We've only got each other to blame
It's all the same to me love
'Cause I know what I feel to be right
No more lonely nights
You my guiding light
Day or night I'm always there
May I never miss the thrill of being near you
And if it takes a couple of years
To turn your tears to laughter
I will do what I feel to be right
And I won't go away until you tell me so
No, I'll never go away
Paul McCartney 1984
You know what’s the best thing about writing a blog? You can write about things you know absolutely nothing about. Take bad marriages, for example. Luckily, I don’t really know much about them. Amy and I have been married more than a decade, and we’re happy. My parents have been married over 50 years, and I’m guessing they hit 75. Seriously. Although some of my friends have gotten divorced, the vast majority have stayed together.
So when I first got married, I was a little naive about marriage. I just assumed that you spent all your time together, and wanted to; if you didn’t you had a poor marriage that was in trouble. But I started noticing a really interesting strategy that some couples used. They intentionally spent frequent and consistent time away from each other, almost as if they liked to hang out in short doses, but too much time together would kill the patient.
Nowhere do I see this used more than by professionals (and quasi-professionals and wanna-be professionals). Whatever you do for a living, there’s always an out-of-town conference somewhere, right? Even if you’re a maid, I’m sure there’s a conference next month in Vegas to teach you how to clean better. Work is another great excuse. “Honey, I’m so sorry that I have to spend the next 6 straight weekends out of town. Videoconferencing and the telephone just aren’t the same, and if I don’t go we’ll all be out on the street. You don’t want that to happen, do you?” There’s also always a simcha. Who wants to be the mean spouse that says no to going to your old buddy’s 4th kid’s bar mitzvah?
Why does the other spouse allow this? Often they want some alone time too. If one spouse doesn’t want to spend a lot of time with the other, the feeling’s probably mutual. This does not necessarily mean that the two don’t like each other, or that they have a weak marriage. For some couples, time away from each other keeps things going.
Look, I’m not saying this is ideal. I sure wouldn’t want to be in that type of marriage, and I never will be. I’d rather be McCartney/Eastman (less than 1 week apart in 30 years of marriage). Also, I’m guessing there is at least some correlation between time apart and divorce rate. But for some couples, the time apart works, and it’s precisely what keeps them from actually getting divorced.
Everyone’s different. In life there’s not always a 1 size fits all solution. If it works it works.
Have a good night everyone.
JR
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Monday, March 24, 2014
Football Folly
I don't remember, I don't recall
I got no memory of anything at all
I got no means to show identification
I got no papers show you what I am
You'll have to take me just the way that you find me
What's gone is gone and I do not give a damn
Empty stomach, empty head
I got empty heart and empty bed
I don't remember
Peter Gabriel 1980
Preamble: When I wrote this blog two years ago, it didn’t exactly go over so well with some people. 2 or 3 defriended me on Facebook, and a few others came up to me after to “discuss” it. Please understand, especially with the following blog post, that I’m just a guy who writes down my opinions, and whatever else comes to my mind, in the middle of the night. It’s nothing personal. I have absolutely no idea which kids play football and which don’t (seriously), and I’m not saying you’re a bad parent if you let your kids play football. Plus, as with all my blogs, I could be wrong. In fact, I know specifically I was wrong once, in 1973.
I got no memory of anything at all
I got no means to show identification
I got no papers show you what I am
You'll have to take me just the way that you find me
What's gone is gone and I do not give a damn
Empty stomach, empty head
I got empty heart and empty bed
I don't remember
Peter Gabriel 1980
Preamble: When I wrote this blog two years ago, it didn’t exactly go over so well with some people. 2 or 3 defriended me on Facebook, and a few others came up to me after to “discuss” it. Please understand, especially with the following blog post, that I’m just a guy who writes down my opinions, and whatever else comes to my mind, in the middle of the night. It’s nothing personal. I have absolutely no idea which kids play football and which don’t (seriously), and I’m not saying you’re a bad parent if you let your kids play football. Plus, as with all my blogs, I could be wrong. In fact, I know specifically I was wrong once, in 1973.
**********************************************************
So imagine you and your spouse go on vacation. You leave your two kids with your trusted nanny and come back 10 days later. She comes up to you and says, “Great news! I wanted to make sure that the boys got enough exercise, so for about 30 minutes each day I had them run headfirst into the basement wall. After that we spent another half hour having the kids run headfirst into each other. The only bad news while you were gone was they seemed to be having some difficulty doing their math homework…” You’d call the police, right? Welcome to youth football!
