And the Sarah Palin show continues...

...in front of turkeys being killed?  She definitely needs to fire her PR staff.  

Was kinda hoping they would come over, tip her upside down and stick her in the...bad taste, I know, but one can wish...

...The turkey's last words?...

 "Thank god I don't have to listen to her anymore!"

Surfin' the Super Highway

...you notice the link to Speedtest.net in the upper right-hand corner?  Go there, click on your server, test your speed to see if your provider is up to the task.  

...I was a Firefox guy until I recently discovered Google's new Chrome browser.  Download it now.  Stop reading and get it up and running.  Most user friendly browser yet.  I love it.

...if you want a simple plan to get out of debt, Dave Ramsey is the man, check out his Total Money Makeover website.  Best I've seen.  Try it for 7 days FREE.  Thank me when you are debt-free.

...what about fitness.  Check out P90X with Tony Horton.  3 months and you will be ripped, in better shape than you have ever been in.  Not easy at first, but you will be amazed with the results.  Also, eat good.  Every three hours have a meal, with protein of some kind, no carbs after 3 pm, and exercise as much as you can.  You'll drop the lbs., trust me.  Did it for my wedding last year and am going back on next week.  Idea for a weekly column maybe?  Track my results online?...

...LV

From Sunlight to Ash

...sending some prayers to those with homes and loved ones dealing with Mother Nature in Southern California.

...The recent fires did make me think of an interesting question/scenario:

What if you had 15 minutes to get what you wanted from your home or place of residence before it all burned down?  What would you save?

...Think of all the STUFF that we have.  It is all going to be gone in 15 minutes, what do you take, what can you take?  

...Reality says that, if I want to save my TV for instance, I am probably not getting much else.  Unplugging it, carrying it (it weighs like 23,000 lbs.!), getting it out to the curbside.  There is no way I get that TV out in less than 10 minutes and I may be wasting my time as it may take longer and then I get next to nothing else.

...For anyone who likes behind-the-scenes reporting, check out the article in Newsweek about the 2008 Presidential Campaign.

...I would like to formally put out Billy Beane's name for consideration as our next Secretary of the Treasury.  With our country in the throes of a devastating economic breakdown, the master of buy low and sell high would be perfect.  Here's a guy who maximizes his payroll (federal budget), focuses on scouting and growing young talent (middle class/education), and consistently finds ways to improve his team short-term all the while setting them up for long-term win-win situations.  

...Look at the recent Matt Holliday trade.  He gives up young players at positions which he has a surplus to get a young MVP-caliber player who will add an impact bat to his lineup for next year.  In addition, if the A's fall out of contention next year, he could trade Holliday to a contender for more young talent.  Or, if they are in the race till the end he could to Holliday for the season and then let him become a free agent and receive two compensatory draft picks from which ever team signs him.  Gives up something he doesn't need for something he does right now, and then replaces what he gave up.  Brilliant.  

Grammy's advice for November 15th:

"Most people say that as you get old, you have to give up things.  I think you get old because you give up things.

- Senator Theodore Francis Green

...LCV

November 4, 2008

...given the way in which the McCain campaign had him removed from election night hosting duties because they felt he was too biased (Fox News?), it was ironically satisfying to hear Keith Olbermann call the election for our 44th President, Barack Obama...

...Regardless of who you voted for, this is a change for our country, and one that was desperately needed...

...For the first time in eight long years we went into a voting booth and next to President of the United States we did not see the name "George W. Bush."  Brings a smile to my face, how about yours?...

...As I watched John McCain's concession speech I was struck by how real he finally was.  This was the man I supported in 2000, this was the man that showed up only briefly at times during this campaign.  He is a true hero to this country, and that should never be forgotten.  For him to come out and give his concession speech after fighting for the one position he so desperately sought for so many years and falling short, it was to be expected, the tears he was holding back, the honesty which which he spoke about unity and moving forward.  The man truly loves his country and you saw that last night very clearly...

...started reading this great article in Newsweek...

...more to come, gotta get back to work...

