Hello All

Wednesday morning I arrived at work at 8:15 AM. I am extremely proud of myself and feeling good. I want this feeling more often, until I become numb to it. For some reason I actually was partially awake before my alarm, so I was waiting for the alarm hoping that I hadn't missed it. It went off, I got up.

My class ring is filthy, what do you do to clean a 14kt gold ring?

I found this article very interesting - Harry Shearer saying that reporters need to start reporting important things - what a concept - especially in an election year. Another article for good reading is here, same blog, regarding the effectiveness of torture.

Ok, I should be working, although it is tough since I went to Loco's for lunch, mexican sandwich baby, and the food coma is hitting hard. As Bender said, "Goodbye Moderation!"

TWL tonight is going to be painful.

Sean

Sunday Afternoon

I am supposed to be sorting laundry right now, but I popped on to see if I could find a part time job. I am thinking of applying at blockbuster. Anyway, I wanted to get this idea out there. I was reading the Ross School of Business Alumni Magazine (Dividend) and thought that the idea of having companies endow Congressional Seats like they do Professorships. Gets rid of lobbying, we can have the ExxonMobil Distinguished Senator from Texas or something. Would make the lobbying and influence a lot more obvious, don't you think? I think it would reduce taxes as well. Also, the companies would not be able to give to candidates they do not exactly sponser, so it would limit any one companies influence to only the congresspeople they pay for. I think it is time for this idea.

Sean

Crushes, Tigers and Notes

I really need to start coming up with the title after I write the post, because I rarely have a good title before I start.

Song: Five Years by David Bowie 4 stars

A few days ago I was trashing Jason Grilli (almost typed Steve for some reason, his father) about being very ineffective this year. After his performance tonight and last night, I was ready to come post about how well he had been pitching, so I would only be disappointed with Ledezma. Guess what happened next, Mesa comes out and brings the Angels back into the game. The number of disappointing pitchers has not changed, just the names. Great job by Grilli and Byrdak.

Song: Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash - 5 stars

I think I am going to develop an unhealthy crush on Amy Sedaris. She's just so adorable and damn funny. I have liked her for a while, but just watched her Conan episode last night and thought it was right. Now, this does not affect my other unhealthy crush on Lauren Graham (see posts in the keyword listing to the right). Since I will never have contact with either woman, I have enough unrequitable love for the both of them. I wish I would get more ambitious and finish a few of the screen play ideas so I would have a reason to send them a script. Just as much of a fantasy, trust me.

Song: Garden of Eden by Guns 'N' Roses - 5 stars

So back to Amy. Whenever I have seen her on Conan, I she always seems to overdress, wearing a short cocktail type dress that seems old -fashioned but looks great. Here is a picture of it (I hope) at this link. Not being a fashion person, I don't know how to describe it. Ok, its not that I am not a fashion person, it is that I haven't dated much - you happy? I said it.

Song: Honey Don't by The Beatles - 1 star (since on BBC recordings, ask me about it some other time - cool song.

So Amy - if you ever do a vanity Google search, I hope this comes up and I wish you lots of success and all the acting work you want from your role in Shrek the Third.

Other notes: I have been to the gym for five straight days. I need to go tomorrow so I can take Friday off from the workouts. It's only treadmill, but still, the body has to rest.

Song: Til the End of the Day by The Kinks - 3 stars, but rethinking that. I have been on a Kinks /Ray Davies kick lately, and listening more to the 3 or 4 cd's I have of theirs.

Another book on the Daily Show I would like to read, The Age of Abundance - How Prosperity Transformed America's Politics and Culture by Brink Lindsey. This is a discussion of America's prosperity since WWII has changed the dynamics of the culture, since it is the first time there has been a generation that has taken food, shelter clothing for granted because they have always been there, whereas most societies (historically) were driven by trying to obtain these basics. Sounds fascinating.

Anyway, I need to go to bed, night.

P.S. The title has changed - from Wednesday night to Crushes, Tigers and Notes. Little more interesting.

Tigers vs Cardinals

Just a few thoughts regarding this series, which the Tigers just swept.

Verlander is really, really good. I am looking forward to watching him for a long time.

Grilli and Ledezma are not getting the job done. They are going to have to turn it around if they want to continue getting the ball. It doesn't seem like those guys can be relied upon. Especially since we have a number of guys ready - Minor, Miller this Durbyk guy - in the minors (or just brought up) that seem to be a lot more effective. Many people said they should be able to weather the loss of Zumaya, but not if the middle relievers don't get the game to the 8th inning. Losing Mesa for a while didn't help much either.

Glad to see that Sheffield is really warming up. I also like that Monroe is doing things even though he is not really hitting. That throw to nail Pujols yesterday made a huge difference in the game.

Even with all the pitching injuries, this team is tied for first in the central. Cleveland is playing really well, and everyone thought they would, but they can't continue to play at a 16-4 pace at home (can they?).