70 years ago we thought smoking was good for you. Doctors were pitchman for cigarette companies. 30 years ago we thought a diet sky high in carbs with no fat was the way to go. And up until the last few years we blissfully ignored what was happening to retired NFL players, until the evidence became too obvious to ignore. Forget about the joint replacements and orthopedic injuries, a huge amount were getting CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy). Basically, they got hit in the head so many times and with such force, their brains degenerated and aged rapidly. This is some really nasty stuff; depression leading to suicide, major memory loss, confusion, etc. It’s all there, and this time the players are not keeping their mouths shut.
But I know what you’re thinking. My son isn’t 295 pounds and doesn’t run a 4.2 40. This is true. But the younger brains are far more vulnerable and susceptible to concussions. Google it. Also, there’s just no way to play the sport safely. They found out that even for players without true, identifiable concussions, the constant jarring of the brain still led to the disease. I’m now reading where some neurologists are recommending kids younger than 15 don’t play football. I have a much better idea; kids under the age of 95 don’t play. Seriously, I’m reading that the effect of two kids running into each other at full speed with their helmets on is like dropping a bowling ball on their heads. Enough already. Just stop.
Look, I know people who played football when they were young who are now doctors and lawyers, and as smart as can be. I had a case a few years ago where the other lawyer was a starter on Tom Brady’s Michigan team his senior year (for the record, he told me that he had no idea Brady would end up one of the best players of all time, that he had great accuracy but no other skill that stood out). Nor am I saying that if your son has ever played football he’s doomed. He’s not. I’m sure he’ll be fine. But let’s not take unnecessary risks.
I realize there’s a certain level of hypocrisy here. I’m a type A male who likes violent entertainment. I love watching the NFL. I can’t get enough of the UFC. I like violent movies. My wife lasted about 5 minutes watching The Walking Dead, while I’m a fan. The more gory a way we can kill a zombie, the better. But I don’t want your kids in particular to get hurt. There’s just a ton of stuff nowadays for kids to do to help them reach their potential. It doesn’t make sense to me to do something that might lead to the opposite.
Have a good night everyone.
JR
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Guess Again
When I was young, it seemed that life was so wonderful,
a miracle, oh it was beautiful, magical.
And all the birds in the trees, well they'd be singing so happily,
joyfully, playfully watching me.
But then they send me away to teach me how to be sensible,
logical, responsible, practical.
And they showed me a world where I could be so dependable,
clinical, intellectual, cynical.
There are times when all the world's asleep,
the questions run too deep
for such a simple man.
Won't you please, please tell me what we've learned
I know it sounds absurd
but please tell me who I am.
Supertramp 1979
When I was young I had the luxury of making emotional and incorrect decisions at a fairly consistent rate. Now that I’m older and responsible for other humans, I don’t have the option of getting things wrong. The stakes are too high. That’s why over time I’ve embraced completely the idea of basing virtually everything on objective evidence.
This idea began about 30 years ago when I started reading a baseball writer named Bill James. He was the forefather of what is now called “analytics” in sports. Basically, instead of guessing based on incomplete information (“Who’s better, Babe Ruth or Barry Bonds?”), it sought to answer definitively every conceivable question in baseball, using primarily math and logic. We no longer had to guess what made a winning baseball team, we could simply look at every single team in history and see what factors the winning ones had that the losing ones did not. Opinion was out, fact was in. Unsurprisingly, the teams in all sports that have embraced analytics have greatly outperformed those that don’t.
That’s how I run my life. In everything. I have zero interest in alternative medicine based on anecdotes and opinions. I want double-blind controlled studies from an unbiased source to see what really works. I want to see evidence for as much as I can in my life. I watch less politics then I used to, because I have no interest in biased, prearranged sound bites. Anyone with a basic level of math competence, and the desire to do so, could see that in the past presidential election neither the Romney budget plan nor the Obama plan had any chance of working. I embrace the grind of figuring these things out. Looking at the numbers, and not the ideology, gives you a huge advantage when it comes to things like investing, health, time management, etc.
I want to be Spock. I want to be a Vulcan. There’s enough time and opportunity in life to be emotional, let’s be logical and figure this stuff out. The advent of computers and the internet has made the ability to lead an evidence based life pretty easy. We can gather massive amounts of information in all the relevant areas we need, quickly and in any hour of the 24 we choose.
