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.

"We are not quitters."

I just finished watching the President's Address to Congress and I couldn't help but cheer along with a lot of others out there.

At the least, I can say he's trying. Of course, all of us would be up in arms if we thought he wasn't. Or at least I would be.

Personally, I am worried about all the stimulus. Tax payers bailing out everyone that sticks out a hand for some. I wrote about this in previous posts.

But now Obama is saying that the deficit will be cut in half in 10 years. A lot can change in 10 years. I'll almost be 40.

And thinking about that, I want to look back over those last 10 years and say, "Wow, I'm amazed we came out of that mess. I am thankful for the steps that were taken to avoid catastrophe."

I definitely don't want to be saying anything else.

I'd like to make a few points in regards to the speech. Points he made that really hit home.

First off - and typically most importantly to me is the bottom line.

Recovery.gov I think is an interesting step. I am skeptical of it - I think the government can give us 80% of what they're really spending - I mean for security precautions alone we don't want to air out our financials to the rest of the world just because for transparency sake.

I don't like the fact that 95% of US tax payers will be receiving a tax cut in a month. Will I take it? Yes. But give responsible Americans like myself who love this country (more on that later) the choice. The option. Do I want a tax credit of a little over $1,300 this year? Again, I will take it. But if we had the option to? I honestly believe there are Americans out there who believe if their money is put to good use, they don't mind giving up these tax breaks. Even if we get a small minority of Americans out there who can check the box that says, "Keep my money US government. It's better for our country." I can almost guarantee that 20% of the 95% of US tax payers that will be getting that cut are willing to do it. It might take a movement...but it could happen. I have even suggested to friends that I'd be willing to not receive tax returns for the next few years if it meant keeping this country afloat.

The tax break is money I never had - nor expected. A tax break isn't really going to do me any good. The stimulus we received last year was promptly deposited in to savings. As long as I keep my job and continue down my same financial path, I will be just fine (or even better than fine). I understand that there are those out there who are doing worse than me, and instead of giving me a tax break, I'd rather let them have my money. Seriously.

I believe the 3 things Obama touched on during his speech are extremely important - Energy, Healthcare and Education. I couldn't agree more with focusing on these 3 items. I love the idea of renewable energy and not relying upon other countries for it. We'll need a strong focus on healthcare as the largest generation ever to live in this country is quickly approaching retirement. And the school systems in this country are a joke. Without a focus on educating those who will be contributing to an American society in the future there will be no future for this country.

2 parts that hit home from the speech on education:

"And dropping out of high school is no longer an option. It's not just quitting on yourself; it's quitting on your country."

"I speak to you not just as a president, but as a father when I say that responsibility for our children's education must begin at home. That is not a Democratic issue or a Republican issue. That's an American issue."

Amazing. When I look back at my formative educational years I see my parents. Getting me excited for reading. For math. Congratulating me for performing well in school. It is not just on the schools to teach the children. And to think of all those kids dropping out of high school. No longer seeing the point. Becoming dependent upon a government that subsidizes their lives instead of contributing. It's sad that it's come to this.

Obama once again harped on hope. He talked about the crossroads at which we stand. On this I have to be skeptical too. Again, I would prefer to be sitting here 10, 20 or even 40 years from now saying we did it right. But after reading excerpts from The Fourth Turning (for cliff notes you can read this) I realize that this might be bigger than all of us. The pattern appears everywhere you look in nature. Each living thing must have a period of growth, then stagnation, then decline and finally death. As I have been saying to those that are close to me - I don't want my lifetime to be during the "decline" or even "death" phase of the United States. Sure it sounds a little bit dramatic (and I hope it ends up being only that), but if things don't start turning up in the next few years we could be headed down a very scary death spiral.

But I want to believe.

I realized tonight what I was going to do once I had enough money to be comfortable. I realized I would spend a good amount of time/effort and money in service. Because before I just wanted enough money to not have to work anymore. But I never knew why I wanted that money. I'm starting to understand now why so many of the "successful" people in this country have gifted their time and money to charity. It's not just to feel good about themselves - but it's to leave this world a better place by being here.

To end this post, I'm going to quote the speech once again because it was probably one of the strongest oratorical closes I have ever seen or heard:

"I think about Ty'Sheoma Bethea, the young girl from that school I visited in Dillon, South Carolina, a place where the ceilings leak, the paint peels off the walls, and they have to stop teaching six times a day because the train barrels by their classroom.

She had been told that her school is hopeless. But the other day after class, she went to the public library and typed up a letter to the people sitting in this chamber. She even asked her principal for the money to buy a stamp.

The letter asks us for help and says, "We are just students trying to become lawyers, doctors, congressmen like yourself, and one day president, so we can make a change to not just the state of South Carolina, but also the world. We are not quitters."

That's what she said: "We are not quitters." These words...

These words and these stories tell us something about the spirit of the people who sent us here. They tell us that, even in the most trying times, amid the most difficult circumstances, there is a generosity, a resilience, a decency, and a determination that perseveres, a willingness to take responsibility for our future and for posterity.

Their resolve must be our inspiration. Their concerns must be our cause. And we must show them and all our people that we are equal to the task before us.

I know...

I know that we haven't agreed on every issue thus far.

There are surely times in the future where we will part ways. But I also know that every American who is sitting here tonight loves this country and wants it to succeed.

I know that.

That must be the starting point for every debate we have in the coming months and where we return after those debates are done. That is the foundation on which the American people expect us to build common ground.

And if we do, if we come together and lift this nation from the depths of this crisis, if we put our people back to work and restart the engine of our prosperity, if we confront without fear the challenges of our time and summon that enduring spirit of an America that does not quit, then some day, years from now, our children can tell their children that this was the time when we performed, in the words that are carved into this very chamber, "something worthy to be remembered."

Seth's Tips On Saving

I just spent the last 30 minutes reading through posts I have made on this blog that include the word "saving" to make sure I haven't written this before.

I haven't. But I had to read a lot of stuff. Man I write too much sometimes. Ah well. Some of the stuff I read I was actually impressed by (meaning I can't believe I could have written something like that). In all honesty I feel like my writing has gone way down hill since early 2008 from what some of the posts I just read.

I should have written this post 6 months ago. Maybe a year ago. Maybe then if someone could change their mentality on their finances (just from reading my blog! Yeah right!) they would have had a head start on what has finally been defined as a "recession".

I save a lot. I always have. I really don't know why. It's almost become a sort of Catholic guilt sort of thing. For example - do not submit to temptation and by doing so you find salvation? I use a question mark there because I'm not sure. But for me, saving is definitely a challenge. And every time I complete that challenge it makes me feel a little bit better about things. About how I'm doing.

How much am I saving you might ask? Over 20% of what I earn. To be exact, 23%. I figure by saving so much I should easily be able to reach my retirement goals.

But this isn't about retirement. It's about saving.

So if you're having trouble saving maybe some of my tips can help.

-The most important question I ever ask of myself when buying anything or paying for anything is this: Do I really need this? Or do I want this?

This question alone has probably saved me thousands of dollars since I began earning my own money. Because it's typically not the big ticket items that I spend money on. It's the every day expenses. For example, today I had an appointment outside of work during the lunch hour. Sure, I was starving. Yes, I was surrounded by strip mall food goodness. Yes, McDonald's value menu is probably the least expensive meal I could eat right now outside of the house. But there was food waiting for me at home. Free food. Leftovers.

And as I was driving by those golden arches, I looked over and felt good about my decision. Not only did I not needlessly spend $3 on food that wasn't healthy for me, I also avoided wasting leftover food that was waiting for me in the fridge. Because everyone knows if something sits in the fridge for long enough, it isn't long before it ends up in the trash (or in the deep back corner buried under something until you clean out your fridge. Gross).

This question solves any material desire for me almost immediately. Do I need a new car? Absolutely not. Do I need new shoes? Probably not for another 6 months at the earliest. Do I need a new pair of jeans?

Yes.

I did.

So here was how I came about that answer:

The last pair of jeans I purchased was in 2004. I bought them for a little over $30. Over the past 5 years I've probably worn them at least twice a week (this takes in to account not wearing them over the summer months). Over 5 years that's roughly about 500 times I wore them. $30 divided by 500 times the jeans were worn equals six cents per use. Do you think about your clothes this way? Because you should. I hate hearing women reference their expensive name brand clothes as an "investment". Would your Jimmy Choos that you bought for $400 get worn even 100 times before you got tired of them?

