I am a Football Fan. The word Fan is defined on Dictionary.com as an enthusiastic devotee, follower or admirer of a sport, pastime, celebrity. etc. The word's origin is an Americanism circa 1885-1890, short for fanatic. But since a fanatic is defined as a person with an extreme and uncritical enthusiasm or zeal, I think I am more of a modern Fan rather than a full-blown fanatic.
I know that I am a Fan because I consider 2 of the saddest days of the year to be the day after the BCS Championship Game and the day after the Super Bowl. I know I am specifically a Georgia Bulldog fan because I am in a good mood when they win and a really lousy mood when they lose. I know that I am a fan of football in general because I watch 8 games at one time on Sundays, have 2 Fantasy Football teams, play in a weekly football pool, organize and run an annual College Football Bowl Pool and follow recruiting news, draft news and free agent signings during the off season.
Yes, I like Baseball, Basketball, Golf and other sports. I even casually follow those other sports but am not an enthusiastic devotee of any of them. (I use to be a fan of The Atlanta Braves, but they broke my heart one too many times!)
Ten years ago, my son, Brad, and I decided that the football season was over too soon, so we put together "Brad's Big Bowl Bonanza" (BBBB)...a college football bowl contest where one picked the winner of all 28 Bowl Games. We had 44 participants and a good time was had by all. A few years ago, I nearly quit running the contest because of the time it takes to set-up and monitor during the Bowl Season. But, then I decided that if I was going to continue the task, it had to have a purpose. That is when I decided to rename the contest Bella's Big Bowl Bonanza, raise the entry fee and donate a portion of the fee to Bella's Angels....a non-profit foundation that helps families with children that are stricken with CHARGE syndrome. My young friend, Bella Cavallo, and her family and friends founded Bella's Angels a few years ago as they were searching for a way to help with the mounting medical and travel expenses associated with diagnosing and treating Bella. At the age of 4 Bella was diagnosed with Charge Syndrome. The purpose of the Foundation is to assist families facing similar circumstances with medical and travel expenses not covered by insurance and to provide informational and emotional support. As each year passed, I continued to organize the contest and we peaked a couple of years ago with 86 participants. This year, each participant must pick the winner (against the point spread) of all 34 College Bowl Games. We are shooting for 100 participants.
So, some good has come of my being a football fan. I get to further indulge my appetite for football and help out my friends at Bella's Angels at the same time. If you have not yet gotten an entry form for this year's contest or if you know of others that might want to try their luck, please contact me and I will send you the entry form. Deadline is December 17th.
Hooray for Football! and GO DAWGS!!!
And The Journey Continues..........
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Wake Up, Republicans, Mitt's Your Guy!
Regular readers of this Blog surely know by now that I am a Democrat at heart. I have great distaste for those on the Far Right and generally have no patience with those that want to delve into the private lives of anyone. I support a woman's right to choose but respect those that choose life...however, it is not government's right to make that decision for a woman. I support same sex unions that give equal rights to same sex couples....it is not government's role to even take a stance in that argument. I do NOT believe that Religion has any place in government and am damn tired of those that insist that only Evangelical Christians know the way. I do not believe that Social Security and Medicare are entitlement programs...I have been paying into both systems since I was 14 years old and view those programs as my right. I believe that our environment is in deep trouble and those that label Climate Change as merely a theory are not being intellectually honest. I believe we have a responsibility to back up those Countries that back us up....and should cut off aid to those that don't. I believe that the Military-Industrial Complex has our politicians bamboozled - our Defense Budget is greater that all of the other Countries on Earth combined. I believe that decisions on tax advantages are based on who gives what to which politicians (Obscene tax advantages for the Oil Companies are a great example). I believe our Supreme Court is as political as Congress and justices should not be appointed for a lifetime. I believe that all Congressmen and Senators should be on the same Social Security Plan and Medical Insurance Plans as ordinary Americans and should NOT be granted life-time pensions for serving as little as 2 years in Congress. I believe that spending on education should increase by multiples - Teachers should be among the highest paid people. We are going to succeed or fail based on how well educated our children become and how this prepares them to compete in the global economy.
And finally, I believe that Congress is a bigger problem than our President. They are not interested in doing what is right for this Country...only what will get them elected in their little slice of America. Any time that the leading Republican Senator states that his number one priority is to see that the President only serves one term rather than his priority being to fix the problems, that Senator should be booted out of Congress. Nonetheless, I am really a Centrist when it comes to the economy. But I am also a realist and believe that our deficit problem cannot be fixed merely by cutting the budget. We have a revenue problem and massive tax reform is needed to get us on the road to recovery. And that means that everybody has to step up to the plate.....even Ronald Reagan and George Bush, the elder, raised taxes - because it was the RIGHT thing to do. Our tax rates are at the lowest levels in over 100 years and many very large, very profitable Companies and high worth individuals are paying little or no taxes.
Which brings us to the upcoming Presidential Race. Yes, I voted for Obama in 2008. But I am not happy with where we are as a Country. How much is his fault? I am not sure, but am willing to listen to anybody that has a better plan. It has been with great amusement that I have watched the Republican debates and crazed rhetoric that have already come out of the race for the Republican nomination. And I am simply amazed that there is even any question as to who, among the contenders, is even remotely qualified for the job.
Let's look at those that are dominating the news: Michelle Bachman - This woman is even dumber than Sister Sara. I cannot believe that there are a majority of people in her district that could even vote for her. She makes no sense, has no clue and couldn't manage her way out of a paper bag. Michelle, your 15 minutes are up....go away already. Then we have Rick Perry who's grasp of the issues is tenuous at best. He does not seem to appear even as smart as George Bush - and we all know where that got us. And he is desperate...come on, Rick, the birther issue again?? His economic plan (or lack of one) is so ill conceived, if implemented we would have to learn to spell Depression. And of course there is the Pizza King, Herman Cain. Mr. 9-9-9, a plan that (I don't care that he denied it) came straight out of a video game. There are so many things wrong with this plan that it would take way too much space to write them here. Besides, Herman only got in this race to sell books and get his speaking fees increased. Even he is surprised that he has risen in the polls - his lack of an organization is evidence of that.
Which brings us to Mitt Romney. I know Mitt Romney. I have worked with Mitt Romney. As CEO of Bain Capital he was on The Board of The Sports Authority and I had the pleasure of interacting with Mitt on a monthly basis for over 4 years. Mitt Romney is one of the most intelligent people that I have ever dealt with. He possesses the intellectual curiosity that is paramount in any good leader. I always found that Mitt conducts himself with an enormous amount of integrity. Given all of that, it is evident that Mitt, like all politicians, says those things that will assure that he gets the nomination. Some of those things are different than what he said to get elected as Governor of Massachusetts. I don't necessarily hold that against him. What is important is what I think he will actually act on - by that, I mean that Mitt might say (for example) that he is for overturning Roe v Wade because that will help him get the nomination. He might even believe what he says, but I think Mitt is smart enough to take those issues that are not part of the solving of the Country's most important problems totally off of the table once he is elected. I think Mitt can cut through the noise and concentrate on what is really important. I believe there is no substitue for intelligence and integrity.
So, will I vote for Mitt Romney if he is nominated? I really don't know yet. I have a lot more research and studying to do before I make that decision. It is a long time between now and November, 2012. In the movie The American President, the character played by Michael Douglas, Andrew Shepherd, The President of the United States, said "We've got serious problems and we need serious people....this is a time for serious people..." Never before has it been more apropro than now.
And The Journey continues......
And finally, I believe that Congress is a bigger problem than our President. They are not interested in doing what is right for this Country...only what will get them elected in their little slice of America. Any time that the leading Republican Senator states that his number one priority is to see that the President only serves one term rather than his priority being to fix the problems, that Senator should be booted out of Congress. Nonetheless, I am really a Centrist when it comes to the economy. But I am also a realist and believe that our deficit problem cannot be fixed merely by cutting the budget. We have a revenue problem and massive tax reform is needed to get us on the road to recovery. And that means that everybody has to step up to the plate.....even Ronald Reagan and George Bush, the elder, raised taxes - because it was the RIGHT thing to do. Our tax rates are at the lowest levels in over 100 years and many very large, very profitable Companies and high worth individuals are paying little or no taxes.
Which brings us to the upcoming Presidential Race. Yes, I voted for Obama in 2008. But I am not happy with where we are as a Country. How much is his fault? I am not sure, but am willing to listen to anybody that has a better plan. It has been with great amusement that I have watched the Republican debates and crazed rhetoric that have already come out of the race for the Republican nomination. And I am simply amazed that there is even any question as to who, among the contenders, is even remotely qualified for the job.
Let's look at those that are dominating the news: Michelle Bachman - This woman is even dumber than Sister Sara. I cannot believe that there are a majority of people in her district that could even vote for her. She makes no sense, has no clue and couldn't manage her way out of a paper bag. Michelle, your 15 minutes are up....go away already. Then we have Rick Perry who's grasp of the issues is tenuous at best. He does not seem to appear even as smart as George Bush - and we all know where that got us. And he is desperate...come on, Rick, the birther issue again?? His economic plan (or lack of one) is so ill conceived, if implemented we would have to learn to spell Depression. And of course there is the Pizza King, Herman Cain. Mr. 9-9-9, a plan that (I don't care that he denied it) came straight out of a video game. There are so many things wrong with this plan that it would take way too much space to write them here. Besides, Herman only got in this race to sell books and get his speaking fees increased. Even he is surprised that he has risen in the polls - his lack of an organization is evidence of that.
Which brings us to Mitt Romney. I know Mitt Romney. I have worked with Mitt Romney. As CEO of Bain Capital he was on The Board of The Sports Authority and I had the pleasure of interacting with Mitt on a monthly basis for over 4 years. Mitt Romney is one of the most intelligent people that I have ever dealt with. He possesses the intellectual curiosity that is paramount in any good leader. I always found that Mitt conducts himself with an enormous amount of integrity. Given all of that, it is evident that Mitt, like all politicians, says those things that will assure that he gets the nomination. Some of those things are different than what he said to get elected as Governor of Massachusetts. I don't necessarily hold that against him. What is important is what I think he will actually act on - by that, I mean that Mitt might say (for example) that he is for overturning Roe v Wade because that will help him get the nomination. He might even believe what he says, but I think Mitt is smart enough to take those issues that are not part of the solving of the Country's most important problems totally off of the table once he is elected. I think Mitt can cut through the noise and concentrate on what is really important. I believe there is no substitue for intelligence and integrity.
So, will I vote for Mitt Romney if he is nominated? I really don't know yet. I have a lot more research and studying to do before I make that decision. It is a long time between now and November, 2012. In the movie The American President, the character played by Michael Douglas, Andrew Shepherd, The President of the United States, said "We've got serious problems and we need serious people....this is a time for serious people..." Never before has it been more apropro than now.
And The Journey continues......
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
ROAD TRIP 2011 / Connie & Roy's Excellent Adventure!
We always seem to fly whenever we go anywhere...but this time we decided to take a road trip. Well, actually, I decided we would take a road trip. Connie still preferred to fly but I loaded her Ipad with 7 movies, gave her my noise cancelling headphones and off we went. The 11 day itinerary took in Atlanta, Asheville, Baltimore, DC, and Savannah.
First to Atlanta. We hadn't seen my Dad all Summer, my brother promised to get Georgia Football tickets and we had a wedding to go to. The added bonus was Lisa joining us for a couple of days and visits with my brothers and sisters-in-law. I always threatened my kids that if I ever drive to their house, then I would bring as much of their "stuff" that we have been storing for years. So, I loaded up the Prius with Brad's Sports memorabilia and other assorted goodies, a five foot teddy bear for Elie and barely had enough room for our luggage. An hour or so out of Boca, the traffic on the Florida turnpike came to a halt...a car on fire stopped all traffic for about an hour - what a way to start a road trip! We arrived at my Dad's in Atlanta and had just enough time to drop our luggage and head to brother Jan and Heidi's for dinner. It was great to see Melissa, Alan and Barbara , too! The Scotch was great, the food delish and the company engaging. After the long drive and fulfilling drink and food, the bed was beckoning. But Lisa's plane from Denver was late and after driving to the airport, bedtime was moved to 1 AM!
Saturday, our morning walk meandered through Buckhead and Brookhaven before culminating in breakfast at the Flying Biscuit. With high hopes, Jan picked me up to go downtown for the Georgia- Boise State Football Game! What a scene....parties all over downtown, tailgating, music at Olympic Park, drinks at the CNN Center and a lousy football game in the Georgia Dome!! It's going to be another long season. On Sunday, Connie, Lisa and I took a walk at Chastain Park and got a charge out of the number of people that recognized us. After 28 years being away from Atlanta, it was fun to be recognized by old classmates and friends on at least 3 occasions during the walk! The wedding of our friend's daughter was Sunday night and although we knew very few people, it was a fun time.
On Monday, after dropping Lisa at the airport, we were off to Asheville, NC. We had always heard about Asheville's charm and decided to spend one night there. The drive was beautiful as we meandered through North Georgia, South Carolina and the Mountains of North Carolina. But that is where the rains from the recent tropical storm caught up with us. After checking into the hotel, we wandered around the Biltmore Village, walked to dinner just ahead of the heavy rains and didn't get to see much of Asheville. The next morning we had a sumptuous breakfast at the Tupelo Honey Cafe, took a short stroll around town and headed out for Baltimore.
After more rain, we finally arrived in Baltimore. Our beautiful grandson, Elie, was waiting with Brad on the front porch and the thrill of him reaching out for us was worth every mile driven so far! I'm not sure of when we did what in Baltimore, because all of my attention was focused on spending as much time as possible with little Elie...and I was not disappointed. There is nothing better than being awakened early in the morning by his smiling face as he gets in bed with me and Grams for early morning playtime. It had been over 3 months since we saw him in person and the change was incredible. Elie has developed his own little personality and except for the fact that he doesn't sleep very much, I think he is damn near perfect! I am convinced, though, that his short naps and lack of sleep throughout the night is because he is afraid he might be missing out on the fun if he sleeps too long.
