Do you think

People should have to pass some sort of test to have the reproductive organs activated or at least pay a HUGE fee if they don't pass the test?

People who steal flowers (or any other item) off of a grave should have their relatives exhumed and moved to an undisclosed location?

It's about time parents who supply minors with alcohol should be punished?

How can these be stories in 2008? It's crazy.

One more, the part that really gets me is when the guy says we shouldn't punish people if they're "experimenting".

We need some help.

Hope this finds you well.

~jc

Life in general

I have neglected my blog once again. Work has been busy, life has been busy blah blah blah. Here are some highlights of my life over the past month.

1. Our house

Things have been moving very quickly. The siding/bricks are on, walls are up and painted the flooring starts this weekend with the slate installation in the bathrooms/front entry and the wood goes in next week. I think the weight may be starting to hit me as we get final numbers in with sprinkler/sod installation. We have a lot to purchase and what seemed like plenty of money is quickly becoming a lack of money. We are building a home we will be proud of for years to come and it's not just something that will get us by for a couple of years but a place we can grow and make our own. I am very excited for June 11th.

2. Fat to less fat

I have been on this diet (yes it's a diet) and have been losing weight like crazy. So far I am down 24 pounds and I feel amazing. My clothes are too big but since I'm only half way through the diet I refuse to buy new clothes. I still have many pounds to go but I'm committed to this not only for myself but for others around me who could be affected by long term health issues.

3. Softball

We have a great group of guys and (crazy enough) we have been winning. I love winning, can't and won't lie about it. We suffered our first loss last night but are 8-1-1 nothing to be ashamed of (especially since last year we were 1-18).

The thing I miss most since going on this diet is the leisure of going to a restaurant. I mean I have rediscovered how good an apple can be and how little meat it takes to satisfy one's hunger but I create a wicked amount of dishes day in and day out (no dishwasher) which has been frustrating because I feel as if all I do after I get home from work is cook and then clean up. I have 18 days left on this diet and then I have to slowly reintroduce other (and more) food. I can't wait for cheese, yum.

Also another exciting note...the Counting Crows are making a stop here in late August with Maroon 5 & Sara Bareilles. Are you in?

Hope this finds you well.

~jc

Too long

It's been too long since I've blogged. I know all of you who are reading this (3-5 people total I think) have been dieing for an update on what's going on in my life....maybe not.

So about a month ago Sar and I decided to build a house. It's crazy looking at the process and knowing that it's for me. I always feel this way during big events in my life my wedding being the last and I remember thinking...is this really for me?

Here are the pictures of our lot to the current state of the house (the rain has prevented them from working the last 2 days) http://www.flickr.com/photos/justincarlson/sets/72157604401433924/.

I'm obsessed with the progress, I have to go everyday (not yesterday or today...it's raining)

Other things that have peaked my interest:

Food shortages

Here we are, a society that is obsessed with progress, technology and, to steal some of Obama's thunder, change. We are always looking to be less dependant on non renewable fuels and I am for that simply because it's always cool to make things better and environmentally friendly.

The question is where do we draw the line? 30% of corn is used to produce biofuels that are not widely used or proven to produce the desired outcome. Here is a very interesting story in which two U of M professors (pretty liberal school) give their opinions.

Climate change

I am not a believer in global warming being caused by less than a century of driving with engines that are constantly becoming more fuel efficient and producing less harmful chemicals that find their ways into our air. So when I read this I had to laugh, there is so much hype surrounding this topic and not a lot of facts to back it up. Read on.

Another busy weekend ahead of us, a 2nd showing a bachelor/bachelorette party, an open house and then cleaning day at the cabin. I really need a day to relax and I'm not sure when that will happen.

Hope this finds you well.

~jc

Our foot print

Here's what I don't understand. We as Americans brag about getting what we want and leading lives of luxury but it doesn't seem that we care if we preserve that same right/ability for our descendants. Why is that? There is a rejection of "going green" in many circles and I don't know why we wouldn't make an effort to ensure that while Earth is still around it's a place we would want to be.



There are many things we can do differently that don't have a major impact on our daily lives.



Since cost is never an object when it comes to our government spending I'm all for them over spending on things that will make an impact for future generations (besides accumulating debt). This includes recycling programs, light rail systems, etc. Forcing huge companies, that are only out to make a profit and could care less about the people who are buying from them, to clean up waste or emit less chemicals into the atmosphere is OK with me.



