tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4546255733941018612024-03-05T01:47:55.067-05:00Rob's well-formed thoughtsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger67125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454625573394101861.post-54203161406048930672011-09-02T10:43:00.002-04:002011-09-02T10:47:31.233-04:00Predictions Sure to Go WrongMy friend Tim pinged me the other day and asked if I was going to make my annual football predictions. Sure, why not? Here you go, Timmay.<br />
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Looking at the Washington Redskins, I am definitely NOT drinking the Kool-Aid. I don't see much here. I see a team that tried a lot harder than most of their preseason opposition, and got a lot of people excited. But the NFL is about talent. You have got to have it if you want to be successful - being smart simply isn't enough. I see a team that will either go 5-11 or 6-10. Why the two? Well, looking at the schedule I see a 5-win season. But the last game of the season is at Philadelphia, who should be looking at a playoff birth and a first round bye, so I expect them to rest starters and play it like a preseason game. If the Redskins win that game, it's 6. Otherwise, 5. I want to like John Beck at quarterback, but I don't think he has the athletic tools needed to make a difference. The worst part here is, at 5-11 or 6-10, they'll pick low enough in the draft to miss out on one of the big time QB prospects coming out next year that could really help them. I think the culture is finally starting to shift a bit, which is a good thing, but real progress is a long way off.<br />
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Super Bowl? Hmmmmmm.... Patriots over Eagles. I think Tom Brady is loaded for bear this year, and Philadelphia is good. I almost stuck in Pittsburgh over New England, but I've just got a hunch about Brady and a revamped defense for the Patriots. The Jets could be interesting. There's not much to challenge the Eagles in the NFC, *maybe* the Saints (running game and defensive question marks) and even less of a maybe to the Falcons (who need to get better on defense). And yes, this means Albert Haynesworth will win a Super Bowl title, further making the Redskins look like idiots.<br />
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The Maryland Terrapins. Honestly, who the hell knows? There's more questions marks here than in the Riddler's hideout. That being said, they do have a legit quarterback, which counts for a lot. They've lost a lot of players, due to suspensions, transfers, recruits changing commitments, etc. Changing head coaches will do that. I like Randy Edsall, right now, but I'm only giving him one year (this season and this years recruiting class). I want to see his 2012 team and then I'll decide on this guy. As for 2011, well, I'm going go with 7-5, BUT, I reserve to the right make a change after seeing them play Miami in Week 1 (a game I think they'll win). The range here can go from 3-9 to 9-3, there's just so many unknown quantities.<br />
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National Champion.... Oklahoma. Dark horse: Alabama. Oregon simply doesn't have the big nasties on either side of the ball. No one else jumps out at you and demands your attention. I think I did pretty well last year on the Redskins, but the Terps surprised me. In any case, we'll know a lot more by mid-February.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454625573394101861.post-1630200865470159992011-05-01T13:57:00.002-04:002011-05-01T14:26:59.261-04:00Rob's Rules of Political CampaigningI'm going to try something a bit different here.<br /><br />Usually, my blog posts - as infrequent as they are - are about something I've been chewing on for some time, something that I've flushed out pretty well in terms of how I feel about it. Sometimes, they are simply reactionary; I see something that gets my attention, and I essentially comment on it. Rarely is there ever an arc, or theme to several posts, and I think I'm going to try that for a bit, and see what happens. If they suck, so what? You're not paying for this and I promise you it takes me more time to write it than for you to read it. <br /><br />The 2012 election for President of the United States is starting to simmer. One candidate is all but certain: Barack Obama, who has announced he's running and is the incumbent. It would take extraordinary circumstances for him to not be the Democratic candidate. The other side of the ballot is less than certain - which is a huge understatement.<br /><br />So as I search out for a candidate to get my vote in November 2012, I figured hey, why not put some criteria together? Sure, why the hell not, sounds good to me.<br /><br />Number 1: Don't make your message all about bashing your opponent. Look, I'm pretty damn smart, and I really don't need someone jumping up and down telling me what someone else is doing wrong. I can pretty much figure that out for myself. If your candidacy is based on the other guy being wrong, well, who is to say you're right? Talk about yourself, first and foremost. If I want to hear about the other guy, I I'll listen to what he has to say. Would you go into a job interview and say "You should hire me because Joe over there is a terrible person"? No. Impress me.<br /><br />Number 2: Show me the math. Don't walk around spouting how (random legislative policy) is going to create jobs or cut the deficit. Show me the math - prove your work. If someone looked at your deck and said "yeah, just cut a 2x6 that is 14 feet and 6 3/4 inches long" without actually measuring, would you believe him? Of course not. I understand Economics is not an exact science, but, if your economic theory is a talking point or part of a larger platform that you didn't actually set, I'm sending your homework back for a re-do.<br /><br />Number 3: Speaking of platforms, if you're simply a boilerplate guy who is parroting the platform of the party you are running under, move on. I find it inconceivable that someone would agree with EVERY little thing and have no thoughts of their own on a topic. Any topic. Don't be the Politibot 3000 and rubber stamp everything you see. Your job is going to be hard. It's going to require a lot of intelligent, creative thinking and problem solving skills that would perplex most people. Show me you can do that and I'll vote for you. Maybe.<br /><br />Number 4: Charisma is nice, but honestly I don't care. I'm focused on message, not delivery. I was on my way to a music gig at a place where then Senator Obama was campaigning, and really, all he was doing was stirring up the crowd. Content Counts first and foremost. Don't jump up and down saying we need more jobs, explain to me how you're going to create more jobs. And show me the math.<br /><br />That's enough for now I think, but I'll continue with this as time goes by.<br /><br /><br />(Note for Facebook users: My blog appears courtesy of http://wellformedthoughts.blogspot.com/)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454625573394101861.post-30211116311414265042011-04-15T08:59:00.003-04:002011-04-15T10:12:53.559-04:00Welcome Back to the Chief Anger OfficerHello. It's me, you friendly neighborhood Spiderman. I know I haven't been around much lately. See, I've grown tired of of much of the debate in this country. Simply put, it isn't debate anymore. It's religion. It's zealotry. It's people advocating and espousing their "sides" ideals and philosophies and attempting to shout down the other side for their own benefit.<br /><br />I don't have time for that.<br /><br />I choose not to take part in that. <br /><br />You don't have to agree with the "other side" but I think you have to be able to acknowledge that in the vast majority of issue-based debates that 99% of what is being said is opinion, and that your opinion - or mine - is no more "right" than anyone elses opinion. You can respect the person, and their opinion, even if you don't agree with either. No really, you can. <br /><br />Yes, you can.