Sunday, July 31, 2005
MTA Frustrations
Luke is mad at the MTA for their Enronesque accounting practices. Chris has seconded that frustration with an enormously comprehensive argument against the MTA's shady practices. I just wanted to weigh in.
First of all, I agree with all of their frustrations. I don't ride the train on a daily basis any more, but in the 4 or 5 years that I did sporadically ride every day I was frustrated more than once with the service they provide.
My feeling is that the main reason the MTA provides service that is both poor and shady is that they are a monopoly. There's not even a chance of them running into any competition and so they are pushing the margins of their profits by not servicing trains when they should and not properly serving customers because the hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers who ride the train every day have literally no choice but to ride the train.
MTA supporters are quick to point out that $2.00 to get from the Bronx to Manhattan is one of the best bargains in the city, and it is. Even when they raise the fares to $3.00 or whatever they're going to raise it to, it will still be a good deal. If you're feeling adventurous, you could even go from say Coney Island (in Brooklyn) to Yankee Stadium (in the Bronx) all on one fare. To even get in a cab and go nowhere will cost you $2.50 so it's still the most cost effective option.
One of the MTA's issues is that New York's is the biggest and busiest subway system in the world. It also wasn't originally designed to be all one system, so it's automatically not the most efficient mapping of the city. Given that, though, shouldn't the MTA go out of its way to make those things less noticeable?
The idea that Chris mentions to put the signs up that tell you when the next train is coming would greatly reduce frustrations among riders. The benefits to riders there would far outweigh any costs that the MTA would incur.
The MTA's scope is a lot bigger than I realize on a day to day basis. I knew in the back of my head that they controlled essentially every public transportation system into and within New York City, but when you realize that they oversee the subway, the bus system, the Long Island Railroad and the Metro North trains, then their enormous influence on the city is undeniable. For them to so blatantly misuse that power is inexcusable.
First of all, I agree with all of their frustrations. I don't ride the train on a daily basis any more, but in the 4 or 5 years that I did sporadically ride every day I was frustrated more than once with the service they provide.
My feeling is that the main reason the MTA provides service that is both poor and shady is that they are a monopoly. There's not even a chance of them running into any competition and so they are pushing the margins of their profits by not servicing trains when they should and not properly serving customers because the hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers who ride the train every day have literally no choice but to ride the train.
MTA supporters are quick to point out that $2.00 to get from the Bronx to Manhattan is one of the best bargains in the city, and it is. Even when they raise the fares to $3.00 or whatever they're going to raise it to, it will still be a good deal. If you're feeling adventurous, you could even go from say Coney Island (in Brooklyn) to Yankee Stadium (in the Bronx) all on one fare. To even get in a cab and go nowhere will cost you $2.50 so it's still the most cost effective option.
One of the MTA's issues is that New York's is the biggest and busiest subway system in the world. It also wasn't originally designed to be all one system, so it's automatically not the most efficient mapping of the city. Given that, though, shouldn't the MTA go out of its way to make those things less noticeable?
The idea that Chris mentions to put the signs up that tell you when the next train is coming would greatly reduce frustrations among riders. The benefits to riders there would far outweigh any costs that the MTA would incur.
The MTA's scope is a lot bigger than I realize on a day to day basis. I knew in the back of my head that they controlled essentially every public transportation system into and within New York City, but when you realize that they oversee the subway, the bus system, the Long Island Railroad and the Metro North trains, then their enormous influence on the city is undeniable. For them to so blatantly misuse that power is inexcusable.
Thursday, July 28, 2005
So We Can Put a Man on the Moon, but We Can't Put a Man on the Moon?
NASA dodged a bullet, almost literally, with the recent launch of the space shuttle Discovery. Another piece of insulating foam came off of the rocket when it launched. I say another because it was a piece of foam that came off the Columbia on re-entry that made it explode.
They are pretty sure that the Discovery was not damaged and should be ok to come back to Earth, so here's to hoping. After this, though, they are suspending any further flights until they are sure they have solved the shooting foam issue.
I'm wondering if NASA is becoming more or less relevant to society today. I suppose most would say that NASA is as relevant as ever, though I think you could make a pretty good argument that it's losing viability as a completely government funded program and that perhaps it should move into the private sector.
I think NASA's relevance is probably a lot more behind the scenes than the shuttle launches and such. I'd bet they serve a huge function to the government and society through their less ostentatious research done from Earth. I figure they had a hand in developing the computer, the internet, communication systems, and all sorts of other technologies, not to mention the contribution I'm guessing they have made to the Dept. of Defense.
Incidentally, there's an inherent irony in calling it the Dept. of Defense. A bit of 1984 doublespeak there.
I didn't really do any research into what NASA actually does so I can't really support my post, but I would assume NASA's most important work is done behind the scenes, and its relevance and contribution to society is probably a lot more evident than it would seem.
They are pretty sure that the Discovery was not damaged and should be ok to come back to Earth, so here's to hoping. After this, though, they are suspending any further flights until they are sure they have solved the shooting foam issue.
I'm wondering if NASA is becoming more or less relevant to society today. I suppose most would say that NASA is as relevant as ever, though I think you could make a pretty good argument that it's losing viability as a completely government funded program and that perhaps it should move into the private sector.
I think NASA's relevance is probably a lot more behind the scenes than the shuttle launches and such. I'd bet they serve a huge function to the government and society through their less ostentatious research done from Earth. I figure they had a hand in developing the computer, the internet, communication systems, and all sorts of other technologies, not to mention the contribution I'm guessing they have made to the Dept. of Defense.
Incidentally, there's an inherent irony in calling it the Dept. of Defense. A bit of 1984 doublespeak there.
I didn't really do any research into what NASA actually does so I can't really support my post, but I would assume NASA's most important work is done behind the scenes, and its relevance and contribution to society is probably a lot more evident than it would seem.
All At Once, Just At That Moment, Right Then
Here's a random thought. I have been using the idiom "all of a sudden" for as long as i can remember. Recently I've heard people say "all of THE sudden" instead of the "A sudden", which is how I thought it was. Obviously this is a dissonance that I cannot tolerate, so I did some research.
Aparently I am right. The proper usage is "all of a sudden", though there doesn't seem to be any particular grammatical reason for it, just that that's how the idiom goes.
So this time I was right, but I have been wrong in the past about idioms. For the longest time I thought that something was done "for all intensive purposes", and even used the term in a college philosophy paper. Only at that point when the phrase was met with a resounding x mark in red pen was I made aware that something is done "for all intents and purposes" instead.
Aparently I am right. The proper usage is "all of a sudden", though there doesn't seem to be any particular grammatical reason for it, just that that's how the idiom goes.
So this time I was right, but I have been wrong in the past about idioms. For the longest time I thought that something was done "for all intensive purposes", and even used the term in a college philosophy paper. Only at that point when the phrase was met with a resounding x mark in red pen was I made aware that something is done "for all intents and purposes" instead.
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Hustle and Flow
I saw Hustle and Flow last night. The premise of the movie is that there is a pimp in Memphis who wants to become a rapper, so he makes a demo tape. In fact, that's more than just the premise, that's pretty much the entire movie. All in all it was an enjoyable couple hours. There are some really funny parts and on the whole the story was entertaining.
The movie doesn't really go much deeper than that, so I guess there's not much else to say. Taryn Manning was good as one of the hizzoes.
The movie doesn't really go much deeper than that, so I guess there's not much else to say. Taryn Manning was good as one of the hizzoes.
Why I Don't Believe in the Death Penalty
I've said before that I believe in the death penalty in an ideal situation, but that in practice I don't believe it is an effective punishment, nor is it a flawless proposition.
Here is the best example of why I don't believe in the death penalty. The Innocence Project was started in 1992 by Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld at Cardozo Law School, part of Yeshiva University. They review cases for which there is DNA evidence that may or may not overturn convictions. Since they started the project, about 160 cases have been overturned, at least 14 of which involved wrongfully convicted murderers on death row.
Now this project can only get to so many murder cases, but if their small sample has found 14 cases in which murderers were wrongly sentenced to death, then the death penalty system in America is clearly flawed. The fact that at a bare minimum 14 people were wrongfully sentenced to death in this country since 1992 is an enormously telling statistic and should demonstrate that a system that *cannot* be flawed to work effectively is, in fact, flawed.
Here is the best example of why I don't believe in the death penalty. The Innocence Project was started in 1992 by Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld at Cardozo Law School, part of Yeshiva University. They review cases for which there is DNA evidence that may or may not overturn convictions. Since they started the project, about 160 cases have been overturned, at least 14 of which involved wrongfully convicted murderers on death row.
Now this project can only get to so many murder cases, but if their small sample has found 14 cases in which murderers were wrongly sentenced to death, then the death penalty system in America is clearly flawed. The fact that at a bare minimum 14 people were wrongfully sentenced to death in this country since 1992 is an enormously telling statistic and should demonstrate that a system that *cannot* be flawed to work effectively is, in fact, flawed.
Monday, July 25, 2005
My Best Birthday Present
Thoughfulness Abounding
Check out Post Secret. People send in their secrets on a postcard and they get posted on the site. It's enormously interesting and almost like a session with a therapist.