Maggio for MVP

Later

Thoughts on the news

Hey there. I was able to survive the thunderstorm from last night, actually, we were called in from the golf course via the GPS system just in time before the rain really started coming down. I think the course (Cattails) did a great job of tracking storms and getting everyone off the course.

So what happened with the Pistons? They forget how to play? Thank goodness the Wings and Tigers turned it around, with the Wings just playing great and Verlander pitching in ways that should make Tigers fans drool for years to come.

I wanted to note an article in the Detroit News today, Daniel Howes article on the Chrysler sale,

• False synergy, bad deal
  DaimlerChrysler was a big promise that seldom delivered. Its mastermind, Schrempp, badly misunderstood Chrysler's weaknesses and overestimated the "synergies" the deal would deliver by underestimating the antipathy his own troops felt for Chrysler and the idea of melding any of it into Mercedes-Benz.

Wow, that sounds like what I said, although with more concrete details. Makes me feel kinda smart.

Another article on detnews.com, Mayor Kilpatrick is trying to rebuild the city by focusing on certain neighborhoods. They selected a mix of neighborhoods in varying conditions and set out specific, measurable goals for each, tailored to the issues facing the neighborhoods. I like this plan, not only for the specifc neighborhoods, but also for the lessons that can be learned for improving the other neighborhoods and other cities. Once the blueprint has been set out and refined through practice, and some results are shown, maybe places like Flint, Pontiac or Battle Creek can use the lessons, and focus on rebuilding smaller sections.

I also like the selection of areas with differing problems and levels of need. This allows experimentation with different methods and not trying to do all the hard things at once. This in turns allows the better management of resources instead of over using some (police - trying to stop crime) and under using others (business development). I have always liked the idea of getting all the interested parties together, and the project managers that are going to be hired (hopefully with quality project management experience) should have an ear open for ideas from all parties. Put residents, police, city managers, financial people, area (and potential area) business managers and others all in the same room will hopefully lead to unique results.

Sean

Sean

Thoughts on Chrysler

Congratulations to Cerberus, in buying Chrysler for such a good price. I fully agree with this statement.

• Cerberus Chairman John Snow said Chrysler's management -- which will be headed by current CEO Tom LaSorda -- will be relieved from the pressure of impatient shareholders and quarterly results under private ownership.

I wonder how much of current regulations (SOX and others) led to this thought and how many more are we going to see. Here is another fascinating quote, something I have said for a long time:

• Asked why he thought the merger hadn't worked out, Zetsche said it was clear, in hindsight, that the potential synergies between Chrysler and Mercedes-Benz, the German luxury carmaker, had been overestimated.
  "There is potential, but given the very different nature of the segments we operate in, those synergies are limited," he said.
  In addition, DaimlerChrysler miscalculated the impact that the transfer of Mercedes technology would have on Chrysler's brands and the strength of its pricing.
  "The American volume customer is probably not willing and able to pay premium prices for technology offered in those cars," he said.

How many mergers have been created in the past 10 to 15 years that the primary benefit is synergy, at least the benefit they tell us about. Usually the greatest benefit are to the top executives, very few stockholders and Investment banks. They make the greatest money. Usually 15-25% of the workers get fired, companies that served one of the companies (such as accounting firms) or both lose business, customers get screwed since monopoly power takes over (see banks, airlines, casinos), and prices go up and service goes down. And then, in the end, how much benefit is there really to these mergers? I am sure there have been studies by much smarter people than me, but whenever I hear synergy, I cringe, it is a buzzword for laying off people and getting executive board members richer.

I have complained about unions before, but this is where they could make the biggest impacts, making sure their members don't get screwed in the deal. However, the head of the CAW wants written guarantees their won't be any more layoffs. There has to be a better negoiating ploys than that.

I supposed this isn't a surprise either:

• Its [DaimlerChrysler's] shares surged nearly 8 percent in early trading in Frankfurt on relief that DaimlerChrysler was not paying out more to dispose of Chrysler and that it had shed the pension and healthcare liabilities. The pension liabilities are substantially over-funded, DaimlerChrysler said, but the healthcare liabilities amount to $18 billion.

Further evidence that the current healthcare and pension system in this country is destroying competitiveness. The shares of a German company (where workers are a whole lot stronger, have much better benefits and will be taken care in their retirement) went up 8 percent after taking a massive loss (they paid 37 billion and got 7.7, but will actually receive 1.3 bln), absorbing liabilites and shedding operations because they don't have to deal with massive future liabilities in the healthcare arena.

It is so time for a real healthcare system in this country, one because it is the right thing to do (46 million uninsured makes me sick) and because it will help American business more than any other act of the government could ever do.

