The Seiko Professional Divers Watch, men's stuff part ten

If I had to choose one watch from my collection for endurance and serviceability, this Seiko Divers would be the watch. It’s been with me in multiple environments- in deserts, in forests, in saltwater and freshwater, and in the cold of both the Korean DMZ and Alaska. I was also wearing it in 1986 when I broke my leg on the worst airborne jump of my military career. My ankle required some metal implants to repair it, but the watch was hardly scratched.

Today, its roughest mission is to the gym.

It’s a quartz watch, and the second hand begins to mark off two-seconds intervals when the battery needs changing. It’s waterproof to 200 meters or approximately 656 feet (which means it can go places I can’t go); and has a unidirectional rotating bezel, with the first twenty minutes highlighted in bright red. The day-date is at the three o’clock position, and the day can be set in either English or Spanish. The crown, located at the 4 o'clock position, has a very efficient curving crown guard.


I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve replaced the flat rubber bracelet, and despite its age, the luminous hands and markers are still visible in low lighting. I have had the jeweler offer to switch out the scratched bezel, but I like the memories the scratches represent. Remarkably, the crystal is unscratched.

Today, Seiko offers many versions of this watch in both quartz and mechanical models. Despite the fact that some watch aficionados look down upon them, I highly recommend them. They’re durable, inexpensive and don’t have to be babied. (I actually had a case of 5.56 ammunition dropped on mine once, without damage.)

Seiko's most recent technical accomplishment was the development of a space watch for billionaire Richard Garriott that was worn during a space walk outside the International Space Station.

And while strolling down memory lane, here’s the oldest watch in my collection. It’s the Timex I wore in Army Basic Training right out of high school. I remember I bought it with the intention of it being a disposable watch; but miraculously it’s still with me. It not only survived several Army schools, but it also outlived several so-called G-Shock watches and an untold number of GI issue field watches. Today, I still use it while clearing and burning brush or doing outside work. I think every true watch enthusiast has at least one Timex in his collection.

This last photo is of my father’s last field watch, which I inherited after he passed away recently. During my Army career, he developed a fondness for OD Green field watches. As a result I would always buy him a new field watch for Christmas from the PX. When I left the service, the tradition continued and I would always include a field watch with his Christmas packages when he needed a replacement. He loved to putter and work outside and was very hard on his watches. This Orvis version of the GI watch was the last field watch he owned. Prior to end-of-year, I need to clean it up and replace the strap which is very worn due to dad’s continual outdoor use.


Update: Below is my father's Orvis field watch after I cleaned it up and placed a new NATO Nylon Strap on it.


John P.


If you're into watches, check out my other watch related blog posts:

 Hamilton Jazz Master.

 Rolex Submariner.

 Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso

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The Schadenfreude Goes On…

In case you didn’t get enough drama and entertainment from the business pages during summer, here is an interesting article from Fortune Magazine (entitled "The alleged grifter who duped corporate giants"). It deals with something we seldom think about- the movement of consumer goods through unauthorized distribution channels. Fortune Magazine’s James Bandler and Doris Burke explain-

“(Dina) Wein Reis was what is known as a "diverter," a player in the little-known but large gray market in which consumer goods are bought and sold in channels unauthorized by manufacturers. Diversion is not necessarily illegal. But the way Wein Reis did it was fraud, prosecutors allege.”

“For sheer dollar damages, her alleged thievery cannot come close to matching that of Bernard Madoff …But what she is accused of doing was fabulously brazen; she had the temerity to sting some of the world's biggest corporations -- not just once, but again and again.”

What struck me was a) the amount of hard work and coordination that went into the enterprise and b) Dina Wein Reis’s willingness to court publicity of her personal life. Prior to the legal melt down, her lavishly furnished Manhattan townhouse was actually featured in Architectural Digest. Most people in her position would have shunned the daylight. (If you want to see over the top Manhattan kitsch in a way only a middle-class Jewish girl from Brooklyn could pull off, you really must check out the photos.)

The Fed’s have since raided the townhouse and seized most of her property. One FBI agent described her home as so full of bling and loot as, "King Tut's tomb." I'm not sure when her trial is scheduled, but you can purchase a copy of her fraud indictment on Amazon for approximately ten dollars. Some light reading to keep you entertained on your next flight.

