Here are some pretty decent resources for taking advantage of Cyber Monday:
http://www.dealio.com/cyber-monday.html
Happy hunting from the safety of your own home!
Other blogs I like
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« October 2008 | Main | December 2008 »
November 2008
November 30, 2008
November 28, 2008
A truly sad state of affairs: An electorate with a great deal of knowledge...just not of anything constructive
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Sad and disgusted, but not surprised. (NOTE: This post might come off as a little elitist, but I don't give a shit..."balls & strikes" are what are served up here and on the heels of reading Kathleen Parker's column from yesterday morning I just felt compelled to write this post). Please read her column before reading the rest of this blog post:
Sad and disgusted, but not surprised...that pretty much sums up my experience this morning.
I woke up early this morning without an alarm (sometimes I hate my body's internal alarm clock) and figured,
"What the hell?!?!? I have never done any Black Friday shopping before. Let's see what this is all about."
So I threw on a baseball cap, quick application of deodorant, brushed my teeth and I was out the door.
I went straight to the Game Stop parking lot, parked my vehicle then walked past a lot of beat up mini-vans, cars from J.D. Byrider and the like to walk in the door at 7:17am.
I was greeted by a pimple-faced kid who probably won't get laid in this millenium and was ushered to the back of a line that probably had about 120 people in it already.
I settled myself in line, focused my eavesdropping ears on the conversations around me, took in the sights and just let it all sink in.
I heard a lot of broken English, a lot of double negatives, some Wrangler jeans, a lot of brands of clothes I have never heard of but I quickly got past all of that stuff and honed in on what I was hearing.
The level of knowledge of all things related to video games was astounding. One of the women in front of me had five kids, a Playstation 3, PSP 3000, two Nintendo DS, more games and accessories than you can imagine, but was in line this morning for an XBox 360 Elite because her oldest wanted one and was tired of sharing the Playstation 3 with his younger siblings. The other couple in front of me was in line for a Wii, a Wii Fit and a handful of games (their family already owns a couple Nintendo DS as well). In the spirit of full disclosure, they need a Wii Fit, a Wii Fit Trainer (is there such a thing?), a Wii Nutritionist...you get the picture...but I digress as I often do...
I listened to their conversation and the other conversations around me for nearly 45 minutes...just mesmerized. These were adults who were all talking about all of the ins & outs, from A to Z of video games of all varieties with the depth and breadth of knowledge on the subject I can only imagine is similar to the way serious issues of our world are discussed at the Davos World Economic Forum every January.
Nearing the front of the line I could not help myself. I asked XBox 360 Elite lady (who I had engaged in light conversation about 10 minutes earlier) if she was happy with the results of the Presidential election. She told me she didn't vote. The "in great need of the Wii Fit" couple chimed in unsolicited that they cancelled each other's votes, the couple behind me (no one had talked to them the entire time, but they heard our discussion and chimed in unsolicited) let it be known that they were thrilled Obama won and they had both voted for Obama. The wife said, "This is going to be great. He is really going to bring change." In as diplomatic of a way I could muster I asked, "What kind of change are you excited he will bring?" She replied, "You know...change to Washington and all that stuff."
Keeping a straight face and knowing I now had a mini-poll (non-scientific I realize) of five adults (four voters) I asked loudly enough for all to hear (and making eye contact with all of them):
"What do you think about the job the Governor is doing here in Ohio?"
I cringed when the "in great need of a Wii Fit" husband and fellow McCain voter (let the onslaught from my D friends/readers commence) said in a quite serious tone, "I am a Republican and voted for McCain, but I can't wait for Taft to be gone. He has been terrible"...at which point his Obama-voting wife gently grabbed his forearm to get his attention to say, "No, honey, that other guy is in there now."
Incredulous at this point I turned to non-voting XBox Elite 360 lady and with a quick glance away and a shoulder shrug I knew that she had no clue. I turned to "...change in Washington and all that stuff" lady and she too shrugged with a look of the undead. At that point, her husband (the smarter Obama voter of the two) confidently said, "No. The Governor is now Strickland. He is doing a great job and I hope Obama does as well in Washington. We sure as hell need it."
Eureka! Saved by the husband of "...change in Washington and all that stuff"...1 for 5 on "the not completely fucking ignorant of the world around them" unscientific poll.
XBox Elite 360 lady (purely uncomfortable with the turn in direction the conversation had taken) refocused the talk back to video games and we were all out of there within the next ten minutes.
I could address about a million things at this point, but I have to get some work done. All I will say on a positive note is that the >$700 XBox Elite 360 lady spent & the >$500 the Wii Fit couple spent is good for the economy.
On a not so positive note, I reflect on my original comment: Sad and disgusted, but not surprised.
November 26, 2008
$500 Oil
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I have read more books and articles than any normal person probably should on climate crisis, the US Energy Policy (or lack thereof), petrodictatorship and the long-term ramifications of an over-reliance by the US and its citizens on foreign oil.
I will address each of these topics in future blog posts, but today I want to talk about the one guy who ALWAYS backs up what he says with data and facts. I encourage you to read up on the current and future price of oil and the world supply of oil. I think you will find the same thing I found: Most "experts" talk a lot and do not provide much evidence, data, facts to back up their bluster.
