You need a Kleenex?

“When I hear somebody sigh, ‘Life is hard,’ I am always tempted to ask, ‘Compared to what?’”
- Sydney J. Harris

I came across that quote this morning and it seems to encapsulate the sentiment of this post.

The economy looks to be in the toilet.

Seemingly everywhere you turn there is more bad news.

Housing prices are falling (glad I own a home), unemployment is up (at least it’s not me this time) and Starbucks is closing stores!

I am pretty sure that Starbucks closing stores is one of the 7 signs of the apocalypse, but I need to double-check Revelations.

I only half-heartedly pay attention to the talking heads on TV as they report on the worsening economy. It’s not until my life is affected that I begin to take note. (I’ve never said that I am NOT a selfish S.O.B.)

So it’s as my friends and I begin to ratchet-back spending, that I take note. Happy hour isn’t a daily occurrence anymore. After attending 15+ Mariners games last season, I’ve been to 2 this season. Most importantly, I am bringing my lunch to work, I’ve never done that…even in elementary school.

Apparently this is life in a recession. And yes, folks, we are in a recession.

I feel partially responsible for this financial quagmire, having been a part of the over-heated real estate/mortgage market that inflated housing prices which lead to the weakening of the dollar.

But I am not losing too much sleep over it, I was a small cog in a much bigger and supremely dysfunctional industry. Besides, I am too busy worrying about how I am going to make my next mortgage payment.

Somehow I am staying afloat, even though I am making less now as a working stiff, than when I was an unemployed bum. So I can sympathize with friends as they lament their current financial situations…to a point.

I am single, the last of a dying breed, among my friends. As such, I am the sole bread winner. I get to pay all bills on my own.

So when married/co-habitating friends being to whine about how hard it is to make ends-meet I say “Buck up.” You are crying to the wrong person.

Not to discredit the financial woes of anyone, but complaining to me about money when two people are putting pennies in the piggy bank, seems a little oblivious.

I feel for you to a point, but am amazed at how unaware of the audience you are.

Everyone needs a sounding board. And I’d imagine that discussing finances with a significant other can raise more issues than are resolved. So feel free to share your dilemmas, but keep my (and all single people’s) situation(s) in mind…Single folks are in the game with one had tied behind their back relative to couples. So if I seem a little hardcore or uncaring, I’m sorry.

I’ll admit, two people do still incur expenses, but the major ones: Rent/Mortgage, Utilities, Groceries, etc. are shared. As such, the are effectively halved when in a (fair) relationship. So when I look at the situation(s) from the outside it’s shocking that finances are a problem.

It’s not easy, but I have been able to make my finances work. So when I hear complaints, one question pops into my head: How can two people, two minds, two incomes have it that much harder than me?

I guess it could be that I am a financial wiz. But I doubt it.

Just had to get that off my chest.

Anybody got a fire extinguisher?

(This is a slightly edited repost from an article I originally wrote 01/29/02 for The Western Front)


It's funny how a little thing like a house fire can put things in perspective.

Well that's just what happened to me last week. A house fire, in which the cause was not determined.

Nothing too big, just five fire engines, an ambulance and the battalion commander.

I kept the whole sight of firefighters strolling into my humble abode, pick-axes and chainsaws in hand, at bay by focusing on the real tragedy.

The tacos.

My roommate came home earlier that night and decided to fix dinner for the roommates, a rare, but nice event.

Just as we began to sit down to our delectable Tex-Mex feast, we realized that the smoke in the house wasn't from the carbonized taco shells left in the oven.

An hour or so later, the fire department deemed the structure relatively safe and we returned to our home, minus a front porch.

But most of all we returned to our waiting, yet very cold, tacos.

At first I was weirded-out, but then I realized it really wasn't that bad.

You've gotta love your life when the biggest tragedy you can imagine is letting your tacos get cold.

The important thing was that no one was hurt.

Keeping things in perspective can be a daunting task. Especially for students who are getting their first taste of independence in the somewhat real world.

It's a good thing this happened to me right now.

Not because I want to give even more of my hard-earned money to the landlord, but because I'm graduating and getting ready to move into a world that isn't underwritten by financial aid.

It may seem odd for the guy who argued for Abercrombie and Fitch downtown, against Martin Luther King Day and is a self-proclaimed wise-ass to discuss the merits of all things immaterial, but I am.

Call me crazy, almost having your house burn down tends to make one a little introspective.

I began to think about what would happen if I had lost all of my stuff and the stuff I had worked so hard to accumulate over the past few years. The resounding answer I found myself uttering was, "Nothing."

It's easy to get wrapped-up in all things unimportant.

When we are engrossed in trivial matters it becomes easy to see how little things can be blown out of proportion.

