Giving thanks.

It's completely obvious to write about giving thanks around this time of year, so for this post I will play the role of Captain Obvious. Regardless of how cliché it is to thank others, it doesn't mean it shouldn't be done. And this year I am thankful to a wide group of people who prove that not only is good inherent to our nature as human beings, but also can be displayed outwardly without expectations of a returned favor.

First up is my aunt and uncle, who took me in for several months while I was jobless and hunting. I was at a pretty low point in my life, my uncle invited me in and it was through their support that I was able to find a spot. You know, just because you're family doesn't mean you have to do something like that. But they did, and I won't forget that.

For many months I had been seeking out a person who would be able to help me make this blog work better. I had trouble coding the random title generation feature. Colin from Monaco Lange did an incredible job of helping me through it, when others had been unresponsive. There wasn't any reason that he should have helped me out, but he did - and for that I am grateful. So, you should check out his agency, because they're pretty cool and just as nice.

I'd like to thank Tug and John from American Copywriter for providing me with the piece of mind that there are intelligent, down-to-earth creatives out there, and that there are good creatives outside the big markets. Plus they make me laugh.

Without getting long-winded, there are many people for whom who I am thankful this year. My family, Dee, all my VC friends, my new friends at Source and Apple. The best of these people are those who do things every day without expecting any thanks in return.

A prediction

I am calling it now. President Bush will be in Iraq this Thanksgiving for a "surprise" visit. I don't have any sources. No leaks here. I just have a hunch that he'll try to make the surprise, PR move.

Think about it. It makes sense. He's already in China. Not that far. Watch. We'll see.

Why I hate Duke's basketball team.

There are a few things I hate. I hate getting up in the morning. I hate the current administration. I hate Duke's basketball team.

For a while, I have been among legions of Duke-haters, wish losing seasons upon their final four franchise. I was reminded of all of this recently while listening to commentary on the unique hatred of Duke. It made me realize that I didn't know exactly why I hated Duke.

It's easy to hate Duke, in the same way I hate the Yankees, for their dynasty of winning. But it was different than that. And so upon thinking about it more I think I have figured it out.

What I don't like about Duke most, is that it is a school filled with privileged white students, who pay privileged tuition levels, in privileged buildings, with free, privileged iPods. So, in fact it's not the team itself that I hate so much, but rather the students and alumni who benefit from the team's winning. In fact, I really like Coach K: his methods, values, and work ethic. The problem is that I don't think all of that extends into all of Duke country.

Why should a bunch of people, who have had a great deal handed to them, also get a national basketball championship handed to them? They should experience the same type of losing for which their football team is synonymous.

Why do you think they are the blue devils? Many turn into devilish lawyers and devilish CEOs and devilish politicians. They all have a little devil in them, spreading evil (which is ironic for a Methodist institution).

Okay, maybe I have overstated my case, but either way, I think the big reason I hate Duke, is because the people who benefit from all those wins, really don't need any more winning in their life.

Kiss Ass

Recently I was accused of being a "kiss ass." I have been called this before, but I am not one for smart comebacks, so it has taken me several hours to collect my thoughts on why I am okay with the title "kiss ass."

I think there are kiss asses who are kissing ass only in the eyes of others. In other words, when the ass kissing is genuine, it's not really ass kissing, it's called being nice. But when it is disingenuous, the ass kissing becomes obvious, and is far more worthy of the title. I also think that those who are often not nice are the first to label someone else an ass kisser, perhaps out of jealousy.

Most of all, however, I think there are people who have the ass kisser in them, and those who don't. And I, would rather be the former than the latter, because I have never been very good at ass kicking.

And those who don't like it, can kiss my ass.

Mall photos

Every minute I spend in a mall is a minute I wish I were somewhere else (the Apple Store being one of few exceptions). Here is an example of why I feel that way.

There are lots of people out there thinking of ways to make money. It happens all the time. What I am wondering is: in that process of devising methods to make money, how do you come upon the idea of taking photos of people at the mall and putting a hideously low-resolution image on mugs, t-shirts, oversized pins, etc.?

