Sport Lesson

What is a sport where people spend most of their time socializing than watching the game? Most of the time is spent waiting and waiting and waiting for something interesting to happen. It can be dangerous because players actually use a weapon. It’s a legal weapon that does not need to be registered. Some people carry this weapon in the back of their cars. In fact, I know of a New York policeman who does this in case there is a riot. There’s a lot of chewing and spitting and fidgetting going on — it’s the only thing to do because it’s so boring. It’s as exciting as watching a race between a snail and an ant. It is a sport where most of the action is focused on just 2 people taunting each other while the other 8 players on stage wait for their chance to become a star. If you’re obese? Who cares? As long as you can still “tiptoe through the tulips” you can still play and get paid by the millions. Whether you are a lefty or a righty, you have to use both hands … your weaker hand is covered and protected, the other isn’t. It’s played outdoors but unlike real macho, physical, brutal contests, a little rain calls off the whole sissy game.

I think my disdain for this sport can be traced to my youth. I was never chosen to play when I was a kid so I never appreciated this game. I often wondered who would pay the players millions of dollars just to strut their butts like peacocks because most of the time they have their backs on you. What’s even more surprising is, it’s not really a contact sport yet a good number of the players get hurt …. mostly because of a self-induced accident.

If you guessed BASEBALL, you got it right.

BUT last Tuesday I went to watch an Angels game. And, miracle of miracles, I am now a reformed baseball-hater. I can’t say I love it but now I get it. My daughter had free tickets to an Angels baseball so my family went to watch a live game. I was impressed. Volunteer good-natured senior citizens helped give you directions. The lights were so bright I didn’t notice when the sun went down. The field was so green and manicured I wanted to go down and touch it. Hardly anyone was paying attention to what was going on because, unlike watching a commentator on TV, you didn’t know how many strikes, balls or foul balls were at stake. You could hardly tell who was playing. But everyone was having a good time. It was like you were in a giant picnic. The couple behind me were chatting the whole time and I felt I was part of their conversation. There were so many kids running around and parents laughing behind them. The peanut guy, thechurros guy, the beer guy  and the hot-dog-&-drinks guy were all fun to watch — each of them with their unique way of selling their wares. And then there was the humongous big screen TV which flashed trivia games and kissing couples. It was fun. I mean, REALLY fun. No wonder they call it America’s favorite pastime. People laughing, families taking care of families — man! this is America. What a blessing to be part of this.

Like many things in life we can form opinions based on observations from afar. But when you are actually living it, the unspoken experiential nuances shame your biases. I admit I have been guilty of my narrow assumptions. If I have said anything to offend you in any of my many blogs, please let me know. I am open to your corrections.

Who would have thought there was a lesson in humility in the game of baseball?  TGIF people!

Joke of the Week

Thanks to Joel of Singapore for sending this joke.

Video of the Week

Unstoppable Robin Williams
Sent by Peter Paul, South Pasadena, CA

Unedited Robin Williams doing a commercial … at least he is trying his best to stop the practical joker inside him. If you’ve never seen a display of multi-personalities, just watch. I couldn’t stop laughing.

WARNING: With Robin Williams, there is always some profanity.

Don’s Puns

From Don’s collection of puns

A man tried to assault me with milk, cream and butter. How dairy!

Something to Think About

Sent by Mike of New York City

Do you have time on your hands? Are you ready to take a short visual quiz? Below are 2 PDF files. One is for the women. The other is for the men. Both are about trademark/logo recognition. See how well you can guess the name behind the icon. Try it out with a friend.

Fashion Logos
Auto Logos

Being in the design industry and having designed quite a few of these logos myself,  I can really appreciate these great visuals.

Parting Shot

Thanks to Naomi of N Hollywood, CA who shared this.

The post Grandpa’s Bet appeared first on Traveling Archive.

QUALITY

Five years ago we bought a shiny stainless steel Whirlpool gas range. It looked robust and sparkled under the store lights. The design was solid and we thought it would last forever. Unfortunately, we were dazzled by the shell. Yesterday I had to put my handyman cap on because, after cooking our dinner, the knob of the gas range wouldn’t turn to the OFF position. I had to shut down the main gas valve, dig into my dusty toolbox and proceed to repair the appliance.

FLASHBACK
Ever since I was a child, like many curious kids, I would open up radios, TV sets, car engines, brakes, Christmas lights, computers (lots of these) … sometimes they needed fixing and other times I just wanted to see how they worked. When the internet was just starting, I was curios to see how that worked and this led me to programming as well. I’m confident that I can fix any basic logical mechanical or electrical gizmo. My parents “forced me” to fix stuff because they recognized I had that aptitude. I thought then that it was unfair that they singled me out to repair while my other siblings continued to play with their toys. In hindsight I appreciate what they did. I learned a skill. Because of them, I believe I will survive if I were ever stuck in a deserted island.

INSIDE THE BEAST
Removing the low-quality parts (the screws, springs, patented parts) of that stainless cooking monster, I realized how easily the manufacturer could have spent a few more dollars to make their product last longer. I figured that their real business model was making a ton of money through maintenance. For instance, when I got to the innards of the defective switch and considered buying a new switch online, that simple patented part cost around $60. Shock!! Even a regular screw cost $5 in their “official” website. That same screw purchased at a hardware store would have only cost 10 cents at the most. And don’t forget the real killer — $300 for labor! My advice to you (if you ever decide to repair your appliance): don’t buy from the crooked manufacturer and its subsidiaries. Youtube is full of “How to fix things” videos and in EBAY there are people selling the same parts for less than half the cost. Just make sure you research the exact part number for your particular model.

I was so mad. I wasn’t going to spend a small fortune and wait 3 days for shipping for any part. I got creative and tinkered with that stove for a few hours and I got it done. Thanks to my early training. Praise God!

QUALITY
It’s obvious — there are SALESMEN and there are CRAFTSMEN. There are manufacturers who invest/focus on the sparkle in order to sell. And there are craftsmen who go after quality rather than profit. One succeeds temporarily while the other starts a legacy. People used to laugh at Japanese products in the 50s but Japanese products have matured in quality and have been outselling American products since the 70s. We’ve all been unappreciated but let’s be patient and take pride in what we do. Let’s be craftsmen!

TGIF people!

“You can tell the passion of the HEART by the craftsmanship of the HAND.”
— Raoul Pascual

Joke of the Week

Thanks to Don of Kelowna, B.C. for sending this joke.

Video of the Week

Where’s My Donkey?
Sent by Naomi of North Hollywood,CA

When was the last time you forgot where you left your donkey? I thought so. Here’s a good tip.

Don’s Puns

From Don’s collection of puns

Heavy Thought of the Week

Sent by Tom of Pasadena, CA

Parting Shot

Thanks to Don of Kelowna, B.C. who shared this.

The post Lemon Squeeze appeared first on Traveling Archive.