5 friends

check it out, i enjoyed it:
<5 friends>
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vtHwWReGU0

Fantasy Football Woes

Fantasy Football


600 point drops in the DJIA? (stock market for you financially challenged.) That’s nothing when compared to a 1 point loss (151 - 150) in week 5 of my fantasy football league. Despair, Frustration, Black snowy field with a black crow, all these images fit this feeling of stark hopelessness to lose by 1.

A loss like this leaves a fantasy manager (FM) to –

A) look at his draft choices: “Why did I choose this guy? He was supposed to go off! He’s underperforming. Oh man, I knew I should have picked up that sleeper, I KNEW he was a great value.”

B) look at his roster assignments: “What?! The Vikings were playing the Saints and Adrian “All Day” Peterson ran for 30 yards against that terrible rush defense? Unbelievable. Larry Johnson? 4 yards? Really? After two 100+ yard weeks? Did they make a mistake and suit up some other guy named Larry Johnson? And he attempted 5 rushes?” Great offensive play calling there. I couldn’t make this stuff up.

C) to suddenly become vocal about all the point system inequities. “It’s ridiculous that this FM gets +2 for a fumble recovery but I only get +1 for an interception” or “the +1 for completions overshadows’ For example, a FM’s QB goes 10 for 10 and 50 yards passing, he gets 12 points and BEATS my QB who goes 10 for 20 and 325 yards, 11 points. Stupid.

So I look at all my mistakes and complete discrepancies in fairness across the leagues and I click on “week 6”… and start all over again.

Presidential Debate #2

Numero dos in the books

Every blogger worth their laptop will be writing right now about their view of the debate. They'll be talking about the impact of moments, phrases and polls that will be going out in the moments to come. They'll be trying to guess the change in voters minds and which states will be possibly changing colors. Me? I'd prefer to blog about something much simpler. My view.

I will not tell you my preference or my party affiliation, only share what I saw.

McCain- looked stiff, words were at times stumbling, seemed to go back to his talking points on every question.
Obama- moved with a smooth casual ease, had lots of pauses to choose his words, at times seemed as though he was trying to look too polished.

McCain- this candidate says "My friend" WAY too many times. I got annoyed.
Obama- he seems like he's trying to defend the clear option in going forward but no one is listening.

McCain- has experience in the military world and knows it.
Obama- thinks that diplomacy will solve all. he did add some military options that seemed like the obvious thing anyone in that position would have available.

BOTH - battled back and forth about what the other said about them.

McCain- got killed on his health care plan, just stupid.
Obama- somehow managed to get his point out there AND defend what McCain tried to say to sully his plan.

McCain- threw out some good quotes and zingers about Obama that will no doubt be repeated endlessly on the media networks (especially FoxNews)
Obama- answered one question in about 10 seconds and spent his time rebutting a tax comment made earlier... and somehow made it seem applicable.

Overall - not bad, a little controlled, I want to see them duke it out.

Impact of a Quote

Impact of a quote:

All of us have been in a social situation where someone blurted out a string of words that caught your attention. Maybe something that at least lingered with you for the night? These gems of the English language are called quotes. Some people have made their mark on history with a great quote that can last through the ages, providing insight, or inspiration, or perhaps stir the intellect.
A quote is an interesting thing. It is said by someone who means one thing and is heard or repeated by someone else, at times meaning something completely different. Politicians constantly use rivals quotes to prove the exact OPPOSITE of the rivals positions AND bolster their own.
Personally I think comedic quotes are the best. I remember back in college we had a white board where we would put a list of great quotes we heard throughout the year. Some were inspirational, some gross, some witty and some left you saying, "What?" The last ones were always my favorite because they had the "inside joke" feeling to them but left everyone else lost. These quotes were fantastic, invariably some inebriation whould play some part in there creation.

Have one to add? Comment back with your favorite!

