First thoughts on SF

I stepped out of SFO airport into a crisp evening and thought "THIS is why I came out here." A 15-minute Super Shuttle ride, and I was at my home for the next 3 months. I'll be living with a guy who works from home - nice guy from the Bay Area. I walked in and the place smelled like a taqueria. I thought, "this can't be happening - it even smells like Mexico/my favorite food." Turns out it was just the microwavable burrito that Mark had for dinner.

I'm living in a neighborhood called The Mission, and it's obvious to me that this is where I belong. The Mission (or from what I can tell after walking a few blocks tonight) is kind of like Adams Morgan in that it has a cool cultural vibe - within a couple blocks of me are indie bookstores, bike shops, taquerias, dive bars, foodie bars... you get the idea. Then there's the Mexico part. I thought that walking down Columbia in Adams Morgan was like stepping into El Salvador (and it kind of is), but walking down the street in the Mission is even more like a foreign country (Mexico, to be exact).

I haven't been as excited about a neighborhood in a long time - everything about this place fits with me. Here's what I had for dinner tonight. Many more tacos to come.

A piece of advice for all: if you're in an overbooked flight and they
offer vouchers to get bumped, RUN to the ticket counter. Any
indecision will cost you possibly 400 dollars, as it just cost me.
Lesson learned, but it stings like hell to miss out on that voucher.

I'm in the las Vegas airport en route to San Francisco, where I'll
spend the next three months. We flew over the grand canyon coming in,
and I'll be eating some tacos autenticos tonight in the Mission
District. Tomorrow I'm sitting in in the year end SFUSD (San fran
unified school district) principals meeting. I just read the SFUSD
strategic plan and am curious to see how all their goals play out in
practice. My goal or this summer is to see how the sausage is made in
public schools - a goal that I'll certainly accomplish.

Off to San fran.

Ultimate Frisbee for Execs

The more I study the topic of leadership, the more I am convinced that many of the problems we face today can be resolved by strong, ethical leadership. I disagree with Milton Friedman's assertion that the only responsibility of public companies is to maximize profits within the bounds of the law. While the market is ultimately the cleanest, best way to allocate resources, it must be tempered by ethical considerations.

One way to encourage ethical leadership - make them all play frisbee! Here's an article from the Christian Science Monitor that proposes just that. Highlights:

BP's ruptured oil well. Goldman Sachs's financial risk-taking. Massey's mine explosion. With each new corporate calamity, we call for stronger government intervention.

But that's like seeing a basketball player throw a punch and demanding more vigilant referees. We shouldn't absolve athletes of responsibility, encouraging them to push the boundaries of acceptable conduct until they get caught.

Likewise, we shouldn't depend on government to make business act in the best interests of society. We need to cultivate in corporate executives respect for not just the letter but the spirit of the law.

The harm those companies caused is anything but a game. But let's inject a bit of levity into an otherwise dire set of circumstances and look to one game for guidance: ultimate frisbee. The fast-growing sport (with some 700 college teams in the US alone) is like soccer with aerial passing but without referees. Players are expected to call their own fouls – and do. Even at collegiate and world championships, players hand the Frisbee to the other team if they've had unnecessary contact with an opposing player or held the disc for longer than the allowed 10 seconds – whether or not someone else calls them on it.

This ethos is known as the "spirit of the game." I've played ultimate throughout the US, Europe, and Asia, and can confirm that the spirit of the game reigns everywhere. Business would do well to learn from it....

Here's a simple way to align business and societal interests: Require that bankers and other titans of industry join a weekend ultimate frisbee game in their local park. They'll spend a few hours in a world where there are no designated enforcers but everyone follows the rules – not just in letter, but in spirit. That would benefit us all.

Alabama Governor's Race

On the eve of the Alabama primaries, the political TV ads and auto-dial voicemails from candidates are in full swing. Luckily for me, I'm in Alabama and get a front-row seat to witness all of the idiocy and hilarity. There is way too much stuff to laugh and cringe at, but here's a few gems:

Young Boozer, Republican for state Treasurer. Yes, that's his real name. He's endorsed by the Birmingham News and has a solid rep, though.

