What I Love About Buying Fuel

I was going to complain about buying gas, but then changed my mind. As a matter of fact, I love that I have freedom of choice when it come to purchasing fuel. Like the price of a cab ride in Lagos (Nigeria); the price can vary from day to day, especially during peak season.

What I love is that I can do something along the lines of dollar-cost-averaging. A fancy way of saying, I'll pay only twenty dollars when I buy fuel, regardless of where I go. Now that I think about it, I drive mostly for pleasure. I prefer to take public transportation when I can, for commuting purposes.

If I could wave a magic wand, I would have a car that runs on the stuff that nobody wants or can't wait to get rid of.

Something To Add To Your Bucket List

Read the King James Version of the Holy Bible, in alphabetical order,
one page per day. I just finished, and it has been quite a ride.

So Long Michael and Farrah

To the Smooth Criminal and the Angel, R.I.P.

Don't Cry For Me Argentina

I thought nothing could glue me to CNN as much as Decision '08, until Governor Mark Sanford of South Carolina spoke at his press conference. I mean I couldn't believe how much James Carville had CNN's Campbell Brown blushing as he commented on it. Seriously though (to Carville's point), the big news isn't that Sanford had an affair, but rather the circumstances surrounding the affair. It was no surprise to me. If your staff and your wife don't know where you are for four days, survey says, "you're having an affair."

What surprised me was how revealing Sanford was. He was almost bearing his soul. I think he wanted to get caught so he could stop scheming.

How To Make Your Mother Happy

Invite her to a wedding of someone with the same last name as yourself.

Conch

I had Haitian "Seafood Conch" at my cousin's wedding yesterday, and it was absolutely delicious. Conch is a little tougher than lobster in consistency. It's rare, in my experience, to be found in a non-Caribbean or non-West African restaurant.

My first taste was as conch fritters in Key West back in 1994. I then proceeded to try it in just about every variation I could find. I prefer it curried and spicy.

I used to be able to get it locally (Cambridge, MA) at a Caribbean joint called Rhythm and Spice back in the mid-nineties. Alas my little piece of Jamaica is no more. More red tape, less Red Stripe I guess.

Is The Iranian 2009 Election Their Bush 2004?

In almost typical fashion there was major political outrage at the results of the 2009 Iranian presidential election. Surprise-surprise, the person public opinion (here in the U.S.) wanted out, the incumbent, won.

I had one foot in the bandwagon myself, then I listened to National Public Radio's, On Point with Tom Ashbrook, to get some perspective. There were people who thought the whole thing was rigged, not unlike our Bush 2004. Then there were those individuals who felt that based on the political make-up of the country, and a previous poll, it was more likely than not, the right guy was declared president, even if they didn't or wouldn't have voted for him.

Then I asked myself if I thought the election was stolen. I couldn't neither prove nor disprove the point with any credibility, because I don't live and breath in Iran, nor do I have a sense of the political climate to the level that I do here (in the U.S.).

The good news for Iranians is that the president-elect is on notice to improve the lot of the disenfranchised. He, not unlike Dubya, would ignore the people at his peril.

U.S.A. Versus Italy: 1-3

Today I eagerly hoped that the U.S. soccer team would give Italy at least a challenge. To be fair, they were playing the 2006 World Cup champs, and played most of the match a man down.

Still, the U.S. side has work to do. 361 days before South Africa 2010 (World Cup) hopefully will be enough to work on better fitness, organization, and field discipline. Those are the things that can be worked on. The most important component though is heart; either you got it...or you don't. I'm hoping the U.S. will surprise once again.

First Mobile Post

It took me a hot second but I figured out I needed to use the html view.
Not very intuitive, but it works. This is via the Google GI. Gotta roll.

The Ties That Bind Us

I was at church last Sunday when through the bishop's sermon I discovered that he had been at Americade (a annual motorcycle rally, based in Lake George, NY) as I had the day before.

I knew he rode, but I never imagined he actually went to motorcycle rallies. A bunch of friends where supposed to join me, but I turned out to be the only one, as each had something coming up by chance or previous engagement.

What I love about motorcycling is that it's a great way to start a conversation, especially amongst people that wouldn't be inclined to speak with one another otherwise.

When Do You Think You'll Die?

There are more than a few books, articles, and websites that posit the question, what would you do if you had (fill in time-frame) to live? The idea is to spark some call to action, a focus on what's important.

