New camera

Our point and shoot camera kind of died on us earlier this year. We started looking into getting a replacement. We weren't sure whether to get another point and shoot style, a super-zoom, or a DSLR. We settled on getting a DSLR, but we also got a "tough camera" point and shoot that we can use when we don't want to lug the DSLR and camera bag around with us.

We got a pretty good deal for a starter DSLR. We bought a Canon T2i, with extra telephoto lens, UV filter and 4GB SDHC card. About 20 days after we purchased it, I found the camera listed for $100 less and got a price match. I really think we did quite well. We also bought a Panasonic Lumix that we can use for general purposes and when we are in/around water (like we were over the summer when we visited Water Country USA).

So anyway, I've been playing with the settings and shooting different scenes to get familiar with the camera and the operation so I can shoot good pictures with it. This was one I shot during the big snow storm that hit the east coast Christmas weekend. I think it's pretty good - artistic and interesting. I had to hunt for the right spot to get this angle on the birdhouse - ended up on the second floor shooting through the window (with screen) using the telephoto lens.

I've also practiced shooting the starry sky at night, the full moon, and a few other difficult settings. I'm really learning some good camera basics. I'm loving the bracketing feature, the continuos shooting mode and the self-timer functionality. The camera also shoots 1080p HD video, but I haven't had much time to really play with that feature much. Maybe I'll post more pictures now that I have a legit camera. Maybe I'll post more blog entries as well, while I'm at it.

Played to death

The Christmas music began already. I don't like the way retail America skips Thanksgiving altogether, but I get it. Thanksgiving, in and of itself, is not a money making holiday for retail, so they'd just assume forget about it. The usual arguement is that the day after Thanksgiving is one of the biggest sales days of the year for retail, but that's not Thanksgiving. Black Friday was created to generate sales exitment for the Christmas season. Having it the day after Thanksgiving gives retail a reason to like Thanksgiving, but not really recognize it.

I don't like hearing Christmas music before Thanksgiving. Really though, I don't like it until about one week before Christmas. It's not just cause I don't like skipping Thanksgiving though. It's also not because I don't like Christmas or anything. The problem is that there aren't that many great Christmas songs. That means you hear the same songs repeatedly over and over from Thanksgiving until Christmas - talk about wearing something out.

I get so tired of hearing Christmas music that it takes the joy out of it when I'm finally ready for it. One local radio station has started playing only Christmas music until Christmas. That means I've lost one of the few listening options on my commute. I guess it's time to burn some more music CDs.

Unplugged

I finally realized why I resist getting TXT messaging and a smart phone. While it is true that I don't want to pay extra for those services, there is something more to it. It finally hit me when I was sitting on the plane after landing - returning from a business trip. I noticed everyone eagerly turning on their phones. Did they call to make sure there was a ride waiting for them outside the airport? Did they message their family to let them know they landed safely? Were they checking for new voice mails? No, no, no, they were looking at screens with email and/or Facebook. This was on a 45 minute flight.

And there it is. I don't want to be a slave to my phone. I don't want to feel like I have to be on my phone every 15 minutes because the world might end. I don't want my phone ringing/vibrating every few minutes with Facebook updates and mundane TXT messages about non-life-threatening events. I just don't feel anything is that important that I must be updated constantly about it through Facebook and/or TXT. I don't want to go down that road. That's why I resist it. It's the same reason I resisted MySpace and Facebook for years. I eventually got sucked into Facebook, but only because others claimed it was the most convenient communication method...for THEM at least.

I prefer having some time to myself, unplugged. I like being in the real world and interacting with real people. I don't get nearly as much out of cold characters on a brightly lit screen. Maybe I just like people more than most, but I doubt it.

Applebee's (part 2)

When we arrived everything seemed alright, but it went downhill as usual. When we got there we were seated rather quickly in a booth in the back. The waitress did fine getting our drinks and taking our orders – she was very friendly. Salve ordered a Rib Eye (that she would share with Chloe) and I ordered the Southwest Jalapeno Burger.

After waiting a good while the waitress informed us that they had been slammed and were a little behind, but that our food should be coming up soon. About 20 minutes after that our food finally arrived. My burger did not have lettuce and tomato on it (which I didn’t notice until I was halfway done). The real problems began though when Salve cut into her steak. It wasn’t medium rare. It was half medium rare and half rare. We flagged down the waitress and sent it back.

Meanwhile, I had already begun to eat and decided to continue so my food would not get cold. After waiting probably another 5-10 minutes a new steak appeared. Salve cut into it and it seemed OK. I was more than halfway finished with my burger by this time. When she started to cut some off the other end to give Chloe, there it was. This steak was half medium rare and half rare just like the first one.

It took a couple minutes to flag the waitress down. Salve informed her that this steak was also undercooked. I told the waitress that she was doing nothing wrong, but that I would like to speak to the manager. She hurried off to get the person in charge. We waited another 5-10 minutes, in which time our waitress checked on us and we informed her that the manager never made it to our table. I was completely done with my meal at this point, by the way.