The guy who backs up what he says is a lifelong Republican named Matt Simmons who supported Mitt Romney in the primary, but supported Obama in the General Election...and thankfully Barack Obama and some of the people Barack surrounds himself with are listening to him.
He thinks the rapid rise in oil prices earlier in 08 were not an anomaly. Further, he thinks our recent drop in oil prices is just a misleading effort to get the short-attention span US consumer to not stay fixated on what is happening with oil. He thinks we will get to $500 a barrel oil (and potentially higher) sooner rather than later...
And he has done the research to back up his forecasts.
If you have the stomach for a lot of hard to swallow reality then you should read his book "Twilight in the Desert: The Coming Saudi Oil Shock and the World Economy"
Basically, the world oil production is near its apex and after the apex is reached the world supply will fall dramatically and come well short of future demand.
Thankfully not just Ds are listening to him. US Senator Susan Collins (Republican from Maine) consults with him on energy issues and recently said, "I think he is issuing a clarion call that policymakers need to listen to."
Simmons himself said this last month: "As a society, we do not have the ability to actually come to grips with a crisis until it's hit us in the face. I am discouraged enough now to think that we are going to have a really nasty shock before we wake people up."
By his estimation world oil production does not have the capacity to go much higher than 86-90 million barrels a day. Demand will keep rising (the US Energy Information Association and the Int'l Energy Agency -- independent organization based in Paris) up to at least 115 million barrels a day by 2030.
Supply will not be able to meet demands.
Simmons does advocate for more drilling off the US coast, but does not think it will be our salvation and, in truth, will not have any impact for at least 10-20 years from now. He thinks ANWR is the only place we could drill that could have any impact in the next couple of years. His true passion lies with the US public making radical changes with the way we live. He believes in "bigtime conservation not feel-good conservation"...Make things where they are used. Grow food in our backyards. End long-distance commuting. Eat, work and live locally.
Knowing those things alone will not get us where we need to be, he is in the process of finalizing the plans to build a floating wind turbine farm 20 miles off the coast of Maine capable of supplying enough energy to replace the state's dependence on oil (equivalent to five nuclear power plants & far enough off the coast to not be seen by beach-goers). Senator Collins supports it and if it works it might end up being a model for the rest of the US.
Keep your fingers crossed, stay tuned and get ready for REALLY expensive gasoline.
November 25, 2008
BLACK FRIDAY IS COMING TO TOWN
"Black Friday is coming to town" is penned by young Daniel Kaffee. I'm running short on time today so that is all I am going to tell you about him today.
For any of you "crazy ass gotta get up at the crack of dawn (or God forbid spend all night in line) after just hours before you were in a turkey coma Black Friday shoppers", here is THE website you have been waiting for/wanting/desperately needing:
http://www.blackfday.com/ (constantly being updated with actual scans of many store's Black Friday print ads :-)
You can also check http://forums.slickdeals.net/forumdisplay.php?sduid=0&f=41 for many different postings dealing with a wide variety of Black Friday deals.
Have fun and get some rest!
Perspective
"Perspective" is penned by Tommy Lonn. Tommy Lonn is a distinguished attorney in Central Ohio, an expert on all things hockey and generally speaking one of the smartest guys I know...except when he goes to the ballot box on election day.
PERSPECTIVE
Dow down. Real Estate values in the tank. National debt through the roof and bailouts are being handed out like two for one coupons at Arby's. Jobless rates at 25 year highs. And everyone is wondering if 401K is a retirement plan or is it the total value IN your retirement plan? (401 Kronor (Sweden) is about $50.28, ....so it would be the second one.) Yep, THIS is as bad as it gets.
Hold on...... Just several years ago we had planes fly into buildings and the whole Nation was holding its collective breathe. For the people with friends and relatives that died that day, THAT was as bad as it gets. And....
For those with loved ones dying in Iraq for no specific reason......THAT is far worse than what we have on our plate right now. (Try getting one of those official telegrams someday and then try telling me how the Dow has you upset.)
When my Dad was a young 19 year old naval officer plying the waters of the North Atlantic chasing, and being chased by, German U-Boats, I'm sure real estate and its fluctuating values wasn't high on his list of concerns. Retirement? Please! He just wanted to see one more sunrise....Only THEN could he start thinking about maybe seeing the next one. "Not being shark bait" was about as ambitious as his wish list got. Looking out across the sea and spotting the wake of a torpedo heading at your ship....THAT was as bad as it gets.
Stalin, Hitler, Pol Pot.....yes, THAT is as bad as it gets.
Black Plague, Small Pox, Polio.....THAT was as bad as it gets.
I just think we need a little perspective on what we are now enduring and how we are still lucky to be living in the best nation on earth. We will weather this storm, as we have done so in the past, and be better people for it. Things have been much worse......and we will have much more difficult times to come. But in the grand scheme of things, THIS is not as bad as it gets....and we should be giving thanks for THAT.
Best of Thanksgiving to you all.
