If you invest in your looks or muscles or body fat at the expense of the rest of your complete being, you're investing in something with a diminishing return. Looks fade, faces wrinkle, waists expand.
As a human being you are three things primarily. One a physical body. Two a brain. Three a spirit. To be your best is not developed in your meal prep, gym selfies or mirror time self admiration. But rather in the equal development of all three. And all three of them in an ongoing fashion.
Do you exercise your mind, stress it and grow its capabilities to the level you work your muscles and scrutinize your diet?
How do you work on your emotions? Sense of love? Faith? Character?
The Y.O.U. Mutual Fund is holds three stocks of body, mind and spirit. How are you investing in you?
Monday, December 15, 2014
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Foreign Policy
From a speech by John Quincy Adams on July 4th, 1821. If only it were still true.....
AND NOW, FRIENDS AND COUNTRYMEN, if the wise and learned philosophers of the elder world, the first observers of nutation and aberration, the discoverers of maddening ether and invisible planets, the inventors of Congreve rockets and Shrapnel shells, should find their hearts disposed to enquire what has America done for the benefit of mankind?
Let our answer be this: America, with the same voice which spoke herself into existence as a nation, proclaimed to mankind the inextinguishable rights of human nature, and the only lawful foundations of government. America, in the assembly of nations, since her admission among them, has invariably, though often fruitlessly, held forth to them the hand of honest friendship, of equal freedom, of generous reciprocity.
She has uniformly spoken among them, though often to heedless and often to disdainful ears, the language of equal liberty, of equal justice, and of equal rights.
She has, in the lapse of nearly half a century, without a single exception, respected the independence of other nations while asserting and maintaining her own.
She has abstained from interference in the concerns of others, even when conflict has been for principles to which she clings, as to the last vital drop that visits the heart.
She has seen that probably for centuries to come, all the contests of that Aceldama the European world, will be contests of inveterate power, and emerging right.
Wherever the standard of freedom and Independence has been or shall be unfurled, there will her heart, her benedictions and her prayers be.
But she goes not abroad, in search of monsters to destroy.
She is the well-wisher to the freedom and independence of all.
She is the champion and vindicator only of her own.
She will commend the general cause by the countenance of her voice, and the benignant sympathy of her example.
She well knows that by once enlisting under other banners than her own, were they even the banners of foreign independence, she would involve herself beyond the power of extrication, in all the wars of interest and intrigue, of individual avarice, envy, and ambition, which assume the colors and usurp the standard of freedom.
The fundamental maxims of her policy would insensibly change from liberty to force....
She might become the dictatress of the world. She would be no longer the ruler of her own spirit....
[America’s] glory is not dominion, but liberty. Her march is the march of the mind. She has a spear and a shield: but the motto upon her shield is, Freedom, Independence, Peace. This has been her Declaration: this has been, as far as her necessary intercourse with the rest of mankind would permit, her practice.
AND NOW, FRIENDS AND COUNTRYMEN, if the wise and learned philosophers of the elder world, the first observers of nutation and aberration, the discoverers of maddening ether and invisible planets, the inventors of Congreve rockets and Shrapnel shells, should find their hearts disposed to enquire what has America done for the benefit of mankind?
Let our answer be this: America, with the same voice which spoke herself into existence as a nation, proclaimed to mankind the inextinguishable rights of human nature, and the only lawful foundations of government. America, in the assembly of nations, since her admission among them, has invariably, though often fruitlessly, held forth to them the hand of honest friendship, of equal freedom, of generous reciprocity.
She has uniformly spoken among them, though often to heedless and often to disdainful ears, the language of equal liberty, of equal justice, and of equal rights.
She has, in the lapse of nearly half a century, without a single exception, respected the independence of other nations while asserting and maintaining her own.
She has abstained from interference in the concerns of others, even when conflict has been for principles to which she clings, as to the last vital drop that visits the heart.
She has seen that probably for centuries to come, all the contests of that Aceldama the European world, will be contests of inveterate power, and emerging right.
