Back on the bike!

Four weeks ago yesterday, I flew over the handlebar and took a pretty bad fall from my mountain bike. Of course, more than the physical pain I felt, I was especially concerned for my wife who would worry too much, as she always does when something bad happens to me.

She took the event as well as she could, but felt for my pain and was worried about my addiction to biking and other fast activities. My son's reaction was a bit starker and he responded to the news as any mature son and father of my grand-son would: “You gotta be careful, Dad, you're too old for falling like that!”

I also shared my mishap with a good friend of mine in Switzerland, who recently became paraplegic following a ski accident; I told him I wasn't quite sure I should even think of riding my bike again. He's the most positive person I know and he didn't hesitate; he said, “get back on it, don't make such a fuss!”

So with that powerful admonition in mind, I straddled my bike yesterday, first climbing the hill, testing my injured right hand for functionality (it's now back to 65-70% of normality) and while I was very tentative in the downhill sections of my usual course, the ride went without a hitch.

My only difficulty being about downshifting with a still weak thumb, but after a while, I figured a better way to hit the lever. When I returned home, that shadow of apprehension and fear that had followed me for almost a month was gone. I felt liberated!

Ryan: The unstoppable mad dog...

Last night speech by Paul Ryan was no surprise to me. It threw personal ethics out of the window and said what his larger audience would hear. Like on Medicare or on the Simpson-Bowles Commission.

Lies and omissions didn't phase the young man who reminds me on someone I hired around the mid-eighties, and who would stop at nothing to get to what he wanted. Aggressive, unprincipled and brash.

Obama better wake up and stand to these attacks.  Sure, he'll probably only have himself to count on as his re-election team and other advisers are quite dismal.

That's right, our President needs to pull a giant rabbit out of his hat if he really wants to stay four more years inside the White House!

“We built it...”

This was last night's theme at the Republican convention and while I managed to catch both Ann Romney and Chris Christie's speeches, I found that Ann's delivery rather contrived, fake and certainly not warm. She didn't convince me that her husband could make her laugh, let alone make us all explode into laughter.

As for Christie's talk, it was a muddied list of things that didn't really touch me; based on what I had heard about him, I expected much more. He just came across to me as a fat, gesticulating clown. He should really try to shed a few pounds ...

Finally, the “We built it” mantra suggested to me that, over the years, the Republicans have “built” the demise of this great nation. That's right; “they built” the deficit with the insane George Bush era's tax cuts, the unwarranted Iraq war, the botched incursion into Afghanistan and the Republican Congress' steady work of obstruction during Obama's first four years.

Yeah, they did “built” the mess we're all in and I presume they have no more clues than our current administration as to how they'll get us out of it...

Parents, employers and school

Parents are counting on school to do the job most of couples don't really want or care to do: Educate!

Companies are hoping that there employees are taught everything by the school they come from.

Yet, on both sides, there's a huge gap created by inflated expectations on the parent and the employer's side. Schools can't be substitute to basic, good parenting. They teach stuff, they don't nurture. Schools can only impart so much information that an employee needs to contribute to a company; the latter must also train, mentor and keep it up at all times.

We'd be a much better nation if parents prepared their kids well for school and if employers picked up and built from where the schools left of. It must also be said that if the parents' active role doesn't manifest itself before and while a kid is in school, there will be no emotional, moral and common sense education imparted on the child and this will hurt the school, the future employers and of course, the young individual.

Minimalist decor...

I can't quite figure what has happened in the past few days. It seemed as if a piece of our living room furniture had been snatched from us, every time a large SUV or a big truck stopped by our house.

No matter what the reason may have been, we now have nothing left except for three patio chairs that, I muss confess, are quite comfortable if you seat both correctly and straight into them and can be used on the deck too, during the summer months.

The seating arrangement looks pretty intimate, doesn't allow one to slouch and fall asleep, and reminds more a doctor's waiting room than a homy living area. I don't know what the next days will bring, but I sure hope it won't be the “repo man” coming and taking the rest of our belonging away from us!

