tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-146061172024-03-07T08:56:40.130-05:00What's Adam doing?Adam Samonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02400106575112883819noreply@blogger.comBlogger276125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14606117.post-13692268551919432142012-11-11T16:32:00.004-05:002012-11-11T16:32:57.326-05:00Stories from the Road: State of ConfusionMy travels have brought me to Texarkana, TX, which happens to be right next to Texarkana, AR. It's a fun and quirky border town, their post office even sits directly on the state line with one half in each state. Plus they've got a mall and Books-A-Million within walking distance to where I'm staying, so I'm pretty happy.<br />
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Last night I happened upon an independent ice cream/shaved ice shop, and as is my custom, stopped in to support local business and my sweet tooth. After striking up a conversation with the woman behind the counter I come to find out she's got an interesting identity crisis. She was born in Texarkana, AR. Went to school in Texarkana, TX. She also lived in a house that was bisected by the state line, just like the post office. She said after all these years she's never really known whether to consider herself a Texan or an Arkansan. I suppose it I didn't want to end the suspense, so I didn't bother to ask about her drivers license.<br />
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She even joked that she could have probably gotten in-state tuition in either Texas or Arkansas. Looking for something of a tie breaker I asked where she did end up choosing. Her answer? Louisiana. So, when posed with the question Texas or Arkansas she chose none of the above.<br />
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Oh, and the ice cream infused shaved ice was great too.Adam Samonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02400106575112883819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14606117.post-90285621813515804622012-11-06T19:12:00.003-05:002012-11-06T19:12:40.477-05:00Why I Couldn’t Vote for Mitt Romney<br />
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I waited to post any conclusive thoughts on this election
until it was over because frankly neither candidate has done enough to inspire
me to do anything that’d be considered an act of campaigning on their part.
Despite the claims from the right that he’s been a complete failure, Obama has
made progress as president. Wall Street is back on track, Osama is dead, he
made headway on healthcare (we’ll see if for the better), though he’s obviously
failed to get the middle class economy and job situation back where it needs to
be. Obama and I will never line up perfectly together ideologically though, so
I couldn’t help but allow myself to give Mitt Romney a chance to convince me he
could make things right. Here’s why he didn’t even come close to winning my
vote. </div>
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-Health Care: Emergency Rooms are a Big Part of His Coverage
Plan</div>
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On the topic of health care he’s mentioned emergency rooms
as his answer for where people without health insurance would receive care. I’m
not a huge fan of Obamacare, but actually putting ERs out there as a viable
source for regular care for the uninsured is completely ludicrous. </div>
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Health care is never as expensive as when it is administered
in the ER, so you are encouraging those with the fewest means to rely on
literally the most expensive form of care out there. Any good business man
shouldn’t construct a system that alots so much health coverage to a ERs that
are the least financially sensible way for people to get treatment. </div>
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Anyone out there who doesn’t want to have to pay for the
care of other people should probably be made aware that they already are doing
just that when the people who rely on the ER for healthcare have to file
bankruptcy because of this health care setup. 50% of all bankruptcies are
related to medical bills, in my opinion America can be better than that, but
Mitt Romney has shown no intention of finding a way to make progress on that
front. </div>
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-Mitt Romney: Create Your Own Candidate</div>
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Mitt Romney has taken both sides of almost every issue.
Seriously. Want to vote pro-life? Romney is your guy. Pro-choice? Romney from a
few years ago has you covered. Government mandated health care? Old Romney all
day long. Private health care? New Romney represents you. This could go on for
hours. Voting Romney based on his
constantly changing positions is like buying the mystery bag at a dollar store.
