My name is Rebecca and I am a readaholic. I cannot walk past a bookstore without buying an armload of classics and newly released novels or travel guides. I take public transportation. My colleagues shudder when I tell them I ride the "death bus". But I am secretly thrilled that I now have time to read every single day. It's not just books, newspapers and magazines that are my downfall. The New Yorker and New York Times apps make me weak in the knees. Amazon is my dark place. Alas, there is no hope for me. I am a writer. A writer with an addiction. PHOTO CREDIT: Hadas Leviner.
Intelligent naming
My husband and I just moved into our new condo. He was in charge of picking the moving company to transport all of our worldly goods for reasons which will soon become obvious. There were 4 options. But, according to him, only 1 real contender. Intelligent Labor & Moving. The name itself was promising. Then came the email reply to my husband's query. It said (and I paraphrase) "the more organized you are, the less it will cost to move you". When Intelligent Labor showed up, our boxes were not only packed, they were labeled and coded according to the room they should be deposited in and my husband had an itemized list of their contents in hand. Intelligent Labor quickly consulted with him to determined the most efficient way to approach the work. Then they got to it. They were fast. They were communicative. They were well priced. They were, in fact, intelligent. So the next time you're choosing a moving company, florist, employer, or hotel, consider carefully: what's in a name?
Wednesday Wordle-ing
If you like to play with words as much as I do, go to wordle, enter a string of words, or the url of your blog and voila! your very own word cloud will be created. Then you can randomize it, edit it, play type and color fairy with it. Hours of fun! The image here (c/o http://wordle.net) is a word cloud of this blog on August 5, 2008.
Truth in Lending
Anyone who has bought a home knows that the "Truth in Lending" form is misnamed for so many reasons.
- Reason #1: This document is hidden from view until you are sitting at the closing table
- Reason #2: The interest rate you locked turns out not to be the interest rate you end up paying
- Reason #3: In truth, your attorney, lender and realtor often don't understand the algorithmic math involved
- Reason #4: Even if your so-called advisors understand the math, they don't know how to explain it