Climbing Mt. Timpanogos

It (almost) used to be an annual rite for us to climb nearby Mt. Timpanogos, once in the summer, but since 2002 we just... forgot to do it. What inspired me to return to it this year was a combination of reasons.

First a friend of mine told me that he traditionally too, climbed Mt. Buet in the French Alps every year and then I wanted to get back into hiking, plus thought that it would be cool to guide my daughter into that epic climb; so that's how all the planets and stars aligned yesterday to make the event possible.

The mountain stands like a sentinel in the Heber Valley and always send an open invitation to climb it. From the Aspen Grove trail-head (6,910 feet) to the top (11,749 feet) it's a steady 4,839 feet vertical climb...

It was also the first time we ascended the mountain so late in the season and with so little snow left, making it much harder to progress through fields of rocks and boulders.

The important result is that we wrapped it up once more and that after more than six hours of harsh hiking time, we were both beat but happy!

Tale of two Armstrong

The passing today of Neil Armstrong and the throwing of the towel yesterday by Lance Armstrong is a vivid illustration of famous men and opposite egos.

The man who first walked on the moon had inner peace between his two ears and didn't need more fame or glory to live through a wonderful life.

The athlete who won so much on his bike didn't quite enjoy the same self-assurance and was more likely torn with a desire to maintain inner security at all cost.

Yet, almost unbelievably so, we seem more attracted to the tormented celebrity than to the quiet hero.

Fame, Money, Drugs and Sport

Lance Armstrong's decision that he would no longer contest the charges of doping against him, shows the blinding power of fame and money in popular sports.

The more money one has, the better one feels and by extension, fame brings the additional dimension of perfection that places the crowned champion well above the rest of us.

So while it's surprising that the consummate competitor Armstrong stands for, chose to give up on this ultimate contest, speaks volume about lack of courage and lack of shame too, but that latter word seems to have no place near fame and money.

Dreams: Myths and realities

Last night I was watching Nova on PBS and the show was about dreams; how they happen, and of course, what they mean. I found the show to be quite poor as it was suggesting outcomes that were very tenuous at best and all the “findings” were of highly subjective nature.

I'm convinced that the only positive and tangible contributions made by dream can sometimes be in the realm of problem-solving and creativity, if these issues are stirred-up during the waking hours. For the rest, however, it's a random reflection of what preoccupies us (good and bad) and all that assortment of disjointed thoughts are tossed up in the air and are the (very) raw material our dreams are made of.

So if you are trying to make some sense inside that mess, be my guest, and good luck to you!

The absurd American defense budget

You've probably heard that the USA spends more in defense than the total of the 14 other nations that follow us on that dubious ranking! I'm not making these numbers up; they come from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

That's right, while the USA alone spent $711 billion yearly, these other 14 countries spend about the same altogether. Of course, our “enemies,” China and Russia only account for $215 billion for both. This means that us and our “allies” account for about $1.4 trillion out of the 1.7 trillion spent worldwide.

That sounds so unbelievable that we often dismiss it or ignore it, but I would like you to focus on it for the day and put this reality into perspective with this little graph that illustrates our paranoia and the fact that we, as a country, are technically broke and must be bankrolled by China to keep that war spending going.

So, next time you hear a politician advocate for more defense spending, you ought to question the individual's sanity...

Facebook investment?

Not only is Facebook's stock on a sharp decline since its IPO, but so is my return on time spent with that sticky social media. Short of getting out of this virtual meeting place, I've decided to drastically reduce any time I spend on it.

No more than 10 minutes each day from now on! We'll see if that resolution sticks and what positive benefits I'll get, but there's no risk in trying it, right?

What we like and what we do...

I used to make a “to-do” list, but that doesn't seem to work anymore. Most of my routine and repetitive tasks are on my calendar and the extraordinary stuff is much rarer these days, so my list of tasks to accomplish is no longer flourishing as it used to.

My problem is that I'm too much into what “I love to do” and not what “I have to do.” Big difference, I know; will it be my demise as I know myself? It could, but it doesn't worry me too much yet. I'm simply running out of free time.