All quotes above from detnews.com. Thanks yall

Hard day to be a Detroit fan

Mother's day was not a good day to be a Pistons fan. Or a Wings fan. Or a Tigers fan. Did the Lions do something to screw up somehow? That was a brutal day. My mother had the entire day planned around watching the games, and luckily she went to bed before the Wings lost. The only game I thought was critical was the Wings Ducks game - how can you lose to DUCKS! They aren't even Mighy anymore - we needed to keep that home ice advantage. But they seemed to outplay us a lot in that game, and most of their goals seemed to be off turnovers, those turnovers were caused by aggressive play, not even great play, just very aggressive. Losing game 2 is frequently a problem (sorry, don't have the statistics), since Ducks have momentum, good feelings and confidence going back home. I hope the Wings can overcome

Tigers pitchers could never get the ball down, and the hitters coudn't figure out the curve from Bonser - how can you lose to a guy named BOOF! - and looked silly an awful lot. I felt bad for Virgil Vasquez, brought up for one game and he got rocked, not that Grilli or Ledezma did much better. Vazquez did get a lot of instruction from the pitching coach, and there was a great scene of those two on the bench and Chuck was just giving all this information and Virgil soaking it all up. Nice picture. Sox next, I am looking forward to seeing some of Dice-K on Tuesday, if the Motor City Kittys bat like they did yesterday, it might be his first MLB no hitter.

Pistons dropped back into their "we've got plenty of time" mentality and allowed the Bulls a little life. I think they saw the number of times a team has come back from 3-0 (0 for 81 in NBA history, ABC showed that stat about 20 times) and decided the series was over. That run by Chicago at the end of the 2nd quarter made the Pistons look like a ... uh ... no clever metaphor - just bad. I still feel like they will pull it out on Tuesday, but I hope they play a lot harder.

Whalers won - something, can't say I understand the playoff structure.

Later

Post game night thoughts and myself

This morning was a small step in the right direction. I went to bed late after getting home from the Pistons game and spending some time building a financial model for my debt repayment plan. When the alarm went off this morning, I didn't hear it right away, but when I did, I got out of bed and STAYED OUT OF BED. Sure, I took a long shower and then spent some time on the computer before I went to work, but I got to work about 9:10 am. Significant improvement and will be the basis for everything that follows. I will do it again tomorrow. And I will report on it then.

So we went to the Pistons game last night and had a great time. We went into the ERSA club, with the free buffet, just awesome, and then headed to the seats (I would love to say our seats, but we only got them for the night). We had sat there before, but there was more energy this time. I walked by David Stern, and the seats were right next to where members of the Tigers were sitting. Bonderman and his wife, Verlander and girlfriend (I assume), Craig Monroe and then Gary Sheffield and his wife came later. My mother had her Tigers purse that she made last year, and tried to get Sheffield to sign it. She caught his eye and asked if he would, and he agreed, but just as she got there, the usher grabbed her and brought her back to her seat. She was heartbroken. Still, that was probably the worst thing all night, so it was a great time. Watching the game from the third row on the floor is amazing. You are so close to everything. Since the players are always right there, it is a lot more intimate than my Michigan Football seats, which are 3 row in the end zone, and they get to be real close, but not as often as in a basketball game. Just a great time, thank you so much to the lady that gave them to us (name withheld, obviously).

Headed to therapy, Sean

Monday

Wooo hooo, headed to the Pistons game tonight.

I did poorly this morning about getting up. I need to force that one last click to do things right. I have worked on a lot of things, and many things are moving forward, but I have not worked hard enough to fix this. I have to work harder.

Anyway, wanted to brag a little, and say hi.

Sean

Thought on political differences

I had a revelation last night. It was probably from watching The Daily Show, but I noticed that the big thing that Repbulicans used as a weapon against Kerry was flip-flopping (although Neil Young, on Living with War, has a great song about Bush flip-flopping, Let's Impeach the President), especially about his feelings over war and other items. I used to think that was bad, you should hold on to some convictions, but the problem with that is now I realize it is important to think. It seems the right (Republicans and Religous right) are all about convictions or positions regardless of reality. In some places, this faith is good and strong, but not in all cases. Personal beliefs - good, but ruling or leading people who disagree, may not be the best. Thinking based on the situation and the facts might be more important. So changing ones mind is not a bad thing. If they feel that is important based on new facts and situations, it is ok.

Maybe it was just seeing some pundits on The Daily Show spouting off the same ridiculous arguments after the Virginia Tech tragedy a few weeks ago. One idiot was saying that maybe fewer people would have died if some of the other students had been packing heat. The only answer for that is that none of them would have died if the person hadn't been able to buy a gun. Doesn't seem like the pundit was thinking.

The second statement, and sorry for not quoting, but various right wing pundits tried to blame violent hollywood and video games for the person flipping out. Turns out he didn't watch a lot of tv or movies and didn't play video games. Not thinking, just assuming because they want to get rid of them instead of guns. I personally think a lot of the problem is that everyone is taught not to take responsibility for anything, so that makes it easier to blame all your problems and shortcomings on others, and easier to take it out on them.

