I've discussed the use of hybrid cars with friends, etc. quite often. Recently more and more often. The general idea is that by getting A hybrid you are somehow helping the environment. I disagree with this 100%. You may indeed be buying slightly less gas, but you are still buying it. The oil companies KNOW that something has to be done, and Hybrids allow them to continue to make money. There is also a distinct reason why the car companies are pushing the idea as well.. They get a bigger cut. Instead of that money going to the oil companies, it will now go to the automakers for their more expensive hybrid models.
I put this spreadsheet together a couple years ago where I compare the total cost of several cars... this would the car payment and the average amount spent on gas in a month. Unfortunately I cannot attach files to this page. If you want to see it, feel free to e-mail me. I will gladly share it.
Anyway, let me just share some numbers with you that came from this sheet. I calculated the average car payment from the general rule of thumb of $200 for every $10k of total price. I estimated the price of the car based on the MSRP (Going about $1000 below MSRP for your standard cars, and right about at MSRP for Hybrids, which is what you would see in a real world situation) the rest is based on about 15000 miles driven per year and gas prices at $3 a gallon.
Based upon those assumptions you will be paying an average of $2000 more a year to own an Accord Hybrid than you would just an Accord EX 4 Cylinder. Getting a Civic EX Rather than a Hybrid will save you $575 a year and $500 a year will be saved if you bought it instead of a Prius. True.. at $3 a gallon you will be spending about $30-50 less a month on gas, but you will be more than making up for that in what you will be giving to the car companies.
So, basically with a Hybrid you are STILL forking money over to oil companies. It may be less, but they are still getting your money. Meanwhile you are shoveling so much more money to the car makers that you are actually spending MORE per year total. So... you are telling me I should feel great about hybrids because I am replacing one evil with another.. not just replacing, but ADDING MORE COST. Oil companies are still getting your cash, and car companies are getting even MORE of it. Is there any mystery why both of them are pushing us into the idea that these things are the answer??
Environmentalists will tell you that buying a Hybrid will help. The better gas mileage, the less fuel is burned, etc. While this may indeed be true, how much of an impact is buying an Accord Hybrid (with the same EPG MPG as the 4 cylinder) really making.. uh none at all would be the right answer to that question. A Prius, though one of the ugliest and possibly most uncomfortable cars ever made might be consuming gas at an outstanding 55 MPG, it is still running on gas. The umbilical cord to oil has to be cut totally for any real impact on the environment to truly be felt. We have had electric cars on the market.. where'd they go.. oh yeah, the car makers replaced them with hybrids. (there are many reasons why. Who Killed the Electric Car? is a GREAT movie about this). Please be smart people. The Hybrid cars are not the answer, an alternate fuel is the answer. Amazingly we already have 2 perfectly good alternatives that are ready to go RIGHT NOW... no waiting until 2030 for Hydrogen.. I am talking about Biodiesel and Electric. We have the technology and infrastructure to move forward RIGHT NOW with both of these. What we do not have is support from automakers and the government. We the people are the only ones that can make it happen... sadly every time someone buys a hybrid automobile we are just prolonging our attachment to oil.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Friday, May 25, 2007
nice...
check this out, just passing it along to folks.. this is funny funny stuff...
My question is how they figured out it had this effect... I mean.. really.. Did the patients instructions for the clinical trial include inhaling this no more than 15 minutes before sex and then running it on a stopwatch?? This is just too damned funny to me, but aren't there other factors in this that they just can't account for... such as how long has it been for the guy.. 2 weeks?? or 2 years?? How hot is the girl?? is the girl his wife or a hooker?? Did she suck his dick first?? I mean... this is hardly a black and white scenario...
I couldn't imagine ever paying money for something like this.. but, I guess some guys are really desperate..
My question is how they figured out it had this effect... I mean.. really.. Did the patients instructions for the clinical trial include inhaling this no more than 15 minutes before sex and then running it on a stopwatch?? This is just too damned funny to me, but aren't there other factors in this that they just can't account for... such as how long has it been for the guy.. 2 weeks?? or 2 years?? How hot is the girl?? is the girl his wife or a hooker?? Did she suck his dick first?? I mean... this is hardly a black and white scenario...
I couldn't imagine ever paying money for something like this.. but, I guess some guys are really desperate..
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Draft Lottery
So am I the only one that has been laughing HYSTERICALLY ever since the draft lottery last night??? After reading Bill Simmons constantly writing about Oden and Durant and how the Celtics MUST get one of those guys somehow some way.. They just gotta have them.. They got the lottery odds on their side.. yadda yadda.. So how's that Joakim Noah parting gift treating you right about now... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA thats a nice shit burger to wake up to this morning. After months of telling yourself that these 2 guys are must haves and after them there is a huge dropoff.. you now have to settle for just one of the rest. It isn't like they have anything to trade to move up.. As if either the Sonics or the Blazers would trade those picks for ANYTHING.. oh man I am giddy.. This is just too damned funny.
This is literally the deepest and best draft I can ever remember.. Must be what it was like nearly every year in the 80's.. but still.. one lucky bounce of the ping pong ball means the difference between Oden and Durant... or like.. Spencer Hawes.. awesome.
This is literally the deepest and best draft I can ever remember.. Must be what it was like nearly every year in the 80's.. but still.. one lucky bounce of the ping pong ball means the difference between Oden and Durant... or like.. Spencer Hawes.. awesome.
Monday, May 21, 2007
Slater vs. Morris
I came across this linked from another blog earlier. It's the Slater Vs. Zack fight from Saved by the bell.. A REALLY well done fake fight. It really is about how a good school fight goes down.. starts with pushing.. maybe one guy throws a punch, then it is just rolling around on the ground trying to get the upper hand.. One thing.. There is absolutely no way Slater doesn't just absolutely mop the floor with Zack.. I'm sorry. It's true.. I can buy that Zack could get in the first punch.. but from then on it would have been absolute domination. Allowed to continue there is truly no doubt that Zack would have been crushed. His only hope was that the weird haircut guy was actually able to break it up in time.
