I haven't had a good rant in a while...

But let's get one rolling...can we talk about the weakness that the music industry has been throwing at us this year? Seriously, most of the stuff that we've been listening to for the past few months is on albums from 2008. BEP came out with an album that I personally liked, but is really too polarizing to call great or epic, and certainly was not on the level of 808's. Other than that, you've got an Eminem album falling short of expectation, a sophomore album which is a great adjective for Flo Rida's R.O.O.T.S. album. Don't get me wrong, it was good, but didn't really mature from the first album. Don't worry man, Kanye had the same issue.

But other than that, where has a solid album from anybody been in 2009? I'm waiting for a nobody to show or Weezy to pull out back-to-back amazing albums, or perhaps we can hope for Relapse 2 to be everything Em was holding back from us in the first album. Green Day pretty much phoned in their album, The Fray was average, and Blackout! 2 was a letdown, not to say there wasn't a solid track or two. And let's face it, Sean Paul is not going to wow us in August. Hey maybe, just maybe, Witney Houston will have a better rebirth than even Mimi. And maybe, stick with me here, maybe Mariah's album will be good, too. They both come out in September.

Maybe Pearl Jam will be great, perhaps Skynyrd will rock again. Both have albums coming out this year. But something tells me that we may not be in for much. I'm really looking forward to these albums coming out and I would love to be impressed by them, but we've already been let down by a few bands and artists this year. Seems like the recession's got them in a funk, too.

Bally's Makes Me Nervous....

Now, I'll be the first to exhonorate the fitness club chain if everything closes without a hitch, but let's just say that I have my doubts.  Currently, I have a membership at Bally's that is paid through 7/3/2009.  I signed up shortly after moving to the neighborhood, knowing that I needed a gym, and that with my recovering shoulder I didn't care if there was a basketball court.  Well, now that my shoulder is better and there are no Bally's locations with a court that are within a reasonable distance, I've decided to terminate my Bally's membership and switch to 24 Hour Fitness, since their 2 closeset locations to me have courts for me.  Makes sense, right?

So, in cancelling my Bally's membership, the nice lady on the phone (not her fault it took 20 minutes to get in touch with her) explained that I was paid through July 3rd and would no longer be charged for monthly services.  However, on Monday, I received a letter in the mail from Bally's that was a bill for next months payment!  I'm hoping that 's just them implicitly begging me to reinstate my membership, but I've got this nagging feeling that they'll just accrue a balance as a "late payment" if I don't do anything.  However, in looking online, I did notice that it said my membership expires 7/3/2009.  So, I'm hoping everything goes smooth with this transition, but I wanted to post my concern so that if the worst happens, I at least get to say that I called it.  I mean, I've heard stories, so I don't think I'm reaching to far with my concern, here. Tell me I'm not crazy! ;-)

KGB: Great Idea, Non-viable Business

I can see it now...A group of friends are swaying as they walk down the block trying to hail a cab. As numerous taxis whizzed by, the group begins to wonder what the average wait time is to hail a cab in their city. They begin a heated debate and wished they could resolve the issue with objective information. One member suggests it would be great if they could just text somebody to look up the answer for them to solve the disagreement. Boom! The idea of KGB is born.

But the problem with this idea is that it doesn't translate well in practice. Maybe it would have worked perfectly 5 years ago, but the technology today doesn't warrant paying $.99 for these answers. Smart phones can readily produce the answers to these questions with internet access that users already pay for at their disposal. Wikipedia, Google, Bing, Ask.com, and others can all provide these same answers at no additional cost to the user.

I thought I would give KGB a try last weekend after hiking Runyan Canyon, in order to find a Habit Burger near Studio City. Not only did the process with KGB take 7 minutes (could've found that info myself in under 7 minutes), but KGB came back with BAD INFORMATION! I was told the nearest Habit Burger to Studio City was at 12659 Moorpark St. in Studio City (there is no Habit in Studio City, trust me). A Google search of "habit burger studio city" returns a top result which indicates that the nearest Habit Burger is in Sherman Oaks and directs you to the main Habit website. Below that is a "Best of the Web, Local" entry which notes a Habit Burger Grill at the address they gave me, granted, but if you look at the site yourself HERE, you can understand that even a moderately internet savvy individual would not have considered this information viable and gone to the Habit's main site and location locator. If I'm going to pay 99 cents for a convenience, let's make sure we get it right and that it's convenient, yes?

