Other Things I Have Been Thinking About Or I Still Don't Think Duke Is That Good

1.  I have really cut back my visits to Wal-Mart.  It is just too busy.  I still think Wal-Mart has a great business model.  But it just isn't a good place for me to get groceries.  Other grocery stores have gotten more competitive.  Their ads tend to be just as good or beat Wal-Mart on key products.

2.  I broke my glasses last night.  I wear glasses an hour a day.  But I think I am going to have to go Wal-Mart to get them fixed.  My glasses are five years old, but I would hate to get a new pair.  I might be able to super-glue them.  Tape didn't work.

3.  I really want to make a commitment to fitness.  But I haven't been able to pick a plan and stick with it.  I know the plan will involve interval training.  And I think I could get the results I want in less than 20 minutes a day.  I am also thinking about strengthening my core, but I have never been able to sustain a rigorous core workout.

4.  The NCAA tournament is fun, but I still think in a 7-game series Kansas and Kentucky are your best teams.

Things I Have Been Thinking About

1.  I am predicting that no number 1 seeds make it to the Final Four.  Baylor is too athletic for Duke.

2.  I have been reading some of What's Alan Watching?  It amazes me that a man can make a living evaluating sitcoms and other TV shows.  It is one of these great credits to American economic growth  I think it also points to the role of luck in developed society.  I like Sepinwall, but I have to believe that there are hundreds of other people who could do what he does.  But these people aren't getting paid for writing about The Office.  I feel similarly about Bill Simmons and the majority of sports writers.  Note that I think all of these guys possess a unique combination of talent and discpline.  I just think that luck is in the equation too.

3.  I am not sure the NCAA basketball tournament gives us the best team.  It is exciting.  Can't the same be said about the BCS?

4.  I spent yesterday cleaning my apartment so I could show it to people.  It is cleaner than it was, but it will never be completely clean.  I had an uncle who said "If you have an inside dog, your house will always be dirty."  I am modifying that "If you have a young man on his own, your house will always be dirty."

5.  But I feel like I am getting older.  I get up at the same time (6:05AM) every morning even on the weekends.  I have all of these rituals that I have to complete in the morning before I feel like I can move forward in my day.  I guess it is growth.   

   

Pat Jordan Does Spring Break

Here.  It is a three part series.  The third part I linked to is the best.

This form of gonzo-journalism with a S.O.B. who doesn't give a damn has to have a market.  I could read Pat Jordan all day.  

Graduation Rates And Chances

Johnny was a coach's son.  He tried to play linebacker where the fastest strong athletes played.  He tried to play defensive end where the fast strongest guys played.  Like myself, Johnny was neither fast nor strong.  But he was a coach's son and ended up being a student assistant his senior year.

Johnny wasn't too bright either, but he got his PE degree.  He was a coach's son.  I am sure he is a coach now.  The thing is football and sports does things like this: It connects fathers and sons.  It gets boys into and through school.  It gives them chances and reasons to succeed.   

There is always a lot of attention on Division I programs and their graduation rates.  In Division I, some guys have a chance at playing professionally.  More guys think they have a chance at playing professionally.  Some of these guys will graduate.  Others won't.  The important thing is they have been given a chance.  Sports and scholarships and coaches give boys' chances.  That is what is important.         

History And Dreams Or Why I Am Not A History Teacher Or Expectations

When I started college, I wanted to be a history teacher.  I took History 101 and Education 101 my first semester.  I didn't want to be a history teacher anymore.

Most people are history teachers.  People paint the past and go around selling their art.  GGM and I have had a mini-discussion of boxing in the comments section.  We've both been able to go back and watch fights from our childhood on YouTube.  We've been able to relive history.  And we take that history and create something out of it.  Something that is unique.  We are our own historians.

When I started this blog, I had no expectations.  I remember someone telling me to stop asking advice concerning things that aren't worthy of advice.  I had some ambition to be a MarginalRevolution.com or a CafeHayek.com, but I really wanted a place to voice thoughts.  I wanted a place be my own historian.

