The World According to Doc

Ok, you guessed it, I’m bored and just finished eating that Banana. The thought just came to me. Years ago I’d pull down four wedges of peel to expose the eatable center.

Somehow, over time, that number went to only two. I don’t know why or even where I might have seen someone else practice the two wedge peel. Thus the question, how do you peel your banana?

Do you use the two, three or four wedge method or perhaps, something totally different. Although I can’t imagine what that number might be? Take the poll in the right side bar. The poll will be active thru Super Bowl Sunday. By the way, let us know who you’re hoping will win this years big game. Poll also to the right.

For eight years running, I’ve used TurboTax to prepare my Federal and State Taxes. Of course I filed Electronically and on Tuesday this week, my Federal Return was deposited directly into my bank account. My State Return came a few days earlier. In all, I waited a short ten days from the time I filed to get all of “my” money back! I Can’t say enough about the ease and speedy efficiency of TurboTax…you guys rule!

I also can’t wait to see what Quicken 2010 for Mac, due out this month, will really do. If it’s as good as they say, I’ll be saying goodbye to Microsoft Money after 13 years. I’m not a fan of the Quicken 2007 release (Mac) which I bought and shelved within days; a frustrating experience to say the least. The 2010 version, from what I can tell, presents a lot like Money and can do everything I’ve come to love about Microsoft Money.

I won’t need to run VMWare Fusion on my Macbook Pro anymore either. Money is the last WIndows program I still use and the only reason I bought Fusion and an OEM copy of XP Home Edition. Knowing me though, I won’t delete the secondary operating system; something about having both is just a bit to attractive. Neat to show off the capability to the “PC’s” I know; my two sons, for example!

NOTE: Almost forgot. I got an offer via Email today for $20.00 off the latest Windows version of Quicken. I sure would like to save the same twenty bucks on the soon to come Mac release…that would be a great way for Quicken to incentivize the purchase for me; $59.00 ain’t cheap!

After several frustrating days, due entirely to operator error (me), iDoctorB.Com is a reality! WooHoo! My Twitter user name has been @iDoctor for a few years now and when I started Blogging in earnest I figured I may as well have a dedicated Domain too. For ten bucks, I used Google Apps via BlogSpot and register my new Custom Domain Name. Via my BlogSpot Dashboard, I was able to change all the publishing details and voila, www.iDoctorB.com is up and running!

Thanks Google and BlogSpot for making the process as seamless as possible and, for partnering with GoDaddy to keep the Domain registration and renewal costs affordable, even for a bum like me!

It’s official! I have deleted Apple’s iPad from my gdgt ”want” list. Like many of you, I was initially taken by the iPad and couldn’t wait to get my hands on one. Since than, I’ve had a chance to read the plethora of able information on sites like Mashable.Com, making the purchase of the first offering seem hurried.

Number two Son, the last of the Muppet’s to dance across the stage, passed not one, but two written tests this morning and earned his long dreamed of Learners Permit! I dropped him at school afterwards. To my surprise, he somehow managed to get his big head through the front door. God knows he’s already worn the darn thing out showing it around; in class no doubt.

Talk about making a guy feel old. There are no more Son’s left now. Not even a Daughter neatly tucked away that will need dear old Dad to spend a weekday morning with them at the DDS. This was the last trip. The last time I’ll have to threaten a kid with not being allowed to retest for a year if they failed. A threat each of them laughed at as they swaggered up to the assigned computer terminal, a natural place for them, to take the dreaded written exam.

He has a choice of vehicles to train in. My E320 or his brother’s Ford Ranger. He picked the Ranger. Smart choice if you ask me. He’ll go out for the first time after school today. Yikes, almost forgot. I have to call the Allstate agent and get the little guy added to my policy; that’s gonna hurt the wallet. Can’t wait for him to turn 16 and get a job. That way I can start billing him for his insurance just like I did his brother. What he won’t know, just like his brother didn’t, I bank their contributions to the cause and give it back to them at High School Graduation. A little cash to get them started! Their own cash, which is even better especially since #1 Son, to this day, has no idea he pissed thru his own hard earned cash in less than a month!