And I understand that people definitely want to use their money to buy things they want too. So do I. But before I do I always wait at least a week. And I'm talking about more expensive items ($50 or more for me). Not the cookie every now and then (although those can add up too). The reason I wait a week is because I want to see if my feelings are still the same about whatever I'm wanting to purchase a week from when I first wanted it. In fact, I think the longest I ever waited to purchase something was 3 months. It took me that long to decide the money was worth it. Not only will your decision be solid if you give yourself time - you'll more than likely avoid a lot of buyer's remorse that comes with impulse buys. Also, I've found that by giving yourself time I tend to fall out of want for a specific product. It's just not as desireable after some time - but if it is for you then by all means go for it.

Also, by taking time before you purchase you'll give yourself the ability to shop around. See what other retailers are offering it for. Check ebay or craigslist to see if you can find it used (if you don't mind that). Check Amazon. See if you can find a discount code or a coupon for what you want. And when you know you've found the best price go back to your original retailer that was selling the item and barter. Haggle. Tell them to price match your best price and beat the other guys by 10%. Stores are hurting right now and a lot of them are willing to make deals to move inventory.

I can't count how many times - and this is hard for a lot of people - I've complained about a service or product and been given a break. My last oil change took a 25% cut in cost because the guy running the cashier asked me how their service was and I said, "Great, but a little expensive". Didn't like the movie you just walked out of or the dinner you just ate? Free movie passes or a dessert on the house should be on their way as long as you speak to someone in a position to make that happen for you. You work hard for your money, it shouldn't be wasted on things you don't - or didn't enjoy.

Another tip I have is to make saving automatic. I know that other financial gurus have recommended this, but I have something to add to it: Struggle with your saving being automatic. Automatic saving should not be easy. It should be like having to pay one of your major bills every month. Like the rent or the mortgage or possibly even the credit card bill. First of all - take advantage of your company's 401K. If your company matches any sort of percentage of your income you are throwing away free money by not contributing. Second, set up your automatic transfers and make the transfers in to something you can't just easily take out of. A roth IRA is a good place to put your money. CDs. Online savings accounts that don't have ATM withdrawal availability. Think about how much spending money you have every month (hopefully you have some) and take a huge chunk of it and set it up on automatic withdrawal. The first few months it may be hard getting used to, but if you have the proper discipline your spending habits will adjust so it isn't that much of a struggle.

If there's no struggle at all though, then you aren't saving enough. If it's too hard then cut back a little bit on the savings. But don't succumb to stopping the savings completely or withdrawing from the savings accounts. Check your savings account quarterly (or even less) to avoid the temptation. Hopefully you're like me and the larger your accounts get the less you want to take any money from them.

Cut Costs. Working at a couple banks during my college years really helped to develop my understanding of personal finances. Why? Because I would deal with people every day who didn't know what they were doing with their money. And because of their idiocy they were charged fee after fee after fee until they contacted me to let me know how great they thought our company was. What nice people. But you know what? 99% of the time it wasn't the banks fault. It was theirs.

I used to talk to people who would complain to me about the overdraft fees that kept hitting their account. And every time I would see at least one of these charges on either their credit card or bank account:

-Starbucks/McDonalds/Tully's charges for $3+ every morning.
-Higher than average cell phone bill
-Higher than average cable provider bill
-Lunch receipts Monday through Friday
-Restaurant/Bar tabs every other night
-Large retail store charges every weekend/every couple of days
-Large car payment/insurance payment
-Charges at the hairdresser, salon or spa
-Charges for vacations - hotels, flights.

And I just used to sigh and just shake my head at these people. If you have ZERO dollars to your name, or even worse in many of their cases less than zero, why were you doing any of this? Something that used to make me so angry is that they would be calling me about a $30 fee that we charged them which they incurred after they were charged $120 from their cable provider.

I used to want to scream, "You don't have any money! Where do you get off getting the premium platinum package from Comcast?! Does having all of the movie channels/sports channels and other channels that you probably never watch - are those worth the extra $90 that you're paying?!"

But I never did. A fool and his money...

I pride myself on cutting costs. The wife cuts my hair every month (savings of $20/month). I don't drink coffee. ($60/month). I go out for lunch once a month. ($100/month). I work from home so I fill up on gas once a month and have very little insurance coverage. ($150/month). I go for free entertainment - basketball at the local gym or taking the dog to the dog park. I go to happy hour if I want to drink or eat to save on the full price of merriment. (At least $100/month). And sure, those charges may not seem like much, but over an entire year or even lifetime they definitely add up. Every dollar counts.

I could go on about where I cut costs in my life, but I think with what is happening in this economy, hopefully most people will start to get the idea.

It's never too late to start, and if you're already doing right by your accounts well then keep on pushing. I'll be right here continuuing to save if you need any motivation.

Hair Cuts, Streaks, An Ideal Sunday

Hair

About once every month I get my hair cut.

The wife does the hair cutting. I haven't paid for a haircut since high school. So almost 10 years now.

I just decided that I was only going in for a buzz anyway and so my sister took over. And from there, it was over. No more paying $15 a haircut, or $20 including tip. I used to hate the drive home from wherever I had had my hair cut. Somehow a few little hairs had gone down my shirt and itched like hell. Why was I tipping for this again?

So that's why I finally decided to get my own clippers. Sure it took some getting used to for those that cut my hair, but after a few goes at it they had perfected the science. Yes, every now and then my hair would be lopsided, but then again so was my head. I could always fix anything with my electric shaver.

Almost every time I get my hair cut I feel like I've shed a layer off of myself. I mean I have cut dead cells off of me, removed some weight - easier access to my scalp. One of the best feelings is drying off my freshly shaved head with a towel. And then slipping on that t-shirt and having the shirt rub against my head - almost like some ridiculous sandpaper.

Unfortunately when I shave my head I look terrible. I love to have my hair super short, but I need something to cover this ridiculous noggin - or as people have put in the past, watermelon on a toothpick. There's something about having my head shaved that makes me feel almost like a superhero.

Streaks

Over the past couple of weeks I've been on a pretty ridiculous streak. In sports betting I turned $35 in to $150 (only on multiple $5 bets). I hit a couple parlays - would've won a lot more money if it hadn't been for the freaking Steelers. Also, I was down to about $39 on my online poker account. This obviously doesn't seem like much (it isn't) but when I think about how I've been playing on $100 that I deposited last May it's provided me days worth of entertainment only for roughly $60. Over the past 2 weeks I have been unstoppable online playing poker also. I play in $2 tournaments so just like the sports betting it's a pretty amazing feat to really make any money on small bets. At the time that I write this my poker account balance has grown to almost even: $91.

I deposited money back in to my market trading account on January 3rd. Since then the market had the worst January it has ever had. And yet, since depositing the money I've made over $2,000 which equates to over 5% return. Now in comparison to the money that I've been gambling with that is some serious money.

I've been thinking a lot for the past couple of days about how I've been on this streak of winning financially. Every time I thought of it I didn't want to admit to myself that I was going through it - reason being the fear of it turning on a dime. Because this is how my life is. I streak to the winning side, and just the same streak to the losing side.

Right now, things are going very well. I want to stop it all just to insure that it doesn't turn on me. But who am I kidding? I am an action junkie.

Realistic Ideal Sunday

About halfway through the day today I thought about how this was a pretty awesome Sunday. I was sitting here on the laptop, dog sleeping soundly next to me. I was checking out lines and setting my parlay bets for the mornings NBA games. I had 2 poker tournaments lined up and felt confident.

Back to back games - San Antonio Spurs at the Boston Celtics and then the LA Lakers at the Cleveland Cavaliers. Flipping back and forth between those games and the college games that were going on. Notre Dame and UCLA. Purdue and Illinois. And the afternoon game of UW at Stanford.

Sports in HD, plus a comfy couch, a warm sleeping dog. Sportsbetting, poker. No rain outside. Warm enough that I didn't freeze when I took the dog on her daily stroll. Plenty of leftovers in the fridge for lunch.

We went to costco to pick up some things - groceries for the weekend, cleaning supplies. Then had dinner with the family to celebrate the sister's birthday. I think it's always best to end the weekend with laughs.

The only thing that could've made the day better was a little bit of physical activity. I wanted to play basketball but it wasn't available today.

