Cleaning out the inbox as I straighten up the office a bit.

• One other thing I did while waiting for airplanes over the weekend was write another rant.  I’d been stewing on this one for some years and a trip to the airport bathroom finally pushed me over the edge.
• I mentioned previously that I’m trying to make some space by selling some of my old books.  One that I ran across is I Can See You Naked: A Fearless Guide to Making Great Presentations.  I remember starting to read this book 10 or 15 years ago and then filing it away somewhere.  It has some good tips about giving presentations.  Worth the read after you get over the nervousness of speaking in front of a group.  For that, I’d suggest that you join Toastmasters.
• Selling books is going well.  I print the orders as they come in and place the book with the order on Debra’s desk.  She handles the important part of shipping, which involves boxing the book and stopping at the Post Office on her way to the gym.  If you have books to sell, you might consider giving Amazon Marketplace a shot.  It’s very easy to set up.
• Not all books are worth listing on Amazon.  It seems some sellers have figured out how to make money on the standard $3.49 per-item shipping, and will list a book for a quarter or less.  I’m not going to put forth the effort to sell a book that I only end up clearing fifty cents on.  I’ll let Half Price Books deal with those.
• I’ve managed to lose about 10 pounds in the last 6 weeks with a combination of watching what I eat and exercising regularly.  I still dislike lifting weights, but I can see results even with the small amount that I’ve been doing.  Combined with my cycling, I feel like I’m getting a more complete workout.  Next I’ll be adding running and swimming.  More on that over the summer.
• The illustrious Senator Clinton yesterday proposed cutting our dependence on foreign oil in half by 2025 through a combination of a $50 billion research fund to be funded by “increased oil company profits,” and ethanol.  We already know that ethanol is a boondoggle.  It’s interesting that Clinton voted against the ethanol interests when she opposed requiring nationwide use of ethanol in fuels.  But Iowa is a big ethanol producer and also holds the first caucus of the presidential primary.  Looks like pandering to me.