I hated Obama’s campaign theme of “hope”, and it had nothing to do with the fact that a Democrat was saying it. It had everything to do with the fact that I do not want to hope good things happen; I want to know good things will happen, because I looked at the evidence, acted based on it, and eliminated the risk.
I especially want to know everything about people, for various reasons. I have no interest in hearing agenda based nonsense on how people of different races, cultures, religions, etc., should act. I want to know the actual numbers on how they do act.
Everything in life can and will be figured out. I won’t live to see it, but we’ll eventually learn how to stop cells from aging and be immortal. The math, evidence, and facts will solve everything eventually. In the meantime, I’ll use what’s available as best as I can.
Have a good night everyone.
JR
a miracle, oh it was beautiful, magical.
And all the birds in the trees, well they'd be singing so happily,
joyfully, playfully watching me.
But then they send me away to teach me how to be sensible,
logical, responsible, practical.
And they showed me a world where I could be so dependable,
clinical, intellectual, cynical.
There are times when all the world's asleep,
the questions run too deep
for such a simple man.
Won't you please, please tell me what we've learned
I know it sounds absurd
but please tell me who I am.
Supertramp 1979
When I was young I had the luxury of making emotional and incorrect decisions at a fairly consistent rate. Now that I’m older and responsible for other humans, I don’t have the option of getting things wrong. The stakes are too high. That’s why over time I’ve embraced completely the idea of basing virtually everything on objective evidence.
This idea began about 30 years ago when I started reading a baseball writer named Bill James. He was the forefather of what is now called “analytics” in sports. Basically, instead of guessing based on incomplete information (“Who’s better, Babe Ruth or Barry Bonds?”), it sought to answer definitively every conceivable question in baseball, using primarily math and logic. We no longer had to guess what made a winning baseball team, we could simply look at every single team in history and see what factors the winning ones had that the losing ones did not. Opinion was out, fact was in. Unsurprisingly, the teams in all sports that have embraced analytics have greatly outperformed those that don’t.
That’s how I run my life. In everything. I have zero interest in alternative medicine based on anecdotes and opinions. I want double-blind controlled studies from an unbiased source to see what really works. I want to see evidence for as much as I can in my life. I watch less politics then I used to, because I have no interest in biased, prearranged sound bites. Anyone with a basic level of math competence, and the desire to do so, could see that in the past presidential election neither the Romney budget plan nor the Obama plan had any chance of working. I embrace the grind of figuring these things out. Looking at the numbers, and not the ideology, gives you a huge advantage when it comes to things like investing, health, time management, etc.
I want to be Spock. I want to be a Vulcan. There’s enough time and opportunity in life to be emotional, let’s be logical and figure this stuff out. The advent of computers and the internet has made the ability to lead an evidence based life pretty easy. We can gather massive amounts of information in all the relevant areas we need, quickly and in any hour of the 24 we choose.
I hated Obama’s campaign theme of “hope”, and it had nothing to do with the fact that a Democrat was saying it. It had everything to do with the fact that I do not want to hope good things happen; I want to know good things will happen, because I looked at the evidence, acted based on it, and eliminated the risk.
I especially want to know everything about people, for various reasons. I have no interest in hearing agenda based nonsense on how people of different races, cultures, religions, etc., should act. I want to know the actual numbers on how they do act.
Everything in life can and will be figured out. I won’t live to see it, but we’ll eventually learn how to stop cells from aging and be immortal. The math, evidence, and facts will solve everything eventually. In the meantime, I’ll use what’s available as best as I can.
Have a good night everyone.
JR
Thursday, February 6, 2014
Suit of Clubs
Zoot suit, white jacket with side vents five inches long
I'm out on the street again, and I'm leaping along
Dressed right
For a beach fight
But I just can't explain
Why that uncertain feeling is still here in my brain
The Who 1973
Recently, my midnights have been spent watching the original Star Treks on Netflix. So let’s use some Vulcan logic for comparison purposes:
-A suit and tie look pretty slick; a sweater or polo and slacks look at least as good, and to my eyes usually better. If you’re in shape, there’s no comparison. The sweater shows off your body, while a suit was mainly designed to keep fat, middle-aged guys from being embarrassed.
-Suits take longer to put on.
-It’s virtually impossible to be comfortable in a suit. In the winter you freeze, and are left with the choice of, do I keep my suit jacket on and be kind of cold, or take it off and really freeze. In the summer you fry, and are left with the choice of, do I look silly and wear a white short sleeve dress shirt, or man up and sweat profusely for three months. Look, there’s a reason guys come home and change out of their suit into something more comfortable. It’s not like I come home on Sunday and change from one sweater to another.