<br /><br />Look, I don't care what you really think about abortion, taxes, government, American Idol, Cap'n Crunch, etc. You are, IN MY OPINION, entitled and empowered to think and believe whatever you want about whatever you want. You might think the New York Yankees are the best thing since sliced bread. You might think the Boston Red Sox are the best thing since sliced bread. And you can tell me that until the cows come home if you'd like. But if I didn't ASK you about the Red Sox, or Cap'n Crunch, or budget policies, I reserve the right to tell you to go tell it somewhere else because there's a chance I could not care less. I also reserve the right to listen, and agree or disagree, at my choosing. My choosing. Not yours. Mine. MINE. I don't care what religion you are or to which political party you belong - I don't believe that is the sole definition of who you are, or what you are.<br /><br />So you might be asking at this point "What do I care about?" and I will tell you that is a reasonable question. <br /><br />I care about being a good person. Don't define that for me - I will define that for myself (as you should for yourself). I have that right. If you don't like the way I define that for me, get lost. I don't care to know you, and I won't miss you. Conversely, if I don't like the way you define that for yourself, I will probably remove myself from your life.<br /><br />I think a "good person" treats others with courtesy and respect. They see someone who looks lost and asks if they need directions. They see a child crying and ask if they need help. If asked to help, they usually say yes and do so without expecting anything in return. They mostly follow and observe the laws (I've been known to speed on occasion, hence mostly) and contribute to the betterment of society by waking up, going to work, paying their taxes, etc. They say "please", "thank you", and "you're welcome" and ACTUALLY mean it. Of course they struggle with life sometimes, we all do. We make mistakes, we make bad decisions, and we regret them. I know I have. And I know I try not to repeat them, whenever possible.<br /><br />In other words, don't be an Ass.<br /><br />I get that everyone is different, and no one is perfect. There's plenty of room to be colorful, to be "you", within that very general definition of a good person. I think I have a lot of good people in my life, and I think that makes me rather lucky. I also think sometimes good people have their "larger perspective" obscured by the immediateness of what they can often be most passionate at that time, but in the end they are good people and I will try to stick with them. Usually I can, but sometimes I can't.<br /><br />It's been a while since I've ranted. Feels good to vomit my thoughts into keystrokes.<br /><br />All I am saying is that we should all strive to be "good people" and treat the people you like in your life as if you like them, even if they are a Yankees fan, or they believe that abortion should be legal, or think that Frosted Flakes pummels Cap'n Crunch. I'm not trying to marginalize you or what you believe - I think it should be part of what defines a person. I'm just saying there's more to life than these insipid little issues.<br /><br />But that's just my opinion.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454625573394101861.post-1487110988356355302010-11-17T15:50:00.003-05:002010-11-17T16:01:54.631-05:00A Picture is Worth ...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsbog/haynesworthchin1010.gif"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 295px;" src="http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsbog/haynesworthchin1010.gif" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />1,000 Words.<br /><br />Redskins get spanked 59-28 by the Eagles. Not sure about the effort the team gave? Check out Albert Haynesworth. This is during an actual play. The whistle has not blown. He wasn't hurt. He quit (arguably, he quit the day he signed his contract).<br /><br />To make matters worse, The Redskins <a href="http://voices.washingtonpost.com/redskinsinsider/donovan-mcnabb/report-donovan-mcnabb-agrees-t.html">signed Donovan McNabb to a contract extension.</a> Luckily, it is being reported the Redskins have an out after this season so the deal "only" costs them $3.25 million or so.<br /><br />McNabb is a nice guy. He's a HUGE upgrade over anyone the Redskins have had playing quarterback since Brad Johnson. But there's something about him that just doesn't click for me.... Maybe it's his accuracy. I don't know, but I do know that while I would have traded for him rather than keep Jason Campbell, I wouldn't keep him for next season unless I cannot get *anyone* else. And that is exactly what Redskins have done.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454625573394101861.post-24631043324830308872010-11-01T13:37:00.002-04:002010-11-01T14:08:14.624-04:00Prediction Time! Part 2.... ishNote for Facebook users: These Notes are auto-copied from my somewhat lame, largely ignored blog (http://wellformedthoughts.blogspot.com). Please feel free to crumble up this webpage and throw it in a trash can if you don't care about such things. I know I would.<br /><br />Seems as if there is an election tomorrow. Basically, this is an chance for me to do more pretend betting. Crystal Ball, activate!<br /><br />For the record, midterms almost ALWAYS go against the party in the White House. I think since 1950, only 3 of them have not. So a betting trend is clearly established from which I can work. Also, there are basically two polling trends - registered voters, and likely voters. And the differences in those two indicates to me a lot of people simply aren't going to vote tomorrow.<br /><br />U.S. Senate: 51/49 Dems<br />House-o-Reps: 231/201 GOP<br />Governors: Who cares?<br /><br />According to all the research I can find, the higher the turnout, the more it will favor the democrats, who appear to be completely disinterested in this election. But really... looking through the data, all you have to do is look at the total spent by a given party. As the money goes, so goes the voting.<br /><br />And if you thought the last 2 years were partisan? Wait for the next two! All this is nothing more than table setting for 2012, which will be the real ideological battle. I'm actually fascinated to see how the hard right GOP candidates get along with their GOP brethren, and who the GOP role out as House Speaker.<br /><br />Notable predictions: Reid loses in NV, big Senate wins in WV, Ill, and CO for the GOP. John Boehner gets the Speaker of the House job (not a bad choice, all factors considered).<br /><br />Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right. Let the theatrics begin!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454625573394101861.post-18261788459264850842010-10-18T10:59:00.003-04:002010-10-18T12:13:29.185-04:00Get a Pitchfork! Get a Torch! Let's get 'em!Note for Facebook users: These Notes are auto-copied from my somewhat lame, largely ignored blog (http://wellformedthoughts.blogspot.com). Please feel free to crumble up this webpage and throw it in a trash can if you don't care about such things. I know I would.<br /><br />This morning, while perusing the daily periodicals, I read<span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span> <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/17/AR2010101703866.html?hpid=topnews">this article in the Washington Post</a>. The first two lines appear as such:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"More than half of Americans say they think that federal workers are overpaid for the work they do, and more than a third think they are less qualified than those working in the private sector, according to a Washington Post poll.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Half also say the men and women who keep the government running do not work as hard as employees at private companies."