Life In The Weeds

Everything happens for a reason

Which do you believe in, pre-determination or free will? It's pretty important because it shapes your attitude about life and your role in it.

When something bad or untimely happens, it is not uncommon to hear a person say, "I believe everything happens for a reason". Seems appropriately philosophical - a sort of defense-mechanism or a way to vaguely explain the unexplainable or a salve to get through the situation. As an aside, no one says that when something good happens.  

"It happened for a reason" seems to imply that God intervened to cause the event in order to test us or teach us a lesson or punish us or to test our faith in him. If that is the case, then it violates the concept of free will - the idea that God has given us the freedom to make choice and that the consequences (pro or con) are directly linked to those choices. 

Would God give free will and then randomly intervene - who am I to say.

How to explain an infant dying from a disease - who am I to say.  

I believe in free will. I think that other than deciding at what moment we will die, it is very rare that God directly intervenes to change the events of our life (e.g. Moses and the burning bush). By so doing, I take full responsibility for the smart and dumb choices I make, and with God's guidance, I pray that I'll avoid making the really dumb ones. 

O.D.O.o.O.D.B.

When the page is blank

"Where the hell were you when the page was blank?"

That's a line from one of my business mentors, Jack Crosby. Jack is a great guy and full of wisdom, distilled in ways that capture your attention and stay with you forever. 

I was a young know-it-all sales guy who was just promoted to the head office. I had to prepare a plan for a new initiative that Jack wanted to implement. I worked hard on it and then one Monday I pitched the plan to Jack and his key lieutenants. I didn't get very far before everyone started commenting ... why this, why that, why not more of this and less of that, and so on. I was on my heels. 

Jack stopped the session and intoned, "Where the hell were you geniuses when the page was blank?"

Creating something from nothing is hard work - sometimes very hard. While bad or incomplete work can never be excused, the person assigned to create something valuable from a blank slate deserves a certain amount of respect (especially on the first draft).

O.D.O.o.O.D.B.

  

Do you Fire Pit?

Fire Pits are the coolest, but when did they become so wildly popular?

I certainly did not have one growing up, nor did any of my friends...and I certainly don't recall my parents telling stories about how they sat around the Fire Pit back in the day!

I do remember building fires at the beach or while camping a few times, but the concept of a Fire Pit was far from mainstream.

My infatuation started about 5 years ago while we were visiting friends in Maine...after a fresh lobster dinner, we walked out in the back yard and my buddy threw together a fire in his "pit"...he had a large  area with several log benches surrounding a wide open fire pit...I definately had "pit" envy!  What a great way to relax and enjoy conversation (and drinks!) during a cool Maine evening.

Fast forward to today...I have TWO fire pits at my house!  One I built from stone and one is Smith & Hawken copper model...we are now big time fire-pitters!  And, we are not alone...lots of our friends have fire pits as well. 

Fire pits are definitely IN...not really sure how or when or why...but they are a "must have" item!!

Go get one - there are 61 fire-pits alone at Target - or ask me how to build one! 

There is nothing quite like sitting around a fire with friends or family - we'll be out there all summer and into the fall!

And, now, our kids will be able to say, "yea, I remember growing up with a fire pit in our backyard."

mj

Stupidity & Pain

"It's too bad that stupidity isn't painful." Anton Lavey

O.D.O.o.O.D.B.

White Men CAN jump!

Please allow me to indulge myself in a little sports talk this morning.  After all, the NBA draft is tonight and hoops is a passion of mine...I still can play at a pretty high level and I love watching the game - both college and pro!

I have been brewing on one particular player in this year's NBA draft, Tyler Hansbrough.  For those that might not be aware, Tyler Hansbrough, 24, played all four years at University of North Carolina.  He is a former college player of the year with TWO National Championship titles - he is 6'-9", 250 and would run through a brick wall is he were asked.   His game is not what you would describe as smooth, but it is efficient and very effective.

On the commute home last night, I was reading the projected draft picks and could not believe my eyes when I saw Hansbrough projected to go in the 20's!  The rub on Hansbrough is that he lacks "athleticism" and has limited "upside"...AT 24 YEARS OLD.  "Upside" is the huge buzz-word lately....now, it appears, 24 is a bit too old and a little too risky for an NBA team!

Bryan Burwell wrote a great article today about Hansbrough...it's a quick read and is of the opinion that if Hansbrough were "a brother form Philly", with the exact same resume, his athleticism and upside would not be in question at all.  I agree!  The fact is, the NBA is comprised mostly of black players...and white guys definitely have a stigma attached to them for being slow or un-athletic...no matter how great they happen to be!  For the record, Burwell is black...Hansbrough and I are white!