The manager finally arrived and exclaimed that he understood we had a problem with our meal. I showed him the piece of steak that was rare and he offered to take the meal off our ticket. He apologized and then proceeded to add that they had been busy and had received several complaints about the slowness of the service. That was an excuse and a bad one at that. I informed him that the time wasn’t what bothered me. I told him, “I worked in a steak house for 5 years and if we sent TWO steaks out like that, it would have been our ASSES.” I let him know that that was the issue. He apologized again and said, “You’re right. I’ll take care of everything.” I told him that he didn’t have to do that and I had no problem paying for the burger I ate. He told us not to worry about it, he would take care of the entire bill and that we were free to go whenever we pleased, with his apologies.

I didn’t have change for a tip – the waitress was the one thing that went well – so I asked for change from our waitress. After getting change I gave her a tip because she deserved it and let her know that the manager had told us he would take care of the bill. She apologized and thanked us.

While I got a free dinner (that was actually decent) out of the ordeal, Chloe and Salve only got more hungry. They had to go somewhere else to get dinner and eat much later than necessary. This is typical of our experience with Applebee's and it is why we will not be returning to their establishments.

Applebee's (part 1)

We have tried to avoid Applebee's for more than 5 years. We receive gift cards to them occasionally from friends and relatives. So we go there to save a few bucks on dinner maybe once a year. Every time we go, we are more than dissatisfied. For the life of me I can’t figure out why we keep going back. It happened again last night.

We stopped at the one in Bedford because we were late coming back from the soccer tournament in Richmond, VA. We had a $25 gift card and figured it would cover more than half of our dinner there (instead of paying full price someplace else). It would also give us a chance to get rid of the card. We hadn’t been to one of their restaurants in over a year and thought maybe things had improved.

To make a long story short (I'll fill in the details next post) Applebee’s fails yet again. The saddest part of the Applebee’s saga for us is that it isn’t one restaurant. It has been in 5-6 different locations, in at least 4 different cities in Virginia. We have not had good service and/or food in an Applebee’s in probably 7 or more years.

Needless to say, I still have a $25 gift card that we were trying to get rid of. At this point I want to sell it because we sure don’t want to go back. Maybe someone will trade us a Chili’s or Ruby Tuesday’s gift card for it. Those are places we actually enjoy eating. Even McDonald’s would be a better gift card than Applebee’s.

Think

I couldn't wait - I had to post a link to an article I read. People are missing the point of the article, but I hope you don't.

No reporters allowed

Why are interviews conducted in the locker rooms? If I was a professional athlete I would not answer questions in the locker room, period. I would be offended if some reporter stuffed a microphone in my face while I was trying to get cleaned up and dressed. I don’t see reporters following politicians, pop stars or other icons into bathrooms to conduct their “business.”

Women should not be in men’s locker rooms, period. They cry foul though because men can go in there. OK, so don’t let anyone in the locker room to ask questions. Have a media room instead and prevent potential problems to begin with. That’s what they do for female athletes. Oh yeah, male reporters are not allowed in women’s locker rooms. Did I forget to mention that little tidbit? It is another double standard that has no place in the 21st century.

When a woman enters a men’s team locker room she is putting herself in a bad situation to begin with. Men aren’t allowed in Women’s locker rooms, so why are women allowed to go into men’s? To me it is an invasion of privacy. Those athletes don’t want a microphone shoved in their faces while they are trying to wind down, clean up and get dressed. Many young players don’t want a woman around when they are trying to get dressed. It doesn’t matter whether the woman is looking at them or not.

Women, I challenge you to go pee with a strange man standing in the stall with you cleaning the door. Don’t worry; he won’t be looking at you. He’ll have his back to you. He’s just there to do his job. I like this writer’s article.

Double standard

Why does the women’s movement perpetuate the wrong attitudes? “A woman should be able to wear whatever she wants without being sexually harassed.” That’s all fine and good, but until you settle on a definition of sexual harassment and apply it equally to BOTH sexes I refuse to accept that assertion.

If a man walked around with the shaft of his penis showing through the fly of his pants he would be harassing everyone else. When a woman wears a low cut top that shows quite a bit of her cleavage that’s OK, and when she wears a dangling necklace that hangs down in that cleavage there is nothing wrong with it, hell, why doesn’t she just wear a neon sign that points to her chest and says, “Look here.” When a woman wears skin tight shorts with the bottom of her butt cheeks hanging out that’s OK too, but under no uncertain terms men are not suppose to look.