Another interesting Saved By the Bell reference happened yesterday.. Flipping though channels I came to TBS.. next scheduled was the Braves at the Red Sox, but that's not what was on. I got some studio guy giving me highlights from around MLB, so I stopped for a minute to check it out. Turns out the Braves game was in a rain delay, and this is what the guy said at the end, word for word. "Right now the Braves are on delay. They hope to get the game started here at 2:35. We will provide updates as they come, but for now we will be bringing you an exciting episode of Saved by the Bell." Then he IMMEDIATELY cuts out and the multi colored opening credits begin to run. I loved that. I absolutely love what you get out of WGN or TBS or whatever when you are in a rain delay. It is normally stuff that is so damned bad that they only have it in case there is a rain delay. It is pretty much the only time you can ever find Alf, or Mr Belvedere on TV anymore. I wish it happened on ESPN more.. they of course just show you the feed of ESPNews.. but I would prefer it if they had to just go to old episodes of Playmakers.. or Worlds strongest man... They already show poker constantly on the other stations... so that wouldn't really fit into this category.. but it really should.. They have to fill programming space I guess.. and it really isn't any worse than bowling or golf.. still though... There really is nothing quite like a good rain delay. Just one more thing to add to the list of things that make baseball great.
Another interesting Saved By the Bell reference happened yesterday.. Flipping though channels I came to TBS.. next scheduled was the Braves at the Red Sox, but that's not what was on. I got some studio guy giving me highlights from around MLB, so I stopped for a minute to check it out. Turns out the Braves game was in a rain delay, and this is what the guy said at the end, word for word. "Right now the Braves are on delay. They hope to get the game started here at 2:35. We will provide updates as they come, but for now we will be bringing you an exciting episode of Saved by the Bell." Then he IMMEDIATELY cuts out and the multi colored opening credits begin to run. I loved that. I absolutely love what you get out of WGN or TBS or whatever when you are in a rain delay. It is normally stuff that is so damned bad that they only have it in case there is a rain delay. It is pretty much the only time you can ever find Alf, or Mr Belvedere on TV anymore. I wish it happened on ESPN more.. they of course just show you the feed of ESPNews.. but I would prefer it if they had to just go to old episodes of Playmakers.. or Worlds strongest man... They already show poker constantly on the other stations... so that wouldn't really fit into this category.. but it really should.. They have to fill programming space I guess.. and it really isn't any worse than bowling or golf.. still though... There really is nothing quite like a good rain delay. Just one more thing to add to the list of things that make baseball great.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Is it august yet???
For the love of god can fall football practice start already?? PLEASE!!! The Reds are ALREADY in last place and I just don't know if I can sit through an entire Summer like this. At least Junior is tearing it up.. not that that helps.. They actually have decent pitching this year, and guys are hitting really well.. so what the hell is going on.. how is the bullpen THAT bad?? how is that possible. No lead is safe.. they better have about 4-5 runs minimum going into the 8th or it's a loss. That is absurd.. absolutely unreal to me. The best Reds teams in my memory have always had shut down relief for basically the 7th inning on. The 90's team with Dibble, Myers and Charleton was the best.. they were deadly... which is why they went on to a world series. Nobody could claim a comeback against them. All 3 of those guys (the Nasty Boys as they were called) were legit closers, and they all did close for other teams once they left the reds. the 99 team that missed the playoffs by a game had about 4 young prospects in the bullpen that would clamp a game down from the 7th on.. this team.. no such luck.. decent starters, decent run production.. a bunch of pansies in the bullpen.. I can't take it anymore.. They are dead to me until they figure out how to fix this problem (my suggestion is to trade Dunn, or Encarnacion.. or Hatteburg for a for real live young arm.) it may be too late anyway... they have lost something like 7 in a row... ah well.. August can't get here soon enough..
I am craving football big time right now... There is NOTHING to talk about, but I can't help myself. I need it, I want it.. All that is really going on right now is that they are installing field turf at the Horseshoe... Looks pretty damned nice to me.. The big stress this year among fans is the red endzones.. I kinda like it.. Keep checking that link periodically to see any updates (just find the most recent photo timestamped on the list).. they just got all the numbers on in the last couple days. anyway, it has to be an improvement from the slop they were playing in last season. I just wish we had been able to see Ginn play a year or 2 on it. He had a kickoff return in Minnesota a couple years ago on field turf.. and it was completely unfair.. He was mindbogglingly fast on that stuff. ah well.. maybe another speedster will show up to wow us all... Not really holding my breathe on ever seeing someone as fast as Ginn though.. I said the same thing about Robert Smith though.. so who knows.. They have this kid Saine coming in to play RB that ran the 100 in like 10.3, so who knows.
I am craving football big time right now... There is NOTHING to talk about, but I can't help myself. I need it, I want it.. All that is really going on right now is that they are installing field turf at the Horseshoe... Looks pretty damned nice to me.. The big stress this year among fans is the red endzones.. I kinda like it.. Keep checking that link periodically to see any updates (just find the most recent photo timestamped on the list).. they just got all the numbers on in the last couple days. anyway, it has to be an improvement from the slop they were playing in last season. I just wish we had been able to see Ginn play a year or 2 on it. He had a kickoff return in Minnesota a couple years ago on field turf.. and it was completely unfair.. He was mindbogglingly fast on that stuff. ah well.. maybe another speedster will show up to wow us all... Not really holding my breathe on ever seeing someone as fast as Ginn though.. I said the same thing about Robert Smith though.. so who knows.. They have this kid Saine coming in to play RB that ran the 100 in like 10.3, so who knows.