So I’m never wearing a suit again.
This has been a gradual transformation. Even though I’m a lawyer, I haven’t worn a suit to work in over 15 years, except when I have to go to court. That’s one of the beauties of being your own boss, there is no dress code. I remember when I was 24 and started my practice, buying tons of ties. I especially had a thing for whimsical ties, like Disney and Tabasco ones. Man, did I think I was cool. Man, was I wrong. Now the ties sit in my closet, lonely and looking hopelessly idiotic.
The one place that I have continued to wear suits has been synagogue. Just about everyone there wears one, and I didn’t want to be sacrilegious. No one gets angry with me if I don’t wear a suit at work, but I don’t exactly want to make God angry. But then I thought to myself, why does God want me to be uncomfortable and wrap a noose around my neck? No more suits in shul, either.
The only exception will be if not wearing a suit will make a friend or relative angry, or make a spectacle of myself. So a friend’s wedding, or his kid’s bar mitzvah? Unless he gives me a pass, I’ll wear one.
By the way, for the reasons I just said, I predict that within 25 years no one else is going to be wearing suits either. Look at old pictures of the Great Depression, with men standing in the soup lines wearing a suit and hat. In the 50's everyone used to wear a suit to go to the movies or on an airplane. Syles change. Times change. Comfort rules.
Have a good night everyone.
JR
I'm out on the street again, and I'm leaping along
Dressed right
For a beach fight
But I just can't explain
Why that uncertain feeling is still here in my brain
The Who 1973
Recently, my midnights have been spent watching the original Star Treks on Netflix. So let’s use some Vulcan logic for comparison purposes:
-A suit and tie look pretty slick; a sweater or polo and slacks look at least as good, and to my eyes usually better. If you’re in shape, there’s no comparison. The sweater shows off your body, while a suit was mainly designed to keep fat, middle-aged guys from being embarrassed.
-Suits take longer to put on.
-It’s virtually impossible to be comfortable in a suit. In the winter you freeze, and are left with the choice of, do I keep my suit jacket on and be kind of cold, or take it off and really freeze. In the summer you fry, and are left with the choice of, do I look silly and wear a white short sleeve dress shirt, or man up and sweat profusely for three months. Look, there’s a reason guys come home and change out of their suit into something more comfortable. It’s not like I come home on Sunday and change from one sweater to another.
So I’m never wearing a suit again.
This has been a gradual transformation. Even though I’m a lawyer, I haven’t worn a suit to work in over 15 years, except when I have to go to court. That’s one of the beauties of being your own boss, there is no dress code. I remember when I was 24 and started my practice, buying tons of ties. I especially had a thing for whimsical ties, like Disney and Tabasco ones. Man, did I think I was cool. Man, was I wrong. Now the ties sit in my closet, lonely and looking hopelessly idiotic.
The one place that I have continued to wear suits has been synagogue. Just about everyone there wears one, and I didn’t want to be sacrilegious. No one gets angry with me if I don’t wear a suit at work, but I don’t exactly want to make God angry. But then I thought to myself, why does God want me to be uncomfortable and wrap a noose around my neck? No more suits in shul, either.
The only exception will be if not wearing a suit will make a friend or relative angry, or make a spectacle of myself. So a friend’s wedding, or his kid’s bar mitzvah? Unless he gives me a pass, I’ll wear one.
By the way, for the reasons I just said, I predict that within 25 years no one else is going to be wearing suits either. Look at old pictures of the Great Depression, with men standing in the soup lines wearing a suit and hat. In the 50's everyone used to wear a suit to go to the movies or on an airplane. Syles change. Times change. Comfort rules.
Have a good night everyone.
JR
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
God N' Gays
So maybe I'm moonstruck, or maybe naive
But I know there's a God and a Devil
So maybe I'm crazy enough to believe
In love at first light
I propose a breakfast of coffee and aspirin
You laugh, suggesting a raw egg or two
But oh was it ever so good being bad
Like a couple of vampires, deliciously mad
Saying this is the best blood that we've ever had
So we drank it all night
And it we untangle the webs that we weave
Then maybe there's room for more laughter
'Cause just for a moment I almost believe
In love at first light
Joe Jackson 2003
Most of the prohibitions in Leviticus are intuitive. We instinctively realize that killing your buddy and sleeping with your sister are not good things. The most controversial prohibition, however, doesn’t appear to make a lot of sense.