Observation
"Observation" is penned by Goose. Goose is still worshipped in some parts of the world as a minor deity & feared in Japan as much as Godzilla. Thankfully, he is a regular Guest Columnist on this blog :-)
Observation
George Carlin (RIP) was one my favorite comedians of all-time because he had an amazing ability to make fun of the mundane and bring a new perspective to the stupidity of life in a modern world. If I can be so bold, I'd like to channel George for a second....
Have you ever noticed that people driving a U-Haul or always men? You never see a woman driving a U-Haul. If you do, she's more of a "he," much like Charlize Theron's character in Monster. If you see a chick driving a U-Haul, chances are good she's hauling the severed penises (or peni?) of her victims.
Now, as for the dudes who drive a U-Haul, have you ever seen them wearing a suit or a tuxedo? Never. What about a collared shirt? Nope. T-shirt, hat, shorts, running shoes. If you try to rent a U-Haul and aren't wearing that exact get-up, you won't be allowed. The only possible exception is to replace shorts with jeans. That's it. Try it some time. Reserve a U-Haul and show up wearing a pinstripe Brooks Brothers suit. You'll be lucky if the dude behind the counter doesn't bludgeon you with the severed penis he discovered in the glove box of the U-Haul returned by that scary broad who looks like that ugly chick from Monster.
November 24, 2008
Kind of funny...
I truly am trying to not whack on other bloggers (especially of the political variety), but I do think it is kind of funny that no one was talking much about Kevin Boyce as the next Treasurer until I did and now weeks later other bloggers are presenting this as "breaking news" that they unearthed with their great knowledge of Ohio politics. As my now 13 year old daughter would say "lol."
I have great respect for Ted Strickland as a politician and the second he picked Cordray as the next AG (great pick for AG and for someone to pass the torch to as the next Gov candidate for your party) I told two of my D friends that Ted would pick Mallory or Boyce. Period. I figured Mallory really only had two things going for him (i.e. a decent ballot name and the pitch to the Cincinnati business community that if you put me in Columbus then you can have David Pepper as Mayor and a shot at taking over the majority on County Commission). Other than those two things, Mallory really didn't have a leg to stand on, has a decent amount of baggage/downside and probably just liked the attention of being mentioned.
Kevin Boyce suffered his only setback in late August with the unfortunate passing of Stephanie Tubbs Jones. I still strongly believed (80% certainty) Strickland would make the right choice even without Jones putting on a lot of pressure on him on a weekly basis and I think I will be proven right within the coming weeks. Boyce just has too much upside, very little downside and he helps to balance the very "Republican looking all-caucasian" ballot the democrats are currently putting forth in 2010.
What kind of message would Strickland and Redfern be sending to the black community (and specifically the black ministers) if the 2010 D ballot in Ohio was as follows:
Brunner or Fisher (I know everyone keeps talking about Tim Ryan, but why at 35 yo would you try for an "all your chips in" move for a US Senate seat when you are so well positioned in a Pelosi Congress??? He will 100% have a chance to be a US Senator in the future and, if he plays his cards right, a good chance to be the Speaker of the US House prior to being a junior US Senator from Ohio. That being said, I don't think he is going to throw away some very good, powerful years in Congress to try to make the move to US Senate in 2010...I stick by my Linus with his security blanket comment from an earlier blog post) vs Voinovich (or someone brave enough to knock him off in a GOP primary...frighteningly doable proposition if the election were held today I am sad to say...GVV is a survivor though and I wouldn't count him out just yet...frankly, GVV will be 74 yo in 2010 and I personally wish he would retire and not seek re-election...starting to get the feel of Willie Mays with the Mets or Michael Jordan with the Wizards. He has had a great career and I would hate to see it end with a loss in a GOP primary or even a General Election. If he does retire, it will be interesting to see who surfaces for this seat).
Strickland vs Kasich (or the GOP equivalent of Rob Burch if Kasich bows out before the filing deadline at the last minute...a proposition I am scared is 50/50 today)
Cordray vs Crites (or someone with a real ballot name if they have the stones...I know you read this blog and yes I am talking to you oh former AG of Ohio)
Brunner if she is a coward and does not run for the US Senate or ??? will be the d candidate for Secretary of State??? if she does what is in her own best interests and does run for US Senate. I don't pretend to know the dynamics of the D party, but from the outside looking in I would say a lot of pressure will come her way for her to run for re-election in an Apportionment Board year and "take one for the team" and pass up running for US Senate. That would be great for the party and terrible for her personally. She will never in this lifetime have another bite at the apple to be in the US Senate or to be positioned to run for Governor. This will be an interesting drama to watch unfold...selfish and she is a US Senator...unselfish and she wallows in the morass of being down-ticket statewide until her eventual retirement or defeat...never to have the chance at anything higher than a down-ticket office.
Some caucasian like Rokakis, Donofrio or Quill OR Boyce or Mallory...Boyce is Strickland's best option.
