My last post triggered something in me. People seem to love to hate people. Sure, the word "hate" is taboo, but when you watch the news, it's always bad stories. Why is that? Some blame the media and although I really despise the media I think they are not the ones at fault here. I think the media works just like they claim and the way any industry trying to make a profit when there's competition works; they give their customers what they want.
I never get into celebrity break ups. I'm notoriously horrible at knowing who is married to who. Normally the way I find out is when they get divorced. I didn't even know Tom Cruise was married to Katie Holmes until they got divorced. People who watch TMZ and celebrity stalk may call me crazy, but here's the point; why is it that I always miss the weddings but rarely the divorces. It's because more people want to hear about their divorce, so it's covered more. It gets more limelight and thrown on the cover of every newspaper so that even someone like me who avoids these things can find out about it. I may be on my way to work, pass by the subway and when someone tries to hand me an AM New York or a Metro NY, I happen to see it on the front page. This is what the general society loves; bad things to happen to people. Ha, see another couple getting divorced. The reason that Tom and Katie was so big, I'm told, is that they were together for so long and seemed so happy. People hate when other people are happy. Why is that though?
Deep down, we all have our skeletons, but rather than feel guilt, we want to point to other people's skeletons and problems. Sure, I got divorced but Tom and Katie Holmes did too and they had a perfect relationship so maybe good marriages don't exist. I find this pathetic, that's why I couldn't care less about Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. We want to throw stones in order to cover our own problems. Me, I'm very introspective, it doesn't matter that Ben Roethlisberger raped a college girl in a night club, it doesn't excuse anything I do. Sure, I'm a better person than Ben, but who cares, my goal isn't to not be a rapist, it's to be a good man and always follow my morals and base my actions on my morality not vice versa.
This is why you can't defend someone that the media has already deemed evil. the Duke lacross players were villains so we jumped on the case. See these boys who go to a great school and are really smart are nothing but a bunch of lowly rapists. Oh wait, the woman lied, the DA is being disbarred for his handling of the case? Oh, never mind. After that the media didn't care about them. Nobdody cares that they were innocent but they loved when they were guilty.
I think of celebrities and I see this pattern everywhere. The only ones I can think of that we hold on a high pedestal is Derek Jeter and Tim Tebow. Jeter doesn't get negative press the way Tebow does. At first I thought it was because Jeter is half black, but then I realized that it doesn't have to do with race after all. Tim Tebow is the epitome of what people don't want to believe exist. He is a devout religious man who is saving sex for marriage. most people believe that no Christian is ever successful in this. I know three that were, so unfortunatley for you people who hate Christians, they do exist. But Tim Tebow is a football player, a quarterback. He's been a star since he was a teenager, constantly prodded to get mad, to not turn the other cheek. He never bites though. The media would love a Tim Tebow downfall like a Tiger Woods. Afterall, if Tebow does it, if he is exactly what he says he is, than what does that do to society's belief that people like him don't exist? The left hates traditional values, and that's all Tebow stands for, so they're going after him. I hope that Tebow does it, not because I'm religious. I've had by battles with devout Catholics and a lot of them are hypocritical, elitist and the most unforgiving people I've ever met. But, that doesn't mean I want Tebow to be. I think it's a breath of fresh air to think Tebow's can exist. Sure, he may be a better man than I because I would have snapped by now. Some argue that getting angry is good sometimes and I agree but when they're trying to get you mad, maybe it's better not to bite.
It doesn't bother me that better men than myself exist. it doesn't make me feel better that worse people than me exist. In all honesty, I couldn't care less about celebrities and who they marry. But I do like traditional values and I don't like how society vehemently attacks you for not agreeing with them. So I'm routing for Tim Tebow as an in-your-face to the general public. You can't ignore him like college lacross,he is an NFL quarterback. Isn't it funny that that's the first thing people want to take away from him. they say they want him to be a linebacker....after all, how many linebackers can you name?
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Monday, October 29, 2012
A good man
What makes a good man? I've always been a believer that most men are inherently evil and although I think the people who claim that men never act selflessly are unfair, I think in general, man is selfish. I also don't think selfishness is a bad thing as I am a objectivist, and that is what Ayn Rand (The mother of objectivism) vehemently believed.
Now, despite my views on man, men do good things sometimes. They also do bad things. even the most evil men in history probably did something nice once or twice. Jesus marched into the temple and started breaking shit, vandalism is a mean thing to do and he was Jesus. Was he justified in his anger? I think so, but it's a debatable point. This came to me because someone that I've long considered a good man did something horrible. Now, I know he feels extremely guilty about it to the point that he self-tortured himself, but it leads me to think, what is a good man? for you can argue that a good man would have obstained from doing the horrible thing in the first place. But what if it's someone who does something bad, but then feels deep remorse over it even though no outside person condemned him for it (nobody knew he had done what he did, he volunteered the information to cleanse his soul and keep it from bottling up). So, if you self-condemn yourself and never forgive yourself but just try to move forward and never do it again, do you lose the good man card? I don't think you should, but what about the person that in the same situation, obstained from doing it. clearly he should get more points. Is it a numerical thing; like if you do x amount of bad things, does that make you bad person? By extension, if you do x amount of good things it makes you a good person? That can't be it, because different things are weighted differently. If you commit genocide against an entire population of people, there are no amount of good deeds that save you from that. But, there is no counter on the other side. I guess if you jump in front of a bullet for a stranger to save their life, all bad deeds get expelled. but aside from dying for anoher person, there really is no good deed you can do that will forgive all else.
So, things are weighted differently. the thing about good men, is they don't look for fanfare. If a guy is hooking up with a girl, she passes out, and he leaves the room, he doesn't seek praise for not raping her. He thinks that's preposterous to praise someone for not being evil. but by keeping his good deeds low key, it only sets to highlight when he does something bad. espeically becuase he's the one that condemns himself more than anyone else. So....maybe that's a good man. someone that condemns himself for bad things moreso than others, but doesn't look for reward when he does good things. the problem with this is that people love to see good men go bad. Look at Tiger Woods and Joe Paterno. so, sometimes people's condemnation is greater than warranted therefore wouldn't equal even a good man's. Someone may say that a cashier gave you too much change and you didn't give it back, you should have your hands cut off. that's extreme and the good man couldn't be expected to match or surpass that.
People say if you're going to write a blog, you should know the answer. I say fuck that. I don't know the answer, but it's an interesting question.
