Recommended Inoculations

On a visit to the allergist last month she asked whether I had a flu shot yet.
No, I'm having a physical in January and I'll get one then.
That's great, she said. Meanwhile, you might want to ask him about these others. She brandished a report by the CDC:

Vaccines Recommended for Older Adults

Influenza vaccine, which protects against seasonal flu (for all adults every year)

Td vaccine, which protects against tetanus (for all adults every 10 years)

Tdap vaccine, which protects against tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (also known as whooping cough) (for all adults once instead of Td vaccine)

Pneumococcal vaccine, which protects against pneumococcal diseases that cause infections in the lungs, blood, brain and ear (for all adults over 65 years old, and for adults younger than 65 years who have certain chronic health conditions like heart disease, diabetes, lung disease, or who smoke)

Zoster vaccine, which protects against shingles (for adults 60 years or older)

There may be other vaccines to consider because your health, job, or lifestyle may put you at higher risk for certain diseases. For example, people with diabetes are recommended to also get the Hepatitis B vaccine.

I wish that I had been made aware of these recommendations in 2012, before I came down with the shingles that put me out of commission for over a month.

Any one of the other maladies will put a crimp in achieving ambitions for 2014. Recommended inoculations: another item on the to-do list for January. © 2014 Stephen Yuen

Merely a Gesture

A lot of sticky messiness for $9.73.

The holiday festivities were pau (some Hawaiian words just stick with you throughout your life). I took the plastic bottles to the recycling center. For a couple of hours' worth of sorting, transporting, waiting, and dealing with sticky messiness the compensation was $9.73. I probably won't bother next time and just put the bottles in the blue container that Recology picks up every week.

I felt sorry for the sole worker at the site. He had to deal with long post-New Year lines and overflowing bins; he told me that the truck was very late. I gave him $2. No, the amount made no difference to him or to me. Amidst the vermin-attracting grime it was merely a gesture toward civic society. © 2014 Stephen Yuen

Not Going With the Flow

The technician tapped my left arm, searching for a vein. She inserted the needle. It was a dry hole. Her second attempt on the right wrist was successful, and the sample vials were filled in short order. The visit was more pleasant than average, however, with three or four tries being the norm.

Lab technicians have explained the multiple pricks and prods (and bandages) as being due to my veins being narrow and difficult to locate. I'm a wuss for admitting it, but the unpleasantness of the experience has caused me recently to forego donating blood (5-10 years ago the technicians seemed more skilled).

It's unfortunate that the blood banks aren't integrated with the labs, because I'd be perfectly willing to donate a pint once they take the relatively small amount needed for testing. After I've made the trip to the laboratory, filled out the paperwork, and incurred the discomfort of getting the flow going, the marginal cost of extracting a pint is minimal. There's probably a bureaucratic reason why blood donation and testing can't be done at the same time, but it escapes me.

New Year's "W"-esolutions

Every year we try and only partially succeed, if not fail. This time we really mean it! (right?)

This 17-year-old didn't need
to lose any weight.

Weight loss: This is the number one New Year's resolution for Americans. I resolve to lose 1½ pounds per month---an 18-pound weight loss should get the doc off my back. Exercise and diet will be the means of achieving this goal.

Wealth: I resolve to pay more attention to investments. Buy-it-and-forget-it is not an option, and neither is too much concentration in one stock or one sector.

Work: This one seems to be related to wealth, but it's really not. Whether doing something for pay or for love, I resolve to accept tasks sparingly and finish the ones that I do undertake.

Wisdom: I resolve to take 80 hours of continuing education and restore my CPA license to active status. Also, I will read at least one non-business book each month. Excluding work and education, I will limit online time to two hours daily.

The above may not seem overly ambitious, dear reader, but rest assured, they are. © 2014 Stephen Yuen

A Pretty Good Year, Too

Major indices were up at least 20%. Meanwhile, Apple's price recovered from its summer bottom
to finish 2.18% higher by Dec. 31st. Including dividends, that was a return of 4.4%; really, not so bad.

