Right After Left

Looking for the Right Way to Write: Back to Pen and Paper

2010-03-25T08:21:00.002-05:00

I wrote this by hand. Well, not this exactly, but a different version of this which I then typed out for all to see. I guess I could have scanned my original and uploaded it as a PDF or something. Actually, that wouldn't work, no one would be able to read a word of it. Even I struggle to read my own handwriting. How sad is that? We are slowly losing the ability to write. Not in theory, but in

NCAA Tournament Performance Rankings: Complete First Weekend

2010-03-22T13:35:00.003-05:00

So how's your bracket? Yeah, me too. But is it all that bad to blow up your bracket if the tournament is so completely enthralling? I would gladly lose two of my Final Four teams in the first weekend (which I did, thank you Kansas and Villanova) if I was rewarded with the action of this past weekend. What this shakeup does result in is a reconfiguring of favorites and certain matchups. Today's

NCAA Performance Rankings: Day 2

2010-03-20T09:44:00.005-05:00

Ranking the NCAA Teams: While Day Two of the tournament was not nearly as entertaining as Day One, it did provide for some spectacular performances. The first list ranks the 32 teams from yesterday only. The second list is all 64 teams from the first round. Day 2: Syracuse (23 pt win over Vermont) Duke (29 pt win over Arkansas Pine Bluff) Pittsburgh (23 pt win over Oakland) West Virginia (27 pt

NCAA Performance Rankings

2010-03-19T10:10:00.002-05:00

Ranking the NCAA Teams: After 12 hours of excellent, intense, entertaining basketball, here is how the teams fared based solely on their performance yesterday. Keep in mind that a losing team (say, Marquette) can be placed above a team that won (say, Villanova). This is a completely subjective rankings system derived entirely from what I saw with my own eyes. Please let me know where I made

Quotations: The New F-Word

2010-03-18T10:31:00.003-05:00

Every man is a damn fool for at least five minutes every day; wisdom consists in not exceeding the limit. -Elbert Hubbard Quotations have become the "f" word of the literary world. They can be used in almost any situation and nobody really thinks twice. Think about all the different sentences you have crafted in the past which featured the vulgarity of the "f" word. Surely it has been a verb,

Quick Fix: Expansion and the NCAA Tournament

2010-03-15T17:16:00.002-05:00

There has been a growing sentiment in sports circles concerning expansion of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. The opposing sides can be summarized as those who do not want to meddle with a "perfect" event and those who think more is better. A common push is a move to 96 teams (an increase from the current 65 team set-up). You could spend all day listening to arguments from both sides and not

How I Felt Like a Number...But Didn't Mind (PART TWO)

2010-03-15T09:04:00.001-05:00

Part Two (continued from this post on Friday) I knew this was the environment in business. Nothing was going to surprise me. But I let my guard down and let the company convince me that they had too much invested in me. I couldn't be considered disposable. What about the $75,000? This is why I dreaded the call to the corporate office to report my resignation. I shouldn't have. I called in to my

How I Felt Like a Number...But Didn't Mind

2010-03-12T16:44:00.000-06:00

Part One (Look for Part Two on Monday) I worked for a company for six months. It took two and a half minutes to erase me from their records. For all the feelings running through my mind in the week and a half after quitting my job, the biggest shock was just how meaningless I really was to my previous employer. I do not live in a fantasy world in which I expected any sort of celebratory party

The Sickness of Change

2010-03-11T12:55:00.002-06:00

I have been cursed. This is what happens when you upset the fabric of the universe; when you do what you aren't supposed to do; when you break free from the line you are supposed to be on. In a way, the higher powers of the world attempt to slap you back into order like a unruly boy scout. This is where the pain comes from. The simplest part of any act is the act itself. Trouble always finds

Update 03/10/2010

2010-03-10T10:34:00.002-06:00

I need to get some quick updates out of the way today. Please bare with me... 1.) A giant 'Thank You!' to everyone who has sent well wishes, encouragement, congratulations and any words my way in regards to my decision to quit my job last week. It has been a wonderful surprise to hear from so many who care about me. I hope you all continue to follow the blog for further updates. 2.) I have been

In Your Dreams

2010-03-09T10:24:00.002-06:00

Only a few things are guaranteed to make me shut my brain off and immediately stop listening to someone: 1.) Use of the word "myriad", instead of more reasonable alternatives such as "many" or "a bunch" 2.) Any use of the the phrase "Oh, that is so like (insert friend's name)", or its even more evil cousin "Oh, that is so us!"3.) The retelling of dreams That last one is the biggie. It is the

Olympic Judges Hate Avatar, Love The Hurt Locker

2010-03-08T12:53:00.002-06:00

As I mentioned going into the weekend, I had my choice for the Best Picture Oscar but it came with a qualification. I had not seen all the nominees. I hadn't even seen the two films considered front runners for the prize. Well, I couldn't face the possibility of, come Sunday, having to admit to not seeing the best movie made in the past year. Moreover, I wanted to be able to complain with a clean

Public Talking Points: The Destruction of Opinions

2010-03-07T09:47:00.003-06:00

I find it strange how some opinions transform into accepted fact. No one knows how this happens or at what point it happens, but it certainly does happen. The normal course of events is that a group of (vocal) people form an opinion on a certain subject and they make this point clear in many ways. Usually, these people are considered "experts". What follows is the uninitiated, who take the

The World as a Rubik's Cube

2010-03-05T15:51:00.002-06:00

Often times when I have a clear mind, one without pressing thoughts, I slip into a daydream of alternate realities (Stay with me). It always fascinates me, for example, how many things in our world seem common place to us all now but are relatively new developments. The idea that the internet did not exist during my parents' childhoods is hard to imagine. The iPod is less than ten years old.