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-What Tax Loopholes Will He Close? </div>
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He hasn’t offered ANY legitimate specifics on the loopholes
he’d cut in his tax plan. You can’t tell me you’ll be the savior of the deficit
, tell me that you’ll be able to make it all work by cutting loopholes, then
give me nothing worth listening to in regard to what loopholes you’ll be
closing. My faith might impact how I vote, but I don’t want a completely faith
based tax plan. </div>
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Had Romney taken the chance to say under his tax plan he’d
insure that no company like GE would ever again earn so much while paying $0 in
taxes he would have had my vote. Instead
of getting tough where it would matter in regard to taxes and spending he
decided to attack PBS, a mere sliver of the budget. “Conservatives,” let me know
when you’re serious about cutting where it matters, like those tanks nobody
wants, or when you’re ready to close loopholes that would make a difference. </div>
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-“Corporations are people too”</div>
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Even though I know this comment from Mitt wasn’t in relation
to the Citizens United case both that Supreme Court decision and this statement
from Mitt represent a mentality I find abhorrent. Corporations are legal
entities that have a legal duty to do one thing, create as much profit as is legally
possible. Human beings are the height of God’s creation. If you don’t believe
there’s a significant difference in the rights that Adam Samons should have
compared to those $amon$ LLC should have I have no desire for you to run our
country. </div>
Adam Samonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02400106575112883819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14606117.post-33967269903571427402012-10-30T21:47:00.000-04:002012-10-30T21:47:46.903-04:00Finding Long Lost Fast Food FriendsAs I type this I am both satisfied and miserably stuffed, full of fast food Italian the likes of which I though I'd never see again. Yes, I just went to Fazoli's. <div>
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Not a big deal you say? I beg to differ. I thought the chain had gone out of business years ago when all their Florida locations that I am aware of were shuttered. So tonight's dinner felt more like a reunion with an old friend...or perhaps an old acquaintance, I never really frequented Fazoli's when it was in Florida anyway. Ok, yeah, it was a reunion with an old acquaintance, but one that I was always very fond of, I did enjoy the occasional visit after all. Perhaps that fact also lent tonight's meal an aura of exoticness that any fast food place has no business evoking. </div>
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So, chalk this up as another benefit to life on the road. If you can call being so full you can barely move a benefit. </div>
Adam Samonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02400106575112883819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14606117.post-48869153854018803562012-09-25T13:09:00.003-04:002012-09-25T13:24:51.979-04:00Hotels Into Hometels<br />
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I’ve always loved hotel rooms. Swiping the lock and taking
the first steps into an exotic new space has always brought an unreasonable
feeling of giddiness over me. Perhaps it was the excitement of a new, albeit
temporary, homestead. Growing up I had done no shortage of traveling as my
family was fond of roadtrips around the southeast. Though we were very much of
the “drive all day and stay with family ilk, resulting in a stay at the Holiday
Inn feeling like a true luxury. Dad’s absolute refusal to stay in anything
other than the cleanest of rooms no doubt also helped shield me from a lot of
potential negative hotel experience.</div>
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Going on into the middle and high school years hotel rooms took
on the feel of a rented Ford Mustang. A little hopping on the bed, sure, why
not, press that accelerator down just a bit (full disclosure, this still
happens from time to time). Though, much like with rental cars I’ve refrained
from going completely buck wild because of possible ramifications, both moral and financial. Clearly others are more comfortable <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/life/doonan/2012/07/trashed_hotel_rooms_the_appalling_things_people_do_at_the_world_s_finest_resorts_.html">flooring it in theirtemporary playground</a>. </div>
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Now after about three months on the road some of the giddiness
has subsided just a tad. Every new room is greeted with a check of what amenities
it does or doesn’t have, though I’m easy to please. At least give me a treadmill
and a laundry room and I won’t complain. Fortunately I’ve been staying at very
nice hotels, so I still have yet to run into any horror stories. Hotel rooms may
have moved from being an exotic luxury to a commodity to me, but fortunately
they’ve remained a commodity I rather enjoy. Having your own staff of housekeepers
is easy to get used to.</div>