Friday, May 11, 2007
Youth Baseball
Last night I did a little work with the town's youth baseball league.. specifically the 9 and 10 year olds. Now, I'm not one to boast, but I remember clearly when I was that age (4th grade) that I was making plays at shortstop (diving catches, rifleing balls across the infield) ALL the time. It was pretty damn common as a matter of fact. I was good for a diving catch about once a game. but these kids... my god. They could barely throw the ball back to the pitcher. For one they don't even HAVE a pitcher.. They are using a pitching machine set at freaking 38 miles an hour.. and they could still barely hit it. For one... they are up there swinging at everything with absolutely no reguard for balls and strikes. For the other, they still can't hit it a lot of the time.. I had to send several kids to the bench after their allotted 5 pitches.. often times giving them extras because they swung at bad ones when they should have let them go. I was even dropping the speed from time to time a mile an hour or so to help some of them out. The coach saw me do this and berated me for "confusing them.. they can't make the adjustment." I was like.. I am dropping it a mile an hour, this will make no difference in adjustment, just make them able to get around on it slightly better, they should be facing real pitchers anyway... you don't think a pitcher will vary a mile an hour or 2 on any given pitch?? It wasn't liek I was dropping it 5-10 miles and hour... throwing them sliders and brushing them back... . whatever... anyway, how much do we really need to baby kids these days?? I know for a fact that the little kids in venezuela and puerto rico aren't having perfect balls thrown to them out of a pitching machine. These kids reminded me more of what a 5 year old playing t-ball should look like, not a 10 year old. It was bad.. there were a couple injuries as well.. One kid took one HARD off the nose. They play on these damned sand fields that are hard as a rock and the balls FLY off these things, so it took a high hop and got him.. He was out of commission the rest of the game with an ice pack on his nose... Another kid took one off the chest just because he hadn't been taught how to catch.. He had his glove turned the wrong way and it hit him right in the middle of the chest. He had no business out there, he will hurt himself unless he learns how to actually catch a ball. I was ashamed of the state of youth baseball. I used to get popped with balls all the time.. usually because I was trying to make a hard play and sticking my face in there.. these kids both were afraid of the ball and were turning their heads.. thats why they got hurt.. There is no reason why they shouldn't have kids pitching at that age either. And they should DEFINITELY have balls and strikes.. and strikeouts.. They can go to the batting cages and hit all day long if they want something from a machine.. but once you are out on the field.. it isn't practice time anymore.. either you can hit, catch, throw, slide, etc. or you can't. We need to stop babying kids and shielding them from defeat. It is no wonder so many people grow up feeling entitled to get what they want.
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Cheerleaders in baseball???
This came to my attention yesterday and I just now have the time to post it. The Cincinnati Reds now have cheerleaders... or a dance team... or whatever.. They call themselves the MDX Crew. How stupid is this.. I think the cheerleaders or dance teams in professional sports are retarded. I always have. Do they serve ANY purpose whatsoever? Would you miss them if they weren't there? The answer to both of those questions is most definitely NO. They are lame and pointless and I honestly have to ask what is wrong with these girls. At least when you do this in LA you can always say you are trying to be noticed and get into acting.. but not in Cincy... They just like the attention it gets them I guess. Whatever.. I genuinely hope that this is not something that catches on in other ball parks, and I hope the reds end it pretty soon as well...
All that said.. the knee high stirrup socks are NICE....
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Cali Trip Tidbits, Part 3
Alright, where were we... Well I had just fallen asleep at the hotel in Cali after a VERY long day. The night went by uneventfully and I finally got myself out of bed somewhere around 8 AM and immediately hit the room service. They had a cinnamon french toast that I had to try.. I was no disappointed, it was awesome... soo cinnamony... smothered in syrup and butter. Good stuff.. The problem with room service is all the damned hidden cost. You have the delivery fee, the tip money etc.. I wound up having a nice $18 plate of french toast.. ah well.. it was somewhat worth it.
I whiled away the rest of the morning watching Cosby reruns and basically just lazing around the hotel room. This in itself was awesome to me.. I never really have the chance to just hang out alone like that. It is pretty nice from time to time.
Eventually, it is time to head up to the front for check out and the airport shuttle. After checkout I ask if the shuttle will be here for me on time, and they say yes of course.. They give the impression that the shuttle is something that comes and picks me up.. even telling me the night before that we have to fill out the book and reserve the time now otherwise they may not get here to get me.... Well I still have some time to kill, so I head into the restaurant and sit down to a nice piece of cheesecake.. this is the first thing I ate the entire time I was there that wasn't awesome.. it was just run of the mill frozen stuff you get anywhere... well I finish that up and walk outside to sit and wait for the shuttle. It is such a nice day and all.. I just lay back and relax.. at about 12:15.. 15 minutes late... the guy from the front desk comes strolling out.. "here for the shuttle??" "uh... yes.." I say.. confused because I just asked about it 20 minutes ago.. well he says, "ok, I'll pull the van around for you..." huh.. so why did they make such a big deal out of this.. it seems as if I could have just walked up to the desk anytime and said.. hey I need to get to the airport in 20 minutes... really weird...
In the car on the way to the airport I may have inadvertently talked the guy driving into moving away from southern California.. I told him how expensive our house was and he about shit himself.. He and his brother live together and they will have to pay $3000 a month on a "small" townhouse they are planning to buy together.. He currently works 2 jobs and 14 hours a day to pay his rent. (which is twice what I pay a month for our mortgage) anyway... hearing this.. he thought for a second.. then said. "I should move.. I work all the time and never get to enjoy anything around here anyway.. If my house was cheaper I could actually work only one job and have time to do things." I was like.. oh... well... I'm sure it's worth it for the weather here... uhh... I didn't mean to make the guy want to move.. but well.. unless you are loaded, southern California doesn't really make a lot of sense as a place to live. It just doesn't... You have to be bringing in some serious cash in order to live in a somewhat comfortable place... and still have time and money to enjoy the other benefits of the place... sad but true...
anyway, I get on the plane and go... The return trip was pretty uneventful. No delays... I refused to watch the movie ( Music and Lyrics) and so I just watched star wars on my portable player.. By the time I got home it was basically midnight.. I'm exhausted.. and walking through the place to get to the baggage claim.. Apparently I looked friendly because this middle aged woman just decides to strike up conversation... I do my best to give her my attention but it was hard... All she was talking about was the leg room in the plane.. I say.."yeah it can get kinda tight in there." And she just goes on and on about how "Nelson" gets in the aisle seats because you can stick your leg out... but she likes the window cause she can see out.. though you can't really see much can you??? uh.. I guess not I say.. and she just goes on and on about how she needs to use the aisle because she has to go to the bathroom every time... even though she hates using the ones in the plane.. then goes into this story about how she was stuck in the window seat on a flight next to a "young couple" and the girl was asleep and she had to climb over her to get out because she"was just a young girl... probably a young mother trying to rest and have a little getaway" giving me great details like that and that she had "black hair" and her husband "seemed really nice" good times..