The Torah says that homosexuality is an abomination. There’s no real getting around the plain meaning of the word. Unlike other seemingly strange passages that are explained differently than the plain text (for example, an eye for an eye is actually meant to refer to monetary compensation), there are no traditional commentators explaining homosexuality away. No one said that it’s OK if both partners are willing, or if society changes, or if someone is born that way.
So for someone like me, an observant Jew, and I assume for Christians who consider themselves devout, it’s understood and expected that I would be against homosexuality and any laws legally establishing it.
Before I get to that, let me just quickly throw in my take on the future of gay rights. The battle is completely, 100% over. As George Will said, the opposition to gay rights is literally dying out. I’ve lost count of how many states have legalized gay marriage; within a decade it will be everyone. Eventually I expect that homosexuals will be a federally protected class, such as those protected according to race, religion, etc. Ultimately the term "coming out of the closet" will die out, because the stigma will completely go away and no one will step in the closet to begin with.
Back to me. If there was not a Torah prohibition against homosexuality, I would think any restrictions on it were nuts. Let’s use the old Martian example. If a Martian came to Earth and knew nothing about us, the controversy, or our sexuality, what do you think his reaction would be when he found out that one small group of people was treated differently according to who they wanted to have sex with. I think his reaction would be "Mmm, why?"
For starters, as a member of a group that has spent large portions of its history being murdered, tortured, and raped by the majority population, I’m not exactly keen on discriminating against minorities. Second, I’m Libertarian and don’t really give a damn what you do if it doesn’t hurt me. Third, the arguments about the decline of civilization that would occur if gays were given the same rights as others really, really cracked me up. I know this is going to shock a lot of people, but the knowledge that homosexuals are starting to marry has not changed my sexual orientation or made me want to divorce my wife. Seriously folks, did you really think the American military was going to collapse if we let homosexuals in? Funny how you never hear about that one anymore.
Look, I don’t want to go on about this like I did with Asians, but I hope you don’t mind if I stereotype just one more time. I tend to see areas with high concentrations of homosexuals go up in value. Trust me, I lived in Midtown Atlanta/the Highlands for a decade. The neighborhoods always seem to be hip, with plenty of art galleries, restaurants, etc. Also, although I’m too lazy to do the research, if I had to guess I would bet homosexuals have a lower crime rate and higher IQ than average. Okay, I’m done stereotyping. I’ll just say this: I used to joke to an Ex that America would be great if it were 1/3 Jewish, 1/3 Asian, and 1/3 gay (if you are not a member of one of those three groups, please understand that I am totally joking. If you are a member of one of those three groups, please understand that I’m totally serious).
So now you see the conflict. I’m not giving up my observant Jewish lifestyle and I’m not giving up my libertarian leanings. At the end of the day, I kind of punt the issue. I live in a secular society, which is a good thing because theocracies in practice work out really, really poorly. I cannot think of one thing in my personal or professional life where knowing someone is gay would affect how I treat them. The part where it says it’s a an abomination? They have to make peace with that, I don’t. I’m only interested in the behavior and religion of five little people, and they are all under the age of 9.
I won’t be the one out there marching for the right of gays to marry, even though it makes sense they be allowed to, because of the Old Testament. Then again, I won’t be marching against it either. There will come a time when a 13-year-old boy, with feelings he doesn't understand, will no longer blow out the birthday candles and wish for the quickest and easiest way to kill himself. And that will be a better world. I also think that world can completely coexist with religious individuals who do their best to follow the Torah, and desperately want their children to do the same.
Have a good night everyone.
JR
But I know there's a God and a Devil
So maybe I'm crazy enough to believe
In love at first light
I propose a breakfast of coffee and aspirin
You laugh, suggesting a raw egg or two
But oh was it ever so good being bad
Like a couple of vampires, deliciously mad
Saying this is the best blood that we've ever had
So we drank it all night
And it we untangle the webs that we weave
Then maybe there's room for more laughter
'Cause just for a moment I almost believe
In love at first light
Joe Jackson 2003
Most of the prohibitions in Leviticus are intuitive. We instinctively realize that killing your buddy and sleeping with your sister are not good things. The most controversial prohibition, however, doesn’t appear to make a lot of sense.
The Torah says that homosexuality is an abomination. There’s no real getting around the plain meaning of the word. Unlike other seemingly strange passages that are explained differently than the plain text (for example, an eye for an eye is actually meant to refer to monetary compensation), there are no traditional commentators explaining homosexuality away. No one said that it’s OK if both partners are willing, or if society changes, or if someone is born that way.
