Observations In Life

I like to wear jeans. They are comfortable, casual and fit in just about anywhere. One thing that is annoying though is the pockets. It’s hard put put stuff in them and once in hard to get them out.

Recently I was trying to get my keys out of my jean pockets, a frustrating task and after finally succeeding I was met with laughter and looks of surprise. Why did I have all of those keys?! Well obviously they were for all of my stuff, but the sad reality is because people can’t be trusted. Yes on the whole society through the social contract has to trust its members, but like everything one bad apple always spoils the bunch.

Over time we have learned to secure our valuables through the use of locks and keys, making them better, stronger and more secure with technology. I can’t wait until my keys are easy to get out of my jeans.

Breaking news! After 7 failed years as the “leader” of the free world, George Bush has a plan to fix America.

He has a plan to save the economy that is. “Bush planned to lay out his position Friday, but he wasn’t expected to go into specifics….Taxpayers could receive rebates of up to $800 for individuals and $1,600 for married couples under a White House plan.”

“What he believes is that we’ve got to do something that is robust. It’s going to be temporary and get money into the economy quickly,” Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said Friday on CBS’s “The Early Show.” “It’s going to be focused on consumers, individuals, families — putting money in their pocket. And it’s going to be focused on giving businesses the incentive to hire people, to create jobs.”

The rebates would likely be limited to individuals with incomes of $85,000 or less and couples with incomes of $110,000 or less, the aides said, speaking on condition of anonymity because no final decisions had been made.

So this is the great plan. Give people a several hundred dollars and that will solve everything right? It’s sad that in a such a great country, with many smart and able minded people that leadership and creativity are at an all time low. Bush’s approval ratings are at an all-time low and his solution for “fixing” the economy is just another reflection of his failed leadership. Why didn’t he show concern when we wasted countless dollars fighting a war based on personal vengeance? Where has he been as the job and housing markets have taken a dramatic plunge?

To be fair, it’s not entirely his fault. We are a country that follows heard mentality. We often rely on others’ “great” ideas instead of coming up with our own. We would rather try a proven solution even if the problem is not the same as before and more importantly we work toward short-term fixes instead of long-term solutions.

Where is the plan to teach fiscal responsibility to Americans of all ages? Why isn’t there a plan to start teaching financial literacy to children starting at a young age? What about the plan to educate Americans that immigrate into this country with regards to financial literacy and the support programs to help them? Where is the plan to educate the millions of college kids that get lured into obtaining credit cards and running up balances that they will never be able to pay off because they simply don’t understand the long-term consequences or the simple fundamentals of compound interest?

Too little too late is what is being offered. Sure I’ll gladly take my $800. That should help pay for my upcoming summer vacation.

Fine dining is a truly unique experience. For the majority of people it is an unusual treat, one that often accentuates a special occasion such as a birthday, anniversary, achievement or a first date even. The song and dance are well rehearsed by the staff that tend to your every need. The menu selections are often exquisite food items that are rare and some are even hard to pronounce made with ingredients no likely to be found in your local grocery store. You eat at this restaurant because of its reputation for excellence, perhaps its ambiance and your confidence that it will live up to its expectation.

I’m no cook. My culinary schools might equal those of a college student at best. Sure I can throw some chicken on a grill or cook a steak just the way I like it. Sauté some spinach? I probably can do it without burning it too much. What I do know is that there are those recipes that I’ve come to perfect after years of practice. They are the old standbys for occasions where I can’t fail. The precise amount of each ingredient has been memorized. There is no guess work.

Much is the same when eating out at a fine restaurant. The Chef, after years of education, trial and error and imagination has concocted a superb meal for your consumption and delight. When it arrives the anticipation as you prepare for your first bite is at its peak. You wait for everyone to be served out of politeness and good manners…unfortunately this is often when that terrible question is asked that changes the tune of the finely orchestra. This is the question that makes you wonder why you came here, the question that makes you wonder if you are missing something.

The waiter or waitress will often ask, “Would you like some fresh ground pepper with your meal?”.

