Rough Day

It's weird.

Thursdays used to be my favorite day of the week. Mainly because I still had the UW business school mentality: Fridays off. 3 day weekends.

And I was able to pull that through the past few years. Every now and then I'll bump in to a bad one though. We all do.

So, [vent]

This morning I woke up 40 minutes before my alarm went off, even after not being able to sleep until about an hour after I usually go to sleep. I've been sleeping in the past few days so I guess one day without much sleep isn't that big of a deal. I hope I don't make it 2 in a row tonight.

Anyway, I wake up yawning. A lot. I hate that.

Sit down at the computer to call Countrywide. My home lender for the investment property. After 15 minutes of a hold time, I finally get through to Josh. Yes. That is his real name. I didn't get his lats name unfortunately, but he was a condescending dick.

I was just calling to check the rate on investment properties. All I wanted was the rate for a 30 year fixed. And kept throwing numbers at me. Left and right. Telling me that if I had an "interest and principal payment"...WTF? What kind of loan are you referring to? I'm only looking for a 30 year fixed. Then I get in to an argument with him about rates in regards to the fed buying up the t-notes. Awesome.

Anyway, the end result is that I find out that the rate is a bit higher than it was a month ago when I last checked them - which makes absolutely no sense to me seeing as how the fed is buying up the t-notes. I come to find out that instead of a $140 difference in my mortgage a month later I am being offered a $60 difference. A difference of $960 a year.

Dicked.

All while this conversation is going on, I am thinking of selling out of my UNG. Nat gas April options. I had done well, buying in at $15 and getting ready to sell if we broke over $18...again. See, it had broken over $18 last week, but unfortunately I couldn't sell any of it because I was on my way to the first round of the big dance. In a car. Without internet access.

Why was I thinking of selling? Because they were going to reporting inventory numbers today and I knew I shouldn't hold through it. I got effing greedy. And because of that, I paid. It hurts to lose more than a paycheck in a day. A lot.

Top that off with me shorting the market throughout the day and not working? Yeah, that was a lot of fun.

And work today was a bitch. I mean, really, it wasn't. But why, on my worst days, do I have to end the day with the most frustrating of situations? Why can't I get that before lunch so I can take lunch to cool off? It's murphy's law.

So I finally get off work. The plan was to drink a few beers and watch the game. The beers fell through. I had placed a few bets on the games and just like the rest of my day the first game was fucking me over.

The lid was on the hoop for Purdue. I had a 4 way parlay that would've paid me some of my monthly paycheck back that I had lost earlier in the morning...that missed by 3 points because of STUPID Purdue. Well UConn too. But they did their part by putting up 72. I only needed 63 from Purdue. But NOPE.

Luckily I made 4 other separate bets, of course, 3 of which hit so sportsbetting it was only a down $10 day. No biggie. Still, it should have been a much more successful day sportsbetting than it actually was.

Cringing from the ugly first game of UConn/Purdue I decided to go shoot some hoops. Control my own play.

Something must have happened throughout the day. The day had gotten to my head, in turn affecting my shot. Every shot was short. I considered myself lucky when shots would go in. I played against a guy with long fingernails and he scratched the hell out of my arm.

I left before everyone else from the gym with my tail between my legs. What a freaking embarassment.

[/vent]

I lost the battle today. But tomorrow is another day. And to make things even better tomorrow is Friday.

I still have my health and everyone that is most important to me does too. And that's what counts that most. Sometimes it just seems like the worlds out to get you and you need to type...furiously.

I feel much better now though. I think I may even crack a smile before I go to bed.

Too Serious

Don't have much time to write.

But that's OK. Because sometimes I don't like to fit my standard blogging style. Some reason I feel like I have to make some sort of point. Or maybe write enough to try and reach that point. So that I don't waste a post.

That's ridiculous.

And lately, I've been much too serious. I don't know what my deal is. Really I think I'm a happier - or more light hearted kid than this blog lets on.

So knowing that, I'd like to move on.

Tiger Woods is on sportscenter right now. For some reason I feel like I look like him. My mouth isn't as wide. Shockingly. My eyebrows aren't as curved, but I'm sure he gets them done. I guess my hair isn't even close to his. But I did buy a red nike golf polo for my golf on Sundays. Hats don't really wear well on me, so unfortunately I can't go for the full look. But I've got the black slacks and the black nike golf shoes. I think I've got Halloween lined up for next year now...