Nonetheless, we stayed busy in Baltimore. Just spending time with Brad, Claire and Elie was enough for me, but we did manage to stay busy with a trip to the Children's Museum, The Inner Harbor, walks, and shopping. I found out that Elie loves to ride in the shopping cart and he is definitely a chick magnet as he flirts with everybody. Sunday came too soon, as it was time for Saba and Grams to leave.
A quick trip Sunday morning to DC to see the MLK Memorial and The FDR Memorial - both too new for us to have seen before. We didn't do our homework, though, as the National Triathlon/Duathlon was being held in DC with the Mall being the finish line. It made things a little hectic, but we were able to see the impressive new monuments before attempting to leave town. Being 9/11, the road leading to I-95 was bumper to bumper as all the roads around the Pentagon were shut down.
On to Savannah as we meandered through Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and finally Georgia. Arriving in the Savannah Historic District later on Sunday Evening, we had a quick snack and collapsed in the bed. Monday morning we took a beautiful stroll through the cobblestone streets and heavily treed squares to a country breakfast. On our walk, Connie was excited to stumble upon the First Girl Scout Headquarters....the very place she visited on her last trip to Savannah some 50 years ago. We couldn't help but notice that Southern Hospitality and general friendliness is alive in Savannah. How refreshing to be greeted with hearty "Good Morning's!" as we made our way through the streets. Nothing like the South and the people that live there! (And for those of you that thinks South Florida is the South...wrong! It's more like New York than the South)
So, we headed home. About 80 miles from home, we ran into one of those famous Florida thunderstorms that made driving impossible - so I actually pulled off the interstate and waited it out. That is something I can't ever remember doing before. Arriving home Monday night, we had travelled through 7 states and DC, driven 2542 miles, and according to the computer on the Prius achieved 46.1 miles per gallon at an average speed of 59 mile per hour. (I know I was really averaging about 75 mph on the highway but the computer takes into account all of the driving.) I guess it is time to start planning the next road trip...maybe out west next time and then I can deliver all of Lisa's "stuff" to her. Something tells me, though, that I might be driving alone and Connie will fly to wherever I am.
And The Journey continues.............
First to Atlanta. We hadn't seen my Dad all Summer, my brother promised to get Georgia Football tickets and we had a wedding to go to. The added bonus was Lisa joining us for a couple of days and visits with my brothers and sisters-in-law. I always threatened my kids that if I ever drive to their house, then I would bring as much of their "stuff" that we have been storing for years. So, I loaded up the Prius with Brad's Sports memorabilia and other assorted goodies, a five foot teddy bear for Elie and barely had enough room for our luggage. An hour or so out of Boca, the traffic on the Florida turnpike came to a halt...a car on fire stopped all traffic for about an hour - what a way to start a road trip! We arrived at my Dad's in Atlanta and had just enough time to drop our luggage and head to brother Jan and Heidi's for dinner. It was great to see Melissa, Alan and Barbara , too! The Scotch was great, the food delish and the company engaging. After the long drive and fulfilling drink and food, the bed was beckoning. But Lisa's plane from Denver was late and after driving to the airport, bedtime was moved to 1 AM!
Saturday, our morning walk meandered through Buckhead and Brookhaven before culminating in breakfast at the Flying Biscuit. With high hopes, Jan picked me up to go downtown for the Georgia- Boise State Football Game! What a scene....parties all over downtown, tailgating, music at Olympic Park, drinks at the CNN Center and a lousy football game in the Georgia Dome!! It's going to be another long season. On Sunday, Connie, Lisa and I took a walk at Chastain Park and got a charge out of the number of people that recognized us. After 28 years being away from Atlanta, it was fun to be recognized by old classmates and friends on at least 3 occasions during the walk! The wedding of our friend's daughter was Sunday night and although we knew very few people, it was a fun time.
On Monday, after dropping Lisa at the airport, we were off to Asheville, NC. We had always heard about Asheville's charm and decided to spend one night there. The drive was beautiful as we meandered through North Georgia, South Carolina and the Mountains of North Carolina. But that is where the rains from the recent tropical storm caught up with us. After checking into the hotel, we wandered around the Biltmore Village, walked to dinner just ahead of the heavy rains and didn't get to see much of Asheville. The next morning we had a sumptuous breakfast at the Tupelo Honey Cafe, took a short stroll around town and headed out for Baltimore.
After more rain, we finally arrived in Baltimore. Our beautiful grandson, Elie, was waiting with Brad on the front porch and the thrill of him reaching out for us was worth every mile driven so far! I'm not sure of when we did what in Baltimore, because all of my attention was focused on spending as much time as possible with little Elie...and I was not disappointed. There is nothing better than being awakened early in the morning by his smiling face as he gets in bed with me and Grams for early morning playtime. It had been over 3 months since we saw him in person and the change was incredible. Elie has developed his own little personality and except for the fact that he doesn't sleep very much, I think he is damn near perfect! I am convinced, though, that his short naps and lack of sleep throughout the night is because he is afraid he might be missing out on the fun if he sleeps too long. 
Nonetheless, we stayed busy in Baltimore. Just spending time with Brad, Claire and Elie was enough for me, but we did manage to stay busy with a trip to the Children's Museum, The Inner Harbor, walks, and shopping. I found out that Elie loves to ride in the shopping cart and he is definitely a chick magnet as he flirts with everybody. Sunday came too soon, as it was time for Saba and Grams to leave.
A quick trip Sunday morning to DC to see the MLK Memorial and The FDR Memorial - both too new for us to have seen before. We didn't do our homework, though, as the National Triathlon/Duathlon was being held in DC with the Mall being the finish line. It made things a little hectic, but we were able to see the impressive new monuments before attempting to leave town. Being 9/11, the road leading to I-95 was bumper to bumper as all the roads around the Pentagon were shut down. 
On to Savannah as we meandered through Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and finally Georgia. Arriving in the Savannah Historic District later on Sunday Evening, we had a quick snack and collapsed in the bed. Monday morning we took a beautiful stroll through the cobblestone streets and heavily treed squares to a country breakfast. On our walk, Connie was excited to stumble upon the First Girl Scout Headquarters....the very place she visited on her last trip to Savannah some 50 years ago. We couldn't help but notice that Southern Hospitality and general friendliness is alive in Savannah. How refreshing to be greeted with hearty "Good Morning's!" as we made our way through the streets. Nothing like the South and the people that live there! (And for those of you that thinks South Florida is the South...wrong! It's more like New York than the South)
So, we headed home. About 80 miles from home, we ran into one of those famous Florida thunderstorms that made driving impossible - so I actually pulled off the interstate and waited it out. That is something I can't ever remember doing before. Arriving home Monday night, we had travelled through 7 states and DC, driven 2542 miles, and according to the computer on the Prius achieved 46.1 miles per gallon at an average speed of 59 mile per hour. (I know I was really averaging about 75 mph on the highway but the computer takes into account all of the driving.) I guess it is time to start planning the next road trip...maybe out west next time and then I can deliver all of Lisa's "stuff" to her. Something tells me, though, that I might be driving alone and Connie will fly to wherever I am.
And The Journey continues.............
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Random Summertime Musings
It has been a month since I submitted my last Blog posting and I have had a hard time coming up with a worthwhile summertime subject to write about. It has been a Summer of Washington lunacy, stock market craziness, Casey Anthony mania and unusually hot weather.
The Summer of Washington lunacy has been particularly appalling. We have a Congress that is made up of a bunch of children that do not understand the spirit of our Constitution. If nothing else, our government was set up to encourage compromise among the disparate viewpoints that proliferate the landscape. However, what we have now is the lunatic fringe elements holding the government hostage because they are more interested in pushing their own agendas rather than figuring out what is best for our Country. Why do these same people continue to want policy that has failed over and over again?
In all of my business dealings, I have learned that a business cannot be brought to profitability simply by cutting expenses. Increased revenues are absolutely necessary to balance the decreased spending. Recent polling shows that the majority of Americans agree with this and want to see tax reform. BUT, The Tea Party's fierce opposition of anything with the word "taxes" attached to it is putting the future of our country at great risk. Why do we accept a system that continues to provide the Oil Companies with massive assistance, companies such as GE with a tax rate lower than people making $50,000 a year, and billionaires paying less taxes than their secretaries? By the way, the Republican God, Ronald Reagan, even raised taxes....does that make him Satan?
The Bush-era tax cuts have added $1.7 trillion to our current debt and the bogus wars we engaged in have added $1.3 trillion. These two items are greater than the debt caused by Social Security and Medicare Part D combined! However, the Tea Party wants to concentrate on the $16 billion TARP (which we will actually profit from), Social Security (which all of us have paid into for our entire lives) and Medicare. Our Defense spending now exceeds all of the other countries in the world combined!! Something tells me that this is unnecessary - but the military-industrial complex can't let this be cut. Tsk, Tsk. When will somebody stand up for the middle class? If there is no growth for the middle class, then there is no growth for the USA.
The leadership void in our nation is frightening. Mr. Obama has shown a lack of backbone in standing up to the various factions and the GOP has yet to put forth anyone that shows any leadership ability. The present Republican hopefuls, Mitt, Tim and Michelle have all been quick to blame the mess on Barack but have offered no solutions. The onus remains on these candidates to explain SPECIFICALLY, how each would change Washington and spur job growth. So far, none of them have offered anything but criticism and blame - if they have a plan to change Washington and encourage job growth, they have done a good job of hiding it. Wake up, America, these candidates will SAY anything to get elected, but what they say doesn't equal their past actions. All one has to do is look at Mitt's record on job outsourcing or Michelle's grab of stimulus money to understand this point. These are serious times and so far, no one has shown that they have serious ideas and plans to lead us.
Which brings me to the Casey Anthony trial. Get over it!! Yes, we all know she is guilty of, at the very least, neglect that led to her child's death..or at the most, cold, premeditated murder. But, the prosecution did not prove any of this. That's our system - innocent until proven guilty. Yep, I am sorry for the little girl too, but all of the protesting, memorial building and angst over the verdict will not bring her back. And, I would rather have a system like ours than any other one...it's not perfect, but it is better than the alternatives.
This hot weather is making me weary...so, that's it for now!
And The Journey continues..................
The Summer of Washington lunacy has been particularly appalling. We have a Congress that is made up of a bunch of children that do not understand the spirit of our Constitution. If nothing else, our government was set up to encourage compromise among the disparate viewpoints that proliferate the landscape. However, what we have now is the lunatic fringe elements holding the government hostage because they are more interested in pushing their own agendas rather than figuring out what is best for our Country. Why do these same people continue to want policy that has failed over and over again?
In all of my business dealings, I have learned that a business cannot be brought to profitability simply by cutting expenses. Increased revenues are absolutely necessary to balance the decreased spending. Recent polling shows that the majority of Americans agree with this and want to see tax reform. BUT, The Tea Party's fierce opposition of anything with the word "taxes" attached to it is putting the future of our country at great risk. Why do we accept a system that continues to provide the Oil Companies with massive assistance, companies such as GE with a tax rate lower than people making $50,000 a year, and billionaires paying less taxes than their secretaries? By the way, the Republican God, Ronald Reagan, even raised taxes....does that make him Satan?
The Bush-era tax cuts have added $1.7 trillion to our current debt and the bogus wars we engaged in have added $1.3 trillion. These two items are greater than the debt caused by Social Security and Medicare Part D combined! However, the Tea Party wants to concentrate on the $16 billion TARP (which we will actually profit from), Social Security (which all of us have paid into for our entire lives) and Medicare. Our Defense spending now exceeds all of the other countries in the world combined!! Something tells me that this is unnecessary - but the military-industrial complex can't let this be cut. Tsk, Tsk. When will somebody stand up for the middle class? If there is no growth for the middle class, then there is no growth for the USA.
The leadership void in our nation is frightening. Mr. Obama has shown a lack of backbone in standing up to the various factions and the GOP has yet to put forth anyone that shows any leadership ability. The present Republican hopefuls, Mitt, Tim and Michelle have all been quick to blame the mess on Barack but have offered no solutions. The onus remains on these candidates to explain SPECIFICALLY, how each would change Washington and spur job growth. So far, none of them have offered anything but criticism and blame - if they have a plan to change Washington and encourage job growth, they have done a good job of hiding it. Wake up, America, these candidates will SAY anything to get elected, but what they say doesn't equal their past actions. All one has to do is look at Mitt's record on job outsourcing or Michelle's grab of stimulus money to understand this point. These are serious times and so far, no one has shown that they have serious ideas and plans to lead us.
Which brings me to the Casey Anthony trial. Get over it!! Yes, we all know she is guilty of, at the very least, neglect that led to her child's death..or at the most, cold, premeditated murder. But, the prosecution did not prove any of this. That's our system - innocent until proven guilty. Yep, I am sorry for the little girl too, but all of the protesting, memorial building and angst over the verdict will not bring her back. And, I would rather have a system like ours than any other one...it's not perfect, but it is better than the alternatives.
This hot weather is making me weary...so, that's it for now!
And The Journey continues..................
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Liars, Hypocrites and Other Famous People
hy-poc-ri-sy n. pl. -sies 1. The practice of professing beliefs, feelings or virtues that one does not hold or posess; insincerity.hyp-o-crite n. A person given to hypocrisy
lie n. 1. A false statement deliberately presented as being true; a falsehood. 2. Something meant to deceive or give a wrong impression. v. 1. To present false information with the intention of deceiving. 2. To convey a false image or impression.