By far the biggest factor behind income inequality is wealth inequality. A mega-rich mogul's billion dollars of stock holdings at the beginning of 2013 are very likely to have grown by at least $200 million (20%) by year-end, all without him or her spending an hour at the office.

On a much more common and achievable scale, it's entirely possible for a middle-class working couple to have accumulated one million dollars in investable funds by the time they are in their 50's through a program of regular saving. Here's one scenario among an infinite number: new annual savings start at $7,000 and increase by 3% per year to $16,496 in year 30; the total put away would be about $333,000. Meanwhile, if the couple earned 8% on their investments (the S&P 500 increased by an average of 10% per year from 1975 to 2013), the portfolio would have grown to $1,069,000.

The above is an extremely simplistic example, because we're not considering the negative effect of income taxes (although if the funds are stored in tax-deferred 401(k) or IRA accounts taxes are not a factor until funds are withdrawn), nor are we considering the positive effect of dividends. The point of the exercise is to show that getting to $1 million is doable, and so was enjoying at least a $200,000 increase in one's portfolio in 2013.

Billionaires are leaving everyone behind, but if they can put aside the sin of envy many will come to realize that they had a pretty good year, too. © 2013 Stephen Yuen

In Other Words, Kwitch'er Whining

WSJ tech columnist Farhad Manjoo has two words for tech observers who were disappointed about 2013: grow up.

the touchscreen smartphone (and its cousin the tablet) was a singularly novel, industry-shattering device, and we're unlikely to see anything as groundbreaking in a generation.

The smartphone and the tablet *are* the next big things, and we act like spoiled children when we claim that they somehow aren't enough. Most future advances will simply be improvements or expansions on these basic technologies...

When a sports team wins a couple of championships, some of its fans begin to expect that they will win one every year. The fans have forgotten or perhaps never even knew the amount of effort and expertise required just to perform competently, much less win it all. We often see such lack of perspective in critics who were never creators/doers themselves.

In the New Year may we strive to be more appreciative of the good in the world, rather than dwell upon its imperfections. © 2013 Stephen Yuen

For the Foreseeable Future

We served 100 people on Dec. 29th.

The first clue was the number of boxes that were stored in the walk-in freezer; they barely fit in my station wagon. (The good people of St. Pius closely monitor the need.) The second hint was the number of cars and bicycles in the crowded parking lot.

Over the years the number of customers for a free Sunday hot meal at the Redwood City community center has ranged between 50 and 80. Lately it's risen toward the high end of the scale. Today we counted 100. One of our volunteers ran out to buy more roast chicken, which she carved at the picnic table. I baked an extra tray of chicken and rice, while someone brought more salad. Everything was consumed, and all the brown-bag lunches prepared by St. Pius were snapped up.

The likely reason for the increased traffic to Sandwiches on Sunday is the recent cut in food stamp allotments. As one who strongly prefers private charity programs to the incredible waste, fraud, and abuse of government transfer programs, I'll have to put my money and time where my mouth is, and it's likely I'll be doing so for the foreseeable future. © 2013 Stephen Yuen

Horse Sense

The horse ambled west on Irving at a very slow pace, perhaps 3 mph. No one dared pass and risk scaring the horse, and it was a policeman riding it after all.

Horses are classified as a slow-moving vehicle in the California Drivers' Handbook:

Animal-Drawn Vehicles: Horse-drawn vehicles and riders of horses or other animals are entitled to share the road with motor vehicles. It is a traffic offense to scare horses or stampede livestock. Slow down or stop, if necessary, or when requested to do so by the riders or herders.

The common-sense course of slowing down and accepting one's circumstance, despite the temptation to speed around the horse, turned out to be written into law.

After he had gone two blocks, the policeman stopped and waved the traffic around. Both he and the drivers behaved sensibly, a sign of hope for civic life.

