In Transit to Red Bank

We are going down to Red Bank, N.J. this morning. Later today or tomorrow I will be posting my month end report when we have finally got the tally in for July. In the meantime you may want to read the article linked below. I have been fortunate enough to get some good coverage in one of our local papers. Agreed, this is a little self-promotion, but it's not everyday you make it in the news (without getting arrested!).

The Jersey Journal: Luke Sidewalker Article

Check back for the latest update on my predicted completion date, let's hope it has gone down. And to see whether or not I brake the $15 mark this month.


-Luke Sidewalker
-Current balance $14.98

Carpe Diem

Earlier this week I suggested you stay tuned for the third Sidewalker short movie. I had planned to shoot footage of a very tricky coin recovery. I had located a coin that was barely visible and stuck fast between two slabs of concrete; I was to return with the necessary recovery equipment and camera (when did finding coins get so complicated?) at a later date. I guess I got a little complacent and waited too long, because when I returned to the scene this morning the coin had gone! It goes to show you that I should have seized the day, and made the recovery a.s.a.p. Maybe I'm inspiring a few too many new Sidewalkers around town?

So today I thought I would take this opportunity to reintroduce the main protagonists in this blog to any new readers I may have picked up recently. Read below for the Sidewalker roster. They are a colorful bunch of characters, liberally sprinkled through my past posts. Have fun locating them.

Mrs. Sidewalker - She is the glue that keeps Castle Sidewalker together. Whenever the rest of us go off on our flights of fancy she is always on hand to administer a large dose of reality. She also seems to be a bit of a coin magnet. Thanks Mrs. S.

Luke Sidewalker - Yours truly. Fearlessly striding around looking for change, I have never seen a sidewalk I don't like. Trying to use this blog to teach our children the value of money. As the change piles up, so do the deficits. Castle Sidewalker is rapidly becoming a microcosm of America!

Sidewalker Jr. - A studious deep thinker for his three and half years, he is the natural heir to my quest. If you read my Month End Reports, you will see he may have his work cut out for many years to come.

Little Miss Sidewalker - The tenacious little sister, she can always be seen around the Castle and more often than not she will be eating (do not get too close to her). She will eat anything from fruit and yogurt to Sidewalker Jr.'s traveling magnetic checkers set. I fear the day I come home to find her eating out of the coin jar.

Cap'n Tinkerson - He comes from a highly distinguished family of salty old sea dogs. If you go to the Inner Harbor in Baltimore you may see him cruising around at the helm of the good ship Spiller. He once made a crew member walk the plank for not stealing an extra ration of grog!

Dr. Tinkerson - Pretty enough to play a doctor on TV, yet smart enough to be one in real life; she is the spouse of the Cap'n. This is one treasure the Captain will not be leaving behind on a desert island.

The Vulcanologist - A handy darts player with a passion for rocks. Try not to befriend him as he moves house quite frequently and his aforementioned rock collection is a back-breaker to shift. Trust me I know.

Mr. Andrew Gates - As himself.

I'm looking forward to meeting more characters as my quest continues. Is a Luke Sidewalker encounter in your future?


-Luke Sidewalker
-Current balance $14.78

Alas poor change jar...

Unfortunately I have some very sad news to relay today. It started this morning when I noticed that Sidewalker Jr. was a little antsy, so I suggested he join me on a field trip to help ease away the blues (and to bribe him into finishing his Cheerios for breakfast). I requested he ride shotgun for me as we took the Sidewalker Fund to the bank, and I would let him poor it all (ex-the '57 Wheat Back) into the change counting machine. Don't worry all you child safety police out there, shotgun in the Sidewalker jalopy is a child seat in the rear passenger side all nicely anchored and safely strapped in!

Anyway, we arrive at the bank. The Fund gets poured from the change jar into the counter by Sidewalker Jr., who is by now much happier, and visibly proud as it counts every hard-found penny we had. We proceed to get a deposit ticket then fill it out and with a receipt from the change machine go to the teller to complete our transaction.

