February 2009 Archives

I was watching an episode of Man vs. Wild today when I realized that most of the tips for surviving in the wild can be applied to surviving in a bad economy.  Here are some tips from Bear Grylls along with my translation for a bad economy.

1.  When you find yourself stranded you must make time to acclimatize and assess your situation, take long hard look around and try to get to grips with whatever environment you are in.
My Translation:  No matter what your situation take stock in where you are as a first step in survival.

2.  To survive in any extreme environment you must get your priorities right.
My Translation:  If you have a job, cut your expenses and stockpile cash.  If you just lost your job cut your expenses and try to find a job wherever you can.

3.  Be willing to do the unthinkable.
My Translation:  Be willing to get rid of cable, cancel the netflix subscription, stop shopping at Whole Foods, sell your car, sell your house, etc...

4.  The golden rule of survival is to stay put, eventually rescue will come, but sometimes you won't have a choice, you'll have to move on.
My Translation:  If you get laid off you can't wait for others to come to your rescue, you have to start looking for work and helping yourself right away.

5.  Nature will always throw surprises your way.
My Translation:  Life will always throw surprises your way.  Expect the unexpected.

6.  It is very easy to make mistakes, and mistakes can be deadly.
My Translation:  Not being aware of the economic downturn is a mistake.  Not having a plan in case you get laid off is a mistake.

7.  If you are stranded in the wild a good shelter can help your chances for survival dramatically.
My Translation:  Have a good emergency fund to hold you over for a while if you get laid off.

8.  Work with what nature gives you.
My Translation:  If the only job openings are for janitors then grab a broom baby!

9.  Sometimes you just need a place to rest up and get out of the elements.
My Translation:  Your next job does not have to be the opportunity of a lifetime.

10.  Good shelters take time to build.
My Translation:  A really good emergency plan and solid finances take time to build.  Start now if you haven't started already.

11.  Half of survival is to keep your hopes up and your spirits alive.
My Translation:  No matter what life throws at you stay positive.  Whistle while you sweep that floor or wash those dishes.

12.  Whatever environment you find yourself in, its a case Hanging in there, and persevering no matter how tough it gets.
My Translation:  Don't give up.

13.  Be prepared to eat some jacked up stuff.
My Translation:  Beans and rice, rice and beans, spam, ramen, just think back to what you ate in college.

14.  Whatever terrain you find yourself in, do whatever you can to improve your chances.
My Translation:  If you are looking for a job you should network and beat down doors.  People are not going to go looking for you with a job to give you in a bad economy.

Last weekend I was walking Wookie on the Coyote Creek Trail when we came across two wild pigs next to the trail tearing up the grass.  It was about 10 AM and I thought it was strange to see them in broad daylight along that section of the trail.  I have also seen them in my condo complex at night, and they like to go through the complex and destroy all of our grass looking for food.  My best guess as to why they have been around so much lately is that there is probably some sort of predator, like a mountain lion, roaming around and flushing them out.  And even if there isn't one causing them to come through our complex I would eventually expect to see one following them into the complex.  So here's to hoping that never happens, but we have to find a way to deal with the wild pigs, which I think are not native to California.

Last weekend Timber and I went over to her parents' house and celebrated Dio's 4th birthday with them. They got him a pumpkin burnt almond cake from Peter's Bakery and we had a good time singing to him and helping him play with his toys. He is getting big and it is hard to believe that he is 4 now. Happy Birthday Dio.

A few weeks ago our water heater stopped working, so we had a plumber come out and take a look.  He told us that we needed to get our water heater replaced, and that he would be happy to do it for 1200 bucks.  We decided to shop around, and sure enough Lowe's and Home Depot were each charging between $1000 and $1200.  Why so expensive?  The main reason is that the city of San Jose requires a permit which runs about $200 or so.  I called around to different plumbers, some of which quoted prices with that permit while some didn't, and asked them about it.  They told me that very few people actually buy the permit and no one ever checks to see if you have it.  So their recommendation was to not bother getting it.  With that to consider we finally found someone to come change out our water heater.  But for them to do it I had to go buy a water heater, drain the old one, and dispose of the old one after he changed it out.  I held up my part of the deal and he did too, and he only charged me about $150.  So the water heater and installation (not including permits) ended up running about $700.  It just goes to show if you shop around a little bit and are willing to do some of the work yourself you can save some money.
      On a side note I wanted to put in a tankless water heater since they take up less space, should save energy, and theoretically should last about twice as long.  But all the prices I got quoted were between 2 times and 4 times what it would cost to change out the hot water heater.  Because of that I decided to keep it simple and just to the water heater change.

Last Thursday Timber and I met up with Eric and Diane to watch the Sharks play the Phoenix Coyotes at the Shark Tank.  The Sharks ended up winning 2-0 and overall it was more of a defensive game with a few good hits and fights.  I think this will probably be my last Sharks game of the season unless someone wants to give me tickets.  But I'm really looking forward to the playoffs starting.  I think the Sharks will either be the #! or #2 seed in the west, and that will help us make it to the cup this year.  The team in the west that I'm more worried about is the Chicago Blackhawks.  They are young and fast, and the Sharks will have to play disciplined hockey to beat them.