-JP

(Photo Above- of Wein Reis by Fortune Magazine.)


Update from The New York Post, dated May 19, 2011-
NY socialite Dina Wein Reis pleads guilty to fraud charges
“A New York socialite pleaded guilty Thursday to a federal charge that she duped corporations out of millions of dollars. Dina Wein Reis, 47, softly answered, “Guilty,” when U.S. District Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson asked her how she pleaded to a charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.”


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iMBA Fall 2009 Residency

The fall Whitman iMBA residency was fun and it was great to see our Syracuse friends again.
(Snapshot left- initial reception at the Sheraton)

This semester we’re taking Managerial Accounting with Professor Alex Thevaranjan (who prefers to be called Coach T by graduate students); and Investment Analysis with Professor Ravi Shukla, an engineer by training but now a PHD in finance, who is very passionate about trying to make sense out of the randomness of the market.

Managerial Accounting is focused on internal information that facilitates decisions about the future. It uses projection tools to sift out relevant information and identify risk and return before decisions are made. (By contrast Financial Accounting is after the fact and aimed at telling a story to people outside the company, usually investors.)

The second course, Investment Analysis, deals with the analytical methods to portfolio management. It touches on the different approaches to investment- Ad hoc (intuition), Bigger Fool Theory, and systematic approaches. It also addresses the different asset classes and diversification methods. One of the interesting subjects we discussed during the residency was the way poor quality mortgage securities infiltrated the US economy and produced last years economic melt down.

On the first day of classes, the faculty announced some changes during a town hall meeting. Future residencies will be shorter by one day to lessen the burden of travel, and as a result, classes will be extended from 90 minutes to a full two hours per day. The other major change involves new students. Previously new students were only required to start together with Financial Accounting and Strategic Management during their first semester. After that, they were free to choose their classes based on preference and availability. Now the school will try to keep students together in a cohort group for a longer period (I think it’s the first three semesters).

Students near graduation will be allowed early registration, and additional courses may be added in May to facilitate areas of concentration.

The bad news announced was that costs are going to continue to go up, an average of six percent per semester, despite the current state of the economy. This was an issue as many students complained that their employers were no longer reimbursing their tuition, as companies cut back on benefits. We also noticed the iMBA group looked smaller, possibly due to job losses.

During our week in Syracuse, we visited all our regular haunts- Lake Onondaga, Joey’s Italian Restaurant, Kitty Hoynes Irish Pub; and visited a few new places. We drove up to Lake Ontario for the first time, went hiking at Highland State Park, ate clams at the Clam Bar (on Brewerton Road) and shopped at a charming farm market called Ontario Orchards (in Oswego).

I want to also express special thanks to Dennis Hay, of Joey’s Italian Restaurant. After a very favorable experience last year, we postponed our 19th wedding anniversary dinner by about a week in order to celebrate it at Joey’s. Once again, my wife had flowers waiting for her at the table, and once again we had a great flaming desert of strawberries cooked in brown sugar and butter, yum. Kudos to Joey’s.

John P.

Professor Alex Thevaranjan (PHD in accounting) and myself after class. (Professor Ravi Shukla is in the top photo, fourth from the left.)

Me, Sari and Craig at the Whitman iMBA town hall.

Sue by some flowers at Highland State Park.

At Kitty Hoynes Irish Pub after hiking all afternoon at Highland State Park.

Click here for more information on the Syracuse University Whitman School of Management iMBA program.

-JP

Geo F. Trumper on Facebook, men's stuff part nine

Geo F. Trumper, considered by many to be the apex in men's wet shaving gear, has posted a link to my wet shaving post on their facebook page.

-JP

Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum

Today, we spent the afternoon visiting the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library in Austin. We hadn’t visited the Library in a number of years and wanted to see what had changed.

The LBJ Library is located in downtown Austin on a 30-acre site on the UT campus. The ten story building is modern monolithic in design and has visitor exhibits on the third, fourth, and tenth floor. The other notable feature is that it has a five-story glass encased view of the actual archives, which visitors can see, from the Great Hall on the fourth floor. It was dedicated on May 22, 1971.

Sue and me in front of LBJ’s Presidential Limo, a 1968 stretch Lincoln that was used in both D.C. and Austin.