I finally somehow escaped that trap.. I think she veered off to the bathroom.. and began the stand around and wait at the baggage claim.. Usually I have to stand around FOREVER and wait.. my bag is always seemingly the last one off the plane. This time I won the baggage lottery.. I was maybe 2nd or third off.. AWESOME.. I got the hell out of there as fast as I could.. Had to brush off some dude in the parking garage looking for jumper cables at 1 AM... and FINALLY I was in my car going home..
Overall.. fun trip... Cali is a REALLY nice place.. just way way way too expensive a place to have to pay to live in... to visit is great.. the food is relatively cheap, the scenery nice.. plenty to see and do.. I didn't get to really take part in any of that, but it was definately a good place to visit. The interview was nice.. it went well... I just don't see it happening. It would be a big step back for us financially just because we would have to pay mountain more for a crappier house... or a freaking condo.. not exactly in my list of wants at this point. I would rather continue to toil in my same crappy job for the same crappy money in relative financial ease, then move to a new place away from everyone and pay as much for our rent as we currently do for our house, 2 cars, cable, cell phones and food.
I whiled away the rest of the morning watching Cosby reruns and basically just lazing around the hotel room. This in itself was awesome to me.. I never really have the chance to just hang out alone like that. It is pretty nice from time to time.
Eventually, it is time to head up to the front for check out and the airport shuttle. After checkout I ask if the shuttle will be here for me on time, and they say yes of course.. They give the impression that the shuttle is something that comes and picks me up.. even telling me the night before that we have to fill out the book and reserve the time now otherwise they may not get here to get me.... Well I still have some time to kill, so I head into the restaurant and sit down to a nice piece of cheesecake.. this is the first thing I ate the entire time I was there that wasn't awesome.. it was just run of the mill frozen stuff you get anywhere... well I finish that up and walk outside to sit and wait for the shuttle. It is such a nice day and all.. I just lay back and relax.. at about 12:15.. 15 minutes late... the guy from the front desk comes strolling out.. "here for the shuttle??" "uh... yes.." I say.. confused because I just asked about it 20 minutes ago.. well he says, "ok, I'll pull the van around for you..." huh.. so why did they make such a big deal out of this.. it seems as if I could have just walked up to the desk anytime and said.. hey I need to get to the airport in 20 minutes... really weird...
In the car on the way to the airport I may have inadvertently talked the guy driving into moving away from southern California.. I told him how expensive our house was and he about shit himself.. He and his brother live together and they will have to pay $3000 a month on a "small" townhouse they are planning to buy together.. He currently works 2 jobs and 14 hours a day to pay his rent. (which is twice what I pay a month for our mortgage) anyway... hearing this.. he thought for a second.. then said. "I should move.. I work all the time and never get to enjoy anything around here anyway.. If my house was cheaper I could actually work only one job and have time to do things." I was like.. oh... well... I'm sure it's worth it for the weather here... uhh... I didn't mean to make the guy want to move.. but well.. unless you are loaded, southern California doesn't really make a lot of sense as a place to live. It just doesn't... You have to be bringing in some serious cash in order to live in a somewhat comfortable place... and still have time and money to enjoy the other benefits of the place... sad but true...
anyway, I get on the plane and go... The return trip was pretty uneventful. No delays... I refused to watch the movie ( Music and Lyrics) and so I just watched star wars on my portable player.. By the time I got home it was basically midnight.. I'm exhausted.. and walking through the place to get to the baggage claim.. Apparently I looked friendly because this middle aged woman just decides to strike up conversation... I do my best to give her my attention but it was hard... All she was talking about was the leg room in the plane.. I say.."yeah it can get kinda tight in there." And she just goes on and on about how "Nelson" gets in the aisle seats because you can stick your leg out... but she likes the window cause she can see out.. though you can't really see much can you??? uh.. I guess not I say.. and she just goes on and on about how she needs to use the aisle because she has to go to the bathroom every time... even though she hates using the ones in the plane.. then goes into this story about how she was stuck in the window seat on a flight next to a "young couple" and the girl was asleep and she had to climb over her to get out because she"was just a young girl... probably a young mother trying to rest and have a little getaway" giving me great details like that and that she had "black hair" and her husband "seemed really nice" good times..
I finally somehow escaped that trap.. I think she veered off to the bathroom.. and began the stand around and wait at the baggage claim.. Usually I have to stand around FOREVER and wait.. my bag is always seemingly the last one off the plane. This time I won the baggage lottery.. I was maybe 2nd or third off.. AWESOME.. I got the hell out of there as fast as I could.. Had to brush off some dude in the parking garage looking for jumper cables at 1 AM... and FINALLY I was in my car going home..
Overall.. fun trip... Cali is a REALLY nice place.. just way way way too expensive a place to have to pay to live in... to visit is great.. the food is relatively cheap, the scenery nice.. plenty to see and do.. I didn't get to really take part in any of that, but it was definately a good place to visit. The interview was nice.. it went well... I just don't see it happening. It would be a big step back for us financially just because we would have to pay mountain more for a crappier house... or a freaking condo.. not exactly in my list of wants at this point. I would rather continue to toil in my same crappy job for the same crappy money in relative financial ease, then move to a new place away from everyone and pay as much for our rent as we currently do for our house, 2 cars, cable, cell phones and food.
Monday, May 07, 2007
Cali Trip Tidbits, Part 2
Where I left you last time was getting onto the plane for the 4 hour flight from Chicago to California. I lucked out and got an exit row, which was nice, and find that our in flight movie will be the painted veil (ended up being a pretty decent flick actually) Nothing too eventful really from the flight other than the dude next to me with some outstanding snoring. He even had the whistle in between snores going for a while... I thought that only actually happened in cartoons.