That’s just it! Women are the ones defining sexual harassment, not men, and they aren't doing a good job of it. Women also don't apply it equally to both genders. Why is that? Is it because “men want it”? No, it’s because women want power. They don’t realize they already have it, or maybe they do and they just want more. Men can’t be sexually harassed? Men can’t be raped or sexually assaulted? The women’s movement always downplays that aspect of the argument by saying it doesn’t happen that often. Really! So, because it doesn’t happen that often, we shouldn’t worry about it? Then I’m not worried about women being sexually harassed because it doesn’t happen often enough to concern me.

If I didn’t need my job so much, I’d do it. I’d actually start walking around with the shaft showing through my fly. If anyone mentioned it, I’d just tell them it’s the new style. When I got fired and arrested, I’d make a case out of it and take it to the Supreme Court. How you like me now!

World Cup finals

Since I never posted my thoughts on the World Cup finals, I thought I’d do it now. The teams I picked to be in the finals were, in fact, in the finals. They were the best overall teams in my mind before the tournament began, and what a great final to have two teams that had never won it! I thought Spain was the more technical team, but they had a lot more pressure on them to win. Holland was a good squad that just needed one good break to get the win, and they didn’t have nearly the pressure on them that Spain had. I originally picked Holland to win the game 1-0.

Even though the final featured two great teams, the only thing I will remember from this World Cup is the terrible officiating. It was everywhere this year. The referee should be there only to ensure a smooth game and be relatively invisible, but this year that was far from the case. I can’t think of a game that didn’t have multiple calls that were just awful.

While we’re talking about disappointments, the level of play seemed lower than previous World Cup finals as well. The complaints about the ball were silly in my opinion and the players at that level should be able to adjust to conditions, period. The goal keeping in particular seemed below par for the most part. A lot of the missed shots were because of bad positioning, not a wobbly ball. I’ve always said that footwork was half of goal keeping and I was proven right again while watching the World Cup matches.

The other thing that bugged me while watching games was the many teams unable to take a proper corner kick. I could not figure out for the life of me why so many teams insist on putting corner kicks inside the six yard box. That ball is going to be the keeper’s more than 90% of the time. Anything outside the six though, is a keeper’s worst nightmare. Why not put the ball somewhere one of your players has a chance to get a head on it?

Don’t get me wrong, I love the World Cup. Even with all my moaning about the things I disliked, it was great to get together with a few friends and watch matches and chat about the game I love so much. It truly is the beautiful game.

Coaching courses

Another coaching course is in the bag. I finished up the NSCAA National Diploma course last weekend. It was grueling because it was a non-residential course over two consecutive weekends. They build in time for traveling on Friday and Sunday, so that makes the Saturdays very long. Both Saturdays were on the schedule from 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM. Those are long days, especially when you consider the majority of that time is spent on the soccer field, active.

Normally the course is a residential course that you would travel to with lodging for the week. That format allows for 5 full days instead of several partial days to squeeze everything in. It also means more downtime between days that you can use to study and prepare your graded practice sessions. I think I’ll go to a residential course if I do any higher level courses. Each course is more intense and I don’t want to be hindered in future courses by the time restraints. It didn’t keep me from passing the course, I know I passed, but I’m not sure what my final grade will be as a result.

I set out with the goal of getting my USSF C License almost two years ago. Here I am with the NSCAA equivalent and I wonder, “What now?” I set the goal of getting to this point and then deciding what to do next. Should I go for the next level diploma/license as soon as I can? I’ve got some things to think about.

Spin spin sugar

Just a quick post this time - a rhetorical question. How is it Bush-bashing is a national pastime, but Obama criticism is unpatriotic? We have been stuck in the spin cycle for years now. Can we get out of the washer now and dry off? I'm really tired of going round and round.

Oh, I love the Sneaker Pimps song by the way.

US burnout

It was as I feared. The US team allowed an early goal and had to play catch-up again. They were able to equalize, but made the same mistake in over-time play and could not muster another come back. Although it makes for great drama and great TV, I knew that would eventually fail. The problem this cycle was with our defense and our inability to finish the ball well.

Many are saying that Coach Bob Bradley is to blame for the loss, but I don’t think that is the case. I have a great respect for the man – he recognized the mistakes in lineup against Ghana and corrected it early instead of letting it continue to hinder the US team’s ability to play well. His adjustments immediately impacted the game and you could easily argue that his decision to make that adjustment caused the US to take more control of the game. Believe me Ghana was worried that the US would come back on them, and for good reason. The problem for the US is that coming from behind gets harder with each game (especially the further you go in the tournament). The failures were going to cause a loss at some point.

I was impressed by Michael Bradley the most during the games. He played consistently well and made good decisions throughout. His passes were sharp, his movement good and his goal to bring the US level with Slovenia was superb. I’ve often said that scoring is more about being in the right place at the right time than any other factor. A good goal-scorer puts themselves in advantageous places not by chance. Bradley was impressive, even without the goal. Donovan also impressed, but I expected him to do so, and he needed to in order for the US to have a chance. Donovan was the unspoken leader of the team whether he was wearing the captain’s armband or not. Dempsey, Edu, DeMerit and Feilhaber all played good soccer as well.

