and checking accounts, retirement plans, house and car (estimate the value or use online services like Edmunds.com to help). Add them together, and voila! Your net worth.

Since this is just a snapshot, don't worry about monthly recurring charges or payments, paychecks, bonuses, or anything else that isn't part of your balance TODAY. Those just confuse the issue.

So, what's the use? Well, if you figure out your net worth every few months, or at least once per year, you'll have an idea of how your overall financial management is faring. In any particular month it's easy to feel you are succeeding or failing. Don't live by the rise and fall of your checking account - think long term. Know what your assets are so you don't feel deprived during the occassional cash crunch. On the other hand, don't be too proud if you're always breaking out hundred dollar bills to bartenders but your net worth is in the toilet.

I know back when I was really in a debt crunch, watching my net worth was the only financial measure to keep me sane. The month debt payments were horrific and we certainly weren't living high on the hog. But I knew we were on the right track as we moved from -$50k, to -$30k, to -$10k, past $0 (yaa!) and upwards. One of my goals for 2004 was actually to steer our net worth north of 6 figures - well, it looks like we'll need to be more specific. It's taken a lot of work, a rebounding stock market, and some great luck with real estate - cha ching! Even having a baby doesn't cramp your style when you live below your means!

That's another way of looking at net worth - as an indicator of whether you are living within your means. You always want to live within your means, except for the occasional periods of transition, which are always expensive. The difference between 5% below and 5% above can be a world of hurt. The best thing, as far as I'm concerned, is that when you know you're headed in the right direction, you don't sweat the small stuff. If an extra bill comes along, you don't feel that all your finances will be affected.

Peace of mind is a very valuable thing - and the less you spend, the easier it is to purchase.

Need another reason to figure out your net worth? There's a spreadsheet on the left of the screen - it's all set up for you there. Just fill in your numbers and crunched they will be. Instructions are also posted. So don't be a ponk - keep it right and don't get mashed up.

There was a rare, nay, unprecedented Saturday post this weekend - to read it, check out the Archive

Well, it looks like those good deeds from last week created some instant karma, because this weekend was pleasantly fortuitous. First, on a chance stop at Circuit City to measure our planned new TV, we walked into an excellent deal. They had an open box deal on our TV, combined with a gift card, that amounted to an approximate 20% discount. Plus, 12 months no interest. It's still an expensive TV, but those kinds of savings are very welcome.

Well, we measured our TV, and then went hunting for an entertainment center. We found a combination at Ikea that would do the job, but it was late Saturday night so I planned to go back during the week (Sunday crowds are ridiculous).

On Saturday, we received a notice from a neighbor who was cleaning out her deceased mother's home, which is on our court of townhouses. I stopped by on Sunday at the appointed time, and lo and behold, they had 2 perfect pieces for our house. Dark chocolate/black, solid, oriental-style pieces - one which will hold the TV nicely, and other which will serve as a buffet in the new dining room. And they were free! Free! I would have gladly paid $300 for them (I know, I know, that's still cheap. So am I). I threw them on the hand truck (one at a time) and rolled them down to my house, put them in place, and cleaned them up. They look great!

So, this weekend was a great affirmation of one of my core tenets - make your own luck. Get out, look, see what is out there. Take opportunities, even if they look unlikely to yield anything. I would never have guessed that a neighbor would have the perfect furniture for our home (although it kind of makes sense - same floorplan, etc). The TV deal was not advertised - just like the chairs I found last weekend, it was an in-person-only find.

OK, Soprano's time!