Recently in 2009 Annoyance of the Week Category

There a couple of things in life that always make me feel like I won something.

1. When I buy a whole bunch of groceries and the total bill is an even amount like $60.
2. When I peel an orange or apple and the peel come off in one piece.
3. When I buy something on Ebay that is actually an auction. I know it's dumb but I still feel like I won.

What makes me feel like a loser?

1. Getting a fortune cookie with no fortune.
2. Sending out a really important email, but forgetting the promised attachment, referencing a date which doesn't exist in support of a meeting which I inadvertently scheduled in the past.
3. Buying something I know I already own, but can't find.
4. Hitting the curb when I parrallel park.

What about you?

I'll believe it's going to be a "V" shaped recovery when either Fast Company or Wired magazine shows up with a thud in the mailbox. Remember when the issues were 3/4" thick? They shrank in 2001 when the internet bubble burst and again in 2007. This time, unlike 2001, the issues keep getting smaller - which makes me believe this recession will be with us for a while.

Last year I was disappointed that then Senator Barack Obama would not take a stand on the issue of telecom immunity.He voted yes and never provided a satisfactory explanation for the vote. This was frustrating because he touts the notion of transparent government and spoke out against the excess of secrecy and illegal wire tapping in the Bush administration.

So fast-forward to the present and we find the present administration fending off lawsuits from activity started during the Bush administration related to secret wire-tapping programs. They approach the matter in exactly the same manner as the Bush administration, namely invoking the common law notion of "state secrets" and furthermore asserting that they have sovereign immunity as long as there is no willful disclosure. Blech, not only have the hitched their wagon to Bush tactics they go even further than the last bunch. I didn't like it as a Bush tactic, I don't like it from the Obama administration.

Time to up my contribution to the EFF.

Additional coverage: Salon, The Atlantic

It's that time of year when you get statements from your investment accounts and 401Ks. It wasn't a bad year considering the broader markets so I'm not going to complain.

However, it does peeve me to note that my pile of "forever stamps" were one of my best "investment" picks of last year. I'm joking, btw, the price increases of stamps historically is below historic inflation rates please don't make stamps part of your portfolio. Full disclaimer, I own about 143 forever stamps.