There's No Better Time

At this time of year the financial publications are rife with advice about income taxes. Usually the emphasis is on reducing taxes in the current year through taking deductions such as charitable contributions or dramatic steps such as moving to a low-tax state or getting married. This year, however, is different, and not just because tax rates are going up; the increase in complexity has been exponential.

With the introduction of the 3.8% net investment income tax (Sec. 1411), and the return of the 20% capital gains rate (Sec. 1(h)) and the 39.6% income tax rate (Sec. 1(i)), America shifted overnight at the start of 2013 from a two-dimensional tax system to a four-dimensional system. [snip]

The complexity of going from a two-dimensional system to a four-dimensional system is exponential, not linear, and requires a quantum leap in tax analysis methodology, tax strategy, and tax planning software tools.

It may only seem that the vast majority of Americans will not have to deal with this complexity; only if a married couple has income over $250,000 (or a single person over $200,000) will they be subject to the investment-income tax.

However, more people will be affected than just the supposedly "rich". As taxpayers approach these income thresholds, many will scale back their economic activity to avoid crossing them, just as small businesses avoid having more than 49 employees to escape the penalties of Obamacare.

Also, the interconnection between income and estate/gift taxes has become much more complicated. It is easy to be unconcerned about the problems of "wealthy" estates, which pay taxes if they are valued at more than $5.34 million, but it wasn't that long ago that having a $1 million estate was an uncommon experience.

In the view of your humble observer, society underestimates the cost of complexity. We regularly come across productive individuals---doctors, accountants, businesspeople---of a certain age who don't mind paying somewhat more in taxes; they hate the hassle of new regulations that have nothing to do with their fundamental business operations. So they are cutting back or quitting altogether. The silver lining--for them, not society--is that if they have been thinking about doing something else with their lives, there's no better time. © 2013 Stephen Yuen

Washing Warning

"From the penthouse to the outhouse":
metaphorically, but not literally

In our house bathroom-sink soap bars have been replaced by dispensers filled with antibacterial soap, but that move is not only costly but also could be physically harmful:

Scientists at the Food and Drug Administration announced Monday [December 16] that they are revisiting the safety of triclosan and other sanitizing agents found in soap in countless kitchens and bathrooms. Recent studies suggest triclosan and similar substances can interfere with hormone levels in lab animals and spur the growth of drug-resistant bacteria.

Until the science becomes conclusive, we'll finish the bottles in inventory, then go back to washing with plain old soap and hot water. [Note that hand sanitizers, which have ethyl alcohol as the active ingredient, are currently judged safe.]

Mother and Child

Last week I became a grand uncle, the first time I became a "grand-" anything ("great uncle" is the more common usage according to Ngram). The occasion is no big deal to many of my contemporaries who are already grandparents; nevertheless, it's another milestone on the Great Path.

Another comment, commonplace and perhaps trite: this is the time of the year when we reflect upon our lives, somberly remembering those whom we have lost. A December baby brightens the entire outlook. An irrational reaction, but there it is.

Christmas Eve

Clergy prepare for the Christmas Eve service

On a cold clear Tuesday night 60 people in a Foster City Episcopal church joined millions around the world in celebration of a blessed event that occurred two thousand years ago.

It was That Event that triggered all the gift-shopping, package-mailing, card-writing, tree-decorating, party-organizing, and family-gathering that absorbs the month of December in 21st-century America. For a few hours the worshippers set aside the concerns of the world and sang of a newborn baby, joy, hope, and heavenly peace.

Merry Christmas!© 2013 Stephen Yuen

Songs of the Season - Part 1

In the late 1990's my employer had enough of a talent pool to put together a decent holiday choir (videos uploaded from VHS tape).

Songs of the Season - Part 2

An old chestnut, plus Santa cracks up under the pressure.