Tim James, Republican for Governor. This ad has gotten a lot of national press, and of course it doesn't reflect well on Alabama. Just watch this appalling ad with the knowledge that he currently has 20% of the Republican vote. Try not to vomit too much.

Dale Peterson, Republican for Agriculture Commissioner. I love this guy and would vote for him.

... and a hilarious Funny or Die parody

Judge Roy Moore, Republican for Governor. The "Ten Commandments" judge is back. Roy has decided to go with a country music theme for this year's ad campaign:

Gamechangers

Things that have completely changed the way I operate:

- Custom tailored shirts. I bought a bunch of these in Vietnam for $25 each. I always thought custom shirts were frivolous purchases, but now I see the light. There is no going back.

- Men's Health Workouts iPhone application. Almost as good as a personal trainer... keeps you honest by telling you exactly what to do. Very easy to track your progress.

- GPS navigation. Again, something I always thought I could do without. Not anymore.

First half impressions: US - Czech

If I'm Wayne Rooney and Peter Crouch, I can't wait to line up against
Gooch. Gooch played some good balls out of the back, but that's not
why he's in the field. His core competency is winning balls in the air
and being physical - two things he failed at in the first half. Based
on what I saw this half, gooch isn't ready to start in the world cup.
Three weeks to go.

Eddie Johnson - once a bum, always a bum. He complains. Looks like a
pansy when he gets outmuscled. He doesn't hustle. I will lose all
faith in Bob Bradley if Johnson makes the team. I'm looking forward to
seeing Gomez in the second half.

Obvious observations: beasley and torres acquitted themselves well.

Sent from my iPhone

World Cup Cominacha

The excitement is down here and it needs to be up here. Come on people, the US has a legitimate chance to make it out of the group stage, training camp has started (with some key position battles turning out to be very interesting), and a healthy US squad that should be in good form for the England game on June 12.

I will offer more thoughts in the coming weeks, but mark my words right now - Herculez Gomez will contribute to this squad. I'm not saying he'll displace Jozy from the starting lineup, but he'll come close. Gomez is a gamer and his knack for finding the net is back. Bob Bradley needs to recognize this and get Gomez into the starting lineup for the Czech Republic game. Same goes for Edson Buddle. These guys are on a tear and Bradley may have lucked out and found himself a threatening striker not named Charlie Davies. HUGE.

Another wild card: Beas. Great quote from Donovan about Beas' attitude:

"In Holland in March [for the U.S. friendly], we saw the DaMarcus that we know. Something has clicked in his head and he is figuring out now what it takes to be an elite player. Now we see that again. It's nice because, when he is playing well, he is a really good player that can be a very big part of this team. All of us that know Beas well are really pulling and hoping he makes it. ... We all figure things out at certain points, and it just seems like something has switched on and he realizes what this means. It's good to see him passionate and really wanting this."

Finally, start reading these blogs for soccer news:

Soccer Insider (Steve Goff from the Washington Post). Some national team news, some DC united news.

Soccerbyives (Ives Garcelep writes for FoxSoccer). I question whether or not this guy actually knows his soccer, but he gets pretty interesting stories.

duNord. This guy took a mental health year in 2009, but is back. Great aggregator of US Soccer news. Kind of a homer, but what do you expect from an overweight guy in Minnesota?

What else you got?

More stache

History of my stache

Over the past three weeks. From the Steve Dalton, to the Wolverine/Chester A Arthur, to the Will Forte sportscaster dude, to the Hitler. This is the story of my moustache.

But before you peruse, see this on the Trustworthiness of Beards.

WINNER

I am the official winner of the Fuqua Stache Bash "Most Impressive Growth" award. Thank you thank you all my adoring fans. Unfortunately I could not be present at the awards ceremony due to a My Morning Jacket concert, which sucked anyways.

Here is the winning face