</span><br /><br />I've been around the federal government my entire life. I've worked in the private sector supporting the federal government for 15+ years. My aunt and my mother both worked on Capitol Hill for span that between them covered more than 30 years. So when I say this, I have that as my background.<br /><br />Based on the above polling results, after careful research and objective analysis of the data gathered, I have concluded that more than half of Americans are idiots.<br /><br />Let's get one thing absolutely crystal clear - people in the federal government work just as hard as people in the private sector. I'm not saying there aren't people who are lax, who cruise control through their day without putting forth a real effort, but what I am saying is that these same people ALSO work in the private sector. I'm not so sure if the perception of the federal government is wrong as much as it is the perception of the private sector. As far as I can tell, the number of "slackers" is proportionate in both the public and private sector. I base this largely on personal observation more than extensive research, so I will admit the sample size of my data is limited to 15+ years of observation.<br /><br />As for more or less qualified, well, again, I honestly believe that the people being polled simply have no idea. Public sector jobs tend to be more specialized I think, so maybe the broad skill set isn't seen so much on the resume of government workers. I've seen far more unqualified people in private sector jobs than I have in public sector jobs (although I've seen plenty in the private sector, too).<br /><br />So, for the sake of discussion, let's assume I'm right. I mean, I am right, but it's not worth arguing about. Anyway, assume that for a moment - so why am I right? If you look at the mood of the country, the situation as it stands, you see a country in the midst of its worst economic downturn in 75 years, a country that is nervous, and sees a growing divide of "haves" and "have nots". They get worried, and they look for someone to blame. People are mad. They turn on the TV, the radio, the computer, and lo and behold there is someone telling them who is to blame for their misery.<br /><br />The Mob is formed.<br /><br />Let's get 'em!<br /><br />But who to get? I KNOW - we'll blame the government! They're all evil! Let's get 'em! Fire all of them! Get a rope!<br /><br />It's become fashionable to blame government for everything in the last few years (not just the last 2). I'm not going to go into the discussion of who is to blame, except to say that the American public have NO IDEA about the vast majority of the federal workforce, or the public workforce for that matter. And left on the sidelines in all this is the state governments and the county governments, both of whom are content to keep their head down as the mob goes by. But the notion that corruption and incompetence are the exclusive domain of the public sector is completely and totally ridiculous. I promise you, dear reader, it exists everywhere that the human animal is present. <br /><br />Now that being said, could you overhaul the federal government workforce and improve performance? Absolutely. My experience has been there is a bit too much job security and not enough reward/consequence for good/bad work. But the average federal employee, based on my observation, cares about his job and does it to a decent standard. And isn't that what you would hope for from a work force? By the way, I've yet to see a private company that is "perfect", too. Every company carries dead weight and inefficiency.<br /><br />I'm troubled by the whole lynch mob mentality and how it's starting to be applied. Don't like your Senator, your Congressman, your President? Cool, I'm good with that - not everyone is supposed to. Don't like a given policy? Awesome, having opinions are part of free speech. But focus that discord at the policy makers, the people who make the laws. The GS-9 who works for the Department of the Interior who shows up at his job every day, does his work with a degree of competency isn't the problem. But somewhere, there's a guy sitting in the house next door to the GS-9, cursing that person and getting angrier and angrier because some pundit told him it was the government making him unhappy. And chances are that person has no idea what that GS-9 does or how he does it, but he probably looks down at that person for doing it. And that's wrong.<br /><br />Here's an exercise. Find a government job that matches what you do. See what it pays. In my own case, a job for the Fed would mean a pay cut, loss of annual bonus, a less flexible work schedule, and an inferior retirement plan.<br /><br />So where's the well-formed thought? Good question. I suppose its this: if you don't like something, or the way something is being done, take an active role in fixing it instead of getting angry about it. Think government workers are overpaid and unqualified? AWESOME! Go apply for the job, and tell them as a civic service you're more qualified and because you're willing to do the job for the "appropriate" amount of money (read: LESS) they should hire you right there on the spot! I will personally thank you for helping out America.<br /><br />Stop blaming other people or groups if you're unhappy. If you're unhappy, work to make a change. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go back to USAJOBS.GOV and find one of those easy, high-paying government jobs everybody seems to have, for myself.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454625573394101861.post-52312238271294585562010-09-07T10:51:00.002-04:002010-09-07T11:17:36.362-04:00Prediction Time!Note for Facebookers: These Notes are auto-copied from my really lame, largely ignored, mostly irrelevant blog. Please feel free to crumble up this webpage and throw it in a trash can.<br /><br /><br />I love predictions. It's like a game show or something, where I can just spout off and if I'm right I can point back tot hem and say "I TOLD YOU SO!". <br /><br />That being said.... in no particular order.<br /><br /><br />Maryland Football. Yep, beat Navy 17-14, so this is tainted. They'll start 4-1, but end the season 4-8. Friedgen resigns. James Franklin (the already hired 'Coach in Waiting') will get the job but only because of the $1,000,000+ penalty UM would have pay him if they don't hire him. By promoting a "no-name" to be head coach, Maryland will be hard pressed to consider themselves a major DI football program, IMO. I still think Freidgen should've resigned after last season.<br /><br />Washington Redskins. Looking at the breakdown of the schedule, I see them going somewhere between 4-12 and 7-9, so I'll call 5-11 as my official number. They could actually start 2-6, with wins against only the Rams and Lions, but since the Lions game is in Detroit, who knows. I could see them upsetting the Texans. McNabb will only start 13 games, maybe 12. No changes for the team in terms of management or coaching. <br /><br />Both teams suffer from an absence of talent. Until that gets rectified, this will be the song for years to come.<br /><br />The NFL in general will not start the 2011 season on time, and may not play it at all. With no collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and the Players Union, the league will lock out the players. Why? Because the TV networks have to pay the NFL whether they play or not. Other than antitrust rules, the league holds all the cards this time. Yes, this is rich men arguing with richer men about money, but it's their business. I do my best to contribute as little possible to Dan Snyder's bottom line already.<br /><br />The Nationals will re-sign Adam Dunn. They have to, if they want to portray the image of being competitive. Strasburg doesn't pitch in the majors until 2012. and BTW, I'm calling right now that he is OUT OF HERE when he becomes a free agent. But the Nats are on the right path. 2012 looks promising (and yes, in baseball you have to look 3-4 years out) and I think they might be around .500 next year.