Here are the Tax Plans side-by-side

Viveka Weiley at Chartjunk does a fantastic job of weighting the chart so that we can very visually understand how Obama's plan targets the vast majority of Americans.


This is only one of the many issues on which Obama is far superior to McCain...

.

Hilarious...

great stuff from WorseThanBush.org

Almost the end of another week...

...It's July 3rd and the anticipation is killing me...

...because I have to work on July 4th! But that isn't even the best part. I don't get any special holiday pay. On the day that we celebrate the extremely important day upon which our great country found its independence I am supposed to work for normal wages and like it...

...for those of you who don't know me, I am currently seeking a new career in something other than mortgages, and in the interim I have gone back to working the same job I left 8 years ago when I graduated college with the future in front of me and the world by its balls, parking cars...

...now don't get me wrong, valet parking is not that bad, you get to drive almost every type of car out there (which would be even more informational and exciting if not for the fact that anyone working as a valet has very little chance of owning an Aston Martin), the hours are flexible enough that I can still interview for jobs, and it keeps the people skills sharp...

...as for job hunting, I am struck by one simple fact that is extremely frustrating and yet at the same time gives me great hope that I can pick myself up off of the hotel driveway and pave a path to employment greatness, and that fact is that no one seems to grasp the concept of following up and/or returning emails/phone calls!

...call me and tell me I am completely disillusioned to think I could ever work for your company, call me and tell me I am just not what you are looking for, call me and tell me that my experience or qualifications don't fit your needs, email me a generic denial letter with my name inserted in the introduction, but  don't just let me twist in the wind!

...frustrating, yes. But it gives me hope, because I call people back, I follow up, I understand the concept that when someone leaves you a message or shoots you an email or text message, you reply. It is ok if it takes you a few days, everyone is busy and we all have to prioritize based on our most pressing matters, just do it, acknowledgment is ok, it doesn't hurt, even if what you have to say is not what I want to hear, I'll get over it...

...in yet another indication that "The Year of Humility" will be the title of this chapter in my autobiography, my fantasy baseball team is in dead last place in the only for-money league I am in, and also the only one of which I am commissioner...

...so, while I blast Nothing Else Matters and wait for the fireworks, here's the last word...

Grammy's advice for July 3rd:

"To reach the port of heaven, we must sail, sometimes with the wind & sometimes against it...but we must sail, not drift or lie at anchor."

- Oliver Wendell Holmes

...LCV

Resume, Schmesume...

...anyone out there hiring? Anyone?...

...I don't have to remind anyone that getting a new job right now is harder than surviving a Siberian winter...

...Ironically, the Discovery Channel paid Bear Grylls (Man v. Wild) to do just that...

...speaking of the esteemed Mr. Grylls, no matter how real you may think his show is, he gets a lifetime ManCard for eating the raw meat off of a dead impala's leg in the episode that I saw last night...

...and he gets paid for this...makes my college degree feel about the size of one of the larvae he regularly gulps down...

...speaking of which, anyone else who watches Man v. Wild ever notice that, whenever Bear eats something in the wilderness, his voiced-over dialogue always contains the phrase "high in protein," or "more protein than [insert typical suburban meat]?"...

...subsequently, as part of our newfound fitness lifestyle and subsequent "high-protein" diet, I am trying to convince my wife that we can become more efficient at removing flies, fleas, mosquitoes, moths and such from our apartment by simply eating them...also, it saves us money on groceries...

...after all, they are higher in protein than that low-fat ground turkey she buys...

...inevitably she comes back with, "why don't we just eat your cats, they bring all the bugs in anyway?"...

...she loves my cats...

...and, by the way, I would never let her do any harm to them (PETA disclaimer)...

I leave you with a personal note. When my Grammy passed away years ago (my Dad's mom, the sweetest woman in the world with whom I had the pleasure of spending seven glorious weeks with every summer in Evergreen, Colorado when I was younger) we went back to her house to see if there were any mementos or keepsakes that me or my parents would want to have. I, of course, requested her collection of the great written works, Shakespeare, Socrates and such. I also took with me a very special item that I had always remembered sitting on her dresser, and one that reminded me of her in a way that nothing else could. It is a daily quote collection, with various sayings, Bible quotes, and some statements which seem to come straight out of Poor Richard's Almanac...

