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August 31, 2004

RANDOM UPDATE/THOUGHTS

I'm So Sore: This past Saturday, after moving a TV that felt like it weighed at least 500 lbs. down three flights of stairs, I headed over to my gym for what I thought would be a quick afternoon workout. Unfortunately, due to repairs, the top floor of the gym--which houses all of the elliptical trainers and treadmills--was closed, leaving only the bottom floor, which houses a couple of pools, some basketball courts, and a climbing wall, available for me to use. Rather than use the closing as an excuse not to exercise, I instead chose to grab a basketball and work up a sweat by running up and down the court while playing solo games of HORSE, DORK, and LOSER. About an hour in, a couple of guys asked if I wanted to play 21 (a fast-paced half-court game of basketball that requires three players, all of whom are trying to score exactly 21 points against one another without there being any out-of-bounds or fouls.. in other words, roughhouse basketball where anything goes). I surprised myself by scoring 19 points, but in the process I ended up using a lot of muscles and movements that I don't normally get into on an elliptical trainer or treadmill. Feeling pretty good about the 19-point effort, I accepted an invite to join in on a full-court game of five-on-five. An hour later, after my team lost two bump-and-grind games of non-stop back and forth basketball, I decided I'd had enough, and instead found a jump-rope, which I proceeded to use with surprisingly relative ease for the next 15 minutes. A few jump shots later and I decided that I really had had enough, so I took a nice long relaxing shower and steam, and then proceeded home. The next day, Sunday, and again yesterday, and even this morning, my legs were and still are so amazingly sore that it's actually comical. I mean, come on, what in the heck was I thinking... playing full-court games of basketball followed by jumping rope, boxer style no less. I'll tell ya what I was thinking... I was thinking, "Hey, this is fun; don't stop!"

Moral Gymnastics: There's a lot of indignation flying around over the controversy surrounding the USA's Paul Hamm and the gold medal he was awarded in the men's all-around gymnastics competition at the Athens Olympics. In a somewhat remarkable comeback, which was aided by his main competitors mistakes, Hamm overcame a huge mistake of his own on the vault and managed to climb from 12th place to first with solid performances in his last two rotations (on the parallel bars and the high bar). When it was all said and done, Hamm captured gold by a slim 12-thousandths of a point, but a day later it was revealed that due to a judges' scoring error, South Korean gymnast Kim Dae Eun took third place, when he should have actually been awarded the gold medal given the Hamm. In other words, Hamm was not the high scorer. He was second. In the days following the news that the South Korean was the legitimate winner, Hamm has not only refused to acknowledge that he didn't actually win, but he has objected to a compromise solution of awarding Kim a second gold medal. And to make matters worse, the U.S. Olympic Committee is said to be "furious" that anybody would even think to ask Hamm to do the honorable thing. Hamm's athletic performance at the 2004 Olympics was solid made-for-TV stuff, but now he's engaging in the worst sort of moral gymnastics. And fairly or not, it's the kind of thing that too many people around the world will point to as further evidence that the United States of America plays by its own rules in all things, including the Olympics. Hamm now clutches onto a medal forever tarnished with a stain, when he could have set a sterling example by accepting silver.

Visiting my Mother and Brother: Neglected to mention this before now, but the weekend before last (August 20th to the 22nd) I went out to West Dover, Vermont, for a visit with my Mom and my brother, Kenny, whose birthday was Friday the 20th. It rained all day Saturday but Sunday was gorgeous, to say the least. Anywho, a good time was had by all, and I think I'll try to make it up to Vermont at least one more time before the end of the year.

And Last But Certainly Not Least: My boss thought it would be a good idea for all of us on the Acquisitions team at work to have a group bonding experience outside of the office. While a lot of ideas were tossed around, here's here's what we ended up doing:

Yes folks, that's right... I'm the only male on the Acquisitions team, and all of the women wanted pedicures, so who was I to argue or put up a fight. Actually, and I'm speaking to men in the audience now, pedicures aren't half-bad. You get to soak your feet in warm water, and if you have it done at the Absolu Spa here in Indianapolis, you get to have your feet worked on by some really hot women!