Adam Samonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02400106575112883819noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14606117.post-56994996496026077122012-07-21T17:27:00.004-04:002012-07-21T17:37:31.253-04:00Shipping Out to BostonHaven't mentioned it here yet, but I've got a new job traveling the country as part of a blimp crew. I've been at it for two weeks and I'm loving it. It all started with getting all the equipment needed for a blimp tour organized and driven from Orlando, to Elizabeth City, NC. Then from there we went through Atlanta to our destination in Smyrna (near Nashville), TN.<div><br /></div><div>Originally I was supposed to head to LA after getting to Nashville, but plans have changed and now I'm sticking with the blimp I was helping assemble equipment for as it goes through New England during August, September, and possibly October. </div><div><br /></div><div>To record as much of my adventures on the road as possible I've set up AdamSamons.com to have links to my Tumblr, Twitter, Foursqure, this blog, etc. You should check it out. </div><div><br /></div><div>It's been a great trip so far, especially since I've had family in most of the places I've stopped at so far. Now it's on to Fenway, I just wish the old Garden was still standing. </div>Adam Samonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02400106575112883819noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14606117.post-81238914474937830532012-07-20T19:22:00.007-04:002012-07-20T22:04:29.383-04:00"You Didn't Build it" Looks Like Very Bad Copy Editing<a href="http://gifs.gifbin.com/478swyu02393.gif" style="font-size: 100%; font-family: Georgia, serif; "><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 478px; height: 218px;" src="http://gifs.gifbin.com/478swyu02393.gif" border="0" alt="" /></a><span><div style="font-size: 100%; font-family: Georgia, serif; text-align: center; "><span style="font-size:85%;">I don't care who built this gif, it's funny every time I see it</span><span style="font-size:130%;">.</span></div><span style="font-family:arial;"><span>We're not even to the conventions and we've already had a seemingly disproportionate amount of needlessly alienating comments from both candidates. We've had Mitt's classic </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2h8ujX6T0A">"Corporations are people too,"</a><span> his wife's recent </span><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eric-zuesse/mitt-romney-economy_b_1690224.html">"You people"</a><span> comment, and of course the latest gaffe, Barack's </span><a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/07/13/remarks-president-campaign-event-roanoke-virginia">"If you've got a business -- you didn't build that. Somebody else made that happen."</a><span> The interesting difference to me is that while the slip ups on the Romney side have come from extemporaneous comments Barack's statement came from a prepared speech. </span></span></span><div><span style=" ;font-family:arial;" ><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;">I can't comprehend any speech writer or copy editor worth their salt thinking that that line should be in a presidential speech. No matter how much Obama intellectually understands the importance of small business in the American economy this statement shows that he doesn't truly "get" small business or entrepreneurship. Saying an entrepreneur didn't build his or her business is akin to telling a pastor that God had nothing to do with answered prayer. It's like wearing garnet and gold into the Swap. It's serious tone deafness.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;">Especially puzzling is why such an insulting line would pop out of a generally benign speech. The very next paragraph starts with a sentence that would have been a perfect replacement for the offending sentence "The point is, is that when we succeed, we succeed because of our individual initiative, but also because we do things together." </span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;">Instead of denying entrepreneurs credit for their hard work this sentence acknowledges their contributions while still giving a tip of the hat to the ideas of infrastructure improvement and the successes of government that Obama so badly wants to highlight. It boggles my mind that in the space of 5 sentences the speech writer had the president start by denying the impact of business owners in a sloppily thought out sentence only to then credit their individual initiative 3 sentences later. </span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;">Here's the offending paragraph with a quick little cut and paste, as I would have edited had somebody passed it along to me before Barack got to the podium. I know you're reading this Barry, give me a call if you want my help;</span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;">"If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. The point is that when we succeed, we succeed because of our individual initiative, but also because we do things together." </span><span style="font-size: 100%; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-family:Georgia, serif;"> </span></div>Adam Samonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02400106575112883819noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14606117.post-83637544805884348462012-06-28T15:10:00.005-04:002012-07-20T22:08:51.524-04:00Health Care Thoughts With an Animated GIF of the Whammy<div style="text-align: left; "><span>These are just my initial reactions to today's Supreme Court decision. I hope to find time to edit them a bit later, but in case I don't here they are as is.