<br /><br />The Capitals will have to trade for a goalie mid-season. Neuvirth and Varlamov look like either could stand on their heads and shut out anyone on a given night, but I don't know if either can be consistent over the course of a NHL season.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454625573394101861.post-31553983367333325322010-08-17T16:32:00.002-04:002010-08-17T16:55:17.226-04:00Socialism? Communism? What do you think?Check out this blurb:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"The consequences of this enormous inequality producing so much misery to the bulk of mankind, legislatures cannot invest too many devices for subdividing property… Another means of silently lessening the inequality of property is to exempt all from taxation below a certain point, and to tax the higher portions of property in geometrical progression as they rise. Whenever there is in any country, uncultivated lands and unemployed poor, it is clear that the laws of property have been so far extended as to violate natural right. The earth is given as a common stock for man to labor and live on."</span><br /><br />Now, without using Google, tell me who you think wrote the preceding text. Here's a hint: It's someone whose name you will instantly recognize. If you read it a couple times, then re-read it again, you come to see that what is being said is that government has a responsibility to insure that poverty has no place in a given society and that governments should tax the the wealthy and not the poor. And the more you make, the more tax you should pay.<br /><br />Now, perhaps you might think someone like Karl Marx, Michael Moore, or some other noted evil person would propose such abhorrent socialistic methodology, but the truth is that this quote comes from that notable evil communist named Thomas Jefferson. Yes, that Thomas Jefferson. He wrote that in a letter to James Madison in 1785.<br /><br />See, what I'm really tired of is people who think any one ideology is "right" and all the others are wrong. Believe me, if that was the case I'm pretty sure the planet would've figured that out by now. Rather, it's a meshing from a variety of ideologies that "fits" - and he's the kicker - what fits today will not fit tomorrow. So when I see such partisanship, such divisiveness in our government and our society as a whole, I really just want to smack people. Nobody has all the answers. Not Barack Obama. Not Rush Limbaugh. Not David Hasslehoff. <br /><br />You want to fix this country? Let smart people make smart decisions. Don't vote for someone because he's a Democrat, or a Tea Partier, or a Christian, or because he speaks well to crowds. Vote for people who are smart and listen to other smart people - and people who are smarter than they are - and make smart decisions. Then we can start to make progress as a society.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454625573394101861.post-40450849514523543272010-07-02T10:22:00.002-04:002010-07-02T10:25:31.272-04:00The Least Popular Man on the Planet2 July, 2010, 10:22 AM EDT.<br /><br />That's when I officially started to become the least popular man on the planet. Noted here simply so I can say I knew what I was getting into.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454625573394101861.post-90247231800182123112010-04-29T10:22:00.002-04:002010-04-29T10:47:29.139-04:00Now I realy fix the Capitals<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv_RzAoi_miQshhaZTUveXmWRmjYyk4iLi-YPpUgeqXqaXQVlgHWNj6L1wcMQtGI40lUsIE0VmP74xax9ggUzeg_bcYVH90P97xVU7dMEulCcRjNiVKsGPMjbB0f0JuEVyzZ3p8rx2kOSk/s1600/ovechkin-head-down.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 251px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv_RzAoi_miQshhaZTUveXmWRmjYyk4iLi-YPpUgeqXqaXQVlgHWNj6L1wcMQtGI40lUsIE0VmP74xax9ggUzeg_bcYVH90P97xVU7dMEulCcRjNiVKsGPMjbB0f0JuEVyzZ3p8rx2kOSk/s320/ovechkin-head-down.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465565033916386098" border="0" /></a>Bounced from the playoffs like a small baby on Grandpa's knee.<br /><br />I've spend a solid 12 hours thinking about this loss. Well, I slept about 7 of those hours, plus getting my son ready and off to school, getting a soda... Ok, I've spent a solid 12 minutes thinking about this. <br /><br />But I'm convinced the problem here is the coach. <br /><br />I like Bruce Boudreau. He seems like a good guy. But he didn't adjust one iota to Montreal's gameplan. And if he did, I couldn't tell. His guys were still trying to play "fast break" hockey last night. And Montreal was ready for it. I also HATE the way he handled the goalies this series. Unless there is an overwhelming lack of confidence in Jose Theodore in the locker room, how do you not go back to him in game 7? I know, Varly only gave up 2 goals, but my hunch tells me Theo was going to stone the Habs.<br /><br />So, as much as I hate to say it, I let Gabby go, but only if I can get a coach to replace him who has WON the Stanley Cup. The Caps have lost 3 game 7's in 3 years, all at home, and the only playoff series they won in the last 3 years they started 0-2 and then struggled to win a 7th game late at home. One year is a fluke. Two years is a trend. Three years is a culture. It's time to change the culture.<br /><br />Then there are the players. Mike Green. Goodbye. I don't care if you are leading scorer among defensemen, you're shit in your own end, consistently. I trade you for whatever I can get. Alexander Semin. Goodbye. Sorry, I know you scored 40 goals this year, but you're scoreless in 14 straight playoff games, and not by accident. And you're a head case. Brooks Laich, where you even on the playoff roster? Fleischman? Knuble?<br /><br />Tops on the Caps shopping list - a burly, meaty, TALENTED, nasty forward, a younger Mike Knuble type, but younger and a bit meaner (ok, I want a Dale Hunter type. There, I said it). A shutdown, intimidating defensemen who can help patrol the goal area and set the proper tone in his own end. An aging veteran (think Sergei Federov) who has won the cup that can show these guys how to win in the postseason. Maybe two of those guys.<br /><br />Granted, my re-made Capitals won't lead the NHL in scoring. They probably won't win the Presidents Cup, but who cares? They'll be ready for the playoffs. They've got 50 weeks to get ready for the only season that counts - how will they spend that time?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454625573394101861.post-80686359856788560072010-04-27T11:19:00.003-04:002010-04-27T11:46:48.361-04:00In which I fix the Capitals<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1G0VIgeBGcXgC6b4Y-CVUw9T-Yo0IJBrnFYC-zPQ-Ct_JqBHhoEfObMhbzBNCsWJs449pMgYiNBADenXNzUKEtuqAfaT-MicqlG79wwR2hd3Y0MgR9cyYAAfPxspYPsHjhoU2MMwb9paP/s1600/caps.jpeg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 251px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1G0VIgeBGcXgC6b4Y-CVUw9T-Yo0IJBrnFYC-zPQ-Ct_JqBHhoEfObMhbzBNCsWJs449pMgYiNBADenXNzUKEtuqAfaT-MicqlG79wwR2hd3Y0MgR9cyYAAfPxspYPsHjhoU2MMwb9paP/s320/caps.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464838034085339506" border="0" /></a><br />The Caps lost game 6 of their 7-game series last night to Montreal 4-1.<br /><br />A lot of people think these guys are choking. A lot of people are being critical of the people saying these guys are choking. I don't know if they are choking, but they are getting outworked and outcoached.<br /><br />The Caps during the regular season had the best record in the NHL. They were an unstoppable scoring machine. But that was the regular season, and the cliche' is that everyone "take it up a notch" in the playoffs. Apparently, what that means is everyone plays defense for 60 minutes. Everyone except the Capitals.