Let's take oil companies as a very easy, and over used, example. They are currently posting record earnings pretty much every quarter while they see the effect it's having on our economy. Since we all know special interests and behind door deals are the way things progress in our government we know that big business and money rules the conscience of most politicians we know they won't do anything so it's up to us as consumers to change our habits and force them into change. It has to start at the grass roots level and may have many positive effects for us as Americans.



First it could force many people who should be exercising to ride their bikes or walk somewhere close instead of driving. I was thinking about one of the locations we are considering for our new house and how I could cross a major road to get to Target. From what I remember there isn't a walking path or an easy way to cross which is something else the government could start spending money on...walking paths that aren't in the middle of nowhere but actually brought people to places of interest.



Second it would encourage a country that has long been known for our entrepreneurial spirit back to it. It's like we've accepted the engine as the end all for our collective inventive genius. We've improved what was started hundreds of years ago but let's find away to make it even better. Fuel efficiency is a start but should not be our over all goal.

While I believe that our global climate has been, and is, changing I think that the same people crying about Bush's fear tactics are now using the same tactic with global warming. These people who depend on science to explain everything have not done their due diligence to ensure their finding are accurate. The climate change is real but what is the explanation for the millions of years of climate change we've experienced in the past?

In the mean time let's restore "the magic" that was once America. It starts with me and continues with you.

Hope this finds you well.

~jc

The sweet spot

In baseball or, for us old guys, softball there is a saying when you hit the "sweet spot" of a bat. The ball just feels perfect coming off of the bat, almost effortless as you swing through it. That's where my life is. As many of you know Sar and I have been living with the Gordie & Deb Schmitz for almost 2 years now while we save for a house and the time has come for us to pursue that option. We have been approved for a mortgage and have been looking at building a home or purchasing a previously owned home.

Obviously we are very excited for the next chapter in our life to get started but this decision is heavy and must be made with patience and care. I pray daily that God would give us favor with the builder and interest rates. We have a couple of options for a new home including one with Novak-Fleck which would be in Blaine and another in Blaine that is near the airport but seems like a less likely option.

It's one of those times in life that I wish I could give someone the feeling I have because it feels so good and exciting.

Hope this finds you well.

~jc

An email

I got this email today and I liked it.

What are your thoughts...?

Makes sense to me.

Bar Stool Economics

Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all
Ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes,

It would go something like this:

The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.

So, that's what they decided to do. The ten men drank in the bar
Every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one
Day, the owner threw them a curve. 'Since you are all such good
Customers, he said, 'I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily beer
By $20. Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.

The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so
The first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free.
But what about the other six men - the paying customers? How could
They divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair
share?' They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they
Subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and The
sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer. So, The
bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill
by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the Amounts
each should pay.

And so:

The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings) .
The seventh now paid $5 instead of $7 (28%savings) .
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).

Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four
continued to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the
men began to compare their savings.

'I only got a dollar out of the $20,'declared the sixth man. He
pointed to the tenth man,' but he got $10!'

'Yeah, that's right,' exclaimed the fifth man. ' I only saved a
dollar, too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than I!'

'That's true!!' shouted the seventh man. 'Why should he get $10 back
when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!'

'Wait a minute,' yelled the first four men in unison. 'We didn't get
anything at all. The system exploits the poor!'

The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.

The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks, so the nine
sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the
bill, they discovered something important. They didn't have enough
money between all of them for even half of the bill!

And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is how
our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the
most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them
for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact,
they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat
friendlier.

David R. Kamerschen, Ph.D.
Professor of Economics, University of Georgia

For those who understand, no explanation is needed.
For those who do not understand, no explanation is possible.

Hope this finds you well.

~jc

Too long

I feel compelled to post today because I think Marijke has 4 posts for every 1 of mine. The way she describes Alaska it's like this magical place where everything is frozen under a thick layer of ice and spotting a moose is just as common as seeing a Starbucks.

It got me to thinking about what Minneapolis has to offer. Besides the frozen hell that our city/state becomes every year between December and the end of March which renders our state useless with the exception of hockey and, for some, ice fishing. The winter in Minnesota signals a time of indoor activities for me because I hate being cold.

Back to the point. I feel like I've allowed myself to become so entrenched in a routine that I lost the ability to find new people and new things. I am sick of it and have started to take some action to change it.

First I ordered Minnesota Monthly which is a great publication that alerts people to a wide variety of activities happening in and around their (our/my) community. I bought tickets to the St Paul Chamber Orchestra and was unable to use them because of a mid winter ant invasion but I will make sure I attend sometime this summer. I have felt compelled to take picture lately but for some reason I am hesitant when it comes to taking action...strange. I feel the need to reinvent who I am because I am bored with what I have become.