Autographed copies of my book can be bought at the bottom of this page
Now, despite my views on man, men do good things sometimes. They also do bad things. even the most evil men in history probably did something nice once or twice. Jesus marched into the temple and started breaking shit, vandalism is a mean thing to do and he was Jesus. Was he justified in his anger? I think so, but it's a debatable point. This came to me because someone that I've long considered a good man did something horrible. Now, I know he feels extremely guilty about it to the point that he self-tortured himself, but it leads me to think, what is a good man? for you can argue that a good man would have obstained from doing the horrible thing in the first place. But what if it's someone who does something bad, but then feels deep remorse over it even though no outside person condemned him for it (nobody knew he had done what he did, he volunteered the information to cleanse his soul and keep it from bottling up). So, if you self-condemn yourself and never forgive yourself but just try to move forward and never do it again, do you lose the good man card? I don't think you should, but what about the person that in the same situation, obstained from doing it. clearly he should get more points. Is it a numerical thing; like if you do x amount of bad things, does that make you bad person? By extension, if you do x amount of good things it makes you a good person? That can't be it, because different things are weighted differently. If you commit genocide against an entire population of people, there are no amount of good deeds that save you from that. But, there is no counter on the other side. I guess if you jump in front of a bullet for a stranger to save their life, all bad deeds get expelled. but aside from dying for anoher person, there really is no good deed you can do that will forgive all else.
So, things are weighted differently. the thing about good men, is they don't look for fanfare. If a guy is hooking up with a girl, she passes out, and he leaves the room, he doesn't seek praise for not raping her. He thinks that's preposterous to praise someone for not being evil. but by keeping his good deeds low key, it only sets to highlight when he does something bad. espeically becuase he's the one that condemns himself more than anyone else. So....maybe that's a good man. someone that condemns himself for bad things moreso than others, but doesn't look for reward when he does good things. the problem with this is that people love to see good men go bad. Look at Tiger Woods and Joe Paterno. so, sometimes people's condemnation is greater than warranted therefore wouldn't equal even a good man's. Someone may say that a cashier gave you too much change and you didn't give it back, you should have your hands cut off. that's extreme and the good man couldn't be expected to match or surpass that.
People say if you're going to write a blog, you should know the answer. I say fuck that. I don't know the answer, but it's an interesting question.
Autographed copies of my book can be bought at the bottom of this page
Saturday, October 13, 2012
You can always bitch
Recently I had a conversation with someone I care about. He is youger than me but I've known him pretty much his entire life. He is 24-years-old now, and he is kicking ass by the conventional standards. He has already passed his 4 exams to become a CFA and is working for a firm that has sent him to three continents. He lives in a small city and isn't pressed financially. Recently, he came to visit me in New York, a place he spent his early childhood but has no recollection due to moving out at a young age. As I showed him around the city, he, like many people who come to Manhattan for the first time (or first remembered time) his eyes were to the sky in awe at all the big buildings and lights. We spoke briefly about living in New York, and I explained to him how my favorite thing is nobody pays any attention to you when you walk around on the street, you are around a lot of people but you are alone. Most people are indifferent or despise this notion, but that is why I love the city I live in. He, however, nodded his head in agreement and said that he thought it would be really cool to live in a city like that. I told him how proud I was at how great he was doing and he just kind of shook his head back and forth as if he was holding something back before saying something along the lines that he wants more.
For as long as I've known him, he's always been modest. I didn't expect him to say, "Yea, I'm fucking awesome" but I was kind of surprised that he wasn't happy. I then told him that there was nothing wrong with not being content. He went on to talk about eldery people he knows that were shot at by the Nazi's when they were 6-years-old, had siblings killed because soldiers used them as target practice when they were on their way to get bread, being forced into the mountains of Eastern Europe having to live off the land when they were teenagers, getting into bad marriages and having to grind their way out etc etc. At the end he's like, "So my situation isn't really like theirs but I look at them and they have these cool stories, but I don't. But when I tell them this they just tell me that they wouldn't wish what happened to them on anyone, so I guess I should just be happy with what I got."
I looked him dead in the eye and I said, ":Bullshit!"
It doesn't matter that other people have it worse, it doesn't matter that so many people think you're kicking ass and by all normal conventional standards you're doing awesome, the only thing that matters is what you feel inside and what you see when you look in the mirror. Yes, maybe someone who was shot at by Nazis at the age of 6 has trouble empathesizing with you but that doesn't mean that you lose your right to bitch. You always have a right to bitch. I talked about my story about how I had to be unemployed for a year and half before finding a job that paid the bills. My only goal was I wanted to stay in New York and be at a job that requires me to look at a computer all day and have minimal contact with people. At the time, everyone told me my goal sucked and it needed to be more specific. Despite that, I got what I wanted. He looked at me and said, "See that's a cool story, I don't have that, I don't even have a goal like you did,"
I responded, "Then make your goal to find out what your goal is. And when you're the one living it, the story never sounds that cool" I then talked about how he had to move from Europe to America and switch schools 7 times before the age of 12. I switched schools for the first time at age 14. He nodded and said, "yea, but I never saw that as being that cool, but I guess that's your point, it never seems cool when it's you."
I tried a diferent strategy with him in utilizing Socrates with regard to this. I told him that he knows he doesn't want to be where he is now. Maybe he should try moving to Chicago, Miami, New York or a big city given that when I told him about the anononymity of walking by yourself in New York that it was something he craved since his small city everyone looks at him like he's crazy if he goes for a walk. Sometimes when finding what you want to do, you have to first look at what you don't want. I then commented on his statement about "At 24, I achieved a goal I worked really hard for when I got my CFA so now I got my goal...now what." I responded, "That CFA is your ticket to anywhere you want to go. It's not the ends, it is now a means, you are now more employable, more marketable, so you can go somewhere else and it may get you a foot in the door and since you've been moving around your whole life, you're used to starting over in a new city. He was quiet for a while as I kept explaining to him that the only thing that matters is if he is happy with where he's at. I referenced The Alchemist because the main character has a goal to go to the middle of the desert and find this alchemist that can turn lead to gold. Everyone said he was crazy, along the way he got a job he enjoyed and made him comfortable, but he left it because it wasn't his goal.
A lot of people have similar stories as the person in the alchemist. People get stuck in their jobs, blink and realize they're 60 and are miserable. Fear is the thing that stops people from quitting and seeking out what they truly want. Maybe you're like him and don't know what it is you want, but you only get that by constantly trying new things and if you like it, then you have a better idea of what you want to do, if you don't then you are still closer because you can cross something else out. I really wish I was able to tell him the quote "Satisfaction is the end of desire" so it's good that he's not satisfied because life should always be about seeking what you desire and then maintaining it, which is a desire in and of itself (you desire to maintain what you desire). That's all my goal was when I was unemployed, I had lived in New York for 4 years at that point, it had been my goal since I was 4-years-old, now the desire was to maintain my living in New York. At no point should you ever be afraid to bitch, there is no job that is perfect for everyone. If you're not happy, seek out another position that will make you happy. If people tell you you're crazy, than politely nod but keep pursuing it. Never feel guilty because someone has it worse. Just because you don't have the worst story ever, doesn't mean you can't desire to make your life better. You live your life, nobody else, that's why you're the only person who matters in the question "Is where I'm at awesome?" I'm not a believer that everything happens for a reason. But I do think that every experience is a learning experience. I believe that everyone you speak to can help you discern truths. So, I repeat to you, never ever be afraid to bitch, everyone has that right, and I urge you to have the strength to go through the grind seeking it. I understand it's extremely hard and there is so much to fear about it, but at the end of the day, you will be able to look in the mirror and be content with the person you see. Is there any goal more worthy of seeking as that?
Autographed copies of my book can be bought at the bottom of this site.
