Still Got It

Last night, Dana and I had pizza. I proved to her that my training at Little Caesar’s during high school was still in tact. As you can see, I still got it:

I can still sling dough with the best of 'em

Parma

Despite a light dusting of snow on the ground, Dana and I ventured to Parma on Saturday. I am sure that you all know about Parma because this is where prosciutto di Parma is made. Okay, maybe you don’t know about the ham from Parma, but I am sure that you have heard of Parmigiano-Reggiano, a.k.a., parmesan cheese.

One does not travel to Parma to view amazing buildings (many were destroyed by the Allies) or to shop. You go to Parma with one purpose: to eat. And eat we did. We were told to visit a very unassuming trattoria. A restaurant that you would most likely just pass by for a nicer looking place. Upon entering the restaurant, we quickly realized that it was much nicer and larger than the outside leads you to believe. We gorged ourselves for well over two hours. Bottle of wine, parmigiano-reggiano, proscuitto di parma, and torta-fritta were our starters (image fixings for the best ham and cheese sandwhiches). Okay, the bottle lasted the entire meal. Next up was risotto con parmagiano-reggiano for Dana, and pasta al ragu for me. Wow! One of the best meals that we have ever had. In fact, we were so full that Dana had an apple for dinner and I had an orange.

But we did take in a few sights, first was a giant wooden theater:

And then we saw two churches and the baptistry.

Dana jumped to get into this picture

The Baptistry

The Duomo

The Ice Marathon

This past weekend, Dana and I traveled up to Madonna di Campiglio for the Ice Marathon. The Ice Marathon is a car race in historic cars. The competitors race Friday night, and then the top 32 finishers race head to head in a single elimination tournament. The twist: they race on a frozen lake.

It sounded like it would be a lot of fun so Dana and I hopped into the Audi (we had just gotten it back) and hit the open road. We arrived a few hours later full of energy as the drive up the mountain was beautiful, albeit sometimes frightening. The guardrails in some parts were not up to my standard or missing completely. Take your focus off the road at a curve and you might just drive straight off the mountain side. Or you might be unlucky and the chicken wire might not keep car from rolling down the mountain. But I digress…

The village of Madonna di Campiglio was very snowy and incredibly beautiful. The racing was a bit odd. Instead of fastest lap wins, it’s closest to 49 seconds wins. So the cars make the lap, and then pause at the finish line before gassing it to cross as close to the 49 seconds as possible. It’s not everyday somebody breaks at the sight of the finish line. Despite the different style, the drivers displayed incredible skill. They are able to cross the line almost always within .30 seconds of the target time. In fact, there was a tie in the semifinals at .03 seconds. Incredible!

All in all it was a good time, as we met some new people, enjoyed some hot drinks, and got a taste for a different type of race. Oh, and a Porsche won the finale. Below are some pictures and a video:

Economic Thoughts

I’ll warn you: this is not the usual post. But last night X woke me up at 4 am because she was thirsty. For whatever reason, I couldn’t get back to sleep and this was what was on my mind.

Cash for Clunkers:
Was Cash for Clunkers good for the US and our economy? Personally, I am not convinced that it was, and only time will tell. What happened with this program? Thousands of older cars were removed from circulation, and newer more efficient cars replaced them. The older cars were destroyed and turned into scrap. Well, what were the economic impacts of this?

First, let’s talk scrap. Scrap prices go down, so steel producers get a lower cost of production (because they are the number one recyclers of old cars), thus making more money, right? Wrong. Steel pricing is pegged to scrap prices. So when scrap prices lower, so do the selling prices of finished steel. It doesn’t matter that scrap inventories cost X, and scrap prices are currently Y. The current steel pricing is based in large part on the current scrap prices.

Next, let talk auto makers. Cash for Clunkers was in part to help the American Auto industry, which it did. But foreign car makers sold a heck of a lot more cars than American auto makers. But those that own or work at auto dealership did benefit from the program, regardless of the national origin of the auto maker.

Let’s now turn our attention to the American people. The current recession was in great part a result of people living beyond their means. Credit and debt just got out of hand. Cash for clunkers was a great way to get a new car, but did it encourage people to take on more unneeded debt? Maybe.

What about the poorer folks out there? Cash for Clunkers essentially took away a large supply of the cars that they would normally purchase. When supply shrinks, prices go up (simple economics). Thus, Cash for Clunkers could have a major negative impact on lower grossing families. If their current car is wrecked or breaks down beyond repair, are they going to be able to afford a new car? Maybe not.

What about mechanics and car parts stores like Advance Autos? With fewer older cars on the road, is there less work for them? Fewer parts to be sold?

What other impacts could the program have, both positive and negative?

Cap and Trade:
Who is pushing this through? If Cap and Trade were to pass, we’d essentially see higher energy prices. The cost to heat and cool our homes as well as to run our cars would go up (Valero reports that gas prices would increase by over $0.40 a gallon).

Companies that already operate at a highly efficient clip would be punished because they have less room to improve. If you average 30 points a game, it’s pretty hard to get to 35 points a game. But if you average 3 points a game, it’s a lot easier to get to 15 points game by working with a shooting coach. Player A has increased his efficiency only 16.7%, while player B has increased his efficiency by 500%. But who would you rather have on your team (assuming that all other skills are equal)? I’d rather have player A, and I’d pay him more money. Well, Cap and Trade would work the opposite. In fact, player A would be fined and player B would get a pay increase for such marked improvement. Is this fair competition? Seems more like handicapping industry leaders.

Additionally, the whole concept of carbon credits is BS, but I won’t go into a tirade on that.

Who benefits from Cap and Trade? The people who buy and sell the carbon credits.

Thanks, but no thanks.

I’ve just returned from grocery shopping with a story. Due to our tiny fridge (I am literally just as wide and a foot taller), I have to make several trips to the grocery store. Since most things are closed on Sundays, I almost find myself going to the store on Mondays. Today was no different. I don’t mind going to the store and, in fact, like planning for fewer dinners.  On the flip side, it can be a bit uncomfortable going because beggars usually hang out front. But easily spotted and easily avoided. Today I had a run in with a different type…

As I was selecting a few carrots, I noticed two “ladies” who were packing much more than their shopping carts. One had a voice that could have passed for a chain-smoking trucker name ‘Bubba’. The other was the size of a middle linebacker, and both had a face for radio. As I was trying to process what exactly I was looking at, the larger of the two noticed me–staring at her/him. I guess she thought I was checking her out because shot me a wink and a smile. Return to the carrots. Set comfort level to zero. Increase shopping speed.

As I was looking for milk, I heard giggling in the bread aisle. Click glance over–confirmed, it’s them and they’re giggling at me. Since the store is tiny and I needed bread, I was forced to cross paths. As I passed, the bigger of the two, she did it. First she winked, and then she blew me a couple of kisses. Comfort level: -5. Shopping speed: maximum.

I finished my shopping, scoped the checkout lanes, and made sure to pick the furthest from them.

I don’t know whether to feel disgusted or flattered.

But I do know we’re having homemade chicken soup tonight.