Not so long ago, I needed less sleep, could wake up at 4 am, get up and do tons of productive stuff in the wee hours of the morning, but that “bonus time” is longer available. So I should probably return to my system of making a dreadful list, prioritizing tasks and projects, have less fun of course, but produce more...

Is that what I really want to do? I don't like the idea, but I'll consider it!

Activities, time and money

Okay, running is our favorite activity and also the one that takes us the least amount of time for returning – in our opinion – the greatest amount of good. Not just that, but consider that almost no special gear is needed and it's possible to run everywhere.

Skiing, my second preferred activity, is also a major time consumer (I haven't said “time waster” yet!) and the gear it requires is both substantial and costly if one includes passes and the like.

Mountain-biking, our new-found love, is time-efficient and if a good bike may cost a bundle, once you have it, the cost of practicing the sport isn't too high.

Hiking is great too, costs little but can devour quite some time, depending on the trek.

To close that discussion, I would say that walking, is a close cousin to running and is almost as time and cost-effective!

Golf has not been covered in that blog, because I personally hate that little white ball!

Rich folks can pay more taxes, and...

While it seems obvious that income and happiness are mostly related, beyond a certain income level, there seem to be no measurable increase in an individual's level of happiness. At least this is what seems to suggest a group of Princeton researchers who found that, based on data from Gallup, that threshold of yearly income appear to fall around $75,000 in the United States.

So why am I even bringing up that subject? Simply because past that income level, what extra flows into our hands makes not much difference and more affluent people could easily pay a little more taxes without seeing their life turned upside down. Instead of that however, the American super-rich seems to pay no more than one half of what their middle-class counterparts are saddled with. In my view, something has to give and while I'm not saying we should “soak the rich,” I'm a proponent of scrubbing the Bush-era tax cuts altogether.

The sole caveat in what I'm advocating is that government should also reduce its expenditures while starting paying off the national debt, both in the same magnitude as we're restoring our previous tax rules. Too often, our public discourse focuses on cutting expenses (Republicans) or raising taxes (Democrats). That's all and that's far from being sufficient.

As an independent, I say, let's make it a "three-legged stool" by cutting expenses, raising taxes and paying off the debt in increments that won't kill us but will demand some real, painful sacrifices from all of us. It's not multitasking, it's just being practical and commonsensical!

How to reduce a dislocated finger?

This particular accident happened to me 15 days ago, and yesterday, while I was seeing my family doctor for an annual check up, he told me the best way for reducing a dislocated finger, was to bend the joint backwards and then pulled it back in place.

 Since this advice sounded totally counter-intuitive to me, I began to research the subject only to find no rhyme nor reasons to the various treatments that were proposed. At best, everything was vague, which lead me to believe that there was no good methodology being taught or used to address the problem.

Based on this, my sense is that caregivers will “intuitively” pull with all their might on the displaced finger to re-align it (what happened to me after 5 painful attempts!) Pretty sad state of the knowledge in this area.

At any rate, the following video represents the information that makes the most sense to me. Now, you might ask how's my right ring finger? Getting progressively better, but by very small increments!

Extremists: Paul Ryan & Bashar Hafez al-Assad

I find both to having an uncanny physical resemblance, but beyond that simple observation, they're both extremists in their own way.

I feel that a Democratic Society should protect extreme segments of its population like the ones they represent, but not let them attain top political power.

We've done it once by letting Dick Cheney become Vice-President of the United States and that's one time too many...

Advice from the Pro to future retirees

One of my best friends recently shared his apprehensions at the thought that, come the end of November, he'll be joining the ranks of retirees. To address his anguish, I'm covering a number of key advices that should pleasantly ease him into his transition!

To begin with, recognize your addictions to work and to being relevant, and then deal with them. They're a disease, period. If necessary, get some professional help, but do everything possible to resist the foolish idea that you ought to pursue yet another career. These destructive addictions simply have to go!