And when you do think of that idea, what is it that convinces you that it is actually a good idea?

And then, what is it about this idea that is attractive enough to people that they will waste hard-earned money on the aforementioned service?

Am I alone?

I almost did it...

Paul Tergat of Kenya and Hendrick Ramaala of South Africa, finished first and second in the 2005 NYC marathon. History will not regard this as a particularly interesting fact. What is a very intriguing fact is that there was only one second between their two finishing times.

How amazing is that?! Well, it's never happened before for one. But what's more amazing is that it happened at all. Imagine two people running just over 26 consecutive miles and then finishing close enough together that there is only one second between them. Then, imagine that happening to the two people leading the race. It's simply inconceivable.

How difficult it must be for the guy who almost won. No medals. No first place purse. No title. Simply a nod in the newspaper for a close finish. Man, that's got to be tough.



The New York Times said that Ramaala had collapsed after his second place finish "in defeat." I 'd like to suggest that it was a victory.

Not only did he accomplish an amazing task - finishing a marathon in 2 hours, 9 minutes and 31 seconds, but he was faster than 37,010 other runners. That's astounding! When was the last time you were better than over 37,000 people at anything?

For all the preparation and hard work, the execution and sweat... I salute Hendrick Ramaala. His performance is another to be admired and used as an example for others. Maybe someday I will be lucky enough to be in a position similar to his.

4 seasons, one synonym

Here's just an interesting thing to think about.

There are four seasons, but only one of them has two common names. Autumn is also known as fall, but winter is not known by another name, and neither is Spring nor Summer. Perhaps we should invent some alternate names for those seasons.

One year ago today

I don't talk about it much in this space, but I was very involved with last year's presidential election, and so today is a very painful and introspective day for me.

Looking back on the past 365 days, makes me believe that there is more than just a physical year between us and that fateful election. Since that day, many things have happened to make it all feel more like a political decade:

:: Southeast Asia's tsunami
:: Israel's withdrawal from Gaza
:: two Supreme Court openings (as predicted), three nominations
:: white house scandal (has any two-term president not had one?)
:: Hurricane Katrina and the loss of an American city
:: the Iraqi people voted
:: thousands of American troops have perished
:: a UN nomination fight
:: the end of filibusters?
:: terrorist bombs in London's underground

...and that's what I can recall off the top of my head. It's a list of issues that I wouldn't wish on anyone trying to lead a nation, but it certainly a list that I wish were being handled by a different person.

One year later are we any better off for staying the course? I think you can surmise my own answer to that question, but it's worth asking. Even if you voted for Bush in the election it's worth evaluating our place. It's worth stepping back, surveying the damage and saying, "Could this have been done differently? Could this have been handled better?"

I still believe that John Kerry would have made a good president. Would he have been great? We only would know if he had the laundry list above to confront.

I can say with great confidence, however, that with our current administration, we are very far away from greatness.

Parking lights are not meant for driving

A long-standing peeve of mine is people who drive with their parking lights on in lieu of their headlights.

Sometimes you'll see this phenomenon around dusk or dawn. I imagine that people are simply confused as to whether or not they should have their headlights on, and so they pick the choice in between full headlights and no headlights - parking lights.

The logic however is faulty, as it ignores the function of parking lights, as implied by the term "parking lights." Parking lights should be used only when the car is parked. They can be helpful when you are parked in your car, and want to tell people that your car is there, and that you do desire not to be hit.

They are not lights that illuminate the road, or help the driver of the car when driving. My rule of thumb is... if you have to ask yourself if you should have your headlights on, then you should turn them on.

Driving around with your parking lights on is a sure sign that you're an idiot... perhaps more of an idiot than if you were driving around in the dark without any lights on.

It's been a while

In the time between my last tangent and this, it would appear that there was not much to say. On the contrary there have been many thoughts that have surfaced, but I have not written about them. Why is this? Am I too lazy, or perhaps not motivated?

Either way, I think there are only lame excuses for it, and so from here on out I am promising myself that I will post new tangents every day I have access to a computer (which is virtually all of them).

This will be a great test of my own fortitude.