Good bye General Motors

I did not swim this morning as I was a bit tired and felt like sleeping in a bit. No cute guys of any consequence on the bus.

So North Korea has abandoned the truce and said if South Korea helps any other nations interdict possible illegal weapons that would be akin to war and be met with an armed response. I keep thinking about the debate over how the Great Depression was ended and keep thinking the school of thought that says it was not the New Deal but WWII that brought the world out of it. Then I look at the situation on the Korean Peninsula and get a bit worried.

So the Secretary of Energy thinks if we paint our roofs white we will become more green. I wonder about the law of unintended consequences. If all of that heat is getting reflected back into the atmosphere do we really know what that could do to climate change? I am not a scientist but I did get an 83 on the NYS Earth Science Regents Exam back in 8th grade. I also think it smacks of President Ford's WIP program.

I am getting a bit tired with talking heads on t.v. using the phrase "GM's possible bankruptcy." Hello McFly??? GM will be filing. If President Obama scourges the bond holders like he did with Chrysler you should read the editorial in today's WSJ by a retired dye worker. He lays out a preemptive argument why bond holders did not tender their bonds.

So home prices keep going down and inventories up. Anyone who tells you the housing market has bottomed is probably trying to sell his or her house that he or she bought with a liar loan and is dreading the balloon payment that is about to hit. If they try to say mortgage modification is working, that is wrong too. I read this morning that somewhere between 65-75 percent of mortgages that have already been modified go back into default.

We were supposed to have dinner guests tonight but they had to cancel as the missus was sick. It is probably a good thing as they would have gotten us very drunk and kept us up late. So after work I did the run I was supposed to do tomorrow and I will swim tomorrow.

"...and justice for all."

Dinner Wednesday night was a lot of fun. The level of fun was so high that the husband thought it would be a great idea to do shots of iced vodka after CC left and JP was hanging out with us catching up and helping us clean up the kitchen. Looking back on the idea Thursday morning I would have to say it was not as good an idea as it seemed after the four of us went through roughly 4 1/2 bottles of wine with dinner. I of course got the question the next morning "Why did you make me do those shots?" from the husband. I posed the question to JP as to why he thought it was a good idea. He has yet to reply to the question.

I really hate the phrase "It's different this time..."when it comes to anything to do with the markets. When someone believes the statement it usually leads to the serious destruction of wealth. However...I am going to say it is different this time. The recession in the '90s was a corporate recession; corporations ran afoul of cheap debt and went about repairing their balance sheets. This time the consumer ran afoul of cheap debt and like the corporations in the '90s, they are going about repairing their balance sheets. When consumption accounts for roughly 70 percent of economic activity it will be different, unfortunately.

The meathead looking sales guy from corporate headquarters was in the office last week. It was also Fleet Week. I love Fleet Week but PF said hot guys in uniforms do nothing for him. Also late last week the Fed released their minutes from their last meeting. They were much less sanguine than what everyone was expecting. It also led me to question just how could anyone believe the results of the "stress tests?"

This weekend we were out at the beach. We went out Saturday morning because Friday night we went to the Yankees game for TK's birthday. I had been to the old Yankee Stadium and have to say I think I like it better than the new one. The seats were freaking amazing though thanks to WP and his corporate connection. We right on the first baseline and become enamored with Chase Utely and Jason Werth on the Phillies.

Saturday morning we picked up MP and headed out to the beach. All the weather reports said it was going to rains all weekend. It did not of course. We had a very relaxing time. Sunday night we hosted friends for dinner. We had a really great dinner courtesy of the husband and I made the dessert. I learned some new things. The new, off the grid neighborhood in the city is FiDi. The other thing I learned is how freakin' annoying I think it is for gays to refer to each other as she. MP noticed it was irking me as all the guess kept doing it but I was a good host and kept quiet. I also learned one of the husband's nick names that this group of friends refer to him as.

I am finding more and more that I like Matt Miller on BBRG t.v. He is kind of cute and I am starting to get his sense of humor.