<br /><br />That's not fair. Since game 3 the defense has been respectable, but there is no doubt the Caps are getting outworked by a less-talented Montreal team. And there is no doubt Bruce Boudreau is getting out-coached, simply because he has yet to adjust to what Montreal is doing. Boudreau is right about one thing, the Caps have 4 or 5 guys who are simply along for the ride.<br /><br />So what changes to I make? First, I start Theo. Sorry Varly, but I ride the veteran now. I just feel that he's ready. Second, I yank Mike Green off the Power Play, put in Corvo. Stop forcing the issue with him and Semin - once teams tighten down, these guys wither and crumble under playoff pressure. I get Laich, Knuble, Gordon, et al - the Blue Collar guys - more ice time. I might even make a case for not dressing Semin, especially if he keeps playing like he was on the other team. It's painfully clear they have to get traffic in front of the net in order to get goals. Montreal has figured out it's better to give up 55 bad shots than 25 good ones, and they are letting the Caps shoot from long range where the goalie can see the puck clearly.<br /><br />At practice today, I would spend the whole time working on fundamental stick-handling and passing drills, and no time on game strategy or power play. I want these guys to come out flying, not thinking about their struggles.<br /><br />It's hard for me to envision a scenario where the Caps don't eek out a win. Sadly, if they give up the first goal, or go the first two periods without scoring (even if its 0-0), or go down two goals, I think it's over. The Capitals are playing to win a Stanley Cup. The Canadiens are playing to win a series, and that makes them dangerous.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454625573394101861.post-74817643863357423212010-04-19T11:26:00.002-04:002010-04-19T12:07:54.637-04:00Lies, Damn Lies, and StatisticsNote for Facebookies: These Notes are auto-copied from my really lame, largely ignored blog. Please feel free to crumble up this webpage and throw it in a trash can.<br /><br />I first heard this phrase used in reference to baseball, when someone was saying there were three kinds of lies - lies, damn lies, and statistics. The implication being that a statistic is nothing more than data which can be interpreted in a myriad of ways. The data itself is fact, but the conclusion drawn from an analysis of the data is simply mere opinion.<br /><br />This makes sense to me. Statistics are often used to support arguments or contrasting points of views. But every so often numbers show their true nature, and can be very revealing and informative.<br /><br />There has been a lot of outrage / angst / grousing about the direction of our Government lately, and the way they conduct business. If you poll 100 people about the way things are going, you would probably get 102 opinions. I'm leaving that alone - but one thing stood out for me today as I was conducting my morning readings.<br /><br />Conservatives and "Tea Party-ers" have been protesting, meeting, gathering and one of the common threads I've picked up is that taxes are now too high, the government is taxing everyone to death, blah blah blah. Ok, I got it, you think taxes are too high. So I decided to do a tiny bit of research on my Google Machine.<br /><br />Did you know that since 1979 through 2006 the effective federal income tax rate on ALL households has been between 19.8% and 23%, with the VAST majority of those years between 20.4% and 22.6%? 2007 numbers are supposed to come out soon, but they are expected to be in the low end of that range based on actual tax rates. If you break the data down into quintiles (20% ranges) then 80% of U.S. citizens pay an even lower percentage than previously mentioned. <br /><br />I didn't know that. I would've thought by all the jumping up and down it had been all over the map. Note this is "effective" tax rate data - actual tax rates are all over the map but the rules covering what is taxable and what isn't, and what you can deduct have been just as all over the place.<br /><br />I'm not going to entertain whether or not 21% is too much, not enough, or just the right amount of tax. I'm sure 100 people would give 102 opinions. I will say I've LONG been a fan of doing with a progressive income tax and replacing it with a national sales tax. If you applied a 20% sales tax (in lieu of an income tax) to the 2009 Domestic Gross Product you would not have a Federal Budget deficit this year (at least, the last I checked, it was real close). It's a "fair" tax, meaning everyone pays the same rate. In reality, the rate could be lower and you'd still do far better than now.<br /><br />So where's my Well-Formed Thought? This time around, I'm passing. I see the data, I draw my own conclusions, and so should you. Don't listen to what you see on TV or hear on the radio (often presented in such a way as to elicit outrage or angst), or even read on the Internet and take it as fact - it's probably a lie, a damn, or a statistic.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454625573394101861.post-44999124415832805602010-03-11T00:52:00.002-05:002010-03-11T01:03:33.175-05:00Patrick Stewart On Robert Llewellyn's "Carpool" PodcastI don't go into the tank too often, but when I do I go all the way into the tank.<br /><br />If, like me, you're a fan of Patrick Stewart, this is must-see. I can only hope to be this cool at age 69. And the idea for the podcast format is truly amazing to watch - Robert Llewellyn is really onto something here. <br /><br /><embed src="http://blip.tv/play/gdw6gbq_XAI%2Em4v" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="300"></embed>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454625573394101861.post-75669818441568393532010-03-01T12:37:00.002-05:002010-03-01T12:49:29.590-05:00Suck it, LenoJay Leno returns to 'The Tonight Show' tonight after having successfully chased off a better comedian and host, Conan O'Brien. If there is any karma in the Universe, Leno will fail miserably. Horribly. He pushed Carson out before he was truly read to go, and he pushed out Conan when he failed miserably in primetime.<br /><br />Conan is one of the funniest people I've ever seen. He "gets it". Wherever he ends up, he'll be successful. Leno, on the other hand, I have never understood his appeal. He's not funny. To quote Billy Crystal, he's neither fun, nor funny. <br /><br />Don't believe me? Check out Conan on 'Inside the Actor's Studio". You can find it on Youtube. If you get through the first ten minutes and haven't laughed out loud, move on.<br /><br />In the interim, please, check out David Letterman tonight. Or the Sham-Wow guy. Just don't watch Leno.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454625573394101861.post-88254596370075684522009-12-11T23:45:00.002-05:002009-12-11T23:53:53.933-05:00Tiger not out of the WoodsI love blogging. Well, not really. But it is a nice tool for archiving stuff. Like stupid predictions.<br /><br />Hey! Here's a stupid prediction! At some point in the next month, Tiger Woods will "admit" to have a sex addiction of some kind, and go into "treatment" (or therapy) for it. Why? Because he needs an "out" of this mess, publicly. Ok, perhaps he actually has one. If he does, then I hope he gets better. <br /><br />But for the sake of higher quality blog-like crap like this, we're going to assume he doesn't *really* have such an addiction. <br /><br />He comes out, announces this, goes into some treatment center in Malibu for a few weeks or a month, then a couple weeks later goes on Oprah and tells "his side", admits all of this and asks for the forgiveness of everyone. Oprah, ever so appreciate of the record ratings and the exclusive, takes his side and paints him in the best possible light.<br /><br />It may not go down that way, but if I was Tiger that's what I would do and that's how I would paint this. We'll see over the next 3 months. But you heard it here first.