Posted by Mikal at 5:55 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

August 30, 2004

INDIANAPOLIS'S NEW 'URBAN ELEMENT'

One of the things I really liked about being in Boulder, Colo. (1993-2002) was because of where I lived, I was almost always within spiting distance of a good restaurant, coffee shop, bookstore, or shop. I loved the fact that I could walk or ride my bike thru the Pearl Street Mall on my way to and from work, and that if I didn't feel like cooking dinner or if friends wanted to get together for a meal, there was always something within walking distance of my house. Here in Indianapolis, while I technically live downtown, walking distance--for a decent meal or the sense of community that comes along with it--has always been a disappointing 15 to 20 minutes away. (Granted, a 15-20 minute walk isn't necessarily a bad thing, but when you're interested in leaving the car behind and poping out for a quick bite or a snack, the walking can kinda get old after a while.) Anyway, I'm happy to report that a new independantly owned neighborhood restaurant opened it's doors last week, and lucky for me, it's directly across the street from my house!

Urban Element is the first epicurean offering of a delightfully eager and stylish couple named Shea Rousselle and Maurice Smith. While their new eatery is billed as a place for coffee, snacks, lunch, and dinner accompanied by side orders of wireless Internet access and exhibitions by local artists, what Maurice and Shea have put together with their new establishment is much more than a stylish urban restaurant. Aside from offering up some seriously good eats--the menu includes Lightly Seasoned Grouper, Hawaiian Pork Chops, Grilled Chicken Shish Kabobs, Garden Pasta, Hummus Wraps, Homemade Apple Cobbler, and the best Sweet Tea this side of Texas--Urban Element is the first real sign that my part of downtown may be coming back to life. Already, after just a few days of being open, Urban Element's impact on the surrounding residential community can be felt. The people whom I've swore for two-and-a-half years must also be living in the neighborhood can now be seen peering thru Urban Element's large Pennsylvania Street windows, and those who have ventured in can be overheard saying the same thing... This is exactly what our neighborhood needed; we'll be back!

If you're in the neighborhood, check out Urban Element. It's located just across the street from the Indianapolis Central Library, at 901 North Pennsylvania Street. The telephone number is (317) 331.4482. Hours of Operation are 11:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m., Tuesday thru Saturday (Urban Element is closed on Sunday and Monday).

Posted by Mikal at 6:44 AM | Comments (6) | TrackBack

August 27, 2004

Q1: Scenario... You're driving your car down the road when you notice a police officer pointing a radar gun at oncoming traffic. Once you pass the police officer, do you blink/flicker your lights at oncoming traffic to warn of the speed trap? Why or why not?

Q2: Do you think the United States will experience another large scale terrorist attack before the 2004 Presidential Election in November?

Q3: If you had the talent to compete for a medal, which Olympic sport(s) -- summer and/or winter -- would you choose to participate in?

Q4: How does this summer compare to previous ones?

August 24, 2004

Ford Church has posed a question continuing a previous conversation about taxes beginning back in July. I thought I would repost it as new followed by my comments with the hope of bringing more voices in on the topic.

"I have a question I do not know the answer to: Why have we seen property tax hikes, sales tax increases, tuition hikes? I am pretty sure people vote on sales taxes, but aren't state and local taxes increasing because Federal revenue streams are drying up because of Federal tax cuts? Money has to come from somewhere to pay for public services.

I think Boulder, CO has consistently voted to raise their sales taxes to pay for much needed public services, but large mega super whammy malls outside of Boulder are sucking out all the local business and tax revenue. What's the solution?"

Housing prices in Boulder as compared to outer areas such as Longmont and Louisville have increased dramatically in the past decade. From 1990-2000, the median sales price of a single family home has risen $131,653 to $345,414 while Longmont and Louisville have median prices of $198,042 and $244,624, up from $78,704 and $125,525 respectively. The Boulder housing prices can be devastating to families looking to move into the area. Furthermore, graduates looking to remain in the area are facing condo prices reaching $350 per square foot. Many families that consider moving to Boulder are stunned to find that the asking price for 2,000 sqft homes is around $550,000, a price they just can't justify on middle-class wages.