I thought that one could find a picture of several people in the news next to the words that are defined above...but I looked in several dictionaries and could only find the definitions. But, that doesn't make my disgust with liars and hypocrites any less severe.
Recent revelations from THE Ohio State University finally exposed one of the great hypocrites of all time...Coach Jim Tressel. Coach Tressel professes to be a man of great moral and ethical beliefs whose great mission in life is to lead the impressionable on the righteous path of life....yea, right! Instead he is a liar, cheat and world class hypocrite who's sole mission in life is to win. Now, I don't have a problem with someone being driven to be a winner, but don't hold yourself up as a model of morality while you are cheating. But, then again, Coach Tressel was a cheater at his last job, so no one should have expected anything different from him at Ohio State.
Unfortunately, hypocrisy has become the rule of our land. Politicians after politician have perfected the art of hypocrisy. Some Republicans say that they BELIEVE in small government and no government intrusion into the private lives of citizens. Yet, they want to force their religious beliefs onto all people by trying to outlaw a woman's right to choose and to vote against individual equal rights for those that don't share their belief that homosexuality is a crime. We have had members of Congress who have pushed for tough child abuse laws while they are soliciting underage children and pundits (Rush) who preach against the evils of drugs while abusing prescription pain killers. And there have been numerous cases of religious leaders who advocate one set of moral values while practicing the opposite. I am no longer surprised when another public figure is exposed for being a liar and hypocrite.
Just yesterday, teachers and administrators in The Atlanta School System were found to have cheated and perpetuated cheating on standardized tests. These are the same teachers that are suppose to be teaching our youth the values of honesty and integrity. When did the pervading rule become "Do as I say, not as I do?" In too many cases, parents defend the lies of their children. What will become of our society if we accept lies and hypocrisy when it is more convenient than telling the truth?
Is it any wonder that Casey Anthony believed she could get away with murder by simply telling lie after lie? How sad that we have come to that.
Ant The Journey continues...........................
lie n. 1. A false statement deliberately presented as being true; a falsehood. 2. Something meant to deceive or give a wrong impression. v. 1. To present false information with the intention of deceiving. 2. To convey a false image or impression.
I thought that one could find a picture of several people in the news next to the words that are defined above...but I looked in several dictionaries and could only find the definitions. But, that doesn't make my disgust with liars and hypocrites any less severe.
Recent revelations from THE Ohio State University finally exposed one of the great hypocrites of all time...Coach Jim Tressel. Coach Tressel professes to be a man of great moral and ethical beliefs whose great mission in life is to lead the impressionable on the righteous path of life....yea, right! Instead he is a liar, cheat and world class hypocrite who's sole mission in life is to win. Now, I don't have a problem with someone being driven to be a winner, but don't hold yourself up as a model of morality while you are cheating. But, then again, Coach Tressel was a cheater at his last job, so no one should have expected anything different from him at Ohio State.
Unfortunately, hypocrisy has become the rule of our land. Politicians after politician have perfected the art of hypocrisy. Some Republicans say that they BELIEVE in small government and no government intrusion into the private lives of citizens. Yet, they want to force their religious beliefs onto all people by trying to outlaw a woman's right to choose and to vote against individual equal rights for those that don't share their belief that homosexuality is a crime. We have had members of Congress who have pushed for tough child abuse laws while they are soliciting underage children and pundits (Rush) who preach against the evils of drugs while abusing prescription pain killers. And there have been numerous cases of religious leaders who advocate one set of moral values while practicing the opposite. I am no longer surprised when another public figure is exposed for being a liar and hypocrite.
Just yesterday, teachers and administrators in The Atlanta School System were found to have cheated and perpetuated cheating on standardized tests. These are the same teachers that are suppose to be teaching our youth the values of honesty and integrity. When did the pervading rule become "Do as I say, not as I do?" In too many cases, parents defend the lies of their children. What will become of our society if we accept lies and hypocrisy when it is more convenient than telling the truth?
Is it any wonder that Casey Anthony believed she could get away with murder by simply telling lie after lie? How sad that we have come to that.
Ant The Journey continues...........................
Thursday, May 26, 2011
REFLECTIONS ON TURNING 60....WHAT I KNOW FOR SURE
I turned 60 last week. It wasn't quite as traumatic as I expected. I feel the same as I did when I was 59. But, 60 is a great age to reflect...some would even say that one that has reached 6 decades has the right to pontificate and speak with pompous authority. So, since I did not do anything else significant to celebrate my milestone birthday, I am allowing myself the indulgence of writing (primarily for my grandson, Elie) these 21 Things I Know For Sure.1. Life will not always go the way you want it. Deal with it!
2. Stop trying to be perfect. It will make you crazy and nobody even cares if you are perfect.
4. You will regret the things you haven't done more than those you have.
7. A home filled with music is a happy home.
8. If you have an opinion or make a choice that is diametrically opposed to what most others think, the world will not end! Be an independent thinker.
9. True friends (ones that will go to the end of the earth for you and vice versa) are hard to come by and are quite few....so treasure them. The rest are merely acquaintances.
10. A good friend will bail you out of jail. A great, true friend will be sitting next to you in the cell saying, "Damn, that was fun!"
11. There will never be peace until everybody recognizes everybody else as their equal. Prejudice, racism, bias and hate are the root of all evil.
12. Focusing on the positive always trumps dwelling on the negative.
13. This too, will pass!
14. If you don't believe in yourself, no one else will.
15. You are only as happy as your most unhappy child.
16. Blood IS thicker than water. Never underestimate the Power of Family.
17. Grandchildren are your reward for raising great children.
18. Love DOES conquer all!
19. It is okay to cry. Whether it is tears of joy, pride, or even sadness, tears only show that we are human feeling beings. Crying is NOT a show of weakness.
20. We are responsible for our own life. And nobody else is. There are those that assist us along the path but our success can never be left to anyone else.
21. Life is short. We should DO IT NOW!
And The Journey continues..........
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Customer Service? Not anymore!
Since most of my career has been spent in the Retail business, I have some idea of what makes up good customer service. The most important element of any seller-buyer relationship is communication...and since the seller is trying to sell and the buyer doesn't have to buy, the most important thing a seller can do is listen! And once they have listened, it is up to the seller to, at least, address the concerns and needs of the buyer/customer. Lately, I have found that the art of customer service is, for the most part, dead.
Sure, there are exceptions to this. I have run across retailers, like Nordstrom's, that generally treat the customer with respect and honesty - they seem to embrace the concept of the customer always being right. Others?? Not so much..... There are retailers that think every customer is trying to rip them off and treat them that way...there are service companies that don't timely keep their appointments and there are restaurants that have no clue how to treat a customer. I have had people make business appointments with me and just not show up - no calls, no excuses...just rudeness!
So, why do I feel compelled to write this now? I have just come from shopping for an auto lease...and with the exception of one dealer (my friend), was constantly treated as if I am a total idiot and literally told that I needed to do business THEIR way! I started off each session with the same instructions: 1. I know what I want. 2. I don't want to drive the car 3. I want to deal with the Sales Manager directly, because I don't have the patience nor the time to "play the game." 4. Do you have the car or can you get it and 5.What are the costs and terms for a 3 year lease? I also tell them they have one shot at me, so make it there best shot. I don't think I am being unreasonable, just thrifty with my time.
It amazes me that 3 of the dealers refused to even acknowledge what I laid out for them and started the meeting with "Let's go for a test drive." When I refused, one of them told me that he couldn't quote me then! Another one kept running back and forth to their manager and left me sitting at a desk for 30 minutes. The third one kind of got what I was saying but said his sales manager wouldn't let him vary from their standard operating procedure....and until I got insistant would not even ask the sales manager to speak with me....and when he did finally come over to me, was rude and out of line. Oh, and did I mention that the first one was the dealer I had leased the last car from and had been calling me daily to get me to come in for a new car?
I think a no hassle, let's do it the customer's way dealer would be a smash hit in just about any market. I know that I would go out of my way to give him my business and recommend him to everybody! Since the lease on the old car is up next week, I still need to do something.....My options come down to getting a car from my friend in West Palm Beach - which would be great if he sold the models Connie wants or get the car from a family member's dealership in Miami or give Connie my car and just start walking or bicycling everywhere! Even that would be better than having to deal with this any longer!
And The Journey continues.......
Sure, there are exceptions to this. I have run across retailers, like Nordstrom's, that generally treat the customer with respect and honesty - they seem to embrace the concept of the customer always being right. Others?? Not so much..... There are retailers that think every customer is trying to rip them off and treat them that way...there are service companies that don't timely keep their appointments and there are restaurants that have no clue how to treat a customer. I have had people make business appointments with me and just not show up - no calls, no excuses...just rudeness!
So, why do I feel compelled to write this now? I have just come from shopping for an auto lease...and with the exception of one dealer (my friend), was constantly treated as if I am a total idiot and literally told that I needed to do business THEIR way! I started off each session with the same instructions: 1. I know what I want. 2. I don't want to drive the car 3. I want to deal with the Sales Manager directly, because I don't have the patience nor the time to "play the game." 4. Do you have the car or can you get it and 5.What are the costs and terms for a 3 year lease? I also tell them they have one shot at me, so make it there best shot. I don't think I am being unreasonable, just thrifty with my time.
It amazes me that 3 of the dealers refused to even acknowledge what I laid out for them and started the meeting with "Let's go for a test drive." When I refused, one of them told me that he couldn't quote me then! Another one kept running back and forth to their manager and left me sitting at a desk for 30 minutes. The third one kind of got what I was saying but said his sales manager wouldn't let him vary from their standard operating procedure....and until I got insistant would not even ask the sales manager to speak with me....and when he did finally come over to me, was rude and out of line. Oh, and did I mention that the first one was the dealer I had leased the last car from and had been calling me daily to get me to come in for a new car?
I think a no hassle, let's do it the customer's way dealer would be a smash hit in just about any market. I know that I would go out of my way to give him my business and recommend him to everybody! Since the lease on the old car is up next week, I still need to do something.....My options come down to getting a car from my friend in West Palm Beach - which would be great if he sold the models Connie wants or get the car from a family member's dealership in Miami or give Connie my car and just start walking or bicycling everywhere! Even that would be better than having to deal with this any longer!
And The Journey continues.......
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Where Have All The Leaders Gone?
In the song, "Where Have All The Flowers Gone," the final verse asks, "when will we ever learn, when will we ever learn?" The same can be said about our so-called national leaders and the disgusting public discourse of the day. And although I lean to the left, I am talking about the void of real leaders on both sides of the aisle. If there is one thing I can't stand in our supposed leaders, it is hypocrisy...the other is utter stupidity. Let's look at some of those "leaders"..........
First there is the joke of the day...Donald Trump! Mr. Trump is deciding whether to run for President. Just what we need, ANOTHER reality TV star polluting the landscape. In 1987, Mr. Trump ran a full page advertisement in several newspapers criticizing the political establishment, then run by Ronald Reagan, stating "The World is laughing at America's politicians" and endorsing the Reform Party's book of policy which included an embrace of single-payer health care and plans for a one-time 14.25% net-worth tax on all Americans worth more than $10 million....the revenue would pay off the national debt! Today, he says he is more serious than ever before yet his rhetoric revolves around the veracity of Obama's Birth Certificate, which has been verified by the State of Hawaii and a copy of which was shown last week on ABC News. He goes on to claim that Obama's book, Dreams of My Father was secretly written by '60's radical, Bill Ayers. But let's face it, all of these make for great sound bites and the American people don't really have the intelligence to go beyond sound bites.
Then there are those other Republican Presidential hopefuls....Sarah Palin and Sarah Palin redux, Michelle Bachman. Together they have not put together a single idea or proposal that will help this country. All they do is spout fear and negatives without so much as a single intelligent idea between the two of them. Sarah won't run, though...she would have to take too much of a pay cut from her reality show and speaking engagements...but Michelle is ready to rock with some of her best selling lines: "Not all cultures are created equal;" "I find it interesting that the swine flu broke out under another Democratic President, Jimmy Carter. And I'm not blaming this on Obama, I just think it is an interesting coincidence;" "Gay marriage is probably the biggest issue that is impacting our State and our Nation in the last 30 years. I am not understating that:" "If we took away the minimum wage- if conceivably it was gone-we could potentially virtually wipe out unemployment because we would be able to offer jobs at whatever level;" and my favorite..."And what a bizarre time we are in when a judge will say to little children that you can't say the Pledge of Allegiance but you must learn that homosexuality is normal and you should try it."
The there is Newt Gingrich...was Newt the one Alan Simpson, former Republican Senator from Wyoming was referring to when he said, "You're diddling your secretary while you're giving a speech on moral values? Come on. Get off of it. Senator Simpson also said of his Republican cohorts: "I'm not sticking with people who are homophobic, antiwomen."
Finally, there is the case of Mitt Romney. I have had the pleasure of being a business associate of Mitt's. I have often told others that Mitt is one of the smartest, most intellectually curious people that I have ever been around. All of my business dealings with Mitt were marked with the highest degree of integrity and that has resulted in a high dose of respect for Mitt. HOWEVER, I can't reconcile his bevy of altered positions on important issues. He was pro-choice and anti-gun in order to get elected as Governor of Massachusetts. His Massachusetts universal health care program complete with a mandate that individuals purchase insurance was signed into law by him in April, 2006. I almost could have supported that Mitt...socially progressive yet fiscally conservative. Now, in order to appeal to the base of the Republican Party, he has changed his stance on these and other social issues...which only goes to prove that Mitt will say anything to get elected, and for that, my respect for Mitt as a leader has all but disappeared.