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454625573394101861.post-18992285471191036582009-12-11T10:12:00.002-05:002009-12-11T10:42:43.434-05:00Bad news for the Redskins(note: Facebookies, these Notes copy over from my blog, http://wellformedthoughts.blogspot.com/)<br /><br />Back on September 8 I wrote the following:<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Maryland Terrapins - 5-7 (yes, I know they already got killed by Cal)</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />Washington Redskins - 6-10</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Opinion: If Maryland goes 5-7, as I think, Ralph Freidgen should resign. You need to recruit better OL/DL/LB types, Ralph. Peer E Uhd.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">Speculation: Last year for Jason Campbell in a Redskins uniform. Last year for Jim Zorn as head coach. Albert Haynesworth will remind people more of Dana Stubblefield than of Reggie White, and he'll miss at least 3 games. And hopefully, if they hire a Bill Cowher / Mike Shannahan / Jon Gruden type to come in, it means bye-bye for Vinny Cerrato. I'll help you pack your office, Vinny.</span><br /><br /><br />Ok, so I was actually optimistic on both, even though at the time I was in the very low end of most opinions. And the opinions and speculations, I stand by those.<br /><br />Maryland Football, it's a mess, and frankly, they are now being cost-conscious which means they won't be good for a while. Like 10 years.<br /><br />But the Redskins. Oi. People, it's NOT going to get better. Why? I read in an article where Dan Snyder and Vinny Cerrato recently both took a trip to scout Colt McCoy, QB at Texas and Heisman hopeful.<br /><br />And that's it in a nutshell.<br /><br />Problem A. NFL owners are NOT qualified to scout college players. I don't care how smart you are, or how much money you make, or how successful you are in business. Dan Snyder has no business evaluating college talent. If he's got that much free time, come wash my car. Remember last year when Snyder was in love with Mark Sanchez (of USC, who went to the Jets), Jake Cutler, and who knows how many else QBs? Clearly, Snyder has a thing for "big name" QBs.<br /><br />Problem B. If Snyder is jet-setting around the country with Vinny, he's not getting rid of Vinny any time soon. So, if you accept A and B as true, as I do, you come to the conclusion it will be business as usual next year for the Redskins. More losing, more mediocrity.<br /><br />At this point, I can't imagine there are ANY big name coaches (established difference makers) who will work in this scenario.<br /><br />There has been exactly ONE coach who has finished his tenure with the Snyder-owned Redskins at .500 (no coach in the Snyder era has compiled a winning record) - Marty Schottenheimer. <a href="http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsbog/2009/12/schottenheimer_on_cerrato.html?wprss=dcsportsbog">Read this article</a> (http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsbog/2009/12/schottenheimer_on_cerrato.html?wprss=dcsportsbog) and you'll see things more clearly.<br /><br />Prediction? Way too early, but right now, Zorn gets fired, Vinny stays, no established coach wants to come here and the Redskins reach on some young college guy or NFL assistant. Just like they did with Jim Zorn. Then they draft a big name college QB (McCoy, or Sam Bradford, or Jimmy Clausen), a WR, and a RB. They won't address the OL, DE, or LB issues significantly. And they'll go 4-12 or 6-10 next year.<br /><br />Jason Reid of the Washington Post put it perfectly - "Dan Snyder could go out and hire a big name coach/GM to handle all the football operations, win 4 of the next 5 Super Bowls, and he would be miserable because he didn't do it himself."<br /><br />Darker days lay ahead, Redskins fans. Darker than we've seen and darker than you can imagine.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454625573394101861.post-53000261105203290512009-12-09T11:45:00.003-05:002009-12-09T12:33:42.808-05:00Flame On!I'm tired. Really.<br /><br />I'm not just sleepy tired, although I am sleepy tired. Specifically, I'm tired of people. Not just all people, but certain people. Maybe I'm just annoyed, more than tired. But I digress.<br /><br />I'm tired of people who think that because they belong to some sort of group, or hold some sort of ideology, or have certain physical traits, that they are better than someone / everyone else, or people who are outside of whatever category "empowers" them to think they are superior. <br /><br />Just because you are (insert your chosen faith here) doesn't make you ANY better than someone who isn't (insert your chosen faith here). <br /><br />Just because you are (insert your chosen political party here) doesn't make you ANY better than someone who isn't (insert your chosen political party here).<br /><br />I'm tired of "in shape" people who think they are better than "fat" people.<br /><br />I'm tired of people of ANY race who think they are better than any other race.<br /><br />The list goes on, and on, and on....<br /><br />I believe the problems with our society, our country, and our world, largely stem from people who think that because they are (whatever) they are better than people who aren't (whatever). I think if YOU are one of those people, I think YOU are the problem. And I mean this in complete sincerity - If you ARE one of those people, I don't want to know you, anymore, ever again. Period. Delete my email address. Erase my phone numbers. Unfriend me from Facebook. Take me off your Christmas card list. Consider me dead and forget I ever existed.<br /><br />See, I prefer to think that being part of a group, either by choice or by heritage, is nothing more or less than that. You're a part of a group. The value of a person, the worth and quality of that person, are defined by the actions we take in life. The way we treat other people. How we chose to interact with the world.<br /><br />Don't get me wrong - I don't devalue ANY of these groups, beliefs, or people. I have no problem if someone wants to be a Catholic, a Muslim, a Pagan, a Boy Scout, a Soldier, Straight or Gay, a Democrat or a Republican, it's doesn't matter. Heck, you can even be ignorant for all I care, it's up to you. Being something is a good thing, it can give you a sense of of belonging and community, a feeling of accomplishment.<br /><br />BEING something isn't wrong. Thinking it makes <span style="font-weight: bold;">you </span>better than <span style="font-weight: bold;">me </span>by simply being it, yeah, I'm done with that, and I'm done with those people. And I won't miss you.<br /><br />This world has become so polarized it's not funny, and that's a bad thing. I truly believe the "American Way" is two things: One, a system of government where the people are ultimately responsible, and Two, the freedom to be ANYTHING you want WITHOUT someone judging you for being that thing (ok, disclaimer here - anything legal. Yeah, if you're an Axe Murderer or a Kid Toucher, you're going to get judged, rightly so. I'm more on an ideological rant than a literal rant).<br /><br />I'm not asking for everyone to hold hands and sing Kumbayah. I think disagreement is fine, and in fact I think it's necessary. But you know what else is fine? Civility. Modesty. Live and let live. <br /><br />Actions, people. What we DO matters most.<br /><br />Besides, everyone knows smart people, like myself, are better than everyone else, anyway. ;-)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454625573394101861.post-15161679068976911192009-11-01T17:05:00.002-05:002009-11-01T17:41:56.429-05:00The Chicken or the Egg?I once asked my friend Steve what was more important to him, the freedoms granted in the Constitution, or the process defined in the Constitution for the people to perform self-governance? Don't worry, I had to explain my question to Steve as well :-D<br /><br />Basically, it works out to be, what's more important - the specific freedoms we presently enjoy, or, the freedom of process to decide what rights we have as a society. For example, presently we have things like the freedom to bear arms, free speech, protections against searches and seizure, etc. as amendments to the Constitution. But what if those amendments changed in a legal and valid fashion? <br /><br />The Constitution defines the process for amending itself (you can't repeal an amendment if you want to remove it, you have to pass an amendment nullifying a different amendment) that requires Congressional approval followed by 3/4 of the states ratifying that amendment via a Constitutional Convention. Sound complicated? It's supposed to be.