TheBron
I am a casual fan of NBA basketball, but I am a baseball fanatic. With that said, I do and do not understand the controversy surrounding LeBron James’ decision to leave Cleveland for Miami via free agency.
Professional sports are a spectacle, as much theater as athleticism. I love the soap opera dramatics that play out in the press...very entertaining. I 'love' the Mets and 'hate' the Yankees (and Braves and Phillies and...), but these are 'sports' emotions not real emotions. I've been known to chant "Yankees suck! Yankees suck!" during games, but if fact, the Yankees actually don't 'suck' they are really good. It doesn't matter though. When I'm involved in watching a Mets game I play the part. If David Wright, my favorite Met, leaves the Mets for the Yankees when becomes a free agent I will 'hate' him. If he makes his decision on a prime-time ESPN special, I will REALLY hate him. But again, baseball (like all sports) is a business, and you can't really blame a person for doing what's best for themselves. Likewise though, that player has to realize that what's best for them may not be what’s best for the fans, and they are going to let them know it! That's part of the deal. In the end, always remember: you can't really love or hate anything that can't love or hate you back.
This is why I am enjoying the LeBron James free agent drama so much. LeBron probably could have made more money and have become a bigger star playing in New York, but he chose to join a team that has great chance of winning a championship very soon. I admire that. I might be the only one. Sports writers are accusing him of taking the easy way out and being a coward! It's true that if LeBron had stayed with his hometown Cavaliers and won a championship, he would go down in NBA history as a Michael Jordon type player. Jordon spent years leading the Bulls from failure to glory, but that's not what James wants to do. He has chosen to become one of three superstars on a team that might win a bunch of championships. I don’t' see why that is bad.
With all that said, the way he left the Cavs, with the whole "Decision" ESPN special, was pathetic. And I loved it! Now, the best thing EVER is how the owner of the Cavaliers responded: with an emotional open letter posted on the front page of the Cavaliers web site! I had no idea that the NBA allowed owners to post anything they want on team pages! I would think that all the content is very closely scrutinized. I bet his letter was typed by him personally on his computer then copy and pasted onto the site. He used the Comic Sans font, a font not used by any respectable web designer. Yikes! This is no press release reviewed by the Team's or the League's PR people. What I like about the letter is that it is 'real', dripping with emotion. You just don't see that much anymore on official websites. I don't agree with a bunch of what the letter says, but I absolutely love that he has poured his heart out.
In the end, none of this matters. The Magic will win the Championship next year while the three Heat superstars will have a massive clash of egos. They probably won't even make the playoffs. ***Jinx!!!***
Open Letter to Fans from Cavaliers Majority Owner Dan Gilbert
Laps
Sitting poolside, listening to the 'All Sade' easy-listening radio station, basking in the glow of an Orlando sunset. I just completed 20 laps in the community pool and feeling darn good about it. I finally found a workout that I don't hate. Do you sweat when you swim? I just blew my mind. Damn! The radio switched from Sade to soprano sax jazz. What a buzz kill! Between swimming and Wii Boxing, I might just get in shape...and steroids...lots and lots of steroids. It's a joke! Relax!
BTW, a woman just brought her toddler into the hot tub. That can't be good, can it? Kid seems happy, but still it must be a bit dangerous, no?
Ahhhh! Michael McDonald...easy listening gold!
Posted from WordPress for Android
Auto Depression
There are myriad reasons why the American automobile market has suffered so badly during the recession: dependence on high-profit gas guzzling SUVs, health care and pension costs for workers, unions vs. management, and quite frankly, selling cars that were inferior to foreign competitors. All the above can and has been debated at length in the press and on the web, but one area of failure that has not been explored is the way autos are sold in this country, and how it may relate to poor car sales.
When the Great Recession hit, the banks were 'too big to fail' and had to be bailed out by the Feds. While most hated the idea, Americans swallowed this bitter bill as an unfortunate reality. But, when GM and Chrysler needed to be bailed out, Americans' attitude was 'let 'em fail!' I was astounded by the sentiment. I am not an economist, but I believe that America needs to produce to survive. The auto industry is one of the last big producers, so how could we let it fail while we propped up banks that just push around paper all day? I know it is much more complicated than that, but on an emotional level, that is how I felt.
