Haven't talked to a certain friend in a while and when he heard we were still in Taiwan asked how much longer we had here. I said, "five more years...three with good behavior."
Rolling Coal. Have you seen this?
Have lost a bunch of weight...again, thanks for noticing. Did it for my mind as I was sick of looking at the fat guy in the mirror, and did if for my body to take weight of my achy knees (read that 1 pound of weight takes off 5 pounds of pressure). I wrote up an entry for this space before we left for summer but never posted as I was worried about putting it all back on chowing down on all the treats we miss here. The goal before we left in June was to get under 200 pounds and, with the help of a four day "cleanse" I did with Betty, got to 198 day of departure. At a doctor visit a few years ago, the scale said 232 and you can do the math.. Was still sexy and more of me to love, but obese and gross. Hitting 200 was great but was afraid to climb back on the scale upon our return. After a couple weeks, tentatively did so and thought the scales brain had fried in the summer heat as it said 190. Couldn't believe it and was at a friends house that night and asked to use theirs...but they are English and their scale was in stone and it said 13.61. Thankfully, Google provided a translation and 190 it was. Am currently sitting at 188 and thought that would be my ultimate goal, but think I would be better off getting under 180.
It is motivating when people, especially the ladies, comment about how much skinnier I look and everyone that does asks how. I hate repeating myself so I give different answers like, giving up beer or peanut butter, late night snacks, etc. No real secret of "diet" per se other than trying to eat healthier (and less) and getting out for a walk and exercise every day. Boring, but what I think is the real contributing factor is listening to podcasts that I relish and save to listen to on the daily walk. Football and baseball have some good ones that are in regular rotation and love a bunch of those, have mentioned the Malcolm Gladwell 'Revisionist History' series, which is essential, and listen to a bunch of others based on the guests, but the ones I savor on a weekly basis are:
- Greg Proops Smartest Man In The World. Improv master, crazy liberal, pop culture savant and pure genius
- Keepin It 1600 Former Obama insiders John Favreau and Dan Pfieffer,,,makes one feel good about the current insanity
- Guessing the lines with Bill Simmons and Cousin Sal. He can get a little insufferable with the Boston fanboy schtick (see # 32 below), but funny takes on the second greatest sport on Earth (after Aussie Rules Football)
- Dan Carlin's Common Sense and Hardcore History Bizarre takes about current state of the world in the former, and in depth looks at all history on the latter. A 5 part/4 hour each review of WWI was so damn informative. .
A new one that is a quick listen is called Whistlestop, where Face the Nation host John Dickerson examines the quirks of past Presidential races. Quite enlightening to see how similar these things go over time.
I love the NFL and worry that its future will be like that of boxing and horse racing, but I'll probably be long gone by then. What follows is my ranking of the NFL teams that when I watch, defines my rooting interest. For example, will root for team 6 over team 9 in most cases (unless team 9 winning would directly benefit teams 1 & 2). But in a vacuum...
1. Oakland - Bilitnekoff smoking butts on the sideline, Just Win Baby, Snake. Grew up in LA and was a Rams fan from an early age, but every season they would lose in the playoffs to the Vikings in increasingly dramatic and tortuous fashion. Then in the '76 Super Bowl held down the street at the Rose Bowl, the Raiders spanked the crap out of the hated Vikings and have been Silver and Black clad ever since. Last decade has been a slog and have been a bit dormant, but a resurgent franchise is great for the entire league and makes Sundays special again.
2. Seattle - Largent, L.O.B, Skittles. Took a decade and switch from AFC to NFC, but living every day with someone makes you slowly fall in love. SB 40 was a great run and the Pete Carroll era solidified them as my second child. Have had to defend having two favorite teams a lot and equate it to my children. Raiders are my first child and Hawks are my adopted one...love them both equally and hate to see them play each other. A Super Bowl between the two? Will worry about that Sophie's choice day when it comes.
Teams 3 - 7 are the lovable losers and will always root for an underdog.
3. San Diego - Powder blues, Air Coryell, Holy Roller. Their games were on the radio when I was young so heard a ton of Fouts era games. Can still see the dust coming up from the baseball diamond in dual use Jack Murphy stadium in the late Fall afternoon shadows. Those were fun and and non-threatening teams.
4. Cleveland - The Drive, The Fumble, Art Modell. If it is true that God Hates Cleveland, who will love them?
5. Buffalo - Wide Right, OJ, Table Slam. That town deserves nice things
6. NY Jets - Pantyhose, Butt Fumble, Fireman Ed. Funniest fans in the biz who know that something will always go wrong for them. Maybe not today, but soon. They warrant better but if they got better, would they be as obnoxious as #32 on this list? Doubt that'll ever happen
7. Detroit - Paper Lion, Scott Mitchell, Mouse Davis. Last of the pathetic/loveable loser group and rates of the bottom of that class based only on them playing indoors.