<br /><br />So why do I bring this up? I was recently made aware of a group called <a href="http://oathkeepers.org/oath/">"Oath Keepers" </a>that got me thinking about this again. Intrigued, I spent an hour or so reading their website. It's quite the noble organization, but I found some discrepancies I simply couldn't just dismiss. Their mission statement reads as follows:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"Oath Keepers is a non-partisan association of currently serving military, reserves, National Guard, veterans, Peace Officers, and Fire Fighters who will fulfill the Oath we swore, with the support of like minded citizens who take an Oath to stand with us, to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic, so help us God. Our Oath is to the Constitution."</span><b style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></b>I'm good with that, makes sense as I see it. But once I kept reading, I discovered their Declarations, which begins as such:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"Recognizing that we each swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and affirming that we are guardians of the Republic, of the principles in our Declaration of Independence, and of the rights of our people, we affirm and declare the following:"</span><br /><br />and then it goes on to list the 10 orders they will not follow, the first of which reads "1. We will NOT obey orders to disarm the American people.".<br /><br />Hmmmmm.<br /><br />So here's the problem. Simply put, you cannot decide which amendments to the Constitution are "right" and which are "less important" when you promise to defend the Constitution. For example, WHAT IF the American people decide they no longer want to guarantee the right to bear arms, and ratify a valid, legal amendment to Constitution that removes the Second Amendment<span style="font-weight: bold;"></span>? <br /><br />What now? Defend the Constitution, or defend the specific amendment? Chicken, or Egg?<br /><br />Anyone who knows me knows I would say the Constitution is the more important thing. I like the way it is presently structured and support the freedoms in grants. But I support the document, the process of the people to self govern, above those amendments. I think a lot of people get caught up in the specifics of the amendments as the driving doctrine, and often miss a lot of the big picture. <br /><br />All that said, if you can get 38 states to agree on ANYTHING, it's probably a no-brainer.<br /><br />And what did Steve answer? He thought about it for a few weeks, and he decided the process was the thing as well, but, he also said he thought that some of the freedoms should be untouchable as well. Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz In other words, he couldn't really decide.<br /><br />Chicken, or Egg?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454625573394101861.post-5965354381065038052009-09-11T11:39:00.003-04:002009-09-12T01:42:58.368-04:00A lesson in being unpopularToday is September 11, 2009. It marks the 8th Anniversary of the terrorist attacks involving 4 commercial airliners against the United States of America. For the majority of Americans, and maybe even the world, it's the day that has defined and shaped much of the 21st Century.<br /><br />I say majority of Americans, but not all. Because it wasn't that kind of day for me.<br /><br />Before I start on this let me say this: I love my country. I consider myself to be an upstanding citizen, and I think we here in the U.S. have figured out a pretty good system of government. I am in no-way "anti-American" and believe in the Constitution of the United States. I believe the society that has arisen from this document is special and unique and worth preserving.<br /><br />9/11 simply doesn't have the impact for me that has for most people. On 9/11 I remember logging into my AOL account and seeing a news report that a plane had hit the World Trade Center and assumed it was some knucklehead from Yonkers in his twin-engine Cessna who couldn't figure out how to steer his plane. Just before leaving for work I decided to check out the news, and for the next two hours I watched the second tower get hit, heard the reports of the Pentagon being hit, and saw the collapse of the World Trade Center towers. And then I called my mom, who was at Johns Hopkins in the final days of her battle with Pancreatic cancer, a battle we knew she was rapidly losing, a battle she would ultimately lose 10 days later.<br /><br />A lot of things happened over the next few days, but the circumstances of that time will always be overshadowed, for me, by the loss of my mom. We talked about 9/11 a couple of times, and she was worried about the world she was leaving us to look after. I told her I thought everything would be ok, we'd figure out who did this and where they were, and remove them from existence. I still hope I'm right about that. I truly did believe that at the time, that we would deal with this, figure out who did it and systematically remove then from the face of the earth. I think the saddest part of the whole thing is that eight years later we're still in Afghanistan chasing around the knuckleheads behind all this.<br /><br />I understand why it affected so many people, why it was such an important event. Historical significance is not lost on me, it's the emotional attachment to the event that I guess is different for me than it is for a lot of people. I've never been a person to just accept what I was told and pretty much question everything. A complete cynic in many ways. And I've always felt the very best thing we can do to defeat the actions of 9/11 was to return to "life as normal", rebuild the buildings as they were, and go about our lives in a way that says "you can attack us, but you can't hurt us, you can't change us".<br /><br />Was 9/11 a tragedy? Of course. Does it deserve a National holiday? Absolutely not. Memorials, Remembrances, of course, but not a National holiday. For me, it wasn't even the worst day of that week.<br /><br />I realize this isn't my best blog post ever, so thanks for bearing with me.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454625573394101861.post-17246842604873863442009-09-08T11:17:00.002-04:002009-09-08T11:33:28.716-04:002009 Football Predictions(note: Facebookies, these Notes copy over from my blog, http://wellformedthoughts.blogspot.com/)<br /><br />It's September 8, and I want to put these out for the record:<br /><br />Maryland Terrapins - 5-7 (yes, I know they already got killed by Cal)<br />Washington Redskins - 6-10<br /><br />Opinion: If Maryland goes 5-7, as I think, Ralph Freidgen should resign. You need to recruit better OL/DL/LB types, Ralph. Peer E Uhd.<br /><br />Speculation: Last year for Jason Campbell in a Redskins uniform. Last year for Jim Zorn as head coach. Albert Haynesworth will remind people more of Dana Stubblefield than of Reggie White, and he'll miss at least 3 games. And hopefully, if they hire a Bill Cowher / Mike Shannahan / Jon Gruden type to come in, it means bye-bye for Vinny Cerrato. I'll help you pack your office, Vinny.<br /><br />I'm down on both teams. Why? With both, it's the obvious lack of physical talent in the right areas. The Redskins will be more competitive because their defense has a chance to be quite good. I hope I'm wrong, but this is how I see it.