The success of shows like "Friends" and "Seinfield," illustrate this point.

The real world will always be there. Don't be in such a hurry to be a grown-up.

Take time to smell the roses and play a couple rounds of Frisbee golf. You've got the rest of your life to fret over bills, work and how the kids are getting home from soccer practice.

Enjoy freedom while you can.

Nonetheless, the real world cometh and the high-and-mighty Western Front columnist must leave his throne and bid his home and homies adieu.

A friend of mine in high school had a senior quote that read, "Five years are better than four."


There's some truth to that.

It's a little disconcerting when the department secretary and numerous professors see you and ask, "Are you still here?" But when weighed against parking cars for a living or working at Haggen, school is pretty damn cool.

So I continue on the odyssey of the one who is Homer having had a few revelations.

God bless The Beaver Inn. Downtown is even more worthless than Valentine's Day. President Bush is a moron and buses rule.

I leave you with these parting words, borrowed from Adam Sandler in "Billy Madison":
"Stay here. Stay as long as you can. For the love of God, cherish it."


Note: There may be an updated version of this commentary in the mix. But I was reminded of the column this morning as I was sitting on the sidewalk during not one, but two false fire alarms at 3 and 4 AM. The sentiment rang as true this morning as it did six years ago...I used to be smart or something.

Tuning-out to tune-in

I did something rather out of the ordinary on my way into work this morning.

I turned-off my radio.

I just rolled along in silence.

It was nice.

I can’t remember the last time I totally unplugged and just took some time to think.

I listened to the sounds of tires bounding against the pavement, wind whistling through the cabin of my car and the general nothingness that comes along with driving across I-90 in the morning.

It was refreshing.

Sans the talking heads on the radio, I was able to ponder life. I was able to tackle issues one at a time and contemplate where I stood or how-to resolve each one.

Doing so may seem simple or even trivial, but it hammered home a sad reality to me. I am too distracted and I don't unplug often enough.

And I don’t think I am alone.

In this super-connected world of cell phones, text messages and IMs, it is easy for someone to be caught-up in constant communication. Just look around as you walk on the sidewalk or are driving home, I am willing to bet you see more than one person chatting away or typing feverishly on a cell phone.

Now I admit, I am one of those people. I take after one of my good friends and call people while I am stuck in traffic to pass the time. But I fear that as people become more and more connected they are losing the ability to be alone.

I wouldn’t dream of leaving my house with out my cell phone. I actually feel naked without it. And that needs to change.

I can remember the time before cell phones/texts/email and somehow the world got along. In fact, I remember those times fondly. They were fun…and relaxing.

Perhaps all of this connectivity is good, it cures boredom and offers folks an opportunity to contact people they normally would communicate with. But when you can’t even enjoy a cup of coffee without checking your cell phone at least once, it’s gone too far.

And some of these newer communication mediums are also so impersonal. IMing is not the same as talking face-to-face and text messages seem to have been invented to be mis-read. Seeing people rely so heavily on these forms of communication, I fear the art of the face-to-face conversation may be disappearing.

As a writer and observer, stimulus is needed, it inspires me. But without due time alone to process what I have experienced or formulate an opinion, all is for not.

I worry that people are so intent on keeping themselves occupied, they are missing-out life. I can understand the drive to check the cell phone, as I do it more than I’d like. But I suggest turning the phone/computer/iPod off for a day and taking walk.

Take the time to enjoy the moment, appreciate what you see and think. Let your mind wander and see where it ends-up. I was delightfully surprised by what crossed my mind this morning.

Perhaps you will be as well.

But be careful, after turning everything off, you may never want to turn anything back on.

Proud to be an American?

Now that July 4th has come and gone, I thought I’d chime-in on Independence Day.

It, like most holidays, lacks any real significance, other than a day off.

Much the same way Christmas means shopping and egg-nog more than reflecting on religion.

Friday came and went, and my big worries were:
- Getting coffee.
- Getting to Whidbey Island (where I was spending the day).
- Getting beer.

Apart from those “great concerns” the day was care-free and not one moment of thought was given to what the day represents, or what it means to be an American.

And I think in some ways, that is the best illustration of what it truly means to be an American; Having the luxury to do whatever you like and not having to worry about your actions.

We are lucky to have such freedom and ability here in America. This realization is re-enforced when compared to the people of China. As the Olympics loom, the realities of an oppressive communist system are being broadcast to a world stage. And although I feel for the people of China, I can’t help but see their plight and count my blessings as I ramble-on, free to share my thoughts and opinions online.