Anyway, the plane landed in California... some awesome scenery coming in.. I had no idea there were mountains like this within sight from the ground in southern california.. I knew there were hills and such, but these were more than hills to me. Very picturesque. It was definitely brown.. I mean it is very dry there... but really pretty all the same. I could definitely see myself living there.. no problem at all... well... some problems, but we will get to those later.
Upon arrival I was supposed to meet Lorenzo at the airport and he would drive me on to the company for my interview. Now, name me what you picture when you think of the name Lorenzo... If you said funny looking Persian dude with goofy glasses and ridiculous comb over you would be correct. After several minutes of awkward conversation with Lorenzo, we finally arrived for my interview. Just to give you a little background on this place... I found out once i got there that it was owned and run by Persians.. There is a HUGE population of Persians in Orange County that settled there after fleeing the oppressive Muslim regime after/during the revolution in the late 70's. So I walk in the door and this place it everything you would expect from a company that is trying to impress people with the look of the building.. marble floors... lots of glass.. typical corporate architecture right... well because of the Persian Ownership I spent the entire time wondering where all the blue curtains with gold trim and hardware were...
The interview itself went well. No complaints... the manager was a really good guy, as were all the people working there. They had good people and VERY diverse. A lot of Persians there for sure, but in my industry there are a lot of different nationalities. I went to lunch with a girl from Bolivia, a Persian and a Chinese guy.. by the way... Persian food is GOOD... trust me on this... get the Kabobs with strips of meat... stay away from the ground meat... but it was damned good. Basically just marinated and grilled meat with some saffron rice.. yum...
There was one really discouraging part of the interview... that was with the HR rep.. usually this portion of an interview is just a pep up and someone being a total shill for the company telling you about how great their benefits are. In this case I really just did not mesh well with the girl.. She had NO sense of humor (she was Indian, go figure) and just seemed to think I was telling her lies the whole time when I told her what my current compensation/benefits/time off was. Basically.. to work there I would get half as much vacation, far worse 401K and decreased medical coverage... and I was supposed to be excited about that??? Then she kept pushing me for an answer on how much money I would want... I told her well about 60K, but honestly with the decreased benefits and the cost of real estate.. it would take more than 70 at this point. I highly doubt they will be able to do that.. but honestly.. I need time off.. 13 days isn't going to do it for me. I would take less money for more time off. That's just me... so ripping my time off in half, cutting all the other benefits.. paying me more money, but all of that is going to a house anyway... not gonna get me there. So that was sort of a depressing portion of the interview.
Once that was over I talked with a few more people and it was off to my hotel. The holiday inn in Laguna.. nice.. just a hotel really.. I was expecting to go out to dinner that night with the recruiter that had contacted me for this job initially, but she was sick... so I just wound up eating at the hotel restaurant after laying around for a couple hours and talking to Anna on the phone.
Dinner rocked... Just awesome.. I got this Turkey club sandwich... It came out and was easily the biggest sandwich I have ever seen. It took up the entire plate.. Here is the order in which it was built... Piece of toast, Mayo, Mounts of Turkey, Bacon, Tomato, Piece of toast, little more mayo, lettuce, cheese, thin slices of avocado, piece of toast... I could not get my mouth around this thing. It was AWESOME.. I wish I could go get it again.. I can't find a sandwich this good pretty much anywhere else. So after that thoroughly satisfying dinner I decided to try and find out about renting a car.. since there is nobody to drive me around this place I might as well try and see some stuff for myself.. all the rental places were closed.. shit.. well that sucks.. so I stroll back to the room with plans to come back out to the bar in a little bit to get a few drinks before bed.. That did not happen... being awake since 4 AM eastern caught up to me and I fell asleep sometime around 9 PM Pacific.
More to come...
Anyway, the plane landed in California... some awesome scenery coming in.. I had no idea there were mountains like this within sight from the ground in southern california.. I knew there were hills and such, but these were more than hills to me. Very picturesque. It was definitely brown.. I mean it is very dry there... but really pretty all the same. I could definitely see myself living there.. no problem at all... well... some problems, but we will get to those later.
Upon arrival I was supposed to meet Lorenzo at the airport and he would drive me on to the company for my interview. Now, name me what you picture when you think of the name Lorenzo... If you said funny looking Persian dude with goofy glasses and ridiculous comb over you would be correct. After several minutes of awkward conversation with Lorenzo, we finally arrived for my interview. Just to give you a little background on this place... I found out once i got there that it was owned and run by Persians.. There is a HUGE population of Persians in Orange County that settled there after fleeing the oppressive Muslim regime after/during the revolution in the late 70's. So I walk in the door and this place it everything you would expect from a company that is trying to impress people with the look of the building.. marble floors... lots of glass.. typical corporate architecture right... well because of the Persian Ownership I spent the entire time wondering where all the blue curtains with gold trim and hardware were...
The interview itself went well. No complaints... the manager was a really good guy, as were all the people working there. They had good people and VERY diverse. A lot of Persians there for sure, but in my industry there are a lot of different nationalities. I went to lunch with a girl from Bolivia, a Persian and a Chinese guy.. by the way... Persian food is GOOD... trust me on this... get the Kabobs with strips of meat... stay away from the ground meat... but it was damned good. Basically just marinated and grilled meat with some saffron rice.. yum...
There was one really discouraging part of the interview... that was with the HR rep.. usually this portion of an interview is just a pep up and someone being a total shill for the company telling you about how great their benefits are. In this case I really just did not mesh well with the girl.. She had NO sense of humor (she was Indian, go figure) and just seemed to think I was telling her lies the whole time when I told her what my current compensation/benefits/time off was. Basically.. to work there I would get half as much vacation, far worse 401K and decreased medical coverage... and I was supposed to be excited about that??? Then she kept pushing me for an answer on how much money I would want... I told her well about 60K, but honestly with the decreased benefits and the cost of real estate.. it would take more than 70 at this point. I highly doubt they will be able to do that.. but honestly.. I need time off.. 13 days isn't going to do it for me. I would take less money for more time off. That's just me... so ripping my time off in half, cutting all the other benefits.. paying me more money, but all of that is going to a house anyway... not gonna get me there. So that was sort of a depressing portion of the interview.