</span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span>To my surprise the SCOTUS upheld the new healthcare law and did so in what I found to be the most convincing and honest argument for its being upheld. Finding the law's mandate to actually be a tax shifts the terminology to a more realistic linguistic plain upon which these sorts of issues should be debated. Instead of talking about mandates and penalties it keeps it in the conventional realm of "if you want more services you'll have to pay more in taxes."</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span><span>Personally, I'm not sold on all aspects of the bill, but at the end of the day find myself supporting it. I do hope that the impacts on small businesses won't be dire, but the impacts of the current system are already dire to those who aren't wealthy enough to acquire great coverage.</span></span></div><div><span><div><br /></div></span></div><div><span><span>I spent a year filing bankruptcies professionally. The most common cause of those filings were medical costs. We can't run our nation like a game of Press Your Luck where those in the middle or lower class just hope they don't land on the bad health Whammy</span></span></div><div><img src="http://gifsoup.com/webroot/animatedgifs3/2043020_o.gif" border="0" alt="" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></div><div><span>I find it very unfortunate nobody seems to gain any mainstream traction talking about the inefficiency of our current (or should I now say former?) health care model. Conservatives love to knock the quality of universal health care, but we are <a href="http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/28/u-s-health-care-costs-more-than-socialized-european-medicine/">paying more than those countries for a lesser quality of coverage</a>. </span></div><div><span><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span><span>Lastly, it's hard to wrap my mind around the situation the laws biggest </span>opponents<span> are in. They are wholeheartedly opposed to, and seemingly morally outraged by, a law that was </span></span><a href="http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20120327/news/703279952/">birthed by a conservative think tank</a><span> and first implemented on a state level by the current Republican candidate for president. I'm not saying that this position is totally untenable (Romney's plan was a State plan, this is federal, etc) it's just a pretty precarious spot to be in when videos like this are readily available;</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/TTByvLtYIYA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><span><span><br /></span></span></div>Adam Samonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02400106575112883819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14606117.post-83671012089437156312012-06-18T13:06:00.005-04:002012-06-18T14:18:04.776-04:00Kickstarter Recession? Yeah, I Highly Doubt That.<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large; text-align: -webkit-auto; font-family: Georgia, serif; ">Slate has </span><a href="http://hive.slate.com/hive/10-rules-starting-small-business/article/the-kickstarter-recession" style="font-size: large; text-align: left; ">an article up from Matthew Yglesias about potential negative impacts of Kickstarter's growth</a><span style="font-size: large; text-align: left; ">. Let's just say I'm not sold on the author's arguments. </span></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 250px; height: 150px;" src="http://gifsforum.com/images/gif/disagree/grand/disagree-eccbc87e4b5ce2fe28308fd9f2a7baf3-181.gif" border="0" alt="" /></div><span><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto; font-family: Georgia, serif; ">- Yglesias seems to focus on the idead t</span><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto; ">hat "<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><span style="line-height: 18px; ">the government can’t tax psychic returns" without acknowledging that psychic returns won't pay the bills of a less than profitable Kickstarter project creator in the long run either. </span></span>If the projects kickstarter funds are as financially unsound as the Yglesias suggests (and I'd agree the </span><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto; font-family: Georgia, serif; ">majority probably are) then they won't provide the kind of income that would rob the economy of bus drivers and nurses. Far more likely is that we'll just have nurses and bus drivers with Kickstarter funded projects they work on during the weekend. </span></span><div><span><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span>- The premise that Kickstarter and similar future crowd funding sources </span>wielding<span> enough financial influence to slow the economy in any significant way seems highly unlikely given that it's the shrinking middle class that (presumably) make up the vast majority of those donating. Let me get this straight, a group of people with shrinking