Replacement Refs (#MNF)

What can you say after a game like last night's Packers vs. Seahawks MNF game?

First before I begin to tear into the referee's I will say the Packers first half was abysmal, and perhaps the worst football they've played since the 80's...ouch!

Now to the point though and that was the very controversial call of a catch on a last minute play.  Dumbfounded looks, contradicting rulings and then a spiral downwards.  Questions?  You should have some!

Is Vegas considering betting lines based on which refs show up?

OR are they lobbying to keep them?

I'm kidding but in all seriousness it makes you wonder when you see a near lock bet like the Packers over the Seahawks (80%+ bets received on Pack in Vegas yesterday) take one to the chops in a last minute play.  Vegas may need to start playing a handicap to the replacement refs!

Drama

Over the past several months, and like every other day in the news, we are inundated with drama. Political campaigning with empty promises, tornado's and heavy rains flood out towns, oils spills fill our oceans and seas, another celebrity gets arrested yet again...it gets rather annoying! So why should I embrace drama when all it does is mess with my emotions. I don't!

This is why a man (like me) enjoys things like;

• sports (any)
• fishing
• hiking
• biking
• television (specifically ESPN)

None of this involves drama (minus of course the Brett Favre saga the past 3 years).

Some stories write themselves

Recent events of Congressmen Wiener sending illicit genitalia pictures to multiple women could write itself;

Making a Choice!

Usually making a choice involves CHANGE in some form...and this word can be very scary for some!

In the past decade I've made such choices. Much of this has tied into personal experiences which you may not be able to relate to but scripture poses this question to us ...

In 1 Peter 3:10-12 we look at loving life and a deciding if we want to be happy;
10 For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech. 11 They must turn from evil and do good; they must seek peace and pursue it. 12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

I guess first you have to choose do you want to be happy, and then you need to determine what that means. For me it was a job that although pay and job enjoyment was high the travel and time away from my family was killing me until I made the adjustment to not travel as much. My quality of life is far greater today that it was then, and have since rebounded financially from making that choice.

Each of us is going to have something different...but first decide Do you want to be happy and follow the road to righteousness?

Parking Spots

Do you circle the parking lot looking for the closest spot?

Your answer may depend on what the weather is like that particular day, but what about depending on what store you are shopping at. Yes, this in fact could be a determinate, as well as your gender!

Over the past 2 years and numerous trips to not only Home Depot but also the liquor store, I've noticed a pattern. Cars at these two types of stores (regardless of climate) were very sporadic in the parking lot, and rarely ever did I see people seek out a front spot. It was in fact more common to pick a spot that is not near others, and often times a spot which will allow you to pull through so that when you leave you do not need to back up. Interestingly enough nearly 90% of the consumers I witnessed were men, which has me even more intrigued to find out what happens in department and grocery stores where 75% of the consumers visiting there are women.

Anyone who wants to fund my experiment please let me know!

A penny saved is a penny earned!

Whatever happened to people that believed in this statement? Do they still exist? I hope.

What brings me to this topic is our civic duty as US citizens to submit our 2010 census. The more people that submit this easy form, the less money we're paying to have our census done for us. In addition, it helps to allocate federal funding to needed areas and identifies political boundaries so we are well represented (not that it always matters though).

A new added feature this year to stimulate competition, or accountability, is the internactive map. It allows you to see who has, or hasn't submitted their data down to the penny (ok, Township).

Check it out...TAKE 10 MAP: 2010 Census Participation Rates

Echo this voice

Mortimer Zuckerman is rich...I mean really rich. He's made his millions by being an entrepreneurial minded (in addition to a real estate tycoon, publisher and editor of major east coast magazines) so naturally he has a powerful voice...hopefully Washington can hear it!

On February 26th he published a story about Obama Needs to Focus on Housing, Not Health Reform, and if you know me you understand why this voice is so important. Although he has some potential personal gain being a billionaire real estate developer, his points are accurate and articulate why this is a far bigger issue than the creation of a NEW health care plan; "Hey Washington, fix the problems at hand first before creating more new ones!"

Thank you Mort, despite being the complete opposite of me (a ladies man and having money), we see eye-to-eye here!

No end in sight...yet

Is the health bill really the legacy Obama wants to leave?

With Washington split on the details in the bill and the process of how to get it accomplished, it seems we are doing anything but becoming more bipartisan. There will be an end, but when that is...is any one's guess?

I'll do it when...

...I have more money.

...I have more time.

...I finish _____.

...I turn ____ years old.

Sound like you? I think I fit the bill on this one the last 6 months! Although there are many things that require more money or more time, if you're always waiting for that perfect moment....guess what it will never come.

Life is too short...I need to start living again!

Without

With Black Friday around the corner and all the deals putting every new toy in arms reach, my question is...what can we do without?

Answer: Everything! However now that we've had it and have become dependant on it, there's no turning back for us now.

People strive for simplicity, yet keep adding more and more to their plate...be it tangible or intangible things. WE are driven by the immediate satisfaction that "things" provide for us and we've slipped into the got to have it now, want it now, "now" mentality, and unfortunately patience is a virtue that is being lost.

In Ecclesiastes 7:8 it states; The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride. Yet in this world we choose not to deal without, and so let pride take precedence over patience. Makes you think...