Best democrat they can find in the state vs Mary Taylor or ???. I have read the least about this seat and yet I personally find it the most intriguing. What I am about to write will be scoffed at by many, but if I end up being right then a lot of other bloggers in this state will write about this many months from now and present this information as "breaking news" that they personally came up with (please take note that this potential prediction is coming before Thanksgiving 2008):
If Mary Taylor is smart (and I believe that she is) she will run against Voinovich in the primary for US Senate. I know. At first blush it sounds crazy, but think about the logic behind that statement for a minute and I believe you will come to the conclusion it has serious merit. She had $38K for her re-election effort in June of this year. She hates raising $. She is not very good at raising $. Even with the Auditor seat being an Apportionment Board seat it is still hard to raise $ for this seat. She has to be the #1 target of the d party in 2010 if she runs for re-election. If, instead, she runs against GVV in the US Senate primary she will have a huge constituency that will be for her with $ and major grassroots support. She is better on all GOP platform issues than Voinovich. All she has to do is raise enough to win the primary. Now I realize that is a somewhat daunting task, but I believe she has a choice between two not-so-good options and the better, more likely to be successful option is the primary run vs. Voinovich. If she beats GVV then she does not have to raise a penny for herself for the General Election because at that point her race and the Mel Martinez re-elect in FL will be the top two Senatorial races in the US.
So, with all of these scenarios up in the air I think Strickland will do the safe and smart thing by naming Boyce to be the next Treasurer. It will diversify the ticket with a strong candidate from Central Ohio and will position himself and Redfern to put candidates of any race they want in the Apportionment Board seats.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this blog post. Thanks!
November 23, 2008
Quit your crying, face the reality of your current situation and deal with it
This, in essence, is what I told a good friend of mine on the phone today. It is also the reason for my blathering about in this post so if you do not like this post then just start telling all of my friends to suck it up and you will eventually arrive at the culprit.
My portofolio sucks. I almost feel like losing money is my current occupation.
I don't blame my guy who handles my money because there is nothing he can do. He is human just like the rest of us. I'm not the "blaming" type anyway. I don't really like the blame game. I despised it in my 11 plus years in politics and I despise it even more in real life (yes, I don't believe politics is real life...if you do then you need to take a step back and get a real life).
There are a lot of people we all could blame for the current set of circumstances we as a nation (and we as citizens of the world...in case you were not paying attention this financial crisis is being felt globally not just locally) face, but, at the end of the day, blaming anyone for what we are currently experiencing will do you zero good on a personal level. It will not help your portfolio and it will not make your bank account grow.
Following is not rocket science, but it seemed to be exactly what a very smart man (oops...now you know the culprit is a guy) needed to hear today so I am guessing it might resonate with a few of you as well.
Take a forensic accounting of your life. What do you need and what do you want? My guess is that if you had unlimited funds then you can satisfy all of your wants and needs and this blog post will do nothing more than amuse you. For everyone else, read on...
This crisis we are in will probably be good for Republicans because it is not going to be over for years (and not one or two years...more like 3-4+ years) and will be able to be blamed on the Ds the longer it goes on. In the meantime, you better budget for the storm because the storm is coming, it is going to get worse and it is going to be here to stay. You better start budgeting for it and live accordingly.
Live in a smaller house that will not kill your budget. Check out www.zillow.com , www.ushomeauction.com & http://her.realliving.com/Default.aspx and hopefully one of these sites will be a good first step for your hunt for a more reasonable home for your budget.
Get a high mpg, used or certified pre-owned (CPO) vehicle soon. If you have to trade your current car in then check out these sites to give you a general idea what your car is worth prior to trade-in http://www.kbb.com/ , http://www.edmunds.com/ & if you have a friend in the industry see if you can find out what your car is selling for at http://www2.manheim.com/ . After you have an idea what your car is worth and what you should be paying for the vehicle you are trying to purchase AND you can settle on a 7 day period you can dedicate some time to go to your local Carmax and at least 2-3 other dealers then get busy about negotiating your best deal for your trade and your purchase (NOTE: You go to Carmax first to get their appraisal of your car in writing which is valid for only 7 days). Get the best figure you can get from two or three dealers then play each of the dealers off of each other then do your trade and purchase your more reasonable vehicle. If you are not comfortable negotiating then read this book by Herb Cohen http://www.amazon.com/You-Negotiate-Anything-Herb-Cohen/dp/0553281097/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1227497111&sr=8-1 and if you are still not comfortable with the whole process then read http://www.amazon.com/How-Lease-Without-Getting-Ripped/dp/1580621295/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1227497211&sr=1-6
This cheap gas is an illusion. It is not real. India is getting the Tata Nano. China is adding a thousand cars to the road...per day...with no end in sight. Saudi Arabia is (and for that matter has been) lying about how much oil they have left for the decades to come. I will write about Matt Simmons at a later date, but for now suffice it to say that super expensive gas will be here before we know it. Think I am bullshitting you? I drive a big SUV right now. By early 2009 I will be driving a used Civic or Corolla.
Don't buy any clothes, accessories, furniture, etc. that you really do not need, but if you do have to buy some of these types of things then please do yourself a favor and check out CraigsList, eBay, Overstock, local thrift stores, Salvation Army, Goodwill, Wal-Mart, etc. prior to buying things brand new/full retail price. If you want exact sites for any of these types of things then write me and I will help you out. Avoid full retail at all costs.
If you have to travel then read my blog posts on travel to save money on all aspects of the travel experience.
I am tired so I will stop now and go to bed. If you have other questions on living on a budget just ask.