Matt Dabney the 8th Grader
If you don't understand this post, then it's a complicated story:
uscgirl012eve: hi
ChuckJerry: hi
uscgirl012eve: whats yup
uscgirl012eve: can u send me a pic of u
ChuckJerry: no
uscgirl012eve: if u want
uscgirl012eve: y
ChuckJerry: why are you writing to me?
uscgirl012eve: i don't know
uscgirl012eve: im bored
ChuckJerry: where is your friend matt dabney?
uscgirl012eve: how do u know him
ChuckJerry: good gracious
uscgirl012eve: he is at a my friends house
uscgirl012eve: i thinks
uscgirl012eve: think**
ChuckJerry: where did you get my screen name from? If you can remember, then you know how i know him
uscgirl012eve: i don't remember
uscgirl012eve: can u tell me
ChuckJerry: why are you writing me if you don't know who i am?
uscgirl012eve: your name is jerry
ChuckJerry: ok, that's evident from my screen name
uscgirl012eve: oh
uscgirl012eve: i forgot
uscgirl012eve: or my sis
uscgirl012eve: he is with a friend
uscgirl012eve: i think
ChuckJerry: how old are you?
uscgirl012eve: 13
ChuckJerry: why don't you get a summer job or something
uscgirl012eve: no
ChuckJerry: then go swimming
ChuckJerry: do something with yourself
uscgirl012eve: i am going to bball camp around 5:30 to 8:30
uscgirl012eve: do u have matts cell number
uscgirl012eve: do u know my name
uscgirl012eve: i have it
ChuckJerry: no
ChuckJerry: i know a differnent matt dabney, not your friend
uscgirl012eve: i know who this i think
uscgirl012eve: i know one to
uscgirl012eve: is your name matt
ChuckJerry: no
uscgirl012eve: oh sorry
uscgirl012eve: what is your name
ChuckJerry: you just told me what it was
uscgirl012eve: oh sorry
ChuckJerry: ok, i'm going to block you now
uscgirl012eve: y
ChuckJerry: because you suck
uscgirl012eve: sorry
UPDATE:
emilyfrierson012: here is matt cell number 348-xxxx
emilyfrierson012: sorry will u be my friend
emilyfrierson012: :-(
ChuckJerry: do you live in southern california or soutch carolina
emilyfrierson012: South Carolina
emilyfrierson012: @[smiley: Sorry: [4/4_9_12]]
You just received a smiley! Want to see it? Click here now!
emilyfrierson012: @[smiley: I'm Sorry: [23/23_2_8]]
ChuckJerry: what is a smiley?
emilyfrierson012: it says sorry
ChuckJerry: sorry for what
emilyfrierson012: its like that u hate me and u don't like me
ChuckJerry: i don't even know you
emilyfrierson012: so
ChuckJerry: I'm twice as old as you are and this whole conversation is enormously inane
emilyfrierson012: i met people all the time and they ar mean to me
emilyfrierson012: am i annouying to u
ChuckJerry: you're not annoying, you're just neutral. I don't care about you either way, and at this point you're just wasting my time
ChuckJerry: you bring nothing to the table and even after I blocked you, you continued to write me
emilyfrierson012: do u live in South Carolina
emilyfrierson012 signed off at 3:39:11 PM.
emilyfrierson012 signed on at 3:39:23 PM.
ChuckJerry: ok, i'm going to block you again
emilyfrierson012: i am just trying to met a new friend and be nice
ChuckJerry: you're not doing a very good job. also you should get friends your own age and who live in the same state and who you've met before
emilyfrierson012: u must not live in South Carolina
emilyfrierson012: then if u don't live in South Carolina then how do u know Matt Dabney
ChuckJerry: there are more than one matt dabney
ChuckJerry: i know a different person named matt dabney
ChuckJerry: http://mattdabney.blogspot.com/2004/12/mistaken-identity.html
emilyfrierson012: so do i sorry for wasting your time i am trying to be nice
emilyfrierson012: that matt dabney that i know his screen name is dabneymatt
ChuckJerry: different person
emilyfrierson012: ok
emilyfrierson012: sorry then
ChuckJerry: ok, blocking for you now
uscgirl012eve: hi
ChuckJerry: hi
uscgirl012eve: whats yup
uscgirl012eve: can u send me a pic of u
ChuckJerry: no
uscgirl012eve: if u want
uscgirl012eve: y
ChuckJerry: why are you writing to me?
uscgirl012eve: i don't know
uscgirl012eve: im bored
ChuckJerry: where is your friend matt dabney?
uscgirl012eve: how do u know him
ChuckJerry: good gracious
uscgirl012eve: he is at a my friends house
uscgirl012eve: i thinks
uscgirl012eve: think**
ChuckJerry: where did you get my screen name from? If you can remember, then you know how i know him
uscgirl012eve: i don't remember
uscgirl012eve: can u tell me
ChuckJerry: why are you writing me if you don't know who i am?
uscgirl012eve: your name is jerry
ChuckJerry: ok, that's evident from my screen name
uscgirl012eve: oh
uscgirl012eve: i forgot
uscgirl012eve: or my sis
uscgirl012eve: he is with a friend
uscgirl012eve: i think
ChuckJerry: how old are you?
uscgirl012eve: 13
ChuckJerry: why don't you get a summer job or something
uscgirl012eve: no
ChuckJerry: then go swimming
ChuckJerry: do something with yourself
uscgirl012eve: i am going to bball camp around 5:30 to 8:30
uscgirl012eve: do u have matts cell number
uscgirl012eve: do u know my name
uscgirl012eve: i have it
ChuckJerry: no
ChuckJerry: i know a differnent matt dabney, not your friend
uscgirl012eve: i know who this i think
uscgirl012eve: i know one to
uscgirl012eve: is your name matt
ChuckJerry: no
uscgirl012eve: oh sorry
uscgirl012eve: what is your name
ChuckJerry: you just told me what it was
uscgirl012eve: oh sorry
ChuckJerry: ok, i'm going to block you now
uscgirl012eve: y
ChuckJerry: because you suck
uscgirl012eve: sorry
UPDATE:
emilyfrierson012: here is matt cell number 348-xxxx
emilyfrierson012: sorry will u be my friend
emilyfrierson012: :-(
ChuckJerry: do you live in southern california or soutch carolina
emilyfrierson012: South Carolina
emilyfrierson012: @[smiley: Sorry: [4/4_9_12]]
You just received a smiley! Want to see it? Click here now!
emilyfrierson012: @[smiley: I'm Sorry: [23/23_2_8]]
ChuckJerry: what is a smiley?
emilyfrierson012: it says sorry
ChuckJerry: sorry for what
emilyfrierson012: its like that u hate me and u don't like me
ChuckJerry: i don't even know you
emilyfrierson012: so
ChuckJerry: I'm twice as old as you are and this whole conversation is enormously inane
emilyfrierson012: i met people all the time and they ar mean to me
emilyfrierson012: am i annouying to u
ChuckJerry: you're not annoying, you're just neutral. I don't care about you either way, and at this point you're just wasting my time
ChuckJerry: you bring nothing to the table and even after I blocked you, you continued to write me
emilyfrierson012: do u live in South Carolina
emilyfrierson012 signed off at 3:39:11 PM.
emilyfrierson012 signed on at 3:39:23 PM.
ChuckJerry: ok, i'm going to block you again
emilyfrierson012: i am just trying to met a new friend and be nice
ChuckJerry: you're not doing a very good job. also you should get friends your own age and who live in the same state and who you've met before
emilyfrierson012: u must not live in South Carolina
emilyfrierson012: then if u don't live in South Carolina then how do u know Matt Dabney
ChuckJerry: there are more than one matt dabney
ChuckJerry: i know a different person named matt dabney
ChuckJerry: http://mattdabney.blogspot.com/2004/12/mistaken-identity.html
emilyfrierson012: so do i sorry for wasting your time i am trying to be nice
emilyfrierson012: that matt dabney that i know his screen name is dabneymatt
ChuckJerry: different person
emilyfrierson012: ok
emilyfrierson012: sorry then
ChuckJerry: ok, blocking for you now
I Can't Believe I Agree With Terrell Owens
Terrell Owens and about 10 other clients of Drew Rosenhaus, an NFL agent who's more full of himself than T.O. is, if you can believe that, are all threatening to hold out of training camp because they believe they have played better than their contracts and deserve more money. The idea that one would betray his contract and hold out for more money is ludicrous at first, but actually makes a lot of sense in the context of the NFL collective bargaining agreement.
In any other league, the NBA for example, for a player to say that he outplayed his contract would be the dumbest thing one could say. When you sign a deal, both you and the team agree to your value and sometimes you end up being worth more, sometimes less, and sometimes you play about as expected. The point is that when you sign a contract in the NBA or in baseball, you are guaranteed that money for better or worse.
The NFL does not work that way. Every off season there are many, many players who are cut because the team feels they do not bring the value of their contract to the field. NFL teams can cut players for any reason and the players are not guaranteed the money beyond any of the games they have played. In recent years great players like Ty Law and Eddie George have been cut by their teams in the middle of their contracts.
Why should this be a one way street? The teams can cut anyone at any time if they do not have the perceived value of their contract, then they are definitely gone. There is no loyalty to players who are not contributing and every team in the NFL has cut someone who was once a star for their team.