Do We Need the Postal Service?

2010-03-05T09:10:00.002-06:00

You've heard the whispers: Mail delivery to be cut on SaturdaysStamp prices to shoot upMailmen to be replaced by robots* *I get mixed up sometimes between what happens in my dreams and what I read. Bear with me. Imagine for a moment that we are discussing any normal business, look at the facts:$13 billion in debt this year Projected $238 billion deficit by 2020 36,500 retail locations (Double

Cooking is Irrational - Part Two

2010-03-04T16:54:00.001-06:00

*In Part One yesterday, I looked into the economic irrationality of cooking meals at home. Today, I make the case for cooking. Enjoy.* Part Two This irrationality can mean only one thing. No one thinks their time is worth anything There must be some other benefit to cooking at home which leads millions of people to prepare meals every day despite the clear reasons not to. I never used to

Why the US Men's National Soccer Team Will Never Succeed

2010-03-04T07:48:00.002-06:00

USA vs. Canada for the Olympic Gold Medal in Men's Hockey was a great game to watch, this is certain. But what led to these two nations meeting in the final game? Further, why are the same countries usually dominant in certain sports? The Norwegians dominate cross country skiing. South Koreans are typically great speed skaters. Chinese athletes take most of the diving medals (In the Summer

Valentine's Day and The Marriage Ref: What it Means

2010-03-03T15:41:00.002-06:00

On these pages I have defended the merits of a celebrity obsessed culture (see: In Defense of Celebrity), so this next statement may come off initially as hypocritical: Movies like Valentine's Day and television shows like The Marriage Ref the worst things in entertainment. Let's start with Valentine's Day. I have no problem with chick flicks. Often I find them to be quick and fun trips into

Cooking is Irrational - Part One

2010-03-03T09:26:00.001-06:00

Part One (stay tuned for Part Two, which is much more abstract) Economics is based, fundamentally, on one principle: Rationality. Or, more simply, that man makes decisions upon well reasoned thoughts after weighing the costs and benefits of each alternative. Within the economic/mathematical framework, this idea is 'proven' based on the following type of example:Steve is at a cupcake store. He

Quitting As the First Step

2010-03-01T11:43:00.002-06:00

I just quit my job. Really. Like fifteen minutes ago. I stepped out of my boss' office after a thirty minute meeting and left without a job. Now the following thoughts are running through my head: 1.) What the hell is wrong with you? Have you seen the unemployment numbers? You are insane.2.) Man, am I relieved. This change was a few months in the making, but really it can be traced back to high

Probability, Percentages and Poor Reasoning

2010-02-25T21:06:00.002-06:00

The Weather Channel reports that your town has a 70% chance of precipitation tonight. RottenTomatoes.com reports that Valentine's Day has a 17% rating. The Doctor reports that you have a 25% chance of living beyond your 30th birthday. These are all things you hear all the time (well, hopefully all except the whole chronic illness thing). What do they mean? You know what it means. It's probably

Vampire Weekend

2010-02-25T21:03:00.002-06:00

Much has been written about the non-threatening tunes of the New York Upper West Side band, Vampire Weekend. Just this past week, they claimed the number one record in all the land with their sophomore effort, Contra (you can listen to the entire thing, for free, at the band's website). This followed the critically acclaimed self titled debut. You can lump me in with what seems like the rest of

I Heart the Tea Party

2010-02-25T20:55:00.002-06:00

The movement has been criticized as racist. The movement has been criticized as crazy. The movement is led by some outrageous figures. The movement is fueled by hyperbole and half-truths. The movement is the American Tea Party and I love it. ----- Perhaps I should explain myself at this point before I lose anyone who is actually reading this (as you know, 'teabaggers' cannot read, so if you are

Fixing the NBA

2010-02-25T20:38:00.002-06:00

I just got done reading Bill Simmons' latest column on ESPN.com about fixing the NBA (A fan-friendly solution to fix the NBA) and, for the most part, I agree with him. His main arguments deal with the economic situation and problems which are undoubtedly going to lead to a work stoppage of some sort (outrageous contracts for role players; guaranteed contracts for too many years; season ticket and

Say What You Want, Just Not About Us

2010-02-25T20:37:00.002-06:00

Media outlets are walking on thin ice these days. Here is the dilemma: Talking heads have become news makers and are no longer just vessels for pushing information. If you accept this as true, the next step is to understand that other talking heads are going to run into instances when they need to speak about their fellow brethren. Suddenly the media outlets become nervous. For some reason they