Wherever the standard of freedom and Independence has been or shall be unfurled, there will her heart, her benedictions and her prayers be.
But she goes not abroad, in search of monsters to destroy.
She is the well-wisher to the freedom and independence of all.
She is the champion and vindicator only of her own.
She will commend the general cause by the countenance of her voice, and the benignant sympathy of her example.
She well knows that by once enlisting under other banners than her own, were they even the banners of foreign independence, she would involve herself beyond the power of extrication, in all the wars of interest and intrigue, of individual avarice, envy, and ambition, which assume the colors and usurp the standard of freedom.
The fundamental maxims of her policy would insensibly change from liberty to force....
She might become the dictatress of the world. She would be no longer the ruler of her own spirit....
[America’s] glory is not dominion, but liberty. Her march is the march of the mind. She has a spear and a shield: but the motto upon her shield is, Freedom, Independence, Peace. This has been her Declaration: this has been, as far as her necessary intercourse with the rest of mankind would permit, her practice.
Friday, December 5, 2014
back in the day.....when i was young....
When I was 18 I had a car and a motorcycle. I had one accident and three speeding tickets on my record. My monthly premium back then in the 90's was $250 a month. That is quite a bit in 90's dollars.... I should find a calculator on line that could adjust that to today's dollars.
No matter, the point is now I still have 3 tickets on my record. Two speeding and one illegal turn. But now I have two motorcycles and three cars with full coverage on all of them.
My premium today? $300 a month. Yep, just a 50$ increase with the same driving record but tripling the number of each kind of vehicle. But I only made $7 a hour back then versus my earning potential today.
No matter, the point is now I still have 3 tickets on my record. Two speeding and one illegal turn. But now I have two motorcycles and three cars with full coverage on all of them.
My premium today? $300 a month. Yep, just a 50$ increase with the same driving record but tripling the number of each kind of vehicle. But I only made $7 a hour back then versus my earning potential today.
Thursday, November 27, 2014
World Class
Lately I've been thinking about what it would take to be world class at my pistol competitions. I know what it takes to be one of the best in the state and top 20-ish in the nation for my classification. World class though, that's a different story. But a story I wouldn't be considering if I also didn't think it was possible!!
-My own bay. Twenty yards wide by 50 yards deep. Unrestricted access. A bay is my field, my court, my track. To be world class I need more time in a bay. Perfection would be at my residence, currently impossible but maybe not in the future. I'd be super happy to have one in less than an hour's drive for my own private range. Not sure what this would cost, not knowing land values or usage/zoning restrictions. $30,000?
-Targets and props. I need to be able to run drills and set stages. Steel, paper, sticks, stands and movers. Some of this is a consumable, but the other stuff would last and last. Plate rack,Texas star, 4 large poppers, 4 small poppers, two drop turners, two swingers, 4 barricades, 4 barrels, 16 target stands and all the misc stuff like stapler, paper targets, sticks, cables and so on. Maybe a shed to store stuff as well. $10,000 for it all and then some getting top quality everything.
-50,000 to 100,000 rounds of ammunition per year. Shooting well is a perishable skill. For 100k rounds that is $12,000 if I make them myself.
I mean I already have the pistols. Holsters and other equipment. Hearing and eye protection. All the other small personal stuff like timers, score sheets and so on.
Right now I get to do outside practice once a week and indoor practice twice a week. In good weeks I shoot 1,000 rounds in a week between practice and matches.
But with the above mentioned facility, training equipment and ammo I could be world class. I know it. Roughly 45,000 dollars and hours of daily effort.
Of course one would then have to go to matches and prove it! hahahha. But I feel pretty good about that too.
-My own bay. Twenty yards wide by 50 yards deep. Unrestricted access. A bay is my field, my court, my track. To be world class I need more time in a bay. Perfection would be at my residence, currently impossible but maybe not in the future. I'd be super happy to have one in less than an hour's drive for my own private range. Not sure what this would cost, not knowing land values or usage/zoning restrictions. $30,000?