(I can't lie and say I don't want more people to read my histories.  I can't lie and say I don't want somebody to say:  "Wow, that post slapped me in the face" like this did to me.  But blogging is really about keeping oneself sane.  It is therapeutic.  Too many things in the brain makes one crazy.)

But the point here is that one has to have expectations.   One has to move past personal histories and have some desire for the future.  One has to dream.  One has to want something better.  One has to make(or at least think they can make) expectations become history.  This is why I am not a history teacher.      

Things I Have Come To Learn

1.  Most medical students, young doctors have an arrogance about them.  I know this is a generalization.  But I think it is relevant to our current healthcare debate.  There is some adverse selection going on in the doctor market.  There is a good book called  Learning to Play God that delves in why young doctors are the way they are.

2.  If you want to keep playing, you have to win.  The one thing I have learned from economics is if you're not successful, you don't keep going.

3.  I have to either shave every two-three days or grow a beard.  Anything in-between is torture to my face.

    

 

Socks

The three most expensive pairs of socks I have every bought have holes in them after less than a year.  This is frustrating.    

Two Things

1.  I've been listening to talk radio and talk podcasts.  On Wednesday, I cranked up a music CD.  I felt better about life.  Talk radio has its qualities.  But there isn't anything like good rock and roll, some song or album that you have listened to a hundred times before, but you still hear something that makes you think, makes you want to live.

2.  I have two Wal-Mart coffee makers.  One is the old version.  It has a white plastic coffee holder.  Even with paper filters, the white plastic becomes stained.  The new version uses black plastic.  How are these types of improvements tracked in terms of "Are we better off?" questions.  Both of these coffee makers cost less than $10.  I have had both for over two years.  I find this amazing.
        

The Culture I Married Into

 

Compliments

This post builds on this one and this one.

A new one for the list of compliments I care about.  People have told me that I make things mine.  This is similar to the "honest" compliment.  But it involves something else.  My fifth grade teacher said I wasn't creative enough, and to me the definition of creativity is personalizing projects.  The things I really care about and have pride about are distinctly mine.  It also demonstrates courage to make things personal.  Courage is another trait I appreciate and wish I had more of.    

"A Day Late And A Dollar Short" Or But They Didn't Win

1.  I know I am a couple of days late.  But I was invested in Olympic hockey.  And the US didn't win.  Every few years a country (even the US) needs a good sports story.  But you have to win to make it a truly "good" story.  If they would have won, I would have been more interested in the NHL.  Hockey is a great game.  It is so fast, and the lack of commercials makes it better too.  But it still isn't anything I will follow.  I have to find a NHL team.

2.  I guess there is still the World Cup, but I am starting to realize that the US just doesn't produce top quality soccer players.

3.  I realized that one of my many weaknesses is an inability to execute.  This comes through in talks and writing.  Most of the time my initial idea is okay and worth discussing.  But I just don't pull it through.  I don't take the idea to its fruition.  This is something I can work on.  

The One Thing I Wanted To Say In The Last Post

Google Chrome has started to fail me.  It doesn't even work with Google driven sites.  This is what I really don't understand.  I am almost a Google man, but this has become really upsetting.

  

Some Things I Don’t Understand

1. Why is the census spending so much on advertising? It seems like a colossal waste to me. I am faintly aware of the debate around the constitution, statistical sampling, and the census, but I hear or see five to six ads for them a day. I was in college for the last one, and the big thing was to get a summer/part-time job working with the census. (That last sentence was a cold glass of water to the face.)
   
2. How is the best way to focus? I believe a key to life is living in the present, living in the moment. But it is hard. Some of it is our culture. Most of it is my culture. I also think when you're having a difficult time focusing then you are probably doing something wrong. Either you are not working on the right things. Or you don't know what the right things are.
   