Not DUTY Free

It has been a while since I last posted anything, primarily due to my increase responsibilities at work. This has been a good thing though...I think...as it has provided me with a new opportunity to expand my horizons more globally.

My success in recruitment is being taken overseas as we look to increase our international student population. Although the travel excites me it isn't exactly a bottomless budget so we'll need to be creative and targeted on how we approach this. I've got a great team to work with so this should be a lot of fun as we move forward and accomplish this goal!

Perhaps I should polish up my Spanish, or take on more languages too...and I'm off!

Rainy Days

In a world where everything is go, go, go...now, now, now; the rainy day provides us with a moment to RELAX. The ability to sit back and let go, catch up with your thoughts, read a book, watch hours of television or movies, etc. So despite this gloomy weather there's a little part in all of us that enjoy it too!

Funny the Way it Is...

This is the title of a new Dave Matthews song (which is a great song...check it out), but not the focus of this post.

Yesterday Michael Jackson died of cardiac arrest, but unfortunately in the past decade it wasn't his music that was the topic of conversation that surrounded him. Yet, all of a sudden this morning on every television and radio station, supporters come out talking about his music instead of his odd relationship with children. So why after someone is gone does support only then come out???

It makes you wonder what will be said when you leave this world...hopefully it just echoes what's being said while I'm here

Lost without Explanation

An otherwise reliable and experienced Air France flight crew are lost en route from Brazil to Paris after encountering "an electrical storm" ... oh yea and the flight pattern is just south of the Bermuda Triangle.

Although there are quite a few reported disappearances in that area, the two most notable aircraft mystery's are the Douglas DC-3 #NC16002 and US Naval Flight 19. The commonality in all of these, including the most recent Flight AF 447, has been related to electricity. Of course this poses a lot of new questions, but also possibly some answers to an industry always in need some refining. Engineers stay tuned!!!

Memorial Day

Every year this is the weekend I usually spend every hour of my day outdoors camping and fishing As I grow older I've learned to appreciate the beauty of these freedoms I have, and you can't put a price on something like that!


To the millions of people who have allowed me these opportunities, I say thank you!

BAIL OUT: Round ???

Unbelievable...specifically though I am going to focus on the banks;

The latest articles has BOA and Citi screaming for more funds. BOA is said to "need $34 billion of capital to withstand a deep economic downturn", yet "has already received $45 billion of government help"...Tough Shit!

Yes, this has struck a cord with me and for a long time I debated not writing about my current situation but the time has come...

TIMELINE
2004-Purchased a beautiful 2BD/2BA condo on an 80/20 loan from Wells Fargo
2005-Refinanced with a 'douche bag' loan shark (husband of my wife former employee) that slipped in an Interest only loan unannounced to me. Yes I trusted a mutual friend and banker...stupid I know I'll learn!
2006-Attempted to sell the condo after an inflated market drove our price up to nearly double what we paid. Awesome until....the market dropped quicker than we could drop our price
2007-Decided to rent our property
2008-REAL ESTATE takes the ultimate plunge and equally sized condos quickly are being placed in foreclosure or bankruptcy in our complex for half of what we paid

DO THE MATH: Yes you read correctly...hypothetically lets say we paid $100 for our house, which inflated to $200 and is now priced with foreclosures and bankruptcy at $50. Your starting to see my frustration with the banks.

The banks created loans for people who couldn't afford homes, and so more people with more loans = more money for the banks. Now the government is throwing money at the banks to help them stay afloat = more money for banks...meanwhile people foreclose and go bankrupt driving current real estate prices through the floor. We are seeing the next problem with banks now too stingy to loan or refinance people, even the responsible people, to hopefully avoid more foreclosure or bankruptcy's. Well, their cry for more money is not being heard by me...let them fail! Many of us will still be in the same situation either way regarding our loan headaches...heck, we may even be better off when they go under!

U.N. and North Korea to meet at the bike racks @ 3pm!

In case you need some preface to this story, North Korea and the UN Security Council are fighting like big children. North Korea said "We're going to conduct nuclear and missile tests unless the U.N. apologizes", to which the U.N. replied "it's impossible to retract that statement."


Apologize or else?

Roller Coaster Weekend

Over the past week our family has seen great sorrow and great joy. Suffering the loss of an unexpected death (Michael) in the family makes you question your faith, and on the other hand the marriage of two people (Chuck and Heather) helps to reinforce it. I guess why its called Faith!

Twitter today...

Gone tomorrow! Or at least that's my take on the latest fad. WHY?

It doesn't generate the money to stay afloat at this point, and notably so stating that "we spend more money than we make"! In addition they offer little vision for the future other than to state "we plan to build Twitter, Inc into a successful, revenue-generating company that attracts world-class talent with an inspiring culture and attitude towards doing business" HOW?

They attempt to get brownie points riding Apples success stating that "we all work on Macintosh computers except for testing purposes".

Partnerships are going to need to be made to maintain success and buzz in the public eye, but this is also the beauty of the Internet. It's easy in but also easy out...

Simply the Best Athlete Ever

If you've read my blog before you'll recall me writing about this "untouchable" individual (Tiger Woods). He provied it once again this past week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, even despite being out of mix for a while.

It's no doubt in my mind that he truly is the best athlete ever!