Going

Check out this article by David Brooks of the New York Times, titled "The Behavioral Revolution."

It's a piece explaining how some of the decisions were made leading up to the financial crisis, and how we perceive information to make decisions and justify our choices.

Off to class, this morning I ate breakfast like Phelps, you've heard the menu.

Rest Well.

Just wanted to say hi.

Went out for a SAYG ride a couple of hours ago, it could have been great. I was well dressed (it's raining), had some new music to listen to from "The Never." I was ready for a nice slow ride, admiring all the things you can't take in when you ride anything other than very, very slow. It's like you're in another world on the bike sometimes. Your view is confined to the wheel in front of you, and if you're really pro you always keep one eye on the powermeter. "Watts, Watts, Watts."

Todays ride was different. Maybe its the riding on the rollers, but the tires were not holding up. Two flats in two hours. One on the way out of town, that I fixed fairly quickly, and one just outside of campus next to 460. I was on the side of the road sitting on my bike in the rain hoping someone would give me a ride. I try to get a few drivers attention while they're stopped, getting ready to turn onto Prices Fork to head back toward campus. I got a lot of friendly waves. It seemed the more frantic I acted the more enthusiastically they waved back at me.

I found the situation kind of amusing. I was soaking wet, and could really only laugh at myself. Were the driver's waves a legitimate response, or were they just trying their best to not to acknowledge that yes, I was asking them for help, and no they weren't interested?

I was reminded of a recent "Car Talk" show, where the advice was given to a man who needed a warranty extended by the dealership he purchased a troublesome Nissan from. The man was instructed to call the corporate office and say "I'm in trouble, and I need your help." It's a simple, clear statement.

It's the line that saved me this afternoon.

For some reason the two times now I have stranded with my bike the savior has fit the same profile. Soccer mom's whiz by in their SUVs, with bike racks on the back of course, (the soccer moms are the most enthusiastic wavers by the way.) It's the old farmer with tools in his truck, probably on his way home from work that gives me a ride. The guy with hunting/NRA stickers who I expect to give me the finger as I signal to him.

So the man stopped in an old red pick up. I knew I may only have one chance. "I'm in trouble, and I need you're help." He said he would give me a ride, and the guy drove me right to my doorstep.

Sometimes I feel like I really can't count on anyone, but I realized I really can't count anyone out.

Rest Well.

Be cool

On my way home from campus I heard an interview on WUVT of Queen Harrison, the VT hurdler and 2008 Olympian. She spoke about her history in the sport, competition in NCAA and the Olympics and how she stays motivated and focused in training.

Really interesting. She talked about how variety in training helps her stay fresh and tuned up when the season comes around. Recently she's been focusing on shorter events like the 200, and she even has time for a little basketball. It's all about having a little fun everyday. This has been my focus over the past month, and it's really paying off. In the pool I feel so much stronger already, but I'm still trying to hold back a bit. It's hard getting walloped everyday by the "distance crew." Today was made especially exciting by my lunch before practice. 2 strawberry poptarts and 2 espressos. Good call eh.

BTW Virginia Tech lost to Boston College last night. Already some students have found a new target. Glennon's out, but Tyrod was the focus of the criticsm on the WUVT sports show after the Queen Harrison interview. Really guys, Tyrod's now 9 and 1 as a starter, and is playing with a brand new group of receivers, all red shirt or true freshmen. Give him a break, focus on the o line, as usual, and the receivers. Placing blame on another quarterback isn't going to get the team anywhere.

After being so impressed with Queen, and having heard that Tyrod is also a really down to earth guy, I found this. If you're a VT student it's worth a view, I'm really proud that he choose Virginia Tech, and I'm looking forward to the future.




Rest Well.

Wassup Rocka

Pinned down at this mornings swim, as usual a lot of kick, as usual I was the last of the distance crew to finish the main set (so I guess I didn't pin down, I was just there). I keep telling myself it's not the right time of year. The swimming has been the only consistent thing right now, I'm on the tready for thirty minutes three days a week, and three rides of an hour on the rollers.

My roommate brought a cold back with him from fall break so that's kinda put me down this week. I'm coming around though, wishful thinking maybe.

Epic soccer game Thursday night, and maybe some basketball tomorrow. Right now it's about finance homework. It's nice being in recession proof college. I feel safe, for now. Guess who was on campus recruiting last week. Freddie Mac. I really can't imagine what that interview might be like.

"So Sam, thanks for speaking to me today. Don't be intimidated, I know how you fell, actually I just put my resume out again, but YOU may have a solid future here."

Did you know Wachovia was one of the top five firms recruiting VT business students last year. Maybe I don't feel so safe.


Rest Well.

Feeling Small

It's a big wide world. I forget sometimes.

Here's a link to photographs by Yann Arthus-Bertrand.

His exhibit, Earth From Above is made up of 4' x 6' prints of images taken with an extremely powerful satellite. Not only is the scale of the prints overwhelming, but the color and textures are beautiful.


The weather is abnormally warm. A class that usually splits my day in half was canceled so I just sat outside of D2 with some guys that lived on my hall freshmen year . The university radio station WUVT is running "Radiothon," so we got to hear a lot of great indie music, while people watching and enjoying the sun.