3. This site has gotten over 1500 hits in the past five months. I find this astounding. Even when you subtract my visits, it seems like a lot to me, especially for a personal site that rarely says much.
   
4. Bill Simmons discusses incentives and industrial organization. I understand what he writes. I just don't understand the NBA. I don't understand the airline industry either. Service industries have to learn how to serve.

Are You One Of Us Or One Of Them

What fascinates me about the Tiger Woods story is failure. The idea is that in today's society there are so many outlets for children to succeed, so many outlets for children to avoid failure, so many outlets for parents to insulate their children from failure. My question is, has Tiger Woods really felt failure? Yes, he has lost golf tournaments. But has he ever looked in the mirror and saw himself as a loser? Has he ever wanted something badly and lost it? So my first question, does Tiger Woods really think he has done anything wrong? Does he think he has failed?

Most great champions have an ability to forget. Most great champions look in the mirror and see a great champion. I think Tiger Woods sees himself as a great champion. I think Tiger's dad convinced Tiger that he was a great champion early in his life. I think his women and his friends convinced him that he was a champion. I have very little doubt that Tiger will be able to forget and move forward in his golf career and probably in his personal life. So the second question is, from a public relations, economic, personal standpoint, to whom does he have to prove (re-prove) that he is a champion: the public, reporters, his fellow golfers, his wife and children, his sponsors, the buying public?

I wrote the first two paragraphs before the news conference. And I don't think his statement answered either question. My gut reaction is Tiger Woods still thinks he can have it all. He still doesn't really know failure, and he still can't decide who he has to prove himself to. The thing is I still don't think Tiger Woods knows who he is. And the only person you have to prove anything to is yourself. But when you've spent your whole life insulated from failure, insulated from self-examination, how can anyone expect one to find himself.

One day Tiger will make the speech Michael Jordan made at his Hall of Fame induction. Until then, none of us will ever know who Tiger Woods is. Unfortunately, neither will he.

My Last 12 Hours

Friday 6:30PM
I think I am a lucky guy.  I have a flight on Saturday morning to see my wife.  I have not seen my wife in 40 days.  I think I missed all of the devastating weather.  I am a lucky guy.  I do have a gut feeling that something bad, wrong will happen.  I think it will involve me driving to the airport.

Friday 8:00PM
I shave.  I know shaving before bed is stupid.  I now the irritated skin keeps me awake.  But I want to be ready for the morning.

Friday 9:00PM
I go to bed.  I am going to be ready for my 4:00AM wake-up and 6:00AM flight.  I am a lucky guy.

Friday 10:28PM
I am almost asleep.  My irritated face prevents me from sleeping on my stomach, but I am on my back.  And the phone rings.  I get up like a drunk, stumbling towards the phone.  I hear a message from United.  Something about changes to my flight.  I rush to the computer.  I don't see any changes.  Everything seems to be good.  I use their phone tree.  Everything seems to be on time.  I call my wife.  She is supportive.

Saturday 3:00AM
I can't sleep any longer.  I get up.  My initial flight has been canceled.  It looks like I have already been re-booked for tomorrow morning.  I call and finally get a person in India.  He is nice but not helpful.  He does not know why the flight has been canceled.  He thinks it is something about the weather.  There are no empty seats on later flights.  I am angry.  But this guy can do nothing.  He tries to make me un-check-in for my second flight, but I can't do this online.  He says he will do it for me.  I wait on the phone for 10 minutes.  He says he has taken care of it.  I call my wife.  She is supportive even though I call her at 2:00AM in the morning.  At least, I remember to turn off my alarm clock.

Saturday 5:58AM
I am finally asleep.  United calls again to tell me my flight is canceled.

Saturday 6:10AM
My normal alarm goes off.  I decide get up and start my day.

Saturday 6:30AM
I cannot check-in for tomorrow's 6:00AM flight.  I call United again.  The online tech support guy in India says he has fixed it.  I trust him but cannot check for myself because I am on the shitter.  I go back to the computer and it still shows me checked-in for my second flight today.