Those that yearn to stay in the area and do not currently own property but are looking to purchase must compromise by moving to the outer areas and commuting if they can land a job back in Boulder which may not pay better than the jobs closer to home. More and more businesses are opening in these outer areas with the influx of people moving in escaping the high housing costs of Boulder. With open-space laws restricting development in the immediate outer fringes of Boulder, people must drive long distances which, with high fuel prices, puts a strain on modest budgets.

This is showing up in retail sales in Boulder, a golden goose for the city. Retail sales dropped 2.4% from June 2003 through June 2004 whereas Longmont and Louisville rose 8.1% and 6.5% respectively. This tends to lead credence that this financial lull is a local problem to Boulder rather than a widespread problem in other communities particularly those adjacent to it. Therefore, if unfunded mandates from the Fed are pinching the budgets of local and state economies, Longmont and Louisville should be equally lagging as well.

Boulder is betting big on the success of the Twenty Ninth Street shopping center opening next year which is being built on the site of Boulder's Crossroads Mall. The problem is that while the mall may be a success, it will only be successful to the city if people from surrounding areas choose to drive the 10 or 15 miles from Longmont or Louisville on a regular basis or if it combined with other amenities will be enough to attract wealthy people to the area to live. If Boulder city residents represent the vast majority of sales, then other local businesses will surely suffer equally with similar job losses. The initial prospect of new jobs is alluring but if there is little net gain of customers coming to Boulder either by visitation or migration, there will be similar job losses from other retail stores currently in business.

The super whammy malls are very attractive to consumers since folks can purchase many items with one stop, something extremely important to those with small children. Variety, selection and prices are key factors underestimated by those that feel top-notch service and mom-and-pop traditional retail is truly what people desire. With Home Depot filling the big anchor position in the Twenty Ninth Street project, McGuckin's who employs about 280 people is going to feel considerable pain. I've seen prices in McGuckin's that are sometimes double and more when compared to the same exact items in Home Depot.

Finally, by purposely evading Ford's specific question of "What's the solution?" I'd like to hear from everyone else (and not just those folks that live or have lived in Boulder) as these economic issues are important to everywhere. With so much interstate and intrastate migration as well as immigration from other countries going in this country, all cities are vulnerable to radical changes in the coming decades.

August 20, 2004

Q1: Do you have any magazine subscriptions, or do you make a point of purchasing certain magazines on a weekly or monthly basis? If so, which ones? If not, are there magazine subscriptions you wish you had?

Q2: Which do you think has a more profound impact in the world... 1. People and institutions operating from a standpoint of fear (meaning, people or organizations doing things for fear of something else happening if they do not); or, 2. Our individual and collective impatience as a society?

Q3: Do you use fabric softener when you do laundry? If so, do you prefer the liquid kind that gets added to the wash, or are you more of the sheet type which gets added to the laundry as it goes into the dryer?

Q4: Are there any foods that are widely held as being common everyday eats which you've never been able to bring yourself to try even once?

August 19, 2004

Each Wednesday night I attend what I affectionately refer to as Fat Class, the once a week educational session associated with my participation in Lifestyle Strategies of Indiana's lifestyle and weight management counseling program for central Indiana. Last night was no different, and as is the case with each week's class, we were given a homework assignment to work on in preparation for the following week's session. Rather than pull what I always pull--complete the assignment not on paper but in my head--I figured I'd be a bit more accountable this week by writing out my work and sharing it with a few people who might like to help keep me accountable to my overall goals. So, without further adieu, this week's assignment:

Comment on each of the following statements:

I am positive I "should" be exercising: Without question, yes, this statement applies to me. I am absolutely convinced that if I do not exercise I will gain weight and start to feel bad about myself again. My goal, originally, was to drop 40 lbs. and keep it off until at least my 40th birthday (see my 40 x 40 posting for more info on my weight and health-related goals). Well on my way towards meeting that goal, I now have a new one... I want to be able to eat whatever it is that I'd like to have, AND maintain my current weight loss and look and feel. Without regular exercise, I don't think either goal is realistic or attainable.