Here's some so far:

"It's only pudding"

"I love alcoholic fruit "

"Mother Chucker "

"Bitch.. just bring me a cardigan "

"I'm sorry, I'm about to ask the stupidest question, but do you work in a hospital? "

The Surfing Stoke

Surfing Stoke:

I don't think that there is anything more recharging for the soul then what happened for me this evening. I pulled up on the corner, looked out over the railing, and saw lines rolling in and peeling off the point. In an instant I can feel my heart jump and a huge smile come across my face as I pop the trunk and grab my suit. In record time, the full suit in on and the board is under arm as I jog down the street to the stairs.

Paddling out, I am all smiles. The clean lines. The easy strokes to lift myself over the oncoming swells. The head nods and waves from friends saying hello. These all give a feeling of calm and excitement all at the same time. 30 seconds out and I'm already paddling into my first wave, popping up with ease and looking down the line. 3 others have joined me on this wave (this surf spot has a history where this is "sort-of" ok) and we all head to the right.

Much like the moment of arrival to the spot, the excitement and instant recharge of riding a wave light up my soul like nothing else out there. They call it "stoke" and for me that brings images of an old kiln oven where you had to use that blowing thing, starts with an "A" I think, to stoke the fire for heat. Well our soul is the fire that is stoked by surfing and every surfer walks away from a session, no matter how good or bad, with a stoked soul and a recharged feeling that life is actually pretty good.

I surf till an hour past sunset when the lines coming in start to blend with the horizon, making the inbound swells look like flat sea until the set is upon you and there is much scrambling to turn boards and drop in quickly. I jog back to my car and feel a sense of accomplishment for my evening surf. A strange feeling I know but trust me, ask any surfer out there and I bet they get what I mean when I say that. My day, week, month feel immediately better and wow, I'm hooked again to surf for years to come.

Surf hard. Respect the Beach. Pack your trash.

Football Fever

Are you ready for some football??!!

This anthem must be sung in the voice of Johnny Pearson. MUST.

Fall arrives with a cool breeze, colorful trash, back-to-school, and the wonderful ballet of powerful men on the gridiron (gridiron… I hate that description). Time to pick your team and challenge your co-workers to a fantasy league or just a little office pool. Football is one of the most watched sports in America and I think it’s because unlike Baseball and Hockey, I don’t think there has ever been a strike in football. This shows the fans that they are the ones who are important. (Actually, there was one, in 1987… scab players were recruited from colleges and the pros eventually came back on their own and nothing came of the strike that year.
Damn, kills my point. Oh well)

Football is like any other pro sport, aside from beach volleyball, where the players make tons of money. I think the difference is that the owners and commissioner have set a good plan for drafting, signing and salaries to keep it all in check. All sides recognize that they have a good brand and it is in their best interest to protect it. Players do hold out but with such a short season, less than 20 games, if they hold out too long the season will be over and they will either be surpassed and replaced by their backups or have missed out on a whole season and then they aren’t as good and WILL be replaced by their backups.

The system is really set up to be a spectator sport. Most games are on the weekends and they’ve even got Turkey Day wrapped up as their football day. Fantasy has spread it to the few techies that weren’t into it and chics, well, a recent study found that girls like to watch football partly because the guys “are cuter”. And would you believe that football is the preferred sport viewed by women? Awesome! Pretty soon Kathy Ireland’s idea of kicking for a football team will catch on and we’ll see women around the world garner support for their player..

How can you NOT be excited that football is back!?
Go Vikings.

A Tale of Two Movies

A Tale of Two Movies

If ever there has been a more interesting 4 hours than my Tuesday last week. I watched two movies back to back (one Netflix, one Theater). Each movie served its’ purpose in providing entertainment and value, though each went about it in very different ways. The two movies were St. Ralph and Tropical Thunder (the later in the theater).

