The streak

Everyone knows that flaunting your own streak is bad luck, but I thought I'd tempt Fate just the same.

I've been road cycling for about 6 years now. I've put thousands of miles on my bikes, been stuck in thunderstorms, hit two cars at close to full speed, ridden off the road and flipped over a tree root, but I have never flatted on a ride. Not once. There have been close to a dozen times when I have grabbed my bike the day after a ride to find one of the tires flat, but I have never actually gotten a flat tire while I was on a ride. I've seen everyone else I know get a flat tire on a ride, and I even had to pick up one friend who got stranded in an early Spring rainstorm after double flatting. But not me.

Just today, I went to jump on my bike, only to discover that one of my tires was flat. I tried to pump air back into it, but the hole was so big that air was leaking out so quickly I couldn't even get the PSI to register on the gauge. Yet, on my last ride I didn't have the slightest problem with the tire. It's simply remarkable.

And I know my time is due.

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Now playing: Jason Mraz - Sleeping To Dream
via FoxyTunes

Play it like it isn't

I was reading an interesting article in Rolling Stone recently about Coldplay on their tour. And then I read the following:

"Martin used to pull the Dylan move of changing that song's melody — but then he got some simple advice from Michael Stipe: 'Stop doing that. People want to hear the songs the way they know them.'"

Michael Stipe, who is the lead singer of R.E.M., should be absolutely ashamed of himself. His comment is both absurd and appalling. Did Chris Martin really buy into this? I sincerely hope not.

I love listening to music. It alone might be a compelling argument for the existence of God. And what I really love is the experience of a live musical performance. My cup is overflowing when I leave just about any live show. I think one of the things that makes live music so awesome is that you are not just listening to a well-produced recording. You are listening to something that is a true original. It is so amazing when a musician pulls the unexpected out of the familiar, when they take a song you know so well and do something inspired and new to the melody or rhythm. This is one of the most thrilling aspects of a live performance. You think you know what the next note will be, but to your astonishment and delight something known becomes something amazingly new.

Honestly, I don't want to just hear the CD live. I want to experience the full possibilities of the musical geniuses on stage. Chris Martin, don't let the sellouts take away your musical soul. Please. Be original and spontaneous. Be a risk taker. Maybe all the phonies won't come to your concerts, but it will just make the rest of us want to come more.

By the way, don't believe the reviews. Prospekt's March, the sort of follow up B Sides to Viva La Vida, is excellent.

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Now playing: Coldplay - Prospekt's March
via FoxyTunes

Face to Face

It's been a long time since I threw a song up here that I've written. I've only "finished" a few, so I thought I'd write it down.

I am completely fascinated by the concept of love: two people being completely reliant on one another. We seem so preoccupied with self-reliance in this country. I guess it's the safer bet. But I think to really and completely fall in love, you have to be willing to be dependent on someone else. Too often I think people view love as a nice side bet or supplement to their happiness. But to really get it, you have to let go. To live in love, you have to die to yourself in a sense. One of the best analogies I can think of is this game I've played at low ropes courses. Basically, two people stand on wires about two feet apart from one another. They extend their arms above their heads and hold hands, forming a triangle. They slowly scoot out along the wires, which gradually grow farther and farther apart. To avoid falling to the ground, both of you must lean into each other more and more as the ropes grow apart. If you do not trust one another and equally spread your weight, you will fall. Both of you are vital to the other person staying upright. It is hard to do, but if done right, you can get incredibly far apart. So here it is...

Face to Face

Baby said don't let go, I'm going down
Baby said hold on tight, you're all I've got
I thought to myself, "you must be crazy
Don't you realize, you're saving me"

CHORUS:
Babies crying now
She is so scared
You need to know that
I'm not gonna fly away
Everything is spinning now
We are upside down
But we're face to face
I must be right side up

Look at it crashing down, all around
Darkness is moving in, I can't see anything
I reach out my hand and you grab on hard
It's our only hold on where we are

CHORUS

Remember that fight we had the other day
I was telling you, I'm always right
But the truth is I'm just hiding
I think I'm always wrong, ain't it strange

CHORUS

Little things

I think it is often the little things in life that make life amazing and rich. Finding the stuff of everyday life that makes my heart soar seems a lot more fulfilling than the alternative approach of surviving most days for a few incredible days every year. I want each day to fill me with wonder and amusement and depth. Not just a few vacation weeks and a couple adventures. Those are nice, too, but I want to live in the moment. With that said, I've decided to start recording some of the little things, whenever I feel the fancy. Some of them may seem mundane, and perhaps they are, or maybe you aren't looking hard enough at what is right in front of you.