Another Snowy-Icy Morning, More Thoughts

1.  I still don't know what to think of the Super Bowl.  It was a great game.  But it didn't leave me pissed like last year.  I thought the Cardinals got (somewhat) screwed by the referees.  The Giants-Patriots was the greatest game I ever saw, and it was David beating Goliath.  I don't know where to place this one.

2.  I am not a Peyton Manning fan.  But he needs to become more of a coach.  The 51 yard goal attempt and even the decision to quit playing versus the Jets were clearly not his decisions.  He is the Colts, and he needs to make more decisions for them.  If he would have made the field goal decision, he would have clearly been the goat.  If I had known that he was the one who decided to run three times at the end of the first half, the loss would have been his fault.  Some times, it seems he is held back by coaching.  I would love to see exactly what he would do in a tie game during the 4th quarter with 4 minutes left and it is 4th and 3 at his own 45 yard line.  (My prediction is he would make many of the same calls.)

3.  I think my idea of a touch-flag football Pro Bowl would work.  You don't have to select 44 guys for each team.  We get to see offensive and defensive linemen catch and run.  They could play drunk.  The chance of a devastating injury would be low.

4.  I also have ideas for the MLB All-Star Game.  They should go back to the old inning-based home-run derby format.  They should also take Monday to Friday off but still play the game on Tuesday.  This would give pitchers more time to recover and give more time for the inning-based derby format.  Then the Saturday-Sunday series following the game would be a rivalry weekend.  The rivalry would be a team's biggest rival at that time irrespective of league.  The point here would be to make it a week of baseball, and not just Monday and Tuesday night.                 

I Shouldn't Say I Told You So Before The Game Is Over

But I will.  I know Manning has played pretty well, but the interception blew it.  And I don't know if they will do it, but they should carry Gregg (Double G) Williams off the field.

It is the two minute warning.  We'll see if the Colts can make an amazing coomeback,  but my prediction seems to have some truth to it. 

Why Probabilities Don't Matter Or Mary Chapin Carpenter's Sudden Gifts Of Fate

Some people need to know what to expect
Need to keep control, need to keep one step
Ahead of every chance, as if chance decides
Who it's gonna pass, who it will reward
They don't understand, chances don't keep score
They just find us when we're there to find
And so this has to be, a sudden gift of fate
you're nothing less to me than a sudden gift of fate
It's not as if it comes down to your turn that someone somewhere feels you've earned
You just learn to wait for sudden gifts of fate

Some people have never been the lonely kind
Never called a friend in the middle of the night
Just to hear a voice say it's okay
And now I hear you speak each and every word
That I didn't think lonely people heard
You took a long night and turned it into day


And so this has to be, a sudden gift of fate
you're nothing less to me than a sudden gift of fate
Its not as if it comes down to your turn that someone somewhere feels you've earned
You just learn to wait for sudden gifts of fate
You can celebrate, gifts are never late
You just learn to wait for sudden gifts of fate

I Am A Peddler

I saw guys cleaning the snow-ice mixture off the sidewalks.  I see guys using plows and 4WD drucks to clean the parking lots.  I ask why am I sitting in this warm apartment?  I should be out there.  I could make $200-$300.  You don't leave money on the ground.  I am a peddler.

My grandfather used to drive south, pick up a load of produce, then he and my great uncle (and my dad) would go sell it to other small places in the county.  You don't leave money on the ground.  They were peddlers.  I am a peddler.

I can run.  I can try to avoid it.  But I am a peddler.  This isn't anything wrong with peddling.  Everybody has to do peddling some time in their life. 

I was hitting on something here.  A man has to find his esscence.  A man has to say this is who I am.  A man has to declare that he cares but he doesn't care.  He has to draw that line.  But he has to do it.  He can't let others do it.  He can't fake it.  Because if he does, he will straddle it all of his life.         

The Hypocrisy Of It All

Does Starbucks and Bono really want to help Africa?