So when I think about my day it may seem a bit lazy to everyone else, but for me it was perfect.

Somewhere Out There

I never write a post like this.

So I figure I should.

As I was sitting there at McMenamins this evening I was thinking about the time I was in McMenamins in Portland, staring across the restaurant at 4 guys that looked like they were in their late 50s/early 60s and having the time of their lives.

Laughing and reminiscing about times long gone. Smiles on their faces as the pitchers were being passed around.

And I couldn't help but think...

Somewhere out there there is someone:

-Who is secretly (or openly) depressed about the NFL season coming to an end. The only thing he has to look forward to in fall of this year when the sport he cares about most starts up again.

-That's thinking about you. Or praying for you.

-Who will go to sleep content after having a pretty solid birthday dinner.

-Who won't be able to sleep because they're worried about what tomorrow holds.

-Who will receive a call in the middle of the night to receive terrible, life changing news.

-Who is worried about their job and being employed.

-Who is tucking in their child who means the world to them. Grabbing their teddy bear and placing them next to their child and pushing the covers under their feet and torso to wrap them up like a nice burrito. Protected and warm.

-Who is starving. Trying their hardest not to eat anything else while they struggle with their diet.

-Who is having a hard time telling the truth to someone. Who is having a hard time facing the truth themselves.

-Who's writing a blog post as the same time as me.

-Who thinks that it's going to be another ridiculous night filled with paid programming.

-Who can't put the book down. Or who skips ahead to see how many pages they have left until they finish this chapter.

-That's wishing that tomorrow was Friday, or even the weekend instead of just Wednesday.

-Still regretting what they did this weekend.

-Who saw fireworks during their first kiss with the person they've had a crush on for months.

-Who can't decide whether or not they should take a shower tonight.

-That's grateful for surviving.

-That is sighing; wondering if their shift will ever end.

-That is wondering how they ever got themselves in this position.

-Who starts their vacation in the Bahamas tomorrow.

-Who should not have gone for dessert with dinner tonight.

-Who is missing somebody right now.

-Who is using existential questions to make themselves feel small.

-Who is over thinking things.

-Who is wondering if a chair will be sturdy enough to stand on to change a light bulb. Or if they should get a ladder just to be safe.

-Who can't find something and is searching frantically for it.

-Who has been looking forward to this night for months. And what ended up happening exceeded all expectations.

-Who was completely surprised by a proposal.

-Who wishes they weren't so cheap and would pay the money to keep the heat on.

-Who is checking their phone, waiting for an important phone call.

-That will spend the night under the bridge again.

-That is getting ready for another day on the job.

-Who is wondering how they're going to deal with this diagnosis.

-That laughed so hard that they lost their breath and actually had tears streaming out of their eyes.

-Who hopes they made the right decision.

So there's billions of us out there. And I'm sure I only touched on a minuscule amount of what people were dealing with today. Sometimes it's just crazy to me to think about all the lives out there that don't stop because I am not a part of them (or ever were or ever will be). But we all continue to live our lives because we don't necessarily know any better.

Somewhere out there - like Fievel from An American Tail.

Weekend Partially Ruined

I almost wrote, "Weekend Ruined".

And as I was about to write that I did a quick replay of the weekend and it was actually pretty good. I've had worse.

On Friday afternoon I thought I was cruising in to the weekend. A few hours left to go, the sun was shining, nothing planned and hours of free time ahead of me.

And as I was sitting there, my ear started to hurt. Ah darnit I thought to myself as I figured it was another one of my ear infections coming on. I tend to have ear infections about 2 or 3 times a year. They show up, they annoy me, they're gone in 3 days. During that time my ear is stuffed up, I don't hear very well out of it, and I feel a little bit imbalanced. I just shrugged my shoulders and figured I'd have to suck it up through another infection.

But this one was different. The pain kept getting worse. And worse. And bad enough to the point that I was cringing and suddenly my last hour of work was the most painful hour of work I have ever worked before. Why? Because I have never been in pain at work. If I'm in pain it's usually a dull pain or I've called in sick.

What the hell was happening to me? It felt like my ear just had to pop. I don't think many people go through what I do while flying, but the pressure change really does a number on my ears. During the descent the pressure begins to build in my ears. It gets so bad that the only way I can describe is this: Imagine first of all being under water. You can't hear very well under water. Everything is muted. Add on top of that having someone take a very long pin...or a needle and digging it down in to your ear. But not just pressing horizontally in to your ear. Going in to your ear, then making an upside down "L" shape and moving downwards to your throat. Spinning it around like they were trying to make you bleed faster than you already were.

That is why I hate to fly.

This is what was happening to me on Friday afternoon. And I figured - oh, this will go away. It's been almost 2 hours now. It should go away soon.

The wife came home and it wasn't gone yet. And the pain was getting worse. My ear was popping and clicking like crazy. And now after the pops it sounded like someone was pouring water out of my ear. Or maybe water in. Either way it sounded like someone had put a conch up to my left ear.

Finally work was over and I went to lay down in bed. Bad idea. The clicking and popping in my ear was non-stop. And it wasn't like there was any sort of rhythm to it. I screamed out because I was so angry at the pain which had gotten worse (even though I thought it wasn't possible) and the annoying sound in my head that I had no control over.

The wife suggested we go see someone. I agreed. She called around. Next opening for a general doctor was Saturday morning. My ear, nose and throat doctor's next opening was February 9th. Great.

At almost 5 pm the pain was now excruciating and we decided I had to see someone now. The wife drove me to the Urgent Care facility in Woodinville. You get seen about as quickly as you would in the ER (believe me I've been to both a few times - I guess not with serious enough problems) and I laid my head on the wife's shoulder for an hour and moaned. Along with the popping in my ears came a new annoyance. I could feel liquid seeping out of my ear. Awesome, a brand new experience for me.

I finally was seen by the one doctor working who gave me about as much help as WebMD did before I left for Urgent Care.

"Looks like you've got a ruptured eardrum." She prescribed amoxycillan to help avoid infection and recommended I take ibuprofen for the pain. We left the office at 6:30 annoyed, but luckily the pain had gone from about as high as an 8 on a 10 scale down to a manageable 5 then 4. Add in a couple advil with dinner and I was fine that night.

The rest of the weekend has just been a bit challenging. About every few minutes I have to dab at my ear because otherwise yellow liquid will drip down my cheek. I sleep on a t-shirt so I don't get discharge all over my pillow sheet. A few of the times I reached up with a kleenex I came down with what I would call "presents". That's about as much as I'll say about that.

My hearing on my left side has gone down to about 10%. Which has been interesting. You don't know what you've got till it's gone. I stare at the TV blankly and miss half of what's being said. I ask for clarification from the wife on what she says everytime when she talks to my "bad side". I freak myself out by covering my "good ear" and seeing how much I can hear. Almost nothing. Like the teacher calling on Charlie Brown...muted noise.

I can't let any water in without the tymphanic membrane to protect my middle and inner ear. So without ear plugs I shower to one side and try my best to get the other side of my body washed without getting my ear wet.

It still hurts a bit and the popping comes and goes. I've read that this can take a few days to a few months to fully heal. Great. I've also read that if it doesn't heal that I've got to go in for surgery to fix it and that I may never regain my hearing ability. Perfect.

Why do all the weird physical ailments have to happen to me? At the least I'll never be digging around in my ear with those Q-tips again.

First Rando Post 2009

It's been awhile since I've done one of these.

And I actually just turned off the TV so I could concentrate.

Weird.

I usually can have the TV on in the background while I write these. Because I just leave the TV on for the background noise, and am not a huge fan of just listening to myself type.

It's almost as if I'm going to have a hard time writing a rando notes post because all of my recent posts have had a subject, theme or some sort of point. And I don't know if I'm random enough (right now) to make this worth my time. Ah well, I'm not that great of a writer anyway, and even the best had their terrible moments.

-I'll denote my change of thinking pattern/subject by the "-".

-I was at the gym today lifting and I'm not a huge fan of the gym layout. This is because of their lack of space and also because of their inexpensive monthly fee. The wife and I are now part of a gym membership where we pay $21 a month for both of us. And last month we were paying a whopping $37. So given how cheap the memberships are and throwing in the current economic climate along with soon-to-fail new year's resolutions, you have a bit of crowding in a gym that's already too small. So when you're on the machines you have someone that is about 4 feet in front of you, facing you, sweating, breathing hard and trying not to look at you too. I am constantly trying my best not to look at anybody. For about 30 minutes to an hour at least twice a week since I've been home I go to a place where I try to keep fit but stare at the floor. The more I write about this the more terrible going to the gym sounds. I better stop.