The next group (8-11) are teams/fans that are solid and I would definitely be a fan if I lived there.
8. Philadelphia - Santa, Jaworski, Harold Charmichael, A fan base that is long suffering and funny like the Jets, but in a different self loathing way and know they would still hate their team even if they won a Super Bowl
9. Kansas City - Matriculation, Montana/Allen, Arrowhead. How can anyone hate Kansas City?
10. Chicago - Ditka, Fridge, Willie Gault. This just in...Mike Ditka is a tool (and everyone knows that Buddy Ryan was the heart of that staff)
11. Minnesota - Bud Grant, Purple People Eaters, Ahmad Rashad. I didn't hate them for beating the Rams every year in the 70's as they were a great organization, but Fran Tarkington seemed like such a douche.
12 to 18 fall solidly in the 'meh' group and for the most part, are interchangeable.
12. Tampa Bay - Creamsicle, Gay Pirate, "My teams execution? I'm in favor of it"
13. Miami - Czonka, Shula, helmets with Dolphins that are wearing tiny helmets
14. New Orleans - Hurricanes, Manning's daddy, Aints
15. Jacksonville - uh...I got nothin'
16. Cincinnati - Munoz ankle, ugly helmets, bad chili
17. Houston - can I talk Oilers here? Bum, Pastorini, Campbell
18. Atlanta - Dirty bird and...the team I have absolutely no feeling for in any way
19 to 24 help fill the basket of deplorables.
19. Tennessee - 1 yard, McNair, Music City Miracle. Why did Tennessee need a team over the Houston Oilers? People in Memphis (or is it Nashville) don't give a shit and that's a fact.
20. Baltimore - Ray Rice, Edgar Allen Poe, Crab cakes. Yes, I hate that they moved from poor Cleveland but that it went to very deserving Baltimore, and they left the name behind and adopted cool name and colors keeps them higher on this list than the below dogs.
21. Arizona - Fitzgerald, Jim Hart, rolling grass. Like an old person, moving from cold St. Louis to the desert. Like Tennessee, doubt the locals really care and sports are all St Louis has.
22. Los Angeles - Deacon Jones head slap a man...or a woman, Deiter, Madam Ram, Take me back honey, I promise it won't happen again.
23. Washington - Hogs, Sandy Baby, Theismans fractured femur. Went to school in DC and became intimate...didn't hate them while most of my peers did. They even had the first black Super Bowl winning QB, but this adherence to an obvious racial epithet is mind boggling. Wouldn't they make a ton of dough on merch if they change it to something cool a la the Ravens? Daniel Snyder is a total dick and even his pets know it
24. Indianapolis - Diner, Mayflower moving vans, Johnny U. Was in DC when they packed up in the middle of the night leaving that great city and fans with nothing. I hate you Colts and your lucking into Manning/Luck. My folks were from Baltimore and while we aren't an overtly emotional bunch, felt my dad's pain. Karma let me down by allowing you to win a title, but that'll never, ever, happen again cause karma and I are tight
This last batch is just me being a hater of good things I don't have. I realize it and will not apologize.
25. San Francisco - Brodie, Rice, DeBartalo. They rank at the top of this bottom feeder section as it's been a couple decades since their domination and they are feeling some institutional pain and lethargy.
26. Pittsburgh - Immaculate reception/biggest missed call ever, The Bus, Towels. Enough already. Total respect for the most stable franchise in the game in a city that is awesome with deserving fans, but could we just have a decade of futility like everyone else?
27. Carolina - Delhomme, Teal, Dab. They really belong in the 'Meh' section but have dropped like a dirty shirt due to Riverboat Ron's whinnyness and the 'look at me I'm Sandra Deeness of some of their stars.
28. Green Bay - Munn, Cheese, Frozen tundra. Another team that I totally understand why people would love. Public ownership, rabid blue collar fans, small town. classic stadium. etc. Other than the gawdawful uniform colors, I should love them, yet here we are.
29. NY Giants - Pisarcik, Tuna, Helmet catch. Total respect, especially for upsetting # 32 on this list, twice, but you see the trend.
30. Dallas - Newhouse, Jones, Collar bone. America's team? I'm taking a knee
31. Denver - Horse snot, Shanahan, Tebow. Raiders arch rival. Loved Denver but hope bad things happen to them.
32. New England - Deflated balls, Pat the Patriot, Grogan.. Speaking of respect, Bill Belichick is the greatest football coach in my opinion. Really, cannot think of anyone else that comes close. Some would argue that Brady is the greatest QB ever, but he is just a pretty boy dating Jessica Simpson and not a Ugg wearing super model marrying icon without Coach. Every story needs its super villain, they just aren't supposed to win every time. What puts them at the bottom of the list are the super villian's minions...those muchkin eating, cheater denying, Aaron Hernandez jersey wearing fans that get to live in the best town in America. Liked you way better when you were lovable losers.