Since NFL players are not guaranteed any money, they need to make their market value while they actually have that value. Players like Mike Piazza in baseball are making a ton of money simply because they used to be great and their salaries represent their market value several seasons ago. NFL players do not have this luxury and their contracts must therefore represent an accurate market value at all times.
Now Drew Rosenhaus is a dick. I've seen many interviews with him on SportsCenter over this summer and if you asked him he would swear he's God. Terrell Owens is also full of himself and generally talks without thinking. There's no question, however, that T.O. is the most valuable wide receiver in the league. He played the best 12 games last year of anyone before getting hurt and his performance in the Super Bowl, especially after not having played for two months, was astounding. If T.O. is not the highest paid wide receiver in the league this year, then that would be a travesty.
It is Rosenhaus's and T.O.'s fault for signing one of the worst contracts in history given T.O.'s value, especially for such a long term (7 years, $49 million), but if T.O. is no good in 2 years, then the Eagles will cut him, and T.O. should have the same luxury.
The same goes for all the guys who are holding out for fair market value. The difference is that not all of them are the best player in the league at their position. Most likely a lot of them are just being snowed by Rosenhaus or whoever their agent is. Rosenhaus is not the only agent holding out his players, by the way.
In any other league, the NBA for example, for a player to say that he outplayed his contract would be the dumbest thing one could say. When you sign a deal, both you and the team agree to your value and sometimes you end up being worth more, sometimes less, and sometimes you play about as expected. The point is that when you sign a contract in the NBA or in baseball, you are guaranteed that money for better or worse.
The NFL does not work that way. Every off season there are many, many players who are cut because the team feels they do not bring the value of their contract to the field. NFL teams can cut players for any reason and the players are not guaranteed the money beyond any of the games they have played. In recent years great players like Ty Law and Eddie George have been cut by their teams in the middle of their contracts.
Why should this be a one way street? The teams can cut anyone at any time if they do not have the perceived value of their contract, then they are definitely gone. There is no loyalty to players who are not contributing and every team in the NFL has cut someone who was once a star for their team.
Since NFL players are not guaranteed any money, they need to make their market value while they actually have that value. Players like Mike Piazza in baseball are making a ton of money simply because they used to be great and their salaries represent their market value several seasons ago. NFL players do not have this luxury and their contracts must therefore represent an accurate market value at all times.
Now Drew Rosenhaus is a dick. I've seen many interviews with him on SportsCenter over this summer and if you asked him he would swear he's God. Terrell Owens is also full of himself and generally talks without thinking. There's no question, however, that T.O. is the most valuable wide receiver in the league. He played the best 12 games last year of anyone before getting hurt and his performance in the Super Bowl, especially after not having played for two months, was astounding. If T.O. is not the highest paid wide receiver in the league this year, then that would be a travesty.
It is Rosenhaus's and T.O.'s fault for signing one of the worst contracts in history given T.O.'s value, especially for such a long term (7 years, $49 million), but if T.O. is no good in 2 years, then the Eagles will cut him, and T.O. should have the same luxury.
The same goes for all the guys who are holding out for fair market value. The difference is that not all of them are the best player in the league at their position. Most likely a lot of them are just being snowed by Rosenhaus or whoever their agent is. Rosenhaus is not the only agent holding out his players, by the way.
Are the Mets Buyers or Sellers?
Last year around this time I made an impassioned plea to the Mets not to make any trade deadline deals. At that time they were clearly not going to win the division or the wild card and were just spinning their wheels. They ended up making two trades, neither of which benefited them last season, but both of which have had a positive impact on their squad this season.
The Benson trade a year later was a great move, despite Benson missing the first bit of the season to injury. The Zambrano trade is neutral at worst. Zambrano has looked good for about 7 or 8 starts in a row and Scott Kazmir, who they traded in that deal, is mediocre at best for the Devil Rays. Granted, Kazmir has a bigger up side, but a year later this hasn't been the disaster I envisioned.
This year the Mets are in the mix again. They are not winning their division, nor are they leading the wild card race, but they are serious player in both of them. Unlike last year, they are playing very well heading into the trade deadline, winning 7 of their last 8. The pitching has been solid and Steve Trachsel is in the midst of making his comeback in the minor leagues after an injury.
There's one deal I would love to see the Mets make. Barring that one move I would say the Mets should stand pat and fight out the rest of the season and see what happens. The one move would be to trade for Alfonso Soriano. There are several suggested trades out there the Mets could make with the Rangers.
The deal essentially consists of Aaron Heilman and Carlos Zambrano plus a minor leaguer for Soriano. Also I've heard Heilman and Trachsel plus a minor leaguer for Soriano. The Rangers score 100 runs a game and they can't win because their pitching is awful. Their only reliable guy is Kenny Rogers, who's going to be out for a month soon. Chan Ho Park is terrible and I can't name any of their other starters. Both Zambrano and Heilman would go directly into their starting rotation and then they would have reliable pitching to go with their potent offense. These guys are not like having Clemens, Pettitte, and Oswalt in your starting rotation like the Astros do, but they would be a vast improvement for Texas.
On top of that, Soriano has worn out his welcome in Texas. He wasn't happy to be traded there and he doesn't really hustle all the time, which is the opposite of how Buck Showalter likes the game played. Soriano would make the Mets lineup pretty sick. The most sensible lineup given that trade would have Mike PIazza hitting 7th, which would be a huge boon to the bottom of that lineup. If the Mets didn't want to slight Piazza, then David Wright would hit 7th, which is still a great move.
That is the only feasible trade I want to see the Mets make. If it doesn't work out then they should go with what they got. The most trade value Cliff Floyd will ever have is right now, but if they trade him for youth, then they are out of the race. Mike Cameron is a similar deal. They could trade Cameron for value, but I don't know of a trade that would make sense for them.
Bottom line, Soriano, yes, anyone else, I don't see it.
The Benson trade a year later was a great move, despite Benson missing the first bit of the season to injury. The Zambrano trade is neutral at worst. Zambrano has looked good for about 7 or 8 starts in a row and Scott Kazmir, who they traded in that deal, is mediocre at best for the Devil Rays. Granted, Kazmir has a bigger up side, but a year later this hasn't been the disaster I envisioned.
This year the Mets are in the mix again. They are not winning their division, nor are they leading the wild card race, but they are serious player in both of them. Unlike last year, they are playing very well heading into the trade deadline, winning 7 of their last 8. The pitching has been solid and Steve Trachsel is in the midst of making his comeback in the minor leagues after an injury.
There's one deal I would love to see the Mets make. Barring that one move I would say the Mets should stand pat and fight out the rest of the season and see what happens. The one move would be to trade for Alfonso Soriano. There are several suggested trades out there the Mets could make with the Rangers.
The deal essentially consists of Aaron Heilman and Carlos Zambrano plus a minor leaguer for Soriano. Also I've heard Heilman and Trachsel plus a minor leaguer for Soriano. The Rangers score 100 runs a game and they can't win because their pitching is awful. Their only reliable guy is Kenny Rogers, who's going to be out for a month soon. Chan Ho Park is terrible and I can't name any of their other starters. Both Zambrano and Heilman would go directly into their starting rotation and then they would have reliable pitching to go with their potent offense. These guys are not like having Clemens, Pettitte, and Oswalt in your starting rotation like the Astros do, but they would be a vast improvement for Texas.
On top of that, Soriano has worn out his welcome in Texas. He wasn't happy to be traded there and he doesn't really hustle all the time, which is the opposite of how Buck Showalter likes the game played. Soriano would make the Mets lineup pretty sick. The most sensible lineup given that trade would have Mike PIazza hitting 7th, which would be a huge boon to the bottom of that lineup. If the Mets didn't want to slight Piazza, then David Wright would hit 7th, which is still a great move.
That is the only feasible trade I want to see the Mets make. If it doesn't work out then they should go with what they got. The most trade value Cliff Floyd will ever have is right now, but if they trade him for youth, then they are out of the race. Mike Cameron is a similar deal. They could trade Cameron for value, but I don't know of a trade that would make sense for them.
Bottom line, Soriano, yes, anyone else, I don't see it.
I Took Some Time Off
I was home all last week, I just didn't feel like writing for some reason. Sorry about that.
I got an iPod last Monday and it took me literally about 5 days to upload all of my CDs into it. So that's mailny what I was doing. Also my birthday was last Friday so we were getting our party on.
I'm proud to say that there were 5 party guests under 9 years old at my birthday, so that was pimpin' style. I thought of some stuff to write about last week, but I just didn't write anything. Sortof a conscious choice for no reason.
Anyway, I guess I'm back.
I got an iPod last Monday and it took me literally about 5 days to upload all of my CDs into it. So that's mailny what I was doing. Also my birthday was last Friday so we were getting our party on.
I'm proud to say that there were 5 party guests under 9 years old at my birthday, so that was pimpin' style. I thought of some stuff to write about last week, but I just didn't write anything. Sortof a conscious choice for no reason.
Anyway, I guess I'm back.
Saturday, July 16, 2005
The Yankees are Desperate
The Yankees signed Al Leiter today because they are desperate for someone who has ever pitched before. Leiter is 39 years old and has looked every bit of it this season. His record with the Marlins is 3-7 and his ERA this season is 6.64. He hasn't been able to pitch his way out of a paper bag this year and there's no way he's going to be a solid pitcher for the Yankees.