So if not the coach, who is to blame for the US loss? Is it Clark, who coughed up the ball that led to the first goal? Is it Howard, who was out of position on the shot? Was it Bocanegra, who failed to shut down the dribble by the opposing player? Was it Findley, who failed to convert an easy goal? Was it Altidore, who was suspiciously quiet most of the game? It was a collective effort that ultimately was no one player’s fault. The US team just wasn’t at a high enough level yet. I think we sent our best squad – unlike Argentina, who are missing several world class players – we sent our best. Ultimately, I’d say it was all of America’s fault for not supporting our team as we do in other sports/events. I hope the support gets better as the team improves.

Knockout stage

The US charged into the knockout stage by beating Algeria with a goal in the 91^st minute of play. Yes, Landon Donovan scored a great goal in stoppage time to put the US through to the next round. Not only did the US make it through, but they finished at the top of the group – thanks to England playing under expectations. This puts the US in better position, theoretically for the next round.

By drawing against England, coming back to tie Slovenia from two goals down (should have been a win) and defeating Algeria we have gained some respect in the sport. We did finish atop of the group, unexpectedly. We also played harder and deserved our results (and then some). That is more than I can say for many of the big name countries, especially France and Italy.

I have to say though that I feel a game against Ghana is more threatening than a game against Germany. Germany is a solid team, but they lack creativity and leadership. Ghana is very creative and they have the home continent advantage. Germany is a good team, yes, but the US knows how to play against teams like that – they did beat Spain. Ghana plays more like Brazil, a team we have struggled to handle. We barely beat Algeria, another African team. We seem to play better against the teams from Europe for whatever reason.

I think we can, and will, beat Ghana, but it will be a nail biter. One thing is for sure, we cannot afford to go down a goal – we have to score first and play hard for 90 minutes. We cannot allow them to score first and then fight back to tie the game. We need a decisive win.

After that we would face the winner of Uruguay vs. South Korea, which is actually in our favor. We won’t see a major player until the semi-finals. Uruguay is no push over though. They finished second in their region, behind Brazil. South Korea is to be respected as well. They are a very physically fit team and showed they can play by winning against France and Greece.

Still, it is realistic that the US could be playing for 3^rd place this World Cup. I don’t see us making the finals, but it is possible and I still hold out hope. Realistically though, we will face a powerhouse in the semi-finals. That powerhouse will likely be the Netherlands, Portugal, Brazil or Spain. Those are pretty much the top four teams of this tournament, with Argentina, Germany and England falling just behind them. Of all those teams though, Portugal is the only one I’ve seen play up to potential. Everyone else has seemed to be on cruise control. I think that will change in the knockout stage and we will have to give everything we have to make it far.

Donovan, Altidore, Bradley and Dempsey will all be key, but so will our defensive play as a whole. If Howard can keep a clean sheet we should do decently well. I look forward to more good games in the coming days/weeks even if the US doesn't go far.

USA

Team USA looks like a decent squad this cup and we have been given an easy chance to make it to the knock-out phase (compared to other groups). Have we finally arrived? Well, I would argue that we arrived eight years ago when we made it to the quarterfinals against Germany. We didn’t earn advancement to the second phase as much as South Korea put us through that year, but our performance in the second round was world-class. We beat Mexico and we deserved to win as much as Germany.

Flash forward to the current tournament and we find ourselves in a good position to make a name for ourselves internationally. We didn’t do so well in our first two games, but we can redeem ourselves. While it is true we haven’t lost a match yet, we really should have done better. England gifted us a draw and we really should have beaten them – England has looked terrible their first two games. The US also should have beaten the Slovenia team, but we played lazy football during the first half and were luckily able to come back on them in the second 45 minutes of play. We should have also gotten the win there because of the disallowed goal, but that’s another topic altogether (refereeing has been inconsistent, but overall poor).

The team is OK and I must admit I’m learning to like some of the guys I’m less familiar with. I’m still not sure about Onyewu though. I think he still makes bad decisions at times, but he is a solid presence in the back that no one else on the team can fill. I’m impressed by the solid play of Michael Bradley, who I really didn’t know well. I continue to be impressed by Altidore and felt he and Donovan were the best field players for the US so far. Tim Howard has been great in goal and continues the history of world-class American keepers. Clint Dempsey, Carlos Bocanegra, Jay DeMerit and Maurice Edu are all playing well – as I expected they would. I wish Charlie Davies hadn’t been in that car wreck because I think he would have been another solid player for the US to draw upon.

With one game to go in the first round we hold our future in our hands. If we win the game against Algeria then we are through to the next stage. If we tie the game, we might get through. If we lose the game though, we are done in South Africa. Once again we have been helped by the play of the other teams in our group, but now it is up to us to make the next stage happen. We have to come out playing like we did the second 45 minutes against Slovenia, and not like the first 45 minutes. If we can get an early goal from Altidore (or even Donovan) I think that will spark the team to victory. We need to play hard for 90 minutes though and punch our ticket to round two. One thing is for sure, we can't keep letting the other team score first.