For as long as I've known him, he's always been modest. I didn't expect him to say, "Yea, I'm fucking awesome" but I was kind of surprised that he wasn't happy. I then told him that there was nothing wrong with not being content. He went on to talk about eldery people he knows that were shot at by the Nazi's when they were 6-years-old, had siblings killed because soldiers used them as target practice when they were on their way to get bread, being forced into the mountains of Eastern Europe having to live off the land when they were teenagers, getting into bad marriages and having to grind their way out etc etc. At the end he's like, "So my situation isn't really like theirs but I look at them and they have these cool stories, but I don't. But when I tell them this they just tell me that they wouldn't wish what happened to them on anyone, so I guess I should just be happy with what I got."
I looked him dead in the eye and I said, ":Bullshit!"
It doesn't matter that other people have it worse, it doesn't matter that so many people think you're kicking ass and by all normal conventional standards you're doing awesome, the only thing that matters is what you feel inside and what you see when you look in the mirror. Yes, maybe someone who was shot at by Nazis at the age of 6 has trouble empathesizing with you but that doesn't mean that you lose your right to bitch. You always have a right to bitch. I talked about my story about how I had to be unemployed for a year and half before finding a job that paid the bills. My only goal was I wanted to stay in New York and be at a job that requires me to look at a computer all day and have minimal contact with people. At the time, everyone told me my goal sucked and it needed to be more specific. Despite that, I got what I wanted. He looked at me and said, "See that's a cool story, I don't have that, I don't even have a goal like you did,"
I responded, "Then make your goal to find out what your goal is. And when you're the one living it, the story never sounds that cool" I then talked about how he had to move from Europe to America and switch schools 7 times before the age of 12. I switched schools for the first time at age 14. He nodded and said, "yea, but I never saw that as being that cool, but I guess that's your point, it never seems cool when it's you."
I tried a diferent strategy with him in utilizing Socrates with regard to this. I told him that he knows he doesn't want to be where he is now. Maybe he should try moving to Chicago, Miami, New York or a big city given that when I told him about the anononymity of walking by yourself in New York that it was something he craved since his small city everyone looks at him like he's crazy if he goes for a walk. Sometimes when finding what you want to do, you have to first look at what you don't want. I then commented on his statement about "At 24, I achieved a goal I worked really hard for when I got my CFA so now I got my goal...now what." I responded, "That CFA is your ticket to anywhere you want to go. It's not the ends, it is now a means, you are now more employable, more marketable, so you can go somewhere else and it may get you a foot in the door and since you've been moving around your whole life, you're used to starting over in a new city. He was quiet for a while as I kept explaining to him that the only thing that matters is if he is happy with where he's at. I referenced The Alchemist because the main character has a goal to go to the middle of the desert and find this alchemist that can turn lead to gold. Everyone said he was crazy, along the way he got a job he enjoyed and made him comfortable, but he left it because it wasn't his goal.
A lot of people have similar stories as the person in the alchemist. People get stuck in their jobs, blink and realize they're 60 and are miserable. Fear is the thing that stops people from quitting and seeking out what they truly want. Maybe you're like him and don't know what it is you want, but you only get that by constantly trying new things and if you like it, then you have a better idea of what you want to do, if you don't then you are still closer because you can cross something else out. I really wish I was able to tell him the quote "Satisfaction is the end of desire" so it's good that he's not satisfied because life should always be about seeking what you desire and then maintaining it, which is a desire in and of itself (you desire to maintain what you desire). That's all my goal was when I was unemployed, I had lived in New York for 4 years at that point, it had been my goal since I was 4-years-old, now the desire was to maintain my living in New York. At no point should you ever be afraid to bitch, there is no job that is perfect for everyone. If you're not happy, seek out another position that will make you happy. If people tell you you're crazy, than politely nod but keep pursuing it. Never feel guilty because someone has it worse. Just because you don't have the worst story ever, doesn't mean you can't desire to make your life better. You live your life, nobody else, that's why you're the only person who matters in the question "Is where I'm at awesome?" I'm not a believer that everything happens for a reason. But I do think that every experience is a learning experience. I believe that everyone you speak to can help you discern truths. So, I repeat to you, never ever be afraid to bitch, everyone has that right, and I urge you to have the strength to go through the grind seeking it. I understand it's extremely hard and there is so much to fear about it, but at the end of the day, you will be able to look in the mirror and be content with the person you see. Is there any goal more worthy of seeking as that?
Autographed copies of my book can be bought at the bottom of this site.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Obama's strategy
After last week's presidential debate, people were confounded on how badly President Obama did. I was no exception. President Obama is normally a great speaker but somehow he didn't show it in the debate. Many conservatives say that he can't speak without a teleprompter but he's done well in interviews and he doesn't have a teleprompter there. Maybe he knew he was in trouble with his wife because their anniversary was spent with him having to work. Maybe she pulled a "if you really love me, you will throw the debate." so he did knowing he has two more. What is amazing to me is that it really didn't matter much.
In the three most important states (Virginia, Ohio, and Florida) Romney made headway to be leading in Florida and Virginia (and North Carolina) and closed the eight point Ohio deficit to one point. These polls, however, have a three point error, so he's still neck and neck with Romney. All he has to do is not get blown out in the next two debates, and I think he will win. I don't think he'll get as destroyed in the next two debates as he did in the first, so things are looking good.
The question that everyone has been asking is why President Obama didn't use the 47% video in the first debate. The next day, many experts were interviewed and none had a really good answer, but I figured it out. President Obama didn't have to use the 47% quote because he knew that every single news station and commentator would bring it up the next day. Even if it was in the context of how the President messed up, it's still repeated over and over and over on any news station for the next three days. The beauty of it is that Romney doesn't get to tell everyone his response, which all agree he had. Now, the point can be said without Romney's defense. President Obama has done very well attacking Romney when it's just him talking to an audience and Romney can't respond.
Since I DVR everything, I very rarely see commmercials, it's normally just a tail end of the last commercial before my show comes on because I hit "Play" on the DVR too fast and it backs up to the commercial. Despite this, I've managed to notice a plethora of Obama ads...I haven't seen 1 Romney ad. Obama is corrupting the masses and people who spend all their time watching TV but not the news. Since the debate, I've caught commericals talking about how Romney lied during the debate. The day after the debate, Obama held a press conference again repeating that Romney is going to lower taxes on the wealthiest Americans, a point that Romney not only affirmed was inaccurate but commented that no matter how many times the President's campaign says it, it doesn't mean it's true. The President's strategy is the same as Adolf Hitler's strategy, Hitler was quoted as saying "If a lie is told as often enough and as accurate enough, people will believe anything," The President is repeating the lie verbatim extremely often because he knows people will believe it, just like Hitler did and Hitler did very well in brainwashing a nation. Now, I am NOT saying President Obama is Hitler; Hitler is infinitely worse than President Obama, but their strategies for campaigning are similar.