The aforementioned is useful as a primer at best, and is a speed bump at worst. I've actually thought about the question, seriously. I'll get to the why in a bit. I just took one of those Facebook quizzes to see how close I was. It was eerily accurate, based on general life expectancy for my demographics. However, it was a bit longer than I expected.

Most people are forced to confront their mortality in a number of ways. For me it was a couple of near-death experiences, and most recently, writing my will. What makes the latter even more stronger than the former, is that writing a will forces you to assume that you are dead or dying by making you plan for it in some detail. It's especially sobering if you have a spouse, and more so, young children kids. You have to have discussions along the lines of, hey, can you be guardian to my kids in case I die sooner rather than later?"

The truth is, we are ALL dying. Right now, all of us. We are just at different levels of awareness. I find that the more aware one is about one's mortality the better.

Bait And Switch

The other day, I received a solicitation from a recruiter for an interesting contract position. The email, in addition to the gig description, also included the pay rate range. It looked like a good prospect, until I contacted the recruiter.

When I contacted the recruiter, I could tell that the recruiter just wanted to get my particulars to forward to the prospective client. Fine; I wasn't crazy about it, but that was no crime. When it came to rate I was asked what I wanted. Although my magic number was outside the stated range, the range itself was acceptable considering the gig.

When I responded that the stated range was adequate, I was then asked what my previous rate was. I knew this could head one of two ways: a fair negotiation or something else. Still, I like to give people the benefits of the doubt. I gave my previous salary. Doing some quick math she determined that she would put in a rate to her client that was half the stated range, and just a few dollars higher than the hourly rate equivalent of my previous salary.

I countered that first of all that the work was in a different sector. Second, I told her that contractor rates are higher because and employer provides other monetary and non-monetary benefits that a contractor doesn't normally receive.

Her basic arguments were that one, I would be making too much at the stated rate (compared to my previous salary), and two that my proposed rate increase would be more palatable to her client.

Rather than argue, I told her not to bother submitting my resume, and apologized for wasting her time.

How To Eat A Mango

This is my technique, and it ain't for everyone. What I'll guarantee is that you'll get the most out of the mango in question. Plus, it will promote good dental hygiene:

1. Get a plastic plate and a sharp kitchen knife (kids, ask your parents) that fits in non-thumb fingers comfortably. Or try a potato peeler as alternative, if you're ash white after reading "sharp kitchen knife" or if the only cutting you've ever done involve lines, class, deals, or music.
2. Peel half the mango, length-wise, as close the skin as possible; cutting VERY SLOWLY towards you while using your thumb as a guide.
   
3. Bite (not slice) chunks out of the nude hemisphere of the mango, and enjoy. Ideally, this should leave you with half the seed sticking out.
   
4. Once you've gotten all the pulp you can from biting, scrap the rest with your top teeth, and enjoy.
5. Once you've gotten all the pulp you can from scrapping, suck, suck, and suck, and enjoy, until the hairs of the mango form a near-white mohawk along the spine of the mango.
6. Ideally, Step 5 should leave you with a relatively, pulp-free half of the seed sticking out, which you can use as leverage for Step 7.
7. Repeat Steps 2-5, with the unpeeled half of the mango.
8. Wash your hands
9. Floss

Twenty One Days, And A Wake Up

Well, it's finished. Twenty one days with my A Complaint Free World.org bracelet on the same wrist. It has been quite a journey, and I'm a better person for it.

I also have a better appreciatation for the phrase, "the first million is the toughest." The first two to three straight-days were the hardest. Once I got past seven days straight, it became easier to maintain.

I will keep the bracelet on as a reminder.

An Easy Workout

One of my favorite and most effective ways to exercise hasn't changed since I was a kid: football (i.e. soccer). I've recently come out of retirement to join a weekly seven-on-seven league that a couple of classmates from high school play on.

Of course came the nervousness of having to perform competently after not having set foot on a soccer pitch in close to six years. The soreness I knew would be inevitable, but worth it. The game itself was a smaller field with twenty-two-minute halves and unlimited substitutions (thank God), so It wasn't as painful as it could have been. I was clearly not in soccer shape, but my ego was kindly reminded that some of my opponent weren't even born when I started playing the beautiful game. With experience, I was able to used the mental side of the game to my advantage; knowing who the opponent's go-to players were and anticipating their plays. Also, I began to learn how to support the strength of my teammates.

I burnt more calories in thirty minutes than I would have other wise, and had a blast as well. It was nice to know that I still had a few trick left in the bag.