I’ve already said that I will quit cheering for the US team if we don’t make it out of this group stage and I meant it. I don't want that to happen. So, Go Team USA!

Argentina squad

I've now watched most of their first two games - both victories. They looked good during the first game, although the score was low. I didn't see as much of the second game, but they lit up South Korea.

The team overall seems to be playing decently - not well. They are doing well enough to get through the first stage (a relatively easy bracket for them - no group of death here) but I seriously question their ability to bring home the trophy. They are a little disorganized at times, but show flare up front. That seems typical of the modern game from South America.

The offense is the one part of the team that has been radiant, as expected with the firepower they have brought to the games. They are attacking well and penetrating the defense with a mixture of dribbling skills and good passing. They have been getting a decent number of looks on goal as a result. Messi has been deft on the ball, but has been unable to find the net thus far. He was denied by some wonderful saves against Nigeria. Tevez didn't seem very effective from what I've seen, but he may shine later with his stronger, less finesse, more powerful playing style. Higuaine looked impressive, and has put some balls in the net (a hat trick in the second game).

The mid-field is doing its job, but not standing out. There is no Riquelme to ignite that spark in mid-field. Half of the players have faded into the background. I liked Veron in the late 90’s and early 2000’s, but he is past his prime and never returned to form after his season with Manchester United. Imagine the difference Riquelme and Cambiasso alongside Mascherano and Rodríguez would make for the mid-field performance. Mascherano is a great mid-field player, but not the leader Riquelme was in the last World Cup. With Riquelme as marshal Cambiasso played phenomenally in mid-field and there was a clear leader. Gutiérrez is a good mid-field choice as well, but has been assigned an outside back position for the first two games.

Speaking of Gutiérrez, he had a terrible game as outside back. He did look good late in the game against Nigeria when moved into mid-field after a substitution. Samuel and Heinze both looked great in the back, but Demichelis was a little shaky. Nigeria was foolish to not take advantage of the weaker side (Gutiérrez & Demichelis) to attack and possibly equalize. Demichelis’ shakiness proved to be the opportunity South Korea needed to get on the board in a lost cause. His mistake gifted South Korea an opportunity that they were able to capitalize on nicely. Move Gutiérrez into mid-field and put a defender in that outside back role instead.

The keeper has played fine, but been somewhat untested. I really can't say if he's very good or not. It has been sometime since Argentina had a truly world-class keeper on the national squad. I’m sure he’s decent, but decent keepers haven’t been doing too well in this year’s tournament (maybe it’s the ball like everyone is claiming).

And finally, there is the coach, Diego Maradona. One of the greatest players ever to grace the pitch, no doubt, but I question his ability to coach. He used over 70 different players during qualifying, which I feel didn’t allow for any cohesion on the field. It also hindered their qualifying campaign – they barely made it in. His final roster excluded players that should have been no brainers – Riquelme, Cambiasso and Zanetti are the ones in my mind. To be fair, Riquelme said he wouldn’t play for the man and so he wasn’t a choice anyway, but the other two are world class players coming off of good years in their respective leagues. Zanetti would have helped solidify the back line and provide an older, experienced player to be captain (without Riquelme to fill that role) to lead the team in a way I don’t feel Mascherano will be able to do – despite his skills as a player. So far the starting line-up has included two mid-fielders as backs in both games – despite there being 6 defenders listed on the roster. He didn’t recognize and correct the awful defense on the right side in the first game despite it being present from minute one. This weakness was less pronounced against South Korea, but that could just have been that they weren’t able to expose it like the South Africans did. Ultimately, I think this is what will fail them – the defense – and Maradona will not recognize it in time. If he hasn’t identified it after two games, I fear he never will.

Overall, I don’t see Argentina making it past the Quarterfinals. I just don’t see the teamwork and cohesion needed to beat the other favorites in this tournament. I also don’t see the defense needed to keep other offenses at bay. It comes down to Argentina scoring more goals than their opponents and that might be easy in a light group stage, but they have their work cut out for them in the knock out phase. I’ll cheer for them all the same and hope for the best. If Messi rises to the occasion though…they…could…go…all…the…way.

World Cup 2010

It has started and I'm glad to watch the greatest (my opinion) and the single largest (fact) sporting event in the world. I will make my usual predictions now and see if I am right. I've already filled out my bracket and I'm curious to see how I do.

As always I cheer for the US and Argentina. I've always liked the Argentine side and I have to cheer for the hometown boys. I must say though, I will give up cheering for the US if we don't make it past the first round this year. We have as good a draw as we could hope for in a World Cup - definitely easier than 2002 when we faced Portugal, Poland and South Korea (and we made it out of that group).