This is the most desperate move I can remember the Yankees ever making. They have made stupid moves before, but never desperate. If they hadn't acquired Leiter today, the literally would not have had a starter for tomorrow's game. The loss of Chien Ming Wang has really hurt them. First because he's been really solid and has handled New York well, and also because at this point they just need warm bodies to put on the mound, which is what Leiter is.
Apparently Kevin Brown is going to be activated on Monday. The way he's been pitching this year he also falls in the warm body category. The Yanks desperately need Carl Pavano and Wang to get healthy and would be greatly helped by Jaret Wright getting back and contributing, too.
The Yanks have managed to hold their shit together this season, mainly because of Mussina and Wang, but they won't for long if these guys don't get back. Randy Johnson seems to pitch well to John Flaherty, the back up catcher, so maybe that will be a formula for success. I believe they are 8-0 in games where Johnson pitches to Flaherty, though I may be one game off.
The offense is really coming together and they have been winning the close games recently, but without the pitching there won't be any close games, as evidenced by the 17-1 debacle in Boston last night with Tim Redding on the mound. Who's Tim Redding? I have no idea, but his ERA is 54.00 as a Yankee. Redding's best season was with Houston 2 years ago when his record was 10-14. It's not looking good for the Yankee starters at this point.
This is the most desperate move I can remember the Yankees ever making. They have made stupid moves before, but never desperate. If they hadn't acquired Leiter today, the literally would not have had a starter for tomorrow's game. The loss of Chien Ming Wang has really hurt them. First because he's been really solid and has handled New York well, and also because at this point they just need warm bodies to put on the mound, which is what Leiter is.
Apparently Kevin Brown is going to be activated on Monday. The way he's been pitching this year he also falls in the warm body category. The Yanks desperately need Carl Pavano and Wang to get healthy and would be greatly helped by Jaret Wright getting back and contributing, too.
The Yanks have managed to hold their shit together this season, mainly because of Mussina and Wang, but they won't for long if these guys don't get back. Randy Johnson seems to pitch well to John Flaherty, the back up catcher, so maybe that will be a formula for success. I believe they are 8-0 in games where Johnson pitches to Flaherty, though I may be one game off.
The offense is really coming together and they have been winning the close games recently, but without the pitching there won't be any close games, as evidenced by the 17-1 debacle in Boston last night with Tim Redding on the mound. Who's Tim Redding? I have no idea, but his ERA is 54.00 as a Yankee. Redding's best season was with Houston 2 years ago when his record was 10-14. It's not looking good for the Yankee starters at this point.
Rafael Palmeiro is Incredible
Rafael Palmeiro got his 3,000th hit yesterday, which makes him one of 4 players in history to have both 3,000 hits and 500 home runs. The only other members of that club are Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, and Eddie Murray, all hall of famers, and all considered to be among the elite hitters of the game.
Palmeiro is never mentioned as one of the super-duper stars of the game, but he clearly is. He started with the Cubs, but has basically played for the Orioles and the Rangers in his career, flip flopping between the two teams twice each, and he has made each a legitimate team when he has been with them.
He's always played with other mega stars, and he eschews a lot of the attention aimed at him, so he has sortof gotten overshadowed, even though everyone knew he was a great player. In Texas he played with Ivan Rodriguez and Juan Gonzalez, who was winning MVP awards at the time, and in Baltimore he played with Cal Ripken, who was the face of the franchise, and the face of baseball for a couple years there.
Anyway, just wanted to shout out Raffy because this is one of the most incredible accomplishments in baseball history.
Palmeiro is never mentioned as one of the super-duper stars of the game, but he clearly is. He started with the Cubs, but has basically played for the Orioles and the Rangers in his career, flip flopping between the two teams twice each, and he has made each a legitimate team when he has been with them.
He's always played with other mega stars, and he eschews a lot of the attention aimed at him, so he has sortof gotten overshadowed, even though everyone knew he was a great player. In Texas he played with Ivan Rodriguez and Juan Gonzalez, who was winning MVP awards at the time, and in Baltimore he played with Cal Ripken, who was the face of the franchise, and the face of baseball for a couple years there.
Anyway, just wanted to shout out Raffy because this is one of the most incredible accomplishments in baseball history.
Friday, July 15, 2005
I'm Gonna Join the Cross Country Team
Yesterday I went jogging again and I did 4.2 miles. The .2 was just the leftover since the track is a .7 mile stretch straight run. I went there and back three times. Given that you don't know what this stretch looks like to say I went there and back is entirely too vague, but I know that you got the idea anyway. I don't know that this is entirely impressive, but I really had no idea I was capable of this feat.
When I was done I was sweating more than a priest in a grade school. I think my shirt weighed about 2 or 3 pounds when I took it off. The worst part about running is right when you stop. When you run for a while your legs go on autopilot and when you start to walk your legs almost want to pick themselves up and down. Also it hurts the most in the 15 seconds between when you switch from running to walking. My legs don't generally hurt while I'm running unless I go way too far for my ability, which I came across when I would treadmill. Also they don't really get too sore afterwards except when you do it for the first or second time.
When I was in high school we used to run a 5 mile course in the basketball preseason (JV Represent!) and that was the last time I did any real running. The first time I went out then I basically walked at least half the course, which was just some streets in Teaneck. We would run on Teaneck Rd. at State St. to Degraw, and then up to Queen Anne, to the high school and back down to Teaneck Rd. and State St. I guess this means nothing if you're not from Teaneck, but the point is that it was 5 miles with a hill halfway through.
That first time it took me a couple hours at least to finish, but eventually I was able to run the entire course and finish in about an hour. Since then, my sophomore year in high school, I would venture to guess that this may be the best shape I've been in. I actually exercise and watch my diet, so I guess that's something.
In the summer between my freshman and sophomore years in college I played basketball at Sagamore Park just about every day after work. That was undoubtedly the skinniest time of my life, but I also went to McDonald's more or less every night after that, so I can't say I was enormously healthy.
If you go the other way on the track at this park by my house, then the course is 2.5 miles, rather than .7, so my goal for the end of the summer is gonna be to complete the 5 mile there and back lap at some point. If I'm feeling saucy I may even go for both tracks and do the whole 6.4 eventually.
I don't know if this is interesting or not, but if I ever accomplish that goal I'm definitely going to blog about it, so look for that.
When I was done I was sweating more than a priest in a grade school. I think my shirt weighed about 2 or 3 pounds when I took it off. The worst part about running is right when you stop. When you run for a while your legs go on autopilot and when you start to walk your legs almost want to pick themselves up and down. Also it hurts the most in the 15 seconds between when you switch from running to walking. My legs don't generally hurt while I'm running unless I go way too far for my ability, which I came across when I would treadmill. Also they don't really get too sore afterwards except when you do it for the first or second time.
When I was in high school we used to run a 5 mile course in the basketball preseason (JV Represent!) and that was the last time I did any real running. The first time I went out then I basically walked at least half the course, which was just some streets in Teaneck. We would run on Teaneck Rd. at State St. to Degraw, and then up to Queen Anne, to the high school and back down to Teaneck Rd. and State St. I guess this means nothing if you're not from Teaneck, but the point is that it was 5 miles with a hill halfway through.
That first time it took me a couple hours at least to finish, but eventually I was able to run the entire course and finish in about an hour. Since then, my sophomore year in high school, I would venture to guess that this may be the best shape I've been in. I actually exercise and watch my diet, so I guess that's something.
In the summer between my freshman and sophomore years in college I played basketball at Sagamore Park just about every day after work. That was undoubtedly the skinniest time of my life, but I also went to McDonald's more or less every night after that, so I can't say I was enormously healthy.
If you go the other way on the track at this park by my house, then the course is 2.5 miles, rather than .7, so my goal for the end of the summer is gonna be to complete the 5 mile there and back lap at some point. If I'm feeling saucy I may even go for both tracks and do the whole 6.4 eventually.
I don't know if this is interesting or not, but if I ever accomplish that goal I'm definitely going to blog about it, so look for that.
You're My Boy, Blue
I got a guitar for Christmas from Kathy two years ago. I had never picked up a guitar before then, but I've been trying to teach myself how to play a bit since I got it. I must say I really enjoy it. For the first two weeks all I had to show for myself was incredibly numb fingers. It hurt a lot at first, but then I got over it.
After that I picked up a few songs, at first I only played Dave Matthews songs for a few reasons. Obviously I'm a big DMB fan, but it goes a bit beyond that. DMB songs aren't made up entirely of chords that repeat themselves over and over. At the same time, a lot of them are easy enough to play for a beginning player (on a simplified level).
The songs that are just chords are retarded to just play for yourself. You can learn them in about two minutes and there's not really much fun in it. If you were going to play them for someone, then it's worthwhile, but not challenging.
I'm trying to learn songs that are moderately complicated without being incredibly hard. I don't think I'll ever be a good guitar player because I only play for myself. Also I'm basically trying to teach myself, which is probably not the most effective way. Also I don't use a pick. I play basically everything by finger picking, which I find much more efficient since each finger gets a string rather than moving the pick all over the place. The thing is that there's not much that really rocks when you finger pick. I can play the riff to Sweet Child Of Mine but it's almost got a classical feel on my acoustic when I finger pick it.
Anyhow, for the past couple days I've been learning "Dust In The Wind" by Kansas. Those type of songs with the interminable chord plucking are the songs I like to play because they sound really good when I play them by myself. This one is coming along relatively well.
