Is it me?

I just don't get it. Maybe I'm just old or something. Really - I'm willing to engage the possibility that I'm just too old to understand how cool he is, but it seems to me that he just, um, er, uh, kinda sucks.

I've said similar things before and been very, very wrong. There are some artists that just took me a long time to understand and appreciate, but I eventually came around to developing a favorable opinion. In this particular case, I just can't see that happening.

I'm willing to listen. But someone needs to make a really compelling case.

Kickin' It Old School

Yeah, baby. Had it in my hands today. Brought back some memories.

Micromanagement

This is ridiculous.

I grew up around higher ed (I'm a professor's kid), I worked as a professor, I worked as a college administrator, and this sort of thing is just another example of the bizarro universe that is higher education.

As a very wise and experienced faculty member once said to me in the midst of some difficult times in my higher ed career: "Always remember that the politics are so intense because the stakes are so low."

Summermothereffingvacation. Start.

As usual, my rare posts are timed to come right after Kevlar. He usually beats me by a day when I come back to the Hombres. But anyway.

- Done with classes forever. Did it. Finished. I'm the man.
- Done with my most recent training year. I'm the man.
- I have no work-type commitments until August 8th. I'm the man.
- I've appointed myself honorary owner of home base for my dissertation. Find a better place to hang out or a better cup of coffee, and I'll mail you a plane ticket and prove you wrong. I'm the man.
- I have tickets, either purchased or given to me, to see the Cubs, Wynton Marsalis, Lyle Lovett & k.d. lang, my high school reunion, Betsy, and...scarily enough...this. Horrifying, isn't it. I'm the man.
- I have a student loan check in my pocket right now which will make all of this possible. Therefore, I will pay for all of these things over the next 30 years or so. Kevlar, Ouch. I'm the man.

More coffee. For who? For the man.

Doing the math

I live in southern California, which is one of the more expensive parts of the country with regard to cost of living. For reasons I won't get into here, I've been fascinated with trying to figure out how the heck anyone here affords, well, pretty much anything.

For instance, the median home price in southern California last month was $484,000. (In my county, it was slightly higher; in my zip code, it was higher again.) In fact, I was driving by a new housing development the other day and my son and I laughed out loud because the sign said "from the low 1 millions". It's just hard for me to think of anything over 1 million dollars being "low", but I digress.

So, here's the thing: I was looking at some data that said that the average new mortgage (not counting taxes, insurance, HOA fees, and all the other add-ons) in soCal is $2,258. (How are people affording $484,000 homes with a $2,258 mortgage? Big down payments, collosal equity cash-outs on prior homes, or black magic, I guess.)

Anyway, here's the interesting thing: adjusted for inflation, mortgage payments are 9.8% higher than they were in 1989 (the peak of the last housing bubble). So people pay just shy of 10% more per month - again, adjusted for inflation - for mortgages than they did 18 years ago. They also appear to pay more for gas than they did 18 years ago (also adjusted for inflation, if this source can be trusted). And we've got mobile phones, internet service, health club memberships, and $4 lattes. So, my question is simple: What the heck are we spending less on so that we can afford all of this?

Clearly, we are saving less. The national savings rate was once 11.1% and it is reported to now actually be a negative number, so maybe there's my answer. After all, the money has to come from somewhere.

I continue to try to not be an idiot with my money: avoid dumb debt (in other words, the kind that doesn't prove to be tax-deductible) as best I can, try not to spend more than I should, pay cash for everything, and throw money in my 401k and 403b every month. All of that seems like a good long term strategy, although I'm not going to be rich by any objective measure. I just wonder how the heck our society can maintain this kind of spending long term. I mean, don't we all have to retire at some point?

Is this the one?

For the smussyolay:

Closest I could find. I'll keep working on it.

The World Goes to Town

One of my indulgences is a subscription to The Economist. I honestly don't get through the whole thing each week, but I do try to cover as much of it as I can. This week, there is a fascinating survey regarding the ever-increasing urbanization (or is it urbanisation?) of the world. In 1800, 3% of the world's population lived in cities. In 1900, it was up to 13%. This year, it is projected that the percentage will cross 50% for the first time.

I grew up in a town of around 1500. I now live in a city. I am part of the global migration.

Completely unrelated: I received the Season 2 DVDs of Dr. Katz from Amazon today. Life is good.

Latest Book Review

Well, if that's not the most unbelievable heart-and-gut wrenching true story ever written, then I don't know what is. It's a pretty quick read, but only because it's so good you can't put it down. It's certainly not because it's easy. The prose is easy. The content....um....nope.

What's incredible is that for as brutal as the book is, it's also beautiful. Makes me want to write a letter or find the guy and hug him and thank him and buy the guy a damn cup of coffee or some rice and gari and palm oil.

People are amazing. Amazing. A few weeks ago I offered a discombobulated post after the V-Tech nightmare. One of my reactions was how mad I got that some people's reaction was along the lines of: This guy was evil, and he should have been locked up.

Well, my reaction then was, this guy was sick and needed help. The book I link above is proof that evil may very well exist, but that doesn't mean people can't be helped. Maybe the difference is that the author is not mentally ill. The capacity for human violence is unlimited for all of us, but so is the capacity for healing and recovery.

As much as I resist, maybe I do believe in evil. But I also believe in people's capacity to recover from the evil that comes into their lives. It's not a static, intractable state of being. This isn't profound, but after this book, I can't be more convinced of it.

Go. Read. This. Book.

Then go hug everyone you know and go to a book signing and hug this guy.

Money Well Spent

I picked up Season 1 of Dr Katz, Professional Therapist on DVD this past weekend. Although it's only six episodes, I have been laughing out loud as I've watched the brilliant and underrated show from 12 (!) years ago. I will be picking up the season 2 DVD shortly.

And now, I shall favor you all with stories of how I recently matched my socks and folded towels.