Spain looks good, but I think they will choke as usual, although this time in the final game.

Brazil looks the same as last time - leaderless - and will fall short to a better lead team (maybe Holland).

England and Germany are both overrated and missing some key players.

Holland has a lot of talent and I think will finally pull it together to hoist the trophy after a disappointing recent history in The Cup.

No Africans have a chance of making the final, though a couple teams may get through the first round. Their best hope was Ivory Coast, but without Drogba they will have a difficult time in the Group of Death. I think Nigeria and Cameroon both have good chances of advancing to the knock out round.

I think Argentina could have won the whole thing with a better coach. As they are they will likely play in the third place match (at best). They have players past their prime, like Veron and are missing players in their prime, like Cambiasso, Riquelme and Zanetti. Maradona was one of the greatest players of all time, but he's bullheaded and not a great coach. It's sad because the coaching did them in during the 2006 Cup as well. They still have the firepower to put points on the board, but "Will they be able to score more than their opponents?" is the question.

I'll break my thoughts down further in a few more posts to come. Until then, enjoy the beautiful game.

Suck it up

“Cortney could move someplace cheaper than her current home city of San Francisco, but she worries about her job prospects, even with her N.Y.U. diploma.”

I’m sorry, but why is it she has to live in a large city with a high cost of living? When times are tight, you do what you have to do – I did. If that means living in less than ideal circumstances, then you do it. If that means you don’t buy a new car, you don’t. If that means you eat out once in a blue moon, so be it. If that means you get roommates, you find them. If that means you live without cable, high-speed internet, and other luxuries, you say bye-bye to them. Why is it that the youth and young adults in today’s America think they are entitled to a certain standard of living they had while living off mom’s and dad’s dime? Mom and dad earned the right to live at that level. What have you done to earn the right?

The quote comes from an article about a young lady with almost $100,000 in student loan debt for attaining her Bachelor’s Degree from a prestigious school. She has been unable to find a job that enables her to pay back the loans, so she is deferring them (which means the interest is still applied, but she doesn’t have to make payments on the balances). The problem is not that she isn’t finding a job – she isn’t taking responsibility. When bills are looming you have to make an effort – you have to take whatever job you can get to pay the bills and continue to look for something better. That’s how it works – that’s how it has always worked. You don’t get to cry about all the debt you took on to get your degree. She could have gone to a less expensive school. It doesn’t seem it would have made a difference in her job prospects (and I seriously doubt it would have, even in better economic times). However, it would have made a huge difference in the amount of the loans she took out, and her ability to repay them.

Let’s look into this story a little deeper and see what’s going on. She graduated “with an interdisciplinary degree in religious and women's studies.” Did she go into a field with prospects for high paying salaries upon graduation? That doesn’t sound like a medical or law degree, and it isn’t a business degree. So what exactly was she expecting upon graduation? Was she expecting some company to offer her a $50,000 per year managerial position, or a $45,000 per year entry level engineering job? It sounds to me like someone should have done a little better planning for the future and less worrying about which college to attend.

“Ms. Munna understands this tough love, buck up, buckle-down advice. But she also badly wants to call a do-over on the last decade. ‘I don't want to spend the rest of my life slaving away to pay for an education I got for four years and would happily give back,’ she said. ‘It feels wrong to me.’”

Well, you know what feels wrong to me? I repaid my student loans and don’t even have a degree to show for it. Why should you get a free pass? I at least had the intelligence to pick a field of study with some salary potential. Sometimes we learn lessons the hard way. So suck it up and start taking some responsibility. There’s no reset button in life.

NSCAA coaching course

I’ve turned in the paperwork to attend the National Diploma course for NSCAA in August. This will be a tough course and really test my abilities as a coach to communicate effectively to players, but it will give me a higher credential and get me closer to my coaching goals. I wanted to take a USSF National C License course being offered in August, but the location will not work well for me. The NSCAA National Diploma course is equivalent to the USSF one (I’ll try to pick up the C later this year or next year). I’m looking forward to improving upon what I’ve already learned and the experience I’m currently getting while coaching with CVU.

Suicide divides

The title is odd, I know, but I didn’t know how else to frame it. Someone I know recently committed the act and it has left me conflicted in my feelings. It has left me without understanding. Maybe it is because I’ve never experienced that kind of low. I like to think I’ve felt pain and deep emotions, but have I? Have I experienced the type of emotions that must accompany the contemplation and attempt to commit such an act?

I’ve always felt suicide was a selfish act one commits without thought for those around them. I’ve always felt that the one committing the act was stupid to feel such despair and loneliness. I’ve never understood it and maybe that is simply because I’ve never felt what a person in that place experiences. But, it has always left me with a bit of anger inside when I hear about it because it felt like that person didn’t care enough about everyone else – only themselves and what they were feeling.

