Sports Update

Snowboarding HeavenlyI am the recently-new owner of a snowboard and associated gear. Its initiating run was a weekend trip to Tahoe a few weeks back, where we visited both Heavenly and Kirkwood. The first day was very rough, but the second was much easier. I half suspect that may have been due to simply being too tired for bad technique.

Next stop, soccer. Last week the emails started up, and last Wednesday was our first practice of the season. I thought I’d be in somewhat reasonable shape but still managed to push myself to the limits. Continuous sprinting wasn’t in my practice routine, something my legs did not hesitate to make clear the next day.

Finally, sailing. I met up with my parents and friend Kenneth in Alameda for an afternoon of sailing. We took the 32′ boat Caroline; it was my first time sailing a Jeanneau, but I found it handled very well. I kept a single reef in the sail to keep things from getting too exciting, and also practiced steering with the sails alone. Hopefully the weather will return to sunny-goodness soon, as I would like to get in a few more days of experience in the next month.

Burberry: Tartan For….

I won’t finish the headline, though Urban Dictionary will be happy to oblige. Recent trips into the City have turned up increasing numbers of people sporting Burberry plaid. My working theory is that this is related to the recent opening of a mammoth Bloomingdale’s in the old Emporium building. (If you haven’t visited, it’s worth a peek. My only regret is that the Hugo Boss store does not open until next fall.)

Not that I have anything against the brand; it has simply become too common. At this point, the only way to project exclusivity with Burberry is by hanging one of their golf towels by the kitchen sink. But then, if you’re going to be that crass, you might as well just sit in Starbucks using hundred dollar bills to keep your place in the latest Mitch Albom book.

Economic Update

It’s been a little over six months since my last related post, and a few weeks since I realized this, hence the update. As various reports come in, I’m gratified that they are mostly in line with expectations. The weakness in housing continues, and the effects are spreading to other parts of the economy. Downturns in consumer credit and sales confirm my expectations of a poor holiday season. Roubini is expecting the ‘official’ recession to begin in Q1 or Q2 2007, and his recent forecasts on GDP growth have been squarely on target.

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An Interesting Collection of Commentary

I turned off a movie (“Wrong Turn”) today because the level of stupidity exceeded my tolerance with a speed that surprised even myself. The last movie I recall doing that to was “The Ring 2”. Fortunately I was spending the time with much more interesting reading material.

I will admit to watching bad movies. Just because the movie is bad, does not mean it can’t be enjoyable; MST3K proved that. However, there is a difference between watching a video of a cat discovering how to flush a toilet (and now earnestly engaged in driving up its humans’ water bill), and watching a human displaying roughly the same level of reasoning ability. Especially over two hours.

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A Taste of Lexus

A friend invited me to go to the Taste of Lexus event in Alameda. This is a travelling showroom where Lexus displays its latest models, complete with courses where you can take them for a spin. I normally am not too good at writing reviews; I’ll ignore features others consider revolutionary and gush over features others may not consider all that important. In this case, I have a few specific criticisms to make, and thus the review.

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