And the Democratic side of the ledger is void of leaders too. Nancy Pelosi? What a joke. Nancy is the one who said "We have to pass the Health Care Bill so we can find out what's in it;" duh...aren't you suppose to know what's in it before you vote on it? And one of my all time favorites: "I believe in natural gas as a clean, cheap alternative to fossil fuels." Hmmmm...I know that I am not the smartest guy in the world, but even I know that natural gas is a fossil fuel! Sorry, Nancy, your 15 minutes are up...you are a dishonest political hack!
Joe Biden? He is embracing the long-standing tradition of the Vice-President being totally irrelevant. Are you still breathing, Joe?
I had high hopes for Barack Obama. I believe him to be intelligent and that he truly wants to do what's right. However, a leader? Not so much. A leader knows how to gain consensus...knows how to be decisive...knows the art of compromise...knows how to instill confidence in the people. Mr. Obama has not demonstrated any of this.
I think New York City Mayor, Michael Bloomberg shares my disgust for uber-partisan politics when he asked: "When did success become a bad word in America? When did coopertion of government become treason? The new 'politics as usual' is making a mockery of our democracy and a mess of our country?" Who is responsible for this mockery? The Republicans? Yes! The Democrats? Yes! The Tea Party? Yes! Yes! Republican President, Dwight D. Eisenhower understood compromise: "People talk about the middle of the road as though it were unacceptable. Actually, all human problems, excepting morals, come into the gray area. Things are not black and white. There have to be compromises.....the middle of the road is all of the usable surface. The extremes, right and left, are in the gutters."
When did we let the extreme fringes highjack our system of democracy? In a recent editorial, former Republican Congressman, E. Clay Shaw said, "Democracy promotes and requires debate, but it is at its best when done with dignity and respect." How do we, with a straight face, make an issue of Planned Parenthood funding (when it accounts for less than .00005% of our budget) a cause celebre for fiscal restraint instead of an attack on a woman's right to choose. This was not a budget issue...it was a sound bite for the extreme right. All the while we ignore the fact that our defense budget has more than doubled in 10 years and is now larger than the rest of the world's military budgets COMBINED. Want to reduce spending? End the wars that we should never have been a part of, reduce global presence, cut the 17 intelligence agencies to just 2 or 3, quit funding unneeded equipment like the $400 billion being spent on F-35 fighters in Mr. Boehner's district and go after the big wastes in the budget. But this won't happen, because the Military-Industrial complex is running the show! And if any politician is really honest, then they will admit that we can't solve our debt problem by cost reduction only. They all know that revenue also has to increase in order to reduce the deficit...but, tax increases or at the very least, tax reform, is a sound bite that spells trouble in getting themselves re-elected!
Years ago, I was fortunate to hear a speech by General Norman Schwarzkopf in which he told the story of his first tour of duty at the Pentagon. He was a young officer assigned to one of the Generals and arrived for his first day of work as the General was leaving for an extended vacation. As the General was leaving, he instructed his young aide in the tasks that needed to be completed before he returned. Schwarzkopf had never done any of the things that were being asked of him, so he asked the General what he should do. The General replied, "Do what's right" and Schwarzkopf kept those instructions at the heart of all his decisions going forward. The problem with our so-called leaders is that they that they don't have the courage to DO WHAT'S RIGHT. They only say and do what will give them the best sound bite that will further their political ambitions.
Where have all the leader's gone? When will a real leader step forward and have the courage to do what's right?
And The Journey continues...............................
**Footnote: Some of the quotes came from an essay by John P. Hart, "Dialogues for civility in politics, government" in The Sun Sentinel, 4/24/2011
First there is the joke of the day...Donald Trump! Mr. Trump is deciding whether to run for President. Just what we need, ANOTHER reality TV star polluting the landscape. In 1987, Mr. Trump ran a full page advertisement in several newspapers criticizing the political establishment, then run by Ronald Reagan, stating "The World is laughing at America's politicians" and endorsing the Reform Party's book of policy which included an embrace of single-payer health care and plans for a one-time 14.25% net-worth tax on all Americans worth more than $10 million....the revenue would pay off the national debt! Today, he says he is more serious than ever before yet his rhetoric revolves around the veracity of Obama's Birth Certificate, which has been verified by the State of Hawaii and a copy of which was shown last week on ABC News. He goes on to claim that Obama's book, Dreams of My Father was secretly written by '60's radical, Bill Ayers. But let's face it, all of these make for great sound bites and the American people don't really have the intelligence to go beyond sound bites.
Then there are those other Republican Presidential hopefuls....Sarah Palin and Sarah Palin redux, Michelle Bachman. Together they have not put together a single idea or proposal that will help this country. All they do is spout fear and negatives without so much as a single intelligent idea between the two of them. Sarah won't run, though...she would have to take too much of a pay cut from her reality show and speaking engagements...but Michelle is ready to rock with some of her best selling lines: "Not all cultures are created equal;" "I find it interesting that the swine flu broke out under another Democratic President, Jimmy Carter. And I'm not blaming this on Obama, I just think it is an interesting coincidence;" "Gay marriage is probably the biggest issue that is impacting our State and our Nation in the last 30 years. I am not understating that:" "If we took away the minimum wage- if conceivably it was gone-we could potentially virtually wipe out unemployment because we would be able to offer jobs at whatever level;" and my favorite..."And what a bizarre time we are in when a judge will say to little children that you can't say the Pledge of Allegiance but you must learn that homosexuality is normal and you should try it."
The there is Newt Gingrich...was Newt the one Alan Simpson, former Republican Senator from Wyoming was referring to when he said, "You're diddling your secretary while you're giving a speech on moral values? Come on. Get off of it. Senator Simpson also said of his Republican cohorts: "I'm not sticking with people who are homophobic, antiwomen."
Finally, there is the case of Mitt Romney. I have had the pleasure of being a business associate of Mitt's. I have often told others that Mitt is one of the smartest, most intellectually curious people that I have ever been around. All of my business dealings with Mitt were marked with the highest degree of integrity and that has resulted in a high dose of respect for Mitt. HOWEVER, I can't reconcile his bevy of altered positions on important issues. He was pro-choice and anti-gun in order to get elected as Governor of Massachusetts. His Massachusetts universal health care program complete with a mandate that individuals purchase insurance was signed into law by him in April, 2006. I almost could have supported that Mitt...socially progressive yet fiscally conservative. Now, in order to appeal to the base of the Republican Party, he has changed his stance on these and other social issues...which only goes to prove that Mitt will say anything to get elected, and for that, my respect for Mitt as a leader has all but disappeared.
And the Democratic side of the ledger is void of leaders too. Nancy Pelosi? What a joke. Nancy is the one who said "We have to pass the Health Care Bill so we can find out what's in it;" duh...aren't you suppose to know what's in it before you vote on it? And one of my all time favorites: "I believe in natural gas as a clean, cheap alternative to fossil fuels." Hmmmm...I know that I am not the smartest guy in the world, but even I know that natural gas is a fossil fuel! Sorry, Nancy, your 15 minutes are up...you are a dishonest political hack!
Joe Biden? He is embracing the long-standing tradition of the Vice-President being totally irrelevant. Are you still breathing, Joe?
I had high hopes for Barack Obama. I believe him to be intelligent and that he truly wants to do what's right. However, a leader? Not so much. A leader knows how to gain consensus...knows how to be decisive...knows the art of compromise...knows how to instill confidence in the people. Mr. Obama has not demonstrated any of this.
I think New York City Mayor, Michael Bloomberg shares my disgust for uber-partisan politics when he asked: "When did success become a bad word in America? When did coopertion of government become treason? The new 'politics as usual' is making a mockery of our democracy and a mess of our country?" Who is responsible for this mockery? The Republicans? Yes! The Democrats? Yes! The Tea Party? Yes! Yes! Republican President, Dwight D. Eisenhower understood compromise: "People talk about the middle of the road as though it were unacceptable. Actually, all human problems, excepting morals, come into the gray area. Things are not black and white. There have to be compromises.....the middle of the road is all of the usable surface. The extremes, right and left, are in the gutters."
When did we let the extreme fringes highjack our system of democracy? In a recent editorial, former Republican Congressman, E. Clay Shaw said, "Democracy promotes and requires debate, but it is at its best when done with dignity and respect." How do we, with a straight face, make an issue of Planned Parenthood funding (when it accounts for less than .00005% of our budget) a cause celebre for fiscal restraint instead of an attack on a woman's right to choose. This was not a budget issue...it was a sound bite for the extreme right. All the while we ignore the fact that our defense budget has more than doubled in 10 years and is now larger than the rest of the world's military budgets COMBINED. Want to reduce spending? End the wars that we should never have been a part of, reduce global presence, cut the 17 intelligence agencies to just 2 or 3, quit funding unneeded equipment like the $400 billion being spent on F-35 fighters in Mr. Boehner's district and go after the big wastes in the budget. But this won't happen, because the Military-Industrial complex is running the show! And if any politician is really honest, then they will admit that we can't solve our debt problem by cost reduction only. They all know that revenue also has to increase in order to reduce the deficit...but, tax increases or at the very least, tax reform, is a sound bite that spells trouble in getting themselves re-elected!
Years ago, I was fortunate to hear a speech by General Norman Schwarzkopf in which he told the story of his first tour of duty at the Pentagon. He was a young officer assigned to one of the Generals and arrived for his first day of work as the General was leaving for an extended vacation. As the General was leaving, he instructed his young aide in the tasks that needed to be completed before he returned. Schwarzkopf had never done any of the things that were being asked of him, so he asked the General what he should do. The General replied, "Do what's right" and Schwarzkopf kept those instructions at the heart of all his decisions going forward. The problem with our so-called leaders is that they that they don't have the courage to DO WHAT'S RIGHT. They only say and do what will give them the best sound bite that will further their political ambitions.
Where have all the leader's gone? When will a real leader step forward and have the courage to do what's right?
And The Journey continues...............................
**Footnote: Some of the quotes came from an essay by John P. Hart, "Dialogues for civility in politics, government" in The Sun Sentinel, 4/24/2011
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Dieting for Dummies
How come it is so easy to gain weight but so hard to take it off? I have been on a diet for at least half of my life. My best estimate of weight gained and lost over my lifetime is close to a thousand pounds. It seems that it takes about 5 times longer to lose weight than it does to gain...and the older we get, the harder it is to lose.
Over my lifetime, I have been on just about every diet imaginable...and they all work to some degree. What they don't do is ingrain the idea of maintaining weight into our pleasure seeking, feeble minds! To date, I have participated in the following: Stillman's Water Diet, The Grapefruit Diet, NutriSystems, The South Beach Diet, The Zone diet, The 14 day Diet, the 10 Day Diet, Phen-Fen, Dr. "Feelgood's" Magic pills, Atkins high protein-low carb Diet, The Cookie Diet, A Nutritionist's Diet, Weight Watcher's, The Juice Fast, The Fast Fast and finally, Jenny Craig. (I am sure that I have left some out!) I have lost 40 to 50 pounds more times than I can count.
We all know that exercise plays a major part in losing weight. But recently there was a published report that concluded that too much exercise contributes to weight gain. The theory is that with exercise, the body craves more calories so we overeat. Then there are those that say that to lose weight you should increase your cardio exercise and not do any strength training. Others say that the key is strength training and one should decrease cardio work. What is the right formula? I guess if you break it down to its simplest form, the answer is to consume less calories than you burn each day. But it is never a level playing field...if you have high metabolism, then you burn more calories during the normal course of your day...but I must have the metabolism of a turtle!! I exercise everyday more than almost anybody I know and do not grossly overeat...you'd think I would not have a weight problem! Must be the genes!!
Somone once said to me that they eat to live and I live to eat...not exactly true but I do love food. I love gourmet food, I love good food, and I love crummy, bad for you food like diner fare, southern fried delicasies and other assorted goodies. That doesn't mean I only eat that stuff. I eat plenty of salads, veggies, fruit, fish, skinless chicken, ground turkey instead of beef, whole grains and the like....but it almost seems like it doen't matter what I eat. And it seems to me that I eat about half the quantity that I ate as a much younger person. But I still fight the weight problem everyday!
Presently, I am back on The Jenny Craig program....or what I call Dieting for Dummies. Eat what they tell you to and you will lose weight. It's when I start to make substitutions that things get tough. For instance, an ounce of Scotch equals 2 fats...so I have to figure out what to cut out to accomodate an evening Scotch! Do I miss the good stuff? You bet...but the goal is back in sight and I will be back to High School Playing weight by my birthday! And then I will eat whatever I damn well please ....so I can start the cycle all over again!
And The Journey continues....................................
Over my lifetime, I have been on just about every diet imaginable...and they all work to some degree. What they don't do is ingrain the idea of maintaining weight into our pleasure seeking, feeble minds! To date, I have participated in the following: Stillman's Water Diet, The Grapefruit Diet, NutriSystems, The South Beach Diet, The Zone diet, The 14 day Diet, the 10 Day Diet, Phen-Fen, Dr. "Feelgood's" Magic pills, Atkins high protein-low carb Diet, The Cookie Diet, A Nutritionist's Diet, Weight Watcher's, The Juice Fast, The Fast Fast and finally, Jenny Craig. (I am sure that I have left some out!) I have lost 40 to 50 pounds more times than I can count.
We all know that exercise plays a major part in losing weight. But recently there was a published report that concluded that too much exercise contributes to weight gain. The theory is that with exercise, the body craves more calories so we overeat. Then there are those that say that to lose weight you should increase your cardio exercise and not do any strength training. Others say that the key is strength training and one should decrease cardio work. What is the right formula? I guess if you break it down to its simplest form, the answer is to consume less calories than you burn each day. But it is never a level playing field...if you have high metabolism, then you burn more calories during the normal course of your day...but I must have the metabolism of a turtle!! I exercise everyday more than almost anybody I know and do not grossly overeat...you'd think I would not have a weight problem! Must be the genes!!