This is when the music stops like a DJ scratching a record on a turn table and the speakers go dead. Why on Earth would I want pepper to be added to my meal? and why has it be introduced as part of protocol at these fine establishments? Is the Chef, management or the wait staff with no culinary skills whatsoever trying to tell me something is lacking from my meal? Are they so bold that they must insinuate that the flavors and spices I am about to enjoy are not quite enough? or worse yet are they telling me that I should add additional spices to mask the flavor of whatever I am about to eat?

This aspect of fine dining is something I fail to understand. When everything is so perfectly crafted, why must I be made to wonder about what I am missing or what I should be afraid of at this critical and high point of anticipation? Are my confidences misplaced?

I can’t believe it, but C-Span is actually on. My roommate has been watching it and as we listen a women is providing the details and paying respects to a recently deceased person. So why bring it up? Why does it matter?

It makes sense and is appropriate to spend time compiling a list of achievements for a person that has passed and summarize their life in front of a group of people. This is how we honor the person, yet it’s one of those things in life that doesn’t make sense. The person is dead. They can’t hear all of the great things you have to say about them. You didn’t say them in life, but now you can in death when it doesn’t matter to anyone else but yourself, for who are you benefiting?

I suppose the family may be consoled by being reminded of what they already knew, but overall you are only benefiting yourself by being the person who is “strong” and able to stand up and share witty stories with those who are weaker.

While an exception for self-righteous can be made for family members, everyone included the dead can benefit more if we share our heart-felt feelings in life.

Sometimes you have to wonder about faith in humanity. Everyone’s done it. You’re crossing a street while walking and you see a car coming at you. Often your reaction is to walk faster and get out of the way. It’s probably just a matter of hard wired genes for survival, but in today’s sue happy society, can you really expect to be hit by that oncoming car when you have the right of way? It’s kind of funny to wonder if we really don’t trust the driver behind the wheel.

Classes on investments or classes to improve your life for that matter are an interesting place to observe and meet people. Depending on the class, they are filled with a broad mix of people, from all walks of life with the common goal of bettering their financial picture or fixing a problem area in their lives. They vary in skill and age and personalities and most importantly their overall goals in terms of net-worth, lifestyle and career.

Like many classes these groups of people can be broken down into further sub-groups:

You start off with the clueless. These people are desperate, in need of immediate financial repair and will listen to anyone or anything with a solution. The often want a quick fix and want the quickest and easiest path to riches. Sadly they are uninformed and often end up losing more money because they took the easy way out instead of figuring out what would work for them.

Your next group of people are the dangerous amateurs. They’ve taken a course before, read a book, know some buzz words and are freely willing to dispense “knowledge” and advice about what you should do with your life. Sometimes they share how they are doing with you, but often just keep talking and spitting out information without letting you get a word in edge-wise lest you ask a question and figure out their naivete.

Another group consists of the fairly educated. They take classes to improve their knowledge and are willing to discuss theory with you without dispensing advice. They often have advisors of their own and take their newfound knowledge to that person to ask questions.

There is the know-it all that likes to talk about how great they are doing and yet is unwilling to share their “secrets” so as to avoid competition. They are their for self-gratification and validation. Tell them how smart they are and they will be your friend for life and yet rarely if every will open up and help you.

You also have the Sharks. These are either people planted in the audience to talk about how good the course is and how much it has helped them so you feel compelled to buy and achieve their success or they consist of “professionals” looking for new clients of their own. They claim to be in the class because the topic is of interest to them, bur really they are there to hand out business cards and drum up business.

Finally there is the King or Queen. This the instructor and often self-dubbed guru who is willing to let you into the secret life of the rich. They are there to show you the magic of how to become financially free and just like them. They often accidentally let information slip out about the fabulous vacations they have taken, the expensive cars and homes they have and often have a rags to riches story. They are amazing sales people and know how to take advantage of your fear of being poor and offer the panacea to solve all of your problems whether it be a $10,000 dollar advanced course, $5,000 dollar software tool that enables you to point and click your way to financial freedom with little or no thought or time, or the amazing book they just came out with. The often desperate people in the class fail to see that the guru’s real skill is sales and that their wealth is coming from your purchases and not from their amazing system they are altruistically giving to you.

America is the land of opportunity. The question is, who is being given the opportunity when you attend a class that is supposed to better your life? Who’s life is the class really benefiting?

