I realize this has nothing particular to do with business, but I just had to share anyway.
I just read on Philly.com that a pregnant woman is thinking about naming her baby Chase, after the Phillies' second baseman.
Makes me wonder if the names Chase, Cole and Brad are going to become immensely popular in PA the rest of the year.
My car was long over due for an oil change and I finally got around to taking it today on my lunch break and unlike last time, I was super impressed with the service.
First off, the people working were extremely polite. They asked me what I needed and promised to have it taken care of quickly. There were two people ahead of me in line, but I was still probably only there for a total of 30 minutes at the most.
The economy has been the big news of the week, up and down, up and down, I feel like I'm on a roller coaster.
In other news, PSU fans aren't letting the economy get them down.
And here's an interesting story on how the stock market and the economy are not one in the same.
Make sure to check out this week's podcast, where the business staff talks about what you need to know about TV's digital conversion.
Last night's episode focused pretty heavily on office relationships with a minor story line about what happens when an office is broken into.
Here's what we learned:
If you're going to have surprise meetings in the stairwell after hours, make sure to lock the door after you leave.
Don't let your fiance's ex cause you to question your relationship.
Letting out the air in someone's tires to get their attention doesn't work unless they are going to see the car within the next few minutes.
Feel free to add your own lessons in the comments.
Every day there's news of whether the stock market is up or down. I may as well be reading whether I've lost massive amounts of money in my 401(k) or managed to gain back some of what was lost previously.
A few weeks ago when I was home for my cousin's wedding a bunch my aunts and uncles were talking about how they can't bare to look at their 401(k) statements anymore. They said it's just too troublesome.
Some of them are only a few years out from retirement, so I can imagine they must really be nervous.
I looked at mine the other day and it was just depressing. I guess I'm lucky though because I have many more years of money accumulating before I get anywhere close to retirement.
What about you? Have you been looking at your 401(k) lately?
I saw two gas stations owned by the same company no more than one mile from each other that had two different gas prices. One was $2.75. One was $2.79.
What gives?
As gas prices start to drop have you noticed or overheard people talking about loosening the purse strings?
It seems like now that gas is below three dollars some people seem to think it's cheap and are going back to their old, less restrictive habits.
I know I'm still trying to cut back. One big thing I do is limit the amount of days I go out for lunch. I try to pack at least four days each week.
Have you noticed anyone loosening the purse strings lately?
So last night's episode of The Office taught us all about babies and baby showers.
Here are some quick take away points:
It's polite to hold showers at work, but it's really only necessary if an employee or their spouse is the one having the baby. No need to hold a shower for a employee's ex.
Super expensive strollers that promise various safety features probably hold up under normal circumstances. Being dragged behind a car however may cause damage.
I can't say for sure, but I'd be willing to bet money that practicing for a baby's delivery by birthing a watermelon (even one that is coated in butter to make it more realistic) probably won't prepare you for the actual event.
I'm sure I'm missing a bunch of other good lessons, but those are the three that really struck me. Feel free to leave your lessons in the comments.
After a fun-filled celebration of the Phillies winning the NLCS last night (that included a 2:30 a.m. phone call from my brother who was actually celebrating in Philly) I thought it would be fun to check out what the going rate for World Series tickets was.
I hopped on to StubHub to see what prices they had listed for the games in Philadelphia.
Game Three: $459 - $17500
Game Four: $365 - $25000
Game Five (if necessary): $457 - $12999
Please note, the "cheap" tickets are for standing room only.
I have no idea how anyone could afford to fork over that much dough in today's economy, but man if I could afford it (and could get a ticket), I'd so be there.
Has anyone else been paying close attention to the price of milk lately?
I'm not sure why, but it's the one price I always notice changes in when I go grocery shopping.
I buy the same quart of milk every week and over the past few weeks I've noticed prices have been steadily declining.
During the summer months I was easily paying between 97 and 99 cents for it. But about two or three weeks ago it was selling for 95 cents and this past week it was selling for 90 cents.
Just thought it was an interesting thing to point out when it seems like everything else is increasing in price.
Has anyone else noticed this trend with milk or other grocery items?
I was out of town this weekend for my cousin's wedding in Allentown. I had to fuel up before I headed out of town Thursday evening. I think about paid $3.25 per gallon.
When I got to Allentown prices were lower, ranging from $3.05 to $3.13.
But my entire family was shocked as we drove from the wedding to the reception and saw a gas station where prices were $2.94.
My boss got this e-mail forwarded to her from a friend and sent it on to me. I think it's about time we had a nice break from all the doom and gloom economy news for something a little more enjoyable.
Read after the jump for a good laugh.
So last week I was all ready to become a member of Citigroup, the people who were going to buy Wachovia. But then Wells Fargo made a better offer, and Wachovia like that deal better.
So the news came out that Wachovia was going to be bought by Wells Fargo instead.
I was caught off guard by the switch and hadn't really seen it coming, but thought, "Ok fine, now I'm going to be a member of Wells Fargo."
But now it's all a mess because Citigroup is filing papers in court saying Wachovia is breaking contracts, and Well Fargo is saying it is still buying Wachovia even though Citigroup is trying to stop it, and quite frankly I am having a Wachovia identity crisis.
I just want to know what my bank is going to be and be done with it.
Sorry about my rant. Feel free to share your own in the comments.
It's been another depressing week of economy news, bank buyouts and government bailouts. Here's a rundown of what you've missed.
Congress passed the bailout and Bush signed it.
The Wachovia situation is such a mess.
Unemployment numbers are up.
Stocks started to climb.
And in case you missed it, you'll want to check out this week's podcast to hear Brent, Sean and myself chat about the implications of the bailout and whether or not we thought it would pass.
The picture above shows the jerseys of a few players on Manchester United, a British soccer team, featuring a sponsorship by the failed AIG.
When the news of AIG's failure broke, a friend of mine and I were wondering whether AIG would continue to sponsor the team. We both agreed it didn't seem like the company should be allowed to spend its money on sponsorships when it is being bailed out by the U.S. government.
An Associated Press article had this to say about the situation:
"For now, it appears that the players of Manchester United will keep the American International Group name on their uniforms. A Manchester United spokesman said there have been no discussions about AIG buying out the deal, and there are no plans for changes to the uniform. A spokesman for the insurer, Joe Norton, said 'nothing has changed' with the deal."
Let me know what you think about AIG's continued sponsorship in the comments.