There is also an animatronic LBJ that tells humorous stories from LBJ’s speeches. One of them goes something like this:

"A little boy was praying for his Momma. She was a poor widow and was having trouble making ends meet, so the little boy wrote a letter to God: "God, I'd be mighty thankful if you would send Momma a hundred dollars to help out." Well, his letter wound up in the postmaster general's office. And the postmaster was so moved by the letter that he took twenty-dollar bill from his pocket, put it in an official Washington D.C. Postmaster General envelope and sent it to the widow. Two weeks later, he gets another letter from the boy addressed to God. The letter thanked God for everything and the great help that the money provided. It also asked for another hundred dollars with this added caveat- “Only please God, this time send it direct. Last time it went through Washington and they withheld eighty percent.”


Photo Below-Sue in front of the LBJ storyteller. She thought it was creepy, the way the eyes moved and the hand creaked when it moved. In her own words:

“I found him kind of creepy, especially the eyes. I thought, what if you were accidentally stuck in the museum after they locked up for the night? Say you were studying in the archives and lost track of time. And A-LBJ started to move and talk, when nobody was around to trigger his motion sensors! And he didn't tell his funny stories but instead said stuff like, 'I don't take kindly to strangers snooping in my private papers.' Then the lights go out. And you run for the doors, stumbling around in the dark, only find the doors are locked from the outside! Then you hear a squeak from behind you...”


The Library had a section on the Vietnam War. Here I am in front of the Special Forces (SF) display. The beret on display has a 5th Group SF Flash on it; I was in 12th Group (1985-87), which no longer exists.


A view of the archives.


According to the visitors brochure, "The library houses 45 million pages of historical documents, 650,000 photos, one million feet of motion picture film, and 5,000 hours of recordings from the public career of Lyndon Baines Johnson and those of his close associates."

If you’re in Austin, and up to the drive, you can also go to nearby College Station and visit the George Bush Presidential Library at Texas A&M. My wife and I visited it about two years ago and it was also pretty cool.

On the other hand, if you find yourself in the Los Angeles area we highly recommend the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley California. That library has the old Air Force One airplane from the Reagan era and the "Gipper" sweater of Notre Dame fame.

Finally the G.W. Bush Library is getting off the ground and will be located in Dallas (approximately four hours from Austin). Sue and I are looking forward to visiting that one when it gets up and running.

-JP

Madoff Schadenfreude Part 2

According to the WSJ, the other shoe has dropped in the Madoff Ponzi scheme case. Irving Picard, the court appointed trustee in charge of recovering funds for Bernard Madoff’s victims is now suing Madoff’s wife, Ruth Madoff, for approximately $44.8 million.

“Irving Picard, the court-appointed trustee, alleged that 68-year-old Ruth Madoff "knew or should have known" that vast sums of money she received from her husband's investment firm, Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC, rightly belonged to the firm and to her husband's customers.”

“’For decades, Mrs. Madoff lived a life of splendor using the money of (Madoff’s) customers,’ Mr. Picard said in a lawsuit filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan. ‘Regardless of whether or not Mrs. Madoff knew of the fraud her husband perpetrated at (his firm) ... she received tens of millions of dollars from (the firm) for which (the firm) received no corresponding benefit or value and to which Mrs. Madoff had no good-faith basis to believe she was entitled.’"

Of course the problem is that Ruth Madoff has already given up her rights the bulk of the cash she had withdrawn (just prior to Bernie Madoff’s arrest), and has already agreed to sell the marital real estate assets in Manhattan, Long Island and Palm Beach as part of restitution for investors. In an agreement with federal prosecutors she was allowed to keep about $2.5 million in cash. Not chump change, but not anywhere near the $44.8 million Picard is seeking.

I am also not aware of anything preventing individual investors from bringing civil litigation directly against her. In which case, the $2.5 million could disappear almost overnight in attorney fees. Finally there have been reports that she is having trouble finding a place to live, as she is persona non grata in Manhattan and some buildings have refused her.

Whether you feel sorry for her or not, one thing is certain, she is about to undergo an extreme adjustment in her standard of living.