Between the time of the bailouts and today, I have purchased one car for myself, and I just helped my mom and dad lease another. This brings my lifetime total of car buying/leasing (for myself or helping a friend or family member during negotiations) to seven. Now I understand why people hate the automobile industry. Americans LOVE their cars, but HATE the process of buying them. In 2010, the process of buying a car is akin to purchasing textiles in a turn-of-the-century Persian street market. If you are planning on buying a car, you better do your homework or you will get 'taken' by the dealer. Buy the Consumer Reports New Car Buyers Kit to get the actual price the dealer paid for the car (not the same as the invoice price). Also, the Kit will help you with the cost of accessories and advice on how to buy, lease, and haggle with the dealer. Buying a used car? Use Consumer Reports as well, but don't forget to check out the Carfax, a service of Carfax.com that lists all the repair records of the car in question...just to make sure you're not getting ripped off.
Just writing the above paragraph made my blood boil. No other product that I have purchased was this much work. If I want to buy a big-screen TV, I will read the reviews on various blogs, find the one I want, and then I will search the web and stores for the best price. Done. When you buy a car, doing your homework will help, but no matter how many times I have purchase a car, I always get flustered at some point during the process. When it is all said and done, you're so mentally exhausted and drained that the thrill of having a new car to drive home is muted by the vile, filthy process you just hand to go through.
If you are in the market for a new or used car, I cannot recommend highly enough buying the Consumer Reports New/Used Car Buyers Kit. It could save you hundreds, if not thousands of dollars. Second, try to avoid HAVING to buy a car. Don't get to the point where your current ride is about to die, and you're hoping it won't conk out in the dealer's lot (that happened this past weekend to my mom's car -- long story short, got a great lease deal on a new Accord and they still took the old car in trade). Also, be prepared to WALK AWAY! If you are confused for some reason, any reason, just tell the dealer to print everything out so you can bring it home and read it over. Be firm! Don't let them push you around. Make your deal over the web via the dealer's site. Make sure to get the 'out the door price'. Use that quote and shop around to other dealers on the web.
There are hundreds of tips like the above on buying a new car, and that's one of the reasons why people hate the industry and why the car market continues to suffer -- the fact that there has to be so may tips and tricks to buying a car! It is the 21st century, and it is time to start selling cars in such a way that doesn't make customers feel like taking a shower after leaving the dealership.
Windows Ocho
When I started this blog five months ago, I never thought that I would someday be lucky enough to break a huge story, let alone one with an anonymous source deep inside one of the largest corporations in the world! I've been sitting on this story since April 1st of this year, but my source would not allow me to print it until he could verify the information.
According to my source, a high-level employee of Micr0soft, the next version of Windows (Windows 8) will have an app store in which ALL Windows software will be distributed! Modeled after the hugely successful Apple app store for iPhone and iPad, the Windows app store will be a 'one stop shop' for all software applications that a user wishes to install on their Windows system.
Apparently, the idea for a Windows app store (not to be confused with the app store available for Windows Phone) had been kicked around for a couple of years in Redmond, but it was the successful launch of Apple's iPad that convinced Microsoft that customers are willing to give up some freedom in exchange for the perception of increased security and quality. My source says that the Microsoft sees the iPad as a full computer, not a 'large format' iPod or iPhone. They are convinced that Apple will, over the next few years, make the iPad more and more powerful, phase out their notebook computers, and eventually all of Apple's products will be tied to app stores. Not wanting to fall behind Apple any further, Microsoft will introduce the Windows app store for Windows 8 first.
Below is my source's list of benefits and restrictions for software deployment on Windows 8:
- All software for Windows 8 will be distributed via the Windows App store including both consumer and enterprise applications.
- Software developers will need to submit their applications to Micorosft for approval. Microsoft will use the approval process to weed out malware (spyware, viruses, etc), poorly written software that impedes the performance of Windows 8, pornography, hate speach, vulgarity, and anything else that Micosoft thinks customers will find offensive.
- In addition to applicaitons developed by large vendors, such as Adobe and Apple, all custom developed software will need to be aproved by Microsoft via the app store.
- Microsoft will continue to allow Adobe Flash on Windows 8, but other software has not yet been approved (and may never be ): Firefox, Chrome, iTunes, Safari -- just to name a few.