I am positive that I need to exercise to look like society says I should: I'm motivated more by how I feel about myself than by how anyone else thinks I look or should look. There's nothing worse than not being able to bend over to tie my shoes and not being able to breath while doing so. That was me as recently as just one year ago. Today, I am way more comfy in my own skin than at anytime since high school. Society did not make me gain weight, and it certainly hasn't motivated me to take it off or to keep it off. I'm way more of a critic when it comes to myself than anyone else is.

I have been pushed into exercise by others who had their own agenda; possibly, they wanted me to have fun or to lose weight: If only I'd been so lucky; but no, no one has ever pushed me into exercising.

As a child I felt pressure to perform in athletics: Nope, not me. I was lucky... my Mom let me do whatever sorts of athletic activity I wanted to, and never once did she pressure me about my participation or lack thereof. As a kid, I was very active with basketball, tennis, and bicycle riding/racing, and never once did my Mom apply pressure of any kind.

I have perfectionist tendencies and believe that "if I can't do it right, I won't do it at all": Yes and no. Yes, I am a perfectionist; no, if I can not do something correctly I'll give it up. That's last part's just not me. I tend to be an optimistic perfectionist :o)

In the past, I typically exercised only when dieting. When I quit dieting, I usually quit exercising: This one certainly rings true. "Exercise" to me is still somewhat synonymous with going to the gym (which, at times, I look upon as a chore), whereas playing tennis, which is certainly a form of exercise, has never felt chore-like (quite the opposite, I love to play tennis). But more to the point, yes, in the past, when I quit 'dieting' I simultaneously would quit exercising. The two seemed to go hand-in-hand. Nowadays, I'm all about maintaining the weight I've dropped over the past year. I no longer 'diet' per se but I still exercise, which as I said before does tend to feel a little bit like a chore.

I have been injured while exercising, and the whole idea of it scares me: Yes and Yes! I've been injured while exercising, and as recently as last December I injured myself to the point where I had to stop lifting weights all together for around 60 days or so. Because my goal is to be able to eat whatever I want, yet still maintain my weight loss, I need to be able to add exercise into my daily routine in order to balance out my caloric intake. If I were shelved because of an injury, well, I'd no longer be able to eat whatever I wanted, and that would suck, quite frankly. Answering this question sort of highlights the fact that I'm placing a lot of my 'maintenance' eggs into one basket.

I have exercised primarily as a way to lose weight: Yes, I have, but now I exercise to maintain the weight that I have lost.

I was almost always the last one picked for team sports: Nope, but I wasn't always picked first either. Growing up I was a real skinny kid, but I had some mad skillzs, so it was all good. Besides, I mostly played tennis and raced bicycles, both of which are individually-based sports.

If I miss a day or two of my exercise routine, I usually feel like I've blown it, and it is hard for me to get going again: How'd you know? Yep; this is me to a tee. I feel best and tend to achieve my desires more so when I remain consistent by sticking with my exercise routine. Having a workout partner helps, which is something I've been lacking as of late. That sort of accountability really works for me.

I often feel intimidated by exercise, the equipment, or the fancy moves in aerobics: No, yes, and yes. Exercise, which to me is walking, running, or time spent on an Elliptical trainer, does not intimidate me. Free weights, machine weights, and aerobic classes... well, those are whole nother story. The free weights scare me because of the unwieldy nature of the movements. One wrong move and I'm done for. The machines don't scare me as much, but I'm always concerned about pulling something. As for aerobics, faggettaboutit... I'm way too uncoordinated for that sort of stuff (but I do enjoy watching :o)

I often feel rejected by friends, family, or society because of the size or shape of my body: While I've never felt rejected by friends or family, I did project a societal rejection my way, but not anymore!

I feel bad about my body and on some level believe that the less that I move, the less attention I call to my body: Nope. Not anymore!