Somone once said to me that they eat to live and I live to eat...not exactly true but I do love food. I love gourmet food, I love good food, and I love crummy, bad for you food like diner fare, southern fried delicasies and other assorted goodies. That doesn't mean I only eat that stuff. I eat plenty of salads, veggies, fruit, fish, skinless chicken, ground turkey instead of beef, whole grains and the like....but it almost seems like it doen't matter what I eat. And it seems to me that I eat about half the quantity that I ate as a much younger person. But I still fight the weight problem everyday!
Presently, I am back on The Jenny Craig program....or what I call Dieting for Dummies. Eat what they tell you to and you will lose weight. It's when I start to make substitutions that things get tough. For instance, an ounce of Scotch equals 2 fats...so I have to figure out what to cut out to accomodate an evening Scotch! Do I miss the good stuff? You bet...but the goal is back in sight and I will be back to High School Playing weight by my birthday! And then I will eat whatever I damn well please ....so I can start the cycle all over again!
And The Journey continues....................................
Saturday, March 19, 2011
The Real Story, Part 5
The first order of business was to hire a staff. We immediately had a need for a secretary/ Office manager and I hired Julie on the first or second day. Having never been involved in a start-up venture before, I was unaware of just how much of a start-up we were until I gave her the first task. The night before, I had written out three letters to be sent to potential suppliers...one to those people that Jack knew, one to those that I knew and a general industry-wide letter. I then marked up a Sporting goods directory with who were to get each letter and turned it over to Julie to execute. A few minutes later, she came back to my desk and asked, "um, what do I use to type these up on?" Uh, oh...we didn't even have a typewriter (this was before PC's took over). So, I sent her to Office Depot to buy a memory typewriter and thought that would resolve the problem. She arrived back with the typewriter and came back to my desk..."Where can I find the stationery?" Hmmm....we needed to sit down and make a list of all of the supplies that we needed to get rolling...Stationery, envelopes, general office supplies, business cards, copy machine, etc, etc, etc....yep we were REALLY starting from scratch! So, after putting Julie in charge of all of those details, I set out to hire a buying and marketing staff.
At the suggestion of Ann at Doner Advertising, I called Ellen (Brautigan) Stevens in Atlanta to come interview for the marketing manager position. I had worked with Ellen some years earlier in Atlanta and she had all of the knowledge and tools to set up the advertising function - especially the business side of the retail ad biz. It didn't hurt to know that she pined to move to Florida too!! So, with Ellen hired I continued the search for 3 or 4 Buyers. Realizing that we were creating a new kind of Sporting Goods environment, I wanted to hire Buyers from several retailing disciplines so that we could create our own culture - to hire from just the sporting goods arena would get us a culture of same ol', same ol'. So, I hired a diverse group...Jay from a Mass Merchant with Sporting Goods experience for hardlines, Joe from a small Sporting Goods Retailer for footwear, Kim from Burdine's Department Stores for Apparel and finally Dave for Fishing, Hunting, and Camping. We then added Debbie as an Assistant Buyer to handle the women's apparel. It must have been a pretty good crew, because nearly all of them (with the exception of Debbie who left to raise a family and Dave who left for family reasons) stayed, flourished and were promoted to even bigger roles over the years.
July 4th rolled around and with the initial staff in place, the computer system getting installed, the construction of the store commencing, we had only a short time to purchase the merchandise, develop the buying system, receive and price the goods and get the store open. By this time, it was becoming apparent that Dick Carter was going to be a short termer....once he got the store constructed, it was apparent that Jack was going to bring in one of his old cronies from Herman's to be VP of Store Operations. Dick's vision of the store was more of a warehouse view and we had spent considerable time and effort to convince the Industry that we were NOT a warehouse...but a large Mega Store with carpet under the apparel and a stack 'em high, let 'em fly merchandising philosophy for hardlines. Our trademark open blue ceiling came about because we found that it was going to cost an extra $20,000 to paint the existing ceiling white....and all of the first 30 or more stores ended up with that blue ceiling! Our low price image was going to be reinforced by "not to be beat prices" on commodities such as tennis balls, and golf balls and well positioned opportunity buys like the $10 all leather tennis shoes and the $9.99 wall of sweat clothes featured during the Grand Opening.
Jack and I continued to battle on many issues. As a matter of fact, after we sold the Company to Kmart in 1990 we held a dinner to celebrate the sale. At that dinner, Mitt Romney gave a terrific speech about the founding of the Company and addressed each of the principals. When he came to me, Mitt said, "The Board could never understand how Roy accomplished all that he did. ..Roy would propose merchandising initiatives and Jack would reject them..Roy would propose Advertising initiatives, and Jack would reject them...and then we realized how he pushed all of the initiatives through..." and then he presented me with a pair of heavy duty knee pads! (I still have those knee pads hanging on a wall in my office!). I like to believe that the tensions only helped the creative process and got us the best solutions!
Nonetheless, we DID accomplish a hell of a lot in a short amount of time. The multi-faceted advertising campaign utilizing billboards, television and radio reinforced our commitment to "Sell the sizzle...not the steak!" That is, we sold the concept of the store as the ultimate Sporting Goods destination rather than just advertising items at rock bottom prices. The television advertising featuring comic Louie Anderson as the very antithesis of an athlete was a resounding success. (An interesting tidbit is that the scripts were written with John Candy as the star...when he proved to be wildly too expensive, we decided to use little know Louie Anderson who was to become well know shortly thereafter!) The radio ads were breakthrough advertising and the billboards with a double entendre twist were a big hit. After working 7 days a week including many 15 to 18 hour days, we finally managed to get the first store open. Grand Opening week featured many star athletes including Sugar Ray Leonard, Dan Marino, Dwight Gooden, Tim Raines, and Reggie Jackson among others. The lines of people wrapped around the store and spilled outside onto the sidewalk.
When we started this venture, we projected the first store to do an annualized volume of around $8.7 million. People in the Industry thought we had lost our minds...the average Sporting Goods Retailer did around $1.7 million in volume...no way were we going to open a store doing over 5 times that! In the first year of operation, the flagship The Sports Authority Store did $10.5 million in volume...we were a success at the store level. Now we had to get a bunch of stores open to leverage the corporate costs we had put in place to grow the Company!
That's how it all started! We continued to grow, sold the Company in March, 1990, to Kmart Corporation (that is a whole other story), and really started a growth spurt. I along with the other 3 executives signed 2 year contracts with KMart....50% of our buyout was put into escrow until the end of 2 years. I actually stayed on for 3 years after the buyout and departed in April of 1993 to found KidSource...a baby megastore concept.
Those 7 years ( I count from the time we first started working on the Sports Newco project in 1986!) were some of the most exciting of my business career. I am indebted to Jory for that first phone call, to Scott for his encouragement and counsel and to Jack for the experience..but I am most indebted to all of those that worked with us to make it happen.
And The Journey continues........
At the suggestion of Ann at Doner Advertising, I called Ellen (Brautigan) Stevens in Atlanta to come interview for the marketing manager position. I had worked with Ellen some years earlier in Atlanta and she had all of the knowledge and tools to set up the advertising function - especially the business side of the retail ad biz. It didn't hurt to know that she pined to move to Florida too!! So, with Ellen hired I continued the search for 3 or 4 Buyers. Realizing that we were creating a new kind of Sporting Goods environment, I wanted to hire Buyers from several retailing disciplines so that we could create our own culture - to hire from just the sporting goods arena would get us a culture of same ol', same ol'. So, I hired a diverse group...Jay from a Mass Merchant with Sporting Goods experience for hardlines, Joe from a small Sporting Goods Retailer for footwear, Kim from Burdine's Department Stores for Apparel and finally Dave for Fishing, Hunting, and Camping. We then added Debbie as an Assistant Buyer to handle the women's apparel. It must have been a pretty good crew, because nearly all of them (with the exception of Debbie who left to raise a family and Dave who left for family reasons) stayed, flourished and were promoted to even bigger roles over the years.
July 4th rolled around and with the initial staff in place, the computer system getting installed, the construction of the store commencing, we had only a short time to purchase the merchandise, develop the buying system, receive and price the goods and get the store open. By this time, it was becoming apparent that Dick Carter was going to be a short termer....once he got the store constructed, it was apparent that Jack was going to bring in one of his old cronies from Herman's to be VP of Store Operations. Dick's vision of the store was more of a warehouse view and we had spent considerable time and effort to convince the Industry that we were NOT a warehouse...but a large Mega Store with carpet under the apparel and a stack 'em high, let 'em fly merchandising philosophy for hardlines. Our trademark open blue ceiling came about because we found that it was going to cost an extra $20,000 to paint the existing ceiling white....and all of the first 30 or more stores ended up with that blue ceiling! Our low price image was going to be reinforced by "not to be beat prices" on commodities such as tennis balls, and golf balls and well positioned opportunity buys like the $10 all leather tennis shoes and the $9.99 wall of sweat clothes featured during the Grand Opening.
Jack and I continued to battle on many issues. As a matter of fact, after we sold the Company to Kmart in 1990 we held a dinner to celebrate the sale. At that dinner, Mitt Romney gave a terrific speech about the founding of the Company and addressed each of the principals. When he came to me, Mitt said, "The Board could never understand how Roy accomplished all that he did. ..Roy would propose merchandising initiatives and Jack would reject them..Roy would propose Advertising initiatives, and Jack would reject them...and then we realized how he pushed all of the initiatives through..." and then he presented me with a pair of heavy duty knee pads! (I still have those knee pads hanging on a wall in my office!). I like to believe that the tensions only helped the creative process and got us the best solutions!
Nonetheless, we DID accomplish a hell of a lot in a short amount of time. The multi-faceted advertising campaign utilizing billboards, television and radio reinforced our commitment to "Sell the sizzle...not the steak!" That is, we sold the concept of the store as the ultimate Sporting Goods destination rather than just advertising items at rock bottom prices. The television advertising featuring comic Louie Anderson as the very antithesis of an athlete was a resounding success. (An interesting tidbit is that the scripts were written with John Candy as the star...when he proved to be wildly too expensive, we decided to use little know Louie Anderson who was to become well know shortly thereafter!) The radio ads were breakthrough advertising and the billboards with a double entendre twist were a big hit. After working 7 days a week including many 15 to 18 hour days, we finally managed to get the first store open. Grand Opening week featured many star athletes including Sugar Ray Leonard, Dan Marino, Dwight Gooden, Tim Raines, and Reggie Jackson among others. The lines of people wrapped around the store and spilled outside onto the sidewalk.
When we started this venture, we projected the first store to do an annualized volume of around $8.7 million. People in the Industry thought we had lost our minds...the average Sporting Goods Retailer did around $1.7 million in volume...no way were we going to open a store doing over 5 times that! In the first year of operation, the flagship The Sports Authority Store did $10.5 million in volume...we were a success at the store level. Now we had to get a bunch of stores open to leverage the corporate costs we had put in place to grow the Company!
That's how it all started! We continued to grow, sold the Company in March, 1990, to Kmart Corporation (that is a whole other story), and really started a growth spurt. I along with the other 3 executives signed 2 year contracts with KMart....50% of our buyout was put into escrow until the end of 2 years. I actually stayed on for 3 years after the buyout and departed in April of 1993 to found KidSource...a baby megastore concept.
Those 7 years ( I count from the time we first started working on the Sports Newco project in 1986!) were some of the most exciting of my business career. I am indebted to Jory for that first phone call, to Scott for his encouragement and counsel and to Jack for the experience..but I am most indebted to all of those that worked with us to make it happen.
And The Journey continues........
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
The Real Story, Part 4
What a position I had put myself in! I had agreed to join "Sports Newco" but had just told my boss that I was committed to my present job. Now I had to tell him that I was, in fact, leaving...after spending considerable time and effort convincing him of my loyalty. The apprehension was worse than the reality, though. My boss was disappointed but understanding and, much to my astonishment, supportive. Having recently uprooted his family to take the position of CEO at Child World, he understood the dynamic of having to "go for the brass ring." Gil's only request was that I stay for 3 to 4 weeks to help through the annual budgeting process and bow out of the management incentive trip to Key West. Done and done!
Meanwhile, there was work to be done for Sports Newco. First and foremost was the task of coming up with a name for the Company. There were many names floated...."Jack's" (it is obvious who that one came from), "Balls" "SportCity" and "AllSport" were all being considered. It was obvious to me that we needed help in naming the Company, so I contacted an Advertising Agency that specialized in Retail...W.B.Doner...out of Detroti, MI. I had positive experiences working with Doner at two other Companies. It didn't hurt any that one of my mentors from early in my career was Senior Vice President in charge of the Florida office! Ann Bergstrom had been VP of Advertising at Richway Stores and had taught me the ins and outs of retail advertising. So, I put them on the task of naming the Company.
A meeting was scheduled at Doner's offices. As Jack and I were still working out our notices, we flew in from multiple locations. Present at the meeting were me and Jack as well as representatives from the Investment group....Jory from Maurice Sporting Goods, Scott from Blair, Adam Kirsch from Bain Capital and Chip Ruth from Marquette. The night before the meeting, Ann and I talked and she informed me that they had not come up with a better name than "AllSport" and were going to make a presentation to us utilizing that name. However, Ann greeted our long white limo as it pulled up to the front of Doner's headquarters, hugged me and whispered in my ear "Forget our conversation of last night...surprise name coming!" Later, I was berated by Jack for daring to hug Ann...I was never sure if he really thought this was such an "unprofessional" act or if he was bothered by the impression that my relationship with the agency would preclude him from some measure of control.