I certainly do not feel sorry for Tyler...he will get drafted and he will make BIG money...I will be jealous.  Though, I do hope he becomes a great pro, as he was a college player, and proves that White Men CAN jump!

mj

25 MPH...or Else!

When I first moved into the area, I distinctly remember driving into the little town of Pennington - just cruising along around 40 mph, heading right into town - when I was forced to lock up the breaks for fear of slamming into the car in front of me!  Holy hell was I pissed...I started laying on the horn and waving my arms in disgust!  How could anyone on earth drive THAT slow?

Now, six years later, I am one of "those" people!  Right after the bridge, I shut it down and set the cruise control to about 27 mph and proceed to drive through Pennington at a very gingerly pace.  It's like all drivers fall under a trance upon entering Pennington Boro.

WHY is this so effective?  It's almost like all cars entering Pennington get hooked up to a pulley system...like at the car wash...but WHY!

Is there an urban legend about drivers getting their feet chopped off for speeding in Pennington?  Is there a dungeon where speeders suffer unholy consequences?  One might think so...

Truth is, I'm not sure I have ever seen anyone get pulled over in Pennington.  Sure, we have all seen police cars stationed throughout the Pennington, but does anyone ever get pulled over?

Well, I guess no one gets pulled over because everyone drives 25 mph!  It's an uncanny phenomenon that I'm not sure I want to get to the bottom of...

I've heard of putting the fear of God in someone...but, God help the poor bastard that gets pulled over for speeding in Pennington.

mj

Global Temperature - anyone

Here's a question I've not seen answered - although I may have missed it.

If the world's atmosphere is indeed warming and it is a crisis that must be dealt with immediately and ongoing through a bunch of atmosphere-friendly solutions, what is the ideal temperature? 

How do we know that all these suppposed anti-warming actions won't take the atmosphere too far in the other direction and stimulate a cooling problem, that will have just as catastrophic impact on the environment? How many actions are enough? For how long will those actions need to be employed and when will we know when we have reached the point of perfect temperature equilibrium? 

Anyone - Bueller?  

O.D.O.o.O.D.B. 

Rain or Shine?

This weather blows!

We have not had 12 straight days of measurable rain in New Jersey since 1889...until yesterday!  That's like 300 years ago!

Everyone seems to be talking about the weather and the constant state of dreariness that comes along with all the rain.

Don't get me wrong, I am in the "rain, rain go way" camp, but it has got me thinking about some of the good things that come along with this weather.

Here are some pros to consider:

• I have not turned on the A/C!  And, after paying $3+ for oil this winter, I am feeling pretty good about sticking it to the power company.

• It's great sleeping weather...you can't argue with that!

• The vegetable garden looks great.

Okay, so maybe these are "little" wins, but sometimes it's good to look at the bright side of things!

However, I must admit, I'm fearful that it may be a summer filled with mosquitoes...UGH!

mj

BYOB - a good deal?

I recently ate dinner at the Blue Bottle in Hopewell, NJ with my wife and another couple - it is a BYOB restaurant. The company was great, we had lots of fun, the atmosphere was good and the food was pretty good but not really special. It stuck me that the cost of the food was too high.  

I've noticed that people tend to rave about BYOB restaurants largely due to the avoidance of the charges for high priced liquor. They seem to overlook the increased charge for the food or the amount of money they pay for the liquor they bring along. So, is it really a deal? You bet, because that is the story that people are telling themselves and the story we tell ourselves is all that matters. 

O.D.O.o.O.D.B.

Good works - for whom

Upon their death, would you be willing to assume the responsibility for repaying your parents and grandparents debt? You might say ... yes, no, or it depends on how much it is. Suppose it was the law that you had to repay. Let's further suppose that your parents were maxing out numerous credit cards and double-mortgaging their home. But, they used those funds for good works - buying internet connections and computers for schools, new bathrooms in national parks and needles for heroin users to lessen their chance of getting Aids. You'd probably beg, plead and argue with them to stop accumulating debt - you might even take legal action to stop them. 

If you wouldn't let your parents or grandparents do this to you, then why are you letting your politicians do this to you, your kids and your grandkids? The government debt that has already been accumulated and will continue to pile up from spending on programs that are either unnecessary or could be delayed is going to stifle your kid's life. The debt load will cause taxes to skyrocket because the government is obligated to repay the debt and taxes are the government's only source of income. More government debt = higher payments = higher taxes = less income for citizens = less  opportunity for your kids to live the life they want. Your kids will have less opportunity than you did to buy a house, start a business, support their favorite charity, send their kids to college or care for an elder parent because the government will be taking over 70% of their hard earned income.

Don't let the fancy jargon, politicians or talking heads fool you, this issue as is as simple as the example outlined above. If you wouldn't let Dad or Gran spend needlessly, don't let your politician do it.

O.D.O.o.O.D.B.