tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74483769145862853652024-03-19T08:37:46.349-04:00DantionASTOI
[A Slow Trickle of Ideas]
Wait for Summer 09 for the regular return.Dantionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09429058444405415950noreply@blogger.comBlogger117125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448376914586285365.post-79939112198811577852010-05-19T17:45:00.002-04:002010-05-19T18:00:01.603-04:00Fatherhood.Ella was sick, so we stayed home yesterday. Since I hate stories of this nature I'll give the six word recap:<br />No poop<br />six days<br />then disaster<br />Outside of that, fatherhood has been a dream. We couldn't ask for a happier baby. She basically smiles, giggles and sleeps all day. Basically she's a living teddy bear. <br />Congrats to all the parents out there.Dantionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09429058444405415950noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448376914586285365.post-2394863784483601022009-08-26T14:09:00.003-04:002009-08-30T11:36:40.897-04:00I hate thank you notes...There is something about writing them that I just dread. It's a socially awkward thing for me to do, so I try to avoid it all costs. Because of this odd compulsion, I remember just about every note I ever wrote, and every note I never got around to. People have given me nice stuff that I never thanked them for. I've gotten money, watches, jewelry, nice clothes, etc. and had the social ignorance/ weirdness not to thank people. I also remember one person in particular that I remembered to thank. About three years ago, I sent Senator Kennedy a thank you note for all he was doing for my family. I watched him a few times on C-Span, and he always picks the battles I would dream of picking. I am more than a little sad that he has finally been silenced. At least I remembered to write him a thank you note.Dantionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09429058444405415950noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448376914586285365.post-75151106142010636132009-08-10T23:02:00.002-04:002009-08-10T23:16:42.966-04:00Hopefully, I'll have an Elanerd.Just in case, I'm going to start buying space ships. Perhaps a giant mobile made up of famous movie starship. Vaders fighter, The Enterprise, maybe some old NASA stuff. Throw in some transformers like Starscream and I think I may create some high nerd art.Dantionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09429058444405415950noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448376914586285365.post-58791307591129272222009-08-07T16:59:00.002-04:002009-08-07T17:30:20.576-04:00Being sucked in...I don't want to join a social networking site, but I can feel myself being sucked in. Sometimes, I feel like playing a word game. I am truly interested in finding out what happened to some people. I blame it on watching Stand By Me. The final five minutes of him writing about the friends from second grade being the best friends of his life got me nostalgic. Now I really am curious about the people what sat around me in lunch that year. Of course, I think my favorite thing about school that year was ketchup. <br /><br />I also want to see more baby pictures, oddly enough. My niece is pretty mobile now, and probably getting into everything, and I could see more of it on facebook. This month, I;m making a resolution to give facebook a go. We also got pictures of Lila from Jersey who is now mobile, and I can't wait to read a haggard figs' updates.<br /><br />On a completely related nostalgia subject, I sat down to watch Stand By Me, but I ended up sitting through The Evil Dead II. It's classic Bruce Campbell in a classic Grotesque. Things that I remembered: a shotgun, a chain-saw, buckets of red syrup, Bruce Campbell enjoying soap opera lines, plenty of three stooges humor. Something I forgot, an extended corpse dancing scene, I fast forwarded through most of the dance macabre. THe overall movie was as good as I remembered, even better.Dantionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09429058444405415950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448376914586285365.post-40127043496966971792009-08-05T15:59:00.002-04:002009-08-05T16:28:42.642-04:00World's last man...not on facebook. I like having this little corner office in the world. Out of curiosity, I randomly flipped through some profiles, I think I could get through my entire high school in three degrees of facebook separation. A month before high school graduation, I confided in Trim that I would miss high school. He assured me I would find a way to keep in touch with those I wanted to, and the people I never really wanted to hang around with would disappear. Working in a high school now, I constantly wonder why anyone would facebook.<br /><br /> Every few years, randomly show up in the lives of people who have inspired me. I always see the same thing. They may have grown wealthy, or happy, or struggled, but they never actually changed. They are the great parents I knew they would always be, or the transcendent contemplative wandering spirits they always were. The clothes changes, often they put on or dropped weight, wrinkles may have appeared or disappeared, but angstroms under the surface, the same great person is still right there. Same thought process, same personality, slightly different looking.