The shift to a closed system controlled by Microsoft is a bombshell, no doubt, but the biggest news is that 'Windows 8' is just the code name for the next version of Windows. The real name will be Windows Ocho! It seems that MS execs want to capitalize on the popularity of NFL wide receiver Chad Ochocinco, in an attempt to appeal to the 'kids'. Not THAT is a little hard to believe, wouldn't you say?
Going Home
Sittting on a Continental 757 at Newark waiting for the other passengers to board. It was good trip to NJ to visit with family and celebrate a birthday, but after too much (good) food and drink I will be glad to get back to my home and my routine. New York bagels, pizza, home cooked lasaga, cheesecake, BBQ, beer, wine... about a zillion Weight Watchers points!
Due to the last minute nature of the trip, I am stuck with a middle seat. I do not have a middle seat body. I hope the passenger next to me is a child, dwarf, or Kate Moss.
Uh oh. Young couple just sat down in row in front with a 2 year old...
Magic Destiny
I wrote the post below BEFORE the start of the Celtics vs. Magic game last night. I was at a sports bar watching the pre-game show and wrote this quick post using the WordPress app for Android on my Motorola Droid, but I forgot to post it! (I only had one beer, so I guess I can't "blame it on the a-a-a-a-a-a-alcohol," like Jamie Foxx always does.
A quick post about destiny. The Orlando Magic are down three game to none in the 2010 Eastern Conference Finals against the Celtics. The mood in the bar and around the office is that of utter despair and defeat. Take heed my fellow Magic fans, for this 2010 Magic team is a team of destiny. I have only felt this feeling of destiny five time before in my life: The 1980 - 1983 NY Islanders Stanley Cup champion seasons and the 1986 NY Mets World Series season. The Magic will be the first team in NBA history to come back from a three games to none deficit and win the Conference Championship. After that, they will ROLL OVER the Lakers in the finals, with one minor hiccup that will cause them to go a game five. It's not a prediction. It's destiny.
Winter Park
Remember when I said that Orlando had culture, but you just had to look harder for it and drive further to it? Well, I did. Just because you don't remember doesn't mean that I never said it. Anyway, this past Sunday while my Mets were losing their 4th game in a row and the Magic were starting their first game against Boston (and first lost of the post season), I was on the bucolic lakes of Winter Park, Florida.
For just $12, The Scenic Boat Tour of Winter Park will take you on a guided one hour tour of the lakes and canals of Winter Park. From their website:
Located on Lake Osceola in the quiet suburb less than 10 minutes from downtown Orlando, the boat tour offers hour-long, guided cruises through three of the seven lakes and two, narrow manmade cannals on the tranquil Winter Park chain.
On any given tour, participants may observe large cranes swooping waterside to snag a large fish or a lazy alligator languishing on a nearby bank. An occasional water skier or racing shell full of crew members from the areas private liberal arts college, Rollins, are also enjoyable sideshows for tour goers.
This is the second time that I've taken the tour, and it is a great experience for the native Floridian, recent arrival, or tourist. I have found that it is a great way to show visitors and guests a part of Central Florida not associated with a certain high-pitched rodent. Soon after I moved down to Orlando, I invited my parents (long Florida residents) to join me on the tour, and this past weekend my girlfriend's family was in from out of town. After a week of Disney and the Outlets, I think they really enjoyed the change of pace.
We Wii? Oui!
The other day I received my Nintendo Wii. I had every intention of letting it sit in the box until I could post it on Craigslist and collect a tidy profit from my free Wii, but I couldn't resist having a piece of technology in my home and not trying it out. The company for which I work awards its employees with 'points' for various reasons. For example, I won a quarterly award and received points as well as a personalized plaque a while back. The points can be collected and then redeemed for prizes from a website. At one time, you could redeem your points for gift cards to Target, The Home Depot, etc., but I missed out on that great deal. By the time I got around to redeeming my points, the gift cards were no longer an option because of tax reasons, so I was told.