I don't know who will win the election. Experts always say, "You can't say 'liar'" when attacking your opponent, yet President Obama's campaign has used that termonlogy with no adverse effects (no positive either, it just remained the same). Now with this picture that makes Romney look like he's mooning a little girl, it's ridiculous but people are dumb enough to believe that Romney actually did that. I can't believe this election is so close. I can't believe 25% of people polled say Obama won the debate. That's also the same percentage of Amricans who believe Bush planned 9/11. With 25% of the American population being this retarded, how can someone who actually knows how to run the country actually win? In any objective world, Romney's victory would rival Raegan's over Carter and Mondale. Romney knows business, he knows that punishing entrepreneurs and the job creators is bad for growth, he knows economics, he can do much much better than Obama in running our country but he's being outspent by Obama. Which is ironic because all President Obama and liberals can talk about is how rich Romney is. If he's so rich, how come he hasn't flooded TV with ads? Even if Romney wins the election, I still fear for this country because all it's showing is that the general public is stupid. They really think communism is a good idea. They really think Obama creates jobs. They really think that Obama raising the deficit by more than double what President Bush did (6 trillion increase for Obama; 5 trillion for Bush) in less than half the time Bush did, is still Bush's fault. With people this stupid, where's the hope in America?
Autographed copies of my book can be bought at the bottom of this page
In the three most important states (Virginia, Ohio, and Florida) Romney made headway to be leading in Florida and Virginia (and North Carolina) and closed the eight point Ohio deficit to one point. These polls, however, have a three point error, so he's still neck and neck with Romney. All he has to do is not get blown out in the next two debates, and I think he will win. I don't think he'll get as destroyed in the next two debates as he did in the first, so things are looking good.
The question that everyone has been asking is why President Obama didn't use the 47% video in the first debate. The next day, many experts were interviewed and none had a really good answer, but I figured it out. President Obama didn't have to use the 47% quote because he knew that every single news station and commentator would bring it up the next day. Even if it was in the context of how the President messed up, it's still repeated over and over and over on any news station for the next three days. The beauty of it is that Romney doesn't get to tell everyone his response, which all agree he had. Now, the point can be said without Romney's defense. President Obama has done very well attacking Romney when it's just him talking to an audience and Romney can't respond.
Since I DVR everything, I very rarely see commmercials, it's normally just a tail end of the last commercial before my show comes on because I hit "Play" on the DVR too fast and it backs up to the commercial. Despite this, I've managed to notice a plethora of Obama ads...I haven't seen 1 Romney ad. Obama is corrupting the masses and people who spend all their time watching TV but not the news. Since the debate, I've caught commericals talking about how Romney lied during the debate. The day after the debate, Obama held a press conference again repeating that Romney is going to lower taxes on the wealthiest Americans, a point that Romney not only affirmed was inaccurate but commented that no matter how many times the President's campaign says it, it doesn't mean it's true. The President's strategy is the same as Adolf Hitler's strategy, Hitler was quoted as saying "If a lie is told as often enough and as accurate enough, people will believe anything," The President is repeating the lie verbatim extremely often because he knows people will believe it, just like Hitler did and Hitler did very well in brainwashing a nation. Now, I am NOT saying President Obama is Hitler; Hitler is infinitely worse than President Obama, but their strategies for campaigning are similar.
I don't know who will win the election. Experts always say, "You can't say 'liar'" when attacking your opponent, yet President Obama's campaign has used that termonlogy with no adverse effects (no positive either, it just remained the same). Now with this picture that makes Romney look like he's mooning a little girl, it's ridiculous but people are dumb enough to believe that Romney actually did that. I can't believe this election is so close. I can't believe 25% of people polled say Obama won the debate. That's also the same percentage of Amricans who believe Bush planned 9/11. With 25% of the American population being this retarded, how can someone who actually knows how to run the country actually win? In any objective world, Romney's victory would rival Raegan's over Carter and Mondale. Romney knows business, he knows that punishing entrepreneurs and the job creators is bad for growth, he knows economics, he can do much much better than Obama in running our country but he's being outspent by Obama. Which is ironic because all President Obama and liberals can talk about is how rich Romney is. If he's so rich, how come he hasn't flooded TV with ads? Even if Romney wins the election, I still fear for this country because all it's showing is that the general public is stupid. They really think communism is a good idea. They really think Obama creates jobs. They really think that Obama raising the deficit by more than double what President Bush did (6 trillion increase for Obama; 5 trillion for Bush) in less than half the time Bush did, is still Bush's fault. With people this stupid, where's the hope in America?
Autographed copies of my book can be bought at the bottom of this page
Sunday, September 30, 2012
I finished the marathon
Well as you can tell by the title, I DID IT!!!! Now we'll talk about my exeperience the drive out started rough as I didn't bring my GPS because I thought my friend's blackberry could direct us....it didn't do a very good job and after crossing the Queensborough bridge, we had trouble finding the LIE. FInally we drove to Astoria and got on the grand central to the LIE (Long Island Expresseay)to the Hamptons. I was really nervous because I wanted to carb up but the restaurant closes at 10, it takes 2 hours to drive and we started at 7:45 but with the mishap, we were behind schedule. I had brought 2 cans of Chef Boyardee in case the retaurant was closed. We got there at 9:45 and they were extremely patient letting us sit and eat long after closing time. I had a lot of pasta, bread and water so carbing up was done, now it was just go home and wait for the next day.
I woke up at 3AM and couldn't fall back asleep. At 5:30 I began preparing for the marathon. Oddly the last time I put on the peteroleum jelly to prevent chafing for a training run, it was real surreal but this time, the last time I'll ever have to do it, felt like just any other day. I had brought a zip lock bag of Frosted flakes and ate that. At 6:30 I woke up my friend, took a G1 packet and drank a 20oz of gatorade. So far everything was going as planned. We left at 7:00 as it says it takes 40 minutes to get to the start of the race from my friend's house. We arrived around 7:30 and I went to check the superfluous items, keys, cell phone and a G3. I had 7 GU goo in my shorts because my goal was to finish in 5 hours and these are supposed to be taken every 50 minutes. I also had a pack of SHotblock, which should be taken 15 minutes before the race. When I tried to check the things, they told me I needed a bag. I went to another table and asked if they had a small bag, the woman took my bag ticket and threw it away and told me that she didn't have one. I asked for the ticket back, and she gave me a T-shirt ticket and said it was the same thing. Then I see a big sign that said "Problems" so I went over there and told them of my predicament, they gave me a zip lock bag and mentioned she'd get in trouble by the person's whose bag it was. I didn't care, I put my stuff in it and walked back to the bag counter. I wanted to call my friend to see if she left yet but my phone had no service. As expected, they didn't accept my bag ticket so I went back to the lady who threw it away and told her i needed it back. She tried telling me that she didn't know which one it was but as it has my name on it I told her, "I DO!" and she handed me the box, I quickly found my tag and walked over and checked my bag. Then I started stretching, at 7:45, I ate all 6 shotblock gummies. Then I waited in line for the bathroom. Strapped to me was my fuel belt with two waterbottles of gatorade and one of water. When I got out of the portapotty, it was empty as everyone went to the start, so I walked to the race start.