-Since I was a kid I was always embarrassed by how big my feet were. Everyone in my family (and friends) would make fun of my feet. Until the age of 14 my feet grew with my age (we started recognizing this when I was about 9 years old). To this day people still think I have big feet (I'm really not sure why, I'm kind of tall) but maybe it's easier to point out someones big feet than the big mole they have on their nose. Or the rolls in their neck. Who knows. So, since I was younger anytime I'd have my feet out I'd curl my toes in to basically what would make fists of my feet. At first it hurt to curl all of my toes under. But after doing it for so many years I just automatically do it now when I'm sitting down and my feet are exposed. It's comfortable for me. I also (somehow) think it keeps my toes warm too. I've never noticed anyone else curling their toes under when they sit down.

-For some reason I want a pair of light brown corduroys. And anytime I find a pair that I wear, it's not what I'm looking for. Is this what it's like to be a woman in regards to clothes? You can never find exactly what you want so you just end up settling for stuff that your return a month and a half later but end up fighting over the price of the return because suddenly the item you bought is now going for 30% less than it was when you bought it and instead of giving you the full refund the only way you could get the full refund is if you were given store credit but *ack* you don't even want to spend the time in the store now to go and find something to use your store credit with and struggle with whether or not it's worth it just to take the discounted price and have it credited to your card. Can't someone just think of what a guy who wants to wear a pair of corduroys wants to wear? No, I don't want tapered bottoms. No, I don't want FREAKING PLEATS. Omg I can't believe someone would wear corduroys with pleats on them. Not that I'm a fashion king or anything but if you ever caught me in corduroys in pleats please consider it a joke and not something I'm wearing seriously. And I want small cords. Not the big ones. Thanks.

-Losing weight is about math. I don't know if I posted this before or not. But it would seem to me that losing weight is easy enough if you stick to your math. Eat less calories, burn more calories = losing weight. That is what I am doing right now over the past few weeks. I am enjoying the working out as my last basketball game I had I was able to run full speed the entire game and at the end of it I was ready for another one. The eating part is tough though, going to sleep hungry is challenging for me. Hearing my stomach whine throughout the day is annoying. I want to punch it. So far, so good though. No noticeable change in body definition though (or so I think).

-Somewhere along the line over the past few years I learned how to tilt my head from side to side and crack my neck. And somehow, this feels good. Like cracking anything else, joints, knuckles, my back, all feels like some sort of tension has been released. But then I've read/heard about the guys who have tried really hard to crack their neck that one fateful time and have ended up killing themselves. Last night my neck would not crack at all. And I was laying there in bed thinking, if I could just twist my head a little bit harder and how freaky it would be to die right now, right before going to bed just because I was trying to crack my neck. It would be like my death would have been so pointless. If I'm going to die this early I at least want there to be some point to it.

-Teaching my dad to text has been one of the best things ever. I don't keep in contact with the parents as well as other people keep in contact with theirs. But that's just because we live near each other and try to see each other at least once a week. That is more than other people out there. But now I can text my dad random things instead of having to get a call from my parents once a week asking how things are and basically checking in on me. I just find it so odd that now I would rather text someone than hear their voice. Maybe it's the "hello" and "goodbye" that I like not having to use? Or maybe the listening? With a text I can just tell someone something and be done with it. I definitely will still call in a situation that's more emergent though. Wow, I'm impressed that "emergent" is a word.

-Two quotes I wanted to include on here: "Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it." And, "Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you've got." I just wanted to include those in here because they ring very true right now. If I can look at things in a different perspective maybe things are actually great. Perception is reality.

-When I was 13 I thought 18 was old. When I was 17 I thought 22 was geriatric. When I was 23 I thought that 28 was ancient. I am at a point now where I am realizing that people who are younger than me are thinking the same of me. Soon I'll be to a point where people look at me and say, "He is old". I honestly don't know how old people do it. I look at people that are just bags of bodies now, hairstyles from decades past or those with health issues walking around with their oxygen tanks. It scares the crap out of me knowing that might be me some day. If there's one thing I don't ever want to be it is old. But I know I'm old to some people. Over the past couple of weekends I've been breaking in to the Alma Mater to play basketball with "kids" that would consider me "ancient". 18 through 22 year old college kids who think they're hot shit and who may possibly know that they're bodies are at or near their prime. And I am keeping up if not doing well. I didn't recognize it until tonight but for me to be able to run with someone that is almost 10 years younger than me (sad to admit) is pretty amazing. They should be outrunning, outworking, outhustling me at every bounce of the ball. But they're not. So maybe I'm not as old as I actually thought I was as my younger self. Maybe when I start to slow down and admit to myself I can't keep up is when I'll hit that age wall. Not any time soon though hopefully.

-Obama is like Steve Sarkisian, the new coach of the UW football team. UW football as previously mentioned had the worst record ever in Pac-10 history last season. Therefore if "The Sark" even gets 2 wins this season (I'm guessing 4 myself) he'll be seen as a savior. Dear BO - you couldn't have had an easier act to follow. You probably won't live up to all the hype you came in with, but returning the country to a bit of normalcy (barf, hate that word) will be credited to you over the next 4 years.

Holler.

The LM Buyout

I was worried.

But things have turned out almost better than planned.

I thought - Oh no, here comes the big company that's going to come in slash and burn and work us to the bone. Am I going to lose my job? Are we all going to?

But here I sit, almost 15 days in to the buyout and I feel like I've got job security. And on top of that, it seems like things are better under Liberty Mutual than they were previously.

The sad thing was, literally a week before the buyout I was looking at our stock and saying, "You know, it's getting awfully cheap - like down to levels it hadn't seen for years". I almost pulled the trigger on picking up just 100 shares...and come to find out by the end of the week the announcement had been made. So here I sit, working for a company that is now a division of another company.

Pros

-I switch from a vacation system where I had basically 4 weeks of vacation and 2 weeks of sick time to one with "Flexible Time Off". This means that instead of distinguishing between "sick" and "vacation" I pull it from all one bank. Under the Safeco plan I got up to 19 days of vacation and 10 days of sick time. Under LM I've got 29 days of whenever time. Remind me to check how many days I can roll over to next year because I think I'm going to only need at most 19 of those...

-Tuition reimbursement has more than doubled. I believe the Safeco rate was at $2500 - which definitely would've been alright...if I was planning on going to undergrad for a quarter. LM's upped the ante to $6000. Still not full tuition reimbursement but I'll take whatever I can get.

-Merit based pay structure. My manager just informed me last week that LM is built more on a structure of pay for performance. This is different because although no one would ever admit it, Safeco was a good old company which paid for years of service and seniority, although those that may have been with the company for 10, 15 or even 25 years longer than I have might have been just an unproductive dinosaur waiting for that golden handshake. I'm interested to see my next few yearly reviews to say the least.

-Investments! Yes. Insurance and investments. I feel like this is my calling. I want to handle OPM (Other People's Money). I want to be responsible for making them (and in turn myself) money. Safeco had a Life Insurance and Investment side which it sold years ago to a company called Symmetra. Now I'm back in a company that has those opportunities, albeit in Boston. Regardless I went from a company without a visible ladder for me to climb to one where I could possibly enjoy the ascent.

-Private company. This means we don't answer to the street. We make our own decisions and don't base them off of what our shareholders and board wants of us. Being now in the top 5 insurance companies basically puts us in a position where it would be hard to even buy us out.

Cons

-I can't really think of any. The only one I could possibly complain about is that with my FTO we move to a system where we accrue the time. So by the end of the year I'll have my 29 days off. They gave us 5 to start and I've already accrued another day at this point so I've got enough time just in case I come down with some nasty virus.

-They aren't headquartered locally. This means if I were to become anything starting with a "C"...CEO, CFO, COO, CIO I'd probably have to become a Red Sox fan. Ugh.

-We're still in the very early stages of the "transition". Ask me my opinion next year and I'll let you know if anything's changed.

Summary

Things are looking up. While everyone else is cutting back I seem to be fine company wise. Here's hoping it stays that way.

