the next level

GIANT MELTDOWN

Seriously, guy, get a life...

Nip/Tuck

I was one of the first to get behind this show when it was relatively unknown on FX. At the same time they had another awesome show called Over There, which was Band of Brothers meets saving Private Ryan, meets Black Hawk Down in the current Iraqi War. I was disappointed when it didn’t get picked up for another season and I’m hoping this is the last season of Nip/Tuck. The last 2 years have sucked in my opinion. The show has gotten so predictable. Just think of every social abnormality or taboo and it has been addressed at some point during the show. I liked how the got stem cell research into the mix by growing an ear on the back of a mouse. (I think it was stemcells) Anyways, the show is pretty lame now and I’m only watching it because I want to know how it finishes.

My New England Winter Experience

Compared to my Chicago winter experience this was much, much better. That's even with me spending more time in the snow than I did on that trip. I got to live it like a New English person; I went dug a car out of the snow, drove in the snow (briefly), went bar hopping, went grocery shopping, had a bunch of snow fights.

It was ok, but way too cold. It was nice to pretend to be from there but it clearly is not in my blood. I'm sticking with warm weather.

my next event

Party ont eh 30th

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My Cardinals

Living in Phoenix my entire life, I've been witness to the birth of sports traditions. All the sports teams are relatively new and have not had any major success, other than our World Series championship. Football is king. And having a winning team competing for a championship has galvanized the casual fanbase with the diehards like myself. I was at a local sports bar watching the Cardinals beat Falcons in the first playoff home game in 60 years. When the game was finally in-hand I stood up and started clapping, soaking in the ENTIRE crowd. It was satisfying to have someone finally stand up and cheer next to me both figuratively and literally. I've been ashamed to be a Cards fan. 20 years of utter failures and disappointments has led to a Superbowl?? The outcome of the game on Sunday doesn't matter as much to me. The entire country will be watching the Cardinals with anticipation. I just hope they don't disappointment again with poor performance.

7 Steps to Saving the Financial System (BNET)

1. Separate regulatory strategy from the stock market. Nothing long-term can get done by playing to the markets, except guaranteeing that the markets will be unhappy in the long-term.
2. Kill the ratings system. A no-brainer. Who could trust Moody’s or S&P now?
3. Regulate credit-default swaps. Another no-brainer.
4. Set new capital requirements for banks. Basel II-style self-regulation didn’t work. Let’s set some real standards. This seems to ignore the problem of risk discounts used to value assets, raised by Brad DeLong.
5. Too big to fail? Break it up. That would be a refreshing change from the current strategy of creating even more monstrous banks.
6. Ban SEC employees from taking high-paying jobs on Wall Street. Simple solution to the problem of the prisoners running the jail. Only it’s hard to see Congress taking an action that might curb lobbying by former officials.
7. Hire Harry Markopolos (or someone like him) to enforce regulations. Plenty of ex-Wall Street quants no longer need money to work and might find it as interesting to regulate the Street. Whether Markopolos is one of those is besides the point. The talent is there. Use it.

2009

There comes a point in your life when you realize
who matters,
who never did,
who won't anymore...
and who always will.