financial influence will be donating enough of their income to chip away at the banking industry's influence? Highly unlikely. Much more likely is that the banking industry will just assimilate some of Kickstarter's ideas into their process in the future such as increased online pitches to banks, though those pitches would obviously include credit checks and the like. </span></span><div><span><span><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span><span>-Even if Yglesias is given the benefit of the doubt and crowd funding becomes a challenge to the banks and US tax structure this is at least in some part due to the bank's failure at their own jobs. We are not very far removed from the biggest economic downturn in decades, brought about by poor allocation of capital by the banks. As a result many people are left </span><a href="http://articles.businessinsider.com/2012-03-12/news/31146859_1_financial-crisis-banks-lending-money" style="text-align: left; ">unable to secure loans for even legitimate ventures</a>. If people are unable to secure funds from banks Kickstarter is evidence that they will find try to find another way. If by some unlikely chance those creative funding options eventually come back to bite the banks it will be problem partly created by the banks themselves. </span></div></div>Adam Samonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02400106575112883819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14606117.post-26919407116244892842012-03-18T18:13:00.003-04:002012-03-18T18:44:17.442-04:00More Impressive: 23 Miles in 2012 or 20 Miles in 1960?<span ><span style="font-size: 100%; ">Today I </span><a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/trending/2012/03/16/skydiver_from_13_miles_up_felix_baumgartner_proves_red_bull_may_hinder_human_survival_instinct.html" style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: normal; ">found this fun little Slate.com article</a><span style="font-size: 100%; "> about Felix Baumgartner's preparations for an attempt to break the record for highest and fastest skydive. He just jumped from 13 miles up. Instead of leaving it to me to describe how epic that is Red Bull has provided the world with this handy image:</span></span><div style="font-size: 100%; text-align: center; font-weight: normal; "><span ><img id="slate_image_id" title="141397241" alt="141397241" class="cq-dd-image sl-art-illo" src="http://www.slate.com/content/dam/slate/blogs/trending/2012/03/16/skydiver_from_13_miles_up_felix_baumgartner_proves_red_bull_may_hinder_human_survival_instinct/141397241.jpg.CROP.rectangle3-large.jpg" /></span></div><div><span ><span><span>Surprisingly, that's not the most impressive part of the article. Near the end you find out he's trying to jump from 23 miles above Earth, to break Joseph Kittinger's record of 20 miles up set in </span><span>1960</span><span>. Yes, 1960. In the last 52 years we haven't gotten around to jumping from 3 miles</span></span><span><span> </span><span>higher? Shouldn't we at least be putting the finishing touches on that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_elevator">Space Elevator</a> by now? </span></span></span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >The true moral of the story is that you should check out <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Kittinger">Joseph Kittinger's</a> Wikipedia page. He's a legend around Central Florida as he's from here and holds <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 19px; text-align: -webkit-auto; ">the records for having the highest, fastest and longest skydive, was the first person to make a solo crossing over the Atlantic in a gas balloon, and spend 11 months in a North Vietnamese POW camp.</span></span></div><div style="font-size: 100%; font-family: Georgia, serif; "><br /></div><div style="font-size: 100%; font-family: Georgia, serif; "><br /></div>Adam Samonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02400106575112883819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14606117.post-12108238038403927472011-09-19T14:02:00.003-04:002011-09-19T14:07:31.570-04:00Charles Barkley: Crooner?<div style="text-align: center;"><b>This is Painful:</b></div><b><object width="560" height="315"><div style="text-align: center;"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/sihPw9lz-nk?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="560" height="315" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></div><div style="text-align: center;">However the question still remains, is his singing worse than his golf swing?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/sihPw9lz-nk?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></object><object width="560" height="315"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/FsgXH5-b5hs?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/FsgXH5-b5hs?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="560" height="315" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></b>Adam Samonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02400106575112883819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14606117.post-27021659019147723512011-09-07T19:42:00.002-04:002011-09-07T19:45:56.200-04:00At Least We Looked Good in Defeat<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-u0ay4Udc4mZEcAB7_DGrzmjHgidy9Ts7SdQUgU0lgXW6vk7ypeGgLxsdA9WBQ1SIVNWanGoQDHXdaSwcmmP-qttN_YM9s210tx3QLCfL3_M1LQTXohGkp9RgDwbm_yUk_RfJoQ/s1600/maryland-football-jerseys_580x326.