Tropical Thunder is everything that you think it will be from watching the trailers. I laughed the whole way through the film because the director actually DOES “go there” quite often. I will not provide any spoilers, I’m a big fan of the movie experience, but I will let you know that my favorite character is Tom Cruise. Didn’t know that he was even IN the movie? Sounds about right for this incredibly stacked cast that doesn’t come off like some bunch of prima Donnas. It is a movie that pokes fun at itself (Stillers’ hallmark).

St. Ralph is the complete opposite of the spectrum. I haven’t cried in a film in a long time and I have to say, “If you don’t get misty-eyed watching this film, you have issues!.” An independent film, it obviously has its work cut out for it from the start. Give it a shot and if you’re not satisfied, I’ll forward you my next Netflix at your request.

Happy theater-going.

Holiday

Holidays

If I asked you what the definition of a Holiday was, what would you reply? “Time Off, No Work, Vacation, Relaxation, Christmas?” I feel that most of America falls into one of, or a variation of, the previous. A holiday in the true sense of the word should be a celebration of life, family, friends, success and culture. For most, we see the date on the calendar, Federal Holiday, and begin planning our escape from the duties and responsibilities of our respected professions. The beach, the river, the mountains, the lake, the desert (yes, this is a destination for some – I’ll have a post about this later), all great locations for travel.

Whatever destination you choose the mental image of the fun you’ll have hits you from the moment you plan. Even if you just choose to spend the day relaxing and lounging on the chairs at home, the feeling of the holiday physically affects you days before. If only we could figure out how to make it last even after returning to work. But our memories do last and holidays definitely provide the nostalgia of the escape.

So for all those not seeing Labor Day as a day to kick back and enjoy one last day off in the sun, at least take a 15 minutes break and go stare at the sun to burn a little bit of your retina, leaving you a lasting reminder of the holiday.


SPF 35

Olympic Fever

Citius, Altius, Fortius.

As the start of the Games of the XXIX Olympiad draws near I’m actually giddy. I love seeing athletes compete and excel in their field. A dedicated athlete with lots of money for training and facilities is an amazing thing to watch. Then there are the breakthroughs; I’d love to wager with someone how many records will be set total over the whole week and a half. I’d have to pick the Men’s 100 track and field. I think that Gay is going to break free there (if his hammy doesn’t hinder him). The other options are for any even in which Michael Phelps is entered. He is ridiculous! The man is wider (arm span) than he is tall. I also heard that he’s got some freak body chemistry to get rid of his lactic acid build up faster than anyone else. (side note: does this make him a natural cheater? Giving him that unfair biological advantage? =) Total cheater…)


Popular mechanics just did this special on how fast balls go in many of the sports in the Olympics. Baseball.. maybe 98-101mpH, Tennis – 140-160mpH, Ping Pong – 45mpH, Volleyball – 120mpH! Crazy, imagine trying to dig a 120 mph ball from a hitter. Still won’t get volleyball any respect! =)

The Olympics begin August 8th, in Beijing China, NBC will have live sports on it’s website (probably gonna charge) Is anyone else excited to see what will happen to the super-controlled media in China? The government is having a fit and has started to ban access to sites. Either way, I’m stoked for it and I’ll be watching as some athlete pushes harder than they ever have before, their time flashing over the jumbo-tron, a split second faster than anyone else… ever. Wow.
Go USA
Go World