Being the clever individual that I think I am, I decided to redeem something that would be easily converted to cash via Craigslist. I didn't have enough points for the LCD TV or the iPod Touch, so I opted for the Wii console and the Wii Fit Plus. There's no way a man of my age could be tempted to open and keep a gaming console aimed at kids and a fitness peripheral designed for the ladies! Well, I was tempted, and I did. I had played Wii at various corporate team building events and with my nieces and nephews last Christmas, so I was aware of the cool factor, but it was the fact that it had built-in WiFi that sealed the deal for me. I can now sit on my couch and surf the web on my TV! How cool! Never mind that I have a very powerful desktop PC in the other room, a nice laptop, and a Motorola Droid with 3G and WiFi that has been surgically attached to my hand; I now have yet another way to watch highlights of the latest (almost) Mets win on the internet!
I plan to use the Wii Fit to help me kick my exercise routine up a notch. I wonder if it really works, or is just a gimmick. I guess I can still sell the whole thing used if I keep the packaging and use it gently, but who am I kidding? I can only part with technology when it is replaced with newer and better technology, and since my last gaming console was the Atari 5200, I have a feeling the Wii is here to stay.
Mother’s Day
I was born on my mom's birthday. Every year, she tells me that I was the best birthday present she ever received. I always loved that, but the day my dad brought home my mom's first brand new car (a circa 1975 Dodge Dart Swinger coupe with a V8, white vinyl seats and roof) I thought my 'best present ever' status was in question, but my mom has since reassured me that despite the amazing pickup of a 1970s era muscle car, I was still the best.
My dad had a great job with a big corporation that allowed my mom to stay at home and raise the kids, not an easy accomplishment with the recessions and fake oil crises of the decade. My mom gave up her career to be there for her children as they grew up. Some of my earliest and fondest memories are of my mom and I running errands together in the Soundview section of town. My older brother and sister were in school, but I guess I was only in preschool half a day or something, but I distinctly remember sitting in the Dodge Dart with only a waist seat belt (no shoulder belts back then), the white vinyl under me and the hard metal dash staring me in the face. There were no child car seats back then, and kids sat in the front seat No worries, if the driver had to stop short for some reason, an adult arm would come out of nowhere and press your chest against the seat-back. My mother and I would go from store to store running errands, and then we would wind up a Jimbos for lunch. Lunch at Jimbos was my reward for being good while we shopped. I don't remember why I liked Jimbos. It was a tiny little luncheonette that served greasy food, but I guess it was the company that counted more than the food. Don't go looking for Jimbos; it's not there anymore. The last I knew it was called Rib Roost, and only very odd folks at odd hours still frequent the Roost.
My mom, along with my dad, was always there for us kids. She taught us manners, right from wrong, and to always do the 'right thing', even when the 'right thing' was the most difficult thing. My mom gave me unconditional love and protection. She may not have approved of every decision that I made, but she always supported me. There is no other person in the world that is a better judge of character. My mom has a sixth sense when it comes to understanding people. I have been told that I'm a sensitive person, and that I have an intuitive sense of people's character. I get that, and all my good qualities, from my mom and dad. The bad qualities I must have picked up from television and the 1986 Mets -- not the best roll models. :-)
Well, I should get going. As I write this I'm already way behind schedule. I should have been showered and on the road by now. I'm off to mom and dad's to celebrate Mother's Day with my mom and the family. Even though I am a 'man of a certain age' and my mom is the mother of a 'man of a certain age', she is still my mom and I'm still her baby boy, the one who kept her from getting a slice of her own birthday cake all those years ago.
My mom has the biggest heart, the purest soul, and she is one of the wisest people that I have ever known. I lover her with all my heart, and I want to wish her and all the moms out there the happiest of Mother's Days.
Date Night: Orlando
Orlando has more culture than just Disney, Universal, and Sea World. There are many non-corporate, non-tourist, authentic things to do on your Friday night date with that someone special. I grew up near New York City where all you have to do is walk around Greenwich Village in the evening, and you'll find something fun to do. Likewise, a trip to Central Park on a Saturday afternoon will write your agenda for the day. With a little planning, a vast array of museums, art exhibits, street fairs, theaters, and movies are all available. Orlando is a different animal. The mom-and-pop restaurants, the Irish pubs, museums, festivals, etc. are all here, but you just have to look a little harder and drive a little further to get to them.
But, never mind all that. It was Friday night, and my date had free passes to the clubs at Universal City Walk. When 'free' is entered into the equation, all that 'authentic culture' mumbo jumbo goes right out the window. :-) City Walk is an area between the two Universal theme parks, Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. You have to pay to get into the theme parks, but City Walk is free, save for the three dollar parking fee after 6pm (it used to be free parking after 6pm!). City Walk has a man made lake, promenade areas, restaurants, bars, clubs, shops, and various vendors and live music. It's actually not a bad place to take a date, especially a date with free passes.