I think others dislike my body, so I move less to call less attention to myself: I honestly have no idea what most people think about my body. A few friends have taken notice and made comments, but 'others' in general, I have no idea what they think, and frankly, so long as I'm happy and okay with what I look like, that's all that matters now. These days, I'm happy and okay with my look and feel, and I give myself appropriate credit for what I've accomplished.

I have used exercise as an external measure of self-worth: I'll have to think some about this one. Honestly, I'm not sure that I completely understand the statement.

I have used exercise as 'punishment': Me; no way! My self-punishment is always internalized.

I have forced myself to exercise when I ate too much or didn't lose enough weight: Without an exercise partner in tow, it seems like I'm always 'forcing' myself to exercise. Don't get me wrong though... I don't look at it as punishment or something that I do not enjoy doing. It's the getting started part that sucks, but once I get five or ten minutes into my routine, I'm totally psyched to be there.

August 16, 2004

I don't know about anyone else, but I was sort of happy to see the U.S. Men's Basketball team lose its Olympic opener yesterday to Puerto Rico (yes, that's right; I said Puerto Rico). I'm usually not one who roots against his own country, but our men's basketball team typifies everything which I feel is wrong with the modern Olympics... namely, that professional athletes are allowed to compete against amateurs. And nothing's worse in my opinion than a bunch of privileged millionaire basketball players all getting to play on the same team, and taking joy and pleasure from beating up on teams from countries comprised solely of amateur athletes (which is exactly what has been happening since the IOC allowed professional basketball players into the Olympics starting in 1992).

Yesterday's 19-point loss to Puerto Rico was only the third defeat for the U.S. Menís team in Olympic history (we lost to the Soviet Union in 1972 and 1988) and showed just how far the rest of the world has come in catching up to the United States of America, the birthplace of the sport of basketball. I'll be interested to see how our players respond to yesterday's loss, especially in light of the fact that their next game pits the NBA millionaires against a Greek team that will be playing in front of a frenzied home crowd tomorrow evening.

On the surface, it appears that the U.S.A. still has the best pool of basketball players, coaches, and facilities in the world. So, it stands to reason that anything less than a gold medal in Athens would be an embarrassment; right? Well, while that might very well be true, I'm here to share that winning a gold medal would be just as embarrassing!

August 13, 2004

Q1: Are there any words which you almost always mispell?

Q2: Public or private... if you could do it all over again, which would you choose to attend... a public high school or a private one? What about pedagogy... would you be open to Montessori, Waldorf, Friends, Religiously-affiliated, or Home Schooling?

Q3: Saying that the circumstances surrounding his extramarital affair will likely impact his ability to govern, New Jersey's Governor, James McGreevey, resigned yesterday. Do you feel that cheating on one's spouse is cause for an elected official to be impeached by his or her peers, or is cause for one to resign from an elected post?

Q4: What's the farthest distance you've ever moved, and what was it that you moved for?

August 11, 2004

Apparently, President Bush didnít read my March 9th posting about nominating sitting members of Congress to fill Cabinet level positions. To review, I believe that if you've been elected to represent a specific constituency, you should not be allowed to seek or accept another positionósuch as a spot in the President's Cabinet or as an Under Secretary of this or a Special Advisor for thatóuntil youíve first finished out your elected term. Plain and simpleÖ if you were elected to do a job, just do that job.

Had he read my thoughts on all of this, President Bush may not have nominated an 8-term Congressman from Florida as the next director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Aside from the fact that the individual who was nominated yesterday afternoon to fill George Tenetís vacated slot at the top of the CIA is still serving an elected term, the President nominated someone whose politics are anything but partisan, which benefits no one but the current Administration. Bushís nominee, Porter Goss (a Republican congressman from Florida), recently had this to say about the Democratís nominee for President of the United States:

"John Kerry's speeches amount to little more than political 'me-tooism.' He lays out some old goals that everyone agrees to, without offering concrete proposals to achieve them. He also neglects President Bushís historic achievements. While John Kerry ignores the remarkable progress that has been made under President Bush, he largely embraces the goals that the President has already laid out to make the world a safer place."