I’ve never been one to hop-on the I-hate-America bandwagon. Although I am a bleeding-heart liberal, I never agreed with the hatred spouted by those who intertwined America and George W. Bush. While I will agree that the rest of the world sees G.W. as America and everything that is wrong with it. I will note that if you talk to individuals abroad, they will express a genuine respect for America and its ideals.

But as that last couple sentences illustrate, actions speak louder than words.

So the question remains; What does it mean to be American?

Does it mean we are war-mongering bullies who impose our will on anyone who gets in our way ala G.W.’s “Cowboy Diplomacy” or are we a country that values diversity and the pursuit of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?

I think that any American you speak to will go with the latter, but I am afraid that the fear machine created by the Bush-Cheney Administration after 9/11 has perverted the definition of American. Somehow Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness became intertwined with “The American Way,” which I find troublesome.

On the face, those items seem synonymous. But by replacing the neutral: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness with The American Way, you are driving a wedge between America and the rest of the world. In doing so, it becomes easy to justify imposing American agendas under the guise of patriotism. When in reality all that is happening is that America is being a bully.

No one likes a bully.

I hope we can get back on course as a country and return to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness without needing to enforce The American Way.

I am not saying doing so will be easy. But I am saying that the quality of life in other parts of the world should be taken into consideration when looking at what being an American really means.

Since WWII, America has dubbed itself a superpower. By orchestrating the creation of the United Nations, America initiated a big step towards modern globalization. Yet America has acted as though it were a separate entity, like it is above the fray. It put American interests above global interests.

Such actions create the perception of America as an aging, selfish out-of-touch superpower on the decline. And I agree.

So what does it mean to be an American? I am not sure that I want to answer that…It’s too depressing.

But the good thing is that we have time to correct the mistakes of the past and restore America to its previous luster. It’s time for America to grow-up and realize they are a part of the world stage, not the MC. It’s time to rededicate ourselves to the ideals that made America great.

Doing so may require some sacrifice, but then again no one said being a world leader was easy.

It’s official.

The Seattle Supersonics are no more.

I’d like to say this loss is affecting me less than when I heard of Tim Russert’s passing, but I can’t.

That’d be a lie.

Not to belittle the memory of Russert, he was a great man and an idol to a coulda-woulda-shoulda journalist like myself. But his passing was more of an intellectual loss. I know I should feel bad in my head, but I didn’t feel the loss in my heart.

As I read the headline in today’s Seattle P-I “Hoopless” I definitely felt the loss in my heart.

Along with the Sonics goes my a bit of my childhood; watching the Sonics play in the Kingdome, trying to perfect the X-Man’s fade-away jumper (I never did, BTW) and coming of age during a golden age in the NBA and watching legends like Gary Payton feed the Rain-Man into the NBA finals.

When I think of the Sonics, I think of happy times.

Maybe it’s a good thing the team has moved away. Even if they were “forced” to play the next 2 years at the Key Arena I am sure those happy memories would be further tarnished as the less-than-hospitable relationship between the City of Seattle and Clay Bennett had two more years to make the low-light reel.

Basketball is a business, my head knows this. The Sonics are a good, which can be bought and sold…and moved, at the discretion of the owner. As a firm believer in free market economics and the right of private property I support the move.

As a fan and someone the Sonics/NBA have profited from, I feel disregarded. I feel cheated. I feel insignificant.

For something that doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things, sports seem to be a big part of American life. Sure enough, Seattleites took the luxury of having an NBA team for granted and we lost it.

But on the flip-side, where is the sense of social responsibility on the part of the Sonics?

Even if you take the fact that they are a sports franchise out of the equation, doesn’t any business, owe the community it has thrived in (especially for 40+ years) some semblance of respect? The Sonics apparently thought not.

I agree that sports bring an intangible benefit to the cities lucky enough to host them. A civic pride, a sense of unity, a rallying point. Which is now gone.

I agree with civic officials who stood their ground with regards to using public funds to refurbish/build a new arena so that the NBA/Sonics owners could make more money. I find it ridiculous that Clay Bennett and David Stern would claim the Key Arena was not up to “NBA Standards.” It’s childish to hold the team hostage and threaten to move anytime the NBA doesn’t get it’s way.

If the venue was is so bad, why doesn’t the uber-profitable NBA put-up some money to build venues that are indeed “up to their standards?”

As an avid basketball player and fan, I am now at a crossroads.

Do I turn my back and boycott based on the blatant disregard shown to the City of Seattle by the NBA?

Or do I keep watching a league I no longer have a vested interest in?

Luckily I have a few months to ponder such a deep issue.

I think it’ll take a few beers and bar conversations to get my mind right.

But for the here and now, I am in mourning.

So long Seattle Supersonics, thanks for the memories.