My advice: If you know that you have a specific question that you want the correct answer to, just look it up on your phone's internet browser or dial 411. If you have Verizon, they'll even text you the phone # and address of what you're looking for, and even send it to the GPS on the phone to guide you there! So tell me again, KGB, what added value does your idea provide? Thought so.

In case you were confused....

That's right! GO LAKERS!!!!

BEP - The E.N.D. is Here!!!

On Tuesday, The new Black Eyed Peas Album, The E.N.D. comes out. Of course, you can get it early right HERE. Believe it or not, it's been 4 whole years since BEP released Monkey Business on May 30, 2005. Both Will I. Am and Fergie had solo albums in the interim that did respectably. And honestly, after both Monkey Business and Elephunk, I wasn't too sure that they would be able to produce an album at that level again.

I'm sure you've all heard "Boom Boom Pow," the debut single off of the album. Like most debut singles, it's catchy and provides hope that the remainder of the album will be play off of the single and it works and they pull it off. I must admit that I was a bit irritated at Will I. Am with the debut single just playing into the current sound and wasn't anything new. If anyone set the standard of wratcheting up the playing field with their last album, it's Kanye. 808's was just so different that it could not be ignored by the rest of the industry, and somebody had to bring an answer to that album.

Ladies and Gentlemen, pardon my French, but fuck Alan Iverson, THIS album is The Answer. Let BEP take you back to the 80's with The E.N.D.'s electronic sounds and samples. You'll welcome the deviation to the standard song structures you hear every day on the radio. Looking to hear something different? Pop on "Alive," and you'll understand what I'm talking about.

Long story short, the Black Eyed Peas have set the standard for album of the year in 2009, and have shown their ability to keep their edge with The E.N.D.

We're Back in the Finals!!!

Yessir!!! The Los Angeles Lakers are back to back Western Conference Champions!!! After dispatching the Nuggets (which, holy crap, who was the favorite in that series, even to the media, when it was clear who the better team was....when they woke up), the Lake Show will take on Orlando in the NBA Finals, starting with Game 1 at Staples Center on Thursday (still holding out hope that I might have a ticket). This could be a very exciting series, considering Orlando took both games from us during the regular season. Granted, they won both games by a total of 9 points, but they're still dangerous and can bomb 3's like no other. Nonetheless, I'm going with our Commander in Chief on this one and say Lakers in 6.

Navigating LA City Streets

So I'm walking home from the gym on Wednesday (yeah, I've been getting there 3x a week for the past few weeks, being good), and I look up at the Venice street sign as I cross and note that I'm on the 10500 block. Now, because I'm a complete dork, I know what that means, but I'm not sure that most folks do. And it's helpful when navigating a grid-based city like LA, because while the grid is never perfectly shaped, the basic principals apply throughout the city.

So, as I crossed Venice at Mentone, I'm at the 3800 block South and the 10500 block West. This means that I'm approximately located 3.8 miles south and 10.5 miles west of the center of the Los Angeles address grid, which is centered at 1st and Main St. Don't believe me? Go check, take a walk one block north, west, east, and south, and you'll be on the 100 block in each case.

One of the most prominent corridors that demonstrates the expansive address layout is Ventura Blvd. which begins as it intersects with Lankershim Blvd. and begins at 10600. This indicates that the intersection is 10.6 miles West of the City Center, and judging by the adjacent Lankershim addresses, is 3.8 miles North of City Center, almost the same approximation from City Center as I was at Venice and Mentone.

Now an example in practice: My office address is 23945, and while it is not exactly on Ventura Blvd., it is still on an E-W street which carries the same numeric principal on the LA City grid. Therefore, I'm 23.94 miles West of City Center, and since I know that I am 1 block North of former Countrywide Headquarters, street number 4500, my office is approximately 4.6 miles North of LA City Center.