<br /><br />They usually have beautiful and happy children, but I could have told you that would happen without having to look them up. Sometimes I try to find them and their lives have become so busy that they can't hit pause for a few minutes. Even in the silence, I can still the same great kid from second grade pretending to be an adult. I know if were to randomly see Trim today he may look ever so slightly changed. Sure, he would have figured out some things about life, the perfect way to woo a woman, and somethings would still be an absolute mystery to him, like his inability to accept humanities collective insanity.<br /><br />I think of facebook as passing those same people again in the hall. You exchange some pleasantries, ask about life, knowing it's awesome before you even ask, then move on to your own office, or whatever important meeting you have on your agenda. I stay in my office as the world is down the hall, interacting in this giant social network that is so alien to me. I can only assume the fact that I'm not on facebook signifies some social deviancy within me that is absent in almost everyone else. And dropping in on people's lives over the years has also taught me that when you show up unannounced, you often get the same great reception as the prodigal son.Dantionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09429058444405415950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448376914586285365.post-21310010384199953322009-07-28T11:20:00.001-04:002009-07-28T11:21:34.990-04:00It's girl!Excited to let people know the baby will be a girl. Life is good. Already assembled the crib, play pen, and two strollers.Dantionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09429058444405415950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448376914586285365.post-12077920041604362632009-07-16T09:10:00.001-04:002009-07-16T09:12:44.285-04:00Reggie Harding with apologies to Reggie Theushttp://thegregger63.wordpress.com/2007/07/<br /><br />His NBA career done by the time he was 26, Harding returned to the streets of his youth and fell into the wrong crowd. The story is legendary of him putting on a ski mask and robbing his neighborhood liquor store at gunpoint.<br /><br />“What are you doing, Reggie?,” the proprietor asked of the seven-foot-tall robber.<br /><br />“It ain’t me, man,” Reggie replied.Dantionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09429058444405415950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448376914586285365.post-57427198358133816542009-07-10T11:00:00.002-04:002009-07-10T11:05:58.605-04:00I moved from Cray computers into TataI sold my Cray stock and bought a some Tata. Nano has been getting hammered in the stock market with bad news report after bad news report. In the the next year, they will come out with the redesigned Jaguars and Landrovers. They also will launch the brand new Tata Nano line of super affordable cars. Buying into a company that has lost about 30 percent of its market value over the last two months is probably a terrible risk, but I am trying to bet on volatility. So far I've lost 9 percent on my Tata investment, but even if the stock price doesn't improve, dividend will pay current losses over two years, and cover the total cost of purchase over the long term if I'm willing and able to stay in it for the long haul.Dantionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09429058444405415950noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448376914586285365.post-62280253199935093952009-06-30T13:12:00.003-04:002009-06-30T14:10:07.586-04:00Summer has been good.My parents gave us a car and we were able to pass along the upgrade. I've been getting a lot of rest after a long year. Had a great time at Bigman's party. Plunked him twice in a game of die. <br />Cray has performed well, and I'm moving on to falling in love with Tata TTM. They pay a big dividend (they give you cash for owning their stock), the family also owns their own steel, they are building a car for the worlds largest consumer market (people who would love a new car, but can't afford a used one). On the negative side,while I was in love at first sight with the Nano, the American market seem to think of such a tiny car as a death trap, they have seen labor strife shut down new factories, but they have one of the largest labor pools in the world. I also may be the only person in America to buy what many see as a potential death trap of a tiny vehicle on the roads with so many SUVs. The company also has huge debt from buying a couple of luxury car lines.<br />I bought TTM today at 8.35.Dantionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09429058444405415950noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448376914586285365.post-26336760814228463302009-06-19T21:40:00.003-04:002009-06-19T22:22:44.117-04:00Summer really starts in three more days.We have three school days left. <br />"No more pencils, no more books.."Dantionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09429058444405415950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448376914586285365.post-9834071937147064112009-06-04T17:19:00.003-04:002009-06-04T18:08:32.682-04:00I've caught the stock market bug.With the first 300 dollars in the account, I placed a bet on Cray Computers. From what I could understand of the charts and news it was a comparative good bet. Then again, they were the first set of financial charts I have ever tried to read.