As we entered the conference room, I noticed presentation books laid out at each seat...the title was "AllSport." Once the meeting started, it was explained that the creative group had worked on the name for some time but had not come up with a name other than the one that I had originally suggested..."AllSport." However, on a trip to New York the previous day, one of the members of the creative team had seen a sign at the airport...."New York Port Authority" and the name "The Sports Authority" immediately came to mind. No sooner did the words get out of the presenter's mouth that Jack slapped the table and declared, "Absolutely NOT...over my dead body will we have a name with that many letters." I, along with the others present, were stunned. The name said it all...it was a strong statement of what the store actually stood for. As we polled the room, all except Jack liked the name....he accused me of liking it only because "you hired these guys." He discounted any other opinions because "you are not retailers...you don't understand the cost of making the signs for the store with that many letters!" The discussion went on for several hours....Jack began to wear down and he had come to a realization that the rest of the room was not going to back down. So, he asked for a compromise...let's name the Company "AllSport" and have as it's tagline..."The Sports Authority." More discussion led to a tentative name of "The Sports Authority." It only became permanent after Jack tried it out on some other associates and friends of his and they all endorsed the name!
Jack and I met several times over the next few weeks...mainly as a two man team visiting key suppliers to tell them of our plans and to garner support for what, at the time, was such a radical departure from traditional Sporting Goods Retailing. We had developed a presentation whereby we laid out our plans...Huge Assortments, Everyday "Fair" Pricing, and Superior Customer Service in a MegaStore environment. Frankly, the idea of a large Sporting Goods store frightened many of the suppliers. We had to assure them that we would never lead the market down in price and would treat their merchandise with the respect that it (they believed) such richly deserved. In reality, they were scared that their present customers... Herman's, Oshman's and Foot Locker... would not be please that they had added The Sports Authority to the roster! We garnered assurances from Reebok, Adidas, New Balance, Wilson and many others during our road trip. But we made a terrible mistake....we didn't travel to Nike in Oregon....Nike had just begun to grow and it seemed on the surface that they would not be a problem. Oh, but we were wrong!!!
We had my daughter's Bat Mitzvah in Massachusetts the first week of June, 1987. Having sold the house, Connie and I bought a new one in Boca Raton over Memorial Day weekend and I set out for Florida the week after the Bat Mitzvah....the family was left behind to pack up and join me the first week in July. Arriving the first day at our temporary office ...an old Radio Shack storefront in the nearly defunct Lauderdale Lakes Mall...I found a skeleton crew consisting of the CFO, Chet Howard; the VP of Store construction, Dick Carter; and Kelly Conway, the IT manager. Jack would show up later in the week.
Having signed an employment agreement, I was required to purchase my founder's stock and promptly wrote a check for $21,428....which for me at the time, was a huge amount of money. I later found out that Jack was not required to invest any of his own money in the deal....his ownership participation was handled as a "loan" from the Company. My naivete and general lack of experience in these sort of deals caused me to invest my capital and yet receive significantly less stock than others that invested zero of their own capital! Live and learn!
Coming in part 5.....hiring the staff, laying out the store, buying the merchandise, and getting the store open!
And The Journey continues............................
Meanwhile, there was work to be done for Sports Newco. First and foremost was the task of coming up with a name for the Company. There were many names floated...."Jack's" (it is obvious who that one came from), "Balls" "SportCity" and "AllSport" were all being considered. It was obvious to me that we needed help in naming the Company, so I contacted an Advertising Agency that specialized in Retail...W.B.Doner...out of Detroti, MI. I had positive experiences working with Doner at two other Companies. It didn't hurt any that one of my mentors from early in my career was Senior Vice President in charge of the Florida office! Ann Bergstrom had been VP of Advertising at Richway Stores and had taught me the ins and outs of retail advertising. So, I put them on the task of naming the Company.
A meeting was scheduled at Doner's offices. As Jack and I were still working out our notices, we flew in from multiple locations. Present at the meeting were me and Jack as well as representatives from the Investment group....Jory from Maurice Sporting Goods, Scott from Blair, Adam Kirsch from Bain Capital and Chip Ruth from Marquette. The night before the meeting, Ann and I talked and she informed me that they had not come up with a better name than "AllSport" and were going to make a presentation to us utilizing that name. However, Ann greeted our long white limo as it pulled up to the front of Doner's headquarters, hugged me and whispered in my ear "Forget our conversation of last night...surprise name coming!" Later, I was berated by Jack for daring to hug Ann...I was never sure if he really thought this was such an "unprofessional" act or if he was bothered by the impression that my relationship with the agency would preclude him from some measure of control.
As we entered the conference room, I noticed presentation books laid out at each seat...the title was "AllSport." Once the meeting started, it was explained that the creative group had worked on the name for some time but had not come up with a name other than the one that I had originally suggested..."AllSport." However, on a trip to New York the previous day, one of the members of the creative team had seen a sign at the airport...."New York Port Authority" and the name "The Sports Authority" immediately came to mind. No sooner did the words get out of the presenter's mouth that Jack slapped the table and declared, "Absolutely NOT...over my dead body will we have a name with that many letters." I, along with the others present, were stunned. The name said it all...it was a strong statement of what the store actually stood for. As we polled the room, all except Jack liked the name....he accused me of liking it only because "you hired these guys." He discounted any other opinions because "you are not retailers...you don't understand the cost of making the signs for the store with that many letters!" The discussion went on for several hours....Jack began to wear down and he had come to a realization that the rest of the room was not going to back down. So, he asked for a compromise...let's name the Company "AllSport" and have as it's tagline..."The Sports Authority." More discussion led to a tentative name of "The Sports Authority." It only became permanent after Jack tried it out on some other associates and friends of his and they all endorsed the name!
Jack and I met several times over the next few weeks...mainly as a two man team visiting key suppliers to tell them of our plans and to garner support for what, at the time, was such a radical departure from traditional Sporting Goods Retailing. We had developed a presentation whereby we laid out our plans...Huge Assortments, Everyday "Fair" Pricing, and Superior Customer Service in a MegaStore environment. Frankly, the idea of a large Sporting Goods store frightened many of the suppliers. We had to assure them that we would never lead the market down in price and would treat their merchandise with the respect that it (they believed) such richly deserved. In reality, they were scared that their present customers... Herman's, Oshman's and Foot Locker... would not be please that they had added The Sports Authority to the roster! We garnered assurances from Reebok, Adidas, New Balance, Wilson and many others during our road trip. But we made a terrible mistake....we didn't travel to Nike in Oregon....Nike had just begun to grow and it seemed on the surface that they would not be a problem. Oh, but we were wrong!!!
We had my daughter's Bat Mitzvah in Massachusetts the first week of June, 1987. Having sold the house, Connie and I bought a new one in Boca Raton over Memorial Day weekend and I set out for Florida the week after the Bat Mitzvah....the family was left behind to pack up and join me the first week in July. Arriving the first day at our temporary office ...an old Radio Shack storefront in the nearly defunct Lauderdale Lakes Mall...I found a skeleton crew consisting of the CFO, Chet Howard; the VP of Store construction, Dick Carter; and Kelly Conway, the IT manager. Jack would show up later in the week.
Having signed an employment agreement, I was required to purchase my founder's stock and promptly wrote a check for $21,428....which for me at the time, was a huge amount of money. I later found out that Jack was not required to invest any of his own money in the deal....his ownership participation was handled as a "loan" from the Company. My naivete and general lack of experience in these sort of deals caused me to invest my capital and yet receive significantly less stock than others that invested zero of their own capital! Live and learn!
Coming in part 5.....hiring the staff, laying out the store, buying the merchandise, and getting the store open!
And The Journey continues............................
Monday, February 28, 2011
The Real Story, Part 3
The Winter of 1987 was a cold and snowy one in New England. The first snow storm was in November and it seemed that we would not see our front yard again until June! In late March, I had a meeting with the CEO of Child World where I was given my performance review and a maximum bonus for 1986's performance. At this meeting, I again assured my boss that I was there to stay and had spent the last couple of months working furiously to demonstrate my dedication and loyalty to the Company. The meeting ended after 5:00 and when I returned to my office, my secretary had left for the weekend but had left me a note in the center of my desk. "Call Scott Meadow...IMPORTANT! He has called you 3 times!" I had not talked to Scott since I told him that I was out of the deal in early February and had assumed that the Sporting Goods project (if it was still alive) had proceeded in another direction.
So, I returned Scott's call. No small talk...Scott got right to the point: "We want you to come down to Newark tomorrow morning to meet the guy that is going to be the CEO of the Sporting Goods project." "No thanks," I replied...."I told you that I am out of the deal." It was like he didn't even hear me..." The flight is at 9 AM and Adam Kirsch from Bain Capital will meet you at the airport and fly with you. The meeting is at the Holiday Inn at the Newark airport. You will be back in time for dinner." Hmmmm. After much cajoling, I finally agreed to spend my Saturday in Newark. What could it hurt? It will give me the opportunity to tell them face to face that I was no longer in the deal!
On the flight to Newark, Adam told me how excited they were to be a part of the deal and how he was looking forward to working with me.....all good, if I was actually going to be in the deal! I walked into the conference room in Newark in time to hear Jack Smith pontificate about the value of promotional retailing versus Everyday Low Price Retailing. As he stood in front of the room in his satin Starter 76er's jacket, his silver hair and dark tan signaling a guy that had spent a lot of time on the golf course, he motioned to me and said "Well, this guy is suppose to be a merchant...look at these 2 Ads and tell me which one is best." I looked at the Herman's Ad and then glanced at an Ad for All American Sports Warehouse in California and I gave my honest opinion. "They both suck!" And THAT was my formal introduction to Jack Smith, the future President and CEO of The Sports Authority.
What I later learned was that the VC's had actually approached another executive at Herman's Sporting Goods and was turned down. This executive thought the idea was so outlandish that he told the COO of Herman's about the overture and joked about how foolish the deal was. Jack absorbed the information and called Scott Meadow to admonish him for approaching one of his executives and ultimately threw his own hat in the ring!
The meeting continued in a contentious tone throughout the day. We argued about the pricing policies, the marketing message, the size of the assortments, the layout of the store and any and every other detail of the proposed store. Jack was the COO of Herman's Sporting Goods and he had the Sporting Goods Industry background...but I knew Big Box retail and the challenges and opportunities incumbent in a 40,000 square foot retail store. Jack's background was Operations and Real Estate...mine covered the Merchandising and Marketing side of the business. At one point in the meeting, it became so heated that I left the meeting room and approached Jory Katlin. "Do you really think this is the guy to lead this thing?" I queried. "Why not give me a chance to be the CEO?" "Because this is the guy that can get in financed." Jory retorted. I was unusually quiet for the rest of the meeting. Game, set, match!
Returning home that evening, I was still not convinced that I wanted to be a part of the deal and was not even sure if Jack wanted me to be part of the deal. But he called on Sunday night with an offer....a really bad offer that would require me to take a deep cut in salary but included equity participation in the venture. I turned him down on the spot. No way was I going to take THAT deep of a cut. We went back and forth for a week, with Scott Meadow pulling the strings.
Finally, we came to an agreement...but now I had other BIG problems! How do I tell my boss that I was going to renege on my commitment that I was staying at Child World? How do we break the news to the kids that we were, once again, moving? Am I totally out of my mind leaving a secure position for one so tenuous? After receiving some not so glowing references from former co-workers of Jack's, could I actually have a successful working relationship with him?
These answers and more to come in Part 4.
And The Journey continues............
So, I returned Scott's call. No small talk...Scott got right to the point: "We want you to come down to Newark tomorrow morning to meet the guy that is going to be the CEO of the Sporting Goods project." "No thanks," I replied...."I told you that I am out of the deal." It was like he didn't even hear me..." The flight is at 9 AM and Adam Kirsch from Bain Capital will meet you at the airport and fly with you. The meeting is at the Holiday Inn at the Newark airport. You will be back in time for dinner." Hmmmm. After much cajoling, I finally agreed to spend my Saturday in Newark. What could it hurt? It will give me the opportunity to tell them face to face that I was no longer in the deal!
On the flight to Newark, Adam told me how excited they were to be a part of the deal and how he was looking forward to working with me.....all good, if I was actually going to be in the deal! I walked into the conference room in Newark in time to hear Jack Smith pontificate about the value of promotional retailing versus Everyday Low Price Retailing. As he stood in front of the room in his satin Starter 76er's jacket, his silver hair and dark tan signaling a guy that had spent a lot of time on the golf course, he motioned to me and said "Well, this guy is suppose to be a merchant...look at these 2 Ads and tell me which one is best." I looked at the Herman's Ad and then glanced at an Ad for All American Sports Warehouse in California and I gave my honest opinion. "They both suck!" And THAT was my formal introduction to Jack Smith, the future President and CEO of The Sports Authority.
What I later learned was that the VC's had actually approached another executive at Herman's Sporting Goods and was turned down. This executive thought the idea was so outlandish that he told the COO of Herman's about the overture and joked about how foolish the deal was. Jack absorbed the information and called Scott Meadow to admonish him for approaching one of his executives and ultimately threw his own hat in the ring!
The meeting continued in a contentious tone throughout the day. We argued about the pricing policies, the marketing message, the size of the assortments, the layout of the store and any and every other detail of the proposed store. Jack was the COO of Herman's Sporting Goods and he had the Sporting Goods Industry background...but I knew Big Box retail and the challenges and opportunities incumbent in a 40,000 square foot retail store. Jack's background was Operations and Real Estate...mine covered the Merchandising and Marketing side of the business. At one point in the meeting, it became so heated that I left the meeting room and approached Jory Katlin. "Do you really think this is the guy to lead this thing?" I queried. "Why not give me a chance to be the CEO?" "Because this is the guy that can get in financed." Jory retorted. I was unusually quiet for the rest of the meeting. Game, set, match!