Now I have to contend with the fact that the person I thought I knew (albeit not terribly closely) did this. I’m angry, but I’m also frustrated and sad. I’m confused. How could someone I’ve spoken to on numerous occasions and always found to be a pleasant person be capable of such a heinous act? I saw him fairly recently and I would have never guessed he had inner demons. He is the victim and the criminal at once. How do I reconcile this within myself? I grasp to understand how someone so close to my age could be gone so abruptly. I try to make sense of the fact that I have one less person with which to enjoy some of life’s little pleasures.

I’m angry for the hurt he has caused for those around him. I am angry that I will no longer enjoy his company. I’m angry that I can’t yell at him and ask him why. And at the same time, I will sorely miss his humor, his calm assertiveness and his skills on the pitch. I will make the effort to remember him before death, not in it. I will endeavor to be there for his local family. I will look to the positive and seek not answers, but memories of the good times. It is really all I can do because I don’t think I can understand – I can only cope.

Hispanic not a race?

I don’t know who I am anymore because according to the federal government (and some others) Latino/Hispanic is no longer a race. Many Americans are unaware of this recent nuance, but being Hispanic, I am very aware of it (especially when I fill out forms). Why is Hispanic treated differently?

I noticed within the past year that surveys I took online for a survey company started asking for race in two separate questions. The first would ask what race you were, but not include Hispanic as a choice. The second question would ask whether you considered yourself Hispanic. Why is this ONE choice separated from the others? What is the difference between African American and Hispanic that requires Hispanic have a separate choice? Why doesn’t Asian have a separate label/question associated with it?

The 2010 Census does the same thing. What does the government (and these others) hope to glean from counting Hispanics separately this way? I am a little confused at this point, so if you can explain it to me, please do.

Where/When I can, I write in Hispanic for race and also claim to be Hispanic in the separate question. When I'm unable to do that I do the best I can to figure out what "race" I am. Whose idea was this and what purpose does it serve? How am I supposed to identify myself correctly? Would Chloe be Pacific Islander and Hispanic? What a headache!

You’re an idiot

Why is it that whenever someone disagrees with you he/she is the idiot? Just because someone else’s priorities don’t align with yours doesn’t mean you can’t get along. People need to learn to agree to disagree and not take everything so personally.

Having cable television is not a high priority for me, but watching the World Cup is. To see all the games in the upcoming World Cup will require some form of extended television. So I will get it in order to meet the goal of watching as much of the FIFA World Cup as possible. Someone else’s priority might be to watch shows that are not on network television. That person may feel that cable is a priority. Perhaps they will watch the World Cup as well, but it isn’t the priority it is for me. That person may also think I’m strange because cable TV is only a priority for the World Cup, but nothing else. Neither of us is an idiot for those reasons – we just have different opinions and priorities.

I’m really tired of hearing people say that anyone who doesn’t support this political agenda (or anyone who does support that political agenda) is an idiot. No, that doesn’t make them an idiot. That just means that their opinion of it differs from yours. Even when presented with every fact you think should compel any sane person to agree with you, they may not. That still doesn’t make them an idiot. Remember, their priorities and opinions are not the same as yours, and who’s to say that you have it right to begin with?

So stop with the name calling and stupid divisive behavior. If you want to get out of the current mess it's going to take coming together and living with compromises. Some in this country want the government to make laws for the minority, but the majority rules in our society. The fact is that’s how politicians are elected and that’s how laws are made – by majority vote. If you don’t like it, you can rally support for your cause and try to change opinions, but getting laws passed for minority groups only causes cracks in the system and division among the citizenry. You need to understand that the facade of a two-party system is that half of them are for you. However, I assure you the two parties revel in their co-monarchy. We're all the idiots for continuing to allow this.

Weather delays

The weather has caused more than just delays in school, soccer leagues and coaching. All the time I've spent at home (while work has been closed) did not lead to more blogging - it seems to have lead to less. I guess the only time I post is when I have access to the high-speed at work.

I like the weather and the time off, but it does get me out of routine. I'll try to update again soon with more. Until then my fine friends take care and stay warm. Hopefully the electric bills won't bankrupt us all.

It isn’t I.T.

Everyone seems to think that Information Technology (I.T.) departments want control of everything. Let me set the record straight, WE DON’T. The funny thing is that I.T. would be a lot happier in some ways, and in many cases, without so much control, believe me. Control is what the organizational leaders want. The control is being dictated to I.T. by the business leaders who are afraid of trade secrets getting out or law suits resulting from private information being leaked.

If I didn’t have to worry about securing your desktop and the data it accesses, I wouldn’t. I’d just provide a reliable network infrastructure for your data to travel on and leave you to worry about virus protection, application installations and hardware choices. What software you use is of no concern to me in that type of world – a world where I’m not responsible for making it all work together and be secure.