-Targets and props. I need to be able to run drills and set stages. Steel, paper, sticks, stands and movers. Some of this is a consumable, but the other stuff would last and last. Plate rack,Texas star, 4 large poppers, 4 small poppers, two drop turners, two swingers, 4 barricades, 4 barrels, 16 target stands and all the misc stuff like stapler, paper targets, sticks, cables and so on. Maybe a shed to store stuff as well. $10,000 for it all and then some getting top quality everything.
-50,000 to 100,000 rounds of ammunition per year. Shooting well is a perishable skill. For 100k rounds that is $12,000 if I make them myself.
I mean I already have the pistols. Holsters and other equipment. Hearing and eye protection. All the other small personal stuff like timers, score sheets and so on.
Right now I get to do outside practice once a week and indoor practice twice a week. In good weeks I shoot 1,000 rounds in a week between practice and matches.
But with the above mentioned facility, training equipment and ammo I could be world class. I know it. Roughly 45,000 dollars and hours of daily effort.
Of course one would then have to go to matches and prove it! hahahha. But I feel pretty good about that too.
Unfinished Business
Been seeing pictures online lately of people I used to train jiu jitsu with who are now black belts. I bowed out when I was a purple belt. I'm pretty sure I had the physical and mental skills where I could have made it by this time as well. I for sure would have been a brown belt with a couple stripes.
The community college I take classes at is across the park from where I used to race bmx. If there were more than 4 riders I never made the main off of winning a heat race. I only ever made the main off of low turn out. Either in cruiser or regular. I never raced bmx as a kid so racing against 10 year old experts was pretty humbling. And in retrospect irritating.
I still only have a BS degree. Multiple years of trying to get into PA school never worked. Never started a different masters program. I don't really use the degree I have. I'm not complaining but most everyone I am friends with have advanced degrees so there is a tinge of inadequacy. Each year it is a struggle to renew my nuclear medicine license. My EMT cert lapsed long ago.
Languages. Yep, I'm doing good in Spanish and learning more than I ever have but my language history is littered with stops and starts. I got straight C grades through two and one half years of high school French. I did one semester of high school Spanish. Later I dropped out of a community college conversational Spanish class when I lived in Yuma. I tried taking Russian twice and dropped out within two weeks of a privately run course and a college one. Hebrew. Arabic. Both the same. Spanish is the only one to have taken root. And while I have plans to attend a semester in Spain I might have to ditch that for possible work development.
I'm not complaining at all. Just been reminded lately of things I didn't really see all the way out to a possible end. I'm not even sure if these things even warrant more attention or effort from me, but they did pop up in my mind the past month.
The community college I take classes at is across the park from where I used to race bmx. If there were more than 4 riders I never made the main off of winning a heat race. I only ever made the main off of low turn out. Either in cruiser or regular. I never raced bmx as a kid so racing against 10 year old experts was pretty humbling. And in retrospect irritating.
I still only have a BS degree. Multiple years of trying to get into PA school never worked. Never started a different masters program. I don't really use the degree I have. I'm not complaining but most everyone I am friends with have advanced degrees so there is a tinge of inadequacy. Each year it is a struggle to renew my nuclear medicine license. My EMT cert lapsed long ago.
Languages. Yep, I'm doing good in Spanish and learning more than I ever have but my language history is littered with stops and starts. I got straight C grades through two and one half years of high school French. I did one semester of high school Spanish. Later I dropped out of a community college conversational Spanish class when I lived in Yuma. I tried taking Russian twice and dropped out within two weeks of a privately run course and a college one. Hebrew. Arabic. Both the same. Spanish is the only one to have taken root. And while I have plans to attend a semester in Spain I might have to ditch that for possible work development.
I'm not complaining at all. Just been reminded lately of things I didn't really see all the way out to a possible end. I'm not even sure if these things even warrant more attention or effort from me, but they did pop up in my mind the past month.
Friday, November 7, 2014
Reeeeeeeeemix
Some cover songs I like.
Chromatics covering Neil Young's Into the Black.
Steven N Seagulls covering ACDC's Thunderstruck.
Duran Duran covering Elvis Costello's Watching the Detectives.