* The company reported they partnered with someone big to get into the blade server business. It seems like decades ago the Cray used to be a prestigious name in super computers, or at least that's what I remember from the Net Trek days. <br /><br />It was like hitting blackjack on my first hand. I felt like running around the casino and hitting every table. I've already invested another couple of thousand for a sadly few number of shares of various techs. I spend at least an hour a day reading charts of companies I've already invested in looking for good news. Am I a decade late on the dream of day trading for a living? <br /><br />* I did work in investment firms for five years. In my defense, compliance work made trading stocks disadvantageous.Dantionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09429058444405415950noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448376914586285365.post-3327436987203029382009-05-29T15:48:00.001-04:002009-05-29T16:18:23.146-04:00So many updates to make...1. Having a baby. Picking if it's a boy, the name is still up for grabs. Brian is currently in the lead after the semi-mythical king of Ireland from whom my grandfather claimed lineage.<br />2. Finally opened an etrade account. Bought some Cray.<br />3. Going to see Willie Nelson and Dave Matthew's Band tonight at Fenway.<br />4. Built some new stuff into the house.Dantionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09429058444405415950noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448376914586285365.post-10703740430882254302009-04-29T18:03:00.002-04:002009-04-29T18:22:54.856-04:00Back from the fluVacation was scheduled last week. I got hit with the flu Monday through Wednesday. I was miserable, right in the middle of me complaining about the flu, swine flu came and stole my thunder.<br /><br />Tuesday was so beautiful, I ditched after-school for the first time in a long time in order worked on the outdoor kitchen. We have three out of six apple trees that look like they are going to produce a couple of apples this year, as well as the new cherry, pear, and plum trees. All trees look healthy despite their cramped living conditions. I've been leaving my seedlings outside for the past two weeks, and they have miraculously turned the corner into viable plants. We planted the asparagus, potatoes white grapes for the first time this year and I even found some cranberries thriving where I had long since given them up for dead. Now I feel like I'm name dropping vegetables.Dantionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09429058444405415950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448376914586285365.post-37734372393866118302009-03-13T18:31:00.006-04:002009-03-13T20:32:00.579-04:00Father of two marries 17-year-old because his five-year-old told him to<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/03/12/haleigh.father.married/index.html">http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/03/12/haleigh.father.married/index.html</a><br />Really! That's his excuse. My five-year-old told me to marry a seventeen-year-old girl. I think he should be forced to follow through on every crazy idea his kid says from now on.Dantionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09429058444405415950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448376914586285365.post-79005128725249535752009-03-11T20:35:00.003-04:002009-03-13T20:26:54.356-04:00Great Day @ WorkA great law professor once told me, you are one of the five percent of the population that gets to do exactly what "You want for a living." It's true, I get to decide what I'm going to do. I could be a half decent carpenter, or a bad lawyer, or a terrible engineer, or a really terrible mid-level compliance coordinator. If I applied myself more, I could have been a bad doctor for a while.<br />
I was born with the means and ability to pass almost any test, and if I showed the aptitude, my parents would have supported me going in any direction. Luckily, I ended up teaching.<br />
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On a good day, I turn young men and women into good adults. On a bad day, I discourage people from trying new things and growing. Today was a good day. <br />
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I rate my classes by the amount of respect that they show me and the subject. The most brilliant professor I ever met told me that showing a love and respect for your subject is the most important thing. If you want students to love Shakespeare, than love Shakespeare and love your students, and pretty soon, you'll all get along swimmingly. <br />
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My mother taught Shakespeare for a while, and people in my town still talk about how she taught them to love Shakespeare. Someday, she'll write a book about it, and I will be the first to buy that book and will be twice the teacher I am today. She is blessed with a love for everyone, but most of all, she has a love of the underdog. She once told me that my ability to include everyone is a gift. I got that gift from her.<br />