I had to change from the Travel Channel to ESPN just a few minutes ago. Why? Because I have a really hard time watching food in HD. What was on tonight was "Man vs. Food". The food channel kills me too. I ate more than enough for dinner tonight, and yet we've got "Man" (cause I can't remem...oh wait, it's Adam Richardson right? Awesome there goes a childhood memory...) traveling around North Carolina...and eating BBQ.

These people hate us. Anthony Bourdain. Rachel Ray. Paula Dean. Adam Richardson.

They travel around the world, eating excellent food and getting paid for it. You might be asking, shouldn't we hate them? No. Maybe. They thumb their noses at us and lay it all out there like boastful pigs in HD. That's how much they hate us.

Anyway, I got up and headed to the pantry to see what we had to solve the growling of my bowels (plural I guess? Hella smart) after watching pigs that were cut in half die a second grusomely tasty death over a bed of hot charcoal. Growl bowel. I saw cereal bars. Cereal. Canned fruit, beans, some sponges, sauces and chips. Uhhh, cereal bar it is I guess. And I can't help but sit here thinking about how stupid I look drooling over my BBQized TV and munching on a 90 calorie special K cereal bar. Douchetastic.

Do you ever talk shit to the TV? I do. I'm skeptical of everything. "Knowing" is the #1 movie in America. #1 at what? There is no disclaimer on what it is #1 on. Does anyone actually go see a movie because it's #1? This never has worked on me. Sure it might have bolstered my viewing opinion after I had seen the movie...I might think, "Hey, I helped to make that movie #1!" at what though, I'm not sure. This movie is #1 in America for Filipinos with the first name of "Seth" that live in Washington. See, they just leave everything after "for" off. I don't think anyone overthinks things like this. This is exactly why sometimes I have trouble sleeping. Thinking about whether or not I bought Scott's turf builder for my lawn because of the price at Costco or because of the commercial...

The guy on the Saturn commercial says, "Not a day goes by that someone doesn't ask me, 'What's going on with Saturn?' Well, let me tell you what's going on with Saturn, we're still here." Well shit guy. I hope you are. I don't know where you would go to. And honestly, I'm not sure if you'll be here for much longer. Sad. Seriously though? What the eff kind of marketing ploy is "We're still here." Is it like a "just in case you were wondering" sort of deal? Because I don't know many people who wonder that.

I really wish Obama would do stand up.

And his wife could play in the WNBA. Omg perfect.

On that note, it's time to sleep.

Basketball Players I Hate

I love to play basketball.

I love to play most sports in fact. But probably the one I'm most skilled in is basketball. And you hardly ever have to pay to play, so it's definitely a good sport for me.

However, in almost every game I play, there is always one.

Always some guy out there that I just cringe over. And yes, I definitely cringe over my game at times, but I try my best to avoid acting as one (or many) of the following list:

-A boy among men. You always have that friend. Or a friend of a friend. Or maybe just some guy that you picked up off the street to complete your 3 on 3 game. This friend has a little bit of skill - but - they're 5'5. Or shorter. They run around the court with a sad frown on their face knowing that they're never going to get the ball and if they do they're jacking it up from "munchkin land" aka 3 feet past the NBA line and air balling it feebly because their arm strength is proportional to their height. Meaning he couldn't bench the bar with a spotter. You feel bad for the guy, but since he's a man of similar age you feel no remorse when you block the shit out of him as he kisses your nutsack. You post him up mercilessly and run down the court with an evil grin on your face as you can hear his teammates complaining under their breath.

-(D)allas Maverick. No defense. I hate people who don't play defense. Put your hands up! Move your feet! Don't foul, don't reach, crash the boards. Basketball has 2 main aspects. Play both. I want to scream when a guy gives up on a play because he knows the other team's got a 3 on 2 fast break. Guess what? Maybe if you got your ass back on defense the numbers would be more even. The Maverick is prone to cherry picking because they typically don't like to pass half court to play the other side of the ball. Somehow magically they're always open halfway down the court after you worked your ass off to grab a board.

-Payton. Just can't handle the smack talk. Supposedly he was one of the best, but as soon as those jaws start yapping I just want to punch them shut. Enough said.