So California's Supreme Court upheld the ban on gay marriage. They also let stand anyone who was brave/smart/quick enough to get married. I think that is a very cowardly way to make a decision. So what about someone who gets married in Connecticut and then moves to California? Is their marriage not legal and/or valid? Granted, in NJ we have the separate but equal treatment but it is still legal. It would be real simple to take the whole religion out of the equation by having the government issue only civil union licenses and if someone wants a marriage certificate they go to their respective religious organization. Hell they do it now with births- the government issues the birth certificate and if someone wants their child baptised or christened they go to their religious organization and get a certificate attesting to it. The birth certificate issued by the government is the legal document and one recognized by the government for legal purposes. But what do I know?

Tomorrow we have dinner guests again and I fear it will be a repeat of last week but to a much more damaging degree. This couple knows how to and likes to drink seriously. The first time we drank with them the next day the husband complimented them as knowing how to drink for straights.

I have the boys this weekend. I have not decided if I am taking them to see Terminator Salvation or Night At The Museum 2. We saw Terminator Salvation last night- not the best in the series (that's be T2) but a good bit of entertainment and Sam Worthington is hot.

Speaking of my boys the oldest is practicing dead finger. Dead finger is a technique used for packing a tin of Skoal. He did it in the truck the last weekend he was with me and I asked him why he was doing it. He said it is cool and don't worry he is not dipping because it will kill me and he hates it.

Sooner Or Later

So Thursday night we went to see The English Beat (they are only known by that name in the U.S. because of legal issues, in the U.K. they are The Beat) with friends. They were playing at Maxwells in Hoboken. We had a nice German dinner first across the street and then got pretty drunk at the show. I did not think I knew the band until they played the song Sooner Or Later. Apparently they were the precursors to ska and the band morphed and split and went through many iterations. Their sound is definitely good for the beach so we will be getting some on the iPod for the beach house this season.

The boys were with us for the weekend. Saturday I took them to see Star Trek. I liked even more the second time but they boys told me they thought it was a bit too nerdy. The husband did a day trip out to the beach to take some more supplies for the summer.

Sunday morning we ran the HoHa Annual 5 Mile Classic with JP. I shaved thirty seconds of my time from last year. Like last year there was a lot of eye candy that made the race enjoyable. The LA Boxing gym guy in his blue sweats was fun to pace myself off for a while as I ran behind him with me eyes on his ass for quite some time. Then there was gold Shorts guy. He was just totally hot and made another leg of the race enjoyable as well. We saw him after we finished and he had a hot friend too. I think the best part though was the husband finished right behind me and asked if I slowed down so he could catch up and all I said was "Yep."

After the race we took the boys to brunch again and ended up with the same hot waiter who is dumber than a bag of hair. It did not go well and the brunch place now has two strikes against it.

We had to leave for central Jersey early as my youngest had a birthday party to go to. I dropped him off and the oldest and I then hit the book store. I wanted to get the latest and last Percy Jackson book. My youngest just got it and has not finished it and I admit I have been hooked by the series and wanted my own copy. The funny thing is I ended up buying two copies as my oldest sheepishly admitted he wanted to read it too but wanted his own copy as well. The best part though is I got to spend some time with just my oldest. I asked him about the crush he has. He got all embarrassed and I said look, there is no one else here so you can tell me and I am your father and want to know this stuff. He told me her name, etc. Of course he has never spoken with her, lol. At least I did not go as far a father in London who went and hired a hooker for his fourteen year old son so he could lose his virginity. Turned out to be a police sting, the dad was chided but did not have to go to jail.

Monday night we went and saw Wolverine as the husband had not seen it yet. That movie the second time around was just ok. I think the ending was rushed and it could have been tightened up in the editing room but still- Hugh Jackman is soo hot.

Tonight we are having CC and JP over for dinner. Our friend MP may join us as well. MP asked me what the husband's specialty cuisine was. I told her complicated and extravagant.