Once that was over I talked with a few more people and it was off to my hotel. The holiday inn in Laguna.. nice.. just a hotel really.. I was expecting to go out to dinner that night with the recruiter that had contacted me for this job initially, but she was sick... so I just wound up eating at the hotel restaurant after laying around for a couple hours and talking to Anna on the phone.
Dinner rocked... Just awesome.. I got this Turkey club sandwich... It came out and was easily the biggest sandwich I have ever seen. It took up the entire plate.. Here is the order in which it was built... Piece of toast, Mayo, Mounts of Turkey, Bacon, Tomato, Piece of toast, little more mayo, lettuce, cheese, thin slices of avocado, piece of toast... I could not get my mouth around this thing. It was AWESOME.. I wish I could go get it again.. I can't find a sandwich this good pretty much anywhere else. So after that thoroughly satisfying dinner I decided to try and find out about renting a car.. since there is nobody to drive me around this place I might as well try and see some stuff for myself.. all the rental places were closed.. shit.. well that sucks.. so I stroll back to the room with plans to come back out to the bar in a little bit to get a few drinks before bed.. That did not happen... being awake since 4 AM eastern caught up to me and I fell asleep sometime around 9 PM Pacific.
More to come...
I'M OUTRAGED
I am simply outraged by the obvious and malicious attempt by Tony Parker to hurt Steve Nash last night.. The poor guys nose was bleeding everywhere... oh wait.. video evidence shows it wasn't on purpose??? well he should be suspended for playing so recklessly... people can get hurt playing like that.. you know.. like playing hard... where do they get off... we can't have people accidentally getting hurt out there.. (hoping the sarcasm actually translated through the computer)
Saturday, May 05, 2007
Cali Trip tidbits, Part 1
I have finally returned and somewhat rested from my trip out to California. I was out there for a quick job interview, stay overnight then trip back home the next day. The trip started with me getting up at about 4 AM for my 6 AM flight out of RDU. This is not an hour that sane people get out of bed, but it has to be done. I get dressed in my finest interview wear and head on out to the airport. There is shockingly little traffic out on the roads at 4:30 in the morning, but at the same time, there is STILL traffic at that hour. I don't really understand how there are cars out on the road at all hours like that? What the hell were all these people doing??? There are only so many morning radio show anchors out there.. anyway, after parking and getting everything checked in... everything went very smoothly through security and everything. As I was strolling through the terminal to gate C15 I noticed that it was pretty damned dark in there, none of the TVs were on or anything, which seemed pretty weird to me. I chalked this up to the fact that it was just before 6 and maybe they just don't turn all the stuff on till then. Well, I go have a seat and wait for boarding to commence. It's about at this time that I notice the entire staff of Maui Taco just sitting there talking amongst themselves in broken English and Spanish... that's weird... ah well.. there was also no airline employees to be seen anywhere. double weird. well.. 6 AM comes and goes... still nothing.. what the hell is going on??? Finally an announcement comes through.. "the power is out in the terminal, we can not board because we have no paperwork and no computer system. Hopefully power will be back online in about 20-30 minutes. OK, now I am nervous. I have a 1 hour layover in Chicago and I have no idea what to do if I miss my flight. I am supposed to be in California at 10:30 and ready for interviewing by 11:30.. This is NOT good. I basically try my best to just sit tight until they figure something out. The American Airlines flight 2 gates down is boarding with no problems. People are calling up United to figure things out and the United people are telling them the flight should leave by 6:30... it is 6:25 at this point, we are looking at the plane.. nothing is happening.. we tell the people on the phone that there is no way it is leaving by 6:30... we are looking right at the plane... they continue to tell us our information is incorrect.. I guess our own eyes were failing much like the customer service at United.. well we sat and waited.. watching minutes go by.. finally someone at United with a brain must have showed up.... they figured out that hey... we can print this stuff in a part of the airport that HAS power and WALK them to the correct gates... then check off the passengers from our list manually.. damn.. what genius actually came up with that idea???
They finally get us on the plane and we get ready to take off approx. 1 hour late.. I am thinking there is no way I can make my connection, but you just never know... I'm preparing myself for a run. I decide now is just the time to relax and try to just get some rest... this is going to be a long day in fact.. so I just sit back and look out the window. It is around this point that while taking off the plane decides to drop about 500 feet in about a half a second.. Apparently we were moving out of the way of other air traffic because I saw another plane come screaming by at a million miles an hour a few seconds later.. how fun... well we finally get up in the air and the flight attendants start doing their thing... these girls could only be described in one way... Dirty Hot... it was a little bit unnerving.. I think United Express has started a stripper outreach program.. unreal. I caught the dude next to me STARING at the one girls ass about 6 times throughout the 2 hour flight.. Every time I got a good chuckle out of it. funny stuff...
Finally the plane lands in Chicago.. it is now 8:05.. My connection to California is scheduled to leave at 8:15. I ask "Hayley" if there is any way I could possible make this.. her answer is.. "You can try, the gates are usually close together, so you could make it." Now we get to wait to get off the plane... This is the longest 5 minutes in the history of the world anyway.. but when each minute is a minute that you can't afford, it is even worse.. Finally I scramble off this thing. Bobbing and weaving through people on the jetway... run out and check out the screen.. I'm at gate C7... my flight is leaving from C26 in 3 minutes... FUCK!!! So this is the point when i go into full Home Alone Reenactment mode. Doing my damnedest to run through a crowded O'hare in a suit with a bag on my shoulder. Those that know me will say that given some room I can get into some long strides and cover some serious ground.. not in dress shoes my friends.. and not with seemingly 10 billion old ladies in walkers between me and my destination. I get to like gate C20 and I just say screw this.. there is no way I am making it.. but I relentlessly jogged to my goal.. I get there finally.. at 8:20.. the plane is still there.. but the door is closed... no United people in sight... wonderful. I finally find one and tell her the situation... she says.. oh Mr Howland.. come with me... she proceeds to OPEN THE DOOR and let me on the plane... I was a little confused.. they always used to claim once that shit was closed.. that's it.. nobody is getting on... This just proved all that was bullshit the airlines made up to make their employees lives easier... well I get on... run to the back row of the plane where my seat is supposed to be.. and I find a mother with 2 children... OK... well I turn around again to all the staring people thinking "motherfucker... he's the reason we haven't left yet." and I finally find an empty seat in the exit row... NICE.. leg room... anyway, apparently the fuel truck was having problems and it was delaying the departure.. had I been just 30 seconds later I would have missed it. Quite the adventure. I was in Chicago for a grand total of like 20 minutes.. but now I was finally on the plane and on my way to California...