So for someone like me, an observant Jew, and I assume for Christians who consider themselves devout, it’s understood and expected that I would be against homosexuality and any laws legally establishing it.
Before I get to that, let me just quickly throw in my take on the future of gay rights. The battle is completely, 100% over. As George Will said, the opposition to gay rights is literally dying out. I’ve lost count of how many states have legalized gay marriage; within a decade it will be everyone. Eventually I expect that homosexuals will be a federally protected class, such as those protected according to race, religion, etc. Ultimately the term "coming out of the closet" will die out, because the stigma will completely go away and no one will step in the closet to begin with.
Back to me. If there was not a Torah prohibition against homosexuality, I would think any restrictions on it were nuts. Let’s use the old Martian example. If a Martian came to Earth and knew nothing about us, the controversy, or our sexuality, what do you think his reaction would be when he found out that one small group of people was treated differently according to who they wanted to have sex with. I think his reaction would be "Mmm, why?"
For starters, as a member of a group that has spent large portions of its history being murdered, tortured, and raped by the majority population, I’m not exactly keen on discriminating against minorities. Second, I’m Libertarian and don’t really give a damn what you do if it doesn’t hurt me. Third, the arguments about the decline of civilization that would occur if gays were given the same rights as others really, really cracked me up. I know this is going to shock a lot of people, but the knowledge that homosexuals are starting to marry has not changed my sexual orientation or made me want to divorce my wife. Seriously folks, did you really think the American military was going to collapse if we let homosexuals in? Funny how you never hear about that one anymore.
Look, I don’t want to go on about this like I did with Asians, but I hope you don’t mind if I stereotype just one more time. I tend to see areas with high concentrations of homosexuals go up in value. Trust me, I lived in Midtown Atlanta/the Highlands for a decade. The neighborhoods always seem to be hip, with plenty of art galleries, restaurants, etc. Also, although I’m too lazy to do the research, if I had to guess I would bet homosexuals have a lower crime rate and higher IQ than average. Okay, I’m done stereotyping. I’ll just say this: I used to joke to an Ex that America would be great if it were 1/3 Jewish, 1/3 Asian, and 1/3 gay (if you are not a member of one of those three groups, please understand that I am totally joking. If you are a member of one of those three groups, please understand that I’m totally serious).
So now you see the conflict. I’m not giving up my observant Jewish lifestyle and I’m not giving up my libertarian leanings. At the end of the day, I kind of punt the issue. I live in a secular society, which is a good thing because theocracies in practice work out really, really poorly. I cannot think of one thing in my personal or professional life where knowing someone is gay would affect how I treat them. The part where it says it’s a an abomination? They have to make peace with that, I don’t. I’m only interested in the behavior and religion of five little people, and they are all under the age of 9.
I won’t be the one out there marching for the right of gays to marry, even though it makes sense they be allowed to, because of the Old Testament. Then again, I won’t be marching against it either. There will come a time when a 13-year-old boy, with feelings he doesn't understand, will no longer blow out the birthday candles and wish for the quickest and easiest way to kill himself. And that will be a better world. I also think that world can completely coexist with religious individuals who do their best to follow the Torah, and desperately want their children to do the same.
Have a good night everyone.
JR
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Retirement Party
It’s really good to see you rocking out
And having fun,
Living like you just begun.
Accept your life and what it brings.
I hope tomorrow you’ll find better things.
I know tomorrow you’ll find better things.
Here’s wishing you the bluest sky,
and hoping something better comes tomorrow.
Hoping all the verses rhyme,
And the very best of choruses to
Follow all the drudge and sadness.
I know that better things are on the way.
The Kinks 1981
I want to retire, but I can’t yet, for a very unusual reason; I don’t have enough money. This is mainly because I traded Kash for Kids, which was the best decision of my life. But I might be able to by the time I’m 50. So the question is: Is it a good idea for a man to retire early?
The main argument I always hear is that you’ll be bored, that you can only clean your garage so many times. Although that may have been true decades ago, I don’t think that’s the case anymore. Life is just a lot more fun now. Virtually everything that I spend time doing either didn’t exist or is vastly better than in previous generations; TV, movies, sports, cars, exercise equipment, cell phones, computers, websites like Twitter and Facebook that suck me in, etc. Maybe I’ll do the impossible and get through my entire Netflix queue and be bored to tears, but I’ll take my chances.
