Zo Mourning Part 2

I'm guessing this is something that my loyal readers probably are not aware of - but the subject and title of the first EVER blog post on this blog was: Alonzo Mourning (almost 4 years ago).

Yesterday, Zo announced his retirement from the NBA and I wanted to pay my respect. Before there was Dwayne Wade - there was Alonzo Mourning. Zo was the superstar and symbol of my favorite sports franchise of all time. I loved what he represented: Heart, Passion, Dedication, Hustle, Defense, Emotion... All things that I like to think define my own personal sad excuse for a basketball "game."

Zo is 10th all-time in the NBA in total blocks (shocked btw that Shawn Bradley is 11th). He is the Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat all-time leader in blocks. He was a 2 time all-defensive player of the year. And...He owns a Championship Ring (his role in that will always be VERY under-rated. He was a man determined in the NBA finals in 2006).

Zo is most recently known for his courage and comeback with his rare kidney disease and he's ALWAYS been known in the Miami community as charitable with his time, money, and celebrity.

In his 15 year career, Zo had his ups and downs. I've written about this before, but he's certainly evolved as a player and role model. It wasn't always pretty - but I always knew that he took great pride in representing The Miami Heat - and he gave it his all ALWAYS.

I'm gonna miss rooting for you, Zo. Hopefully you'll continue to be a role model in the community and beyond. Much Respect!

Our 44th President

Given that this blog is a pseudo journal of sorts ... I thought it appropriate to document the historic Presidential inauguration that occurred yesterday...Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the US, the first black president, the 5th youngest President ever, and I'd argue the most "with it" President that I'm aware of (the only proof I have of this is the extreme turn-out of the 18-35 demographic, his reluctance to give up his blackberry, etc)...
BTW - Kudos for the TV Show 24 for predicting a black president in the form of David Palmer ... Could they be on to something this season and predicting a woman president next?

For the first time that I can remember, massive amounts of people are excited about Politics. I've said for a long time that kids growing up in recent years would MUCH rather strive to be Bill Gates than Bill Clinton ... Politics as an industry has quite a sour brand ... I'm not sure President Obama is going to completely change that brand perception - but he seems to be a great inspirational leader with great moral values and determination.

He's got such a huge task ahead of him - but I think he's done a real good job leading up to day #1 setting the expectation that he is only one person - and every American has a role in turning the ship around.

It's Day #2 in office for the new President ... I'm hopeful and optimistic. Only time will tell, howver, if our country is ready for a turn-around and if Barack Obama is the leader to take us there. Good luck Mr. President. I'll be rooting for you. ;)

Reminder - NO DELTA out of JFK

This is more of a reminder to myself (any Amy) than a true blog post ... I never want to fly Delta out of JFK again. While it feels like every airline sucks these days, and traveling is such a crap shoot .... The terminal at JFK that Delta operates out of is the shit-show of all shit-shows... The chaos that intertwines check-in traffic with the confusing long line for departures with no method behind the madness is crazy ... I just don't want to experience that again ... and Amy and I have experienced it collectively about 3 or 4 times - so I just want to learn from my life experiences.

Feel free to take the advice, obviously ... but even if it's cheaper on Delta, I believe the Jetblue experience is well worth the $30 or whatever.... At this point I'm willing to spend the money for much less airport stress.

A bar tab first...

Last night I went to meet up with a buddy for drinks at Maxie's Grill.... It was "happy hour" time, which meant the bar wasn't crowded, but I'd say there were 6-8 people at the bar.
I got there a little early, ordered a drink and put my credit card down to start a tab - rather than pay cash after every drink ... This is the standard if you're having multiple drinks - and I can't say I've ever done anything else ...

Anyway - about an hour and a half later, I ask for the bill. I notice a few other people get their bill before me, but don't think much of it... Then, the bartender comes over very jittery, and explains that she can't find my credit card... She even says "if I were you I'd be furious" ... and it's not really my style to be furious, but I'm annoyed but trying to be rationale....I mean, what was I going to do? Get really mad and cause a scene? What good is that going to do?

I ask the bartender to look again - as I would be even more annoyed to cancel my credit card and then get a call tomorrow that they found it... But ... no luck ...

So - I'm going with the theory that she gave my credit card to someone else ...

I can only hope that this someone realizes it today and returns it to the restaurant. I called AMEX and put my account on a 24-hour hold with this hope... (So if you're "that guy" and you Google'd my name and are reading this ... PLEASE return it ... it would be REALLY appreciated).

Anyway - that's it. I'm going to try and not let this effect me in the future (meaning the next time someone asks me to start a tab - I won't hesitate.... BUT ... should it happen twice, I think I'll stick with paying cash or leave it to someone else to start the tab....

UPDATE - I got my card back. The bartender found it at the end of the night with all the lights on... What I thought was pretty interesting was how aloof the manager was about the whole thing. Definitely the last time I buy drinks at Maxie's Grill....

Motivation During Down Economy

Recession, Poor Economy, Lay-offs, Bankruptcy ... All words you will see 10 times each day in the local newspaper... And in this economy, people clearly are nervous about job security - "White collar," "blue collar," or otherwise. I would take this to mean that people would want to do anything and everything to keep their jobs - right?

BUT ... over the last few weeks I've encountered handfuls of working class people who I am convinced either don't understand what's going on (and what it means to them) or ... Just don't care...

Here's a CRAZY idea ... In a down economy, focus on being THE BEST at what you do. If you are a media buyer, an accountant, an airline representative, or even if you work at Duane Reade. There is a lot that is out of individual contributors hands' when it comes to particular jobs, but what we can control is how good we are at our job. If you don't like your job - that's on you - but in an economy like we are in - you BETTER appreciate it. And appreciating your job means being good at it. Being good at your job often means that you are overly nice to customers, you ask your boss what more you can do, you have a smile on your face while working...