Just Cognitizing... For The First Time

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."

What better way to launch my first blog than to borrow one of the better opening lines in literature? That line pretty much sums things up. I could just go ahead and wrap it up right here. But, I've never been one to quit while I'm ahead.

In case you haven't figured it out, the title "Just Cognitizing" is just my way of humoring myself. I could have titled my blog "Just Thinking", but that's a little too vanilla for my taste. I decided to add some chocolate syrup and sprinkles so it has some extra appeal (at least to me). I tried to title this blog several different times before settling on this one. Unfortunately, all of those were already in use.

So, what can you expect to find at Just Cognitizing? My grand plan is to offer (on a somewhat regular basis) my thoughts on sundry subjects. I will try to offer rational and reasoned thoughts, though an occasional rant may slip in. We all need our soapboxes once in a while. You may often find thoughts on coffee, politics, theology, and education. Education because it is my profession, politics because I want to sound sophisticated, theology because it shapes my worldview, and coffee because it is my passion. Of course, I may also throw in sporadic references to my family-- my gorgeous wife and two kids, who are the cutest you can find. (No, seriously, they are cuter than yours.) The above will not be an exhaustive list, but these themes will return with regularity, I am sure.

I do not want to drag out this introductory posting, but I must share a bit of good news. Just previous to posting this I finished up my taxes. We will receive a nice refund! Of course, this means that I probably should make some adjustments on how much Uncle Sam takes from my paycheck each month. From the time I first started receiving a paycheck people told me to try not to have more than necessary withheld from my earnings. To this point it has never really seemed too terribly important to me to do this. Every year I receive some amount of refund and have viewed it as a "bonus". Now that I have a couple of kids I am realizing why being intentional with my withholdings is important. $100 or more each month that we are able to use to buy food, diapers, clothes, GAS, etc. Goes along way. So, let me leave you with a final thought. (I do realize that by making this statement I will sound old and boring to anyone younger than 21.) Do not just blindly pay your taxes. Know what you should pay and adjust your monthly withholdings to reflect that. Getting money back from the IRS does not equate to a "bonus." It equates to a refund of YOUR money that YOU could have been using to accomplish YOUR goals.