Pretty crazy, right? Hopefully this helps you cruise around the city a little easier. There are a few shifts in the grid that make the distances only an approximation, but it's pretty close. Also, the grids start and stop to shape around the topography, but again, it's a pretty solid general rule. And that will conclude my nerdy rant for this 3-day weekend leading Friday!

A New Perspective of Downtown

View of Downtown from the 53rd floor of the JW Marriott tower @ LA Live

The Next Chapter

Is it that baseball season is here? Or that the NBA is beginning its playoff suaree? Maybe it's that the Primetime TV season is drawing to a close. Or, maybe it's because I'm moving into a new apartment. Anyway, there's more than a few events that have got me reflecting on transitions; what we're all moving on from, and where we hope to go.

Sure, look at any transitionary event on a micro-level and the significance may seem minute....there's still 145 games left in the baseball season, just enjoy the process....sure the playoffs started, but the Lakers aren't in the finals yet....and yes, the TV season is almost over, but now the summer is coming and you can catch up on the shows you didn't get to watch. So, what makes these transitionary times seem like so much more?

Our imaginations, though we thought we lost them with our childhood innocence, always seem to get the best of us. The eternal optimist that is the human instinct constantly reminds us of the prospect that perhaps the next season of Chuck or Heroes will be even better than this last one, perhaps this year the Playoffs will truly be something amazing, or now that Manny's back, Dodgertown is going to have a buzz unknown since the late 70's.

Of course, I personally see my move to a new residence as an opportunity for growth and re-focusing on the things that I think are important, like getting my ass to the gym, hunkering down and studying for that GMAT, and finally completing that business plan that will help me start my own company and do what I've always wanted to do...coach, teach, and mentor. Am I really more likely to achieve my goals living in a new place? Not really, but the continuing to remind myself that I'm now better prepared, suited, or otherwise inclined to follow through with my goals can have a great, positive effect on achieving my goals.

A bit of rambling, I know, but I guess the moral here is to try to keep a positive and opportunistic outlook on things. Yes, it's human nature to think that the next step will provide something positive for us, but the challenge is in identifying those positive opportunities, and to then channel our optimism into making those things happen. I'll even hold myself accountable here on this blog. Yes, that's it! If I can do it, others can too. So check back, and I'll keep y'all posted on how the gym thing, the GMAT thing, and the business plan thing are panning out. But that will have to wait a post or two, because I'm not a fan of boring my fan base of one with stories revolving around me....I prefer my observations of the things that happen around all of us. That way we can get a dialogue going, and that's just more fun for every-one of the fans of the site.

Until then......Viva los Leikers!!!

Will All be fine in Oh-Nine?

...or will we just be coming out of '09 with a light at the end of the tunnel? That's the big debate among the financial world, political world, and beyond. Now, I don't claim to know the answers to these questions, else I would be a millionaire living in Aussie-land or someplace, "Right near da beach, boy-yee!" Nevertheless, here's how I see a few things playing out in 2009.



The Real Estate Market - Bad news, folks. While the real estate market will no doubt have taken its biggest dive during this cycle in 2008, '09 is not going to be an impressive turnaround year. No, in fact, we haven't hit bottom yet. If you bought in the last 5 years, I hope you weren't expecting your home to appreciate in value...at all. I'm thinking that until housing prices reach the levels of 2003-2004, there won't be any serious stabalization in the market. And it can be deduced that new construction and homebuilding won't see any sort of rebound until that bottom happens, either. FYI: According to Zillow, the top of the market for LA was ~$600K from 2006 to January 2008. Assuming that we need to fall 50% from top to bottom and Zillow says the current LA median is $461K, looks like we've only hit the halfway mark.



One of the biggest reasons that I believe this phenomenon will present itself is the fact that the mortgage boom did not end until 2006, with plenty of 3 and 5 year resets on loans coming due in the next 18 months. Not until those shake out will prices be able to stabalize and foreclosures pare back. So no, the real estate market will not be fine in '09. However, anyone in a position to buy 9-18 months from now would be making a solid investment in their home....for the first time this decade.



