"Smart and Wealthy" and the Econ-oh-me

At 6:00 AM this morning CNN had another of the Bernie Madoff "smart and wealthy" victims on the TV crying that they had lost some of their millions of dollars. This particular fiftyish couple (from the North East part of the country) were now having to live out of their RV in Arizona, something they had planned to do after their retirement. Now they campout for real, on a daily basis.

Guess what they wanted out of all the mess? They wanted their money back! hahahahaha Good one. (Day-time dreamers, and some drugs in the 70's probably caused that thought)

Then I got to thinking what caused all of this. It is the "econ-oh-me". Oh-me, oh-my, it's all about me. The econ-oh-me is in such a shambles that I can't keep my millions and sit on my a.. for the rest of my life.

Oh, the econ-oh-me. What a shame that I was such a "smart and wealthy" human, blessed with a spirit to live, and blessed with "squatters rights" on a planet in a universe that is so huge we can't measure it.

To the victims: get over it, get over the econ-oh-me, look at yourself, plant a new reason to live, and stop whining. Believe it or not, it's not about you, oh-me, oh-my.

Smart and Wealthy

(I have to confess, I don't really appreciate what's referred to as "Talking Heads", just thought I'd get that out up front) But, they are everywhere on TV. This morning, I heard the "Talking Heads" on a TV program (take your pick - CNN, CNCB, ABC, whatever) who said that those who had invested money with Mr Bernie Madoff were "smart and wealthy" people, who, as it turns out, lost 64 billion dollars investing with him. Wealthy, obviously; smart, not hardly; greedy, probably.
Did the "unsmart textile worker", or the "unsmart school teacher", or the "unsmart truck driver" lose money with Mr Madoff? Odds are, NOT!
The people who lost money took their chances, and deserve the returns, be it positive or negative.
Thanks for looking.

Laptop Magazine

While in the Salt Lake City Airport today, I was pretending to be book shopping, and I noticed a headline on the cover of "Laptop" magazine (Mar 2009) that read: "Is tech tearing your family apart?" The essence of the article is just as my blog entries hinted at a month or so back (American Family of the Future, and Community in a Paragraph or Two), ie connected with humans, but NOT really connected. I promise I did not know they were coming out with this article. It is good to be validated by "Laptop" Magazine. (actually I'd never heard of "Laptop" magazine before today).

have a good week.

Swiss Army Knife

I love Swiss Army Knives. I used to have three, but TSA absconded with two of my small 3-inchers. The knives never made it to the bin of "absconded stuff", just to the TSA officers pocket. Probably safer there.

I ran across an ad in a magazine yesterday showing the World's Only Complete Swiss Army Knife. It is 8.75 inches wide and weighs 2.75 pounds. Take a look to the left.

It sports 87 tools, spanning 112 functions. It even has cigar-cutting scissors and a 12/20-gauge shotgun choke tube tool. Man, gotta get one of these. See the full description to the left.

But, as the little girl asked her mom at the Ontario Airport last week (referring to the gas truck re-fueling the plane); "What's it for, mommy?

Well, good question. What is it for?

It has become so "functional" that it is now "dis-functional". We could say the same for large businesses and the federal government. Oh, they all look good on paper, and have good marketing to back them up, good story line, etc. But, I want to see that 12/20-gauge shotgun choke tube tool in action, and we'll then decide if it's worth anything but a laugh.

Memory Foam

A few days ago, my wife and I bought a mattress cover made of "memory foam". You press on the foam and it keeps the shape for a time. Paid about $150 dollars for the thing. That night we plopped it on the bed and gave it a test sleep. I finally dozed off at 6AM after tossing and turning most of the night. If it hadn't been for my wife waking me at 8AM, I'd missed my work appointment.

"How was your sleep?", I asked my wife.
"Oh, I slept good. How about you?, she replied.
(I didn't have the heart to say I'd only slept for 2 hours, so I just agreed-- maybe I'll get used to it)

But, then I got to thinking about "memory foam". I guess you could say the brain is a blob of "memory foam". You press it and it retains it's habits, I mean shape for a while. My daughter-in-law says their "memory foam" mattress cover has lost's it's original shape, and is stuck in a depression, towards the center of the bed. So, if we keep pressing on the same spots in our brain, we, too, could get into a depression. Old habits die hard, we've heard.

Maybe I'll press a few different brain spots, just enough to keep the "Memory foam" alive and well.
Enjoy your Sunday.

Yes, every day is Valentine's Day and ......

My thoughts seem to go haywire while flying. Must be the altitude and the energy drinks Southwest now serves. Anyway, my daughter asked me if the post "See! Red...." meant that every day was Valentine's Day. Of, course every day is Valentine's day. It's just that Hallmark doesn't tell us so.

But, I got to thinking. Maybe it would be more realistic to say that every day life fits a range---say from Valentine's Day to Halloween. You have have a hug one minute and get the "you-know-what" scared out of you the next. Or, the hug itself could be scary. The possibilities are endless.

Many places and people have Valentine's Day themes, but really, if you look behind the scenes, it's all Halloween.


That's why I now sleep with one eye open.


PS: Euromoka, a coffee kiosk at Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Los Angeles serves a mean "Red-Eye" coffee. Try it, if you are there. Cheers.

American Number System

It seems that numbers have come to mean a lot to most Americans. We evaluate ourselves and the quality of our lives with various numbers. Television and the internet pound it into us. Here are some examples:


1. Finance: What is your "credit score"?

2. Health: What is your "good" cholesterol number?

3. Health: What is your "bad" cholesterol number?

4. Happiness: What is your "sleep number"?

5. Business: What is your NPS (Net Promotor Score)?

6. Health and Happiness: How many calories is in that piece of chocolate cake? (worry, worry)

7. Happiness: How many milligrams of caffeine are in that super-charged, energy-zonking drink? (can I have two?)

8. Health: What is your "blood pressure"?

In response to question 8 (note the reference to the number), a lot higher that it should be after considering all these numbers.

Even a trip to the doctor today requires that you describe your pain with a number. As the medical technician asks you, "What is your level of pain on a scale of 1 to 10?" (Oh heck, I am a 10 today, that sleep number bed with a sleep number of 40 is killing my back.)

Let's go back a few years and imagine a time when you you either felt good or you didn't; you either paid your bills or you didn't, or you either slept good or you didn't. Too simple? Maybe not, for I think this number thing has gotten out of control.