Basically, use the tools available to you on the internet and the real world to help get your life and budget in order to hunker down for this new reality we now live in.
Sweet dreams. Hope all of this reality will not ruin a good night of sleep.
Big Three Auto Bailout...an honest perspective
This is one of the best articles I have read about the proposed auto bailout. It is written by Mitt "snatched defeat from the jaws of victory" Romney. It was submitted by the reluctant and ever so shy Brianna Azul.
Op-Ed Contributor
Let Detroit Go Bankrupt
By MITT ROMNEY
Published: November 18, 2008
IF General Motors, Ford and Chrysler get the bailout that their chief
executives asked for yesterday, you can kiss the American automotive
industry goodbye. It won’t go overnight, but its demise will be virtually
guaranteed.
Without that bailout, Detroit will need to drastically restructure itself.
With it, the automakers will stay the course — the suicidal course of
declining market shares, insurmountable labor and retiree burdens,
technology atrophy, product inferiority and never-ending job losses.
Detroit needs a turnaround, not a check.
I love cars, American cars. I was born in Detroit, the son of an auto chief
executive. In 1954, my dad, George Romney, was tapped to run American
Motors when its president suddenly died. The company itself was on life
support — banks were threatening to deal it a death blow. The stock
collapsed. I watched Dad work to turn the company around — and years later
at business school, they were still talking about it. From the lessons of
that turnaround, and from my own experiences, I have several prescriptions
for Detroit’s automakers.
First, their huge disadvantage in costs relative to foreign brands must be
eliminated. That means new labor agreements to align pay and benefits to
match those of workers at competitors like BMW, Honda, Nissan and Toyota.
Furthermore, retiree benefits must be reduced so that the total burden per
auto for domestic makers is not higher than that of foreign producers.
That extra burden is estimated to be more than $2,000 per car. Think what
that means: Ford, for example, needs to cut $2,000 worth of features and
quality out of its Taurus to compete with Toyota’s Avalon. Of course the
Avalon feels like a better product — it has $2,000 more put into it.
Considering this disadvantage, Detroit has done a remarkable job of
designing and engineering its cars. But if this cost penalty persists, any
bailout will only delay the inevitable.
Second, management as is must go. New faces should be recruited from
unrelated industries — from companies widely respected for excellence in
marketing, innovation, creativity and labor relations.
The new management must work with labor leaders to see that the enmity
between labor and management comes to an end. This division is a holdover
from the early years of the last century, when unions brought workers job
security and better wages and benefits. But as Walter Reuther, the former
head of the United Automobile Workers, said to my father, “Getting more and
more pay for less and less work is a dead-end street.”
You don’t have to look far for industries with unions that went down that
road. Companies in the 21st century cannot perpetuate the destructive labor
relations of the 20th. This will mean a new direction for the U.A.W.,
profit sharing or stock grants to all employees and a change in Big Three
management culture.
The need for collaboration will mean accepting sanity in salaries and
perks. At American Motors, my dad cut his pay and that of his executive
team, he bought stock in the company, and he went out to factories to talk
to workers directly. Get rid of the planes, the executive dining rooms —
all the symbols that breed resentment among the hundreds of thousands who
will also be sacrificing to keep the companies afloat.
Investments must be made for the future. No more focus on quarterly
earnings or the kind of short-term stock appreciation that means quick
riches for executives with options. Manage with an eye on cash flow,
balance sheets and long-term appreciation. Invest in truly competitive
products and innovative technologies — especially fuel-saving designs —
that may not arrive for years. Starving research and development is like
eating the seed corn.
Just as important to the future of American carmakers is the sales force.
When sales are down, you don’t want to lose the only people who can get
them to grow. So don’t fire the best dealers, and don’t crush them with new
financial or performance demands they can’t meet.
It is not wrong to ask for government help, but the automakers should come
up with a win-win proposition. I believe the federal government should
invest substantially more in basic research — on new energy sources,
fuel-economy technology, materials science and the like — that will
ultimately benefit the automotive industry, along with many others. I
believe Washington should raise energy research spending to $20 billion a
year, from the $4 billion that is spent today. The research could be done
at universities, at research labs and even through public-private
collaboration. The federal government should also rectify the imbedded tax
penalties that favor foreign carmakers.
But don’t ask Washington to give shareholders and bondholders a free pass —
they bet on management and they lost.
The American auto industry is vital to our national interest as an employer
and as a hub for manufacturing. A managed bankruptcy may be the only path
to the fundamental restructuring the industry needs. It would permit the
companies to shed excess labor, pension and real estate costs. The federal
government should provide guarantees for post-bankruptcy financing and
assure car buyers that their warranties are not at risk.
In a managed bankruptcy, the federal government would propel newly
competitive and viable automakers, rather than seal their fate with a
bailout check.
Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, was a candidate for this
year’s Republican presidential nomination.
Things could be worse...
"Things could be worse...." is penned by Goose. Goose is usually pretty light-hearted, but this is a post to help you get some perspective.
As a resident of Southern California, the recent fires have been a horrific reminder of just how fragile life can be. While my family and I were lucky to escape the fires without any damage, I indirectly know of three people who lost their homes. This may not seem significant, but when you realize I live in a county with more than 10,000,000 people, it's pretty unreal.