The trip was a resounding success,we even found a penny on the way back to the car. On returning to Castle Sidewalker, Jr. rushes in to show off the new find. Mrs. Sidewalker tells him to put it in the change jar as we are starting anew, at which point I look at Jr. and he looks at me... CHANGE JAR!

Now we obviously had it at the cash counting machine, and I vaguely remember it at the deposit ticket desk, although not so much at the teller. Not to worry I say, I'll give the bank a call. I ask them if anyone has handed in an old jar, "No" is the reply. Oh. I say it must be at the deposit ticket desk, then the words hit me like a freight train, "No Sir there is no jar there either".

That jar had been with me for decades, it was like a trusty friend, always on my bed side table, the last thing I saw every night just as I was setting my alarm clock. The saddest part is, I've had to use an archive photo for this post, as I don't even have an original of my now departed vessel.

The flags will be at half-mast for the rest of the week at Castle Sidewalker. I took this opportunity to teach Jr., that just because something has always been there, doesn't mean it always will be there.

I looked into the replacement cost, (not that it can ever be replaced) somewhere in the region of $20, oh well...


-Luke Sidewalker
-Current balance $14.77

5 Reasons why I can't run for Public Office

Following the arrest last week of the local Mayor, there is now the very real possibility of a special election being held to fill his spot should he resign, or be incarcerated. I have been flattered, and to a certain extent stunned, to learn that in some quarters my name has been put forward to run for public office in the event that a special election is called. My supporters cite my unparalleled experience with "change" making me perfect for the job. However, my opponents have rightly pointed out that I have a long and well documented record of handling "dirty money" and that may be a major stumbling block on my route to City Hall (or not in these parts!).

As humbled as I am at the suggestion, below are the reasons why it can't happen:

1. I'm apolitical, and with no affiliation to the Democrats or Republicans it would be very tough to run as an Independent.

2. As of the time of posting my "war chest" to fund a run for public office stands at $14.64 (although I hope to find a little more before the election).This is not nearly enough in today's cash infused political environment.

3. My non-negotiable stance about applying commonsense to all decisions will, in all likelihood, be very poorly received in political circles.

4. If I ever try to cut the budget for street cleaning my opponents will immediately cry, "Conflict of interest!".

5. This blog was written to teach Sidewalker Jr. and Little Miss Sidewalker about the value of money, and not to be a launchpad for any political machinations!


-Luke Sidewalker (For Mayor)
-Current balance $14.64

One Starbucks Gift Card to rule them all...

I'm sure you will be glad to know that I have finally come to a decision regarding what should be done with the Starbucks gift card that I found a couple of weeks ago (Posted here - Lost and Found). My search to find the owner of the card proved to be an impossible task. I'd like to thank everyone that wrote in with suggestions as to my course of action. In the end I found a unique solution, and as with all decisions of this nature I'm sure I will not be able to please everyone, least of all myself!

As time ticks by, with each passing second the urge to use the card became stronger and stronger from deep within me. It had a similar effect on me as the One Ring had on Frodo in the Lord of the Rings. And so it came to pass on Friday of last week that the last vestiges of my willpower were finally crushed like a tin can at 2,000 feet below the surface of the ocean. Yes, I used the card, which is no mean feat given my aversion to coffee. I charged a freshly squeezed organic orange juice to "my precious" card. I'll admit it, the heavy burden of being the "card-bearer" is burning a hole in my soul that grows larger with each passing day. It threatens to tear apart the very fabric that holds us Sidewalkers together. I need to find my own personal Mount Doom, to cast the card into! As soon as I identify my "Mount Doom" we shall have some fun following the final fate of the now infamous card. (Does it seem like I'm making excuses to hold onto the card for a bit longer?)

In other news, I came across a penny yesterday that could not be retrieved in a conventional manner. I hope to return to the location to see the coin still in position. If that is the case I plan to use some of the tools in the Sidewalker Rescue Pack to salvage the coin; and further more, it is my intention to capture the whole episode on my trusty cell phone. So keep an eye out later this week for another original Sidewalker movie short...


-Luke Sidewalker
-Current balance $14.53