On any given Sunday, you'll now know my mood based on the above chart.
Finally, here is my rant for the week. As always, you are welcome to check out whenever you like.
I put in my travel notes three times this summer that in the polls, Trump lagged in every category with one exception. Non-college educated white males. Have mulled this over long and hard and bunch of thoughts came into mind, kicked off their shoes and stayed a while, some of them left and some will just not take the hint and are digging through my liquor cabinet wondering what kind of cocktail they can make with Midori and Aguardiente.
It would be, and was, easy to disregard this group as stupid idiots and that they should listen to the smart people, but that is wrong. Everyone knows highly educated people with moral compasses forever pointing south, and also that the most kind and thoughtful people we know are often times barely formally educated.. And the Hillary supporters are littered with non-college educated folks and that doesn't validate/discedit their views any more so than Trumps and in fact, will rail against their blind devotion based on their myopic outlook as much as the white guys.
So generalizations aside, what college does for most people is to enhance their critical thinking. It doesn't have to be college per se, as exposure to the world outside of ones own bubble usually has the same affect. Immersion is better of course, but small steps. There are many definitions of critical thinking in that link above and they are all good, but the one that resonates most with me is, "thinking about one's thinking in a manner designed to organize and clarify, raise the efficiency of, and recognize errors and biases in one's own thinking. Critical thinking is not 'hard' thinking nor is it directed at solving problems (other than 'improving' one's own thinking). Critical thinking is inward-directed with the intent of maximizing the rationality of the thinker. One does not use critical thinking to solve problems—one uses critical thinking to improve one's process of thinking.
Boiled down, it is the assumption that one might be wrong in their belief . I am as guilty as anyone else of making a snap judgment or carrying around some opinion about something, to the point that I want to act out. I don't remember anyone ever specifically telling me about critical thinking before although I am sure some professor did...maybe all of them did and I was just too baked to remember. And every person has heard the adage that before you criticize a person 'you must walk a mile in their shoes' (and love the gag that you are now a mile away from them and have their shoes). In all of the bluster going on these days, and probably forever but seems more so not that the cockroaches have had the light shined on them, it is apparent that a large segment of society is missing this absolutely essential check to their thoughts and actions.
I didn't vote for Romney or McCain, but I could understand why people did. They were thoughtful people who had opinions and plans that were reasoned and clear. On the scale of things, felt the alternative choice tipped them the other way, but these guys were critical thinkers and that they would make a decision based on thought and fact and that they would do their best. It would have been easy to discount them based on stereotypes and false narratives, and I fought my Dem friends on that vehemently.
Same with Hillary. If you listen to what she says, look at what she has done and listen to everyone, and I will repeat for emphasis, everyone that has dealt with her intimately both personally and professionally, I don't see where the vitriol is warranted. Has she made some bad calls? Absolutely. Does she admit them? If you listen, she has. If you don't listen, or listen to only one narrative, you'd think she was the devil. She is a (somewhat/sometimes ruthless) political operative, and get that will rub many the wrong way, but it always seems to come from a place of compassion with her being the best informed as she studies as much as anyone past or present. I know that some will read that last sentence and do a spit take, but in word and deed, I cannot think of another person, let alone politician, whose every utterance has been under a microscope for 3 decades, has been accused of the most heinous of acts without a shred of evidence that points to malice that is viewed with outright hostility.
The alternative? The only reason you think he is a good idea is that he isn't her. Who has come away from their interactions with him saying that he is thoughtful or cares or is a good person that can be respected? His kids? Omarosa? Don King, who stomped a man to death, and Giuliani, who said that we should take the Iraqi oil cause, you know, it's war? America...so great. In word and deed, what has Trump done that impresses people? Successful businessman? C'mon now...that record is spotty at best and is wildly incomplete without seeing his taxes. Just cause someone has (supposedly)a lot of money does not qualify them to make a decision for every person. And I am not just looking at HuffPo or "lamestream" media, but with my ears and listening to people that are smarter than me whose opinions deserve respect based on years of study/involvement, whose motivation isn't power or profit. Name me one person that supports him whose motives are pure, or an idea that he has that is well reasoned or thoughtful, or a single utterance that smacks of true compassion. This has been going on for years and have yet to hear one of the above.
I wrote another couple of paragraph that were hate filled and deleted them and must stop here cause it is depressing me. Think I will dial up a week 3 NFL preview show and take a stroll. Quite a lovely day today.
how lucky are YOU...
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