Sooner Or Later

It all comes crashing down...

Comes crashing down...

I think it's finally got to me. Somewhere along the way the negative self-body image crept in and I don't think it's leaving the train station any time soon.

I remember at one point during college that I just wanted to let go, to see what would happen.

I had lost a bet to a friend and had to grow my hair out the entire summer. Longer than it has ever been and probably will ever be. I felt so gross that I wanted to just spiral out of control. I didn't shower for more than a week. I ate as terribly as I could, drinking beer with meals and enough food for 2 meals in 1 consisting of grease infested fried cheese. Not really, but I think I get the point across.

All throughout college I was a pretty steady 190 to 200 lbs. Everyone pretty much has their routine down, so most of us fluctuate in a given range. My body felt comfortable at that weight (and continues to). I don't have to work to stay at that weight, and it actually takes work to put on more or lose any.

I believe the highest I ever got during my "give up" phase was around 220. I had packed them on, but the only place I had noticed was in the "definition" (if I could call it that) I had lost.

It took 3 months of getting back to an active lifestyle and eating normally to get rid of it all. I did it living my normal life though, doing the things I wanted to and eating what I wanted to.

Which, to this day is still the case.

So what happened? This is the question I sit here asking myself while eating a 90 calorie Choclately Drizzle Special K bar and washing it down with tap water. I don't know what happened. I've watched all the celeb shows, heard everyone complain about weight gain, read along with the articles in the wife's Shape magazines - all over the past few years. It never affected me in the slightest. And all of a sudden now I start to feel bad about how my body looks? Out of nowhere?

What the eff is wrong with me? This is the reason why I wanted to write this post. To question my feeling sorry for myself. To question the negativity. Never before in my life have I said *seriously* "I'm so effing fat", "I feel like a fatass", "I'm out of shape", "I need to work out", "I need to lose 15 pounds". Never. Except for this past holiday season.

I have been in good shape all of my life, and my mentality on my body image was something I prided myself on. While others hated on themselves (while they looked good, if not great) I sat there and laughed as they failed at diets, failed at workout routines, and overall just felt bad about themselves for no reason whatsoever. And I've always thought it was because of their own negative self-images.

Well, I've now for some reason joined the ranks. Sooner or later that wall I had put up around my body image was going to come crashing down.

I weighed myself tonight. A whopping 203 pounds. I would normally be fine with this. "Seth, you just had a little too much this holiday season. No biggie." But not this year. I never had to fight this feeling before - this feeling of wanting to cut calories. The feeling of wanting to work out an hour or more a day. The craving of soreness in my body after running lines all night at the gym.

You know why? Because I always plateued. As much as I was driven to be the sleek muscular guy, I always got to a point where without really putting in some serious effort - and adding in the proper diet - it never would've really made any difference.

So that is my answer for myself right there. Unfortunately it doesn't change my current view of what I see in the mirror today.

So, I'm going to give in to the anger and sadness that follows when it comes to things like these - for now. It might do me some good to shed some Christmas and New Years weight. I always dread going to the gym in January because of all the people that'll drop off their new year's resolution by Valentine's day.

But there I'll be, with the rest of the suckers, fooled by some version of themselves that just isn't reality. Maybe I'll see you there?

Bah Humbug

That's it.

It's gone.

What little ounce left of holiday cheer and Christmas spirit is gone.

And I knew it was gone when we watched, "Mickey's Christmas Carol" tonight and at the end everyone had that happy smile on their face when Tiny Tim gets picked up by Scrooge and then I turned to the people there and said, "Just your standard liberal propaganda." It got a couple laughs, but I was serious about it. I followed up with, "You know, this kind of stuff is meant for kids. You gotta get 'em started early."

And with that, I heard Santa sigh a little bit. Baby Jesus' cry was muffled and the Star of David turned slightly dull.

Another adult lost to the mentality of "Just another day on the calendar".

How did I get here? I used to be so excited about Christmas. And ever since that one special Christmas eve night (almost 10 years ago now), it's just become cheapened for me.

How I got here:

A) Commercialization of Christmas. Constantly trying to find the perfect gift for everyone. And knowing it'll never happen. And not getting gifts for people I know are going to get me gifts. And looking at a lot of my gifts and saying, "This is going to be a re-gift". As a kid I was definitely excited to get toys and money. But now? There is nothing I want that I don't already have. There is nothing that could really be bought for me (that someone could realistically afford) that would have actual meaning to me (other than an inside joke or something of that sort). I suppose it doesn't help that the "recession" word has been on everyone's lips for the past month.

B) Lack of spirituality. When I was younger I'd go to every single advent candle lighting. We'd have an advent calendar. I'd go down to Saint Marks because they had special Christmas season programs for the monks. I loved caroling, and even to this day I still enjoy Christmas music. On that last special Christmas, there was a hokey retelling of the birth of Jesus in our standing room only sanctuary. Where the light from an angel was a youngster willing to climb a ladder and shine a flash light down on a baby. On that Christmas the bell that rang at midnight to mark the change from Christmas eve to Christmas I felt to my core. It's an odd thing to say, but that night I felt like God was there, hugging us all. But no more. After almost 10 years of going to the midnight service, which I have continued to see dwindle every year in attendance since then (or maybe because the sanctuary is just too big and cold now) I am actually debating on going. If someone had asked me 5 years ago, there was no question I was going to be there. "This is a holiday tradition!" I would've scoffed. I have talked about living a balanced life a lot on this blog. I feel that this is one of the main things I am missing.

C) A combination of the holidays sneaking up on me and the routine just being that - routine. Being in Charleston until Halloween did not help my holiday attitude. I feel as if someone picked me up out of September and dumped me off in to the middle of December. There has been so much that has happened the past 2 months that I don't feel like I've had the chance to really settle in. And because of that, spending time with old friends and family just doesn't seem as interesting as it used to. Heck, we'll even have a white Christmas this December and instead of rekindling my childlike joy I curse the snow for screwing up the roads. I don't know how people like me put up the facade during family times, but I've done it pretty well. Or maybe not, of course no one's going to mention that they can see right through me. Hopefully they can't.

So there you go. Ba Humbug. To completely deflate myself on the way home tonight I said, "You know, if I was given the opportunity to work on Christmas, I'd put in at least 10 hours. I'd rather take the holiday pay. Heck, they're making me work on Christmas eve anyway."

It's just another day on the calendar. Nothing special. And why we put so much emphasis on that day to actually make it feel special just sets people like me up for this kind of failure later on in life.

I'll just be in the back corner counting my gold coins. Tap me on the shoulder in February when all of this holiday crap has passed. And until then you can call me Ebenezer.

The Obligatory New Years Post

This time, before New Years!

Go figure.

I had time to write, so I wanted to put up something. Those that write blogs - ever notice that reading other people's blogs makes you want to write in yours?

It does for me. Sometimes.

And the fact that I have tomorrow off (hah in your face Monday!) I don't feel it's right to let Sunday night go so easily. Sunday nights are such a good time to write - or read. Good time to sit and reflect back on the week, or the month, or anything at all, before the cycle starts again.

And actually reading through my last new year's post gave me the impetus to write this years. I wanted to do it early for some reason. I wanted to get in in there before too much changed next year. Because of all the talk of change for 2009, I think my life will change. Not that it hasn't every year that I've been on this Earth.

So, like my January post from this year, let's recap what's been 2008, and see the things I was able to accomplish and not accomplish from what I resolved to do this year.

First off, 2008 in a nutshell:

-Made it past 25. I still exist. I am alive. I am healthy. As long as I have my health, everything is just fine.

-Made my motorcycle lesson appointment for this summer. Those never came to fruition. But I could taste it. The charge for the lessons even hit my credit card, cleared, and I paid for them. Only for them to be refunded. Yes, doing this was that big of a deal for me that it deserved a "dash".

-I've seen so many things this year. In my last new year's post I wrote that 2008 would be the "Year of Seth". It has been. I have never in my life experienced so many new things, seen so many sights, traveled the world. I drove from Seattle to Charleston and back. Here are the states I either saw, or actually stayed in: Idaho, Montana, South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina. On the way back we drove through the South and I saw Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Oregon and finally back home to Washington. And that was just on the drive down to Charleston and back.

