I’m very excited.  My page views for my blog are at 9489 today.  It’s actually pretty neat to be able find a space to write down your thoughts and random findings and have people come see what you have to say!

Thanks to all my visitors so far. :)  I hope I have kept you even slightly entertained!

I’ve been sitting here re-watching the dances from So You Think You Can Dance’s final dance show and I’m peeved. I’ll make my disclaimer now: I absolutely adore all four of the finalists. Lacey has been consistently great throughout the whole season, Danny technically AMAZING, Neil just an incredibly beautiful dancer with humor, personality, and acrobatic tricks beyond most others’ abilities, and Sabra a charming and good dancer (no tricks, just dances from the heart).

Of the finalists, I had pegged Lacey and Danny (Dancey, as they’re called) to be in the top two since the week before the finale. I really wanted Neil to win but expected Lacey to take it all. Neil has by far been my favorite right up there with Lacey since week 1 (I’ve just seen something in him as a dancer that I really loved since the Hip Hop routine with Lauren). Although I do like them both, Danny, although a technically gorgeous dancer, has not been my favorite (until the finale — more on that later) because he has always been more technical than emotional, nor has Sabra (she’s good, but there’s something about her that I don’t see that others must). I was sure they would have both been eliminated before the finale (up until maybe the week before the finale when Danny really stepped up his game and Sabra was up against Lauren to be eliminated).

Just thinking about everything, I can actually see why my two favorites did not make top 2 after Wednesday.

There were two dances that completely killed Lacey’s chances of winning so she was pretty much knocked out of the running here (unfair, by the way!) — an overly ridiculous Lindy Hop that just looked awfully painful and hard for Lacey & Neil and an absurdly experimental Wade Robson original that did not in any way showcase Lacey or Sabra’s abilities (I adore Wade’s genius, but timing, man, timing!). Lacey’s solo was great, but she was first solo, so her solo was pretty much out of people’s minds by the end of the show. Lacey performed the entrancingly beautiful Viennese Waltz with Danny perfectly.

Sabra did a fair solo, a good Cha-Cha with Danny, a fair Hip-Hop routine with Neil, and a decent Wade Robson “Foxes” piece with Lacey (the dance that did not showcase either of the girl’s abilities).

Neil’s chances of winning were ruined with the Hip Hop routine with Sabra (I’d almost guess choreography and styling had as much to do with this as the dancing), and did alright on the Lindy Hop (this choreography was way too difficult for this show), and did an amazing Solo which I have now watched literally 20 times — including once in slow motion. Of course, his shining moment was the Princes’ Duel with Danny. (This dance will go down as one of the best of the season, as will many of Neil’s dances, actually.) Once again, Neil was put into a similar situation as Lacey — completely screwed over thanks to the overwhelming choreography of the Lindy Hop. (The choreographers MUST realize there is only so much time to learn these dances, and although challenging the dancers is great, sometimes, there needs to be a line.)

Danny absolutely nailed his solo (I was blown away by his 6 flying split leaps around the stage!), his Cha-Cha with Sabra (fun, amazing flare), the Viennese Waltz with Lacey (grace and elegance), and The Princes’ Duel with Neil (attitude, arrogance, and passion).

So the only thing left for me to ask is how did Sabra win this competition over Danny??? I adore her, I really do, but the only thing I can guess is it’s for the same reason I didn’t like Danny until the last 2 weeks — he was standoffish, technical, closed off. Sabra has always been approachable and danced from the heart. Once Neil and Lacey were pretty much blown out of the running thanks to Wednesday night, who do you pick from? The standoffish Danny who seems arrogant (but isn’t at all, he’s just self-conscious maybe?), or the cute tiny charming Sabra who always has a smile on her face? Well, if I had to pick someone likeable versus someone I’m not sure about, I’m going to pick someone likeable.

And that’s why Sabra was the winner. (All four were really winners in my book. They all encompass something different about dance, and I cannot wait to hopefully get to see the tour!)

Thanks to my friend Kuejon over at StumbleUpon for finding this for me!

