Writing for Writing's Sake

My dad died over ten years ago, but I think of him often. Several days ago I explained to my wife Jan how similar dad and I were when it came to our views on people. He had a terrible memory, not a good trait for a newspaper man, but he loved people. It didn't matter who you were, he was interested in hearing your story. The crazier the character, the more he liked them, whether he had anything in common with them or not. He loved to listen and spent little time talking about himself. One of the places he did occasionally share his thoughts was in his weekly column.

When I was a teenager, he once asked me if I read it. I told him coyly that I did "when I had the time." He was amazed that someone so close to him could have so little interest in what he had to say, so little curiosity about discovering his insights on things. He was offended and I felt bad.

That is were the similarities end for my dad and me. I may not be much good at it, but I love to write. But when someone I consider a close friend recently told me she hadn't gotten around to reading my blog for a couple of months, I took no offense. That is because I realize that when a person writes something, we see it as a personal part of ourselves. We place way more importance on it than we really should. And for the most part, it is usually just a bunch of drivel anyway.

I read something somewhere that during a typical conversation, people don't really listen. They spend the time they are not talking planning what they are going to say next. That means that the person talking really isn't being listened to. I suspect that is true of all forms of communication.

So to the six of you who actually read this on a regular basis, I hope you enjoy it, get something out of it, and maybe learn and laugh a bit, too. But I take no offense if you are daydreaming about what you are going to say at the big meeting you have today while you are reading this. We all have our own thoughts to deal with.

The 'R' Word

So, last week I watched a television show on HDNet where A. Gary Schilling, a reputable economist formerly with Merrill Lynch, said that the American economy is currently in a “deep recession”, which, he added, is the worst in the post-WWII era and will be more severe on consumers than any recession since the 1930’s.

Of course, recession hits different areas of the country differently, and it can be debated whether or not we are heading toward recession or are currently in a recession. However, national housing sales are down almost 35% and the median house price is down 12%. There are excess inventories of homes, overall, which does not bode well for housing prices. Based on economic indicators, unemployment is rising and the economy is slowing.

He predicts that many who lose their jobs will not be able to fall back on the equity of their homes. In fact, during this recession, at least a couple of million people will be forced away from their homes due to foreclosure, walk away, default, etc.

When the economy was last in what would be considered a “deep recession”, it was back in the mid-1970’s and I was approximately 10 years old or so. I was blissfully ignorant of what the economy held at that time. I did watch the news, but it seemed to be affecting “other people”. There weren’t any ‘gas lines’ in Karlstad, and no ‘Will Work For Food’ signs on the corner.

Most families were in the same situation. Sure, there were families who were wealthier and poorer, but the extremes in socioeconomic classes didn’t seem to be as evident to me as a 10 year old in Karlstad as they do to me today.

Many adults have never been in a “deep recession” – as an adult. If we are actually in one, I think it could be a shocking reality for some – and a hard reality for others.

What did Mr. Schilling advise to ride out the storm?

He said not to use your home as a “piggy bank”, as many already have. Due to the falling prices, even those who currently have a good amount of unused equity in their homes will feel the pinch. (Note – I said UNUSED equity.) He said to spend down your debt as best you can, save more, be cautious in spending, and to be “thrifty”.
Just another reason to wish to be 10 years old again.

Castro Retires

I love the BBC. In fact, it is my homepage, my first window onto the world when I open my internet. It is a way for me to get a view of the world's events without the American medias' bias. Not that the BBC isn't biased; it is just easier to see when standing outside looking in.

The front page story today tells us that Castro is finally stepping down as "President" of Cuba. What I find interesting is how people--especially in the UK--see his legacy. Check out this link:

http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jspa?forumID=4312&edition=2&ttl=20080219110457

I can't help but wonder if the general hatred of the US directed by these posters is because we are the only real super power or by our current leadership. If Obama wins the next election, will the world still hate America more than the Cuban dictator? Only time will tell.

Old Man

Well, it has been about 12 years or so, but I finally got around to joining a gym again. I went in for an "age assessment" test over the weekend and the results were neither good, nor surprising.

Although I am only 43, my test came back saying that I have the body of a 47 year old. The test breakdown was very interesting. My flexibility score was the worst. I rate in the bottom 20% of men my age. I can hardly bend over and tie my own shoes.

My cardio score was also terrible, dwelling in the bottom 25%. Even though I am a frequent hiker, that one can be credited to hard living. One word for you on that one: cigars. Eliminating that alone should get me back to my actual age within a couple of months. I have been pretty good lately and with joining a club, I am pretty confident to see positive results.

The other results were surprising. I only have 21% body fat. So outside of my beer gut, my body is pretty normal. And my strength rating was in the top 30%. I guess guys my age are all a bunch of wimps, because I haven't lifted anything more than a pint at a time for over a decade.

I am only about 10 lbs over my fighting weight, so that is not a big concern either. But, it was nice to find out that I can take in over 2300 calories a day (without exercise) and not gain weight. More nachos, please.

The results weren't great, but at least now I have a starting point. If I improve my cardio and flexibility results to average and drop my body fat to around 15%, my trainer says I can realistically expect to get my body age ranking down to 36. Actually, I will be happy getting back to my actual age. Except in the strength rating of course. I need to be able to beat Darin and Randy up the next time I see them.

My next test is in two months. Good thing, because I don't expect to run into Darin or Randy until at least June.

Super Tuesday

Here is a blog I check out often:

The American Dream Project

It references a book by Covey (The 7 Effective Habits guy) that I think I will be checking out.

Also, while I am thinking about it, congrats to my college bud Ming and his wife Ginny on the purchase of their new house. I am a frequent reader of Ginny's blog as well:

5eskimos

Now they just need to get a garage built, so Ming has a place to store his Blue Falcon.