Slightly Above Average

I want to be slightly above average. I want to blend right in. I want people to remember me fondly, but not remember me too much. I want to be a functional cog in a big machine. I want to be a medium-sized fish in a decent-sized pond. I want to know what's going on but not have anyone ask me what's going on. I want to stand out just a little. I want the boss to figure I'm okay because he hasn't heard anything bad about me. I want to have a nice car but not so nice as to call attention to itself. I want to have a nice smile. I want my work to speak for itself but not too loudly. I want to be a good team player. I want to get as many rebounds as points. I want my efforts to contribute to a whole which is greater than the sum of its parts, and I want to be one of those parts the sum of which is greater than the whole. I want to be expendable but hard to replace. I want the guy next to me to make me look good, and I want to make the guy on the other side of me look good. When they interview my neighbors, I want them to say, "He always seemed like a nice guy, but I didn't really know him all that well."

Happy Birthday

I've got nothing to say except Happy Birthday, son. You make your old man proud.

Random Stuff

I have an ugly, ongoing dispute with my neighbors who live in the apartment directly above me. It's probably the nastiest thing I've ever been involved with, and I have a visceral hatred for these two delusional, sociopathic grifters. The eviction process is underway, but these idiots won't leave until the marshall shows up and drills out their front door lock and bodily evicts them and their stuff. And it won't happen for at least another month. Anyway, I've learned (once again) that there are people who use and manipulate other people as a matter of course. There are people who lie and lie about lying and believe their own lies. There are people who think nothing of stealing from others while convincing themselves that the people they're stealing from are "investing." After all, investing is a crap shoot, and investors lose money all the time, right? This has dominated our lives for six months, and I just want it to be over. Enough of that.

When Michael Jordan first retired and then un-retired from the Chicago Bulls in 1994, he briefly wore jersey number 45 before switching back to his familiar number 23. While Mike was wearing number 45, a concerned mother asked coach Phil Jackson which replica jerseys she should buy for her kids-- 45 or 23. Jackson thought for a minute and replied, "Buy them books." I like Phil Jackson.

Speaking of basketball, one of my personal heroes, and a man whose philosophy of life is as relevant today as it was when he developed it, is John Wooden, former head coach of the UCLA Bruins. Everyone who ever played for Coach Wooden says that every day they utilize something he taught them about life and how to live it. His Pyramid Of Success is more popular and relevant now than ever. The man is exactly the same today as he was 60 years ago, and the fact that he's still around is a wonderful thing. He was an extraordinary coach and an even greater man. He's a national treasure.