So, for today...

Drinking 1% milk after almost exclusively living off of skim milk will blow your mind. Seriously! I'm talking head spinning deliciousness.

Discovering the repairs made to roads over the Winter on your first few Spring rides is a really pleasant surprise that makes those early season and sometimes frustrating rides (did I really lose this much fitness over the Winter months?) worth it. I'm thinking of Crusher Road, aptly named, which I discovered a couple weeks ago was repaved at an intersection that used to be filled with potholes so big that at best, would shake you to the bone and at worst, would throw you to the pavement. Or the harrowing bridge at the bottom of a steep local hill on whose metal grates you would often be deposited at close to 30 miles per hour (the sign recommended dismounting and walking across the bridge), which was recently paved over and now smoothly sends you on your way.

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Now playing: David Ford - Go To Hell
via FoxyTunes

Going golden

I was listening to NPR the other day as they were discussing this fad in Asia to be as white as possible. Apparently, in some Asian cultures, it is very cool to be very pale. It has gotten to the point (I guess it should be expected) that people are undergoing all kinds of crazy skin treatments and taking medications to make their skin whiter. I just don't understand...

I remember several years ago I read an article in Time or some other news magazine about how the human race, due to more interracial marriage made possible by modern transportation and migration, was headed towards a golden complexion. I've always thought that was pretty cool. How mankind, with all its crazy racial problems, would eventually end up a beautiful race of bronze.

Don't get me wrong, I also find all of the different skin tones of our species beautiful. What I really just don't understand is why people tan themselves to the point of absurdity, or drug themselves to look a little more pale.

Just be, y'all. Enjoy your unique shade.

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Now playing: John Mayer Trio - Something's Missing
via FoxyTunes

Slumdog love

Last week I finally caved and went to see Slumdog Millionaire. I admit, I went in almost determined not to like it, convinced that it would be cliche and contrived. In the end, it was a little contrived, but overall it really was a terrific movie. I'm not sure it really should have won best picture: I'm still shocked Doubt was not even nominated - an amazingly acted and incredibly deep film that refused to end on a Hollywoodesque, all is well ending. Still, Slumdog was a great film that I thoroughly enjoyed.

What most touched me about the film was how Jamal, the protagonist, reacts once he has won his millions. When he wins, and the confetti streams down over the stage as the crowd cheers wildly, there is a serene calmness over his face, as if to say, "this is nice and all, but I don't need it one bit." No, his mind is far away, wondering where the girl he loves is and how he can possibly find her. Most people, upon winning millions, would likely party like there is no tomorrow. There will be many more women, they would think, perhaps wisely. But Jamal does not throw himself a fantastic party, nor does he seem particulalry overwhelmed by his new wealth and status.

No, we instead next find Jamal sitting alone on a train platform, desperately hoping that the girl he loves will show her face. He could, probably should, just walk away and start a new life. But alas, he waits in vain for a girl. Maybe he is a love sick fool. Or maybe, just maybe, he has come to understand that things like money, career, power are not really what life is about. These are the silly things we chase after in order to try to find fulfillment, and I think sometimes to avoid opening our hearts. But they aren't the things that will fill our souls. Jamal gets it, and that's why he only goes on the show in the first place so that his love will see him on TV.

Maybe I'm just a hopeless romantic, but Jamal, I would sit all night at that train station, too.

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Now playing: Jason Mraz - Sleeping To Dream
via FoxyTunes

I am rich! (and so are you)

It is easy for many of us, including myself, to get caught up in complaining about what we don't have or what we wish was better about our life. And while I do fall into this rut more often than I would like to admit, I am trying very hard to have the proper perspective. Because you know what? I am unbelievably blessed (lucky if you like), and so are most of you (you meaning Americans, not just the meager readership of my blog).