I am Mr Do. I am sedentary by nature, enjoying passive entertainment, eating when the mood takes me, and playing with my food. I try to avoid conflict, but when I’m angered, I can be a devil - if you force me to fight, I will crush you. With apples. What Video Game Character Are You?

However, I think I agree that I’m much more like what I’d be if I weren’t Mr. Do.

I am a Breakout Bat. I am an abstract sort of creature, who dislikes any sort of restraint. If you try to pigeonhole me, I’ll break the box, and come back for more. I don’t have any particular ambitions, I just drift, but I am adept at keeping life going along. What Video Game Character Are You?

Once again, I have more invitations available for the Moola.com Beta Test!

For information on Moola and the games they’ve designed to make you a millionaire by doubling someone else’s pennies, read here:

Moola Information

To sign up, click here: (Please only click the following link if you’re going to sign up) Thanks!!

Moola Invitations: Get Your Own Beta Account Now!

Enjoy and have a great day!

I’m going to miss you so. You three, Fred, George, Ginny, Mr. & Mrs. Weasley, the rest of the Weasleys, Neville, Luna, Dobby, Dumbledore, Snape, Lupin, Tonks, Sirius, even Draco and his family, and everyone else I’m forgetting… So many of you. You’ve all been such a great part of my life, my friends, for 10 years, and now the journey is over.

My heart is pounding in my chest as I write this, tears falling down my face. It’s strange to realize after 10 years that you’ve become emotionally attached to a set of books and their characters, but I feel like a little kid who is, without realizing it, choosing on this exact day to stop playing with toys and to grow up. I’m 28, but this feeling I have, having finished the last book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, is like a rite of passage into adulthood and it’s strange and scary and unknown.

What will my world be, how will it be different, now that I know the whole story, now that your journey is complete? I don’t know, probably not much different. They are just books after all… Just books… No. Dreams on paper. That’s more like it.

But now, I know the whole story and it changes everything, puts it into perspective. Makes jokes a little more treasured, interaction a little more understood, actions a little more important and relevant, forgiveness a necessary thing. I’m completely entranced, enthralled, bitter, happy, sad and confused by the whole thing and I loved every minute of it, all 10 years’ worth.

This is the end, no more books to be written, but Harry, Ron, Hermione, my friends… Your story will live on forever. I am sure of it. Good luck to those of you who lived and bye for now.

P.S. Thank you, JK Rowling, for sharing your dreams and visions with the world.

So we’ve made it through what has officially been our brokest week in a long time, and we still have food in the fridge, have managed to keep ourselves entertained, and have not spent too much in the process!  *phew*

3 1/2 hours till we get paid, no overdraft fees, no late charges, bills paid, tummies full, and we have an early weekend.  Gotta love that!

I wrote a post for a site that I keep debating moving here, even though that site pays me, and well, this site is all about me making money, right!  So I’ll leave it there and give you all the link to it when it’s published.

I’m going to have some great posts coming up here soon including how to save money at the movies, some more invites for Moola for those of you who’d like to play some games on their beta (If you’d like one, just comment with your email and I’ll send one to you) , Grocery Store money saving tips, and some bills and budgeting advice (proven techniques we use here to keep everything paid on time).

I look forward to impressing you all with my financial prowess (ha ha :))!  Until next time, I bid you adieu!

In today’s world, the average cup of coffee can cost you an arm or a leg, or both. A franchise chain has recently raised their price per cup by $0.09, I guess they have to justify the $12,000 espresso machines they now use and smaller Mom and Pop shops are struggling to stay afloat with the ever present franchise stores popping up only blocks from each other. It’s hard to believe that just 10 years ago, a regular cup of coffee would cost less than $0.95 and now the biggest cup of coffee you can get from a franchise store will cost nearly a full dollar more. I love a nice cup of coffee every morning and I used to willingly spend nearly $5 a cup just to get my fix until I started working at home. Since then, I’ve been looking for ways to cut costs while still enjoying my vices and coffee was the first one to get put on the chopping block.