Everyone was confused at the start, the race started but nobody seemed to realize it, so people kept telling us and we went. I started 8 minutes after the race oficially started. I was wearing a sweatshirt which I was going to take off 8 miles into it. The point was, the e-mail I got from my friend told me to run slower than normal for the first 8, then normal after that. I wore the sweatshirt to slow me down. It also said not to weave so when I got stuck behind slow people, I ran at their pace unless they walked than I went by them. Some moved over, then I passed them as I was not weaving. It was a relaxing part, I eavesdropped on runner's conversations and at mile 4 or 5, I realized I was sweating profusely and debated to take off the sweatshirt, but I didn't. There was a water stand by mile 8, so I poured water on myself knowing that the extra weight of wet clothing wouldn't be a problem because I was taking off the shirt soon anyway. I passed mile 8, and threw the shirt off, looked at my watch, which I had started the stopclock when I started the race and saw 1:26, the slowest I've ever run 8 miles, but that was the point. During this time I didn't sing any songs to motivate me as I kept telling myself that the race doesn't start till mile 8. Once someone remarked how they could see me Lebron jersey under the long-sleeve T-shirt so I pulled it up so he could see the "Sux" part, no reaction except "Oh:" I didn't keep with the gatorade every 20 minutes at this point because I was taking it easy.
Now the race had really started for me and I ran at my normal speed. The crowds thinned out by now so I didn't have to weave too much. At mile 6, the half marathon and marathon split, and after the split, cars are allowed to be driving so I did cross the street once so that cars would be coming toward me rather than behind. As I got on the road that ends in a hair pin turn(mile 11) some people on their way back cheered me on. I didn't return it, but just said "Thanks" as I wanted to conserve energy. A couple ran by and got excited because they were from Cleveland, and the front of my jersey said Cleveland they stuck their hands out and I gave them 5. THere were very few spectators but the few that remained would cheer me on and call me "Cleveland" I kept going till I got to mile 16, looked at my watch and saw 2:44, I had just run my second 8 miles 8 minutes faster than the precious 8, which is called a negative split and exactly what I intended. Now the hard part.
The hamptons marathon has a steep hill from mile 17.5 - 19. I kept telling myself that I was close. I got through it. I noticed lot of people walking, in fact, it seemed more people stopped to walk/stretch/go to the bathroom than didn't. THe advice I received of "It's not worth it to stop" seemed wrong now. There weren't many gatorade stands in the beginning but I had mine and took a sip every 20 minutes. I hadn't used much even with taking a sip after the GU, as I did find something to wash it down with. At this point (mile 16 or so) I threw away the water bottle with water as there are a lot of water stations. As I passed mile 19, I told myself that the hard part was over and it's just smooth sailing from here. Now every stand had gatorade and water, which I liked. I think it was a good idea to put the gatorade stands at the end of the race rather than throughout. By mile 22 or so, I abandoned my plan to only take gatorade every 20 minutes but every time I saw a gatorade stand and every 20 minutes with the ones I had strapped to me. a couple times, they coincided but not often. At mile 20 or so, I realized that the hard part really did take a lot out of me. Mile markers seem to be very far apart now. The "Auto Pilot at mile 20 that carries you through the remaining 6.2" that my friend claimed work was not working. I kept looking at my watch at mile markers and it seemed that I had slowed to 15 minute miles. So at 24.2 I decided that there was no point to keep running since running wasn't much faster than wallking as I can walk a mile in 20 minutes.
I did this at the 2nd hairpin turn, (mile 24.2) it had been almost all uphill so the return trip should be downhill. BUt when I was looking at it, it still seemed uphill. When I stopped to walk, I was extremely dizzy but after walking for a little bit, I regained my equilbrium. As I watched 2 women passed me and one cheered me on, I said, "Let's go" and started runing, within 30 seconds they stoppped to walk, which was kind of a buzz kill for me. I started alternating between walking and running. I looked at my watch and realized that even if I walked all the way to finish, I would still finish before the 5 hour goal. This was patantly false but math had abandoned me in my tired state. I was around mile 25. I was happy that at mile 19, we met up with the half marathon course because the mile markers and every 5k markers for the half marathoners, gave me more indication how close I was. With the half marathon, you only add 0.1 rather than 0.2 to every mile marker for miles left. I saw I had 3 minutes left before taking another GU. I decided to walk tll then, I did so and then started runing and didn't stop till the finish. Before mile 20, I realized that even though the Dixie cups were only a fourth full, It was still less than the sips I take. So I took my sips, than threw away the rest. Now, I carried the cup taking small sips...it usually took about 0.2 miles to finish it.
At this point (after mile 19), I couldn't occupy my mind, it was really bothering me how far the mile markers felt. I didn't sing all the songs that motivated me, I was just exhausted. Before the race, I said if a woman passed me toward the end, it would motivate me to speed up. Many woman passed me throughout the race, never did I use it as a motivation point. Sometime around mile 25, an ambulance passed by which was really a buzz kill but I kept going. I ran by mile 26 and immediately looked for mile 13 for the half marathoners to tell me I was 0.1 away. I found it and other people cheered me on. I turned a corner and there was the finish line, I heard my mother scream and many other people cheering. I then kicked it and sprinted past the finish as I heard my name announced and I was from Brooklyn and it was my 1st. I received my medal and cape. Some guy who worked for the marathon chased me down and kept asking if I was okay and directed me to a water stand. I took out the last water bottle (I threw away the other one when it was empty) which was half filled with gatorade and showed it to him. I drank the rest then tossed the water bottle. I knew this was my last run so I wouldn't need it anymore. I then unstraped the fuel belt and threw it to the side for the same reason. The guy took this as a sign I wasn't okay. BUt I assured him I was, I could hear my friend and my mom calling after me but all I wanted was for the 5 minute countdown on my watch to expire so I could do my cool down stretches. I forgot to stop the stopwatch, realized it with about 2 minutes left of the 5 mintues so I stopped it and subtracted 3 minutes so my finishing time was 4:51. The official time was 4:56 and since in the beginning my watch was 8 minutes off the official time, I think it may have been 4:48, both logic work (the countdown and my memory) so one is true, one is false, I really don't know which one. But I did accomplish my goal of sub-5 hours no matter how you look at it.
The 5 minute countdown expired and I collapsed down to do my cool down stretches. My friend's husband told me it was a bad idea, but I knew I had to do it. I lifted my leg and started. My dad helped me keep it straight. I wasn't very friendly at this point because my dad didn't realize when I was going to switch even after telling him that when my hand reaches "4" I was switching. So I called out switch. As I went through, my thighs cramped a lot. I kept looking at a snack stand and my friend kept asking if I wanted anything but I couldn't form the words that I wanted fries. As it was misty rain and 60 degrees, perfect running weather, bad everything else weather, they seemed to be getting impatient, but I told them it would take 30 minutes and I wanted to finsih my stretches. Suzanne, the woman who cheered me on in between 24.2 and 25, found me and gave me a bottle of recovery water that they give you for free. I had my mom take off my tag and retrieve my stuff. Finally I finished my stretches, chugged teh G3 recovery and the recvoery water realizing the recovery water was very salty. THis helps most runners but I knew from previous experience it doesn't help me as my body overheats and I get the chills, which is exactly what started to happen at first but once i overheated, I never went to the other extreme. I posed for pictures with my friend and my parents and then walked to my friend's car. I realized my arms were killing me along with my thighs especially. I made my way to his car and then sat in the back seat with my legs spread out across. My calves began cramping majorly and I kept stopping it by putting one foot on top of the others and pulling my toes back but lifting my leg to put on the other hurt bad and took a decent amount of time, meanwhile I was still cramping.