-JP

Read
Madoff Schadenfreude Part 1

(Photo ABOVE- Ruth Madoff is shown in an AP photo leaving a correctional facility after visiting her husband Bernie Madoff in April. Photo BELOW LEFT- Ruth and Bernie Madoff in happier times while at a desert party in Mexico- Rex USA. Photo BELOW RIGHT- The Madoffs on the yacht of real-estate tycoon Norman Levy. Vanity Fair)

Best Advice

Every year, Fortune Magazine has an issue where business leaders discuss the best advice they’ve received. That got me thinking about my life, and what I could claim was the one single best piece of advice I’ve ever received.

Here’s my answer- I joined the military right out of high school for the college money. I really had no other incentive; but to my surprise, I took to the military like a fish to water and did very well, very quickly. What I had anticipated as a drudgery had instead become a pleasurable experience.

While still a private, a crusty old Sergeant Major stopped me and stared at me intently. He then asked me, “Pacheco, you love the Army don’t you?” Up to that point I hadn’t really consciously articulated the thought, but after a moment’s consideration I replied, “Yes Sergeant Major, I guess I do.”

He then leaned into me and said, “Well don’t fall in love with the Army Pacheco, because the Army won’t fall in love with you.”

It took a while for the full meaning of that advice to sink it, but has been one of the most useful tools of perspective anyone has ever given me. No matter how much overlap there is, there will always be conflict between the objectives of your employer and your own enlightened-self-interest. You should never make the assumption that your interests and those of your organization are one and the same. You should never have the expectation that an organization will reward you for loyalty or self-sacrifice. Simply put, there are too many variables, both external and political for the equation to be that simple. At the end of the day, you have to keep your eyes wide open and do what’s right for yourself and your family. That’s your burden, and that burden cannot be delegated or entrusted to another earthly power.

Do what’s right by your colleagues and customers to earn your wages, but don’t overlook to do right by yourself in the day-to-day process.

-JP

The Tall Ship Cuauhtemoc

The print version of the WSJ had a photo of the Mexican tall ship Cuauhtemoc sailing into San Francisco on Monday July 13th. Unfortunately the photo wasn’t available online, but the photo I’ve posted here of the Cuauhtemoc arriving in Japan is essentially the same. When she enters a harbor, the crew stands on the yards and sings greeting.

The WSJ reported:
“The barque Cuauhtemoc sailing along the city-front in SF in the '05 Tall Ships Challenge. Built for the Mexican Navy as a training vessel for its cadets, she was named for the last Aztec emperor who was imprisoned and executed by conquistador Hernán Cortés in 1525.”

The ship apparently travels all over the world as a sort of good will ambassador and permits tours once in dock.

Emperor Cuauhtemoc’s name meant, “descending eagle,” which is perhaps fitting, as he was the last legitimate ruler of Tenochtitlan. The painting below depicts Cortez torturing him. Cortez wanted to know where the last of the Tenochtitlan’s gold had been hidden. Cuauhtemoc insisted there was nothing left of the national treasury and maintained his royal bearing and dignity through the pain. Eventually in frustration, Cortez had him hanged; however, Cauahtemoc's bravery made him a folk hero and his name lives on.

Legend has it that Cuauhtemoc will return in the era of the Sixth Sun and reseat the Mexica as the rightful rulers of the Cem-Anahuac (or “One World” as the Aztec Empire was known).

“You tell me then that I must perish
like the flowers that I cherish.
Nothing remaining of my name,
Nothing remembered of my fame?
But the gardens I planted still are young-
The songs I sang will be sung!”
- Huexotzin, Prince of Texcoco

The Torture of Cuauhtémoc - A 19th Century painting by Leandro Izaguirre

The Great Gatsby

One of the nice things about summer reading is that in addition to new stuff, you can revisit some old books that you haven’t read in years and see them with a new perspective.

This weekend I started re-reading Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. It’s one of those books you’re forced to read in school, to which your adolescent reaction is invariably a bored “Huh?” But as you get older, you begin to appreciate the nuances.

For a little humor try this passage describing the scene at one of Gatsby’s over the top parties-

“I was immediately struck by the number of young Englishmen dotted about; all well dressed, all looking a little hungry, and all talking in low, earnest voices to solid and prosperous Americans. I was sure that they were selling something: bonds or insurance or automobiles. They were at least agonizingly aware of the easy money in the vicinity and convinced that it was theirs for a few words in the right key.” (Sounds suspiciously like some of the parties I attended during the dot com bubble.)