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-u0ay4Udc4mZEcAB7_DGrzmjHgidy9Ts7SdQUgU0lgXW6vk7ypeGgLxsdA9WBQ1SIVNWanGoQDHXdaSwcmmP-qttN_YM9s210tx3QLCfL3_M1LQTXohGkp9RgDwbm_yUk_RfJoQ/s320/maryland-football-jerseys_580x326.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649767889856531810" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">The University of Maryland has apparently decided to turn itself into the Lady Gaga of college football. </div>Adam Samonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02400106575112883819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14606117.post-19816956875716621042011-09-04T23:32:00.003-04:002011-09-04T23:41:32.288-04:00Somebody! Buy Me This Shirt!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvZoXGNVVcSPdWvmsWstzqENQnJCrQsp9FAgv7QG4Hod6PV_BYtgZFzeMIFZx5DKIi9S0pdkwUqxdOQLbfa6tkXf5FB2UuqVfIh5QZNLyrXNX6RK0vkJbbU9c6HRlhUBV9i0AC8w/s1600/CaneShirt.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 241px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvZoXGNVVcSPdWvmsWstzqENQnJCrQsp9FAgv7QG4Hod6PV_BYtgZFzeMIFZx5DKIi9S0pdkwUqxdOQLbfa6tkXf5FB2UuqVfIh5QZNLyrXNX6RK0vkJbbU9c6HRlhUBV9i0AC8w/s320/CaneShirt.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5648714349702034226" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Just look at this thing. Resplendent. Beautiful. Glorious. A true work of art.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.ebay.com/itm/MIAMI-HURRICANES-NCAA-SHIRT-Adult-XL-/220846877503?pt=US_NCAA_Fan_Shop&hash=item336b7feb3f#ht_2290wt_1270">Quick, head over to ebay and snap this thing up!</a></div>Adam Samonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02400106575112883819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14606117.post-83040917724868845882011-08-23T11:26:00.003-04:002011-08-23T11:30:18.837-04:00Um...David Cross Looks a Lot Like...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqZU6T0IB60XiYo8maQR2ZcCMCTp975aigv4ajn0fdKhSHzrKDJiDD9Hb6P7A2ElXgP-ZhGQC1PfWD4SyqZIX3fZo6qamMeB9UnsCl-qxfvrZqrwUGlI6S1WvkYJUAIa-ELf1P0Q/s1600/CrossLookalike.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqZU6T0IB60XiYo8maQR2ZcCMCTp975aigv4ajn0fdKhSHzrKDJiDD9Hb6P7A2ElXgP-ZhGQC1PfWD4SyqZIX3fZo6qamMeB9UnsCl-qxfvrZqrwUGlI6S1WvkYJUAIa-ELf1P0Q/s320/CrossLookalike.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644073251235577234" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Seif al-Islam Kadhafi, Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi's son.</div>Adam Samonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02400106575112883819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14606117.post-73340416454982507902011-08-18T21:38:00.002-04:002011-08-18T21:41:53.767-04:00Teddy Roosevelt v. Rally Monkey<div style="text-align: left;">The Rally Monkey jumps out of the stands and attacks Teddy Roosevelt. If you don't watch this video you should take some time and reevaluate what is important to you in life.</div><object width="560" height="345"><div style="text-align: center;"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/NIsxe50rxeU?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="560" height="345" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></div><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/NIsxe50rxeU?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></object>Adam Samonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02400106575112883819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14606117.post-33225631247493583812011-04-26T21:41:00.002-04:002011-04-26T21:43:39.873-04:00Life Shards: Volume 5<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" ><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px; ">In this ongoing series I'll post short comments that I say, type, or hear during everyday life that seem like a profound, and possibly incomplete and cryptic, description of how my life is going. Here is today's offering;</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><br /></span></div>"I feel like I just obtained 1,000 soldiers, 10,000 horses (sounds weird in English.. haha)"</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" >-My friend Seohee, upon hearing that she had passed the New York Bar Exam</span></span></div>Adam Samonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02400106575112883819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14606117.post-41867031752942671672011-04-17T22:47:00.005-04:002011-04-17T23:10:49.632-04:00As Dusty Would Say, I'm "Liv'n On The End Of A Light'nin Bolt!"<div style="text-align: center;">Life has been hectic in a good way lately. I really want to write in a little more detail about all the things I've had on my plate, but for now here's a little sampler of what's going on.</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg94XBGRVW-oqUFW4A-K0GLOb0I6eTxWv5DVZOmytapv0qbSC2g2c6Adtr9_yQ204gvo0OS9Zi_0Sa8lira-24PVu986pNVBfMc_HePmtmrp4hX8fdQyislxD0377-uM8vlvMBEhA/s320/DinoAdam.