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454625573394101861.post-33347599138339003582009-09-02T00:17:00.002-04:002009-09-02T00:37:43.486-04:00A Big ProblemI was 21 years old in 1988 when the movie "Big" came out, and I remember going to see the movie with my friends Tim and Frank. For those of you who might be cinematically impaired, "Big" is a story about a boy who makes a wish and wakes up the next day as an adult, and follows his adventures over the span of a few months as he learns to be an adult all while trying to become a kid again. At the end of the movie, Tom Hank's character (Josh Baskin) goes back to being a kid and all is well.<br /><br />When the movie was done, we began discussing how each of us would have handled that scenario. Back then, Tim was 22, and Frank was probably 35 or so. I steadfastly argued that Josh made a huge mistake going back, and should have continued his life as an adult. Sure, he went from being 11 to probably 30, but, in his short time as an adult he landed a great job (toy company executive), an awesome loft apartment, and a legitimate relationship with one of the most elegant and beautiful women I've ever seen (Elizabeth Perkins) in my entire life (even still to this day).<br /><br />Frank was adamant that you had to go back to being a kid, and Tim agreed with Frank. Now, over the course of the last 21 years, I've forgotten why Tim took that position, but Frank took his stance based on the idea you could still have all those things later in life. I argued that was crazy, and that Josh had basically won the life lottery and might never get those things back.<br /><br />And here I sit, 21 years later, at the age of 42, having just watched the middle portions of "Big" on cable, and it started me thinking about that discussion. And while I still think did win the life lottery, I have to admit I'm reconsidering my viewpoint. Perhaps it's my age, the extra life experience, perhaps it's just a mid-life crisis, but I'm starting to think Josh made the right decision in going back to being a kid, even if that meant giving up Elizabeth Perkins. Now, was Josh stupid for not liquidating all his assets and placing them in an offshore account before he went back so he'd be able to keep all that he earned? Maybe ;-)<br /><br />What I'm really curious to know is, how would you handle that scenario? Would you stay as an adult or go back?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454625573394101861.post-70201481577912042972009-07-06T22:03:00.001-04:002009-07-06T22:03:53.208-04:00The Warp Core Breach<ul><li>4.5 oz Bacardi Superior (or any white, clear, cheap rum out there)</li><li>3 oz Bacardi Limon (or any lemon rum you can find)</li><li>1.5 oz Bacardi Select (Meyers Dark rum also works, or whatever dark rum your store has)</li><li>1.5 oz Bacardi Spice (Captain Morgans also works, but any spice rum will do)</li><li>1.5 oz Dekuyper Lucious Raspberry Rush (formerly known as Razzmatazz, this is the most important part, other Raspberry liquers don’t seem to work)</li><li>.75 oz Bacardi 151 (any 151 proof rum will do, since they all seem to taste like gasoline by themselves)</li><li>30 oz (1.5 bottles) Sobe Power (finding Aceorla/passion berry juice is too hard to find so just use Sobe Power, besides, the caffeine in the Sobe Power ads an extra kick to the drink)</li></ul> Mix the alcohol, pour into a bowl, add the 30 oz of Sobe Power and food-grade dry ice and there you have it, the Warp Core Breach.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454625573394101861.post-56938195635940203672009-05-26T23:24:00.003-04:002009-05-26T23:38:57.975-04:00Jon Plus 8 - Beat it, KateSo the world watched with great anticipation as "Jon and Kate plus 8" premiered their new season last night on TLC. I haven't seen the new episode yet but man, am I tired of these two. For the unwashed, it's a reality/documentary about a family comprised of a husband, wife, a set of twins and a set of sextuplets.<br /><br />I won't go into the tabloid stories, the rumors, etc., but I am left with one overall thought on the show: this woman, "Kate", would drive me insane. She's the perfect combination of martyr and shrew. Jon just seems like a guy who wants to be a dad and take care of his kids, and he seems completely beat down by this attention-loving wench.<br /><br />Let me be clear about this: the only people I feel remotely bad for are the kids. Their chances of having normal lives have plummeted to somewhere just north of zero.<br /><br />So I'll settle the issue for everyone. I'll grant the two an instant divorce and give the kids to Jon, not because I'm a father myself or because I'm a man, but I think he presents the only chance these kids have of experiencing something approaching a normal childhood. Kate gets custody of the TV show, the book deal, and the impending made-for-Lifetime movie. Oh, and she is legally barred from that awful reverse-mullet haircut she wears.<br /><br />Honestly, someone needs to just slap these two around, lock them in a room and not let either of them out until it's all resolved or one of them dies of "natural causes". I've wondered if all this crap hasn't been manufactured to promote the show, maybe it has. I hope it has.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454625573394101861.post-42663899974097358122009-05-12T13:25:00.002-04:002009-05-12T13:28:37.813-04:00Redskins ruminationsThe QB for the Redskins, Jason Campbell, is in a contract year. And the Redskins tried REALLY hard to replace him before the draft.<br /><br />So, you're reading it here first.<br /><br />The starting QB for your 2010 Washington Redskins: Michael Vick.<br /><br />He'd be inexpensive. He's a glamour name. He'd sell a boatload of jerseys. He doesn't need an offensive line (and he won't have one). And he'll go 7-9 or 9-7. It's a perfect fit.<br /><br />Remember, I called it.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-454625573394101861.post-28438718774332755742009-04-14T11:37:00.003-04:002009-04-14T11:50:30.021-04:00How bad are the Nats?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiasxo0-1ZUbs9faT8tCfo3BO3QF8aVMGoCd1KPwud6IzSH2kPMHJKHK8Q06vNKsUIo8Ak-v_aMzbGs3uYawLTFqm2zmErpKTVXzsYyAE7nxcp_tUnpLFsNu60WHFT1J48QQt4Jk3vPXrQM/s1600-h/3439403080_1af237127e_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiasxo0-1ZUbs9faT8tCfo3BO3QF8aVMGoCd1KPwud6IzSH2kPMHJKHK8Q06vNKsUIo8Ak-v_aMzbGs3uYawLTFqm2zmErpKTVXzsYyAE7nxcp_tUnpLFsNu60WHFT1J48QQt4Jk3vPXrQM/s320/3439403080_1af237127e_o.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324571857380008610" border="0" /></a>How bad are the Washington Nationals this season? Bad. Really Bad.<br /><br />This is a scene of the Phillies dugout before the played Washington in the Nats' home opener yesterday, a game in which the Phillies won 9-8. And apparently, they did while they were high. Ryan Howard, Phillies first baseman and the National League 2006 Most Valuable Player, is seen here doing the "puff puff pass" drill from spring training. Jayson Werth was quoted as saying "Dude, don't bogart the J".<br /><br />After their win, the Phillies celebrated with nacho cheese Doritos and all the Pringles they could find in Southeast D.C., then went over to Five Guys and shut the place down.<br /><br />The Nats fall to 0-7 for 2009. How bad are they? They lost 102 games last year. They'll probably lose 95-100 this year and I will not be surprised if they lost MORE than 102. It's one of the the worst major league pitching staffs I've ever seen, bar none. Defensively, they are mediocre at best. Ryan Zimmerman, the annointed "star" of the team, has shown nothing more average major league talent in his 4+ seasons and appears to be regressing defensively.<br /><br />I love the Nats, they're my team and I'll go to more games if they lose than win (because there will be less crowds and traffic) but really, let's just just completely tank the next two seasons and get some good draft picks to rebuild the farm system. And if you someone could even possibly be traded for prospects, trade them.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0