So Argentina has been downgraded from an emerging market to a frontier market. In all seriousness, just looking at the data one could make the argument that the U.S. is due to be downgraded to an emerging market but I need to stop focusing on the facts.

Dr. Doom- not the nemesis of the FF but a well known economist and pundit who parties hard with hot chicks and is on facebook- confirmed my thinking that the U.S. is alot like the U.K. was in the intra-war and post WWII period. The U.S. dollar will most likely lose it's status as the reserve currency of the world in our lifetime to be replaced by the yuan. As a matter of fact, yesterday there was a news story about how Brazil and China are starting to do that on the sly within their trading.

A fierce post

We opened the beach house this past weekend. Everything looks pretty good but we think the pool may have a leak. We notified the owner and he said he'd look into it. We went to Tea and it was fun. There were more people out there than I expected for the pre-season. JB was out there too so he invited us for dinner. We left tea with him and had a great time. I texted mom as she and dad have met JB many times and really like him a lot. She was jealous. When we got home we lit a fire, watched some t.v. and went to bed.

From a training prospective I have been pretty good this week. Monday I swam 1250 yards and biked 14 miles. Yesterday I ran outside after work with the husband because my business drinks got cancelled. We did four miles in just over thirty two minutes which I thought was a great pace for two forty somethings. There were also a few cute guys we passed while running. This morning I got a little over 2000 yards off in the pool. The only thing that sucked was I had to share the last eight minutes or so with a woman who was at least seventy five years old and she had a lame arm I think because she kept hitting me with it.

The Fringe season finale last night was a really great episode and the ending showed some serious balls. What a mind fuck. If you don't watch the show you should solely because of the character Dr. Walter Bishop- John Noble I believe is the actor and he is great in the role. It started late because of that waste of programming called American Idol. We caught the end of it and the kid singing Aerosmith's Crying screams homosexual. The best part I think is his haircut from The Cure. The husband is a huge fan of that band so of course I made a smart ass comment.

IF you had any doubts about the MSM not caring about the truth and only caring about making sales google Shane Fitzgerald and see what he did to the MSM. It proves that they are not interested in the truth. It is out there though and you have o actually work to find it yourself.

So, the EPA under the new Administration has determined that CO2 is a public health hazard. I guess that means I am my own worst public health hazard just as each and every mammal is since we all exhale CO2 every time we breathe. WTF is wrong with these people? It is just another example of the government changing the rules as they reach for an ever more intrusive role in our lives.

Let's talk Social Security and Medicaid/Medicare. Yesterday everyone was buzzing about how the government admitted both will run out of money, i.e. be insolvent, sooner than expected. Ok folks this is a no brainer. When the SSA was set up they created intentionally to take in more than it had to pay out. How you ask? The retirement age was set at sixty five years old. In 1940 the average American only lived to sixty two years of age. So on average they would always take in more than they had to pay out. To solve it all all we have to do is raise the retirement age to just slightly above the average life expectancy.

I am surprised there has not been more attention paid to the fact that the government of Venezuela seized a lot of assets from international oil companies doing business there. Apparently it is not a big deal since out own government is making a similar grab but starting with our own companies first.

I was chatting with PF today and he used the word fierce. We got into a discussion about how that is a totally over used word by the gays. We concluded I do not use it enough and am in danger of losing my membership so I need to start using it more often. Hence the title of the post.

It got good reviews- live long and prosper...

Yesterday I did double training to make up for a missed one earlier in the week. I swam 1200 yards in the morning and then ran two and a half miles after work before a business dinner.

I had dinner with Katie. He works in the business at a brokerage firm. The restaurant he picked was great. I got there first as he was running late. Told the hostess and she said she did not have a reservation under his name. I went to the bar and grabbed a few glasses of ice water and a drink of an alcoholic nature to wait. He walked in and the manager walks right up and greets him. Apparently he is a local regular there so he didn't need a reservation. The food was great and we actually did discuss business as well.

