Low Smoky Cloudy Fogs over the John Hancock Buildings in Boston

I snagged this shot yesterday on the Mass Pike West. There were these super low clouds hanging over the city, and with the sun just behind them everything looked wild - almost like the buildings were on fire.

Kindle 2 Review

I received my new Kindle 2 at the end of February. I had ordered the original Kindle back in November but it was back ordered. They sent me the 2 instead, and I'm glad they did!

Ergonomically, Kindle 2 is a pleasure. There are "next page" buttons on both sides. This makes it easy if you're say, lying on your side in bed and want to be able to easily turn pages from the side that's most accessible. Visually, it's extremely easy to read - I often forget I'm reading on a device. It's much better than reading on an iPhone or computer screen. Those are back lit, and apparently back lighting creates a much greater strain on your eyes.

A lot of people ask me if I can read it in the dark. Well, it ain't back lit. So I have a little clip on "Mighty Bright" light that I use in the dark. A lot of people also ask me if you can change the text size. Yes, you can, though I'm happy with the default font size.

I've used my Kindle 2 on airplanes quite a bit, and it really makes the time "fly" (sorry!). I love having the ability to switch between several different books and magazines, depending on my mood.

Browsing the web on the Kindle 2 is so-so. I prefer my iPhone for that. It is possible to read your Gmail, but the layout is off-kilter. I guess its browser is not great at deciphering CSS. Browsing for books and magazines and blogs to buy or subscribe to is a bit better. It's still faster to find your reading material while at your computer. Once you purchase, it's sent automatically to your Kindle.

While most books are $9.95, I would not recommend buying a Kindle if your main goal is to save money. You cannot share books bought in Kindle format - and that's something I often do with "real" books. I tried a few travel books on the Kindle, and I must say a real book would have been better because it's not that easy to pull the Kindle out while standing on a street corner in an unfamiliar city to look something up.

The main reason I got my Kindle was to have the ability to bring a good variety of reading material along with me wherever I go without lugging a heavy stack of books. For that purpose, it is wonderful.

I heard about the new larger Kindle, but honestly I wouldn't want it because it would not fit into my purse or backpack as easily as the Kindle 2. I don't think having a larger screen size is all that important. I suppose if you wanted to use a larger text size and not have to flip pages too frequently, it might be a good option.

Overall, I highly recommend the Kindle 2! If you are even thinking about getting one, you should get one. Once you get it, you will agree with me!

Rent My House in Venice FL!

My vacation home in Venice FL is now available for the 2009 winter seasonal rental. Due to circumstances beyond my control, I'm unable to get down there this winter. It's a great place, I highly recommend it...and it's super cheap too, since most people have already made their rental plans for winter 09. For you cyclists, I can give you all the good cycling routes down there. It's close to numerous excellent beaches (some of the best in Florida), it's very clean and newly-furnished.

It's only available as a monthly seasonal rental - no weekly rentals, sorry.

Exclusive Triathlon Clubs

A couple of my friends, who I often run and cycle with, told me how they are striving to gain membership into a local Boston area triathlon club. It's one of those situations where you have to wait to be invited to join. You can't just go online and sign up like I did so easily with my local running and cycling clubs. You have to be asked by a club member. I guess that's OK, but my friends further informed me that they don't just ask you after you've shown your interest by attending a few training sessions. No, it can take one or two years before you are invited. To even hope to ever become a member, one must show the extent of one's commitment by attending training sessions on a regular basis, volunteering at events, bringing home-cooked casseroles (low-fat vegan only, I assume) to their get-togethers, and so on. If you do this for a year, or maybe two, you might have a good shot.

That's why I have to agree with Bike Snob NYC, who recently reminded us that triathletes are actually part of the "freak cyclist" sub-category of cyclists. As he also states, Run/Bike/Swim = Dork/Dork/Dork.

I never want to take the chance of being part of any group that Bike Snob refers to as "freaks" or triple dorks. I feel a lot better now too, because this means I won't have to force myself into a wetsuit and make an ass of myself in some freezing lake. Even in the face of peer pressure, I have the freak/dork excuse to fall back on now, and no one can fault me for wanting to avoid being classified as a freak. Yet, this makes lovely friends freaks. When I'm around them I'll just have to remember not to express my true feelings about the elitist triathlete club they yearn to belong to. They never read my blog anyway; they're too busy uploading data from their 10 workouts/week onto their triathlete training software. But even if they did, I NEVER said I would do a triathlon. They also know that it is of utmost importance to me that I never give the slightest appearance of being a dork, and just because they may fall into that category, it does not mean that we can't be friends.

Foreclosures - It's Still Bad in Florida

I recently spent a few days inspecting some foreclosed houses and condos in Venice, FL. It's a sad scene to see houses that used to be fine, well-kept homes transformed into abandoned, stinking messes in need of thousands of dollars or even tens of thousands of dollars of repairs. I saw houses that have a lot of potential, but the thought of buying one and sinking a lot of cash into it in an uncertain rental market is scary.

All the real estate investment books say to buy when everyone else is running away - with caveats, of course. You need to buy in an area  that is desirable. It could be a place where there are good jobs, or a place that has great weather and an easy lifestyle.

The west coast of Florida, south of Tampa, meets the desirability requirement. But it's tough when you can only rent consistently for 3-4 months a year. So instead of the normal equation where you would try to come as close to break even as possible with a 12 month rental scenario, that's just not the case in SW Florida. Dec/Jan/Feb/Mar are probably all you can get. And even then, you need to offer a rental that's in the right location - near the beach, in resort-like surroundings, etc. In my opinion, real estate prices need to come down a bit more from where they are right now to make this type of investment workable. Then there's the problem of condos with outrageous ($300+/month) condo fees for a small 1 bedroom unit. That kind of thing just makes it necessary that prices drop even more to make sense from an investment standpoint.

For the single family homes in neighborhoods, hit by job loss and not desirable for snowbird rentals, the outlook is even worse. I'm not sure who's going to be willing to step in and take that kind of risk. I saw some houses that were in quite good condition (these tended to be the ones not yet in foreclosure) - one in particular comes to mind, very neat, clean with updated AC, etc. The price seems low, but again, even with a low price it's a questionable investment due to the horrible rental market for family type houses.

Taxes are still high for most of these places, calculated when the house was worth close to double it's current value. This is a problem for both houses and condos, so until reassessments are done a buyer will be paying a very high tax rate. One has to wonder if the counties will be quick to reassess - they need the money!

As I rode my bike down Manasota Key, a beautiful key along the Englewood coast, it seemed like almost all gulf-front homes had for sale signs posted. I'm not sure who is buying these - they're mostly all well over a million dollars - that's prime beach-front real estate.  

So overall it's a very gloomy picture for Florida real estate.  Maybe it really is the time to buy, but does anyone have the guts to plunge in?

This lovely 2 bedroom brand new condo in Venice is cheap!!!

Davis Farm Corn Maze - Harder Than You Think!

We took a drive out to the Davis Farm Corn Maze last weekend. They grow this huge field full of corn and then cut a very complex maze into it. Pretty amazing. It took us an hour and a half to find our way through! I recommend this for kids as well as adults - in fact kids under 12 aren't allowed to roam alone - you really can get lost in the maze!

Colleen's 7th Birthday Party

This was another great event! Here is my lovely niece Colleen about to make her wish:



And here is Katie, passing by on her Barbie-mobile:




You can see all the pictures from the party.