Look, I know everything is not perfect: the one thing I want to fill my life more than anything else I do not have. But most everything else in my life is pretty frickin' good. I have a fairly secure job in a severe economic downturn. I am relatively successful at my job and make more money than I probably deserve (whatever "deserve" means). I am healthy, have a family that loves me, if imperfectly, and amazing friends. And the list could go on and on. And yes, not having in my life what I most want can make all my experiences a little bittersweet, but it is still very sweet.

Think about all of the people in the world who are desperately poor. In 2005, it was estimated that 1.4 billion people live in "extreme poverty" (living on less than $1.25 a day). That number was 430 million more than previously estimated. Take a moment to let that soak in. They underestimated the number of people in extreme poverty by almost one-and-a-half times the US population! Now some may argue your perceptions are relative to what you are used to. In other words, if you are used to $200,000 a year, $50,000 may seem like very little money. Therefore, people who live in third world countries (I think the PC term is underdeveloped) are content because they are doing fine relative to what they are used to. But consider that 2.6 billion people (roughly 40% of the world's population) do not even have access to a toilet. Having basic sanitation is about more than lifestyle or comfort - the lack of it can lead to all sorts of diseases and considerably raises child morbidity. Imagine not having access to clean drinking water, drinking from the same stream that people relieve themselves in.

Don't you see how truly blessed all of us really are? Your job may not be your dream job and may not pay as much as you would like, but if you take just a small step back, you will realize how good you have it. I'm not saying don't reach for that perfect job or that bigger paycheck. But dammit, stop complaining and put on a positive attitude, because the grass is green on this side, my friend. If you can't see this, your eyes are wide shut.

The fruit of love

Over the past few months, Jason Mraz has become one of my favorite musical artists. I love discovering new musicians, but Mraz is something special and has shot straight to the top of my list. I was introduced to him early last year by an amazing young lady who, unfortunately, seems to think quite the opposite of me. At the time I didn't realize how amazing he was, probably in part due to the fact that she introduced me to him on some pretty lousy sounding laptop speakers (how a professional musician can bear to listen to music on those tone-butchering speakers is quite beyond me).

One of my favorite songs by Jason (I really want to call him JM, but another excellent musician has aleady claimed those initials) is called Wordplay. The song is very clever - just trying to sing along with the song can be quite challening. In the second verse, he employs a pretty neat little trick I first learned about relative to the radio. See, good radio talk show hosts realize the power of silence. Sometimes, before they are about to say something important or that they want to make sure their audience hears, especially after a long monologue, they will pause. The pause might last 2-3 seconds or more, which seems like an eternity on the radio. But it is so powerful because, after the pause, the next thing they say stands out in contrast to the silence. If you are listening to the radio in the background, the sound after the pause will often suddenly catch your attention.

So in this song Wordplay, Jason sings "Gotta find another way to keep from goin' under /
Pull out the stops / [PAUSE] / Got your attention". What I really like about this is how he works in the dynamic of the pause into the lyrics themselves. He sings "stops" and then the music literally stops for an instant. After the pause, the next line is "got your attention." He is capturing your attention by stopping and then resuming, and in the very words he sings next he is pointing out he does in fact have your attention again. You probably need to listen to the song (around 1:30) to really appreciate it, but I think it's actually pretty clever.

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Now playing: Jason Mraz - Wordplay
via FoxyTunes   

If music be the food of love, play on;
Give me excess of it, that, surfeiting,
The appetite may sicken, and so die.

Advantage, girls

Perhaps the experience I am about to describe is a little odd, so consider yourself forewarned.

See, on occasion, I find myself finishing my business at the urinal only to discover that I, in fact, need to now relieve myself , let's say, sitting down. How I did not realize this upon my entry into the restroom is unclear, but sometimes the sensation can be somewhat sudden. And when this occurs I myself in a bit of a quandary, especially when I am at work and others are in the room. For some reason I find it somewhat embarrassing to make my way directly from the urinal to a stall. I feel as if I am sending the signal that I do not know my own body (or worse). Would you trust someone's work who is uncertain of the what they are doing in bathroom?