My friend's husband got lost on the way to the restaurant and we were going near my friend's house, which was about 40 minutes away. During this time I badly needed sustenance. My friend had caramel in the car, so I tried that after being assured she had water. Now that I had water, I took another GU packet as I had 2 unused ones (I brought one extra in case I ran slower than expected and 1 was given to me at mile 17). I was really tired and lightheaded and I badly wanted to get to the restaurant. I had been championing steak the whole previous day and since I finished so that's where we were going. FInally we got to the restaurant and I couldn't get out of the car. My friend offtered to help, I grabbed her arm but didn't want to pull on her as I knew she couldn't support my weight. I managed to get to my feet. I grabbed the waist of my pants because I literally couldn't lift my arms. I shuffled my feet toward the restaurant and made it very slowly feeling the worst I've felt ever from running. I got to the resaurant, still wearing the cape and sat down next to my mother, who gave me a sweater and other clothes. She told me to go the bathroom to put on pants but I absolutely refused to do any extra walking. As waitors came by I kept chanting "Beer, I need beer, someone get me beer" The waitor poured me water but I was done with that; I needed calories. Finally he asked what kind of beer, I said Coors Light and he brought it and I took a sip and it was freezing cold and refreshing. As I kept eating and drinking I started feeling better. When we left the waitor congratulated me, shook my hand and told me that I look much better now than when I walked in. My dad was happy to see color restore to my face. I was still sore but I could lift my arms at least. I turned the corner to recovery.
After that, I went back to my friend's house and took a long shower, which I desperately needed. They went to sleep, I tried to sleep but somehow couldn't. I was in a lot of pain but my head felt fine unlike when I finished. I redid the math, and realized that my last 10 miles I averaged 12:27 miles, which includes all the walking I did between mile 24.2 and 26.2. By extension, there is no way I was running 15 minute miles between 20 and 24 as I thought I had been. My math or memoy was wrong when I made that calculation at the time. Now for the first time, I had a regret, maybe I could have finished without stopping. I started getting an itch to try again but that faded quickly. I kept telling myself that most people I saw walked at some point so I was fine. The rest of the day was spent resting, going to dinner, and resting some more. I was really sore and stairs were a problem, especially down. I didn't fall asleep till midnight even though I went to bed at 10. THroughout the day, people were texting and calling about my race. I welcomed all of it. Next day we had breakfast and drove to the city. When I woke up this morning (same day as driving back to the city) it finally settled in that I had run a marathon. It feels amazing and the regret I had from walking is long gone. I'm so happy I did it, but I would never do it again. The one thing I don't understand is despite all the fluids I was drinking during the race, I never had to go to the bathroom. During all my long runs, I had to go to the bathroom but just held it. I never did, I guess I was burning it off that quickly. I tell myself now that given how bad of shape I was when I finished, if I hadn't stopped to walk, I may have collapsed or even not finished. Who knows if that's true, I"m never doing it again.
I woke up at 3AM and couldn't fall back asleep. At 5:30 I began preparing for the marathon. Oddly the last time I put on the peteroleum jelly to prevent chafing for a training run, it was real surreal but this time, the last time I'll ever have to do it, felt like just any other day. I had brought a zip lock bag of Frosted flakes and ate that. At 6:30 I woke up my friend, took a G1 packet and drank a 20oz of gatorade. So far everything was going as planned. We left at 7:00 as it says it takes 40 minutes to get to the start of the race from my friend's house. We arrived around 7:30 and I went to check the superfluous items, keys, cell phone and a G3. I had 7 GU goo in my shorts because my goal was to finish in 5 hours and these are supposed to be taken every 50 minutes. I also had a pack of SHotblock, which should be taken 15 minutes before the race. When I tried to check the things, they told me I needed a bag. I went to another table and asked if they had a small bag, the woman took my bag ticket and threw it away and told me that she didn't have one. I asked for the ticket back, and she gave me a T-shirt ticket and said it was the same thing. Then I see a big sign that said "Problems" so I went over there and told them of my predicament, they gave me a zip lock bag and mentioned she'd get in trouble by the person's whose bag it was. I didn't care, I put my stuff in it and walked back to the bag counter. I wanted to call my friend to see if she left yet but my phone had no service. As expected, they didn't accept my bag ticket so I went back to the lady who threw it away and told her i needed it back. She tried telling me that she didn't know which one it was but as it has my name on it I told her, "I DO!" and she handed me the box, I quickly found my tag and walked over and checked my bag. Then I started stretching, at 7:45, I ate all 6 shotblock gummies. Then I waited in line for the bathroom. Strapped to me was my fuel belt with two waterbottles of gatorade and one of water. When I got out of the portapotty, it was empty as everyone went to the start, so I walked to the race start.
Everyone was confused at the start, the race started but nobody seemed to realize it, so people kept telling us and we went. I started 8 minutes after the race oficially started. I was wearing a sweatshirt which I was going to take off 8 miles into it. The point was, the e-mail I got from my friend told me to run slower than normal for the first 8, then normal after that. I wore the sweatshirt to slow me down. It also said not to weave so when I got stuck behind slow people, I ran at their pace unless they walked than I went by them. Some moved over, then I passed them as I was not weaving. It was a relaxing part, I eavesdropped on runner's conversations and at mile 4 or 5, I realized I was sweating profusely and debated to take off the sweatshirt, but I didn't. There was a water stand by mile 8, so I poured water on myself knowing that the extra weight of wet clothing wouldn't be a problem because I was taking off the shirt soon anyway. I passed mile 8, and threw the shirt off, looked at my watch, which I had started the stopclock when I started the race and saw 1:26, the slowest I've ever run 8 miles, but that was the point. During this time I didn't sing any songs to motivate me as I kept telling myself that the race doesn't start till mile 8. Once someone remarked how they could see me Lebron jersey under the long-sleeve T-shirt so I pulled it up so he could see the "Sux" part, no reaction except "Oh:" I didn't keep with the gatorade every 20 minutes at this point because I was taking it easy.
Now the race had really started for me and I ran at my normal speed. The crowds thinned out by now so I didn't have to weave too much. At mile 6, the half marathon and marathon split, and after the split, cars are allowed to be driving so I did cross the street once so that cars would be coming toward me rather than behind. As I got on the road that ends in a hair pin turn(mile 11) some people on their way back cheered me on. I didn't return it, but just said "Thanks" as I wanted to conserve energy. A couple ran by and got excited because they were from Cleveland, and the front of my jersey said Cleveland they stuck their hands out and I gave them 5. THere were very few spectators but the few that remained would cheer me on and call me "Cleveland" I kept going till I got to mile 16, looked at my watch and saw 2:44, I had just run my second 8 miles 8 minutes faster than the precious 8, which is called a negative split and exactly what I intended. Now the hard part.