How about the message an early retirement sends to your children? Considering that most of my behavior these days is directed toward setting a good example, this is one I take seriously. Kids are smart, and when they start asking mom why dad is spending so much time around the house, there can be two possible answers:
1) Daddy inherited a bunch of money and has never worked a day in his life;
or
2) Daddy worked hard to get good grades in school, got a good job, worked hard, and made enough money to be able to spend time at all your school plays.
If your answer is number two, I think your teenage son will understand.
Lastly, is retiring early a constructive way to spend your time? Will you start feeling that your life does not have the same purpose it did before? My gut instinct is to say I’ll worry about it then, as I daydream about not being exhausted all the time, reducing my stress level by 80%, getting ripped like I was in my late 20s, traveling all over the world, etc. But it is a concern.
The funny thing is, I really like my job. But I like my hobbies more. Ask yourself this: if you were not getting paid, how much time would you spend doing what you do at work? I’m guessing your answer would be the same as mine, nada.
At the end of the day, if given the chance, I’m guessing I will not want to retire forever. I’m all in for a few years, though. I’ll catch up on my sleep. And my Laker games. And my movies. I’ll get in as good shape as a middle-aged guy can. And then it’ll be time to work again.
Or maybe not.
Have a good night everyone.
JR
And having fun,
Living like you just begun.
Accept your life and what it brings.
I hope tomorrow you’ll find better things.
I know tomorrow you’ll find better things.
Here’s wishing you the bluest sky,
and hoping something better comes tomorrow.
Hoping all the verses rhyme,
And the very best of choruses to
Follow all the drudge and sadness.
I know that better things are on the way.
The Kinks 1981
I want to retire, but I can’t yet, for a very unusual reason; I don’t have enough money. This is mainly because I traded Kash for Kids, which was the best decision of my life. But I might be able to by the time I’m 50. So the question is: Is it a good idea for a man to retire early?
The main argument I always hear is that you’ll be bored, that you can only clean your garage so many times. Although that may have been true decades ago, I don’t think that’s the case anymore. Life is just a lot more fun now. Virtually everything that I spend time doing either didn’t exist or is vastly better than in previous generations; TV, movies, sports, cars, exercise equipment, cell phones, computers, websites like Twitter and Facebook that suck me in, etc. Maybe I’ll do the impossible and get through my entire Netflix queue and be bored to tears, but I’ll take my chances.
How about the message an early retirement sends to your children? Considering that most of my behavior these days is directed toward setting a good example, this is one I take seriously. Kids are smart, and when they start asking mom why dad is spending so much time around the house, there can be two possible answers:
1) Daddy inherited a bunch of money and has never worked a day in his life;
or
2) Daddy worked hard to get good grades in school, got a good job, worked hard, and made enough money to be able to spend time at all your school plays.
If your answer is number two, I think your teenage son will understand.
Lastly, is retiring early a constructive way to spend your time? Will you start feeling that your life does not have the same purpose it did before? My gut instinct is to say I’ll worry about it then, as I daydream about not being exhausted all the time, reducing my stress level by 80%, getting ripped like I was in my late 20s, traveling all over the world, etc. But it is a concern.
The funny thing is, I really like my job. But I like my hobbies more. Ask yourself this: if you were not getting paid, how much time would you spend doing what you do at work? I’m guessing your answer would be the same as mine, nada.
At the end of the day, if given the chance, I’m guessing I will not want to retire forever. I’m all in for a few years, though. I’ll catch up on my sleep. And my Laker games. And my movies. I’ll get in as good shape as a middle-aged guy can. And then it’ll be time to work again.
Or maybe not.
Have a good night everyone.
JR
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Return of the Comics
Hey girl we've got to get out of this place
There's got to be something better than this
I need you, but I hate to see you this way
If I were Superman then we'd fly away
I'd really like to change the world
And save it from the mess it's in
I'm too weak, I'm so thin
I'd like to fly but I can't even swim
The Kinks 1989
I’m running for King. Of America. In 2016. I’m looking for a few wealthy backers; if you’re interested please e-mail me. I’m cautiously optimistic about my chances.
My first decree as King will be to radically simplify and change the school curriculum. I’ll keep math, because business and financial success is so dependent upon thinking mathematically. I’ll keep science, although since no one ever remembers what they learned in science class, I’m not sure why. I think I would just feel guilty if I dumped it.
The rest of the day will be spent reading comic books.