And then I started thinking, what is really interesting to me about this is that girls do not suffer the same problem. Whenever they are going to the bathroom, they are always in a stall sitting down. They can switch it up without anyone noticing. Must be nice...

The meaning of life on a bathroom wall

On the wall of the bathroom at the restaurant I ate at tonight:

Money, Power, Respect. That is what you need to live the life.

Upon reading this, a strange and intense feeling flooded my mind, and all I could think was:

"No man, it's love. It's all about love. The rest of it, career, money, reputation. It doesn't mean anything. Maybe you will see once you have all of those things. You are chasing the wind. It's really just all about love."

Cheesy? Cliche? Hippie? I don't care. My soul was crying out.

The wasp

Finding a wasp pressed against your inner thigh inside the cycling shorts you are wearing. Incredibly lame.

Discovering that the wasp is already dead. Marvelous!

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Now playing: Yes - And You and I: Cordo of Life/Eclipse/The Preacher the Teacher/The Apoca
via FoxyTunes

Why am I listening to Yes? No idea; the music part of my brain just really wanted to hear it. That's the great thing about a fairly broad music collection.

The ambivalence in the chase

For Christmas my grandparents gave me the highly acclaimed Planet Earth series. It is truly astounding: they have coupled unparalleled cinematography with terrific music and expert narration. I could not more strongly recommend this series.

As I mentioned a couple months back, my new favorite word is ambivalent. It captures so well the complexities of life. Not the grey in between, but the powerful thoughts and emotions that can tear us in what are sometimes two completely different directions. I mention this because it has come to mind as I watch the Planet Earth episodes. I find myself torn as I watch the incredible chases for survival between predator and prey. I want so badly for the snow leopard to catch its prey because its very life may hang in the balance of successfully capturing food. And yet I also am deeply saddened at the sight of the prey falling victim to those powerful jaws - I want the prey to escape and continue its life. It's a very strange and almost frightening sensation, to feel such diverse and opposing desires. I feel quite invested when I watch this battle for survival unfold. It's really nothing, I know. But I sense that such strong and ambivalent feelings, if more directly experienced in one's life, could rip a person' s soul in two.

A Snowy Walk

The snow underfoot
Frozen and crunching loudly
Yet no one hears it

Man's best (morning) friend

I am not an early morning person. I really wish I were, but it takes me a little time to come out of the stupor and haze I find myself in immediately after waking up. Showers help, but it still takes me around an hour to become my normal perky and happy self. I actually enjoy the rest of the morning, once I finally find my whits.

But dogs, on the other hand, really love the early morning. And it's very refreshing. When I was visiting my uncle over Thanksgiving, I got to hang out with his 2 beautiful and affectionate yellow labs. They are two of the sweetest canines I have ever known. Every morning, when I would stumble downstairs in my early morning confusion (I was, quite contrary to normal vacation behavior, one of the, if not the first person to wake up every day), they would be the first to greet me. And it was always the most enthusiastic and friendliest greeting, as if I were an age-old companion they had not seen in many years. It was incredibly heart-warming, even in my half-awake and grumpy state, to be met with such unsolicited and energetic friendliness.

A couple times, when I took a nap in the afternoon, upon returning to the family area, they would actually start barking and jumping in glee that I had returned. It felt good to be missed so, after only an hour, even if it was just a couple of dumb labs. I love dogs, and one of these days, when I get my life sorted out, I am going to get one of my own!