It was about two years before I learned how to play one entire song. For most songs I would just learn the riff, which was enough for me. Most songs eventually go into a bridge or chorus or both and I usually never learned those. I guess that's kindof funny.
At this point I can play moderately impressive pieces of a lot of good songs - Norwegian Wood, Satellite, Jessica (Allman Brothers, also sounds interesting when I finger pick it), Crash Into Me, Landslide, #34, Your Body is a Wonderland, Mr. Tambourine Man, Love of a Lifetime (I can play most of that, actually. It sounds pretty cool.), and on and on.
The list of songs I can play all the way through is much shorter. At this point it consists of Yesterday, Rocky Raccoon, Dust In The Wind, and We're Going to Be Friends. There might be one or two others I'm forgetting. Yesterday and Dust in The Wind I can't play consistently enough for anyone to sing along to, so I won't be putting on a concert any time soon.
The only song I can play and sing all the way through is "We're Going to be Friends" by the White Stripes. That's the song from the beginning of Napoleon Dynamite, if that helps you out any. In general I can't play and sing, but I'm getting a little better.
I wish I could play some Led Zeppelin songs, but most of them are too complicated. For the one I know of that's not too complicated, "That's the Way", you have to retune the guitar to play it. I can play a kindof ghetto Stairway, but that doesn't count. I can play the cool piece of "Fool in the Rain", but it's only like one or two bars.
After that I picked up a few songs, at first I only played Dave Matthews songs for a few reasons. Obviously I'm a big DMB fan, but it goes a bit beyond that. DMB songs aren't made up entirely of chords that repeat themselves over and over. At the same time, a lot of them are easy enough to play for a beginning player (on a simplified level).
The songs that are just chords are retarded to just play for yourself. You can learn them in about two minutes and there's not really much fun in it. If you were going to play them for someone, then it's worthwhile, but not challenging.
I'm trying to learn songs that are moderately complicated without being incredibly hard. I don't think I'll ever be a good guitar player because I only play for myself. Also I'm basically trying to teach myself, which is probably not the most effective way. Also I don't use a pick. I play basically everything by finger picking, which I find much more efficient since each finger gets a string rather than moving the pick all over the place. The thing is that there's not much that really rocks when you finger pick. I can play the riff to Sweet Child Of Mine but it's almost got a classical feel on my acoustic when I finger pick it.
Anyhow, for the past couple days I've been learning "Dust In The Wind" by Kansas. Those type of songs with the interminable chord plucking are the songs I like to play because they sound really good when I play them by myself. This one is coming along relatively well.
It was about two years before I learned how to play one entire song. For most songs I would just learn the riff, which was enough for me. Most songs eventually go into a bridge or chorus or both and I usually never learned those. I guess that's kindof funny.
At this point I can play moderately impressive pieces of a lot of good songs - Norwegian Wood, Satellite, Jessica (Allman Brothers, also sounds interesting when I finger pick it), Crash Into Me, Landslide, #34, Your Body is a Wonderland, Mr. Tambourine Man, Love of a Lifetime (I can play most of that, actually. It sounds pretty cool.), and on and on.
The list of songs I can play all the way through is much shorter. At this point it consists of Yesterday, Rocky Raccoon, Dust In The Wind, and We're Going to Be Friends. There might be one or two others I'm forgetting. Yesterday and Dust in The Wind I can't play consistently enough for anyone to sing along to, so I won't be putting on a concert any time soon.
The only song I can play and sing all the way through is "We're Going to be Friends" by the White Stripes. That's the song from the beginning of Napoleon Dynamite, if that helps you out any. In general I can't play and sing, but I'm getting a little better.
I wish I could play some Led Zeppelin songs, but most of them are too complicated. For the one I know of that's not too complicated, "That's the Way", you have to retune the guitar to play it. I can play a kindof ghetto Stairway, but that doesn't count. I can play the cool piece of "Fool in the Rain", but it's only like one or two bars.
Mad Hot Ballroom
I saw this documentary last night about a bunch of kids in the New York City public elementary schools who take a ballroom dancing class, which culminates in a city wide competition. It is so many things at once, all of them terrific. I loved this movie because I felt like I was watching my own students on the screen. I think my watching the movie as an NYC public school teacher is a perspective unlike any other viewer of the film, but it is immensely enjoyable nonetheless for anyone, I would think.
This movie represents perfectly what it's like to be a teacher on the absolute best days. It doesn't really represent the lame things, but it's not about teaching really. If you are interested in what it's like to teach in NYC and why it can be so rewarding, then watch this movie.
This movie represents the general feeling I have about my job, even though the evidence of my success or failure isn't quite as evident as winning or losing a contest. In the end I feel like I'm providing a service that the students couldn't receive through another outlet. At the same time, this movie represents very clearly the impact that a pointed curriculum along with an engaged teacher can provide to students.
I would suggest that everyone see this movie because it is all at once hysterical, uplifting, inspirational, and it also gives a peek (although miniscule) into some of the issues these kids are facing.
This movie represents perfectly what it's like to be a teacher on the absolute best days. It doesn't really represent the lame things, but it's not about teaching really. If you are interested in what it's like to teach in NYC and why it can be so rewarding, then watch this movie.
This movie represents the general feeling I have about my job, even though the evidence of my success or failure isn't quite as evident as winning or losing a contest. In the end I feel like I'm providing a service that the students couldn't receive through another outlet. At the same time, this movie represents very clearly the impact that a pointed curriculum along with an engaged teacher can provide to students.
I would suggest that everyone see this movie because it is all at once hysterical, uplifting, inspirational, and it also gives a peek (although miniscule) into some of the issues these kids are facing.
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
Kenneth Lay is a Lying Bastard
Ken Lay was the CEO of Enron when they screwed their 4,000 employees out of their jobs and pensions by lying about their profits. He was on a 60 minutes interview a few days ago and I forgot to comment about this before.
He claims that the CFO, or whoever was in charge of the accounting for Enron, was the one who committed all of the fraud and that he had absolutely no knowledge of it. That is bullshit. One of two things is true here, neither one of which bears well on Kenny's standing.
1 - The Likely Explanation: The CFO committed the fraud with the complete knowledge of Ken and the entire board of directors. They lied not only about profits, but about complete deals that they had never even made. They invented businesses that they were doing and on top of that they were double and triple charging the people in California when they were in the midst of an energy crisis. This could not possibly happen without the CEO being aware.
2 - The "I'm Retarded" Defense: We are not talking about some peon stealing pens and staples here. If Ken had even the slightest grasp of his business model and what his company did, it should have been painfully obvious that widespread fraud was being perpetrated. For this to happen and for him not to notice is in many ways even worse than him condoning it.
This was not an isolated incident. This was not being committed by someone way down on the totem pole. This was not something that could be wiped off the books or made up for. The guy who you meet with every day to discuss the financials of your company is inventing deals and making your company look like the next Microsoft, when in actuality your company is hemorrhaging cash, and you have absolutely no idea? Not possible. I'm not buying it (even at $0.26 a share).
The crimes committed on your watch literally destroyed the people who had been loyal to your company for years on end and the best you can say is, "I'm sorry, I didn't know."? That's just not acceptable.
He claims that the CFO, or whoever was in charge of the accounting for Enron, was the one who committed all of the fraud and that he had absolutely no knowledge of it. That is bullshit. One of two things is true here, neither one of which bears well on Kenny's standing.
1 - The Likely Explanation: The CFO committed the fraud with the complete knowledge of Ken and the entire board of directors. They lied not only about profits, but about complete deals that they had never even made. They invented businesses that they were doing and on top of that they were double and triple charging the people in California when they were in the midst of an energy crisis. This could not possibly happen without the CEO being aware.
2 - The "I'm Retarded" Defense: We are not talking about some peon stealing pens and staples here. If Ken had even the slightest grasp of his business model and what his company did, it should have been painfully obvious that widespread fraud was being perpetrated. For this to happen and for him not to notice is in many ways even worse than him condoning it.
This was not an isolated incident. This was not being committed by someone way down on the totem pole. This was not something that could be wiped off the books or made up for. The guy who you meet with every day to discuss the financials of your company is inventing deals and making your company look like the next Microsoft, when in actuality your company is hemorrhaging cash, and you have absolutely no idea? Not possible. I'm not buying it (even at $0.26 a share).
The crimes committed on your watch literally destroyed the people who had been loyal to your company for years on end and the best you can say is, "I'm sorry, I didn't know."? That's just not acceptable.
Defending My Honor
Joe claimed that he would "crush" me in a game of Jeopardy in a recent post by Max. I'm denouncing that claim here and now. I am not guaranteeing victory over Joe in a Jeopardy or Trivial Pursuit game, but I am guaranteeing a close game at least.
Especially if there's a category about baseball, which I would run and Joe would cry. Though if there were a category about anthropology, or computer programming, or using words like "hagiographic" or "solipsistic" in context, then Joe might win.
I think either of us would "destroy" Goldman, however.
Chris Robley will not be defeated.
Especially if there's a category about baseball, which I would run and Joe would cry. Though if there were a category about anthropology, or computer programming, or using words like "hagiographic" or "solipsistic" in context, then Joe might win.
I think either of us would "destroy" Goldman, however.
Chris Robley will not be defeated.