The first loss I heard about was when my neighbor came over late at night to ask if we had any baby clothes left over. The reason? Their best friend lost their home and didn't have the time during evacuation to gather any clothes or toys for their 9-month old son. They now have nothing but the clothes on their back. To make things worse, these people lived in a trailer park in Sylmar, thus they don't exactly have $400k in the bank to buy a bunch of new stuff. My heart sank while my wife spent the next hour digging through boxes in our garage to see what we could give them, which turned out to be pretty significant. I told this story to a co-worker and he gave me a Target gift card the next day for $50 to give to the poor folks who lost their home. He's never met them, but he felt compelled to help out. It's one thing to donate to the Red Cross, but another to hand over some cash to people you've never met.
While on the topic of being fortunate, I just saw this YouTube clip of an amazing athlete named Carl Joseph. He was a varsity football and track star back in the 70s and has recently been nominated for the Florida High School Athletic Hall of Fame. Not a big deal? I would agree with you, except Carl has one leg. Watch the clip and prepare to be amazed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kViBAohA_nI
A website devoted to Carl can be found here:
http://greatsportstory.com/index.html
And if you feel like dropping Carl an e-mail, his address is: carl@greatsportstory.com
The next time you feel sorry for yourself, imagine going through life with one leg, or waking up tomorrow and your house and all of your possessions are gone. Feel better?
The Ridiculous is the Sublime: Be selfish people and give thanks
(‘The Ridiculous is the Sublime’ is penned by Art McGregor. McGregor founded the German Village Media Family of Networks on Sept. 21, 2006. He now writes for "Blog on the Run." You can read him here every Thursday. E-mail him at artmcgregor@hotmail.com.)
For many years at Thanksgiving (since "the days of the pilgrims" you might say), my family celebrated Thanksgiving at St. Christine's in Youngstown, Ohio. We'd gather at about 1 p.m. and begin leaving around 4 p.m. From there we'd go to other relatives on the north side of Youngstown and that part of the visit usually wasn't much fun. They had a dog. I wasn't ever hungry. I would have rather have been at home. I'm not sure why I'd rather be at home because that just consisted of sitting on the couch and missing a Thursday night out at like Brothers.
Fun happened at St. Christines on the city's west side. The fact that the church is located on the west side matters nothing in the telling of the story. That's Fact 1.
St. Christine's (established in 1954) had a decent-sized gymnasium with a balcony and concession stand area. Lots of great hide-and-go seek places back there as well as aluminum cans of pop that easily were steal-able. My grandma worked at the school so the K-8 building served as a K9-free defacto growing-up environment.
When not hoisting up the shit, we'd shoot hoops after school and sometimes play wiffleball or toss around the football. All games usually ended in either fighting or crying. Lots of controversy. One game ended when I we broke the scoreboard with a baseball and another when I threw a pass that Kevin didn't catch and it broke a giant statue of The Virgin Mother Mary. We lied about that one. Lie lasted about two minutes before the crying and fighting began. Early sexual experience usually broke the same way.
It's how everything ended.
I celebrated my last Thanksgiving there in 2005. I actually remember the day well because I was writing a story on Finland's national women's Olympic hockey team and had to talk to someone in Finland on the phone. [Comment on how that really happened.]
I didn't miss the annual tradition. The dinner (at 2 p.m.) included about 30 guests. We'd sit in a circle and say what we're thankful for. My dad absolutely hated the exercise. Then again, he won't get communion unless he takes confession and still wishes they said mass in Latin.
I didn't mind it. We have some sappy folks in my family who recalled heartwarming recollections (not that we needed it any warmer ... gym-time temperature was about 80 degrees. My grandma was cold blooded.), some lame younger cousins that would just say "family," and people like me who'd mesh the day's pertinent current events and my own self-serving interests. Of the 30, my dad and I were about the only Republicans in the audience. I liked Thanksgiving 2004. We're not doing it this year.
That's a shame. I have something good I'd like to share.
I had a meeting at a hospital this morning. I pulled into the parking garage and noticed something about all the cars other them sporting Ohio plates and four wheels. Most had some sticker of a ribbon on them.
I have never had reason to place a sticker of a ribbon on my car. I'm thankful for that. I don't know anyone off at war. (Not counting the ongoing war between my buddy McGinley and The Godfather who always seem to be at war with each other in a "who can be funnier" competition.) I don't know anyone with any sort of disease. I don't know anyone dying of something incurable. None of my family members ever had childhood cancer. I do know someone with a transplanted organ but that's something you represent on a driver's license.
I'm an odd bird. I don't really believe in the existence of a God but remain a staunch conservative. I refuse to ever say I'll pray for someone (no matter how sympathetic the cause) because I believe prayer serves no purpose. I spent nine years in a Catholic school and have zero problems with the Catholic church or any other religious organization. It sickens me how the mainstream media has painted religious folks to be "kooks" while ignoring left-wing idiots who criticize religious "homophobic" black Christians. (See the reason for the passage of Prop 8 in California.)
But I do believe in thanks.
I'm lazy. Real lazy. So perhaps it's fitting that I pick something to be thankful for that's rather easy.