Next, there's no more room for stress in your lives. Like dreading Monday mornings, anguishing about another last-minute business trip, or trying to placate the boss when he or she wants you to increase productivity, sales, or margins when you know damn well that the expectation is totally unreasonable. That's right, the ugly stress in gone for good.

Another benefit of being retired is that there's no more room or excuses for rushing. You can now take your time, seize the moment and make it last as long as you want. That applies to resting, eating, drinking and anything else you still enjoy doing.

Of course, when there's no rush, there's also plenty of room for doing nothing. Even though this lack of activity might seem obvious, retirees need to seriously apply themselves to learning the art of goofing off. Practice, practice, practice! After a lifetime of work, this skill doesn't come as easily as one might believe!

This bring me to the inexorable truth about aging. The older we get, the less time we've got in reserve and conversely, whatever times remains suddenly becomes increasingly valuable. So if you think your time is precious today, wait until tomorrow; it will be unaffordable! The bottom line is that day after day, the value of your remaining time will shoot through the roof, because, let's face-it, time is all we've got, and you must begin treasure every moment...

This is why doing things today instead of tomorrow is the main idea as long as there is no rush or anxiety and you plan everything smoothly. If you had a dream like skiing South America or bungee-jumping, and still feel you're up to it, don't delay, do it while you can. Make sure you make a list and review all of your dreams including your most obscure ones, and schedule them for accomplishment!

Lastly, but not least, is your relation with your spouse. How will you interact with your better-half now that you'll have so much time to spend together? A sizable period might be needed for adapting to that new reality of shared space and time, and if some conflicts were to pop up, always keep one fundamental principle in mind; at retirement age, your spouse can no longer fire you as you have now reached that coveted status of tenure or lifetime employment!

Now, enjoy your time off...

Looking back at Look

Thierry Convert's visit was a great way to re-ignite my memories about Look, a period spanning between 30 and 38 years ago. Look ski binding was my first corporate job and I clinched it thanks to having been born under the right astrological sign!

That's true, this was the last question Mrs. Beyl, the company founder's wife, asked me before saying: “You're hired!” No college degree required, only a pretty good understanding of skiing and the ability to interact in four different languages opened the door to a wonderful career.

There's no denying that Look was the ticket into my professional life and taught me most of the things I might have learned in an Ivy League School, except that it ended up being much harder and taxing, both physically and emotionally.

In taking the position, I made the classical mistake of thinking that I was indeed part of the “family company” and invested my heart and soul into the job which, at times, felt like it was “mission impossible” among a dysfunctional group of people.  Soon, my employment brought me to America where I had a chance to hone my basic marketing skills and, from there, I gathered all the elements needed for building a fun career.

In retrospect, Look was the initial stepping stone that made the rest possible and turned my American dream into a successful reality. Hard to beat!

Why I'm confident about America

A few blogs ago, I was writing that what makes America so creative and so forward-thinking is precisely the fact that it's not mired into tradition. That's right, customs, culture and anything that excessively channels behavior that isn't harmful is an impediment to change and when you think about it, our present and future are all about change of the roaring kind.

Change that is fast and furious and non stop. In a world that is in a permanent and accelerated state of flux, the fewer obstacles to adapting, the better. That in itself is the greatest advantage bestowed upon America. We can change everything and retool faster than Europeans, Asians and Africans.

Nimbleness and reactivity is built into the American DNA. It's not because God prefers us – she doesn't care - and it's certainly not thanks to our corrupt politicians that constitute our built-in handicap. Its simply because of its unparalleled flexibility and instant adaptability that America will continue to flourish no matter what the jealous, the naysayers and the enemies can say or do.

Romney, Ryan then what?

Romney made a drastic move by picking Ryan to rescue a campaign that was going nowhere. In my view, Paul Ryan is a volatile, even explosive “crutch” that is aimed at re-balancing an otherwise lame candidacy.

It will for sure add oil to the fire, hopefully force Obama to place his own efforts for re-election into overdrive and also push him towards much more specificity in terms of defining what he plans to do during the next four years. A interesting new development indeed!