Stay tuned for Part 2...
They finally get us on the plane and we get ready to take off approx. 1 hour late.. I am thinking there is no way I can make my connection, but you just never know... I'm preparing myself for a run. I decide now is just the time to relax and try to just get some rest... this is going to be a long day in fact.. so I just sit back and look out the window. It is around this point that while taking off the plane decides to drop about 500 feet in about a half a second.. Apparently we were moving out of the way of other air traffic because I saw another plane come screaming by at a million miles an hour a few seconds later.. how fun... well we finally get up in the air and the flight attendants start doing their thing... these girls could only be described in one way... Dirty Hot... it was a little bit unnerving.. I think United Express has started a stripper outreach program.. unreal. I caught the dude next to me STARING at the one girls ass about 6 times throughout the 2 hour flight.. Every time I got a good chuckle out of it. funny stuff...
Finally the plane lands in Chicago.. it is now 8:05.. My connection to California is scheduled to leave at 8:15. I ask "Hayley" if there is any way I could possible make this.. her answer is.. "You can try, the gates are usually close together, so you could make it." Now we get to wait to get off the plane... This is the longest 5 minutes in the history of the world anyway.. but when each minute is a minute that you can't afford, it is even worse.. Finally I scramble off this thing. Bobbing and weaving through people on the jetway... run out and check out the screen.. I'm at gate C7... my flight is leaving from C26 in 3 minutes... FUCK!!! So this is the point when i go into full Home Alone Reenactment mode. Doing my damnedest to run through a crowded O'hare in a suit with a bag on my shoulder. Those that know me will say that given some room I can get into some long strides and cover some serious ground.. not in dress shoes my friends.. and not with seemingly 10 billion old ladies in walkers between me and my destination. I get to like gate C20 and I just say screw this.. there is no way I am making it.. but I relentlessly jogged to my goal.. I get there finally.. at 8:20.. the plane is still there.. but the door is closed... no United people in sight... wonderful. I finally find one and tell her the situation... she says.. oh Mr Howland.. come with me... she proceeds to OPEN THE DOOR and let me on the plane... I was a little confused.. they always used to claim once that shit was closed.. that's it.. nobody is getting on... This just proved all that was bullshit the airlines made up to make their employees lives easier... well I get on... run to the back row of the plane where my seat is supposed to be.. and I find a mother with 2 children... OK... well I turn around again to all the staring people thinking "motherfucker... he's the reason we haven't left yet." and I finally find an empty seat in the exit row... NICE.. leg room... anyway, apparently the fuel truck was having problems and it was delaying the departure.. had I been just 30 seconds later I would have missed it. Quite the adventure. I was in Chicago for a grand total of like 20 minutes.. but now I was finally on the plane and on my way to California...
Stay tuned for Part 2...
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
FAA Restrictions
Tomorrow will be the first time I am flying since the newest restrictions on liquids and gels on a plane. So I have been looking through the list of permitted/prohibited items. Looking through the list of Makeup/personal items, I've found some pretty interesting things. One is for "personal Lubricant" which by itself isn't anything big, but the fact that under the explanation the first thing they list is eye drops... uhh.... that isn't the personal lubricant I think most people would initially jump to. The one that really brought a smile to my face though was that they list "Toy Tranformer Robots" as their own category. Not only that but they felt the need to tell us that we could bring our transformers along on the flight... was this ever in question?? Was there a meeting where they were going over all this stuff and going down the list... knives.. no.. nail trimmers... yes... shampoo.. only in 3 oz size.. then from the back of the room... What about Transformers??? hmmm... yeah... I think Transformers are ok... weird.. but why the special category for transformers... does this mean I CAN'T take my GI Joe or He-Man? They aren't on the list... Did Hasbro bribe the FAA so that their toys could get on the plane??? Then they have this list of "sharp objects" listed in that are all sorts of different types of knives... meat cleavers, sabers, swords etc... but why do they need to list that.. what part of no knives allowed do people not get? It's a good thing I read this site or I may have arrived to the airport with full sized bottles of shampoo, A star wars action figure and my M16, Katana Blade and throwing stars.. not sure what I would have done without the FAA there. Another great bit is the sporting goods section... listed as not allowed are bats, bows and arrows, spear guns... etc. I mean.. is there really someone that is like.. "can I carry on my spear gun?? let me check... oh shit..." I am finding all sorts of useful stuff on here... like... we aren't allowed to bring plastic explosives on a plane... Hand Grenades are also prohibited. I can't bring my tear gas canisters... and I was really hoping to show that to the folks at the family reunion... This is all proof that America as a whole is stupid.
Keyshawn blindsided
So those that watched the NFL draft coverage this past weekend of course saw Keyshawn Johnson there working the desk with Berman and Kornheiser etc. I personally found it a bit odd at the time... a current player there commenting about picks of other teams... teams that he would have to compete against.. weird... and whenever the Panthers would pick he would supply insight into "his" team. Here is a link to help out.
