My wife and I watched part of the Olympic opening ceremonies, which I have to say was one of the most impressive displays of human coordination and synchronization I have ever seen. Amid the lights, sounds, and other media, the performers danced, sang, moved, and beat drums in ways I never could have imagined. I was truly impressed.

What did not impress me were the commercial breaks every 5 minutes. I guess when the network has almost 24 hours to edit the show they can create “seemingly natural” commercial breaks at whim. Oh yeah, NBC had to fit in the $1 billion worth of ads they sold for this year’s Olympics. Even though they sold over $1B in ads, they also bid $894 million for the broadcast rights. When you add in the production costs, they should end up spending over $1B. Still, I think they will manage to turn a profit when you factor in additional income streams from the rebroadcast rights.

A mini-vacation. This weekend, my wife drove to Michigan for a family get together. Every year my wife’s meets at a small lake, and this is the first year I will have the chance to go. We’ve been married two years this month (Shhh, I have something special in store ), but last year we went on our honeymoon around the time of the get together.

We had a great time visiting with her family. They have been coming to the same lake for over 45 years, so there is a lot of history. It was fun sitting around the campfire that night and making S’mores and listening to everyone tell stories about past adventures. The campfire was a welcome break as well - we spent the earlier part of the day boating, riding jet skis, playing bocce ball, and eating. It was well worth the 5 hour drive.

Thoughts and prayers. Frugal Dad’s mother was in the hospital and JD’s mother is still in the hospital. I wish Frugal Dad, JD, their mothers, and their families the best during these times.

Articles from my reader:

• David writes that It’s not only a salary that can make an employee happy. I agree… I would like to work for a company that supports an afternoon nap hour.
• Gibble has tips on how to create your own online store.
• Pinyo shares some expert financial tips.
• Mrs Micah, celebrated her first Blogiversary. She’s also doing a giveaway, so check it out!
• Lynnae has a Big Announcement. She will be working with 10 other women and Wal-Mart on a new Money Saving Community Project. Very cool.
• Plonkee does a compare and contrast: UK and US tax burdens.
• The Dough Roller has 7 Myths About S&P 500 Index Funds. I bet you don’t know some of these things!
• Christian Personal Finance lists 15 ways to make $200 in 2 weeks. I’ll give you a hint: none of the tips include payday loans.
• Nickel writes about The State of Financial Education in the U.S..
• Frugal Dad says a Another Economic Stimulus Check Could Ultimately Hurt the Economy. I agree.
• Ron is full of Wisdom. He says, Don’t Give Up On Your 401k.
• Rich Credit Debt Loan has tips on how to use credit cards effectively.
• FMF from Free Money Finance - The Purposes of a Cover Letter, Resume, and Interview.
• Jonathan from My Money Blog - Finding Local and Affordable Items On My Bucket List.
• Lazy Man - Ways Not Having a Job Impacts Our Personal Finances.
• Four Pillars writes that Multi-Level Marketing schemes are dreamkillers.
• Smithee from Consumerism Commentary wrote Bottled Water? What Was I Thinking?. I use a stainless steel Kleen Kanteen, which I recently purchased. The water tastes better than from a reusable plastic bottle, and I think metal is better for the environment in the long run. Either way you go, reusable plastic or metal, it is surely better than buying a daily bottle of water.

Carnivals:

• The Carnival of Financial Goals #9 was held at Credit Withdrawal. My article, How to Become A Millionaire, was included.
• The Carnival of Ethics, Values and Personal Finance (August 2008) was hosted at Money and Values.
• The Finance Fiesta: Nachos Edition was held at Master Your Card. My article, Do We Need Another Stimulus Check?, was included.

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