Fund adjustments, catching up with Gregor, a walk around the lake, and Show Tunes…

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Clear your stuffed nose!

Forget Sudafed. An easier, quicker, and cheaper way to relieve sinus pressure is by alternately thrusting your tongue against the roof of your mouth, then pressing between your eyebrows with one finger.

This causes the vomer bone, which runs through the nasal passages to the mouth, to rock back and forth, says Lisa DeStefano, D.O., an assistant professor at the Michigan State University college of osteopathic medicine.

The motion loosens congestion; after 20 seconds, you’ll feel your sinuses start to drain.

I had my call with Nathan today, during which we discussed the IBM-held portion of my investment money. He recommended four changes:

  1. Move $35,000 from the Vanguard Wellington Adm fund to the Dodge & Cox International Stock fund.
  2. Move $21,000 from the IBM Small/Mid-Cap Company Stock Index fund to the Fidelity Leveraged Company Stock fund.
  3. Change my allocation for future contributions from 25% to four funds to 33.3% to three funds.
  4. When/if IBM stock reaches $100, move $31,000 out of the IBM Stock fund and distribute it among the three funds in item 3.

I met Gregor at Helios, where we had lunch and caught up. It’s been forever since we’ve seen each other, and a lot has happened in his life. He covered:

  • His time in Canada while his work visa was being renewed.
  • A part he had in a production in Durham, where he narrated work written to go with a band’s album that went so well that they were doing it again this week in NYC, and he was flying up there to do the narration again.
  • His liver-related health saga.
  • His parts in Three Sisters (On Ice), an oak tree, and The Pillowman—all at Manbites Dog.
  • The drama of selling his townhouse, and the offer on the house in Durham that eventually fell through.
  • His default job versus a choice in two other jobs on the horizon.

On the way home, I stopped at Lake Johnson, and did the three-mile walk around the lake. At some points it was cold enough for my sweat jacket, at other times it got too hot for it. I listened to podcasts on the way around.

I got Joe at Flex at 9:00, and played a guy named Dan in pool while waiting for Joe to arrive. Once he arrived, we played a couple of games.

It was a decent evening—quite uneventful. I left at around 1:00 without saying goodbye to Joe, but left him a voice mail as soon as I got in my car.

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