And finally for those readers who haven’t read the book and just want the nickel-tour-summary so that they can discuss it, here it is-

“They were careless people, Tom and Daisy- the smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made….”

Regurgitate that summary, and you’re sure to get an A.

-John P.

PS- For the record, and at the risk of getting beat up via email, I do think The Great Gatsby is the only good book Fitzgerald ever wrote.

The Hamilton Jazz Master, men's stuff part eight

I have a new Hamilton Jazz Master Chrono, a gift from my wife. It’s a beautiful watch with a classic masculine appearance, reminiscent of the 1950’s.

The Hamilton Watch Company has an interesting history. It was founded in 1882 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, but its real claim to fame came with World War II. During the war, the company stopped making watches for civilians, and concentrated all of its production towards the war effort. As a result, Hamilton became synonymous with the GI Field Watch. To this day, Hamilton carries a line of field watches and military style watches under its Khaki collection, however it is no longer American owned. In the 1990s Hamilton became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Swatch Group along with Omega.

In the past I had considered getting a Hamilton watch, but I couldn’t really get excited over the idea of field watch. I have owned too many field watches over the years.

Recently however, I noticed a collection of Hamilton watches in the window of a jewelry store and the Jazz Master Chronograph Auto caught my eye, specifically the rose gold case model. I went inside to take a closer look at it and was pleased with what I saw. The only flaw I saw was that the rose gold model came with a brown crocodile strap, and I prefer a black strap with rose gold.

That evening, I mentioned the watch to my wife and promptly forgot about it. She knew that I have been considering a new watch purchase- the IWC Portuguese Chrono, or the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso -but it hasn’t been an immediate pending decision. So imagine my joyful surprise when she gave it to me on the morning of a special event along with my morning coffee. (YES!) My wife even had them switch out the croc wristband from brown to black, so if it was perfect.


I’ve worn it now for about three weeks and have been very pleased with it. It has a solid feel to it, like a quality watch should. The chronograph (stopwatch) goes up to 12 hours, which is ample time for measuring flights and daily tasks. It has a dressier appearance than my Rolex Submariner and once I adjusted and stretched out the croc leather band, the Jazz Master was a comfortable fit despite its large size. (In its thickness, it reminds me of a Panerai watch.)

On the back, it has a sapphire crystal display so that you can see the inner workings, and “Hamilton “ is etched on the rotar. The automatic wind up feature (by motion) works fairly well. I’ve only had to manually wind it a little between wears.

The crocodile leather strap is adjusted and secured via a double butterfly clasp, and an “H” is etched on the outside of the clasp.


The chronograph controls and readouts are pretty standard. The outer-upper-right button (above the crown) starts and stops the stopwatch, and the outer-lower-right button clears the time. What is normally the sweep second hand on the face, is in fact the seconds-hand for the chronograph. The normal time sweep second hand is in one of the small inner dials. The other two inner dials keep track of elapsed minutes and hours.

In the close up photo, notice that the chronograph buttons are curved and serve as "de facto" crown guards.

Because of the three inner dials, the date function is moved to just below the 4 on the face, and yet the watch face remains classically balanced in appearance. The date can be set by either moving the hours forward with the crown, or faster by pushing an indented button (called a pusher) on the inner side of the case by the 10 on the face.


My one caveat is that Hamilton claims the watch is water resistant to 100 meters, but I wouldn’t put it to the test. It’s definitely a dress watch. I have a hard time picturing somebody actually diving into the ocean or pool with it (especially if left on the croc wristband). I wouldn’t trust the seals on the chronograph buttons, and saltwater could easily harm the finish.

Overall, the watch is classical in design, masculine, understated, and comfortable despite its large size. It was a great gift and I’m very pleased with it. Thanks hon!

JP

“Some people think luxury is the opposite of poverty. It is not. It is the opposite of vulgarity.” Coco Chanel

SPECS-
REFERENCE: H326460
NAME: JAZZMASTER CHRONO AUTO
MOVEMENT: Swiss Automatic Mechanical ETA 7753
POWER RESERVE: 42 Hours
WATER RESISTANCE: 10 ATM or 100 Meters (But I wouldn't put it to the test.)
REF STRAP: brown croc leather # H600.326.105 (NOTE- I changed mine out for Black)

Goodbye Columbus, Philip Roth

I found this old book I hadn’t picked up in years, and got reacquainted with it this weekend. This collection of stories was Philip Roth's first book, and was published in 1959.