We also took a vacation and drove up the East Coast to New York. I can now say I've seen a good majority of the lower 48. And this country is amazing. And beautiful. I love road trips. A day of driving 10 hours doesn't seem bad to me any longer.

-I saw the sights in Europe over 2 ridiculous weeks. England, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, France, Austria, Switzerland. I'm probably forgetting something, but I stopped looking at a map after listing off all the states.

-Charleston. Beautiful, gorgeous, laid back Charleston. I loved it there. I miss it every day and lived almost the perfect life there. What an opportunity. I don't think I've written enough about it...so maybe I'll put up at least one more post dedicated solely to South Carolina.

Unfortunately I failed at a few things I resolved to do in 2008 because of our short term relocation. Those include: Not getting more defined abs. Sorry, people drink down there, and I had to try everything. Not just the booze, but the food too. Starting my MBA. Just wasn't going to happen while I was out of state. Unfortunately I'm not one of those online degree types.

-Run a marathon: Nope
-Earn 35% returns in the market: Hah, more like 3% (but still not losing!)
-Make more to-do lists: Na-uh
-Don't whine/complain as much: Yes! Completed!
-More driven at work/Search for other opportunities: It will be hard to top 2008 for me. I've also been involved in a few interviews this year. Add another point for me.
-Don't go to Vegas: Only 2 weeks left in the year and no plane ticket! Winner winner chicken dinner.
-Don't drink so much that I vomit: Still happening.
-Go get a pedicure: Yes, we did that for a July 4th celebration...to celebrate our independence from bad feet? I guess.

And that, in so many words, was my 2008. What a great year. If I wasn't coming out of such a gloom over the pats few weeks for coming home and then promptly getting sick, then it would look much better than it does right now.

So what's on the table for 2009. Lots. Every day is filled with plans (albeit not big) but still I will be doing at least something every day of 2009 just like I have every day of my life.

Things from 2008 I didn't accomplish that I want to in 2009:

-Start my MBA. I am planning on taking the GMAT this spring and planning to apply (and hopefully be accepted somewhere respectable - most likely Seattle University) in the fall. This is of course assuming I don't somehow get relocated again.

-After watching "The Dark Knight" this weekend, one of my resolutions for 2009 will be to be more like Batman. This entails a lot: Getting rich(er). Signing up for some form of martial arts training (I'm thinking Judo would be fun?). Signing up for those motorcycle lessons again.

-I give myself 2 nights of vomiting due to drunkenness. Why? Because 3 is too many, and 2 gives me just enough leeway to screw up at least once. This is a goal I failed miserably in 2008.

-Sports related goals: I always put up the dunk one, but I think that's out of reach now. I'll work on something more manageable. 1) Working on my short range jumpers for bball. I can shoot from the outside, I can post up and I can drive. Only one thing is missing. 2) Golf. I've got the power but I lack control. It's tough to hit a ball 250 yards if you can't find it. 3) Play raquetball for the first time ever. 4) Go to a Silvertips and Storm game. Neither of which I have been to. Possibly go down to Portland and catch a Blazers game?

-Be less cheap. I'm constantly calculating the cost of things. And what I could save if I just removed "X" out of my life. I'm doing a good job saving. I should worry less because all that saving won't do me any good if I can't enjoy it because I live a shortened life due to stress.

-Pray more. I thought I wrote this in my last new year's resolution but I didn't see it there. I think I might have written it in another post this year. That is something that I have accomplished in 2008, but I've noticed I only pray when I really want something. I'd like to expand my praying and definitely make it less selfish. I have always felt that living a balanced life was the key and the spiritual side of things has definitely been lacking recently.

-Experience more outside of my comfort zone. I am attracted to things that I've done before, because I know what to expect, and I go back to things that I like. I'm an alright fan of country, but I've never been to a concert before. I've never been to a metal or punk show before. What about the ballet? There are so many fantastic things to see and do near where I live. In Charleston I did everything in my power to go out and try new things because I knew I probably would never be able to live there again. And being given that ability to try something new every weekend if not every day was amazing. One of the many reasons that South Carolina was unforgettable for me.

-Go to Vegas. It's been 3 years. My hiatus is over.

That's good enough for now.

2008 has been such a great year for me. Sadly, I can't see how 2009 can be better but I'm going to try.

Hopefully around this time next year I can put check marks next to the entire list I've made for myself instead of just some of them. Until then, it'll be one day at a time.

Fantasy Football

*deep breath*

Yes, I actually for the first time searched my own blog to make sure I hadn't already written something about this. Sad.

For the first time this year, I am playing in more than 2 leagues. 3 to be exact. I know what you're thinking, wow big jump. Big woop.

But I can't wrap my head around it.

Around this pressure. Late at night, when I should be tired, I'm looking through player lists. Reading injury reports. Seeing how Santana Moss plays outdoor away games on turf in 20 to 40 degree weather.

Seriously?

And how much financially is this all worth? Because that's the the bottom line right? Am I not always pushing that aspect of things?

I am in 2 of my leagues with my wife.

Those league buy ins are $10 and $20. So multiply those by two and you get $60 total.

And I have one league that I am in on my own for $30.

Add all of those up and you come up with $90.

Sure, the payouts are nice...if you get 1st or 2nd in each league. Assuming I got first in each league (which I think has about a 20% probability of occurring) the payout would be $300. Not too shabby, but pretty unlikely. So actually, knowing that I have a 20% chance of winning $300 this year, I'm just going to say I'm probably going to win $60. Awesome, a loss of $30. Exactly the amount I spent to buy the wife in to these leagues...

We are currently in our 15th week. In fact, Chicago just beat New Orleans in overtime in a Thursday night roller coaster 27 to 24. Darn, because I just picked New Orleans to win that game earlier in my weekly NFL pick 'em I do with my friends (which is actually worth more than all my fantasy leagues combined dollar wise).

Anyway, every weekend, or throughout the week after Thursday night football starts, I sit down at the laptop, browse my current line up, figure out good matchups, good combos, take mental note of the star players my opponents are starting. I move players around, add and drop players, maybe pick up possible starters or up and coming rookies. All in total the time I spend on adjusting my fantasy line ups and reading fantasy football related news comes close to an hour every week. Which is assuming I've got something else going on in the background (reading emails/watching TV/listening to music) therefore not concentrating 100% on my team.

Now, while I was in Charleston the Hawks were not broadcast locally (except for at least one game that was nationally broadcast). So because of that I "had" to go to the local bar - D I G represent! - to catch my hawks along with 5 other games.

It was beautiful. Cheering for a lot of my players while simultaneously cheering against other players.

But all the while, there was that little stressor in the back of my mind.

C'mon Zorn! How do you run that in with Betts after Portis gets you there!

ARGGG another TD for Vincent Jackson...

Ugh, should've started Big Ben this weekend instead of Romo

And I can't decide if Fantasy Football has made the game more enjoyable for me, or made me an absolute slave to it.

Because, here's the kicker - it's not just money I'm playing for. In fact, I guess I should've included that at the beginning. Heck, I could be playing for a nickel in each league and I'd still be trying just as hard...why? Because it's about respect.

Fantasy Football is typically filled with guys. Out of my 3 leagues one of them is completely male, and another only has 1 female - which is the wife.

And guys earn respect by competing with other men. Well, at least some of us do. You beat me, I tried my best, you earn my respect.

But here's the problem with that in Fantasy Football. You can control your line up until the first whistle to each game blows. After that, it's completely out of your hands.

So, you do your best with what you have post draft. You scrounge the free agent bin for strays that people missed in the draft or for possible breakout seasons. Maybe a star player got hurt in the first week *cough Tom Brady cough* and now there's suddenly an opening at QB on your roster? You try your best to put together your best starting team given the players that are available for you.

And you win or lose completely based off of nothing you do while the game is actually occurring. Now, if there were live Fantasy Football where you could bench players on the spot and the online fantasy leagues could give you the ability to play any available WR for 60 minutes (assuming Randy Moss was hot late in the 4th quarter you could pull him up for 8 minutes for one of your WR slots) - wow, what an idea.

But, we don't have that. That would be way too involved. Not that it isn't already.

What I'm trying to get to though is that I can't control the fact that Brian Westbrook puts up 30 points a game for the last 3 games and then *crosses fingers* somehow rolls his ankle on the 2nd hand off from scrimmage. It's not the same in other sports I compete in where I almost have complete control over what happens in the game I am playing. I can at least control how I am playing.