Charley Pride covering Hank William's Kaw Liga.
Chromatics covering Neil Young's Into the Black.
Steven N Seagulls covering ACDC's Thunderstruck.
Duran Duran covering Elvis Costello's Watching the Detectives.
Charley Pride covering Hank William's Kaw Liga.
Sunday, November 2, 2014
T and C
Flying the day after Thanksgiving to go see Simon. So a weekend in Utah instead of New Jersey. Though I will have to go to NJ sometime soon after to visit him as well. That Friday should be an easy airport day but the Sunday will be monstrous.
Christmas. Hmmmm, the ultimate celebration of buying stuff. Maybe one of you dear readers might buy me something!?!? So with that in mind, here is my Xmas wish list.
-Aimpoint Micro gun sight. $600
-Wheelie University class. $500
-Bookends. Any sort of cool metal or glass "thing" like lions, skulls, wwII fighter plane parts or whatever would make a heavy, decorative bookend.$10-100
-Megalodon shark tooth fossil. Yep, a nice big dinosaur shark tooth. $40-200
-Exhaust and FI computer for my motorcycle(2014 Yamaha FZ09). Akrapovic, Graves, Yoshimura. Slip on or full system. Coupled with a Power Commander. $500-1100.
-Anything collectible from the Universal series of monsters. You know, the 30's Dracula, Frankenstein, Wolf Man, Mummy and Creature from the Black Lagoon. That sort of thing. Posters, t shirts, dvds, books, or whatever. Especially vintage but new reissues are cool too. $10-1000?
-A real gun safe that is also bigger than the one I have now. $500. Sadly it would have to end up in the garage due to the two story nature of my house. Not what I consider ideal.... Though I have seen some that come in sections you can assemble in your home. That might be troublesome at first but worth it when done. I don't know, I just know I need more....
-Dual sport motorcycle. I miss being able to ride dirt with Super D and go on my own adventures. The best choice I think is a Yamaha WR250R. I had the supermoto version of this bike in the past so I know how good it can be. $4000 used and $6000 new. Second choice would be the Honda CRF250L like I had before, but sold for a real motox bike.
-Mountain bike. Something all mountain, enduro or whatever they call it now. Probably from Giant, Trek or Specialized. $2500-3500.
-New sunglasses. $50-120
Christmas. Hmmmm, the ultimate celebration of buying stuff. Maybe one of you dear readers might buy me something!?!? So with that in mind, here is my Xmas wish list.
-Aimpoint Micro gun sight. $600
-Wheelie University class. $500
-Bookends. Any sort of cool metal or glass "thing" like lions, skulls, wwII fighter plane parts or whatever would make a heavy, decorative bookend.$10-100
-Megalodon shark tooth fossil. Yep, a nice big dinosaur shark tooth. $40-200
-Exhaust and FI computer for my motorcycle(2014 Yamaha FZ09). Akrapovic, Graves, Yoshimura. Slip on or full system. Coupled with a Power Commander. $500-1100.
-Anything collectible from the Universal series of monsters. You know, the 30's Dracula, Frankenstein, Wolf Man, Mummy and Creature from the Black Lagoon. That sort of thing. Posters, t shirts, dvds, books, or whatever. Especially vintage but new reissues are cool too. $10-1000?
-A real gun safe that is also bigger than the one I have now. $500. Sadly it would have to end up in the garage due to the two story nature of my house. Not what I consider ideal.... Though I have seen some that come in sections you can assemble in your home. That might be troublesome at first but worth it when done. I don't know, I just know I need more....
-Dual sport motorcycle. I miss being able to ride dirt with Super D and go on my own adventures. The best choice I think is a Yamaha WR250R. I had the supermoto version of this bike in the past so I know how good it can be. $4000 used and $6000 new. Second choice would be the Honda CRF250L like I had before, but sold for a real motox bike.
-Mountain bike. Something all mountain, enduro or whatever they call it now. Probably from Giant, Trek or Specialized. $2500-3500.
-New sunglasses. $50-120
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