The Dwayne Jarrett pick in the second round was especially weird.. He was SO excited. "I'm gonna take this young man under my wing. I'm gonna teach him all I know." He was PUMPED about this fellow USC Trojan. Some people may have said... why'd they take him??? they have Steve Smith and Keyshawn Johnson.. they have enough money caught up in receivers. Well the Panthers solved that problem yesterday in giving Keyshawn the boot. He clearly did not see this coming. There is no way he would have spent draft day talking about "his team" and how "we really need a guy like this" if he knew he was going to be let go in a few days. The shock he must have displayed must have been classic.. but really how do you NOT see this coming?? This is what happens to veterans in the NFL. You have to play several years to get to the point that your contract number is at a certain level.. At that point you are beaten up so badly that you can't run anymore and they just drop you for a young guy making half as much. There is no security in that league.. The best thing you can do it trick a team into signing you to a 2 year deal with a big signing bonus, then rinse and repeat. No team is that dumb though. They WANT you to sign for a 5 year deal.. where they pay you a ton for a year and it goes to their cap number for the next 4 in smaller installments.. especially the back ended deals.. those are their favorites... that way they can release you at the smallest sign of breakdown and delete huge numbers from their salary. The NFL is despicable... Players HAVE to holdout for more money every year. They just have to. This is why I never really get too angry when they do it. The team will let them go with no penalty whatsoever... so if you are in your prime.. the only bargaining chip you have is that you can sit out and they will be without their star RB or WR or something...
anyway... one more tidbit... I can't believe how livid Miami fans are for having picked Ted Ginn and NOT Brady Quinn... can't they see they dodged a big bullet there? I honestly would be shocked if that guy has a career as good as David Carr.. They should be so damn happy they didn't get that guy, but for whatever reason they are pissed.. add in the fact that they got the fastest man I have ever seen in pads... they really have nothing to bitch about. All their complaining will go away once they sign Trent Greene and about midway through the first quarter of their first game of the season when Ginn gets a little bit of open space and breaks out those long fluid strides.. They just picked up the most electrifying player in the league with the 9th pick... and that's just in the return game. I'm not even including the fact that he is actually a pretty damned good wide receiver too...
Finally.... easily the most overrated player in this draft was Jamarcus Russel.. I'm sorry.. but there is NO WAY this guy is that great. Did anyone actually watch any of his games? the LSU offense SUCKED... and that's actually being kind. He had RIDICULOUS receivers (2 taken in the first round... and one projected top 5 next year) and he still couldn't move the ball consistently. They managed 3 points against Auburn... 3!?!?! His measurables are sick... 6'5 240.. fast... able to throw the ball 80 or so yards... somewhat accurate i guess.. that doesn't change the fact that he couldn't move the ball in the SEC.. how's that going to work in the AFC west??? If a QB is going to make it in the NFL I personally need to see one of 2 things... If he is playing at a smaller school, he sure as hell better have crazy stats (like Rothlisburger or Culpepper did) or if he plays in a BCS conference... he better damn well have at least challenged for a title... With the skill guys he had.. they should have had the best passing offense in the country... part of that can be blamed on the coaching staff, but only so much. He had a great game against ND... but I challenge you to find a BCS conference QB who DIDN'T have a big game against that slow assed defense over the last 2 years. Chad Henne freaking lit those guys up for crying out loud. So I'm calling bust on that guy as well... we'll see though... it is MUCH easier to predict a bust than it is to predict a star.
The Dwayne Jarrett pick in the second round was especially weird.. He was SO excited. "I'm gonna take this young man under my wing. I'm gonna teach him all I know." He was PUMPED about this fellow USC Trojan. Some people may have said... why'd they take him??? they have Steve Smith and Keyshawn Johnson.. they have enough money caught up in receivers. Well the Panthers solved that problem yesterday in giving Keyshawn the boot. He clearly did not see this coming. There is no way he would have spent draft day talking about "his team" and how "we really need a guy like this" if he knew he was going to be let go in a few days. The shock he must have displayed must have been classic.. but really how do you NOT see this coming?? This is what happens to veterans in the NFL. You have to play several years to get to the point that your contract number is at a certain level.. At that point you are beaten up so badly that you can't run anymore and they just drop you for a young guy making half as much. There is no security in that league.. The best thing you can do it trick a team into signing you to a 2 year deal with a big signing bonus, then rinse and repeat. No team is that dumb though. They WANT you to sign for a 5 year deal.. where they pay you a ton for a year and it goes to their cap number for the next 4 in smaller installments.. especially the back ended deals.. those are their favorites... that way they can release you at the smallest sign of breakdown and delete huge numbers from their salary. The NFL is despicable... Players HAVE to holdout for more money every year. They just have to. This is why I never really get too angry when they do it. The team will let them go with no penalty whatsoever... so if you are in your prime.. the only bargaining chip you have is that you can sit out and they will be without their star RB or WR or something...
anyway... one more tidbit... I can't believe how livid Miami fans are for having picked Ted Ginn and NOT Brady Quinn... can't they see they dodged a big bullet there? I honestly would be shocked if that guy has a career as good as David Carr.. They should be so damn happy they didn't get that guy, but for whatever reason they are pissed.. add in the fact that they got the fastest man I have ever seen in pads... they really have nothing to bitch about. All their complaining will go away once they sign Trent Greene and about midway through the first quarter of their first game of the season when Ginn gets a little bit of open space and breaks out those long fluid strides.. They just picked up the most electrifying player in the league with the 9th pick... and that's just in the return game. I'm not even including the fact that he is actually a pretty damned good wide receiver too...
Finally.... easily the most overrated player in this draft was Jamarcus Russel.. I'm sorry.. but there is NO WAY this guy is that great. Did anyone actually watch any of his games? the LSU offense SUCKED... and that's actually being kind. He had RIDICULOUS receivers (2 taken in the first round... and one projected top 5 next year) and he still couldn't move the ball consistently. They managed 3 points against Auburn... 3!?!?! His measurables are sick... 6'5 240.. fast... able to throw the ball 80 or so yards... somewhat accurate i guess.. that doesn't change the fact that he couldn't move the ball in the SEC.. how's that going to work in the AFC west??? If a QB is going to make it in the NFL I personally need to see one of 2 things... If he is playing at a smaller school, he sure as hell better have crazy stats (like Rothlisburger or Culpepper did) or if he plays in a BCS conference... he better damn well have at least challenged for a title... With the skill guys he had.. they should have had the best passing offense in the country... part of that can be blamed on the coaching staff, but only so much. He had a great game against ND... but I challenge you to find a BCS conference QB who DIDN'T have a big game against that slow assed defense over the last 2 years. Chad Henne freaking lit those guys up for crying out loud. So I'm calling bust on that guy as well... we'll see though... it is MUCH easier to predict a bust than it is to predict a star.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)