The hamptons marathon has a steep hill from mile 17.5 - 19. I kept telling myself that I was close. I got through it. I noticed lot of people walking, in fact, it seemed more people stopped to walk/stretch/go to the bathroom than didn't. THe advice I received of "It's not worth it to stop" seemed wrong now. There weren't many gatorade stands in the beginning but I had mine and took a sip every 20 minutes. I hadn't used much even with taking a sip after the GU, as I did find something to wash it down with. At this point (mile 16 or so) I threw away the water bottle with water as there are a lot of water stations. As I passed mile 19, I told myself that the hard part was over and it's just smooth sailing from here. Now every stand had gatorade and water, which I liked. I think it was a good idea to put the gatorade stands at the end of the race rather than throughout. By mile 22 or so, I abandoned my plan to only take gatorade every 20 minutes but every time I saw a gatorade stand and every 20 minutes with the ones I had strapped to me. a couple times, they coincided but not often. At mile 20 or so, I realized that the hard part really did take a lot out of me. Mile markers seem to be very far apart now. The "Auto Pilot at mile 20 that carries you through the remaining 6.2" that my friend claimed work was not working. I kept looking at my watch at mile markers and it seemed that I had slowed to 15 minute miles. So at 24.2 I decided that there was no point to keep running since running wasn't much faster than wallking as I can walk a mile in 20 minutes.
I did this at the 2nd hairpin turn, (mile 24.2) it had been almost all uphill so the return trip should be downhill. BUt when I was looking at it, it still seemed uphill. When I stopped to walk, I was extremely dizzy but after walking for a little bit, I regained my equilbrium. As I watched 2 women passed me and one cheered me on, I said, "Let's go" and started runing, within 30 seconds they stoppped to walk, which was kind of a buzz kill for me. I started alternating between walking and running. I looked at my watch and realized that even if I walked all the way to finish, I would still finish before the 5 hour goal. This was patantly false but math had abandoned me in my tired state. I was around mile 25. I was happy that at mile 19, we met up with the half marathon course because the mile markers and every 5k markers for the half marathoners, gave me more indication how close I was. With the half marathon, you only add 0.1 rather than 0.2 to every mile marker for miles left. I saw I had 3 minutes left before taking another GU. I decided to walk tll then, I did so and then started runing and didn't stop till the finish. Before mile 20, I realized that even though the Dixie cups were only a fourth full, It was still less than the sips I take. So I took my sips, than threw away the rest. Now, I carried the cup taking small sips...it usually took about 0.2 miles to finish it.
At this point (after mile 19), I couldn't occupy my mind, it was really bothering me how far the mile markers felt. I didn't sing all the songs that motivated me, I was just exhausted. Before the race, I said if a woman passed me toward the end, it would motivate me to speed up. Many woman passed me throughout the race, never did I use it as a motivation point. Sometime around mile 25, an ambulance passed by which was really a buzz kill but I kept going. I ran by mile 26 and immediately looked for mile 13 for the half marathoners to tell me I was 0.1 away. I found it and other people cheered me on. I turned a corner and there was the finish line, I heard my mother scream and many other people cheering. I then kicked it and sprinted past the finish as I heard my name announced and I was from Brooklyn and it was my 1st. I received my medal and cape. Some guy who worked for the marathon chased me down and kept asking if I was okay and directed me to a water stand. I took out the last water bottle (I threw away the other one when it was empty) which was half filled with gatorade and showed it to him. I drank the rest then tossed the water bottle. I knew this was my last run so I wouldn't need it anymore. I then unstraped the fuel belt and threw it to the side for the same reason. The guy took this as a sign I wasn't okay. BUt I assured him I was, I could hear my friend and my mom calling after me but all I wanted was for the 5 minute countdown on my watch to expire so I could do my cool down stretches. I forgot to stop the stopwatch, realized it with about 2 minutes left of the 5 mintues so I stopped it and subtracted 3 minutes so my finishing time was 4:51. The official time was 4:56 and since in the beginning my watch was 8 minutes off the official time, I think it may have been 4:48, both logic work (the countdown and my memory) so one is true, one is false, I really don't know which one. But I did accomplish my goal of sub-5 hours no matter how you look at it.
The 5 minute countdown expired and I collapsed down to do my cool down stretches. My friend's husband told me it was a bad idea, but I knew I had to do it. I lifted my leg and started. My dad helped me keep it straight. I wasn't very friendly at this point because my dad didn't realize when I was going to switch even after telling him that when my hand reaches "4" I was switching. So I called out switch. As I went through, my thighs cramped a lot. I kept looking at a snack stand and my friend kept asking if I wanted anything but I couldn't form the words that I wanted fries. As it was misty rain and 60 degrees, perfect running weather, bad everything else weather, they seemed to be getting impatient, but I told them it would take 30 minutes and I wanted to finsih my stretches. Suzanne, the woman who cheered me on in between 24.2 and 25, found me and gave me a bottle of recovery water that they give you for free. I had my mom take off my tag and retrieve my stuff. Finally I finished my stretches, chugged teh G3 recovery and the recvoery water realizing the recovery water was very salty. THis helps most runners but I knew from previous experience it doesn't help me as my body overheats and I get the chills, which is exactly what started to happen at first but once i overheated, I never went to the other extreme. I posed for pictures with my friend and my parents and then walked to my friend's car. I realized my arms were killing me along with my thighs especially. I made my way to his car and then sat in the back seat with my legs spread out across. My calves began cramping majorly and I kept stopping it by putting one foot on top of the others and pulling my toes back but lifting my leg to put on the other hurt bad and took a decent amount of time, meanwhile I was still cramping.
My friend's husband got lost on the way to the restaurant and we were going near my friend's house, which was about 40 minutes away. During this time I badly needed sustenance. My friend had caramel in the car, so I tried that after being assured she had water. Now that I had water, I took another GU packet as I had 2 unused ones (I brought one extra in case I ran slower than expected and 1 was given to me at mile 17). I was really tired and lightheaded and I badly wanted to get to the restaurant. I had been championing steak the whole previous day and since I finished so that's where we were going. FInally we got to the restaurant and I couldn't get out of the car. My friend offtered to help, I grabbed her arm but didn't want to pull on her as I knew she couldn't support my weight. I managed to get to my feet. I grabbed the waist of my pants because I literally couldn't lift my arms. I shuffled my feet toward the restaurant and made it very slowly feeling the worst I've felt ever from running. I got to the resaurant, still wearing the cape and sat down next to my mother, who gave me a sweater and other clothes. She told me to go the bathroom to put on pants but I absolutely refused to do any extra walking. As waitors came by I kept chanting "Beer, I need beer, someone get me beer" The waitor poured me water but I was done with that; I needed calories. Finally he asked what kind of beer, I said Coors Light and he brought it and I took a sip and it was freezing cold and refreshing. As I kept eating and drinking I started feeling better. When we left the waitor congratulated me, shook my hand and told me that I look much better now than when I walked in. My dad was happy to see color restore to my face. I was still sore but I could lift my arms at least. I turned the corner to recovery.