I am not saying that having a routine is a negative thing because that's what life is but when routines prevent you from losing weight, meeting new people and enjoying new things it's time to make a new routine.

I have been reading a book by T. Harv Eker, Secrets of the Millionaire Mind, and I know it's supposed to propel me to think and act rich so I can be rich (which may have some merit but that's another conversation) but it's really caused me to think about my daily actions and how I've become what I am. It has also helped me remember that only I have the power to change me and it's going to take hard work and dedication but I can change. Here is my favorite quote thus far.

By achieving consciousness, we can live from who we are today rather than who we were yesterday.

Sounds new age-ish but I think it has some merit. Think about every action you take so you can make a conscious decision every time you make one. I like it.

Anyways other great things that are happening are:

1. The Twins are back on the radio and we are 31 short days away from the home opener. WOW.

2. Before the opener the Counting Crows will release their first album since 2002.

3. Softball is quickly approaching, lost a great hitter which is sad but added another all around great athlete. Very happy that everybody can still play. I know the days of kids and other responsibilities is coming.

4. Might hit 40 degrees on Sunday...cause for celebration as the snow melts.

Hope this finds you well.

~jc

2 posts for the price of 1!

I'll start the post off with the cool thing, here is an article about my brother in law, Ben, and the nominations he received to West Point and the Air Force Academy. We're very proud of him. He is number 1 in his class and is the most driven 18 year old I've ever known. So there is that.



On to the next. I've been thinking about a conversation I had a couple of weeks ago with a good friend. We were talking about the way the world works and how the United States can no longer afford to be a country that is too proud to accept help from other countries. Like it or not the worlds economies are very dependant on each other. We have been the last hold out since we had far more imports than exports. Here are some advantages to our dollar weakening.



1. As the dollar weakens so does the ability for companies to ship jobs to other countries. They can no longer afford to send people to India and back twice a month because costs in India are on the rise as are fuel costs around the world.



2. The trade deficit gap will close as more countries look to the US for our heavily regulated and higher quality products because they will be more affordable.



3. For some reason people like to travel here from Europe and they can now afford it since the Euro is worth 1.5 times as much as the dollar.



What our next leader needs to be is humble. 'W' has been a poor example of what a leader should be. He failed to listen to other countries who may have been able to see the lack of infrastructure that Iraq had, they could probobaly see that our military would be stretched dangerously thin and that even once Iraq was "liberated" there is a reason the country was in the shape it was/is in. The people there hate each other for reasons we don't understand and since they didn't fight for the freedom themselves they can't truly appreciate it.



The older our country gets the more "rights" it seems everybody needs. We are a very selfish people and have lost our ability to look beyond our personal issues and try to see things in a bigger picture. I am not saying that we've ever had it right because the way minorities have been, sometimes still are, treated is embarrassing. We have a lot to learn in our country and I want to be one of the first to learn.

We need to have an awakening as a country and realize that it's not always better to do things by ourselves. We need to have lasting relationships with other countries and unless there is an immediate threat to our country we should use our military strictly for self defense.

Instead of sending our military for peace keeping missions in Iraq I would suggest a military presence in North Minneapolis and communities like it all over our own country. Let's start holding people in America to a higher standard and teach people they can change their circumstances. It might seem "painful" to stop spending ever cent we make or saying no to something but we will be better as a country in the long run. If the government should have ever regulated anything it should have been the amount of credit that could be extended to an individual based on their income. Credit cards have allowed people to live above their means for decades and if the powers that be want to know why we as a country haven't been phased by higher oil prices they should look no further than the plastic that lines our wallets. When I use my credit card the money doesn't seem real, sometimes I don't even look at the over cost of what I'm buying. I go grocery shopping and buy everything I want, not what I need but I get all of the luxury items I want too. At this point in my life I have realized how stupid that is. Sar and I have gone on a budget to prove that we can live the lives required of those who want to be counted as responsible home owners. We don't want to have to sell our house during a down turn in our economy, we want to live a very comfortable life in retirement and don't want to wait until we are 65 to realize retirement. I'm not sure there are many people who realize what it takes (including my wife and me) to live with only our needs be fulfilled.

The real dicsipline comes from making the right choice at the right time. We can become "pioneers" in the refound field of discipline and inspire others to do the same. When we make it to our goals and can encourage those who are still on their way it will be a great feeling.

Hope this finds you well.

~jc