“Boo” has been my nickname since the 6th grade – named after the ghost of Boo Berry – the cereal I would bring to lunch every day. Cereal has always been a big part of my life, and recently I saw an article online that ranked the best ever cereals which included Special K and Cheerios. Wait? What?? Is it possible the author of that post was born without tastebuds? Honestly, sometimes I hate the internet because amateurs can post whatever they want and pretend to be experts. Regardless, I’ll cut to the chase: Here are the Top 5 Greatest Cereals Ever Made, along with their pros and cons: Number # 5. Frosted Flakes (pros: Tony the Tiger is the Michael Jordan of mascots, along with the tagline, “They’re GRRReat!” – you see this on every box and it just puts you in a good mood. Also, FF will put fun things to do on the other side of the box. This was a bigger deal before smartphones but still entertaining regardless. Cons: they have spinoffs (chocolate flavored, donut holes, strawberry flavored, cinnamon flavored) which never could hold up to the original. You do one thing great, there’s no reason to try and conquer the world – stay in your lane, Kellogg’s). Number # 4. Apple Jacks (pros: different colored O-shaped pieces that actually taste different, it’s not just a food coloring gimmick. Cons: Kellogg’s doesn’t promote this cereal like they used to, so I fear many Millennials and Gen Zs won’t ever taste them, which is an absolute shame.) Number # 3. Cap’n Crunch with Crunch Berries (pros: obviously ‘the Captain’ – one of the greatest mascots ever in the history of mascots. Cons: any brand of Cap’n Crunch will tear the roof of your mouth apart – it’s like chewing on shards of glass. I believe Freud developed his pleasure-pain principal based on this cereal.) Number # 2. Cinnamon Toast Crunch (pros: In 8th grade I shared a bowl of CTC with Karen Saffrin at a party. This was followed by my first ever French kiss which was great for two reasons. First, it was the only time in my dating career where cereal did the foreplay for me. Second, I was able to taste little bits of the toast that had gotten caught in her braces, so in a way it was like getting two bowls for the price of one. Cons: They made their mascot out of one of the actual square crunches – they stuck eyes on them and sometimes the mascot will be sticking its tongue out. It’s creepy and just a marketing failure at its peak.) Number # 1. Lucky Charms (pros: the king of marshmallow cereals, hands down! No one even close 2nd place. Cons: the commercials always have Lucky the Leprechaun getting chased by children as he says, “They are always after me Lucky Charms.” This wore thin for me even at a young age. Show me something different, Lucky.)
Cereal Quote of the Day: “I like any cereal. I like the idea of just eating and drinking with one hand without looking.” – Jerry Seinfeld
Possible Game Show Answer: in 1977 a man in California successfully registered a rock as a voter. Mark W Moffett tested the limits of a voter registration system by submitting a voter registration form for his pet rock named Zippy. It was accepted. This actually led to changes in voter registration rules later on – but for a brief moment, a literal rock had the right to vote in California.
Today in History: Walt Disney’s animated classic Bambi was released on this date in 1942. 27 years later the short film Bambi Meets Godzilla was released.
Wuss’up This Week: Will they or won’t they? My money is on the Fed lowering a quarter point next month. While we wait, it’s that time of year when Fed Presidents like to speak – today we’ve got The Richmond, Chicago, and Atlanta Presidents speaking – they’ll probably give their two cents as well. Tomorrow we’ve got four inflation reports along with Initial Jobless Claims, and then on Friday the U.S. Retail Sales Report along with Consumer Sentiment. As usual any news that is good for the economy will drive interest rates up, and vice versa if bad news comes out.
Interest Rate Update: Conforming 30yr fixed loans are around 6.625%, a sliver lower than last week – while jumbo 30yr fixed loans (*over $806k) are a little higher around 6.75%. ARM rates a little less on the conforming side of things. As usual rates will vary based on type of home, equity in the home, your credit score, and if you live in the greenest city in the world
Don’t Forget to Remember: Any purchase that closes with me I will waive $450 in lender fees (and much more on refinances)! Grab yourself a cup of instant karma and pass my info along to any friends, family, coworkers, or people that want to know the germiest thing in a hotel room that can use this gift.
Cereal Quote of the Day 2: “I don’t want to say my diet’s going badly, but I just ate cereal out of a measuring cup. Not for portion control – because all my bowls were dirty.” – Tom Thakkar
Timeout for Trivia: Congrats to those who guessed M. Night Shyamalan last week! Want to be entered into a drawing to win a Van Gogh, Van Gone T-shirt? Simply email me the answer to this week's Who Am I? question. Good luck:“My show premiered on Showtime on this date in 2007, ran for seven years, and the title of the show is the same title of a hit song by a 90s rock group whose name is a food you’d find in Mexican or Latin American cuisine. In 2008 I separated from my actress wife (did you see her in Jurassic Park 3? Not many people saw that movie. Did you see her in Bad Boys? She knows a thing or two about that topic because she was married to me and eventually divorced me because of my addiction to sex). Hey, it would actually be a funny play on words to say my hit 1990s TV series was X-rated. Anyway, movies and TV – yeah, I’ve made it to the top – but how many people can say they had a song written about them – thank you, Bree.”
The Adieu Mortgage Haiku:
Rates and Cap’n Crunch
Cut your month or cut your costs
Depends on the day.
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