Office Dinosaur

Seniority vs. Ranking

When a decision needs to be made a specialist is usually called in. If you need something important to be done you most often look to your best human asset to complete the task. When rewards are to be given it is most often the best in a field that receives the accolades. So who is the best? When you have multiple employees, crossing differing backgrounds, generations and experience levels, who is your top choice? These questions can have different answers depending on your field, the situation, the timing or the makeup of the team. Yet what it usually boils down to is a choice between someone who is the most senior in a position and the number one performer in a position.
Seniority has been a strong factor in decisions across the globe for centuries. The term “elders” most likely took on more meaning then simply “elderly” due to the perceived superior experience in any field due primarily to their sheer longevity. Some cultures revere their elders , others put them in homes and visit them on weekends or holidays. At times it maybe more about respect than knowledge but more often most people who have been in a position for longer do have greater experience and knowledge to draw a conclusion from. It's that pesky "draw a conclusion" part that I think is the biggest pitfall to assuming that seniority equals success. It takes a mind and the ability to make the right choices, not just know the consequences or the possible results of each.
This is where the number one performer steps to the plate. #1 is the individual who just kicks butt! The go-getter, the one who'll ask for challenges and solve them successfully. When someone in the office is "shining" it is most often the #1, no matter the topic. Smart or shrewd, ballsy or adventurous, call it whatever you want they always seem to average out to success in the end. It is in that "average" though that some dirty spots may hide. While you may see and focus and remember their tremendous trophies, shadowed along the way their exist some spectacular failures. The challenge in selecting the #1 for your champion is that you're "pretty sure" they'll end up with success, just not sure why. Their lacking experience inevitably leads to the discussion of luck.
Choosing between our two individuals can be difficult and annoying to others when they lose out and feel slighted. If you're the office dinosaur you can't believe it when Chuck the new guy gets a promotion. Suzy from sales is invited on the annual trip with the boss instead of you only because you think she's hot, meanwhile you're blinded to the fact that her numbers outranked your's for three consecutive quarters. Conversely, the new wonder kid can't believe that Stan gets the corner office with his drab style and monotonous mindset, thinking it's only because he's got tenure.
Both have a point and both are being ninnies (thanks Matt, I'll borrow that!) So select wisely, it may be your saving grace or your last mistake as a manager or boss. Good luck.

Wireless Internet Thief

Wireless Internet for free:

Here's a concept that clearly needs to be an issue in our upcoming presidential debates. Everyone of us (that has a laptop) has wondered around town, perhaps even in their car, looking for an open signal to tap into the Internet (not saying I've done this, I just know a friend who did once =). Now some say this is illegal, stealing someone else's' Internet. Seriously? I'm stealing it from you? People are being charged with actual crimes for this! Maybe if I set up a relay and took it constantly then I'd be stealing, but to do it once in awhile, while you're sitting in Britania Arms and there is this guys wireless from an office across the street (this is how I may be writing this right now), this is stealing? I think not. Have we gone to that point where we covet things so tightly that we kill the sense of community from everything?
True there are reasons to not let someone piggyback:

• they could decrease your bandwidth - i.e. exit you off the Internet highway and onto a small one lane dirt road.
• they could hack your system if it is connected as well
  
• they could set up a porn ring and use your i.p. address as the base camp for that operation.
• they could enjoy the Internet

Other than that last reason, most of these NEVER happen, or so minimally that you'd never really notice. So why all the fuss?

I say let's be giving and let everyone use the Internet all over. Businesses should understand that people now are more likely to come there if they can get access. Although this is by no means a condoning of bad behavior with respect to courtesy in a public place (a whole other topic for a post.) Let's just get over ourselves and how much we need to have everything and no one can share.
NE

Bad Drivers

Can I please become a CHP officer for a day, a week? I wouldn’t spend my time tracking down speeders (unless they were seriously reckless), I’d drive around and give people fat tickets for being oblivious. That should be Sesame Street’s word for the day, oblivious. People drive around in their cocoon of a car without regard for the others on the road; be it bicycles, motorcycles, pedestrians or even cars. I’ve seen cars merge without the driver even looking at the lane they are going into. I’ve seen people on cell phones driving 20 mph slower than the flow of traffic and they are sitting in the fast lane, 6 or 7 cars lined up behind them with everyone passing on the right.

I think when it comes to bad drivers there are 4 main types:

• “The Elderly”. Sorry but it’s so true. These can be the most difficult to accept because you know you can’t be upset with them, they don’t even know what they are doing! (note: elderly is your own definition – what you consider elderly I may not) And there are some really great drivers in this age demographic, clearly you can see the bad driver name is a generalization.