Songs of the Season - Part 3

An unserious musical history of the Twelve Days of Christmas. I like the Hawaiian lyrics myself ("a mynah bird in one papaya tree").

Songs of the Season - Part 4

Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas now.



Through the years we all will be together
If the fates allow...

But the fates do not allow. Our time together is too fleeting, gone in the wink of an eye. Like the ghostly watchers in Grover's Corners, we have an eternity to mull the regrets of moments unappreciated until too late.

On this Christmas and in the New Year, resolve not to let that happen.

Imelda Was Ahead of Her Time

In my 20's and 30's I had four pairs of shoes: two black, one brown, and sneakers. Now the count is up to seven, and I'm only working part-time. Eric Jennings, Saks Fifth men's director:

"There is an explosion of men's shoes right now. The business is on fire...It runs the gamut from classic dress shoes to designer sneakers that are extremely fashion forward."

In addition to bowing to the needs of fashion, one requires more shoes in the rotation because modern footwear is less durable. A pair of 4-year-old $200 loafers that were used about twice a month developed holes in their synthetic bottoms on a recent trip to Las Vegas.

They weren't salvageable: too bad, because the shoes were comfortable, looked decent, and were easy to slip on and off when going through airport security.

I went to the mall in Las Vegas and replaced them immediately with two pairs. Wouldn't want to get caught short again.

A Great Year

One week ago rumors circulated that the Federal Reserve would announce the cessation of its five-year easy money, aka quantitative easing, program. The financial markets fell.

The feared cutback turned out to be not very severe; bond-buying will "taper" from $85 billion per month to $75 billion. The markets resumed their climb, some to new highs. Last week's short-term budget deal and today's Fed announcement brought a measure of certainty to government fiscal and monetary policy, respectively.

It's refreshing to see grown-up behavior (finally) in evidence at the Congress and Federal Reserve. One only hopes that in the New Year we will see it in the Executive Branch, which lurches to and fro trying to put out fires of its own making.

YTD chart updated to 12/23/2013: if you had money in the market, it's been a great year.

Graton Resort and Casino, Rohnert Park

Love that new-casino smell

Everyone in the car enjoyed their first visit to the new Graton casino, and not just because three out of four brought home heavier wallets than they started out with.

Several family members are highly allergic to cigarette smoke; hay fever and asthma attacks are triggered after several hours of exposure. While Graton does permit the vice, the carpets, tablecloths, and chairs are not (yet) steeped in tobacco residue. Unlike expeditions to other nearby casinos, this trip was blessedly allergy-free.

Dining options were decent though not spectacular. The food court "marketplace" offered inexpensive choices, and four restaurants served more upscale but not outrageously priced fare. Graton doesn't bother with a buffet, probably a good thing since I would have been tempted to try it.

By far the most attractive feature is its location. Just off of Highway 101, Graton is 45 miles north of San Francisco. It took us 90 minutes to get there in normal traffic from the Peninsula and is 30 to 60 minutes closer than the nearest alternative. Closer, cleaner, and a touch classier than its competition, Graton will get the lion's share of our gaming time (but hopefully not our money) in the coming year. © 2013 Stephen Yuen

Muscio's Italian Restaurant, Novato

Attendance in our church would go up if it had Monday
night football on two flatscreens above the bar.

Arriving in Novato, a city 25 miles north of San Francisco, after 8 p.m., we found few restaurants open on Monday night. Muscio's looked promising because of the number of cars parked outside.

Upon entering, we looked up to see an unobstructed view of the roof. The restaurant occupied the original location of 123-year-old Our Lady of Loretto Catholic Church.

The waitress brought us freshly-baked garlic bread, which was consumed in short order. A second basket was used to sop up the sauce from our pasta dishes, which were uniformly excellent. Everything was made on the premises, the waitress said. She invited us to return with three discount coupons, expiring January 31st. We'll be returning to the North Bay in a couple of weeks and will take her up on it. © 2013 Stephen Yuen