On average, I was spending probably $25 a week (about 5 cups) on coffee for myself and saw nothing wrong with this. I also supplemented this with store-bought coffee that was typically 12-16oz for less than $5 and would yield a larger amount of coffee to enjoy but there was a problem with it: it’s bland and flat tasting with no punch. Now that I’m working at home, I do not go get coffee during the day in order to save money but I definitely still drink it. I’ve managed to save a tremendous amount of money per week on coffee simply by buying my own, exactly how much will be discussed in part 2! If you really want to have premium coffee at home but don’t want to pay premium prices or join exclusive coffee clubs that offer little reward to them, I’ve got a few ways you can save money (if you have a coffee pot at home, of course):

Aside from roasting my own beans, I’ve been through all of these steps and have stuck steadfastly to my French press and home ground beans. This has not only yielded me the most cups of coffee for my money but has also given me coffee unmatched by any store bought brands or coffee found in any franchise store in terms of taste. The upfront cost of this might be the only thing that scares people off given your results each time you brew coffee. I purchased a Bodum Chambord 8-cup Press from Amazon and purchased some beans from our local big name franchise store. My upfront cost was only $40 or so after taxes for both the coffee and the press. That’s not a terribly high cost considering a decent drip maker will run you $25-$30 — and much more if you want a good drip maker — then filters will be a few dollars and then coffee will probably be less than $5 depending on what brand you buy. In comparison, you’re paying almost the same amount for either one and trust me, a French press will give you a much better tasting cup of coffee and you’ll end up pouring out less at the end of the day.

I can usually get about 15 presses of coffee out of a single 12oz. bag if I make enough for my girlfriend and myself, around 20 or so if I make it just for me. Each pressed pot of coffee will give me approximately 17oz. of coffee if I’m making coffee for myself and I’ll use this for the rest of the article. That’s a great return on investment per cup for the premium Fair Trade coffee that I buy. This also only takes me less than 9 minutes to brew and begin consuming so there’s a savings there as well. So far, I’ve yet to run into a situation with my press where I’m not saving money:

The breakdown cost per cup per bag is as follows:

Considering the same amount of coffee from your favorite franchise store will run you at least $1.20 before taxes, I’m saving $0.68 per cup of coffee. This coffee will also taste head and shoulders above anything you’ll buy in a chain store once you get your measurements down correctly. On a 1:1 cost comparison, the same thing at my local chain store will cost me at least $36 before taxes kick in. For every bag that I consume that I purchase myself, I’m saving a whopping $20.40 per 30 cups of coffee. And since I purchase only Fair Trade Certified coffees, this also means that the farmer who grows my coffee now has a sustainable and steady stream of income coming his way so that he may provide for his family. For this reason alone, I can justify paying $10 or more per bag of coffee.

So in the end, by having a slightly high entry cost, I’m saving approximately 57% per 30 cups over my local franchise coffee store. If you’re a busy person like I am, cleaning up a French press takes considerably less time than cleaning a drip coffee maker and this too can be quantified in terms of dollars per man hour — it takes me less than a minute to fully clean my press. Buying Fair Trade Certified coffee might mean a bit higher cost per bag of coffee but I’m also helping someone sustain their way of life.

In part 2, I’ll be discussing — in specifics — just how much money I’ve saved in aggregate over the course of a month or so.

I’d like to send out an early welcome to my first Guest writer, James Westfall, from iloveteh.biz, who will be posting about his premium coffee addiction, how to save money and still be a coffee addict, and more!

08/02/07 Update:

Check out Part 1 of Guest writer James Westfall’s posts on how to save money on your Coffee Addiction here: Coffee Addicts Unite and Save!

I have more Moola invitations available!

(Please only click this link if you’re going to sign up If you’d like more info first, see the Moola Information link! Thanks!)

Moola Invitations: Get Your Own Beta Account Now!

For information on Moola and the games they’ve designed to make you a millionaire by doubling someone else’s pennies, read here:

Moola Information

Enjoy and have a great day!

I wonder if the search would work the other way around…