Returning home that evening, I was still not convinced that I wanted to be a part of the deal and was not even sure if Jack wanted me to be part of the deal. But he called on Sunday night with an offer....a really bad offer that would require me to take a deep cut in salary but included equity participation in the venture. I turned him down on the spot. No way was I going to take THAT deep of a cut. We went back and forth for a week, with Scott Meadow pulling the strings.
Finally, we came to an agreement...but now I had other BIG problems! How do I tell my boss that I was going to renege on my commitment that I was staying at Child World? How do we break the news to the kids that we were, once again, moving? Am I totally out of my mind leaving a secure position for one so tenuous? After receiving some not so glowing references from former co-workers of Jack's, could I actually have a successful working relationship with him?
These answers and more to come in Part 4.
And The Journey continues............
Thursday, February 24, 2011
The Real Story, Part 2
As I got ready to go to Chicago for the New Year's Eve meeting, I assured my wife that the meeting would settle whether we actually have a deal to start the Company or whether we were going to move! After all, our daughter's Bat Mitzvah was scheduled for Spring and we had to decide the location...Boston, South Florida or Atlanta! And, of course, there was the matter of my position at Child World. Although the CEO was being quite accomodating, he was not going to wait forever for an answer as to whether I was staying or leaving. The schedule was a whirlwind...early flight to Chicago, meeting and fly back the same day as we had New Year's Eve plans with friends in Boston.
The meeting started out much like we had choreographed. Present were the principals of the targeted Venture Capital firms, Jory from Maurice Sporting Goods, his attorney and the proposed Executive team. I presented the overview of merchandising and marketing; the pricing strategy, advertising strategy, merchandise categories, store layout, gross margin strategy and merchandising and marketing staffing. The VP of Operations gave an overview of the store construction, and the CFO presented an overview of the initial financial projections. Then disaster struck...the proposed CEO, Bob Mead began to talk and he literally fumbled the ball. It became quite apparent that he had no real vision and was not the right person to lead the operation....actually, it was somewhat of an embarrassment to the entire effort. Venture Capital firms make investment decisions based as much on the leadership team as on the concept itself. It was obvious that this operation would never get funded with Bob as the CEO!
So, I flew back to Boston and assured my wife that we were staying put...that this deal was never going to happen. However, I soon received a call from the lead investor, Scott Meadow, who asked me to sit tight...the plan was to look for another CEO and then finalize the financing. I then proceeded to avoid my boss at Child World for the next few days...until he button-holed me on a flight from LA to Vegas, where we were attending a trade show. In his show of faith, he awarded me a 25% increase in salary, and a guarantee of my 50% bonus if I would drop the Sporting Goods project and commit all of my efforts to Child World. The provision was that I had to give him an answer by the end of January...when I returned from a Buying Trip to Hong Kong. I was on top of the world - Child World wanted me to stay and high powered Venture Capital firms wanted me to help start this new business. I immediately called Scott and told him that if the deal was not finalized by February 1st, then I was out of the deal...and off to Hong Kong I went!
Upon my return, it became apparent that nothing further had been done to secure the financing for the Sporting Goods project. I informed Scott that I was out of the deal and had to devote all of my focus on my current job. I accepted the generous offer of the CEO of Child World to stay in my present position and my wife proceeded to plan our daughter's Bat Mitzvah in Sharon, Massachusetts. As far as I was concerned, the Sporting Goods project would never get off the ground and I was much better off concentrating on the job at hand.
In the next post...the project is resurrected, meeting Jack and making the decision.
And The Journey continues.......
The meeting started out much like we had choreographed. Present were the principals of the targeted Venture Capital firms, Jory from Maurice Sporting Goods, his attorney and the proposed Executive team. I presented the overview of merchandising and marketing; the pricing strategy, advertising strategy, merchandise categories, store layout, gross margin strategy and merchandising and marketing staffing. The VP of Operations gave an overview of the store construction, and the CFO presented an overview of the initial financial projections. Then disaster struck...the proposed CEO, Bob Mead began to talk and he literally fumbled the ball. It became quite apparent that he had no real vision and was not the right person to lead the operation....actually, it was somewhat of an embarrassment to the entire effort. Venture Capital firms make investment decisions based as much on the leadership team as on the concept itself. It was obvious that this operation would never get funded with Bob as the CEO!
So, I flew back to Boston and assured my wife that we were staying put...that this deal was never going to happen. However, I soon received a call from the lead investor, Scott Meadow, who asked me to sit tight...the plan was to look for another CEO and then finalize the financing. I then proceeded to avoid my boss at Child World for the next few days...until he button-holed me on a flight from LA to Vegas, where we were attending a trade show. In his show of faith, he awarded me a 25% increase in salary, and a guarantee of my 50% bonus if I would drop the Sporting Goods project and commit all of my efforts to Child World. The provision was that I had to give him an answer by the end of January...when I returned from a Buying Trip to Hong Kong. I was on top of the world - Child World wanted me to stay and high powered Venture Capital firms wanted me to help start this new business. I immediately called Scott and told him that if the deal was not finalized by February 1st, then I was out of the deal...and off to Hong Kong I went!
Upon my return, it became apparent that nothing further had been done to secure the financing for the Sporting Goods project. I informed Scott that I was out of the deal and had to devote all of my focus on my current job. I accepted the generous offer of the CEO of Child World to stay in my present position and my wife proceeded to plan our daughter's Bat Mitzvah in Sharon, Massachusetts. As far as I was concerned, the Sporting Goods project would never get off the ground and I was much better off concentrating on the job at hand.
In the next post...the project is resurrected, meeting Jack and making the decision.
And The Journey continues.......
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
The Real Story, Part 1
When I started this blog, I said that it didn't really matter if anybody read it. That is still true...I am writing as an outlet and if one day my grandchildren want to know more about their Saba, then they will have the opportunity to read the collective writings.
When we sold The Sports Authority to Kmart in 1990, I said that one day I would write a book about the "real story." In fact, at the closing dinner, one of our partners signed a memento of the event to me with "to Roy, who knows the real story." So, this is the first installment of The Real Story....for no other reason than sometimes the real story is a lot more interesting than the myth that has been perpetuated for 25 years!
The year is 1985...As a young (34 years old) executive with Child World Stores, I had just been promoted to Vice President and General Merchandise Manager when I got a call from a Headhunter. It seems that there was a group of grocery executives that were putting together a team to start-up a new retail chain, backed by several prominent venture capital funds. Since they wanted me to interview for the Chief Merchant position, I was curious to get more details. "They endeavor to start a chain of Office Supply superstores...a virtual grocery store of office supplies!" Being the self-proclaimed retail expert that I envisioned of myself, I declined to even be interviewed because I couldn't imagine how a superstore could possibly do enough business in paper clips, legal pads and pens and pencils to be successful. Not one of my more brilliant assessments as the chain turned out to be Staples...one of the most successful superstore chain start-ups of the 80's.
Fast forward a year or so and in a conversation with an old friend and former supplier from my days at Richway Stores, I learned of "a group of retailers and VC's" that were putting together plans for a Sporting Goods Superstore concept and their search for a chief merchant. No sooner did Jory get the words out of his mouth that I jumped all over the opportunity to interview. (I try to never make the same mistake twice!). Jory put me in touch with Bob Mead and Chet Howard, the 2 executives working full time on Warehouse of Sports in South Florida. Since I had already scheduled vacation with the family at Disney World, a quick 1 day trip to West Palm Beach would be easy.
The trip to meet Bob and Chet confirmed my suspicions...that Jory, his Dad and Uncles were the impetus behind the idea and had assembled the Venture Capital groups and seed money to get the project rolling. But their involvement had to be kept quiet because their family business, Maurice Sporting Goods, was the supplier of Fishing and Hunting gear for the biggest chains in Retail...they couldn't be seen as competitors to their customers. I loved the concept but had reservations about the leadership...Bob seemed to be way behind the times, a retail relic, and I doubted his leadership ability. BUT, I loved the opportunity. Always a risk taker, I forged ahead.......
Next, were meetings with the perspective Venture Capital partners...Scott Meadow of William Blair, Bill Hunkler of First Chicago, Don Phillips and Cece Smith of Phillips-Smith, Chip Ruth of Marquette and Mitt Romney (yes, THAT Mitt Romney) of Bain Capital. I hit it off with several of them...especially those with a retail background and I got locked in as the newest member of the Executive Team.
As the project progressed, I had the opportunity to add input to the Business Plan and overall Merchandising, Marketing and Operations strategy. My experience in Big Box Retail served the team well. And then, I got blindsided!!!
It seems that in checking me out, Scott Meadow of William Blair sought input from the analyst that covered the Toy Industry for Blair....sensing an opportunity to get sales info from Child World during the Christmas Season (normally an info blackout period), this analyst traded the info that I was working with this Sporting Goods group with the CEO of Child World for sales information! So, I was confronted by my boss and decided to come clean...yes, I was entertaining the opportunity but that the New Company was not yet a reality and might not even happen. I also confided that there was a New Year's Eve meeting in Chicago that will help decide if the project would even get off the ground. In this case, honesty worked...my boss gave me the room to "figure it out" but let me know that he didn't want me to leave.
In my next post...the New Year's Eve Meeting, I drop out of the project, the deal falls apart and gets resurrected!
And The Journey continues...................................
When we sold The Sports Authority to Kmart in 1990, I said that one day I would write a book about the "real story." In fact, at the closing dinner, one of our partners signed a memento of the event to me with "to Roy, who knows the real story." So, this is the first installment of The Real Story....for no other reason than sometimes the real story is a lot more interesting than the myth that has been perpetuated for 25 years!
The year is 1985...As a young (34 years old) executive with Child World Stores, I had just been promoted to Vice President and General Merchandise Manager when I got a call from a Headhunter. It seems that there was a group of grocery executives that were putting together a team to start-up a new retail chain, backed by several prominent venture capital funds. Since they wanted me to interview for the Chief Merchant position, I was curious to get more details. "They endeavor to start a chain of Office Supply superstores...a virtual grocery store of office supplies!" Being the self-proclaimed retail expert that I envisioned of myself, I declined to even be interviewed because I couldn't imagine how a superstore could possibly do enough business in paper clips, legal pads and pens and pencils to be successful. Not one of my more brilliant assessments as the chain turned out to be Staples...one of the most successful superstore chain start-ups of the 80's.
Fast forward a year or so and in a conversation with an old friend and former supplier from my days at Richway Stores, I learned of "a group of retailers and VC's" that were putting together plans for a Sporting Goods Superstore concept and their search for a chief merchant. No sooner did Jory get the words out of his mouth that I jumped all over the opportunity to interview. (I try to never make the same mistake twice!). Jory put me in touch with Bob Mead and Chet Howard, the 2 executives working full time on Warehouse of Sports in South Florida. Since I had already scheduled vacation with the family at Disney World, a quick 1 day trip to West Palm Beach would be easy.
The trip to meet Bob and Chet confirmed my suspicions...that Jory, his Dad and Uncles were the impetus behind the idea and had assembled the Venture Capital groups and seed money to get the project rolling. But their involvement had to be kept quiet because their family business, Maurice Sporting Goods, was the supplier of Fishing and Hunting gear for the biggest chains in Retail...they couldn't be seen as competitors to their customers. I loved the concept but had reservations about the leadership...Bob seemed to be way behind the times, a retail relic, and I doubted his leadership ability. BUT, I loved the opportunity. Always a risk taker, I forged ahead.......
Next, were meetings with the perspective Venture Capital partners...Scott Meadow of William Blair, Bill Hunkler of First Chicago, Don Phillips and Cece Smith of Phillips-Smith, Chip Ruth of Marquette and Mitt Romney (yes, THAT Mitt Romney) of Bain Capital. I hit it off with several of them...especially those with a retail background and I got locked in as the newest member of the Executive Team.
As the project progressed, I had the opportunity to add input to the Business Plan and overall Merchandising, Marketing and Operations strategy. My experience in Big Box Retail served the team well. And then, I got blindsided!!!
It seems that in checking me out, Scott Meadow of William Blair sought input from the analyst that covered the Toy Industry for Blair....sensing an opportunity to get sales info from Child World during the Christmas Season (normally an info blackout period), this analyst traded the info that I was working with this Sporting Goods group with the CEO of Child World for sales information! So, I was confronted by my boss and decided to come clean...yes, I was entertaining the opportunity but that the New Company was not yet a reality and might not even happen. I also confided that there was a New Year's Eve meeting in Chicago that will help decide if the project would even get off the ground. In this case, honesty worked...my boss gave me the room to "figure it out" but let me know that he didn't want me to leave.
In my next post...the New Year's Eve Meeting, I drop out of the project, the deal falls apart and gets resurrected!
And The Journey continues...................................
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Clear Eyes, Full Heart
Last night, on DirecTV, the final episode of Friday Night Lights was aired. For those that have to wait until Spring for the series to play out on NBC, don't worry...I am not going to reveal any storylines or spoil your enjoyment of this final season.
FNL has been on for 5 years and is, by far, my favorite drama over that time. It was NOT a series about football. It was a Trojan horse, using a football vehicle to showcase small town Texas (America) and its treatment of race, class, religion and family. Yes, some of the plot lines were not realistic but the emotions the stories elicited were realistic. The Finale wrapped up almost all of the plot lines, but the most important message was "you are family."
The pre-show montage showing clips of all of the various characters over the years featured a voice over by Coach Taylor who was presumably addressing his team before the big game:
" Give all of us gathered here tonight the strength to remember that life is so very fragile. We are all vulnerable and we will all at some point in our lives fall. We will all fall. We must carry this in our hearts....that what we have is special. That it can be taken from us and then when it is taken from us, we will be tested. We will now all be tested. It is these times, it is this pain that allows us to look inside ourselves."
Clear Eyes, Full Heart....Can't Lose!
And The Journey continues......................