-And 1. The showboat. The behind my back, bounce it off the backboard, catch it then pass it through your legs player. The guy who comes out with the headband and arm sleeve, decked out in Jordan attire and latest Nike shoes and will dribble the ball between his leg about 30 times before actually passing (or god forbid shooting). Basketball is a team sport. And ESPN is not taping this game so you can see your highlights possibly make tonight's "Top 10". Sometimes it's just sad seeing all that talent go to waste.

-Kobe. This one probably isn't very fair. Because I love Kobe. He's probably one of my favorite players right now. But he definitely has his nights (don't we all?). You don't get to scoring an average of 30 points a game without jacking it up. Years ago I'd look at the boxscore of some of the lakers game and the news title would say, "Kobe drops 42 in losing effort to the Spurs." And then you do a little bit of digging in to the game and realize he went 14 for 40. Forty shots. And sure, his teammates know. You keep feeding the scorer. But still, there isn't something more productive the team couldn't do with those other 26 possessions where he probably jacked it up through a double team? The Kobe type player definitely has skill, but at times they just need to know when to stop. Give it up. Go for assists and rebounds and help your team that way. If the shot just isn't coming that night or day work on being that role player the other 4 guys on the floor play every night for you.

-Jordan. Ah. This is probably the one I most associate myself with. No, I'm not saying by any means I've got Jordan's skills. But I've definitely got his desire...to win. Nothing else matters but winning. And when things get in the way of my goal I start to push. I push myself. I push my teammates. And with Jordan (at least from the stories I've heard from previous teammates) he was unrelenting. He'd berate his teammates on the court. In the locker room. Call them up and let them know they weren't pulling their weight. And when he was asked about how harsh he was being on his teammates he responded with something like, "They're grown men. They can handle it." Damn right. There is a reason Jordan transcended the game. It's because he won. He created winning teams. And if that meant he wasn't best friends with everybody, so be it. There's a reason for the 80/20 rule. And Jordan defines part of it.

-Mike Jensen. Good ole Mike. Played center for the Huskies while I was in college. All the height in the world but loved to the shoot the 3. Just like the boy among men this guy is the exact opposite. He stands a half foot or even a foot higher than anyone he's around. Why? Because he's out in "munchkin land" jacking up those threes. Last I checked, if you can raise your hand and grab the net it'd probably be in your best interest to be closer to it. Know your role. God didn't give you that height for you to be lining up the tres.

-The Vag. This guy falls to the ground when he gets fouled. Immediately grabs his ankle, screams and looks like he's going to start crying. He gets really angry when you slap him and wants to quit playing after a scratch. This player will constantly call "time out" because they get the wind knocked out of them or their tampon fell out. No one likes the vag but secretly they like to let him play because they hope to hurt him (accidentally of course - and not too bad) because nothing makes them happier than saying, "Seriously man? C'mon" as the vag is writhing on the ground in pain.

-The Coach. The coach has been around. He's got more of a basketball mind than an actual game. Sure, his ideas might be good - but it's just like a dictatorship. His ideas only work in very small groups - meaning only for him. You can't draw up imaginary X's and Y's on your palm and expect everyone to know what the hell you were talking about as we're walking out on the court. You can't say "man press" or "box and 1" in the middle of a play and think everyone will magically create your formation within seconds. What I hate most about the coach is that when he gets the ball he expects everyone to move for him. He'll hold the ball up high and point to other players on his team. Screaming at them to to screen away, or screen for him, or cut to the hoop. The coach will pull you aside in the middle of a pick up game and tell you where to go and when and where to shoot the ball. Embarrassing.

-The Idiot. The exact opposite of the coach. This guy is like a chicken running around with his head cut off. He is out setting double screens, and then rolling the wrong way off the pick. He's boxing out nobody under the hoop as the rebound bounces away from him (not that he ever knew he was boxing out to begin with). He is completely lost in a zone and constantly loses his man in man defense. The idiot is throwing up the half court prayer when there's still 28 seconds on the clock and you're only down by one. These are some of the hardest types of ball players to deal with, because the effort is there - but they just don't get it. Maybe they didn't play team basketball as a kid. Maybe watching basketball on TV with all their "terms" completely flies over their head. But somehow, because of this player it's like you're playing 4 on 5. And you just don't have the heart to teach them hoping they'll just "get it" one afternoon.