I was walking through Macy’s at the mall just “browsing” the cologne section. I knew I wanted something new and had some ideas about the hottest scents out there that might be good. As I walked around the counter, I noticed the saleswoman standing there watching me as I sprayed different scents onto paper strips to test. She could sense my frustration and approached me with the standard “Hi, may I help you?”. I followed suit and replied with the standard “No thanks, I’m just browsing.” At this point she took her cue and gave me space.

As I walked around the glass counter I met up with her again. She mentioned that some new scents had just come in and asked what I usually wore. That simple question and its wisdom would result in a sale. I went over my standard fragrances that I was bored of, and what I thought worked and didn’t. She listened. When I was done talking she motioned me over to a counter an suggested I try a new fragrance, the Lacoste Elegance Eau de Toilette Spray. She suggested that I spray it on my wrist and then walk away for 10 minutes to let it sink in. I did as instructed. She new like the dog seller at the pet store…allow the customer to see how they feel with your product and they won’t want to live without it. As each minute passed and I smelled my wrist and had others smell my wrist to get their opinion I grew more excited. She made me my own best salesperson and within 10 minutes I was back to purchase the largest bottle they had. Now I’m hooked.

We get bombarded with sales and advertising all day everyday. Our automatic response is to say “no” no matter what is being offered. It’s an interesting social phenomenon and those who truly understand it are more likely to be successful at what they do. Humans are overwhelmed with everything in today’s society, and our automatic response is to filter out the weakest messages.

The saleswoman understood me just as she’s understood hundreds before me and will hundreds after me. I’m happy with my new acquisition and will be sure to return for a repeat purchase when the time comes.

I was in New York over the weekend with my family. As I’ve mentioned before, leaving your comfort zone and exposing yourself to new environments makes you think a lot.

We walked through Times Square on a fairly warm day. Surrounded by thousands of people on the warm pavement a refreshing drink was a welcomed site as long as it was not being sold at “New York” prices. Just as we were talking about the heat, kids in urban clothes walked by us with coolers on wheels, some speaking loudly, others in hushed tones, selling Poland Spring water bottles for a dollar. Other entrepreneurial members of society walked buy us with coolers or boxes in hand filled with ice and bottles of Poland Spring water. Perhaps it was the combination of voice tones that signified that this was illegal, or perhaps it was the lack of a legitimate storefront with staff wearing name tags, or perhaps it was the fake designer bags and glasses being sold by vendors ready to pack up and run at a moment’s notice, or maybe it was because this was a new and untested experience, or perhaps it was just mom’s warning when I was young to “never accept candy from strangers” that prevented me from buying this water for sale at a great price. Possibly it was a combination of it all.

It was easy to justify to ourselves that it was simply safer and smarter to buy from a store, any store. Hell if we got sick from tainted bottles at least we would have some recourse right? So in the end it’s not just a question of safety and familiarity, but rather accountability that creates a sense of safety and thus drives purchases.

Maybe these would-be Sam Waltons might have been better off setting up a “lemon-aide” stand of sorts and providing a much needed and valued product at a reasonable price.

It’s amazing. It’s crazy. You’ll never believe it!…

Did you ever notice that there a million most amazing video and police chase shows on TV? They seem to fill the void between good and bad programming hours and interestingly or perhaps incestuously enough they all seem to contain the same “Amazing” videos from 10 years ago. This leads me to three conclusions:

1. Anything amazing in that could ever happen in the world, has already happened and has been caught on camera
2. No matter how bad the video, TV viewers will watch the same footage over and over again
3. There are still people in the world who haven’t seen these amazing things

This sort of product and it’s marketing must be the holy grail of wealth. Loud noises and chaos, human suffering and tradegy, and an unoriginal story line. Wait, isn’t this just like the news?

Only in America can you see big wheeled trucks with blaring engines, an old model T, an MGB, a group of pre-schoolers throwing candy out into the crowd and a swamp buggy all in the same parade brought together by patriotism and a love for their country. A motley group of individuals proud to be Americans from all walks of life, age brackets and personalities. It’s inspirational if not curious and unique as part of the experience of being and American on the fourth of July celebrating our Independence. God Bless America.