That introduces the other aspect of the I.T. world that is not our fault, but a function of the requirements placed upon us, security. People want things secure, but they don’t want to be responsible for securing it. We provide a solution that works, but that is too inconvenient for you. Guess what, security by definition is going to be inconvenient compared to an insecure option. You still put locks on your doors at home even though the extra step of unlocking it is required, don’t you? You don't care if your stuff is secure? Well guess what, your boss does. His boss told both our bosses how important security is and neither of us has a say (if we want to keep receiving a paycheck).

While I’m on the subject, let me tell you non-technical people something. What we do is not “easy.” We aren’t doing brain surgery, but at least a brain surgeon isn’t asked to change tools and patients in mid-operation like nothing ever happened and without prior notice, nor additional staff to help. Try driving a worn out sports car down a windy road as fast as you can while the road is being worked on; the people in the back seat are arguing over which music, what temperature and who has more space; the front passenger is directing you to a location they don’t know and have never been to before; and you're trying to keep an eye on that cup of hot coffee in the center console without a top on it. Now, on top of that, imagine that everyone in the car blames you for their uncomfortable situation, for not already being at the destination and for not having the latest, greatest car to ride in. Did I mention not one of them has a license to drive and that everyone is required to be there? That’s about how it is sometimes.

Instead of bad-mouthing I.T. staff for one hour of hassle to resolve your issue, thank them for 39+ hours of productive work without their involvement. Instead of complaining about your inability to do things the way you want, praise the fact that you can get your job done in a timely fashion. Instead of blaming I.T. for the failure of your computer, praise them for fixing it (or for bringing you a new one). Instead of griping about new technology, be glad you are kept up-to-date with the latest industry standards. It really isn’t that hard if you try (your results may vary).

Chippergate (part 2)

We went to the gas station just off I-81, at the Middletown exit to use the bathroom and figure out what to do next. They had some larger sized bags of Rt. 11 Chips on their shelves. That got me thinking…the local grocery store would probably have some bags. We called the brothers to let them know what was going on and asked the employee at the gas station where the closest grocery store was located. We were in luck because there was a large store only five miles north of our current location. We headed out, in search of bags of Rt. 11 chips.

We found bags of Rt. 11 Chips, many on sale, at Martin’s. They were all out of the lightly salted ones though. We stopped at a convenience store/gas station to see what they had and they had the lightly salted, but nothing more. We couldn’t find Yukon Gold or Mama Zuma’s – the main varieties we had been seeking. We decided to just go on without them. The mission was mostly accomplished, so we headed on up the road.

I was disappointed to not have my Mama Zuma’s, but I didn’t want to waste any more time looking for them. As we drove on we passed another Martin’s and decided to make one last attempt. They had the same products as the previous one and I left empty handed. We traveled on in hopes it wouldn’t be too late when we arrived in PA, and that the chips we did purchase would suffice for now.

Everything was fine and the chips were enjoyed by all. When we got back home I looked on the Rt. 11 Chips website out of curiosity. They did have directions on there to the Mount Jackson facility. Also, there was something else. There, at the bottom of the page, was a small note about Yukon Gold chips – the ones everyone wanted. Our search was in vain after all:

Our two longtime Yukon Gold growers dropped out this year and the Yukons that were available on the market just weren't chippable. We will have this figured out by next season, so please stand by and sorry about not being able to fill the Yukon yearnings out there...

If you’re curious about Rt. 11 chips, look on their site for a list of locations to buy their products. They are worth the occasional splurge. If you think you can handle them, I recommend the Mama Zuma’s. If spicy just isn't your thing, then any of the others are sure not to disappoint.

Chippergate (part 1)

We spent the week of, and weekend following New Year's in PA with the Lin family. As always, we enjoyed our time together. On the way up we learned a lesson about planning though. We were all set to make the extra detour to stop by Rt. 11 Chips. We didn’t plan it out though because we had been there before – it was pretty straight forward.

We drove up I-81 instead of Rt. 29 in anticipation of stopping for some tasty treats. We let all the Lin brothers know we would be stopping and would call for final orders once we arrived. All was going well and despite leaving the house later than planned we were still on track to make it to their facility in Middletown, VA well before closing time. Just to be sure we had Rich double check their hours online – it was looking good. Soon though, we would experience the great chip fiasco of 2009 (or chippergate).

We arrived at the facility where there were no signs and the posters previously adorning the building were nowhere to be found. A lone sheet of 8.5 x 11 inch paper was taped on the door of the main entrance. This wasn’t looking good, but I figured they just moved down the street a little ways. I ventured to the door to see what the paper said.

To my shock and dismay they had closed the Middletown, VA location completely. They had moved all operations to their “new state of the art chipping facility in Mount Jackson, VA.” Looking on the map confirmed what the paper said, Mount Jackson was 30 miles south. One major problem with that, we were traveling north. Making the drive back down I-81 would have added no less than an hour to our drive time. So, we decided to use the restroom and figure out what to do.