I just get to feeling so helpless it's sad. Adrian Peterson puts up 10 points last week in a winning effort and I'm disgruntled because he was projected for 17. Clinton Portis falls off the past few weeks and then comes out with some strong words about his coach.

Great. So after putting in way too much time thinking, discussing and analyzing all of this it's come down to this.

Week 15.

The first week of playoffs in 2 of my 3 leagues. After drafting 2nd out of 10, 7th out of 10 and 7th out of 8 I go in to the playoffs in 2nd place, 4th place, and 3rd place respectively. I've had a solid year, and from my mostly male dominated leagues have been given respect. (At least I think I have - you know guys, we don't communicate well). But the cream has risen to the top. And now I'm playing guys that I also respect. Why? Because they've put in the same work as I have. Some have even made double the number of moves I've made. They've beat me during the regular season and have put up some scary numbers.

In the two playoff games I face this weekend I am projected to score less than my opponents. In the league I am 4th in I face the 1st seed. I am projected to score 100 points and him 125. He had Colston and Forte tonight and combined they were projected to score 26 points. Together they scored 26 points. Great. I'm playing for 3rd in that league.

In the other playoff game I am also an underdog but not by as much. 95 to 100. I'm going to need big games from Jason Campbell, Santana Moss, Dominic Rhodes, Adam Vinateri, and Indiniapolis's defense. Yes. I do have all of them starting for these 2 playoff teams. Pretty amazing how that happened.

So, good luck to my players. I'll need at least one big performance from somebody. Because making it to the playoffs is one thing. But actually getting paid for all of this "work" is another thing.

And that is exactly why I love and hate fantasy football.

The Worst Sports Year Ever

Well, I was waiting for this weekend to make it official.

I could have written this even a week ago. But I guess I was just lazy.

There is something in the water in Seattle. At least in 2008.

Because this has been the worst sports year ever. And it's not even that we're lovable losers anymore. It's that we now have actually had some semblance of competitiveness in each sport we play, and yet for some reason absolutely nothing has gone right for any of our teams. It's like a plague that has spread from franchise to franchise.

Looking back on it now I can't believe that before I left for Charleston in April that I told my dad that if we made a run for the pennant I'd never forgive myself for missing it. There were actually people out there that were predicting how well we were going to do. I told him that I would fly home just to catch a world series game. It's a once in a lifetime sort of deal and he said he would do everything in his power to get me a ticket if we did make it that far.

Uhhh, I guess I just jinxed us then?

But before I go down that road, let's break it down to see how this was actually the worst year ever in all of the Seattle sports I follow. And as a heads up, those sports are the NFL, NBA, MLB college basketball and football.

January/February 2008: Hawks make the Divisional playoff and lose to Greenbay. I think this is where the downturn started. Writing about this now makes it seem like it was years ago. But really, it was the beginning of this year.

However, I don't count us losing in the playoffs as 2008 though. Because we made the playoffs based off of what the team did in 2007. And the NFC west is the worst division in the league. So for us to make the playoffs...is almost like taking candy from a machine which dispenses candy for free. More on this later.

March/April (2008): There is no big dance to speak of. Even the NIT snubs us (although IMO we were definitely more deserving than at least 3 of the schools that got the invite).

Husky basketball goes 17-17 during the entire season and even loses at home in a tournament for the real suckers (W...T...F is "College Basketball Invitational"?) it was seriously an embarrassment. Which I think you'll find is a reoccurring theme throughout this past year. Husky basketball I still have the most love for. The new season started last month and we are looking better than last year, but it's still not enough. Maybe if we can somehow squeeze in to the big dance in 2009 it might make the pain from this year a little bit easier to bear.

May/June/July: There is no NBA playoffs to speak of. I go to a few games earlier in the year (so this is actually filed under the wrong section, I just wanted to mention that the Sonics weren't even CLOSE to being in contention for a playoff run), which will now go down as my last games in Key arena. I get drunk and yell profanities at Earl Watson for being the worst point guard in the history of the NBA. He really isn't but on the nights I was there he was. The sonics put up an absolutely horrendous 20 and 62 season. In fact, it was so bad that I wish they got honorable mention on this list. But alas they don't.

Oh, and did I mention the whole time that the season was occuring that there was a "battle" happening over whether or not the team would be moved to Oklahoma City? And we all know how that ended up turning out. Key Arena was such a depressing place to be this past year. I even think the storm got better turn out than the Sonics did. The only time people actually came to see the Sonics? Was when they were playing other teams that fans were interested in seeing more than the home team. Which I was definitely guilty of.

But now, they're gone. And all I have left are the memories of the 1995 NBA finals. Kemp, Payton, Dale Ellis, Schrempf, Hersey Hawkins. Heck, even the run we made in 2005. I'll throw it in there. Now, I feel like the 3 sports of city of Seattle has now become a little bit more gray. Nothing to look forward to to bring us out of winter in to these perfect Seattle summers. No more Callabro. I just kind of have to sigh and laugh about how the Oklahoma City BLUNDER are doing. They are currently 2-19 and I think trying to beat out last year's Sonic team. I hope you're happy Bennett.

August/September: The worst season in NCAA Pac-10 Football history starts. Who knew it would get this bad? I mean, I guess I could kind of see it coming...I wanted Ty out last year but everyone was telling me that he needed another year. Why? The guy is a terrible coach, terrible recruiter, and actually lost games for us just because he doesn't understand basic coaching strategy. I caught a few games on TV down in Charleston (amazed that they showed them!) and the supposed "home team" announcers questioned his decisions at least twice a game. The guy lacked everything. A winning resume. Charisma. Coaching knowledge. Good riddance.

But look where it got us? ZERO WINS. Not one. Big goose egg and a number 12 after it. There is not one other team across all 119 NCAA Division 1 football teams that lost all of their games. Except for us. Embarassment, shame, anger. Have I been a victim of some crime? No, only the association to my once proud alma mater. And this is exactly what I was waiting for. I was waiting for Cal to destroy us on Saturday. And I watched most of it. Heck, I caught more than half the season for being gone for most of it.

And I'll still remember Jake Locker running in to the end zone versus BYU and tossing that ball up. I'll remember Willingham giving up on a first half with a minute and 40 seconds to go, timeouts and the ball. I'll remember our defense which couldn't stop a 4th grade class of peewee footballers. I'll remember that heart breaking loss to Wazzu in overtime. But most of all, I will remember the worst season in PAC-10 history. Not even in UW history only. But in the PAC-10. Which is saying a lot seeing as how many of the schools have been around since the early 1800s.

October: Wasn't I supposed to be flying home at this time? To catch at least one of the World Series games? Remember dad? Remember how you said we would get tickets to my first World Series game ever?

The pitching was laughable. The hitting was nonexistant. The coaches were asleep. Fans used Safeco field more as a beer garden then an actual sporting venue. If we could've just lost a few more games we could've been part of history by joining this list. I mean we were only 15 games away from getting on that loserboard at a ridiculous 61 and 101 this year. What must it feel like to lose 100 times? I mean, I'm sure over my life time I've lost that many times given the number of things I compete in. But in one season? I think I was already calculating our "magic number" to not make the playoffs by May.

Just another pathetic excuse for a professional sports team based out of the good ole Northwest.

November-Present day: The one thing I've been able to hang my hat on the past few years is gone. At least when all else was lost I could point to the Seahawks and say: There's a team that is representing us properly. Let's beat up on all of the other weak teams in our division and make the playoffs! We've been a shoe-in since 2004. It was almost like we good just be on cruise control throughout the entire season because we knew that Arizona, San Fran and Saint Louis were just that bad. And of course we were on cruise control seeing as how often we've lost in the past 5 years any time we've gone on the road.

That was fine with me though. Because an above .500 team in the worst division in the league would be able to sleep it's way in to the playoffs. Well, I think that's what happened this year. The team just got the feeling that I had. That we could just saunter in to the playoffs like we have done in previous years.

Unfortunately that wasn't the case. Hasselbeck's been hurt. We've had walk-ons for wide receiver, offensive line and our secondary. And Arizona's finally made something out of that high powered offense. So now what? So now, we are the worst team in one of the worst divisions in the NFL. This one probably hurts the most because at least in the MLB we're in a ridiculous division where 90 wins guarantees you nothing. In the NBA our conference has been strong (or at the least respectable) for a decade. But the NFC west? It's been a joke as long as I can remember. And for us to be the cellar dwellers right now at 2-11 after another gut wrenching loss to New England today...it's too much.