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
I Think He Really Is a Cro-Magnon Man
I think that Johnny Damon, the Red Sox center fielder, just might be the dumbest person on earth. I've seen at least 5 or 6 interviews with him over the last week regarding his comments about Curt Schilling and being selected an All Star and all sorts of things and he's just very dumb.
I guess it's possible that he's just nervous talking on TV or something like that, but I get the feeling that he just doesn't have the words to express himself properly. In all the interviews I've seen with him he doesn't use words that have more than two syllables and he pauses a lot in between ideas and things of that nature.
I guess I don't really have a point aside from that.
I guess it's possible that he's just nervous talking on TV or something like that, but I get the feeling that he just doesn't have the words to express himself properly. In all the interviews I've seen with him he doesn't use words that have more than two syllables and he pauses a lot in between ideas and things of that nature.
I guess I don't really have a point aside from that.
Sunday, July 10, 2005
Joe Compares Smoking and McDonald's
This post relates to my recent post about smoking. Read the comments to get up on the conversation. I wanted to respond to Max's question with a new post rather than in the comments, just because I felt like it was a pretty good point and it might get lost in the comments.
Joe compared smoking and McDonald's in a post he made a while back. He says that you have to eat, but you don't have to smoke, so the analogy doesn't really hold up. Read his whole post to get the whole idea.
Joe compared smoking and McDonald's in a post he made a while back. He says that you have to eat, but you don't have to smoke, so the analogy doesn't really hold up. Read his whole post to get the whole idea.
Saturday, July 09, 2005
Some Entertaining Games
At Candystand.com, they used to have a home run derby game that I found pretty fun. I used to play a lot when I worked at this job that I hated. I guess they don't have it anymore, or at least I can't find it on their site. While I was looking for it, though, I did some across this ping pong game, which is equally entertaining. It plays a lot like real ping pong. Some advice if you're going to try it, the purple spin paddle is pretty effective, though the blue power paddle doesn't seem to add any more power to your game. The red all purpose paddle is the same as the blue as best I can tell.
Also entertaining is Party Poker. Of course, the prerequisite is that you know how to play and enjoy playing poker. I like to play the play money single table tournaments. They most closely resemble playing real poker as far as play money goes. You can also play with real money, but I'm not ready to give in to a gambling addiction quite yet. The players are not great and in a tournament usually it comes down to three or four people who know what they're doing, but it's entertaining if you can't seem to get a game elsewhere.
I'm told that Ultimate Bet has better players than Party Poker, but they don't let me play for play money until I put real money into an account. If you can play for free, then I don't know how.
UPDATE:I found the Home Run Derby game.
Also entertaining is Party Poker. Of course, the prerequisite is that you know how to play and enjoy playing poker. I like to play the play money single table tournaments. They most closely resemble playing real poker as far as play money goes. You can also play with real money, but I'm not ready to give in to a gambling addiction quite yet. The players are not great and in a tournament usually it comes down to three or four people who know what they're doing, but it's entertaining if you can't seem to get a game elsewhere.
I'm told that Ultimate Bet has better players than Party Poker, but they don't let me play for play money until I put real money into an account. If you can play for free, then I don't know how.
UPDATE:I found the Home Run Derby game.
Thursday, July 07, 2005
I'm Proud of Myself
I have been trying to be healthy over this summer by being more careful with my diet and also trying to exercise consistently. I usually ride my bike or go rollerblading in this park by my house. Today I decided that I should jog instead of rollerblade just to work some different muscles and really get a gauge of my wind and such.
My goal was to run two miles intermittently between walking about a half mile or so. Rather than that I ran for three straight miles. I was enormously impressed with myself. We have a treadmill here and I ran on that through the winter. I went to get on it the other day and it was broken. It wouldn't turn on for some reason. On the treadmill I run a little faster and I usually can't go more than 1.5 miles at a time and I'm done.
Today I paced myself and got my tortoise on and didn't have any trouble completing the three miles. I'm not ready to run a marathon quite yet, but I didn't think I was capable of that minor feat. I'm going to have to set my goals higher for the end of the summer.
Between biking, rollerblading, and running, the biking is the easiest. I do that just to not sit around the house all day. If I go out for a couple hours and do 10-15 miles, then that's not a big deal. I feel like I could do 50 miles a day on the bike without much effort, though it might get boring.
Rollerblading is second, but there's much more effort involved than with biking. I'm really into efficiency when I rollerblade, so I put lots of effort into each kick and take probably half as many as most skaters. Also it's hard because you use those muscles on the outside of your legs and in your back that you don't use for many other things. When I rollerblade I'll do 6.5 miles only because that's the complete length of the track at the park by my house.
Jogging isn't really hardest, per se, it's just pretty boring. There's no speed involved, there's nothing really fun about it, it's just exercising for the sake of exercising. I guess it's the best for you, but it can't be that much better as an aerobic endeavor than rollerblading is, which is at least more fun in terms of speed and what not.
My goal was to run two miles intermittently between walking about a half mile or so. Rather than that I ran for three straight miles. I was enormously impressed with myself. We have a treadmill here and I ran on that through the winter. I went to get on it the other day and it was broken. It wouldn't turn on for some reason. On the treadmill I run a little faster and I usually can't go more than 1.5 miles at a time and I'm done.
Today I paced myself and got my tortoise on and didn't have any trouble completing the three miles. I'm not ready to run a marathon quite yet, but I didn't think I was capable of that minor feat. I'm going to have to set my goals higher for the end of the summer.
Between biking, rollerblading, and running, the biking is the easiest. I do that just to not sit around the house all day. If I go out for a couple hours and do 10-15 miles, then that's not a big deal. I feel like I could do 50 miles a day on the bike without much effort, though it might get boring.
Rollerblading is second, but there's much more effort involved than with biking. I'm really into efficiency when I rollerblade, so I put lots of effort into each kick and take probably half as many as most skaters. Also it's hard because you use those muscles on the outside of your legs and in your back that you don't use for many other things. When I rollerblade I'll do 6.5 miles only because that's the complete length of the track at the park by my house.
Jogging isn't really hardest, per se, it's just pretty boring. There's no speed involved, there's nothing really fun about it, it's just exercising for the sake of exercising. I guess it's the best for you, but it can't be that much better as an aerobic endeavor than rollerblading is, which is at least more fun in terms of speed and what not.
I Don't Understand Why People Smoke
Everyone knows at this point that smoking is bad for you. If you smoke consistently for a long time and you don't happen to get cancer, then you will shorten your life span by many years.
I can understand wanting to quit and not being able to. I don't know that I've ever been addicted to anything, but I can appreciate that it is hard to quit given an addiction to smoking. The people who try time and again to quit and are unable to have my sympathy. My father fell into that category (and eventually died of cancer, incidentally).
I don't understand people who do smoke and are not trying to quit. I also don't understand why anyone would start smoking in the first place. I especially don't understand why one would start smoking. I don't buy that "it makes you look cool" thing. Has anyone decided to not hang out with you because you don't smoke?
I understand there's a whole little subculture involved where you can bum cigarrettes and be friendly with other smokers and identify with their plights about not being able to smoke inside places and such, but that can't really be worth the downside.
If someone asked you to pay $7.00 a day for essentially no benefits and also you'd shorten your life by 7-10 years if you don't get cancer, would you say yes? In my view starting to smoke is basically making that deal.
What am I missing?
I can understand wanting to quit and not being able to. I don't know that I've ever been addicted to anything, but I can appreciate that it is hard to quit given an addiction to smoking. The people who try time and again to quit and are unable to have my sympathy. My father fell into that category (and eventually died of cancer, incidentally).
I don't understand people who do smoke and are not trying to quit. I also don't understand why anyone would start smoking in the first place. I especially don't understand why one would start smoking. I don't buy that "it makes you look cool" thing. Has anyone decided to not hang out with you because you don't smoke?
I understand there's a whole little subculture involved where you can bum cigarrettes and be friendly with other smokers and identify with their plights about not being able to smoke inside places and such, but that can't really be worth the downside.
If someone asked you to pay $7.00 a day for essentially no benefits and also you'd shorten your life by 7-10 years if you don't get cancer, would you say yes? In my view starting to smoke is basically making that deal.
What am I missing?
Answers to Daffy's Other Questions
Well, you never answered your own question about the 5 CD's you'd bring with you, so what are they?
I cut and pasted my response from Max's post.
1-Led Zeppelin 3 - Led Zeppelin
2-Under The Table and Dreaming - Dave Matthews
3-Reachin'-Digable Planets
4-Miseducation... - Lauryn Hill
5-Alannis Morrissette Unplugged - Alannis Morrissette (If that's not allowed since maybe it's a compilation album, I'll take Jagged Little Pill)
This was really hard. A few years ago I would have been able to be a lot more definitive.
I really wanted to say Sgt. Peppers (Beatles) and also I was thinking about Tidal (Fiona Apple) and In My Lifetime: Volume 1 (Jay-Z).
Who is your favorite muppet?
If we're including Sesame Street, then it's Ernie.
If we're talking Muppet Show, then it's Fozzie Bear. Also I really like Scooter.
Least favorite co-worker (past or present)?
There are lots of teachers who complain about everything instead of just trying to do their jobs. I don't like any of them, but I don't have to deal with them, either, so their sortof neutral.