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596754949226881586" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >(That is the look of a man who isn't phased by a hectic schedule)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div>-I'm back training Muay Thai and Jiu-Jitsu. I have very few regrets in life, I can probably count them on one hand, but stopping training a little over a year ago is one of them. Fortunately that time is over now and I'm not stopping again. At this point I don't even think I have a choice to stop training because it makes every other form of exercise I've tried seem monotonous. </div><div><br /></div><div>- Took a trip to Atlanta for WrestleMania 27 with 3 great friends. We ate like king, had luxurious reservations, and were treated a fantastic show. I didn't know at the time that I was watching my favorite wrester Edge's last match, nobody did, but the fact that I did see it will make the memories of that trip even sweeter.</div><div><br /></div><div>- I'm working with 2 of the guys who I road tripped to WrestleMania with on starting a local indy wrestling promotion. We've got a location, we've got a date, we've started preliminarily booking wrestlers and we've got a ring lined up. Before I throw out any specifics I want to get signatures on the contract I sent over to the building we'll be running in, but that hopefully will come this week.</div><div><br /></div><div>More to come on all of this as it develops.</div>Adam Samonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02400106575112883819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14606117.post-69480241158618282962011-03-27T23:11:00.002-04:002011-03-27T23:46:22.121-04:00On Fighting and Being Human<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3eIi3mHfpavP-lENhhLcd5XJsQhd5W3qf1Nfuqz7pDMf6N6EChrQ60zA69QmHdFkHZf4EQ3Ztmx7UujqotPbAYKcn20hoWQS5hiHpG2wogS0p-1_P6YcT_ie236wkYDxwHDi49Q/s1600/737px-Bellows_George_Dempsey_and_Firpo_1924.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 261px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3eIi3mHfpavP-lENhhLcd5XJsQhd5W3qf1Nfuqz7pDMf6N6EChrQ60zA69QmHdFkHZf4EQ3Ztmx7UujqotPbAYKcn20hoWQS5hiHpG2wogS0p-1_P6YcT_ie236wkYDxwHDi49Q/s320/737px-Bellows_George_Dempsey_and_Firpo_1924.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588972097921970546" /></a><br />Sergio De La Pava's<i> <a href="http://canopycanopycanopy.com/11/a_day_s_sail_">A Day's Sail</a> </i>is one of the very rare writings I've found that comes close to doing justice to the beauty and potential for metaphor found in fighting. He is able to artfully weave Virginia Wolfe, Gatti v. Ward, Corrales v, Castill, and even a pinch of law to make this article seem like I commissioned it myself.<div><br /></div><div>Thanks to the ability to embed video De La Pava doesn't have to explain the the exceptional feats and heart displayed in the ring to the reader, but can instead allow them to experience it themselves with just a click. <div><br /></div><div>Beyond just succeeding in using boxing as a writer's tool it's also a nice look at what it means to fight, or struggle, and what kind of light you deserve to be seen in as someone willing to endure the fight. Borrowing the term<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span">“in a light most favorable to the People” from the realm of law De La Pava argues that "</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span">Certain people are entitled to this light. They are numerous and teem and their numbers include artists, fighters, nurses, damn almost anyone who <em style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; ">does</em> or <em style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; ">worries about doing</em></span><span class="Apple-style-span">." </span><span class="Apple-style-span">Personally, I wouldn't have extended that last sentence to include anyone who "worries about doing," but it's not a big enough difference of opinion to sour me on his point. </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">I can't encourage you enough to <a href="http://canopycanopycanopy.com/11/a_day_s_sail_">READ THIS</a>. It is worth every one of the very few minutes it will take.<br /></span></span><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div></div>Adam Samonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02400106575112883819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14606117.post-87522277748815152592011-03-12T23:15:00.001-05:002011-03-12T23:17:26.015-05:00Wisdom"Fame is the new talent."<div>-<a href="http://www.sbkliveradio.com/">SBK</a></div>Adam Samonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02400106575112883819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14606117.post-12197384207222851472011-03-11T02:04:00.001-05:002011-03-11T02:06:12.698-05:00Life Shards: Volume 4<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; ">In this ongoing series I'll post short comments that I say, type, or hear during everyday life that seem like a profound, and possibly incomplete and cryptic, description of how my life is going. Here is today's offering;</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; ">"I call it like I read it...and I'm usually, almost, sometimes, never wrong." </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; ">-Jamee Gordon</span></div>Adam Samonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02400106575112883819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14606117.post-28836298593847786352011-03-10T23:51:00.001-05:002011-03-10T23:52:55.402-05:00For Very Roundabout Reasons......This song reminds me of Philadelphia.