We all should be thankful for our health. But don't sit around and "thank God" for it or whatever. What good does that do? Instead use it to lift your own spirits. I've found that when I feel better about myself, I am better able to positively influence the lives of those around me.
It's OK to be selfish every now and then. Especially around Thanksgiving. Those people with the ribbons on their cars need it to help stay tied together.
My apologies!!!
For someone with a blog in its infancy I just did the #1 faux pas in blogging...no posts for a week.
My apologies.
I will try my best not to let that happen again.
I basically took a week off from "life and reality."
It was an amazing week and, frankly, I had no intention at the beginning of the week not to blog, but once I realized I was in an area with nearly zero cell coverage I figured, "what the hell?"...why stop at no phone...go all the way and do no internet, no magazines, no newspapers, no anything for a week.
Picture this guy not being able to hear the other person on the phone and vice versa:
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It was the first time since college that I have done anything like that.
I highly recommend doing it if you can get away with it.
So...what did I do for a week?
I was invited to join seven other guys for golf in Bandon, Oregon from Tuesday through Saturday.
I had never been to Portland before and I was in a position to get a cheaper flight if I left a day early so I booked a flight to arrive late Monday morning with the intention to book a few appointments in Portland, see the city and get to know a few CouchSurfers in Portland (thank you for your hospitality Ben & Saamanta...you are incredibly gracious people!).
I fell in love with Portland. I would describe Portland as the offspring of Austin, TX & Boulder, CO. It has the endearing, kind of weird, granola, odd-ball, laid back, liberal-but-in-a-good-way, good food, neighborly feel to it that Austin has and then the outdoorsy, tons of activities, healthy, non-car friendly feel of Boulder. I highly recommend a visit if you haven't been there already.
Tuesday morning I met up with the other seven guys and we took two SUVs about five hours SW of Portland with stops to Bandon, Oregon. For those of you who have never been to Oregon before you might be a little shocked to find out that there are no self service gas stations in the entire state. Every single gas station has AT LEAST one of these:
Don't get me wrong. I am all about job creation, but creating jobs that are unnecessary is unreal to me. A friend of mine made a great point: Why stop there if you are going to create unnecessary jobs? Make it mandatory for every movie theater to have an escort take you to your seats, every grocery store have a person to carry your bags to your car, every restaurant have valets...and the list goes on and on. I hope these are not the types of jobs Obama has planned for us in his new package. The utter waste of money that is happening in Oregon with these jobs and the waste of human capital (some of these people currently doing these jobs could actually be doing something worthwhile with their time and contributing to the greater good instead of pumping gas) really gets me fired up (did I mention that while gas is $1.58 in Ohio it is $2.12 in Oregon...gee...I wonder what might be one variable that is causing their gas to be that much higher than in Ohio???...but I digress...
We stayed here from Tuesday to Saturday:
Here is just one of the 75 holes of golf we played over three days of golf:
So each day after walking 18 to 30 holes of golf with a caddy we would go into the lodge, have a couple drinks, talk about our round, go back to the Inn to change clothes then make our way to dinner. We would eat copious amounts of red meat that we never would have done with our significant others present, bullshitted more about golf and life over a couple more drinks then hit the hot tub to tend to sore muscles and joints then straight to bed to do it again the next day. You can probably now see why the blog went silent for nearly a week.
As far as golfing with a caddy goes, I highly recommend it. It is a little pricey, but a good caddy is worth their weight in gold. Consider this: I am legitimately a 40 handicap. Now, those of you that golf are quick to say that there is no such thing as a 40 handicap. And to that naive statement I say this: "Do the math, asshole. I consistently hit 112 on a Par 72 course so you do the math...40 handicap." I had the same caddy, Minnesota, all three rounds we played with a caddy (we played 54 with and 21 without a caddy) and the last of the three rounds I legitimately hit a 98. Me with a 98!!! Let me help you put that in perspective: Me hitting a 98 in golf is equivalent to any of the following occuring:
Eddie getting the girl at the end of the night
Toe waking up with an afro tomorrow morning
SLB shopping at a thrift store
Deidra calling me back
Brianna Azul or Sug voting for Obama in 2012
MJ finishing his writing
Goose waking up with non-Cialis induced morning wood
These things just don't happen.
For all of our readers who golf I must tell you that Golf Digest is a little off-base with Bandon Dunes Golf Resort. On their list of the Top 100 Public Golf Courses in the USA they have Pacific Dunes at #2, Bandon Dunes at #7 and Bandon Trails at #21 with Pebble Beach at #1 (entire list at this link:
http://www.worldgolf.com/news/golf-digest-top-100-public-golf-courses-in-america-5294.htm
Four of the guys in our group have also played Pebble Beach and all four of them said the Bandon courses are better.
I have been lucky enough due to the generosity of extremely kind friends to have the fortitude to play 14 of the top 100 courses on this list and I would have to put Pacific Dunes as my #1, Bandon Trails as my #2 and Bandon Dunes as my #3.
The golf truly is that spectacular.