This had to be written.

On the bright side - although it doesn't seem like there is much of one - there is change coming. New coaches. New managers. High picks in the draft due to a terrible previous season. New recruits. As I've mentioned in regards to other things that are going on right now - I mean really, can it get any worse that what I've endured regarding sports in 2008? I wasn't even here for half the year!

But to all of you true hometown fans out there (like myself), the more we continue to hold on through these tough times, the sweeter it will taste when we finally get that championship. Hopefully you'll see me in the crowd years down the road at the World Series/NBA Finals (go Portland)/Superbowl/Final Four/NCAA National Championship. And when we finally take one down you won't be able to wipe the smile off my face.

A Historical Election

So I think a bit of the dust has settled now.

And so many other bloggers have mentioned something about it, so without much else to write about (or nothing else that I thought would be interesting to read) tonight I've decided to put it on here.

Good job Barack.

You beat a pretty feeble opponent in McCain.

With Oprah's backing alone you basically won the presidency. She does after all have about 30 million faithful followers. I'm not saying that every single one of them voted for you because of her - but I'm just going to say that it definitely helped more than it hurt (the millions that she gave you aren't anything to scoff at either).

It's really tough living in the Northwest. Everyone is so damned emotional about their politics. And God forbid that anyone think differently - or out here - conservatively.

I don't connect well with most people when it comes to politics. This is one of those things that I am not black and white on. People think that you either have to be a democrat or a republican. And then when you belong to a specific group you have to share the same basic values; vote along party lines.

Well, here are mine:

I relate most to the fiscal conservatives. I believe in as low as taxes as possible and as little government as possible. But, I am liberal when it comes to basically everything else. I believe in the legalization of gay marriage, marijuana, right for women to make the decisions for their bodies - in fact, right for anyone to do anything to their own bodies. My saying was always, "As long as you are not harming others" you can basically do anything you please.

So where do I fit? Nowhere really.

Which is why I don't vote - and I've mentioned this before. 4 years from now I've decided to vote though. There are too many local initiatives that will affect my life that I'd like to have a say on.

But the president? There's no way my 1 vote out here in the bluest state of them all would even count.

I hated hearing the "don't forget to vote". Seeing all the emails. The commercials. The signs on the side of the road. What waste. Obama was a lock. And for people not to see that is kind of crazy. Yes. I even bet money on him. That's how sure of it I was. Sure, I had made a previous bet when I didn't even know the name "Barack", but that was back then.

And here we are now. Less than 2 months away from a new presidency.

There are a few things I'd like to say about the upcoming presidency.

-I am a big believer in timing. In my opinion, any charismatic, well educated and spoken person with the proper people behind them could take this country out of the shit hole we've got ourselves in. And seriously? It is not that bad (I've mentioned this before). When people talk about who the best president of this country ever was - they mention FDR. He did after all bring us out of the great depression. But you know what? Could he have just been the right guy at the right time? Imagine if FDR was born 30 or 40 years later. Would he be the best president in American's minds then? Sure, it's a bit of a weak argument because anyone could argue timing - but Barack is taking over at a great time. And it's only because it can't really get that much worse. Sure it can, but a lot of the pain from the initial shock has already hit - and any more pain will be met with a bit of numbness or maybe a callous.

-Which is exactly why what Barack might be doing is a bit dangerous. If people Hope for Change what are they actually hoping for? I was laughing to myself on election night because they showed Harlem on TV. People cheering, people crying. Guess what? All of those people had to go back to Harlem that night. The unemployed, the homeless, the hungry, they all returned to where they came from the same way. Nothing had changed for them. Will anything change for you and I? People get the economy and politics mixed up all the time. But our economy goes boom and bust every decade. And yet, every decade we continue to attribute a good economy to the current presidency, and on the flip side blame the presidency when things aren't going our way. Everyone pointed to the republicans this election, but did everyone forget that we've had a great ecomony (albeit inflated by home prices) from '02 to '07? People quickly forget things (in a year) when things start turning south. I'm sure 5-7 years from now I'll be writing about how everyone has already forgotten about how "bad" it was in '08 and '09. So, wake up, as usual your life is what you make it. You have no one to blame but yourself and blaming those (or thanking those) in office is just downright silly.

Hope is an interesting thing. It's something that this country has stood upon for decades.

Personally, I hope that at the end of this that we have more than just hope. The weight of so many livelihoods rests on the shoulder of a new presidency. A new party.

So somethings will change.

I hope that the greatest empire ever to have lived on this Earth is either still in growth phase or at least treading water. I do not want to be part of the demise...

Reap What WE Sow - Part 2

You can read Part 1 here.

So now everything's come down.

Those that had too much greed were placed in positions of too much power.

And just like before, when things became too good to be true, the invisble hand came through and bitch slapped a lot of people.

Unfortunately a lot of us small people (as I like to refer to someone like me) got hurt in the process.

So remember those people that couldn't afford those houses that I mentioned in Part 1?

Well, someone smart had an idea that they could package up those loans and sell them to someone else, who offered them to willing investors who were offered amazing returns with very little risk.

Because Joe Schmoe was surely going to pay for his mortgage when his 5/1 ARM ballooned up from 5% to 18% right? I mean there is no way in hell Sally Schmoe (of no relation to Joe) was going to lose money on her home investment! Look at how much housing prices had risen in the past year! Of course she could be $0 down on a neg am loan. I mean what does "neg am" really mean anyway? That she could get that monthly payment down to a manageable amount and own the house of her dreams. Finally she was living the American dream.

And we all know how that's going to end. Or do we?

So we got caught up in the housing bubble.

And now no one can pay their mortgages.

And they packaged those mortgages in to investments.

Which they then sold on the street.

Which they then used to invest in a market that was also bubbling at 50 to 1 margin. So for every $200K home loan that the Schmoes knew they couldn't afford, John Schmuck was out there trading $10 million dollars in who knows what.

But I'll tell you this much: Not many people make money in a bear market. Even bears tend to get a little bit bullish when the market's fallen that standard 20% to represent a "true" bear market. Sorry if they got in 20% too early...that's going to sting when not only have we lost the Schmoe's original loan amounts but we've lost an extra few million on top of it. Now remind me how much 20% of $10 million dollars is for each loan a bank sold for $200K? So you're telling me you lost how much?

All the while consumers continue to rack up debt...not seeing the horrible multi car pile up that's coming miles down the highway. Now they've lost 40% in their 401Ks. The half a million dollar house they bought 2 years ago is now worth half of a half of a million dollars. They realized all of the 0% interest credit cards were only for a promotional period and forgot to pay them. Joe's company is getting downsized and Sally's been on unemployment for 2 months already. This is definitely not going to be a happy Christmas!

And they're scared. The giant feed back loop that is the media is doing nothing to assuage the fears - rather massage them. Nothing better than ratings right? Telling us about how bad everything is out there.

But it's not that bad. I'm sitting here in my half million dollar house. Which is warm from the heat I can afford to pay for this house. In front of my TV which has been paid off from my 0% promotional credit card. I put on clean, gently used clothing tonight which was my own which was paid full price for. And I ate a hearty meal of chicken tacos and salad and will be having cake shortly.

This is not the great depression. Personally I'd love to see another depression because we needed some sense slapped in us. Admittedly a lot of us would suffer a great deal (definitely including me) if we went through something like that again. 25%+ unemployment rate. Food banks with lines around the block. Nothing but salted, boiled water to eat again for dinner tonight. And probably breakfast. And someone's got to chop down that last evergreen out front to make kindling for the fire tonight. Living through something like that might change American's consumption habit...or at the least overconsumption.

I am interested to see where this does go though. All the bailouts that are occuring could be the start of something good again for this country - or in a few years we may point back to this time and realize what idiots we were. For the sake of the majority, I pray it's the former.

For now though we have to let time work out it's course. In my opinion we all are to blame (admittedly some more than others) so in our own ways we will all suffer.

The recession hasn't been technically decalred yet. And the layoffs are just starting now.

Is it time to move from the "greatest nation on Earth" to one of the "greatest empires to ever exist on Earth?"

Unfortunately I don't think the word hubris was meant to be applicable only to the ancient Greeks.