• “The Slow-Reactors”. These are the people who don’t see the backup behind them for about 2-5 miles. To their credit when they finally see that they need to move over, they do, even if it is a very slow reaction. They see it. They think about it. They put on their blinker. They wait. They look. They begin the lane change and then they finally move over (this process took about ½ mile to ¾ mile.)

• “The Jerks”. These are the drivers that feel it is their God given right to set the speed limit. If the speed limit is 55, then they are going to go 55 in the fast lane and you just shouldn’t be driving faster than that so slow down. They don’t care that there is room in the lane to the right and that the law says, ”Slower traffic keep right.” Like I said, Jerks!

• “The Idiots". Folks, here are are real winners! Drivers who have don't have a clue of what is going on in the lanes around them. It is an absolute wonder that they make it to each of their destinations without hitting something. They stay in the fast lane until ¼ mile from their exit, where they suddenly realize that they need to be 3 lanes over and so they just go. These are the auto pilots who can have a conversation with someone in the seat next to them and actually forget that they are the ones driving! (I've been the passenger in a car where this situation played out – freakin’ scary!)
  

So what is it about an automobile that gives people the right to be bad drivers. Does no one care about those around them? If this situation does not improve, the CHP will be receiving my application.

Drive safe.

San Francisco

Took a trip to the city and there are a couple of things about city life that really stick with me. It has some similarities to Vegas where you say, "Great place to visit but you wouldn't want to live there." But here the saying would be more like, "Great place to live for a year or two but you wouldn't want to settle down there."

The city has a very romantic appeal. Walking through Union Square (our destination), seeing the historic trolley car turned by hand at the end of Powell, sitting at a street corner bistro watching the tourists go by. These are the subtle joys of the city that rekindle the nostalgia within us all, longing for some touch to the past. There are places in the city where if you put everything in black and white (because there wasn't color until 1941... I know, read it on wikipedia), then you could step back in time to a simpler place with nickel sodas and paperboys with funny looking baseball caps.
In stark contrast to its' historical backdrops is the ultra-modern society living amongst the Victorians. Cell phones, iPods, all kinds of digital stimuli to distract, entertain and baby-sit the masses. San Francisco is my image of a modern historical city. And what’s with all the Christian protests going on!? It seemed like every corner there were a group of people trying to show the benefits of a relationship with God. The hard part with their bombarding approach is that it has the feeling of shoving something down your throat. This commentary has no insight into my own beliefs, I’m merely speaking to the efficacy of the style.
Ok, enough for today. Watch the Tour, it’s on “Versus” network – it used to be OLN. My new favorite this year is Cadel Evans. He’s got the team to support him and I don’t think anyone can match his desire.

First Post

Wow,
July 10th, 2008. A day that will live in infamy as I begin my new endeavor into the blogosphere. Welcome to my new blog about pretty much everything and nothing all at the same time. I will talk about N, E thing. I am an avid surfer, teacher, businessman, scientist, wannabe politician, risk taker, athlete, comic, actor, socialite, dancer, (not a singer), scrabble master, coach, movie critic, foodie, wino, gardener, cook, mountain man, etc. I'd like to take the next few bullet points to outline my blog and what you can expect as a reader and contributor.

First and foremost I will blog about what I hear and what I think. You may not like it, you may love it. (warning: may not be linear, be prepared =).
Secondly, I'd like to hear from you. If you like what you read, let me know. If you don't, let me know.
I love a friendly debate and I love information. The more point of views that I can see an issue from the better.
Favorite Topics: Politics, Sports, Social issues, Pet Pieves, Answer forum, competition, teaching styles.
Lastly I'd like to let you know the rules of my blog. I will not use any names and if I do I will change them accordingly. Any similarity to real life is coincidental and actually I prefer to avoid that coincidence. So don't bitch about anything, give my your thoughts and I'll take it into consideration (you may just be right!)
Thanks for visiting and remember, I'd love to hear from you.
N, E