...Basically, it is a stack of mini index cards, one for each day of the year, bound with two big metal rings so you can rotate it each day. I leave you with today's quote and going forward I will end each post with that day's quote in remembrance of my Grammy:

Grammy's advice for July 2nd:

One moment of patience may ward off a disaster.

One moment of impatience may ruin a whole life.

...LCV

NCAA Championship

First off, congrats to KU fans. Kansas deserved to win this game. They took advantage of some huge mental errors by Memphis and Chalmers hit a huge shot. Everyone is going to focus on FT shooting, but realistically Memphis made 3 critical mistakes in my opinion that KU took advantage of:

Mental Error #1. Dorsey committing one of the worst fouls I have ever seen for his fifth and final foul. It happened with 1:23 left in the game and Memphis up by 6. CDR had just made two FT's and Dorsey proceeds to pick up a ticky tack 5th foul, stop the clock, and put one of the better FT shooters at the line for two. You should never let the other team score points with the clock stopped.

Mental Error #2. With :16 left Memphis had stolen the rebound on a missed shot, were up by 2 points and had a 3-on-1 against Arthur. For some inexplicable reason, CDR decides to try and dunk the ball instead of backing it out. They would have been fouled regardless and would have had to make FT's, but instead of going to the line with :16 on the clock they could have run down the clock to at least :10 in my opinion and then had to make the FT's. Dozier then makes a great play to get an offensive rebound and they run 6 seconds off before Rose gets fouled. Memphis could have been looking at Rose at the FT line with :04 left. He makes one and KU has no timeouts and not enough time to run that last play to Chalmers.

Mental Error #3. Blame Calipari, his players should have known 100% to foul at the end. As a coach you make sure they know.

Overall, a great game though...I am officially a huge Derrick Rose fan...

Final Four Thoughts

...first and foremost I would like to express who very happy I was to see UCLA lose yet again in the Final Four...
...It was obvious to anyone who watched the game Saturday that they didn't even belong on the same floor as Memphis...
...CDR posterizing Kevin Love may have been the highlight of my tournament viewing thus far...
...my pick for tonight: it will be a high-scoring affair...
...my lean if I had to pick would be Kansas because they have a bit more depth...
...Kansas jumping out to a 40-12 lead was unexpected and boring for anyone not gambling on or a fan of the Jayhawks...
...but the great part was the look of just utter shock on the face of Roy Williams, like someone just shit in his cereal...
...anyone see CDR's socks? I remember wearing my socks like that in junior high...
...Derrick Rose is unbelievable with the rock, anyone who thinks he shouldn't be the #1 overall pick is just plain wrong in my opinion...
...should be a good one tonight...

Good Friday Musings

This is my blog, if you like it please spread the word and leave a comment and if you hate it definitely leave a comment...

It is a beautiful day outside; perfect Southern California weather; sunny and breezy with a hint of hope for the future in the air...

Daily instrument check:

...$70,835 in debt, but thanks to DaveRamsey.com (if you need help with personal finances this is one of the best places to start) I am slowly chiseling away at that number and by 2010 plan on being debt free...
...job hunting because selling mortgages are no longer fun or profitable...
...married to a wonderful woman who has stopped talking to me ( I am guessing she will start again once I have found a new job)...
...think I may have sprained one of my cruciate ligaments, but I can't figure out which one...
...watching the Madness of March and secretly happy that I started job hunting today because I was able to see the Hilltoppers of Western Kentucky hit a prayer 3-pointer as the buzzer sounded at the end of the first overtime to beat Drake...
...finding that my degree in Finance from Loyola Marymount University doesn't do me much good because I partied too much my first two years and never got my GPA above 3.0 and because I have spent the last 5.5 years in a profession that doesn't exactly evoke confidence and happiness in people right now...
...I endorseObama...
...I love the start of baseball season...
...say a prayer that I will get that job soon as I need to ask my wife what she did with my favorite hat...


Left Coast Views