Global Entry: Set for the Next 5 Years

I had my interview for renewing Global Entry yesterday. After all the frustration with the process the past few weeks— seeing basically nothing available for weeks, then by chance finding an online interview the next day— the actual interview was so basic it was ridiculous. The interviewer asked me a bunch of simple questions that I already answered in my application: what's my address, what countries have I traveled to in the past 5 years, have I ever been convicted of a crime. It was complete in 5 minutes, and my renewal fully approved.

What a farce. Asking me these questions a second time, this time on a Zoom video chat, does nothing to validate the answers. The pointlessness of this interview just underscores what a farce this whole stupid process is. They should have just renewed me without putting me through the rigamarole of scheduling an interview they're woefully understaffed to provide.

Oh, and the interviewer arrived almost 15 minutes late. That was penultimate frustration in the process, as the government policy around missing an interview is that it's basically your fault— and the punishment is having to start the process over from scratch. ...Not just starting the renewal from scratch, but having to reapply to the whole program as you've never had GE before.

Well, at least it's done now for the next 5 years. And the interview could've been worse.... I could've had to fly 1,000 miles away for it!

She Earns More than Him -- Now that's Us!

The other day I saw a Buzzfeed listicle¹ in my newsfeed entitled "21 Surprising Confessions From Women Who Earn "Significantly More" Money Than Their Partners" (Buzzfeed, 31 Oct 2022). It's about the relationship dynamics of couples where the woman partner earns more than the male. Women earning more than men in some families is not a new phenomenon, though once virtually unheard of it has been growing more common. Yet it still surprises me how common old-fashioned, narrow-minded attitudes about it are. Too many men feel ashamed of it, are shamed by friends and relatives for it, and try to deny it or manipulate it.

I've always looked at those stories of shame and denial and shaken my head. If my partner were earning more than me, I've long said, I'd support her and celebrate her success! Now I get a chance to put my mouth where my money is. Hawk is earning more than me this year.

This is a reversal of... basically forever in our relationship. I've long had more earning power than her as I earned a STEM degree, and a masters degree, and have worked in technical jobs since my second year of college. Often my salary was 2x hers, or higher.

In the past few years Hawk has climbed the corporate ladder more successfully than I have, increasing her salary greatly. That combined with working at a company beating its financial targets (both of us have a bonus or commission tied to company revenue) has vaulted her past me in earnings for this year. She'll finish 2022 earning 20% more than me.

So, now that the earnings reversal is real as opposed to merely hypothetical, how do I feel? I feel the same as I've always said I would. I'm happy for her. She's worked hard. She's earned it. And we both benefit.

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[1] A listicle is a form of lazy modern journalism where a reporter writes a feature article that's really just a list of best-of responses in a thread on social media like Twitter or Reddit. List + article = listicle.

Use a Better Mixer, Enjoy a Better Drink

I have a natural thrifty streak. Partly it's an outgrowth of growing up somewhat poor. We couldn't afford nice things. The lesson always was, "When you need an X, buy the cheapest X, anything else is just a waste of money."

It's also partly a learned suspicion of price vs. value. As I went out on my own and gradually developed the wherewithal to afford nicer things, I often found that plenty of things that are priced as premium goods are not actually better. So why pay more? With so many pricier things being wastes of money it's hard to know when to splurge vs. when to stint.

One place where I've remained thrifty is on mixers for the alcoholic drinks I enjoy. Take even a simple one like Gin and Tonic. I enjoy top shelf gin... and I mix it with 99-cents-a-liter store brand tonic water (or a brand name like Schweppes, when it's on sale). Until this week.



Recently I bought a few bottles of a Fever-Tree brand tonic water. I've been aware of this brand for years, as well as the countless internet randos who swear by it. "But is it good, or is it just another premium priced waste of money?" I wondered. For years my thrifty side won that debate. Then I got around to actually trying it.

Ho. Ly. Shit.

It's not just good, it's night-and-day good.

I'm not going to be buying many more 99-cents-a-liter bottles of store brand tonic water.