Iím sorry, but do we really need someone who plays partisan politics heading up the CIA? I think not! What we need instead of the Porter Gossí of the world is a director who is not only knowledgeable and capable, but is someone who is also unquestionably independent. .

And least you think that this is a Republican problem unto itself, think again. The buzz in Washington, DC, these days is that if John Kerry and John Edwards are elected, their Cabinet will be packed with partisan politicians who have been elected by the public to serve in entirely different roles as well. For example:

Secretary of State: U.S. Senator Joseph Biden (D-Del.)

Secretary of Defense: U.S. Senator Chuck Hagle (R-Neb.)

Director of Homeland Security: U.S. Rep. Jane Hartman (D-Calif.)

Secretary of the Interior: U.S. Rep Mark Udall (D-Colo.)

Secretary of Agriculture: U.S. Rep Charlie Stenholm (D-Tx.)

Secretary of Commerce: U.S. Rep Harold Ford, Jr. (D-Tenn.)

Secretary of Labor: U.S. Rep Richard Gephardt (D-Mo.)

Secretary of Health & Human Services: U.S. Rep Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.)

Secretary of Transportation: U.S. Rep James Oberstar (D-Minn.)

Secretary of Energy: U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM)

(More on this in another post.) For the time being though, the Democrats are indicating that the Bush administration is in for a fight on Goss' nomination, saying that any attempt to confirm Goss will be an embarrassing referendum on the CIA's performance under President Bush. But what the Democrats don't seem to understand are the rules by which the Bush administration is playing this game. President Bush and Vice President Cheney WANT to blame intelligence failures on George Tenet's part for the reasoning behind our attack on Iraq. And since Tenet was appointed by Bill Clinton, he's an easy scapegoat for anyone interested in looking for a way to justify our actions in Iraq.

While there's a ton of evidence of ineptitude on Tenet's part, his predicament obscures the fact that President Bush had let loose the dogs of war well before checking to see if there was any plausible intelligence to justify doing so. And as the 2004 election nears, it serves the Bush administration well to keep the focus on intelligence shortcomings, which make it appear as if the President was misled, which is something Porter Goss has been saying for well over a year now.

August 6, 2004

Q1: If you were a lawyer, would you agree to represent deposed Iraqi president, Saddam Hussein? What if you were a doctor or psychologist... would you agree to treat him?

Q2: Have you ever taken an IQ Test? If so, what did you think of your score? If you've never taken one, are you curious to know what your IQ score is?

Q3: Do you truly enjoy life or do you mostly endure what gets tossed your way in the hopes that it'll soon get better?

Q4: When you get home from work, do you keep your work clothes on or do you immediately change into something else?

August 4, 2004

After posting several comments, my good friend Mikal has asked that I contribute as a guest poster. How ever your position differs from mine from any previous posts, I hope to provoke more thought than anger from your comments.

Mary, a full-term pregnant teen-age girl anxiously awaits the arrival of her newborn son whom she has affectionately named Dennis. Just before she reaches full dilation in her labor room she panics and wonders if she can adequately manage such enormous responsibility. After much self-deliberation during labor Mary insists that she wants an abortion. With her cervix dilated 4-6 inches, she implores the doctor to perform an abortion and end Dennis' life.

Jane, a woman in her late 20's, carelessly hooks up with a man she just met at a party. Passion takes over and they end up sleeping together without appropriate means of birth control. The next day, Jane takes the "morning after pill" since her last period was two weeks ago and she feels certain she is ovulating.

Avoiding specifically for the sake of this discussion the woman's right to choose her own fate and focusing solely on the fetus/baby, please define quantitatively from between 0 and 40 weeks the time at which you believe a fetus/baby achieves personhood and therefore is fully protected under the 5th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

For example, choose 40 if your belief is that Mary's fetus/baby never achieves personhood and therefore may legally be deprived of life at any time while inside of the mother. Choose 0 if you believe Jane's fetus/baby achieves personhood upon fertilization and may never be legally deprived of life.

There are 41 different quantitative responses but an unlimited number of beliefs why you chose that specific number. I look forward to your responses.