Requiem for Daddy Bim's

One of my favorite things about going home (aside from seeing family) is the excellent food, both home-cooked and in local restaurants. Southern food is really quite amazing, and I think the girth of the Bible belt will attest to this. Daddy Bim's is at the top of my list of restaurants to visit when I am in my hometown. They serve incredible food at outrageously good prices and even grind fresh beans for each pot of coffee. The place may seem like a hole-in-the-wall barbecue joint, but it is for real, with a great chef to top it off. Among other stints, Daddy Bim went to the Culinary Institute of America, was the personal cook for Don Johnson (of Miami Vice), and was the executive chef at Mountain Lake Hotel, while they were filming "Dirty Dancing" there. (He also found time to direct my mom in a stage performance of "On Golden Pond" at the local community theater.) When I ate there just a few days ago, I stuffed myself to the brim with North Carolina style pulled pork barbecue, made from scratch spoonbread, spiced baked beans, sweet tea, and for dessert, homemade root beer (less sweet but full of flavor) and to-die-for chocolate bourbon chess pie. I ate so much I felt ill, but this was one of the few instances where behaving so gluttonously was worth it.

So why, then, is this a requiem? First, let me tell you about my eating-out experience a few nights prior. A few friends and I decided to catch up and grab a drink, which required going to on of the few establishments on our side of town that serves alcohol, the local Applebee's. I was a little hungry, so I ordered a basket of onion rings for the table. They weren't great, and I soon paid for my poor decision - my stomach was quite upset for the next 16 hours. I have a had a few questionable meals at Applebee's, and I think this was the final straw. I am swearing that particular chain restaurant off for good.

But the real tragedy here is that, at my visit to Daddy Bim's a few days ago, I found out they were permanently closing their doors in the next couple of days. In fact, at the writing of this, I think they have already shut their doors. I was pretty sad when I heard this news, but then my sadness turned to anger. I mean, seriously, what on earth!? How is a restaurant with incredible homemade food prepared by a legitimate chef closing down while a mile away, Applebee's seems to be doing just fine? You'd almost certainly pay more at Applebee's, too! And the service would be worse. Does Applebee's even have a real chef? I imagine most of the food is basically pre-prepared, frozen, and delivered by truck from the nearest Applebee's warehouse. And this is the kind of establishment consumers keep in business with their patronage over a Daddy Bim's? It's mind-boggling and heart-breaking! Aren't there enough over-priced chain restaurants out there? Why not patronize one local establishment with great food to keep it in business? Have we really done so much damage to our sense of taste with all of this processed food that we cannot appreciate natural, expertly made from scratch cuisine?

The economist in me is whispering supply and demand, but this, I feel, must be an exception. Sometimes consumers make poor decisions (like buying houses they can't afford - I hear that is going around). Now you have driven an excellent establishment out of business, but at least you have your Applebee's. Part of me wants to wish on all who eat there a curse of food poisoning similar to my fate. Alas, I am not that vindictive. Punishment enough will be that, when you have a craving for some delectable chocolate bourbon chess pie, you will have little luck in finding it.

R.I.P. Daddy Bim's

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Now playing: The Allman Brothers Band - Whipping Post
via FoxyTunes

More than time

A year or so back, one of my friends at work was reprimanded by her boss for wearing a watch to a meeting with clients that was not professional enough. Now I do agree with the idea that, especially in consulting, you need to project an image of competence and success. After all, your client needs to be comfortable in spending lots of money to basically just get your advice. If you look like a disaster, you may undermine your ability to gain their confidence. But I'm not sure wearing a sport watch instead of a Tag Heuer is going to play much of a role in such image-building.

On this note, I recently read an article about Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson in Newsweek and found the following sentence particularly interesting:

"Paulson adheres tightly to the Goldman ethos: Make enormous amounts of money but don't act like it (though Paulson's stake in the firm was worth about $500 million when he cashed out in 2006, he wears a digital training watch, not a Rolex)."

So here is at least one example of success being projected without the assistance of a fancy watch. Although I do wonder if this is really some sort of psychological ploy by Paulson and his Goldman compatriots. By wearing a $50 Timex, instead of a $20,000 Tag Heuer, isn't he almost bringing more attention to his watch choice because he picked the unexpected for someone of his vast wealth and stature? He is almost making more of the point that he in fact can very easily make the choice to wear an outrageously expensive watch, or not.

Then again, I often think about these things far too much. Either way, friend, the next time someone criticizes your watch, just point out Paulson's selection.