Parallel careers

Yesterday afternoon and evening, we had the honor to play host to Audrey and Thierry Convert, a visiting couple from France, whose life path has been amazingly influenced by the twists and turns of my own career. Just read this amazing story: In 1977, while working as product manager for Look ski binding, in Nevers, France, I was offered to move to America and work in a similar capacity at the firm's new subsidiary in New York.

Thierry took over my position at the French headquarters. In 1982, as Look moved to Vermont, I decided to remain in New York, changed jobs and was replaced by the same Thierry, who came to the U.S.A. with his wife and, for the second time, followed me in my former office space and picked up where I left off.

The company I went to work for was Lange ski boots; in 1986, one of my last assignments with that firm, was to check out Caber, a struggling Italian boot maker that Lange (then owned by Rossignol's founder and majority stakeholder) was interested in taking over for production and by the same token, launching the new Rossignol line.

I saw the writing on the wall and understood that if I stayed with Lange, I'd be sent to Italy to run the division. I didn't feel like moving back to Europe and instead chose to stay in the USA where I started a new venture distributing other ski products. Again, and for a third time, Thierry Convert was the one who took that Rossignol job, with the sole difference that he landed at the firm's headquarters near Grenoble, France.

"Third time's the charm" they say; following that last move, the “spell” was broken, but the three consecutive job changes remained totally astonishing! Last evening was a wonderful opportunity to reminisce these bygone days in the ski business and agree that fate do play an incredible role in our lives...

What's great marketing?

The word marketing evokes different things to different people. For me, it's been a lifetime pursuit, from the early beginnings of my corporate career until today as I've become more of a consumer than a creator of that elusive substance. Today, I'll try to define it in terms a non-marketing person should be able to grasp.

Great marketing is smooth and natural
To paraphrase the definition of Tao, great marketing shouldn't be seen, yet it's there. It's been built up in the DNA of the product or the service with the consumer in mind and it's never obtrusive. If it were, it would reveal itself, kill the magic and make the whole proposition mercantile and far less desirable. It often blends so well with everyday life that we say: “So simple, I could have thought of that myself!”

Great marketing runs from “cradle to grave” 
From the time a new marketable idea germinates, it needs to be nurtured, channeled, tutored. Its hands must be held. This goes from the original thought to research and development, actual creation or manufacturing, appropriate distribution, maintenance, continual improvements, repair and death of the whole concept.

Great marketing is guessing right 
It's hard to ask people about their wants and needs; they generally don't know. They can only respond to things and ideas that are offered to them. The job of a great marketeer is to first visualize and then synthesize what people are likely to want and crave. That demands a vivid imagination, an uncanny ability to visualize and experience elements that don't yet exist and transmute them into the real world.

Great marketing never stops 
It's the gift to accept that nothing last forever and that the wonderful product or service that was just created will soon be equaled, overtaken and left in the dust by its peers. It's the drive to working tirelessly to obsolete today's creation and imagining its replacement, just like reptiles shed their skin. It's the ability to look at competition with curious, instead of fearful, jealous or contemptible eyes.

Great marketing is super addictive 
Because of its originality and creative twist, the offering is like nothing ever created and addresses needs that are finally satisfied. It's generally feels like reaching a plateau or a mountain-top where we discover vista never experienced before. It can't be replaced in its entirety by copies or second-ran alternatives. Worse, we suddenly feel that we couldn't do anything without it. It has become a game-changer, a life changer.

Great marketing is in a class by itself...

The Illogical song (and dance...)

No, I'm not poking fun at Supertramp's hit song, even though we recently saw its former founding member Roger Hodgson performing it at Deer Valley Resort, I'm talking about XM-Sirius song and dance about their satellite radio rates.

My subscription came for renewal, so following what I had read on the net, I declined to renew and yesterday, a sparkly young lady called me in order to get me back into their audience. She said the yearly rate would be (around) $175 a year, but she'd “waive” the $15 re-activation fee of my account.