So, what is $75 billion amongst friends? That is how much the Fed says the banks need after the "stress test." I sneered and said I don't believe it when it was stated Shitigroup only needed $5 billion. I think what really happened was the federal government punished the banks they viewed as trouble makers and went easy on the ones that put on the knee pads and got in front of the Fed. BAC needed the most and the CEO has also been the one to talk outside of school as to what the government made them do supposedly. WFC said from the beginning thy did not want any but was forced into taking it anyways. Shitigroup used their DSL to great affect.

I get a bit pissed how most people in the market love talking about second derivatives only when it is positive and avoid it when it is not. For example, the NFP numbers this morning; not as bad as many expected but if you exclude the Census workers it was worse than expected. On the second derivative front though the revisions for the prior number keep going up and up.

I did not realize Farrah Fawcett was on her deathbed. I liked Charlie's Angels growing up but was not a die hard fan so never really kept up with the stars lives after. It was sad though to read about her deterioration.

I did a short bike tonight after work. The husband and I are going to see Star Trek so he stayed in the city, got his coiffure done, trained there and I will meet him, Ragnar, Umberto, JW and JD at the theater. There is a new hot guy at the gym though- the Landscaper. The guy is freakin' hot as shit and has dreamy, teddy bear brown eyes you can get lost in. He smiled at me too as he was walking by.

On the bus home there was a seriously hot guy I'm going to call the Aussie electrician. It made for a nice ride home.

I have not yet told the husband but my oldest was told by the doctor he has strep throat. Last weekend when I picked them up he had a bit of a cough and said his throat was sore so we stopped to get gas and cough drops- along with candy snacks for him and his brother. He was ok for the weekend but Sunday afternoon was complaining. I told his mom and pointed out it could be allergies as they run on both sides of the family. Nope- strep.

Tomorrow morning we drive out to the beach to open up the house for the season. I am psyched to get out there and relax.

I never had a blue bike let alone name it Blue Lightning

So I ran 3 miles in 27 minutes for training today. Hit the gym after work as I was happy to sleep in later than usual. Got the bonus figures and it was down about what I expected. Thanked the boss profusely as there are many in the biz these days who don't have jobs let alone a bonus.

Dad is running for county legislator back home. Where I grew up is a traditional GOP stronghold. I don't think they have elected a Democrat like ever. The weird thing about local politics though is that dad received the endorsement of the local Conservative Party. I don't get it as dad is a diehard Kennedy Democrat and to me it would seem the Conservative Party is diametrically opposed to anything Democrat. Regardless I am very happy for him and hope he gets elected otherwise he will be stick in honeydew hell.

Funny how a few weeks ago the husband and I caught Blazing Saddles on AMC I think and of course watched it. Today I saw Dom Deluise died. I am bummed as whenever I think of any Mel Brooks movie I always thought of him and Harvey Korman as being integral parts of them. Rest in piece big guy.

It is Cinco de Mayo so in keeping with the holiday spirit we decided to order lunch from the cheap, storefront, questionable sanitary practices Mexican place around the corner run by Asians. I called to place the order and the phone rang off the hook- for a good 4 minutes. I looked at the boss and said we may have a problem. So I said, I am going to wing it as you can throw a coin in any direction from our building and hit a similar type Mexican place. I walked one block, found one (also run by Asians) and ordered cheap, storefront Mexican for lunch. so far I have not paid any price other than a monetary one.

Is it just me or has anyone else noticed that every company that is actually beating earnings estimates is doing it solely by cost cutting as to actually growing revenues? Seriously, every beat I see is top line only and missing on the bottom line. That is not a good way to grow a company or the economy. I also noticed that the stress test results keep getting pushed out. Add in that now the leaks say 10 of the 19 will be told to raise capital and you have to wonder. Seriously, with the way the government handled TARP I don't see how any private capital will want to invest along side them. They are proving with the Chrysler shitshow that they have no problem overriding the rule of law or contract law if it suits their whims or gives them a good sound bite and appeases the mob.