I don't recall ever disliking any co-workers who were on the same level as me. I've had some bad bosses who didn't really know how to manage, and therefore made my life frustrating, but they weren't really bad people either.
I had one boss who made every conversation about herself. This was the job I got laid off from where I had three or four managers and they rendered me obsolete within 8 months due to bad management of the department.
I met with her every week to discuss my projects and one week she says "How was your weekend?"
I said, "It was good. I got engaged."
She said, "Wow. I remember when I got engaged. I was ready to get engaged right when I graduated college, but my husband wanted to wait a while."
I said, "Great. Ok, let me tell you about my projects..."
Favorite t-shirt?
Tough one. My favorites might be the three "Goonies" shirts I have. One in particular with the silhouettes of all the kids and Sloth on the beach.
I just recently got one that says "Little Lebowski Urban Achiever". It's pretty great.
The one that says "FOIL, Keepin' Algebra Fresh" is pretty good.
I have one with Bert and Ernie on it.
I have one with a picture of my father that says "Millenium at the McKay's", obviously from the McKay's 2000 New Years Party.
My Columbia Athletics shirt is not enormously exciting, but pretty great.
I can't pick just one. I'm somehow incapable.
If you woke up hung-over, what would be the first item of food you'd go after?
If I'm hung over, the last thing I want to do is eat.
My ideal breakfast, though, is a french toast special with scrambled eggs and bacon and coffee from the 5 star. French toast is one of the best foods on Earth, but so many diners make really bad french toast because they don't cook it all the way through. I don't like it soggy, it's got to be cooked through.
There's a diner on 7th Ave. in Brooklyn called the Park Cafe that makes the best french toast I've ever had. When I worked in Brooklyn, I would go there every morning and have it.
I cut and pasted my response from Max's post.
1-Led Zeppelin 3 - Led Zeppelin
2-Under The Table and Dreaming - Dave Matthews
3-Reachin'-Digable Planets
4-Miseducation... - Lauryn Hill
5-Alannis Morrissette Unplugged - Alannis Morrissette (If that's not allowed since maybe it's a compilation album, I'll take Jagged Little Pill)
This was really hard. A few years ago I would have been able to be a lot more definitive.
I really wanted to say Sgt. Peppers (Beatles) and also I was thinking about Tidal (Fiona Apple) and In My Lifetime: Volume 1 (Jay-Z).
Who is your favorite muppet?
If we're including Sesame Street, then it's Ernie.
If we're talking Muppet Show, then it's Fozzie Bear. Also I really like Scooter.
Least favorite co-worker (past or present)?
There are lots of teachers who complain about everything instead of just trying to do their jobs. I don't like any of them, but I don't have to deal with them, either, so their sortof neutral.
I don't recall ever disliking any co-workers who were on the same level as me. I've had some bad bosses who didn't really know how to manage, and therefore made my life frustrating, but they weren't really bad people either.
I had one boss who made every conversation about herself. This was the job I got laid off from where I had three or four managers and they rendered me obsolete within 8 months due to bad management of the department.
I met with her every week to discuss my projects and one week she says "How was your weekend?"
I said, "It was good. I got engaged."
She said, "Wow. I remember when I got engaged. I was ready to get engaged right when I graduated college, but my husband wanted to wait a while."
I said, "Great. Ok, let me tell you about my projects..."
Favorite t-shirt?
Tough one. My favorites might be the three "Goonies" shirts I have. One in particular with the silhouettes of all the kids and Sloth on the beach.
I just recently got one that says "Little Lebowski Urban Achiever". It's pretty great.
The one that says "FOIL, Keepin' Algebra Fresh" is pretty good.
I have one with Bert and Ernie on it.
I have one with a picture of my father that says "Millenium at the McKay's", obviously from the McKay's 2000 New Years Party.
My Columbia Athletics shirt is not enormously exciting, but pretty great.
I can't pick just one. I'm somehow incapable.
If you woke up hung-over, what would be the first item of food you'd go after?
If I'm hung over, the last thing I want to do is eat.
My ideal breakfast, though, is a french toast special with scrambled eggs and bacon and coffee from the 5 star. French toast is one of the best foods on Earth, but so many diners make really bad french toast because they don't cook it all the way through. I don't like it soggy, it's got to be cooked through.
There's a diner on 7th Ave. in Brooklyn called the Park Cafe that makes the best french toast I've ever had. When I worked in Brooklyn, I would go there every morning and have it.
Answers to Yankel's Questions
What's the capital of Pakistan?
Islamabad. I had it on the tip of my brain, but in the end I had to Google it. I thought about it for at least a minute before looking it up.
What are the two biggest lies a man ever said?
There's no forgetting the answer to this one. As Coach Konsevic says, the two biggest lies a man ever told were "The check is in the mail" and "I won't cum in your mouth".
Islamabad. I had it on the tip of my brain, but in the end I had to Google it. I thought about it for at least a minute before looking it up.
What are the two biggest lies a man ever said?
There's no forgetting the answer to this one. As Coach Konsevic says, the two biggest lies a man ever told were "The check is in the mail" and "I won't cum in your mouth".
Answers to Daffy's Questions
How far along in your career as a teacher did you have that moment? Where you stopped and said to yourself: "this is where I belong."?
I enjoyed it from the beginning. I think after the first year was done and I got some time off to reflect and not feel like I was a brand new teacher any more, I realized that I was a capable teacher. I don't know if it was one moment, but over that summer definitely.
When you get dressed and put on your sneakers, do you usually put the right shoe on first? the left? or the both get equal treatment?
I always put on the left shoe first. I don't know why. If I happen to pick up the right shoe, I'll put it down and pick up the left one.
Will you now be self-conscious about which shoe goes on first for the next few weeks?
I was conscious of it before you asked.
If you were given 2 plane tickets to anywhere in the world, where would you go, and why?
I assume I can go to one place and take someone with me, rather than use both tickets myself to go to two places. I would go skiing in Utah. I haven't been skiing in years and I'm dying to go. I'm going to make it a goal of mine to go skiing this winter.
Do you think it's a good plan, to have the Nets move to Brooklyn?
It sucks for New Jersey, but they don't put any fans in the seats. I don't know of it's possible to have a suburban sports team, and the Nets are evidence of that. The Devils too, to a certain extent. I can't think of any other professional teams that represent suburbs by name. Plenty of teams play outside of the city they represent (the Patriots, Lions, Angels, and even the Giants and Jets who play across the street from the Nets, but they draw from the whole metropolis and surrounding suburbs. The Nets and Devils can't really draw people from New York and in addition they lose fans to New York. Also the arena is in the middle of nowhere.
I used to work about a mile from where they are proposing the new arena and it would fit perfectly into that neighborhood. It's essentially downtown Brooklyn and it's right next to about 12 different subway lines. They would definitely put fans in the seats and I don't think they would take away from the Knicks fan base. It would be a great thing for Brooklyn and it would make the franchise legitimate, which they are not at the moment despite their recent success. I have been to three Nets games in my life despite living 15 minutes from the arena. If they move to Brooklyn I will definitely go to more games.
There are some loyal Nets fans, but not enough to support the franchise in New Jersey. People in Brooklyn are fanatic about representing their borough and they will adopt the Nets immediately.
I enjoyed it from the beginning. I think after the first year was done and I got some time off to reflect and not feel like I was a brand new teacher any more, I realized that I was a capable teacher. I don't know if it was one moment, but over that summer definitely.
When you get dressed and put on your sneakers, do you usually put the right shoe on first? the left? or the both get equal treatment?
I always put on the left shoe first. I don't know why. If I happen to pick up the right shoe, I'll put it down and pick up the left one.
Will you now be self-conscious about which shoe goes on first for the next few weeks?
I was conscious of it before you asked.
If you were given 2 plane tickets to anywhere in the world, where would you go, and why?
I assume I can go to one place and take someone with me, rather than use both tickets myself to go to two places. I would go skiing in Utah. I haven't been skiing in years and I'm dying to go. I'm going to make it a goal of mine to go skiing this winter.
Do you think it's a good plan, to have the Nets move to Brooklyn?
It sucks for New Jersey, but they don't put any fans in the seats. I don't know of it's possible to have a suburban sports team, and the Nets are evidence of that. The Devils too, to a certain extent. I can't think of any other professional teams that represent suburbs by name. Plenty of teams play outside of the city they represent (the Patriots, Lions, Angels, and even the Giants and Jets who play across the street from the Nets, but they draw from the whole metropolis and surrounding suburbs. The Nets and Devils can't really draw people from New York and in addition they lose fans to New York. Also the arena is in the middle of nowhere.
I used to work about a mile from where they are proposing the new arena and it would fit perfectly into that neighborhood. It's essentially downtown Brooklyn and it's right next to about 12 different subway lines. They would definitely put fans in the seats and I don't think they would take away from the Knicks fan base. It would be a great thing for Brooklyn and it would make the franchise legitimate, which they are not at the moment despite their recent success. I have been to three Nets games in my life despite living 15 minutes from the arena. If they move to Brooklyn I will definitely go to more games.
There are some loyal Nets fans, but not enough to support the franchise in New Jersey. People in Brooklyn are fanatic about representing their borough and they will adopt the Nets immediately.
Answers to Joe's questions
What's great about being a teacher?