Taking Trebek to School

I love it when I get to the gym around 7PM. It means I get to watch Jeopardy! (Seriously, I get excited). But this evening was extra fun, for the following reason:

Tonight, as I was watching Double Jeopardy (you know, round two, when all the dollar amounts are doubled), all three players got the same $2,000 question wrong. Trebek remarked, "No harm done. You all got it wrong and lost the same amount of money." But, sir, I object! This is not necessarily the case, especially late in the Double Jeopardy round.

Do you see why Trebek is in fact wrong that no harm was done? Let me pose a simple example. Let's say there are only two players, Sean Connery and Burt Reynolds. They have come to the very last question in Double Jeopardy, which is worth $2,000. Sean Connery has $20,000 and Burt Reynolds has $10,500. If both players answer this question incorrectly and each lose $2,000, Connery will have $18,000, and Reynolds will have $8,500.

If neither player had answered the question, Connery would have had to bet $1,001 in Final Jeopardy to guarantee that he would win, earning a total of $21,001. This is because, if Connery bet nothing, and Reynolds bet everything, Reynolds would win with $21,000. But after both players got the final $2,000 question wrong, even if Reynolds bets everything and gets Final Jeopardy right, he will only have $17,000, which is short of the $18,000 Connery has. In other words, Connery can simply bet nothing and win the game straight up.

So, Trebek, what you have claimed is in fact erroneous. Losing the $2,000 can have a different impact on each player and can in fact completely change the dynamic of the game. I think a fictionalized Sean Connery said it best.

Singles and socks

Have you ever been putting away your socks to realize that one of the socks is missing its mate? I'm sure you must have - socks are always mysteriously disappearing, or getting left in suitcases, or falling behind things. I have a lot of different socks, so it is usually quite apparent which sock has lost its partner (as opposed to having a lot of similar white socks for instance, in which case it would be difficult to identify which particular sock has been left single, instead having simply an odd number of similar looking socks).

When this happens, and it is quite a common occurrence, I often feel some regret or a pang of sadness. See, at the forefront of my mind is the realization that this sock will not be returned to its partner or worn again until the next wash cycle. And that assumes I can find the lost soul before I wash my socks again; if I cannot, who knows when these socks will be reunited and my feet can enjoy their cozy comfort.

I'd like to cast this as being disappointed at not being able to wear a pair of socks I like, but I think I must admit I'm also feeling a little sorry for that lonely sock, but that would be absurd, right?

A myth

The other day I was visiting my cousin and her new husband, and we decided it would be fun to play some Wii. First I played her husband in Wii golf and beat him handily in a 9-hole round (somehow managing 2 eagles in the process). Then I play my cousin in bowling. We tied the first game, so we played a second, that I won, but only by a thin margin.

Still, what was strange to me was that I had beaten them both. I have only played Wii a few times, and for the most part have sworn off video games altogether. They both seemed a little surprised, and probably a bit frustrated as well. I think truly I just got lucky. But then I started to think about my situation and mythology...

I imagined a curse that I think would make the ancient Greeks proud. Imagine a man who was incredibly talented and lucky. Everything he did he succeeded at, every competition he entered he won. He could have everything he wanted. Except one thing. He could not have the one thing he treasured above all else, his deepest and most passionate desire. Imagine it! Everything at your fingertips, but unable to have what you most want. Even the greatest of things would begin to become a cruel joke because the one thing desired more than it all would continue to be illusive. Soon the greatest victory would be overshadowed by bitterness of defeat at what mattered the most.

And then I was reminded of some lyrics from one of my favorite Nickel Creek songs:

I hope he still wants it, but it might remind him of when,
he aimed for the bulls eye and hit it nine times out of ten.
That one time his hand slipped, and I saw the dart sail away.
I don't know where it landed, but I'm guessing between green and gray.
We thought nothing of it, but it still haunts him like a ghost.
With all eyes upon him, except two that matter the most.

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Now playing: Nickel Creek - Green And Gray
via FoxyTunes

The billboard ad

Yesterday I was driving by Philly and saw a really clever billboard. It read:

Don't Advertise!
You might run out of product.

Don't worry, it took me a second, too.