The third statement, and I think this is what bothered me the most (the others can be defended) was the attempted pre-emptive strike on using this tragedy to move the country forward and get rid of weapons. They, and you hear this all the time, accused liberals of trying to politicize the event, and by saying that, are going to galvanize that thought in people's mind if the liberals, or anyone, trys to do something sensible to stop this kind of thing in the future. The obvious answer to that is everything in Washington is done for political reasons, but where might have agreed to that logic in the past, I can't believe they are trying to politicize this for their own gain, now, after having thought about it for a while, that's how things are done to improve our society. Something bad happens and we take steps to make sure it doesn't happen again. But the republican talking points (again, not thinking) are attempting to stiffle any possible debate on this issue. Not to say that Democrats or liberals don't do similar things, but I think they think about other people more than Republicans, so it isn't as offensive to me. Republicans, to me, seem to think everyone is just like them or should be, whereas Democrats recognize and respect differences. Sometimes too much, but they at least recognize them.

Just my thoughts

Deconstructing my dreams

The huge smiling face of Lauren Graham was not enough to pick up my spirits on the way to work today. I woke up late and very upset about it. It even affected my dreams. I had a dream that has been a recurring theme for many years, even though it might have different details. I was taking the CPA exam again (which I will never have to do, since I passed on my first time, 13 years ago, ) and was panicking since I could not get the exam started. It was taking place in a big auditorium, like Hale Auditorium in the old Michigan Business School (which might have been torn down by now), and I could not find a place to sit that wasn't taken or saved, or that was comfortable, or I could write my exam. The exam, while I knew it was the CPA exam, had nothing to do with accounting, and the booklet was like a binder of baseball cards. If I could find a place to sit for a few minutes, I would start to write my exam and found that I didn't have the paper to write on, or when I started to write the answers, I looked at the paper and you couldn't read my answers since it was scrap paper for something else, so I had to find more paper, and all the time I can see everyone else calmly getting through the exam and even treating like a party, with refreshments outside the room and people moving in and out and just having a grand old time. I woke up in a panic. I felt like my chest was tight.

The wrong reaction was to lay back down and try to relax, since I soon fell asleep and that made me late.

I know the meaning of the dream, like I said, the theme is something I have dealt with for a while. It was a subconscious knowledge of not being able to get started on something, mostly not being able to get up and start the day as I want, and consequently, not getting forward in my life. The problem is simple, I am not programming myself to make the correct decision in the morning. I need to put more effort (a "deliberate and determined effort" as my therapist puts it) into the programming the night before so that when the alarm goes off, the only thought in my head is Get Up and into the shower. Never again can it be, oh, I can sleep another 9 minutes or I just need a little more rest. I cannot do that anymore, it causes to much stress on me, my friends, family, co-workers, bosses. My bosses have been very good to me, and it time I start being better to them. Some would say that would indicate I should not be blogging at work, but I assure you there is a process running in the background that takes up a lot of my computer processing power and concentration if I let it. It's also my lunch time. But you are still correct, I should be working harder.

As I said at the beginning, Lauren didn't get me into a good mood, but her and the Taco salad for lunch finally did. In a strong position for a good afternoon of work. I have fruit here, plenty of water and a plan for the rest of the day.

Work until 7
go home, cook the sirloin patty in my fridge, with some asparagus and rice.
clean kitchen
straighten house and put clothes away
go to gym (including some hot tub time)
go to bed

A good afternoon and evening, and all the time I will be putting the correct message in my brain (another quote from my therapist) about getting up on time tomorrow, and Saturday. And from now on.

BTW, my friend Kathy is in Nawlin's for Jazz fest, just wanted to say hi and wish her a great time.

Sean

Daily Thoughts

Just wanted to pop on and talk about progress on a few of the things I am working on to get my life straight.

I had gone since Sunday until Wednesday night without having a cola product. That ended tonight, and I ate very badly tonight with no justification. I feel bad about that. So that means I need to make good food choices for the next few days. I would normally have another indulgance on Friday (Tuesday is always my first one, golf night), but I will give that up and work out instead. I need to get better about going to the gym on TWL off days. That is where the real weight is lost.

I have been good about water and eating fruit and veggies at work, and I feel better because of it.

Getting to work on time is still a struggle, but it is my decision and I need to make that decision better, that is all there is too it. So I will be doing it right from now on. I will be.

Anyway, I am going to go watch the hockey game, but I found this snippet of poetry, thought I would put it out here.

For in the the end all we have are the memories
The tears dry
The laughter fades
But we can recall the girl that broke your heart and made you cry
And the turn of phrase that made you roar with laughter
And the friends that said it and helped you get over her.

Sean