Monday, August 25, 2014

Monday Mumblings- Observations about Life


 


1.)    First Financial Bank, the bank that I’ve been using since 2005, when I started college, always charges a $55 annual charge around this time every year, hoping to sneak it by me or disguise it under a pretense of “updating information about credit card users. Baloney. I bet they make thousands of dollars every year from customers who forget about this egregious little “annual charge” and forget to call in to cancel it, or are too lazy too, or something. It’s a statistics thing; most people will call in, but you make the money off people who don’t. The beauty of big business: the numbers are on your side.

2.)    I can’t think of a season where I’ve been less motivated by fantasy football. Sure I’m going to participate and I’ll be in numerous leagues and participate heavily in the smack talk and competitive banter, but I’m just not excited about the game itself anymore. A big part of that is due to its more addicting stepsister (the hard-core drug) fantasy baseball and the most important part of the year coming up, but I like to think it’s because I’m growing up……I’m leaving some of the toys back in the closet, I’m not as dedicated to something that won’t be part of my career/family in the future. Sacrifices must be made.  However, what little I know, I like Rashard Jennings as a sleeper for the Giants, I like Tony Romo/ Matt Ryan, and I think there’s too much negative hype about The Muscle Hamster Doug Martin. But what do I know.

 

3.)     Friday after work, I ran from my workplace in downtown Los Angeles to Dodger Stadium, and then back. It was an exhilarating experience. Dodger Stadium, unlike most ballparks in America, is set in a public park, so there’s plenty of trees, hills, and vegetation around, so the 2-mile trek wasn’t bad at all and very scenic. Plus, there’s nothing like passing up the $15 parking fees and traffic jam leading up to the stadium and instead doing something I’d be doing later that day anyway, running. Sitting down and taking in a live ballgame is one of the more refreshing things I’ve done. Great decision, Robert.

 

4.)    Is anyone else terribly excited about the new movie in the Jurassic Park series? Jurassic World? It’s not coming out until June of next year, but it’s already scheduled in my book. And I don’t even really watch movies in the theater anymore. Jurassic Park sequel and Independence Day, you can bank on me going to those.

 

5.)    I can’t statistically prove so, but Mondays have got to the be the worst traffic days of the year. Or at least, I get the most irritated sitting in traffic of all the other days. Not a good way to start off the work week.

 

6.)    The (only) good part about Mondays? My mom makes great food. I just had a Mom-made bento  (弁当) in Japanese because I went home over the weekend and my Mom likes to make me food, and it was MUCH BETTER than the $9 over-priced meals I pay for around the LA downtown area. Stupendous.

 

7.)    It must be difficult to be a parent. Some kids are angels and have no problems at all in their childhood-teenage development process, but hoping for one of those kids is like hoping to win the lottery, I think. Kids are naturally predisposed to become rebellious, think they know everything,  make mistakes in all facets of life (school, relationships, sports, decisions, substances, you name it) and the parent who invests so much time, energy, and money into that kid has to be an adult about the situation, always stay calm, and be a good role model. I haven’t been a parent yet, but I can see how that can be tough, and my sister (who’s 17 now and a senior in high school) represents A LOT of those challenges. I love my sister, but man can she get under my grill a lot. I often ask the question I’m sure most parents ask themselves: WAS I LIKE THAT WHEN I WAS (WHATEVER AGE THE KID IS AT)??????  Good practice for me when I reach parenthood, hopefully.
 
Fantasize on,
 
Robert Yan

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