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Like all good Irish boys, I know my mother is a living saint. She taught me respect by showing respect to everyone we met. In return, she is one of the most respected people I have met. I apologize if this post seems like a eulogy to a living person, it's just I'm such a Mama's boy. I'm here to talk about work today.<br />
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Progress reports came out this week for all of my students, and many of them weren't perfect. Some students found out they won't be graduating when they had planned. Prom plans were dashed, athletic dreams crumbled, and many of us walked away with more disappointment than optimism. As a high school student, I remember my fifth grade teacher dumping my disorganized desk in front of the class. I remember the parent conferences, and the despair and hopelessness I felt when I realized just how bad of a student I actually was.<br />
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I saw this in my students today, and I didn't feel shame over lost opportunities, I didn't feel we had failed at anything, we found a new starting point. I spent most of my day writing emails to other teachers asking where specifically we would build this student from this point on. I asked about strengths and weaknesses, and what could the student do to get the grade up. I felt hope and optimism as I hounded fifty other teachers for answers. <br />
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The students looked guilty as they read over the reports. "I could have done..." "I should have done..." "Next time I will..." They had the lines rehearsed before I even asked the question about what happened or what they would differently if given the chance. I let them know that what happened was in the past. The ten missing math homework assignments or the 46% test average were not what we dwelled on, we started with the positive and built around that.<br />
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I emailed each parent and let them know each grade, the cause of the grade, and the concrete step we would take in the future. I remember the guilt of constantly losing my assignment notebook. The inability and unwillingness to complete most homework assignments. I never completed an assignment for a teacher I didn't respect. So that's where we started today, understanding and respect. Even surrounded by temporary failure, it seemed like a great day.<br />
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The grades weren't what we wanted, but we still showed respect and reverence for ourselves, our subjects and each other, and it seemed like our most successful day yet.Dantionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09429058444405415950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448376914586285365.post-51419906123660704402009-03-06T19:12:00.000-05:002009-03-06T19:13:13.827-05:00I though I was kidding about a Red Dawn remake...but<br />http://login.vnuemedia.com/hr/login/login_subscribe.jsp?id=nXH33mfDnH8ZLlwjPYB5kVaLXU4gP%2Ffw%2FPS0Mn5MQbRcTSj6r%2BVPHGnQaHtkHKps8B%2B8r2myaaX3%0AzRQzeK3ZDG1DMME1qKEDqx%2FHX88wTBwYlKMvmKRaXaLsDjE7F%2FcYT%2BlDp03H9Z4HM7a0un3pAkgH%0AatfyI3c3kPtk2XWPbXKQ9bWpDQaIWN8PbY2gHKvMQwcQiY5bnSV5QHHiFzjaU4v2K4YHnl5Olpno%0AGvHNKv0kdlaG81aATseL4aaPI5thKGYOd%2FGia5wfDWcQWT2%2BgJ1NmEF%2BeHswYd0vl%2Beh%2FRP4sEwO%0A%2Bj6b7NVlgNNsNrtLpO4h1D14EW0YLutsll1vKYWSlLE%2FDpHO0PmtWIkaVdctfsNPJcdZ0O7RS4Uf%0AyVYQDantionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09429058444405415950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448376914586285365.post-52855926776991204232009-03-04T19:12:00.007-05:002009-03-04T19:40:48.224-05:00The Old Man With Quick HandsI played in a three on three tournament against high schoolers today. Chronologically, I'm about thirty five. Flecks of grey in my beard, bad knees and a paunch stomach make me appear much more distinguished. As I took the court, I realized the kids were taller than me, more muscular than I had ever been, and faster than I remember humans moving.<br /><br />I calmly walked out to the three point line, cover closely, then wandered further to half-court. The ball came right to me. Before I realized what I was doing, I launched a deep deep three. I watched the ball knuckle through the air like an Antoine Walker special. Way left, it tumbled through the air, and began to drift back towards the hoop for a swish.<br /><br />I grabbed my hand in mock agony, deriding my defender. "Too Hot!" I yelled at the kid, "My hand is just too hot!" blowing it off as if to cool it. 1 for 1 on a high arcing shot, and a swish. <br /><br />On the ensuing possession, the kid I was guarding got the ball along the baseline. I crowded him to the corner, using my girth and old man skills. As he tried to zip the ball past me, I coolly knocked it away. Same thing on the inbound pass. "Keep the ball away from the old man with the quick hands," the other team's best player said.<br /><br />After twenty to twenty five seconds I realized I couldn't stand up any more. Nearly fainting and vomiting, I had to get off the court or die there. twenty to twenty five seconds of competitive basketball, and I remained a legend in my own mind. I think I could last twenty seconds on Rucker Park.