<div><br /></div><iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Y5fBdpreJiU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>Adam Samonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02400106575112883819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14606117.post-56744262387471174062011-03-09T01:34:00.003-05:002011-03-09T01:46:13.545-05:00Annoying Day<div>These are just a few of the things that make me very happy that I start 5 days a week with Muay Thai or Jiu-Jitsu class;</div><div><br /></div>-Awkwardly timed traffic lights leaving me with tough decisions on whether to slam on the breaks or chance a possible camera enforced red light ticket. <div>-Web browsers with minute malfunctions leading me to have to use 3 different browsers to check my bank balance. </div><div>-Gas pumps that take a $73 deposit that doesn't clear for 3 days. </div><div>-Forgetting to charge my cell phone on one of the very few days I'll actually need to use it to call some people. </div><div>-Limited healthy eating options. <div><br /></div><div>In the grand scheme of things none of these things are tragic and won't matter much at all. However when they seem to be clustered together, along with many other annoyances, in one day it's not enjoyable. This video was shared on my facebook today, I find that fact very appropriate (Language NSFW). </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><iframe title="YouTube video player" width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/xP1-oquwoL8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div>Things are looking up though, only 9 hours 15 minutes until Muay Thai Class.</div>Adam Samonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02400106575112883819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14606117.post-11509340974188805422011-03-05T10:51:00.003-05:002011-03-05T10:52:56.729-05:00Life Shards: Volume 3<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; ">In this ongoing series I'll post short comments that I say, type, or hear during everyday life that seem like a profound, and possibly incomplete and cryptic, description of how my life is going. Here is today's offering;</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;">"Man, it's like you have Popeye's forearms for calves. It's crazy."</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;">-A coworker admiring my calves. No homo...I think.</span></span></div>Adam Samonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02400106575112883819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14606117.post-36180120008642555682011-03-01T23:02:00.001-05:002011-03-01T23:05:23.671-05:00Life Shards: Volume 2<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 20px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" >In this ongoing series I'll post short comments that I say, type, or hear during everyday life that seem like a profound, and possibly incomplete and cryptic, description of how my life is going. Here is today's offering;</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: georgia; "><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: georgia; "><span class="Apple-style-span" >"If only Congress had 1/1,000th of the charisma that Charlie Sheen has..."</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" >-Adam Samons</span></span></div>Adam Samonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02400106575112883819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14606117.post-49937556982479468732011-03-01T10:57:00.003-05:002011-03-01T10:59:11.449-05:00I Want to Get (back) to There<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFHhGXKzTRo5B_pzeis9EJ0F4GY0CIWa3Q1FbbBYmCR_MAc8aCwHZJz_FBzOfVTZf8NY2gGiJoTfWhD7yO2iiIYxyIBmfRgp0kmyDBXGJ_FYFTpjdsttimvey1GIwC9pRcCrZkkg/s1600/nighthwk.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 218px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFHhGXKzTRo5B_pzeis9EJ0F4GY0CIWa3Q1FbbBYmCR_MAc8aCwHZJz_FBzOfVTZf8NY2gGiJoTfWhD7yO2iiIYxyIBmfRgp0kmyDBXGJ_FYFTpjdsttimvey1GIwC9pRcCrZkkg/s400/nighthwk.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579141368567450450" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><u><br /></u></span></div>Adam Samonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02400106575112883819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14606117.post-79626255410455590322011-02-27T14:47:00.002-05:002011-02-27T14:52:15.485-05:00Life Shards: Volume 1<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" ><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" >In this ongoing series I'll post short comments that I say, type, or hear during everyday life that seem like a profound, and possibly incomplete and cryptic, description of how my life is going. Here is today's offering;</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></span></div>"Yeah Jim, I had a nice conversation with my Muay Thai instructor about beard brushing the other day. It seems quite helpful, certainly worth a try."</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >-Adam Samons</span></div>Adam Samonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02400106575112883819noreply@blogger.com0