Stock Market - So this was the second thing to fall apart in our economy. Will the market bounce back in '09? Parts of it, yes. And if they reset the Dow and S&P components, then there's an even better chance to see a broad index recovery forming by the close of 2009. However, financial stocks will most likely remain battered, due to the fact that consumers aren't spending any more. Consumer credit will not grow in '09, in fact, it may shrink as much as 20% by year's end. Partially due to credit limit adjustments by institutions to shore up their balance sheets and reduce their exposure, and also because habits will be formed in 2009 which will begin to create a more debt averse society. How do your grandparents and great-grandparents who went through the Great Depression treat debt? Don't have the money, then you don't need it, right? My feeling is that sentiment will make a come-back in American society- at least to some extent.



So with people borrowing less and unemployment rising, meaning less people can pay back what they borrow, more write-offs are coming for banks. This time, however, it won't be real estate based, it's going to be unsecured consumer lending that goes sour. Word of advice- get rid of the unsecured debt, stat, because the rates on those instruments are almost certainly going to go up in order to for the issuing banks to attempt to recoup losses.



Bright points in the market this year are going to be discount retailers (think Ross, etc.), web-based media content (Netflix, etc.), green technology (thank you, Mr. President), and food companies. Not restarauts, but food companies like Kraft and the like.



Politics - 2009 is poised to be a year of redemption for the U.S. in the eyes of the world. Time to become the nice guys again and repair our tarnished image. I see some significant progress being made in the Israel-Palestine issue in 2009; there is just too much of a global focus at the moment for progress not to be made this year. Also, I see the U.S. entering into nearly if not full diplomatic relations with Iran. Given the influence that Russia seems to have with them, it seems as though the only logical strategic manuever that we can make in order to ensure national security. Yes, that means taking down the 'Axis of Evil' poster in the Oval Office.



Will we get Osama in '09? I highly doubt it, but by the end of the year, we might forget that troops are still in Iraq (with much fewer numbers) and have our attention staunchly on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border where the hunt will be in full effect.

Gitmo? Gone already. The new, New Deal? On its way, and will probably the single biggest thing the government does for the economy.

Now, the California budget issue? Not going to change at all. Angelinos, and all Californians for that matter, need to begin to hold their State Assembly members and State Senate members accountable for this. Sure, there's ideological differences between Republicans and Democrats. But surely we all can agree that this is a problem in which the only solution lies in compromise. We as Californians must hold our delegates accountable to reaching that compromise, and if that can't happen, it's time to surgically recall each and every member who is putting up roadblocks for passage of a budget doused in compromise. No, I don't want my taxes to go any higher, but if it keeps teachers in the classroom and law enforcement keeping the streets safe, then it's a sacrifice worth making. California is the absolute greatest place in the world to live, and therefore it's going to be more costly to live there...simple supply and demand that we need to accept. Additionally, though, we need better oversight on the spending of our tax dollars. Education money needs to go directly to the bottom line, the classrooms, not the administration office. Law enforcement funding needs to go directly to protecting the people, not padding salaries for the brass.

This is the year that the government can look to Corporate America as a role model for fiscal responsibility (I know this sounds counterintuitive, but hear me out). Starbucks' CEO is not taking a raise or a bonus this year. Auto execs are taking $1 salaries. Take note and learn, Sacramento!

And for everybody out there on welfare, I would like to take an excerpt from the first official speach made by our new President...."Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age."

This means that we need to not exploit the welfare and the unemployment benefits available to those who need them. This means, get off your lazy ass and find a job! Sometimes you don't get the job you want, but work is out there! McDeez is hiring like crazy.

I'm by no means an innocent bystander to that comment, either. I, like many Americans, don't quite live paycheck to paycheck, but don't have any significant savings (they say you should have 6 months of takehome income stored up just in case), and I live to the edge of my means. And we need to change that. If there is any major theme that will help us all be fine by the time we're done with '09, it's to take President Obama's quote to heart, take responsibility, and each take ownership in making our State and our Country a better place, starting with ourselves.

Happy New Year, people, and may you all be FINE IN '09!!!