<br /><br />My next two offensive possessions were awful, a blocked shot and a lazy pass that was easily picked off. At least for twenty seconds, I was able to add to the legend that exists in my own mind.Dantionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09429058444405415950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448376914586285365.post-72066101480232011362009-03-01T12:33:00.003-05:002009-03-01T20:17:23.192-05:00The Most Hated Man in Baseball...Margo Adams, former paramour of Wade Boggs, once called George Bell "the most hated man in baseball." Perhaps he was at the time, but he was also the American League's most valuable player in 1987, sandwiched coincidentally between Roger Clemens (1986) and Jose Canseco (1988). <br /><br />Roger Clemens was soon to become the lightning rod of criticism that showed just how far apart the Liberals and Conservatives are in our government, Jose Canseco later went on to expose just about every fellow steroid user in sight. Among the three, I would imagine each could vie for the title of most hate worthy, of a certain year by a certain segment of the population.<br /><br />Roger was later exposed, in part by the actions of Jose Canseco, as a steroid using moron who had an innapropriate relationship with at least one underage girl. He was defended before a congressional committee by several conservative congressman as a sports hero who had given much to this country. Clemens also tried to kill Mike Piazza on at least one occasion.<br /><br />Canseco would eventually go on to tell the media that he had dirt on Alex Rodriguez as well as several other players and has attempted to write at least two books about how he and others rewrote what success means in baseball by injecting several ounces of chemical success into their rear ends. In essence, Canseco became a player who was both the face of the steroid era and maybe the person who ended the steroid era by way of his own personal greed. A sort of baseball equivalent of Jim Jones, leading a revolution of players to take steroids, then poisoning the well for them when he felt his time was up.<br /><br />Boggs would eventually go on to force Major League baseball's Hall of Fame to adjust the induction rules, as he allegedly attempted to sell the logo on his hat to the highest bidder. It was also Boggs's traveling girlfriend who sold out the details of his relationship and the relationships of several other players to Penthouse magazine.<br /><br />As for George Bell, I'm not sure why he would even be in the running for most hated. He certainly doesn't appear to be anything like a modern Ty Cobb or even a Barry Bonds. Bonds is so hated that biographers can't find a anyone to say anything nice about him ever. A recent SI writer says even the team photographer wishes Bonds would die. He was pushed off his college team for refusing to treat anyone with even common decency, never mind collegial respect.<br /><br />Worse yet, none of these players even hold a candle to the hate worthiness of a Ty Cobb, famously referred to as "The Meanest Man Alive," even after his death. In a sport where betting on your own team can lead to a lifetime ban, these men were worshipped by hundred's of thousands, if not millions of children, throughout their careers.<br /><br />Last year, ESPN showed the close relationship between Pete Rose (banned for life) and Alex Rodriguez (since an admitted steroid user). Among the worshipped legends of baseball, what exactly does it take to become a pariah? Manny Ramirez has been on the verge of becoming unwanted at his market price for allegedly scuffling with an old man (a la Pedro Martinez) and sitting out a couple of games he could have played (a la Nomar Garciaparra). He became absolutely reviled in Boston at the midseason point.<br /><br />Against the backdrop of cheaters and malcontents that populate the pinnacle of baseball talent, why do people watch? Why spend hours and days and months following line-ups? I think it's it's because every spring we find new heroes to replace the old. Last year, it was Youkilis and Pedroia who stole the spotlight. Each of them, new enough to be innocent. They haven't seemed to warp into the greedy, caddish monsters. Perhaps in five years, we will hear stories of road trips and under age girls and cheating, but as pitchers and catchers have reported, and spring training is in full swing, hope and new role models spring eternal.<br /><br /><br />http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DE0D7123FF930A15751C0A96F948260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=2Dantionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09429058444405415950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448376914586285365.post-15208329870638642092009-02-28T13:31:00.004-05:002009-03-01T20:21:20.589-05:00What irks me today: Extreme Makeover: Homeless Edition.There are at least three instances of houses built for poor people on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition are in danger of being foreclosed on. If you are unfamiliar with the show, the premise is as follows: The show selects a family in desperate need of financial help and a housing facelift (complete rebuild) and, with the help of local good samaritans and a large construction crew, they rebuild the house into a beautiful mansion and help pay off the bills. Sort of a more corporate Habitat for Humanity on steroids.