Dauber's World is Hungry

Dauber's World has a bit of a problem. Dauber's World likes good food, but Dauber's World isn't much of a cook. Typically Dauber's World outsources this task to professionals (often found at restaurants), but what does one do when there's a good dessert recipe, but lacks the skills required to make it? Dauber's World found a great recipe for Pumpkin-Ginger Cake with Cinnamon-Bourbon Caramel Glaze, but alas has nothing to enjoy but this photo. Combining cinnamon and caramel is always a fantastic combination (made even better by the addition of bourbon), but it takes a certain skill to do it. So Dauber's World will go hungry tonight with no dessert; left only to dream of caramel and cinnamon. Even more troubling to Dauber's World is that he's left to worry about what to do if he finds himself face-to-face with a big bad wolf (who isn't nice)?

In Memorandum -- Dr. Ben Schutz

I learned some very sad news this morning. The father of an old friend of mine going all the way back to Jr High School -- Dr. Ben Schutz passed away last week of a heart attack. Mr. Schutz, as I knew him, was always one of the cool dads. He always played sports with us (though he would only play QB in pick-up football games). I remember watching the '98 World Cup with him and having him scream at (then US coach) Steve Sampson on TV. He put quite simply why as to why Sampson was a bad coach, "Sampson plays all the wrong players at all the wrong positions." I suppose that makes it tough to be successful.

Mr. Schutz made fun of us in a good natured way. He made fantastic jokes. He also cared about all of us. I didn't know him in his professional life, but he seemed to genuinely care about the well-being of his patients as well.

He was a very good man, and he leaves this world far too soon. My thoughts are with his family, and especially my friend Jesse.

Perfect Day?

One of the things that Dauber's World loves about living in Northern California is how many unique outdoor activities are within a few hours drive. From wine country and the Redwood Forests in the North, to Tahoe and Yosemite in the East and Monterey in the South there's no excuse for having nothing to do.

In addition to the physical beauty of the region itself the wildlife is pretty astounding too. One of Dauber's Worlds favorites is Ano Nuevo state park which doubles as a breeding ground for elephant seals. Dauber's World first visited Ano Nuevo as a little kid and has loved it ever since. For those of you that want to check it out be advised that this time of year you need to make reservations.

Monterey is Dauber's World's favorite spot to visit. It is home to the Point Lobos State Reserve. A piece of land that juts out into the Pacific and is strikingly beautiful. Parts of the park look as if they're from another planet (or perhaps a Tim Burton film). Monterey also is home to Pacific Grove. Many know Pacific Grove for having one of the prettiest municipal golf courses in the country (the back nine at least). However, something else makes Pacific Grove much more special. If you park your car on the edge of town and walk to a nondescript park and find the large tree in the middle of the forest you'll be surrounded by thousands of Monarch butterflies. How something like a butterfly knows to go back to the same spot every year is truly remarkable. Sitting in the forest with people that are special to you while eating an English muffin smothered in marmalade may not be a perfect day, but to Dauber's World is sounds pretty close to it.

Convenience -- Brought to you by American Express

Credit cards are a truly wonderful concept. Forget the whole concept of credit. Just being able to use a piece of plastic rather than deal with change all the time really makes life easier. Not only that, you can get cash back from your credit cards. With the advent of the internet credit cards are even nicer -- you can track all of your purchases and if you're a Quicken-aholic (and Dauber's World is not, but certainly respects those of you who are) you can figure out what percent of your paycheck you spent on Starbucks.

As near as Dauber's World can tell there's only one downside to credit cards: they expire and you have to get a new one. Thankfully American Express has solved this problem. Regardless of whether you cancel your card they still keep it open! Just think, years after you cancel your card you can still make as many purchases as you like. Dauber's World found this out today when American Express called to say that a card canceled over four years ago is happily in use purchasing various items on the internet. The courtesy call from an Indian call center voiced concern that these charges were potentially fraudulent. Clearly American Express has a highly sophisticated algorithm developed by numerous PhDs running on thousands of computers to determine that something could be wrong when a card that was canceled four years ago is having charges billed to it. It's this kind of innovation and creativity that you get when you decide to use an American Express card.

To further add to the pleasure of Dauber's World American Express requested that Dauber's World submit a detailed explanation of why none of these charges are valid. Apparently "card canceled four years ago" is insufficient reason to dispute a charge.

Early Favorite for 2008 Product of the Year

Yes, Dauber's World knows it's early, but there's an early favorite for the (much coveted) 2008 Product of the Year award: the iCarta iPod Stereo Dock and Bath Tissue Holder. This is something that Dauber's World couldn't make up if it tried. How often have you (the loyal reader) been sitting on the toilet wishing that you could listen to your iPod in stereo without being encumbered by annoying ear buds? And while the geniuses at iCarta were doing this they made sure to simultaneously solve another problem: where to hold the toilet paper! At $79.99 the iCarta is a bargain too. the iCarta reminds Dauber's World of the German expression "eierlegende wollmilchsau" which translates to "egg-laying wool-milk-sow". How long until some geneticist comes up with one of those?

Dauber's World Barely Needs To Comment

In a recent article in Radar Magazine they examine 11 adds targeted at the homosexual community. The pics to the right represent Dauber's World's three favorite. No further comments necessary.