First stop was a bite to eat. Unfortunately, the bar/club area was roped off for a private event that was going to run to 8:30pm. That left us with limited options for food. We chose Hard Rock Cafe over NASCAR Sports Grille and NBA City. I guess at this point we were as far from 'authentic' as can be, but a hamburger is a hamburger, and I was hungry! What follows is quite a baffling eating experience. We entered Hard Rock and waited on line to speak with the hostess. We inquired about the wait time (about 15 to 20 minutes), but the bar was first come first serve. Cool. We took the pager from the hostess and went to the bar for a drink, but luck was with us. As we entered the bar, a high-top table opened up, and we grabbed it. A waiter came by and informed us that these tables were controlled by the hostess, and that we had to wait for a table. I told him the hostess said that the bar was first come first serve. He respond that bar, you know the bar stools around the actual bar, were first come first server, but the tables in the bar were not. Well, duh! Of course the bar stools are first come first serve. Who ever heard of reserving a bar stool? Any way there was no room at the bar, and we didn't feel like standing around.
It was time for my date to take control. She works in the hospitality industry and knows the ins and outs of customer service. She led me to the upstairs dining room where there must be another bar (and there was). As we reached the top of the stairs, we were asked if we received tickets from the hostess downstairs. We said we just wanted to get a drink at the bar. The nice man said we could 'look around'. Having no idea what the hell he was talking about, we went and looked at the bar, and then we sat down and looked at the bar tender and ordered a couple of beers. No sooner than the first drops of brew touched my lips, the pager went off. I quickly paid for the beer, and off we went to the hostess station at the top of the stairs. We were informed that we needed to go back downstairs to the main hostess station; they would help us. Down we went to the hostess station and handed in our buzzing and blinking pager. In return, we received two paper tickets and were informed to go back upstairs. At this point, I'm dizzy with hunger, but we trekked back upstairs and meet the nice gentleman again. He took one of the tickets from us, handed us a Fender Stratocaster for us to both hold and took our picture. (Later during dinner, a woman came by with our photo already printed out and tried to sell it to us for 20 bucks. My date and I surmised that since she had a digital camera and I own a Strat that we could take our own damn picture for free and told her to bug off -- politely).
We handed the second ticket to the hostess who escorted us on an epic journey around a cavernous Hard Hard Cafe (with many empty tables, by the way -- the wait must have been due to not having enough staff because tables were sitting empty) to our table. After all that, we ate our mediocre, overpriced meals while 80s hair metal videos played on the big screen next to us. While waiting for the check, I excused myself to use the rest room. Along, the way I marveled at the rock & roll memorabilia adorning the walls of the Hard Rock. It was when I saw a framed pair of shoes worn by the lead singer of Stone Temple Pilots at some awards show that I knew it was time to leave. I was going to try to see if I could find a the cummerbund worn by the lead singer of Soundgarden at his brother's wedding, but it was getting late.
If it wasn't for the company and conversation, the Hard Rock would have been a total bust, but our next stop was far more enjoyable. Using one expired coupon, my date sweet talked the woman at the door of City Walk's Rising Star into waiving the cover charge for both of us! She has a way with people that I do not. If I was alone, the woman at the door would have talked me into paying for two cover charges somehow. Rising Star is a karaoke bar where customers sing karaoke with a live band. The band at this club was tight. The host and the backup singers had killer voices. The guitar, bass, drums, and keyboard players were all top notch. It was a bit cheesy, but keep in mind that this is a family-friendly tourist establishment. My date performed a beautiful rendition of Let it Be, but I chickened out (maybe next time, with a little more liquid encouragement). My favorite moment of the night was when this very shy, nervous looking man walked on stage wearing jeans and a white button down. He looked petrified! But, when the music started, he belted out an amazing rendition of Mustang Sally. As Gloria Estefan warned us, "the rhythm is gonna get you", and I guess it got the dude that night.
So, date night in Orlando. There is lots to do, but make sure you bring a date that can get you into places for free and eat before you go if you plan on visiting the Hard Rock.