-The Ref. In general, I dislike refs in basketball. I've always thought from all the pick up games I've played in (read - without refs), games get called pretty evenly. There is always give and take in basketball, but unfortunately sometimes there's the one guy who likes to take a lot more than everyone else. Calling travels. Carries in street ball. Arguing every out of bounds. Calling fouls for other players on his team while he personally does not have the ball himself. Counting fouls on opposing players and informing them they "would've fouled out already had this been a real game". Taking charges and then calling them in favor of himself 100% of the time. I cannot stand refs. Out of the entire list I've already written they are the worst.

Writing this list was a bit therapeutic for me because I know I at times I can play a part of each of these. Hopefully if any of this sounds familiar we can all take steps to make a better game - because there is nothing more satisfying than a competitive basketball game...as long as I win.

Paradigm Shift

The revolution is currently being and will continue to be televised.

Every morning I wake up to the same news. I read it on the internet all throughout the day. In the afternoon I catch something on Oprah about it. And before I go to sleep the evening news makes sure to take one more shot at it.

The feedback loop, media fighting for ratings, and even small guys like me. We're all contributing to it. The continuing death spiral. Which won't stop until we get that death rattle.

Home sales continue to slump. Inventories continue to grow. Prices decline to their lowest levels in 20 years. Unemployment reaches their highest level in 20 years. Companies which were once large and proud have now lost 95% of their revenue levels in comparison with the same time last year, or in certain situations are losing the billions of dollars that the US taxpayers are fronting them.

Change is already happening.

There are a few things that really scare me though.

First and most importantly right now - that the US GDP is made up 70% of the US consumer. Since November and the market "crash" (I use quotations because all major indices are now lower than our lowest point intraday in November 2008) the US savings rate has gone from a negative rate - which it has been since the early 90s to quickly popping to a positive rate of 5%.

Hopefully you can do the math, but since this is my blog, I'll spell it out for everyone reading. If people aren't spending anymore, and the majority of our GDP relies on those same people spending...lower and lower we'll go.

What an awesome conundrum.

Secondly with the government doing everything in their power to help "stimulate" this economy (quotations used for sarcasm - thanks for my $20 tax break every month) they're dumping money on us left and right. Well not necessarily us - but on companies who decide to go and lose it. Because they were "too big to fail".

With all the dollars flying with more and more blank checks being written this is going to cause hyperinflation. And I thought the silver lining to this whole recession was going to be that gas would remain around $2 for the foreseeable future.

Not for long. OPEC is pissed. They've gone from a $100 profit margin just last summer to a little over $10. Wouldn't you be angry too? So they're cutting production. Hopefully you're doing the math on these too. But this equation has more than 1 answer:

Inflation of our dollar plus ridiculous amounts of spending by the government plus commodity prices skyrocketing = some form of taxation somewhere along the line to pay off what will be an astronomical deficit and people who can't even afford food with whatever they have left after the government takes more than half of it.

So here is where the paradigm shift is happening. People are realizing how wasteful they were even just last year. They're battening down the hatches. But what do you get when you have a sailboat without a sail? Lots of bobbing in the ocean, really going nowhere.

So we'll go from one extreme to the another. I don't know if it will be as ostentatious as I describe, but I like to dream.

We'll go from the stated income sub slime 1 income households somehow affording the half a million dollar home to the family that rents a 1 bedroom apartment close to work so they can walk there (assuming they still have a job).

Suddenly going off the grid won't be just for the truly outrageous green heads.

Sustainability - self sustainability will replace the house in the hamptons with the bentley and rolls royce out front. Can you imagine people on Cribs showing off their solar panels, the wind turbines in their backyard, the desalination machines (hopefully small enough to be provided to each community) and the irrigation they set up for their own organic farms?

I would love it. Sure, we don't all have the ability to do this now. But certain economic factors in the near future may force our hand to adopt some of these things or better yet to adapt.

But here's the thing - if you farm your own land, and provide your own power and heat, keep quality items of clothing that are durable - what do you need money, or "credit" for again? Remind me again why we had to keep this US economy churning at almost 90%+ employment levels for decades?

The shift will be in the definition of success. For so long the American dream has included a bit of excess with it. Doesn't the word "American" connote a bit of pigging out?

It's definitely time for a change.

I think it will be beautiful. People will begin to focus less on material items and more on the people that they are - the relationships that they have with others. Because what else will be left when we rid ourselves of all the distractions - all the "shiny things"?

As I wrote in a previous blog post:

Consume less. Live more.