<br /><br />The houses come fully equipped with televisions and electronics far better than I will dream of affording, so it really does look like the families get a free a dream home. Of course, the houses often multiply in value, causing the property tax to likewise skyrocket. <br /><br />At the beginning of the credit crisis, I remember hearing several times how most American homeowners in general considered their homes an investment as well as a domicile. In the case of EM:HE, families were therefore given not only a new house, but also a giant new asset from which they could withdraw money in the form of a mortgage.<br /><br />A few of these families did something which was either very smart, or very stupid, and used the newfound source of funds to invest in capital generating ideas. One family mortgaged their new home to invest in a construction firm. At the time, it seems like the best of all worlds. Use the house your community has built, to help build more houses for your community.<br /><br />Of course, we all know the housing market has tanked, construction has since just about stopped being a profitable business, and foreclosures skyrocketed across the country. Like many Americans, these families are losing their homes. Unlike many families, these houses were the result of community effort, leading to these houses being seen as community property.<br /><br />The backlash has been enormous and negative. People demand to know, how dare you squander away the wonderful gift we have given you. In the vast majority of these cases, the families who were given these houses were the perfect candidates. The families had enough income to keep up the infrastructure of houses. When similar housing programs fail, it usually because the houses have been given to truly destitute people who have no means of supporting themselves. <br /><br />In one notable instance of free housing gone bad overseas, an charitable organization built an entire neighborhood for the poorest people in the area. The first day of revealing the new houses was the happiest and most successful day for the new homeowners. After a while, it became apparent the people really needed education, job training, and a source of income, as plumbing and electrical systems began to fail, and the new homeowners lacked the experience to fix the problems, and the income to have them fixed. The ideal solution at the time would have been to give the houses to families with incomes to small to purchase their own homes, but large enough to support owning a house.<br /><br />What irks me about the stories that are coming out about these EM:HE foreclosure stories is this program seems to have been successful over 90% of the time, and when it failed, it failed because the homeowners attempted to create new revenue streams to support the house and the family. The perception of most commentators is the people were lazy failures who lacked the foresight and discipline to keep up the community's new gem of a property. The reality is the homeowners are taking chances at being successful, made smart looking gambles, but failed.<br /><br />http://blogs.wsj.com/developments/2008/12/09/yet-another-extreme-makeover-home-may-face-foreclosure/Dantionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09429058444405415950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448376914586285365.post-74981927686704353212009-02-25T17:52:00.002-05:002009-02-25T18:34:47.896-05:00MIAIt's not that I'm a complete Luddite (although I do appreciate the mythical Ned Ludd's anger at technology). I admit I've always hated the telephone, and I may be the only American with two working ears and no iPod, and I sometimes get resentful of this whole blogging thing (well, I guess I am quite Luddish after all). I assure you, my loathing of communications technology has a little to do with my hatred of facebook. Maybe it was the summers in semi-isolation in Cape Cod, but I'm pretty sure I was born this way.<br /><br />I like to think it's because I have come to askew drama and awkward situations. I don't want to to update my feelings each day on the internets. I don't want to make or receive on-line friend requests, I don't want to create a virtual circle of 60-100 friends, and I certainly don't want to check in with the 60-100 people each day. It's not that I'm completely anti-social, but I'd honestly rather stare into space and ponder why it is that people feel bad for Gary Condit because he apparently didn't kill Chandra Levy. I'd rather read salacious stories about Abe Sada (or is it Sada Abe), or I'd rather surf the wikipedia looking for the strangest categories by which they can organize articles.<br /><br />I'd like to think that I know how to be a good friend, but I really suck at keeping in touch with people. Last week, during my vacation, I spent one day hanging out with friends and eight days planning the garden, working on plumbing, and generally keeping myself busy with chores and amusements around my house. In fact, in nine days out of work, I ventured less than fifty feet from my front door, and that was to clear the icebergs and frozen mud piles that were plowed onto our walkway with my handy pick-axe.