Schools correctly figured out over the past few decades that kids learn much better when engaged in learning activities that are fun, as opposed to rote memorization from a chalkboard. The trick, of course, is to come up with fun activities that actually teach the fundamentals. Nothing does that better than comics.
The main fundamental is reading, and everything associated with it, like comprehension. The path to most advanced knowledge is the written word. Everyone learns what to do on their job from either being told or reading about it.
And that’s where comics come in. Unfortunately, I have zero hard evidence that a diet rich in comics is good for children; I just have anecdotal evidence consisting of.....one person. Me.
Around age 7 or 8, I got a hold of a comic and became an addict. My reading outside of school went from zero to all the time. I was soon reading many grades above my class level, along with massive improvement in comprehension, punctuation, sentence structure, etc. This all happened without me thinking about it, and had nothing to do with any brainpower. It was all the comics.
I probably have 2,000 of them lying around my old house in Kentucky. Within a few years I grew out of that stage, but the die was cast. I still think that comic books were the single biggest factor in becoming a lawyer. Or maybe it was my mom saying "You know, you should be a lawyer".
A few other quick things before I go. Young children don’t have the ability to look at the world in shades of gray. Comics do a good job (at least the old ones) of painting the world in a nice black and white colored foundation of good versus evil. Second, be careful when buying comics nowadays for kids. Most of them are geared towards adults, and are really, really inappropriate. You can download the old ones on your tablet. Try Comixology.com. Lastly, comics lead to a lifelong love of science fiction. Based on the recent success of all the superhero movies, I guess I’m not the only one.
Lastly and most importantly, we can increase our comic literacy in this world, and finally get answers to the most important questions in life, such as:
-Can Batman fly? (no, he’s a poser);
-How was putting on a pair of glasses enough to keep people from knowing Clark Kent was Superman?
-Who would win in a fight, Thor or Ironman? (My son recently asked me this, help!)
Have a good night everyone.
JR
There's got to be something better than this
I need you, but I hate to see you this way
If I were Superman then we'd fly away
I'd really like to change the world
And save it from the mess it's in
I'm too weak, I'm so thin
I'd like to fly but I can't even swim
The Kinks 1989
I’m running for King. Of America. In 2016. I’m looking for a few wealthy backers; if you’re interested please e-mail me. I’m cautiously optimistic about my chances.
My first decree as King will be to radically simplify and change the school curriculum. I’ll keep math, because business and financial success is so dependent upon thinking mathematically. I’ll keep science, although since no one ever remembers what they learned in science class, I’m not sure why. I think I would just feel guilty if I dumped it.
The rest of the day will be spent reading comic books.
Schools correctly figured out over the past few decades that kids learn much better when engaged in learning activities that are fun, as opposed to rote memorization from a chalkboard. The trick, of course, is to come up with fun activities that actually teach the fundamentals. Nothing does that better than comics.
The main fundamental is reading, and everything associated with it, like comprehension. The path to most advanced knowledge is the written word. Everyone learns what to do on their job from either being told or reading about it.
And that’s where comics come in. Unfortunately, I have zero hard evidence that a diet rich in comics is good for children; I just have anecdotal evidence consisting of.....one person. Me.
Around age 7 or 8, I got a hold of a comic and became an addict. My reading outside of school went from zero to all the time. I was soon reading many grades above my class level, along with massive improvement in comprehension, punctuation, sentence structure, etc. This all happened without me thinking about it, and had nothing to do with any brainpower. It was all the comics.
I probably have 2,000 of them lying around my old house in Kentucky. Within a few years I grew out of that stage, but the die was cast. I still think that comic books were the single biggest factor in becoming a lawyer. Or maybe it was my mom saying "You know, you should be a lawyer".
A few other quick things before I go. Young children don’t have the ability to look at the world in shades of gray. Comics do a good job (at least the old ones) of painting the world in a nice black and white colored foundation of good versus evil. Second, be careful when buying comics nowadays for kids. Most of them are geared towards adults, and are really, really inappropriate. You can download the old ones on your tablet. Try Comixology.com. Lastly, comics lead to a lifelong love of science fiction. Based on the recent success of all the superhero movies, I guess I’m not the only one.
Lastly and most importantly, we can increase our comic literacy in this world, and finally get answers to the most important questions in life, such as:
-Can Batman fly? (no, he’s a poser);
-How was putting on a pair of glasses enough to keep people from knowing Clark Kent was Superman?
-Who would win in a fight, Thor or Ironman? (My son recently asked me this, help!)
Have a good night everyone.
JR
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)