Thwart Mediocrity

Two books I’ve repurchased after losing (don’t ask me how I can lose a book, because it baffles me, too):

The first is Jose Saramago’s The Tale of the Unknown Island. If you aren’t familiar with Saramago (don’t worry, he’s sort of obscure here in the US), he’s a Portugese writer who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in the late nineties. Saramago writes in a stream-of-consciousness style that can be a little laborious of a read, but man, it’s worth sticking to (try my favorite, The Double). For The Tale of the Unknown Island, imagine Plato’s cave – a parable – almost a children’s story; simple but deep. Take an hour and read it and you’ll thank me.

The second is George Leonard’s Mastery. I devoured this first during my Personal MBA run with Matt four years ago.

What Leonard teaches: enjoy the plateau – the flow of practicing a skill – rather than relishing in the short-term satisfaction of a climax.

I get all caught up in the climaxes – the eagle putts of life.

The essence is in the six irons on the driving range and learning to shape the shot.

I’m running all three at home now. I’m most satisfied with Ubuntu (Jaunty Jackalope).

It’s free, fast (running on a seven-year-old machine like a champ), and provides a pretty big sense of accomplishment. Even enjoying the command line.

The Mac is still the fave (I like the juicy iMac screen), but it comes with random shutdowns. Plus, I hate the Mighty Mouse.

But for the price, Ubuntu is king.

I’ve given fair shots to Mint, Quicken Online, and pretty much every other personal finance tool that pops up.

But for our regular checking account, a spreadsheet that acts as a register going backward and a budget going forward is our perfect solution. We’ve kept it current for five years running.

All deposits are there going forward — as are recurring bills and budgets for groceries, gas and other expenses each month.

When we spend in a budget category, we decrease the remaining budget balance for the month when we add the expense.

Simple yet effective.