Jewish assimilation into American society is the common theme through all the stories.

“Dress British, Think Yiddish,” is always great advice; and summer reading is always best with large quantities of ice tea.

Barbour in Facebook

You can now comment on Barbour in Facebook.

For info on how to wax a Barbour Jacket, click here; for a review by me on the Barbour Beaufort Jacket, click here.

JP

PS- "How To Wax A Barbour" is the most often visited page on my blog.

South Beach Diet

My wife and I started on the South Beach Diet this week. (I’m trying to bring down my cholesterol.) We’re in Phase One, which means I can’t have sugar or carbs or alcohol.

I find I have a strange longing for gummi bears.

JP

(painting- 1922, Women Running on the Beach, by Pablo Picasso)

Madoff Schadenfreude

The current June issue of Vanity Fair has an interesting article on Bernie Madoff and his 18-billion dollar Ponzi scheme.

In the article Madoff’s former personal secretary, Eleanor Squillari, provides a glimpse of the personal dynamics of Bernie Madoff, his immediate family, and the commotion that transpired upon his arrest. The Madoff news story has a little bit of everything- an engaging mountebank, the surprising banality of evil, avarice, Manhattan gossip, and an uber-large dose of schadenfreude.

The Vanity Fair website also has related articles, describing how Madoff used the “con of exclusivity,” to take peoples’ money into his fraudulent swindle. In a January web article, writer Marie Brenner describes-

"Madoff masked the predator in the cloak of the familiar. His clothes said London—Barbour jackets, cashmere sweaters...

Madoff had used the Studio 54 approach, the con of exclusivity. He understood the swamp of insecurities that lay underneath many of his clients’ designer clothes, their face-lifts, their need to be part of an insiders’ club. A former governor of the New York Stock Exchange had once gone to see Madoff on behalf of a client who wanted to invest. “I don’t need your money,” Madoff told him, “and I don’t discuss my investments.” Then he ushered him out the door...

We rode a decade in which people conferred special status on those who lived in $30 million apartments, leased NetJets, and filled their closets with $5,000 purses. Did Bernard Madoff see his opportunities and seize them, or did the casino atmosphere in New York spawn the ordinary man in the Barbour coat who would become the greatest con artist of all time? Madoff provided his victims with a mirage of an impossible dream house—with investments that paid 12 percent in good times and bad—and their tragedy and ours was that they believed him..."
And while restitution for the Ponzi scheme victims seems unlikely, federal law enforcement has begun the seizure of Madoff "personal" assets as well. (I'm assuming they have already seized all assets within the Madoff financial firm.)

As of this writing, I have not read of any charges being brought against his wife, Ruth Madoff, but some reports exist that she made significant cash withdrawals just prior to her husband's arrest. The New York Post reported that Ruth Madoff was “fighting to hold on to her $7 million Manhattan apartment, $45 million in cash and $17 million in bonds…
(meanwhile) U.S. Marshals have seized Bernie's $1.5 million, 55-foot yacht, ‘Bull’ from its slip in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
They also seized a 24-foot-long boat named "Little Bull," that was also moored in Fort Lauderdale.
They've also seized a 55-foot, $7 million yacht in the South of France.”

A little more schadenfreude, anyone?



Read
Madoff Schadenfreude Part 2

Post Entry- For a list of wristwatches seized and auctioned from Madoff read Interwatches Blog.

A Minimalist Approach, men's stuff part seven

Some blogs I follow have started a commentary on what a man should carry on his everyday person. Some men insist on being loaded for bear, others prefer a minimalist approach.