They visited some friends from their high school at Georgetown, and had a good observation about friends. You know you have good friends when you don't see them for awhile and still feel like you know them. It's like although they've changed, and you've changed you both still know each other and can relate to each other.


Listening to Robyn, I think she's a big deal in Sweden, so hot right now.


Rest Well

Kinda of a Big Deal

Our planet.

In this upcoming election both candidates have openly said that global warming is a man made problem and each has different solutions.

Here's both plans.

http://obama.senate.gov/issues/environment/

http://www.johnmccain.com/informing/issues/65bd0fbe-737b-4851-a7e7-d9a37cb278db.htm



I'll post my thoughts on who really has solutions later. Right now it's about being informed.



I don't want to be training with a gas mask on in twenty years. Dave Zabriske said "exhaust is the new second hand smoke," I agree.

Rest Well.

Done Done

Two beautiful days.

Saturday morning. Two breakfasts, on the road to visit a high school friend at JMU.

Friday night was a failed cookout.

Our charcoal grill is fun size, and simply can’t stay hot long enough to allow veggies and different rounds of chicken, and burgers to cook.

So I threw in the towel. For some reason we had two George Foreman’s in our kitchen, so the decision was made to put burgers on the Foremans and cook the rest of the chicken on the grill.

I replaced my hamburger bun with the grilled eggplant, and packed the burger full of veggies (mixed greens, squash, avocado, and tomatoes.)

The drive to Madison took a couple hours. We left after swim practice, which included 1300 yds of kick in the main set, so I was done done. Given that I haven’t had a bike for the past three weeks though this isn’t really a big deal as the legs have been fresh this past week.

I talked JZ into going, although he’s saving his game for RunBikeSlam next weekend.

JZ is someone you want on these trips, he’s outgoing enough to meet people, and he’s low maintenance. His dinner/breakfast needs were fulfilled with a big box of strawberry pop tarts.

My friends schedule at JMU made me so jealous.
Linguistics
Italian
Dante
Negotiation
Plato’s Republic

What a stud. He gave us a tour of campus, and showed us a good time that night.

Anyway I’m back in Blacksburg. The sun just set and the night is cool. I’m listening to Bon Iver’s “For Emma, Forever Ago,” and thinking about the upcoming week.


Rest Well.

Respect

I will learn to love the treadmill.




30 minutes three days a week, looking for inspiration...found it

Rest Well

Survival of the Fittest

Friday my MGMT professor pulled together Frank Beamer, Seth Greenberg, and Pete Hughs (V Baseball Coach) to speak to our class about leadership, and how each has managed their player’s and organizations to be successful.

Each coach had their own approach, as Greenberg said, “your style of leadership has to fit your own personality, you have to be comfortable in your own skin.” But on the whole, a lot of their ideas were identical.

Three likenesses between the programs: people, relationships, and trust.

Greenberg had an analogy for success in the first respect.

As a note, perhaps some of this is cheesy, but I’ve been an athlete/sports fan my whole life so the coach speak is second nature, just “another language.”

Anyway “You’ve got to have the right people on the bus.” You want to be leading the right people (in Greenberg’s case, attitude is not as important as talent is, no matter what he says. I was respectful enough not to ask how Jeff Allen snuck on his o so holy bus) It is up to the leader to choose whom to recruit, so the team reaches their goal. “They have to be in the right seats.” No brainer. Different people are suited to do different things well, but it really takes effort, often times through mistakes to find out what these skills are.

Secondly, all the coaches preached about relationships. Without speaking with their player’s I really can’t say for sure how much effort these guy’s put into this aspect of leadership. I can see building relationships to be difficult in a sport like football, with a season of fourteen or so games, and a roster of one hundred guys.

But it’s true that people don’t care how talented you are until they know you care about them. No one is willing to follow until they have a relationship/connection with the leader.

So once you have that initial relationship you need the trust there to really commit. I’m reminded of hypoxic set’s in the pool over the summer.I would swim 25-50 no breath, and hell yeah it hurt, but when the coach said up. I did the set.

My first week back at school, at the end of a Sunday masters swim the coach had us go off the blocks and sprint to the wall, followed by rest and a no breath, free return to the block, 25yds. I couldn’t do it but once. I was racing that weekend and didn’t trust that the coach had everything in line. Trust was missing.

Here’s a few things to think about.

If you have a problem, ask yourself, how many people live in China?

Answer, 1.3 billion. So no matter what happened to me 1.3 billion people don’t give a s**t.

Courtesy of Pete Hughs. He better know how to HTFU.

Boom Sucka

TV on the Radio has a new album out. "Dear Science". Funky dance beats, cool harmonies (they have two singers Kyp Malone and Tunde Adebimpe), and some seriously confusing song lyrics. Does anyone know if "DLZ" was written about the US, or a lover. Anyway, it's fun to think.

This album is a lot more focused than "Return to Cookie Mountain." Some many moments of "RTCM" where filled with frantic overdrive and near rambling, but "Dear Science" really cleans up the sound, it's focused, but still pure to the music I love.

Photo Credit:100/6



Rest Well.

Playoffs

First playoff game tonight. Patrick, make me swift.


First time back in the pool last night with the team. Cut the swim short for water basketball. I learned not to challenge the VT Womens Water Polo team to play. I think one of the girls tried to drown me. Maybe I'm just a poor sport.





Rest Well.