If you like to golf you must make the flight and drive to Bandon, Oregon (either fly into PDX Portland and drive nearly 5 hrs SW or fly into San Francisco and drive nearly 8 hrs N up US 101...a much more scenic route than if you fly into PDX). Either way, the trip is worth making. You will have zero regrets...and leave your cell phone at home :-)
November 18, 2008
November 16, 2008
For our female shoppers...
You are not going to find many deals with this website, but what you will find are some of the hottest new styles from all over the globe:
http://www.stylebop.com/index.php
Make sure to check out the "Jeans Doctor" function which will help you find the right brand and style of jean for your body type whether you are built like a super model (mmmm...Adriana Lima)
or like this
Ohio State vs. Michigan Football tix!!!!!!
I have two seats together for the OSU vs. Michigan game that are public tix (i.e. no Buck ID required). They are very good C deck tix (Section 15 C, Row 10, Seats 21 & 22). I am selling them together as a pair. This same exact section is going for $350 to $660 each (i.e. $750 to $1,320 a pair) on StubHub and the auctions have been for even larger amounts on eBay. I will sell them to you at a "Friend" price of $700 for the pair. So I don't piss anyone off I am going to do "whoever gets to me first gets them." If I don't hear from anyone who is serious about the tix by midnight tonight then I will be posting them on eBay for $900 for the pair. Hope to hear from you soon!
If you are not convinced yet then you just are not paying attention...
I have had a # of you write to me since I posted my opinion that Obama would win a second term no matter what his Presidency's successes or failures are just based on the fact that his organization on a grassroots, fundraising and internet basis are just currently (and unless some major changes occur) and in the future going to be "head & shoulders" above anything else anyone puts together on the GOP side.
They just do not miss a step. Following is an article that got buried within most major papers that even ran this AP (not everyone even ran it):
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/nov/14/obama-to-use-web-videos-for-presidential-addres-1/
Obama and his crew are going to personalize the Presidency unlike you have ever seen before. The potential for interaction between the White House and the American public is limitless.
Think back through the last eight years of W if they had done what Obama is about to do.
Regular video monologues from various Generals, Rumsfeld & Colin Powell on what is going on with our troops, Condoleeza Rice giving her side of the story on current affairs, holding threadless/digg-style contests on the naming of pets within the White House, Laura Bush on Twitter for a week, tons of Flickr pics of Jenna & Barbara away at college, Tom Ridge on why our threat level is at a certain level, Karl Rove giving weekly updates on anything & everything, YouTube of Cheney from a secret, remote location, Hot or Not of White House staff which would have probably led to guys like Coddy Johnson having Fan Clubs a la Justin Timberlake...and the list goes on from there.
This guy is friggin' brilliant. They are going to be running messages to the public via the way they have to/is expected of them like their predecessors via the White House Press Room, but they are also going to be running WAY more messages via TONS of various media via the internet to also get their word out and personalize the White House to Americans of all ages in ways we have not seen before.
The GOP better wake up to the new realities of the ways of the world or we are going to be in "the wilderness" for an awful long time.
For all our readers who have had a major knee surgery like yours truly
This is my next major purchase.
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This post might only be relevant to a handful of readers, but I figured they would be happy to hear about this thing. To everyone else, sorry for such a random blog post.
I tore my ACL in my left knee in a bad way back in 1995 skiing some moguls and although my brain is that of a 19 year old (at least that is what my girlfriend says), my ankles are about 55 years old (fuck you John Salmon wherever you are...hack!), my liver is around 50 years of age (my own doing), the rest of my body is 38...except for my left knee which is about 75 years old.
I know when it is going to rain before the weathermen know. It creaks when I walk steps. It is going to be a major pain in the ass when I get older (although some of you already say I'm old...which I retort with "I ran a half marathon in just over 8 min splits...I'd rather be old than out of shape").
This new brace by Ossur (which you can get from Amazon for $519) is called the Unloader One and it is proven to slow the degeneration of arthritic knees by channeling force away from weak cartilage. Pretty cool, huh?
I hope it works well for me and for you. I really don't wanna have to go through a fuckin' knee replacement when I'm 50.
I think Lee Fisher would love to run, but he would have to give up a great gig as head of the Dept of Development. There is no way Strickland will let him run for US Senate and keep his job. Strickland is too smart for that. I am pretty sure Peggy Zone would make him sleep on the couch for his remaining years if he gave up his current gig to run for US Senate.
Tim Ryan is way too smart politically to give up a strong position in the Pelosi-led Congress...think Linus with his blanket.
Kaptur's voting record would make the Republican Senatorial Committee salivate.
Kucinich is nuttier than squirrel shit and everyone knows it.
The rest of the delegation is not worth mentioning.
Cordray is in line to be Governor.
Redfern is riding high on the hog chalking up victory after victory as Chair and probably making a nice salary...Chairman of the ODP is an f-in' sweet job if you can get it. If he plays his cards right he can retire as Chair like Bennett...well, that is if Bennett will actually retire...
The only guy that could really file and cause everyone on both sides serious headaches would be Paul Pfeifer filing as a democrat. Labor and the Trial Bar would ensure he would have not have a primary and it would be the final "F" you from the ultimate RINO within the Ohio GOP stable of officeholders.
Who else is there? Bueller...Bueller...anyone???