I fall more under the minimalist category, or as my wife commented, "A functional minimalist." Here are my choices and their reasons-

1. A pen, a black Mont Blanc my wife gave me for my birthday. So that I don’t have to touch the germy pens offered at restaurants or stores.
2. Business Cards & Personal Cards in a thin leather card case; because you never know who you may run into, plus they’re useful for jotting down notes.
3. Reading glasses, an unfortunate “must” since I turned forty.
4. My mobile phone, a small Blackberry Pearl, carried in my sport jacket- or left in my car, briefcase, or desk if I’m not wearing a jacket. (I dislike carrying it in my pant pockets.) The Blackberry has my complete schedule, tasks list and rolodex on it and has become a valuable tool.
5. Wallet, a thin leather money clip, containing two credit cards, drivers license, health insurance card (for the wallet autopsy by EMS) plus ones and Fives for tipping. Again, the objective is no bulk, and carried in my right-front pant pocket.
6. At least one dog biscuit. They say money can't buy you love, but a dog biscuit can.

My main predicament is always what to do with car keys. To that end I like to wear a sport coat because it makes it easier to spread the personal items around thereby avoiding bulk in any one pocket. Of course a better solution would be to have a car and driver and never touch a steering wheel again, but that’s an entirely different conversation.

(Above, G approves of my "functional" minimalist approach- so long as I keep scratching his chin. Below, my everyday gear minus the dog biscuit- which G ate just before the snap was taken.)

The Audacity of Hope on April 1st

Like the Apostle Paul on the road to Damascus, the scales have fallen off my eyes and I now see that my many years of conservative values and principals have been errant. Not unlike the epiphany of seeing a long lost crush at a high school reunion, my singular-horrified-musing was “What was I thinking?” As a result I am proud to announce that I am joining the Democratic Party, and getting on board with our fledgling President and his agenda.

Like the Apostles, this conversion has not been without personal cost. Already I find myself being overtly ostracized by the people closest to me.

For example, while walking the dogs this morning, I ran into my neighbors who remarked, “Morning neighbor, It’s a cool morning isn’t it?”
To which I replied, “Yeah! Just like Obama is a stone COOL groove dude MAN!”

Or when my wife asks, “Did you catch the Lost episode last week while traveling?”
And I reply, “NO MAN! But I got LOST in Obama’s soulful eyes!”

In both cases the conversation turns oddly silent; I find that nobody wants to talk to me, and I’m forced to go on Facebook.

JP

Up the Franklin Mountains

During my recent stay in El Paso, I hiked up the Franklin Mountains for exercise.

I used to run up the mountain on a fairly regular basis while attending UTEP as part of ROTC training, usually at 6am. This time, being an old man, I walked.




On the left is the view as I ascended via Baltimore and Robinson Streets.

Below is a picture of downtown El Paso as I descended on Rim Road.

Golf Etiquette, men's stuff part six

(Photo Left- For Christmas my wife gave me a travel bag for my golf clubs, which I’m getting some use of. I’m happy to report that so far the airlines haven’t been able to break the tube case and damage my clubs.)

On a recent stay at my parents’ house, I found an old Golf Magazine from January 2005. One article in particular stuck with me, “How to be the most popular guy in your group,” by Michael Corcoran. And while it had many good points on golf etiquette, here is a short list of seven which every man should consider:

1. On monetary bets- Be considerate, especially if someone is out of their league (and do it without naming names). Limit the maximum loss to $50 bucks or so. Politely put a muzzle on anyone getting obnoxious with large stakes.

2. Pick up the ball- If you’re hitting eight on the hole, pick up your ball. Take a snowman on your card, and be considerate. Don’t slow down the play for your group or the group behind you while you “quintuple-bogey putt.”

3. Buy the first round from the refreshment cart- This is a nice gesture which the other members in your group will appreciate. Don’t just ask if they want anything, but rather make the offer specific- “I’m buying. What do you guys want, beer, soda, candy bar?” And tip the cart girl appropriately so that you’ll see her again.

4. Be humble. Don’t offer swing tips- If someone is having an off day and does plead for help, defuse his frustration with humor. Corcoran suggests using the old Sam Snead line, “You’ve got just one problem- you stand too close to the ball after you’ve hit it.” He also suggests you “remind him that no matter how badly he feels, Greg Norman felt worse.”
Which leads to-

5. Keep a sense of humor- If you’re the one having an off day, don’t be afraid to laugh at yourself. Use humor to keep yourself loose and not ruin the day for everyone else. Corcoran gave some great quips:
-When you leave a putt 10 feet short- “How’d that stay out?”
-When you airmail the green by 50 yards- “Bite! Bite!”
I’m sure you can think of your own favorite quips as well.

