Random Thoughts for the Week of August 20, 2012

Well, we’re 8 days out from the move and 2/3 of the house is packed up and ready to go.  Now it’s just a matter of figuring out the logistics of moving 2 households, a 3-month old baby, a dog and a cat from Ohio to Nebraska … yeah … going to be a long week.  So, my thoughts this week and next week will be brief. 

• I remember watching Dr. Drew on Loveline back in High School and really appreciating his frank, scientific approach to the problems they dealt with on the show.  He was honest, amusing without being condescending and genuinely cared about the callers and their problems.  But since then he’s become quite the little poster child of celebrity psychoses.  Then he did a whole show on rehabbing celebrities and their various psychological issues/addictions.  Now it seems like every time someone does something crazy (ex. Junior Seau, the asshole in Aurora, etc.), Dr. Drew is there and ready to take the interview and diagnose the situation, rarely without talking to the person in question.  Huh.  So Dr. Drew now has 2 patients from his Celebrity Rehab show that have died as a result of the addictions the show failed to treat/cure.  Is it time we admit that Dr. Drew may not be the most qualified person to handle these situations?  I’m just saying that Jeff Conaway had some really serious problems, and dealing with them in front of a camera with a celebrity analyst may not have been the best decision.  Just sayin …
• So, is the recession really over?  I’m puzzled as to what criteria economists would use to make that decision.  I know what politicians and uneducated friends on Facebook are saying: the Dow is back up to where it was when Obama took office.  Well, that’s great and I know my 401(k) appreciates that, but is that really the best indicator of the state of our economy?  My dad, the financial advisor, always warned me about using the DJI as the sole-indicator and I think he’s right.  To me a better indicator has always been how much people are spending and saving.  If people are spending more, either on goods, services or investments and people are able to save then the economy is in good shape and you’d see stock prices go up and thus the DJI goes up.  Okay, good so far.  But if government spending goes up then taxes go up.  If taxes go up people tend to hold onto their money more, spending less and complaining more.  Seems like we’re still having a lot of the latter rather then the former, even since Obama took office.  And then there’s still the high unemployment rate, but I’m a little kinder on that since it’s not the job of the federal government to make someone work and study hard enough to get and keep a good job.  That falls more on the individual.  Even still when I see those Facebook posts saying how much things are better now than they were 4 years ago, I’m not sure I agree with 100% of what they’re saying.  I also want to add in how much their kids owed 4 years ago versus today …
• USC is going to be scary good in football.  I think it’s a credit to the program, coaches and history of the college that they managed to keep high-quality teams throughout their post-season ban.  I think other coaches and colleges (hint, hint Penn State) will be taking a long, hard look at how they did it and start emulating their practice and recruitment techniques.  Mark Barkley is going to be as household a name as Reggie Bush and Carson Palmer were in the day.
• I love that the Patriots gave Olympian silver medalist Jeff Demps a chance to play football again.  Demps bypassed the NFL Draft to focus on his Olympic training, and it paid off.  Now the former Gator RB has rededicated himself to football.  Good luck to you, Demps.  You’ve earned the chance.  Kudos to the Pats for giving it to him.  In ancient times Olympic athletes, especially the winners, were lavished with honors upon their return home.  Nice to see the U.S. can do this too, not just having the athletes on the late night talk shows.
• I really hope Andrew Luck does well, this year and in the future.
• I really hope the Jets suck this year.
• Watched the “Hard Knocks” episode where Chad Johnson got fired.  It hurt to watch.  Networks, take note.  “Hard Knocks” is a TRUE reality show.  Sure, the people on the screen know there are cameras there, but they really don’t change much because of it.  The authenticity I saw in that show blew me away, especially as they dealt with such a serious thing.  Would it get as many viewers as “Big Brother?” Sadly, no.
• Okay, “True Blood” got WAY better this last week.  I actually found myself holding my breath as to what would happen next.  Not many shows on today that can say that.
• Kearney Nebraska sent their first team to the Little League World Series this year.  Big time congrats to them and that community for doing what is normally done by coastal, metropolitan areas that recruit, train and play like semi-professional teams.  Something tells me the kids on the Kearney team had way more fun during their season than the other teams from California and Florida.
• RIP, William Windom.  You were a bigger actor in the day, but I remember when you played Commodore Decker in my favorite original Star Trek episode “The Doomsday Machine” with such straightforward insanity.  I loved to hate your character, and I learned not only what a commodore was because of the show but I learned there was a whole fleet of ships and thus my real love of starships was born.  I just watched that episode recently and wondered what happened to you.  I hope you lived a long and happy life.  Your little 1-hour journey into the final frontier had a lasting impact on my life.  Thanks!
• RIP, Tony Scott.  “Top Gun” and “Days of Thunder” are two movies that always got my adrenaline going.  “Crimson Tide” and “Spy Game” always hold my attention till the end if I’m channel surfing.  You were good and you’ll be remembered.
• This week the world rejoiced as Nicki Minaj stopped singing and talking.  Then they wept to find out she’ll be an American Idol judge.  Dear God I don’t even want to see commercials for that show.  Please let this season be the last season before even the train wreck gets too horrible to watch.
• I’m not a financial genius, but I think anyone who thought they’d make a great deal of money investing in Facebook doesn’t understand the fickle nature of social media and its user base.  Social media people don’t like ads.  They don’t like to be interrupted by a sales pitch even a little.  So if the users of these sites abhor advertising, how can those sites truly make money for investors when the money comes from the ads and not membership fees?  Yeah, I called that one.  And we won’t even talk about the whole trend/fad aspect of it.  lol
• After watching him on the Today Show, I was saddened to see for the first time just how much of a egotistical asshole Lionel Richie is.  I understand his daughter more now too.  Wow, it’s just all about him, him, him.  Yes, he’s a musical genius and “Can’t Slow Down” was the first pop album I ever owned.  Other than that, what a jerk.
• I just can’t get excited about using Google+ or LinkedIn.  I think updating my life in one place is enough.
• In my first FF draft this season I had to stretch and scrounge for players that had the best potential to bring in points.  There are so many injuries and so many players who are teamed with others it’s so hard to tell who’s going to be the FF best players this season.  Driving me crazy!

ALEXANDER UPDATE

• Alex had a great weekend with Nana while Mindi and I worked on packing.  It was also the first time I really got a good, hard look at how big he’s become.  Good Lord, he’s so huge compared to just a few months ago!  It’s crazy how fast they grow.  Yes, I know people told me that, but I thought it was just an expression. 
• It’s fun to watch Alex try to talk or touch the baby he sees in the mirror.  Keep trying, little guy.
• I swear, the minute I get out my phone or the video camera to record something, Alex stops doing it.  Better leave that stuff to mommy.
• Alex is talking more, grabbing more, holding his head up more, likes tummy time more, arches his back and sleeps a lot more.  Yeah, he’s a great little boy.
• So, how much longer does this bliss last?  I’ve got a bad feeling about what’s coming …