<br /><br />So, if it appears that I'm MIA, I assure you, I am thinking of you as you read this, just don't expect a call or e-mail.Dantionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09429058444405415950noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448376914586285365.post-57826249051261724092009-01-20T19:56:00.002-05:002009-01-20T20:13:01.038-05:00Yes we can!watched the swearing in today. I'm still in shock. Looking forward to the Obama Presidency. Eight years ago, I remember thinking: "How bad could it be? This guy is sending everyone checks." <br />My mother didn't like him from the first few days. Probably before that. Isn't it funny that mothers seem to know these things ahead of time. <br /><br />The last eight years is officially over, Life is good!Dantionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09429058444405415950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448376914586285365.post-25310832777885945572009-01-20T19:48:00.002-05:002009-01-20T19:56:32.542-05:00I've played my team down to a respectable 21-23.It turns out that it's easy to win the Raiders. I've been trying to learn how to win with the Lions while walking 3.5 miles per hour. I went 6 miles yesterday, and seven more today.Dantionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09429058444405415950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448376914586285365.post-27590273943938102022009-01-16T23:35:00.003-05:002009-01-17T00:43:14.649-05:00I've married 2 addictions in an attempt to be healthier.This winter, I've been inspired to incorporate video game playing and exercise. The result has been over five miles a day while playing Madden. So far, my team is 12-1 in "ranked" match play. Not sure what the distinction is between "ranked" and "unranked" but the Madden addiction has allowed me to walk between 6 and 15 miles a day. Just so my body doesn't go into complete shock, I ate an eight dollar, picture-on-the-wall-of-a-restaurant burger. Not sure if it offsets sixty miles of "healthy" video games, but I bet it's close.Dantionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09429058444405415950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448376914586285365.post-69061008010748099662009-01-03T10:01:00.003-05:002009-01-03T10:26:54.718-05:00Why the Jets should pay Romeo 100,000 dollars to answer his phone.The GM saddled the Mangenius with Favre, who predictably blew the Jets play-off chances in the final weeks. Then they fired Mangini for not winning. Seems like the guy who pushed for the trade should have gone out the door first. Now, Future Hall of Fame coaches Cowher and Shanahan won't go to the Jets because because (reportedly) they don't want to coach Favre and they won't work with the GM who traded for him. <br /><br />Also, the Jets, like most teams with head coaching vacancies haven't interviewed a black candidate yet, in violation of the Rooney Rule. Now it seems like the Jets are running out of options. They desperately want a high profile coach, but the organization as such isn't set up to land one. <br /><br />Now, it seems like most teams have resigned themselves to the fact that they are more willing to pay a 200,000 dollar fine than consider hiring a black coach. If I were Romeo Crennel, I would leave my phone off the hook for next few months. I would expect several teams to come calling for him to interview to save themselves the fine, while all along the team has absolutely no interest in hiring him.<br /><br />Having lived through several fake job interviews where the decision not hire me was made before my application hit the persons desk, I can only imagine the frustration of being invited to fly across the country several times in the middle of winter in pursuit of a job that isn't even available. If Crennel were as greedy as I am, he could offer to interview for these non-existent jobs for half the money it would cost the team in fines. Say he agrees to be the de facto minority to be fake interviewed by all of the teams with openings for 100,000 dollars a call. He could charge the Jets, Lions, Broncos a total of 300,000 dollars for a few phone calls. <br /><br />note:<br />"In 2003, the NFL fined the Detroit Lions $200,000 for failure to interview minority candidates for the team's vacant head coaching job. After Marty Mornhinweg was fired, the Lions immediately hired former San Francisco 49ers head coach Steve Mariucci to replace him without interviewing any other candidates. The Lions claimed they attempted to interview other candidates but that the minority candidates withdrew from interviews, believing Mariucci's hiring was inevitable."<br />-WikipediaDantionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09429058444405415950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7448376914586285365.post-33731414879365561582008-12-28T10:04:00.002-05:002008-12-28T10:24:24.823-05:00Happy Holidays!We are in the midst of our winter break. It was the best Christmas gift to see my niece who is now into prat falls. She's the Charlie Chaplin of toddlers.Dantionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09429058444405415950noreply@blogger.com0