6. Give a hand- After the final putt on the 18th, give everyone a smile and a firm handshake; look them in the eye and tell them how much you enjoyed the round. If you’re a traditionalist and wearing a cap, doff it.

7. Pay up- If you lost, pony up your money promptly. If you won, win with grace and offer to use the winnings to cover a round of drinks or lunch.


Conversely, Corcoran made a list of Don’ts. Here are the top five I selected:

1. Don’t call a rules violation when you’re not playing in a tournament. Trust me, it won't impress, it will annoy.

2. Don’t take a second practice swing, and a third, with a divot.

3. Don’t hit on the cart girl. It doesn’t make you look cool, just creepy; and will only serve to keep her away from your group when you need more beer.

4. Don’t linger on a green practicing a putt you missed when the group has moved on to the next tee.

5. Don’t impress your group by making your mobile phone (tackily clipped to your belt) play “I’m Allright” from Caddyshack. This action alone will ensure your status as a single for life.

JP

A Time of Soldiers

“He consumed works of art the way other people consumed beer and meat and potatoes. They fed his ego with proofs of his own imagination and sensitivity. He was constantly finding his own idealized self and nothing else in the works that he admired...Love of her was love of his own imagined self, and surely that was madness.”
From the novel A Time of Soldiers, by Andrew Jolly

A Time of Soldiers has been one of my favorite books since I first read it in 1985. It’s an obscure novel that few people have read, and Stephen King & Saul Bellow have nothing to fear from it. But nonetheless its one of the books I turn to when I feel introspective. The book argues that we become what we do, that what we become must serve a greater purpose than ourselves, and that men who fail in that, face moral desolation.

While assigned to the Korean DMZ, an officer I held in deep respect suggested I read it. To my surprise the book was based in West Texas, New Mexico, and central Texas; basically my home, so I was intimately familiar with most to the places described in the novel.

After I read it, I told him I enjoyed it, and asked him why he had suggested that I read it. He smiled and replied, “Pacheco, if you go through life seeing everything only in terms of black and white, you’re going to have a hard time of it in this world.” To this day I don’t know whether it was a warning or a complement.

I still see the world in terms of black and white,”but I am no longer content say ‘God is thus. Man is thus,’ and then make an end of it.”*

JP

*From the novel The Shoes of the Fisherman by Morris West (1963), which I am currently rereading.

(Painting- Lady Agnew by John Sargent)

John’s Excellent Horse Adventure on Christmas Day

Late Christmas morning, while jogging in our neighborhood, my wife came across a horse which had somehow gotten loose. A neighbor told my wife that she had been unsuccessful in attempting to guide the horse back into his stall and that the horse’s owners were away.

So my wife calls me from her mobile, and I got the honor of guiding the horse back into his stall by craftily using one of my dog's slip collars and some apples as the lure.

These are photos taken by my wife with her camera phone after I had returned the horse to his corral.

Below, the horse had just kissed me.


This guy wanted some attention too.


So I gave him some.


Here I am feeding them the last of their Christmas apples.


The End
JP

New Years 2009: Confessions of an Analog Man

OK, I have a confession to make. Despite my daily use of a digital ThinkPad and Blackberry Pearl, I still cling to my Franklin Day Planner.

I have it on my desk, and I carry it with me in the car. I draw great satisfaction from checking off items on my daily to-do-list, and I use it as a written record of daily events. My wife who has gone completely digital for many years teases me about this evolutionary throw-back behavior, but I persist.

I first started using the Franklin Day Planner system as a new stockbroker with Merrill Lynch in the early 1990s. Merrill used to issue a basic planner to new brokers. After I had a particular good production month, the branch manager gave me a leather ringed binder which is what I’ve used since that day. It’s old and battered now, but I refuse to part with it.

The one concession I have made to the twenty-first century is that I don’t carry my planner with me on business trips anymore because of the bulk. On those occasions I go completely digital; but on my return, I dutifully (and lovingly) write long hand into my day planner what transpired.

I keep the past three years in ringed storage cases, and then destroy them along with other paper documents which have exceeded their 36 month keep.

Like the 1975 Paul Simon lyrics, “I seem to lean on old familiar ways.”

May your 2009 be happy and prosperous.

JP