FNL has been on for 5 years and is, by far, my favorite drama over that time. It was NOT a series about football. It was a Trojan horse, using a football vehicle to showcase small town Texas (America) and its treatment of race, class, religion and family. Yes, some of the plot lines were not realistic but the emotions the stories elicited were realistic. The Finale wrapped up almost all of the plot lines, but the most important message was "you are family."
The pre-show montage showing clips of all of the various characters over the years featured a voice over by Coach Taylor who was presumably addressing his team before the big game:
" Give all of us gathered here tonight the strength to remember that life is so very fragile. We are all vulnerable and we will all at some point in our lives fall. We will all fall. We must carry this in our hearts....that what we have is special. That it can be taken from us and then when it is taken from us, we will be tested. We will now all be tested. It is these times, it is this pain that allows us to look inside ourselves."
Clear Eyes, Full Heart....Can't Lose!
And The Journey continues......................
Friday, January 28, 2011
My Grandson, Elie Lev Cohen
I thought that this blog posting would be the easiest one to write because of the joy and love I feel for our first grandchild, Elie Lev Cohen. But I was wrong. Sometimes one is so filled with emotions that mere words cannot describe the intense feelings of love, pride, and joy. I never thought it was possible to equal the feelings I had when our children were born, but the news of Elie's arrival and the first time I held him were two of the most powerful moments of my life.Elie was born on January 17, 2011. Numerically, that is a pretty cool date...11711...eleven -seven-eleven. Seven or Eleven is the desirable roll of the dice, on the coming out roll, when you are playing the pass line in craps (as I always do!). He weighed in at one-half ounce shy of 8 pounds and a healthy 20 inches. And, did I mention that he is absolutely gorgeous? He is definitely his Father's son as baby pictures of Brad could be mistaken for Elie!
We've just returned from a wonderful week visiting in Baltimore and I can't wait until we go back! It was very special celebrating his first Shabbat. And it was truly a blessing to have four generations of Cohen's there to celebrate!
The Bris and welcoming of Elie into the community was outstanding and was highlighted by Brad and Claire's wishes for their son. With their permission, I am posting it below:
Our Dearest Elie:
Chickey Monkey, Chickey dough, Cookie Monkey, Little Bubba, Elie-belly, Elie-bean, Smelly Elie, Levvie......these are only some of the endearing names you'll be called. But today, we wanted to take a moment to explain to you the significance of your given name, Elie Lev Cohen.
Although to us you will always be Chickey Monkey, your first name is Elie. There have been some important Elie's in the world including, Elie Wiesel, Elijah the prophet, and Elie Zarem, your Aunt Lisa's first boyfriend. The name Elie literally means "high", "ascended" or "my god". Our hope for you is that you always strive for big dreams and have the confidence to be your best and highest Elie. We hope that you have the strength, heart and ability to impact the world in your own creative and unique way.
Your middle name and Hebrew name is Lev. Lev is short for your Emmie's family name, Levitch. Your great grandmother, Ruth, who would have loved to be here today and have you call her Bubbe, carried the Levitch name with Yiddishkeit & joy. She loved to laugh .. may you smile with her lips. Lev in Hebrew means heart. May you have the love in your heart of Bubbe Ruth. May you have the strength, determination and wit of your great grandmother, Nana. May you appreciate music as did your great grandma Sylvia. May you give of yourself, as did your great, great grandmother, Mimi, who at the age of 90 volunteered at an old-aged home. May you cherish and value family with warmth and care, just like your Poppi & Sharon.
Know that you are loved so much by so many. Know that you are blessed to be surrounded with such incredible support and affection. Know that you are so lucky to have such kvelling grandparents; Saba, Grams and Mumah.
A doctor, a lawyer, a rabbi, an educator, a chef, an artist, a football player or even a garbage collector.....we wish for you that whatever your passion, you follow your dreams with integrity and find happiness in all that you do. We love you, Elie.
One of the great things about having a grandchild is that my son now can truly understand the depth of love that Connie and I have always had for him and his sister. But, he also has to understand that per Saba (grandfather) rule number one, I will always side with Elie!!
And The Journey continues..........
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
The World's Neediest Dog
There have always been pets around. Growing up, we always had a dog in the family. My early childhood pet was Boots, a Heinz 57 variety mutt that might have been the coolest dog ever. In those days, the dog was only allowed in the house when the weather was absolutely dreadful. Otherwise, she slept outside by the back door. Boots was a tough old bitch. Because she was kept in the fenced-in backyard, chasing cars was just too inviting when she escaped her confines! Hit by cars numerous times, Boots survived albeit with only one eye and several operations. Although Mom always insisted that Boots was "the Boys" dog, we all knew that she was my Mom's dog. Unfortunately, Boots met her demise when, mostly blind, she ran between the front and back tires of a moving car in our driveway. She was followed by Yogi and Candy ....more mutts that considered Mom their master. In between those dogs, there was Jett, a head strong mean German Shepherd that was given away after he bit my younger brother.
Eight and a half years ago, I was prodded by a friend to go look at a puppy at the animal Shelter in West Palm Beach (a kill shelter-the dogs are euthanized if homes cannot be found). A puppy would be a terrific Mother's Day present for Connie! After almost leaving without a dog, this little 7 week old Australian Shepherd/Black Lab fur ball rubbed against my leg, looked up at me with "take me home" eyes and crawled into my heart. Upon presentation to Connie as her Mother's Day gift, she announced that she didn't want a dog! Uh oh, I guessed that finally, I was the proud Master of a dog. Little did I know that Bella was going to actually be the Master of me.
Bella is the sweetest, smartest and most needy dog in the world. I am convinced that she understands everything I tell her and, in fact, understands hundreds of words. One of her problems is that she doesn't know that she is a dog. She sleeps in our bed and is positive that everybody that comes to the house is there to see her and to play with her. Nearly every morning we start the day together with a 2 to 3 mile walk and then she "rests" most of the afternoon. Bella would much rather interact with humans than with other dogs. In fact, she severely dislikes small dogs - especially those that incessantly yap! When we kept Brad and Claire's dog, Rudy, for
the year they were in Israel, Bella loved having a playmate and was depressed when Rudy left. However, she got over that and became convinced that I, rather than other dogs, should be her play pal. She is always around - under my feet at my desk, next to my recliner while we watch TV, curled around my feet in bed, on my chest as my wake-up call, bringing me her ball to throw when I am trying to relax and sitting by the table during meals. If I go upstairs, she goes upstairs...if I go outside, she wants to go with me...and she always wants to go in the car - until we actually go in the car, then she cries the whole time!
Once I was married, we adopted another mutt...Peanut. I say "we" but Peanut was really Connie's dog. Peanut died young and was followed by Sadie, the hero dog. Sadie is generally credited with saving our lives as she woke us up early one morning because our apartment building was on fire. Although we were rescued by firemen with ladders from our 3rd floor apartment, Sadie was nowhere to be found and presumed dead. Two days later, Sadie was found alive in an adjacent wooded area by neighborhood kids. She evidently escaped the fire through the front door and although slight charred, survived to accompany us to our new house in Atlanta, our 4 years in Boston and a few years in Boca Raton. Sadie was a Damn Good Dog whose Master was, again, Connie!
After Sadie's demise, Lisa prodded us into a cocker spaniel pup...Tootsie. After promises from Lisa that she would take care of the new puppy, Tootsie settled into also being Connie's dog! Tootsie lived to a ripe old age and we decided that she would be the last dog that we would own. So, dogless, we babysat Lisa's dog, Kota, for a year while Lisa was in Africa. Kota and I bonded and I was convinced that he had become MY dog and would want to stay with me once Lisa returned. How wrong I was! Lisa walked into our house after 11 months away and Kota immediately returned to her side as if I didn't even exist.
Eight and a half years ago, I was prodded by a friend to go look at a puppy at the animal Shelter in West Palm Beach (a kill shelter-the dogs are euthanized if homes cannot be found). A puppy would be a terrific Mother's Day present for Connie! After almost leaving without a dog, this little 7 week old Australian Shepherd/Black Lab fur ball rubbed against my leg, looked up at me with "take me home" eyes and crawled into my heart. Upon presentation to Connie as her Mother's Day gift, she announced that she didn't want a dog! Uh oh, I guessed that finally, I was the proud Master of a dog. Little did I know that Bella was going to actually be the Master of me.
Bella is the sweetest, smartest and most needy dog in the world. I am convinced that she understands everything I tell her and, in fact, understands hundreds of words. One of her problems is that she doesn't know that she is a dog. She sleeps in our bed and is positive that everybody that comes to the house is there to see her and to play with her. Nearly every morning we start the day together with a 2 to 3 mile walk and then she "rests" most of the afternoon. Bella would much rather interact with humans than with other dogs. In fact, she severely dislikes small dogs - especially those that incessantly yap! When we kept Brad and Claire's dog, Rudy, for
the year they were in Israel, Bella loved having a playmate and was depressed when Rudy left. However, she got over that and became convinced that I, rather than other dogs, should be her play pal. She is always around - under my feet at my desk, next to my recliner while we watch TV, curled around my feet in bed, on my chest as my wake-up call, bringing me her ball to throw when I am trying to relax and sitting by the table during meals. If I go upstairs, she goes upstairs...if I go outside, she wants to go with me...and she always wants to go in the car - until we actually go in the car, then she cries the whole time!Those that meet Bella instantly recognize her needy manner...always wanting to be the center of attention and never giving up easily. Bella is MY dog and I love her. And for that, her middle name is "the last one."
And The Journey continues.......
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Goodbye 2010..Hello 2011
At the end of each year, most of the mainstream media publishes their Best of the Year, Top Stories of 2010, Person of The Year, Top Movies, Best Books, Top TV Shows, Sexiest Person, Most Intriguing People, Best Restaurants, Best Images, Sportsman of The Year, and even "Coolest Person of The Year." 2010 has certainly been an interesting year.
In the news, we have suffered through the tragedy in Haiti, reveled in the dramatic rescue of the miners in Chile, endured the midterm elections and all of the hubris of the "Tea Party," despaired over the Gulf Oil Spill, delighted in the engagement of Prince William and Kate, viewed the volcano eruption in Iceland and its effects on worldwide travel, been amazed and even amused by the revelations of WikiLeaks, continued to wonder if the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will ever end, worried over the slow recovery of the worldwide economy, cheered when The Saints won the Super Bowl for a beleaguered New Orleans and watched sports heroes like Tiger and Brett and Clemens and others embarrass themselves and play a disservice to the young that looked up to them. And of course, there was all of the tabloid fodder that seems to creep more and more into our daily lives - Sandra Bullock's marital woes, OctaMom, Heidi Montag's addiction to plastic surgery, the Leno-Conan Tonight Show mess, Oprah's last year, and who the hell is Snooky, anyway? And this list is only a microcosm of the important (and not so important) stories of the year.
Nonetheless, my personal Top Stories of The Year focus on the good stuff...Lisa buys a house in Denver, Brad gets his Masters Degree and lands a great job in Baltimore, and Brad and Claire buy a house in Baltimore. It was also a great year because our little family got to celebrate together several times during the year...first in Mexico to celebrate Brad's graduation, in Boca for Labor Day and my godson's Bar Mitzvah, then in New York to celebrate Connie's Big Birthday, and finally in Atlanta with the entire extended Cohen family for Thanksgiving. In between were trips to visit Lisa in Colorado and visits with Brad and Claire in Baltimore. We also got to go to Atlanta for a wedding and a wonderful week in New Hampshire with close friends.
But the very TOP STORY of the YEAR was the news that Claire and Brad are expecting a baby ...our first grandchild! It was in Mexico that they broke the news to us and we have been counting the days until the blessed event. With a due date of January 10th, the next two weeks will be very exciting!
My New Year's resolution is to focus on the good things.....and let the crap take care of itself! Hello 2011 - nice to have you here!
And The Journey Continues.................
In the news, we have suffered through the tragedy in Haiti, reveled in the dramatic rescue of the miners in Chile, endured the midterm elections and all of the hubris of the "Tea Party," despaired over the Gulf Oil Spill, delighted in the engagement of Prince William and Kate, viewed the volcano eruption in Iceland and its effects on worldwide travel, been amazed and even amused by the revelations of WikiLeaks, continued to wonder if the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will ever end, worried over the slow recovery of the worldwide economy, cheered when The Saints won the Super Bowl for a beleaguered New Orleans and watched sports heroes like Tiger and Brett and Clemens and others embarrass themselves and play a disservice to the young that looked up to them. And of course, there was all of the tabloid fodder that seems to creep more and more into our daily lives - Sandra Bullock's marital woes, OctaMom, Heidi Montag's addiction to plastic surgery, the Leno-Conan Tonight Show mess, Oprah's last year, and who the hell is Snooky, anyway? And this list is only a microcosm of the important (and not so important) stories of the year.
Nonetheless, my personal Top Stories of The Year focus on the good stuff...Lisa buys a house in Denver, Brad gets his Masters Degree and lands a great job in Baltimore, and Brad and Claire buy a house in Baltimore. It was also a great year because our little family got to celebrate together several times during the year...first in Mexico to celebrate Brad's graduation, in Boca for Labor Day and my godson's Bar Mitzvah, then in New York to celebrate Connie's Big Birthday, and finally in Atlanta with the entire extended Cohen family for Thanksgiving. In between were trips to visit Lisa in Colorado and visits with Brad and Claire in Baltimore. We also got to go to Atlanta for a wedding and a wonderful week in New Hampshire with close friends.
But the very TOP STORY of the YEAR was the news that Claire and Brad are expecting a baby ...our first grandchild! It was in Mexico that they broke the news to us and we have been counting the days until the blessed event. With a due date of January 10th, the next two weeks will be very exciting!
My New Year's resolution is to focus on the good things.....and let the crap take care of itself! Hello 2011 - nice to have you here!
And The Journey Continues.................
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)