My crackberry is almost two years old and the keyboard is going to hell on me. I stopped by the AT&T store near the office and asked if I was eligible for an upgrade. I was so I traded in my Ruby (aka my Pearl but it is red, hence the name) for a Bold. Will get IT guys to switch everything over to it tomorrow morning. I had to make sure I had no naughty pics on it as I want them to transfer the device memory as well since I have pics of family for caller ID and I have ringtones for specific people as well.

Since I am on the topic of cell phones, my oldest lost his texting capability. His recent report card was like all the recent earnings- poor quality. So I turned it off and his mother and I have agreed that he needs to get all his grades back up to where they were last quarter to get it back for the summer. He is actually taking the loss very well as he knows he has no leg to stand on.

This weekend we go to FI to open the beach house for the season. I really don't care what the weather is forecast as I will just be psyched to get out there.

So my brother the doctor (who also happens to read this blog) is trying to tell me that when we were kids I had a blue bike that he ended up inheriting form me and that I told him the bike had a name he had to keep. Supposedly I said it was named Blue Lightning. I am slightly older than him and he is a doctor but I don't think my mental faculties are diminishing that much or that quickly. The only bike I ever recall having growing up was a red Ross 10 speed that I used to transport myself every day in the summer to and from the community pool for practice- I was on a competitive swimming team back then. I do fully admit that I have named my truck though especially after I made it back from Myrtle Beach to Hoboken in 12 hours recently; Black Betty.

Going with the geek theme I just established in the previous paragraph I have to say the gensai swordmage character on D&D Tiny Adventures on facebook sucks once oyu get to the elite level. I am going to have to suffer through this character and go back to something old school like a ranger or rogue.

I know about bust a move but bust a grumpy was a new one to me

I slept in this morning and blew of my swim knowing I could do my bike after work and got to spend some extra time in bed with the husband after he got back from his grand tour of Europe. His flight was delayed in landing and did not land until 8:15. He was complaining that he had never had a flight to or from London that took 9 hours.

This morning I got my small coffee from the BP and got in line for my bus. The bus driver must have been having a really bad morning or hadn't gotten laid in awhile as I was told I could not bring my coffee on the bus. I said it was empty and was told then throw it out in the garbage can. I got off and dismissively waved the bus on- what a dick I can be. The next one came, I got on with no incident and was able to drink my coffee unmolested, bopping along on my iPod to Franz Ferdinand.

MM said the husband and I should go to All Points West- a music fest in Liberty State Park in Jersey City. I asked when it was and sadly it is the weekend we will be at the beach with my parents and sons. We then got into what new bands we should be listening to and she told me the Yeah Yeah Yeahs which I had been hearing a lot on AltNation lately. She had a bunch of other suggestions I'll have to look into at some point.

At times I find myself one of the funniest people I know. The past week due to allergies I have had some sneezing issues at work and of course after each time I give a little oink oink.

I see the whole Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction is again in the headlines. I seriously thought this whole thing was over with. What is wrong with everyone?

So, the whole Chrysler fiasco has started in earnest. I totally side with the dissidents as I see what the government is doing is a huge abrogation of its role. But...for the dissidents to cry foul that the government and the President are pressuring them please. If you really think no other President before President Obama ever threatened, cajoled or outright extorted people to get his way, I have lots of land in Florida to sell you along with a bridge. Focus on the rule of law and what it means to ride rough shod over it.

I was totally jammed today and did not get to lunch until a few minutes after 2 PM. I have to say the day flies by when you don't eat lunch until after 2 PM.

After work I hit the gym and did my bike training. did not really focus on which hotties were or were not there tonight. I got 12 miles in 35 minutes. Tomorrow I will do my swim in the morning and then my run before I have drinks for business.

I took the elevator to go get dinner tonight and someone had just busted a grumpy in it. I had not ever heard that term until yesterday when I was driving the boys back to central Jersey. My youngest asked who busted a grumpy. I knew what he meant right away as his older brother started laughing because he ripped some serious ass and stunk up the whole truck.