After that, I went back to my friend's house and took a long shower, which I desperately needed. They went to sleep, I tried to sleep but somehow couldn't. I was in a lot of pain but my head felt fine unlike when I finished. I redid the math, and realized that my last 10 miles I averaged 12:27 miles, which includes all the walking I did between mile 24.2 and 26.2. By extension, there is no way I was running 15 minute miles between 20 and 24 as I thought I had been. My math or memoy was wrong when I made that calculation at the time. Now for the first time, I had a regret, maybe I could have finished without stopping. I started getting an itch to try again but that faded quickly. I kept telling myself that most people I saw walked at some point so I was fine. The rest of the day was spent resting, going to dinner, and resting some more. I was really sore and stairs were a problem, especially down. I didn't fall asleep till midnight even though I went to bed at 10. THroughout the day, people were texting and calling about my race. I welcomed all of it. Next day we had breakfast and drove to the city. When I woke up this morning (same day as driving back to the city) it finally settled in that I had run a marathon. It feels amazing and the regret I had from walking is long gone. I'm so happy I did it, but I would never do it again. The one thing I don't understand is despite all the fluids I was drinking during the race, I never had to go to the bathroom. During all my long runs, I had to go to the bathroom but just held it. I never did, I guess I was burning it off that quickly. I tell myself now that given how bad of shape I was when I finished, if I hadn't stopped to walk, I may have collapsed or even not finished. Who knows if that's true, I"m never doing it again.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Psyching up for Marathon
Excuse me, as I do something very corny. But I want to psyche myself up for the marathon. Hamptons marathon, I’ve ran Zakopana, Poland; Wroclaw, Poland; Krakow, Poland; Vienna, Austria; Berlin, Germany; Bratislava, Slovakia; Brooklyn, NY; Commack, NY Cleveland, OH; and Manhattan, NY in preparation for you. You killed the first Greek that tried your relative, this one is coming for vengeance. I’ve left sweat and blood on concrete sidewalks. I’ve ran through sore muscles and pain. I’ve ran till I couldn’t run anymore and walked my way through. Many times I wanted to throw in the towel, but I made the promise that I would keep going until I got injured or until you and meet face to face. Well, your minions couldn’t defeat me, now you got to do it yourself. I’m coming for you, so bring it on. Your 26.2 miles vs. mostly my legs but other parts of my body too, one will prevail. So, on 9/29/12, I got one thing to say to you, “JUST BRING IT.”
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Economics of a family
I've been labeled many things so this post may label me as Anti-woman but that's fine. It isn't a secret that nowadays parents no longer raise their children. The children rearing is left to nannies for the rich and high school girls and/or day care for the not-so-rich. This is almost exclusively caused by the feminist movement. I'm hesitant to say that the latest generation is more corrupt and reprehensible than my generation or those above me because every generation says that about the subsequent ones. Even Egyptian hieroglyphs have this message and a couple hundred years ago, Baldassar Castiglione wrote about it in "Book of the Courtier." But if it is true, I think the lack of parents raising their children is to blame. My question is, "Why is it chauvinistic to say woman should stay at home with the kids?"
I am an economist so I make simplifying assumptions in order to make sense of the world. Today's assumption is that women are better than men at everything. Fair enough assumption, I'm not being anti-women, and men are too cowardly to speak against this so there, we're off to a good start. Women are better than men at work and at raising children but sometimes the woman can't do absolutely everything. There needs to be teamwork. So, what can a man help with? In economics, there is a law called "The Law of comparative advantage" it states that if there are two countries in which one country is better than the other at making two goods, it is still beneficial for the countries to trade if the inferior country focuses on the item where the gap between ability is narrower. For Example, if country A is much better at making textiles and slightly better at making computer chips than Country B, Country A should devote all it's effort to making textiles, and Country B should devote their efforts to making computer chips and then Country A trades textiles for computer chips. When this is done, Country A and Country B have more textiles and computer chips than they would have if they divided their efforts amongst the two goods. In this way, everyone gains and nobody loses, which in Ecomomics is called a "Pareto improvement." Now, how does this law relate to a family?
As we said earlier, women are better than men at everything; they can go to work and work the system and get promoted and bring home more money than men. They are also better at raising kids and keeping a clean house than men are. Now, we need to see where the gap is least. I think it's fair to say that the gap in women's ability over men is far narrower when it comes to the workplace and earning a paycheck than it is for child rearing, and keeping a clean house. Since men are closer in ability to woman at earning a salary than they are at child rearing and keeping a house, it would be advantageous for the man to devote his efforts to earning the paycheck for the family and the woman to take care of the kids and keep a clean house. This way the husband and wife (again, assuming that all people with children are married, as I said before economists make ridiculous assumptions to simplify things) get more money and more child rearing and cleaner house than if they split the responsibility amongst the two of them. I think the future generations would benefit if house wives stop looking at their duty as inferior to a man's, it's just simply logical for them to do it.
Signed copies of my book can be bought at the bottom of this page.
I am an economist so I make simplifying assumptions in order to make sense of the world. Today's assumption is that women are better than men at everything. Fair enough assumption, I'm not being anti-women, and men are too cowardly to speak against this so there, we're off to a good start. Women are better than men at work and at raising children but sometimes the woman can't do absolutely everything. There needs to be teamwork. So, what can a man help with? In economics, there is a law called "The Law of comparative advantage" it states that if there are two countries in which one country is better than the other at making two goods, it is still beneficial for the countries to trade if the inferior country focuses on the item where the gap between ability is narrower. For Example, if country A is much better at making textiles and slightly better at making computer chips than Country B, Country A should devote all it's effort to making textiles, and Country B should devote their efforts to making computer chips and then Country A trades textiles for computer chips. When this is done, Country A and Country B have more textiles and computer chips than they would have if they divided their efforts amongst the two goods. In this way, everyone gains and nobody loses, which in Ecomomics is called a "Pareto improvement." Now, how does this law relate to a family?
As we said earlier, women are better than men at everything; they can go to work and work the system and get promoted and bring home more money than men. They are also better at raising kids and keeping a clean house than men are. Now, we need to see where the gap is least. I think it's fair to say that the gap in women's ability over men is far narrower when it comes to the workplace and earning a paycheck than it is for child rearing, and keeping a clean house. Since men are closer in ability to woman at earning a salary than they are at child rearing and keeping a house, it would be advantageous for the man to devote his efforts to earning the paycheck for the family and the woman to take care of the kids and keep a clean house. This way the husband and wife (again, assuming that all people with children are married, as I said before economists make ridiculous assumptions to simplify things) get more money and more child rearing and cleaner house than if they split the responsibility amongst the two of them. I think the future generations would benefit if house wives stop looking at their duty as inferior to a man's, it's just simply logical for them to do it.
Signed copies of my book can be bought at the bottom of this page.
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