The relationships with the kids is the best part. Getting to know them and knowing that they trust me is pretty gratifying. Also a few times I've been told by my students that they never really understood math until they took my class, so that makes me feel like I'm doing something right.
Also knowing that I've essentially got complete autonomy inside my classroom is gratifying. There are rules and curricula and such, but how all that is carried out is left up to me, which eliminates a lot of the things that suck about a job from management and so forth.
What sucks about being a teacher?
The kids who literally do not care at all makes the job terrible some days. I can see that they are capable and they see that they are capable and they don't even try. I still can't wrap my head around that. I've failed some tests in my day, but I've never gotten a zero.
Both your parents were teachers - how did that influence your career decision?
Immensely. I think that I was raised with the countenance of one who would be a teacher. I've never really felt challenged by any other job, nor have I enjoyed any other job as much as this one, even if I have a bad day.
In addition to taking on the character traits that make one a teacher I also feel like being a teacher is an ideal situation to be in for one to raise a family. The hours are not ridiculous, the benefits are phenomenal, and the vacations coincide with the kids I don't yet have. I valued all the time I was able to spend with my parents over summers and school vacations, and I want to be able to give the same to my family.
Also, when can we expect the "what it's like to be adopted" post?
It had slipped my mind. I'll do it within the next couple of days. The short answer is that it has had a surprisingly small effect on me, as best I can tell.
The relationships with the kids is the best part. Getting to know them and knowing that they trust me is pretty gratifying. Also a few times I've been told by my students that they never really understood math until they took my class, so that makes me feel like I'm doing something right.
Also knowing that I've essentially got complete autonomy inside my classroom is gratifying. There are rules and curricula and such, but how all that is carried out is left up to me, which eliminates a lot of the things that suck about a job from management and so forth.
What sucks about being a teacher?
The kids who literally do not care at all makes the job terrible some days. I can see that they are capable and they see that they are capable and they don't even try. I still can't wrap my head around that. I've failed some tests in my day, but I've never gotten a zero.
Both your parents were teachers - how did that influence your career decision?
Immensely. I think that I was raised with the countenance of one who would be a teacher. I've never really felt challenged by any other job, nor have I enjoyed any other job as much as this one, even if I have a bad day.
In addition to taking on the character traits that make one a teacher I also feel like being a teacher is an ideal situation to be in for one to raise a family. The hours are not ridiculous, the benefits are phenomenal, and the vacations coincide with the kids I don't yet have. I valued all the time I was able to spend with my parents over summers and school vacations, and I want to be able to give the same to my family.
Also, when can we expect the "what it's like to be adopted" post?
It had slipped my mind. I'll do it within the next couple of days. The short answer is that it has had a surprisingly small effect on me, as best I can tell.
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
Ask Me Anything - Stealing Directly From Joe (Again)
Joe's recent post is a good idea, so anyone interested can ask me any question they like. I feel that I'm not enormously interesting, but maybe I'm just used to myself. I suppose this post will help in answering that question.
I will make every effort to answer honestly. Leave a question in the comments if you like.
By the way, Max also stole this post from Joe, so you can read his questions and answers too.
I will make every effort to answer honestly. Leave a question in the comments if you like.
By the way, Max also stole this post from Joe, so you can read his questions and answers too.
Monday, July 04, 2005
Happy 4th of July
Saturday, July 02, 2005
You May Have Cake and Pi
Some Japanese dude, just recited pi to 83,431 digits. I mean, I guess that's impressive, but what purpose does that serve? How much time has this guy spent memorizing the value of pi for no good reason? It's not called an irrational number for nothing.
Now the interesting question is whether or not he actually memorized 83,000 digits or if he was doing the division in his head as he went. I guess it's possible to memorize those digits, but if you sit down and memorize 83,000 digits, then you need to get a life. If it's an exercise in concentration where you're dividing the diameter into the circumference to a greater and greater extent, then I guess it's moderately, but not entirely, worthwhile. Although without the exact value of pi, there's no way to accurately determine the exact diameter and circumference of a circle. One of them will be an irrational number. I guess he just memorized it.
Let's see, 3.1415926535... I know pi to 10 decimal places. I figure that's about all you need.
Now the interesting question is whether or not he actually memorized 83,000 digits or if he was doing the division in his head as he went. I guess it's possible to memorize those digits, but if you sit down and memorize 83,000 digits, then you need to get a life. If it's an exercise in concentration where you're dividing the diameter into the circumference to a greater and greater extent, then I guess it's moderately, but not entirely, worthwhile. Although without the exact value of pi, there's no way to accurately determine the exact diameter and circumference of a circle. One of them will be an irrational number. I guess he just memorized it.
Let's see, 3.1415926535... I know pi to 10 decimal places. I figure that's about all you need.
Friday, July 01, 2005
This CSS Thing is Worth Looking Into.
Since my blog got itself broken I had to change the template. I wasn't enormously happy with the existing template, though, so I did some fine tuning to it. All that was really involved was messing around with the style sheet and when you do that it makes universal changes to the site. The whole idea is really intuitive. It seems like if you have a firm grasp of HTML, then basic CSS is just an evolution of that concept. I guess it gets more and more hard core based on what you want to do, but to make a simple page that looks like tables, but is more advanced, it seems like CSS is the way to go.
I realize that this post would have been more relevant three or four years ago, but I never really bothered to mess with CSS beyond the very beginner stuff because I didn't really use it for anything. Maybe I'll use some of my summer to get into it and redesign my web page.
If I do, then I'll only have to write one style sheet for the whole site. It would take the place of the SSI that I use now. SSI is a server side include that allows you to pull whole pieces of HTML into the page from a remote file so that you don't have to write it or cut and paste it into every page. If you don't know what it is, then you're probably not interested, and if you do know what it is, then you almost undoubtedly know more than I do.
Well, that was my Joe Grossberg technical post of the month. And it's only the first.
I realize that this post would have been more relevant three or four years ago, but I never really bothered to mess with CSS beyond the very beginner stuff because I didn't really use it for anything. Maybe I'll use some of my summer to get into it and redesign my web page.
If I do, then I'll only have to write one style sheet for the whole site. It would take the place of the SSI that I use now. SSI is a server side include that allows you to pull whole pieces of HTML into the page from a remote file so that you don't have to write it or cut and paste it into every page. If you don't know what it is, then you're probably not interested, and if you do know what it is, then you almost undoubtedly know more than I do.
Well, that was my Joe Grossberg technical post of the month. And it's only the first.
It's Gonna Get Ugly In The Supreme Court
Sandra Day O'Conner, the first woman on the Supreme Court is retiring. That means Dubya is gonna get to put one of his uber-conservative cronies on the bench. There's also speculation that Chief Justice William Rehnquist may retire as well, since he is 80 years old and is suffering from thyroid cancer.
The Democrats are going to fight a valiant, but ultimately losing battle over the one and possibly two nominees here. I don't think that Bush is going to nominate the most conservative guy he can find, but I do believe that he will nominate someone who is going to vote his way on they key issues, for example abortion rights and maybe even limiting the power of gay couples or even individuals.
It would make sense for him to nominate a woman into the spot occupied by the first woman, but all the people who've been suggested by the pundits and such have been men when I've been paying attention. Clearly gender neutrality says that the most qualified person, and not woman, should be nominated and subsequently approved so I suppose we may not see a two woman court for now.
I think the Democrats are going to choose this battle to go all the way to the mats with. They've been made to take a back seat because of their lack of control, but I get the feeling they will play every card they have here to get a moderate conservative rather than an all out conservative. I just don't see how they'll do it. Here's to hoping, I guess.
Anyhow, Sandra Day had a good run and is obviously a pioneer in this country's history.
The Democrats are going to fight a valiant, but ultimately losing battle over the one and possibly two nominees here. I don't think that Bush is going to nominate the most conservative guy he can find, but I do believe that he will nominate someone who is going to vote his way on they key issues, for example abortion rights and maybe even limiting the power of gay couples or even individuals.
It would make sense for him to nominate a woman into the spot occupied by the first woman, but all the people who've been suggested by the pundits and such have been men when I've been paying attention. Clearly gender neutrality says that the most qualified person, and not woman, should be nominated and subsequently approved so I suppose we may not see a two woman court for now.
I think the Democrats are going to choose this battle to go all the way to the mats with. They've been made to take a back seat because of their lack of control, but I get the feeling they will play every card they have here to get a moderate conservative rather than an all out conservative. I just don't see how they'll do it. Here's to hoping, I guess.
Anyhow, Sandra Day had a good run and is obviously a pioneer in this country's history.
I'm a Pet Owner.
So Kathy loves turtles and she has turtles decorating her classroom and talks about turles a lot. On the last day of school this year one of her students gave her a live turtle. (Better than a dead turle, I guess.)
So now we have a turtle. We thought about giving it away to someone, but once you buy all the stuff it's apparently not too hard to take care of, and Kathy really loves it. It's almost like having a goldfish, except with a little more personality.
Quite an interesting gift from her student, if you ask me. This kid's mother must have thought this was a good idea too. I guess it worked out, though.
So now we have a turtle. We thought about giving it away to someone, but once you buy all the stuff it's apparently not too hard to take care of, and Kathy really loves it. It's almost like having a goldfish, except with a little more personality.
Quite an interesting gift from her student, if you ask me. This kid's mother must have thought this was a good idea too. I guess it worked out, though.