I answered: “To much.” Without missing a beat she goes: “Well I have that 'special' that's only $86 for a year...” I reply: “How much with tax?” She goes: “ $101...” I say: “Still too much!” She comes back: “What about another 'special,' $30 for six month with tax?” I jumped in and took the offer.

Where's the logic in XM-Sirius pricing? Nowhere to be found, for sure...

How's your vacation?

Yesterday, as we had been shopping for a pair of picture frames at T.J. Maxx - yeah, we've got one of these in Park City! - and were lining up to check out, my wife and I were speaking French together and the lady behind us asked in a smart aleck way “how's your vacation?” thinking we were bona fide French tourists.

I answered “just fine, thanks” and left it there. I could have said that I had been on vacation (retirement) for more than six year but that kind of answer would have literally opened up a can of worms and I didn't have the gumption to replay my whole life story inside a discount store.

I did just right and the morale of today's blog goes straight to the lady behind us: Never assume anything!

Reverting to pre-bubble...

The US economy hasn't been able to work its way out of the great recession chiefly because of the recent real estate bubble and subsequent crash that was one of the major cause for the economic downturn. Ever since 2008, real estate professionals as well as the financial sectors have tried to sweep that reality under the rug, hoping that through some “act of God,” things would turn around and home sales will regain some healthy pattern.

At first, home prices stayed the same and progressively eroded. In some markets that were particularly crushed by the crisis, like Arizona, Florida and Nevada, to name just a few, prices have come down so much that there's indeed some noticeable rebound in real estate activity. In other markets in which average prices are well above the national norm (resort town being a prime example), everything seems still frozen and showing no sign of rebounding.

The reason is quite simple: Prices continue to be out of synch with the real market and there's no demand at these levels. What would be required is a general re-set of home prices that would rejoin the levels of say, 2003 or 2004, just before insanity seized the market and inflated the bubble. Until such a move takes place, we're going to witness a continuum of the slow and painful adjustment to more realistic prices that has existed since 2008 and that will continue to paralyze the economic health of the nation.

How to reset to normality? By having the real estate community switching to a honest narrative instead of fooling sellers into thinking that their asking price might work, just for sake of getting a listing. But again, that breed of people is too unlikely to be willing to face the music and act with a courage it lacks in the first place.

Great positive news!

Between some Olympic exploits and NASA’s rover Curiosity touching down on Mars early today, there has been a flurry of positive news for a change. Curiosity's picture-perfect descent and landing is actually a big scientific deal and according to NASA, it holds the seeds of what's likely to be one of the most ambitious planetary program ever.

I was delighted the entire mission did succeed as it did, because if it had failed, Romney would have been all over Obama, blaming him for cutting too much into NASA's budget. That it something I'd guarantee would have happened!

When addiction collides with age

If it's true that we have developed a serious dependance towards running, walking, biking and a number of physical activities, we need to recognize it and manage it well. In the midst of all that, we also are advancing in age and our performance in terms of mental judgment, reaction time, vision and balance isn't necessarily going in the same upward direction as that devouring addiction.

Some adjustment is probably needed, but how much and how fast? I don't have much in terms of reliable stats to help me in that regard so I can only estimate it and play it by ear. At any rate, I should definitely “plateau” my performance expectations before commencing any serious downshifting. Any recommendations about some appropriate schedule?

Concentration

One element I forgot to discuss when I recently covered the art of mountain biking is concentration. A rider can't never be too much focused, and there's absolutely no room for daydreaming, chatting or watching the scenery while riding.

If there's a lapse in paying attention, and while it last, a gravel patch, a big rock, a twisted stump or a large hole can get in the way of the front wheel, a fall will ensue and falls from a mountain bike are almost always unforgiving!

Inevitable fall?

Yesterday, as I was shooting a mountain bike video, I took a bad fall and instead of feeling sorry for myself, I learned a few precious things in the process:

• First, my right ring finger was making a 120 degree angle with its normal alignment: It was dislocated.
• Second, you only feel the biggest pain first. Others are just waiting to get your attention later.
• Third, falling from a mountain biking is never “if” but only “when” and is never painless. I knew that already, but it sunk in a bit deeper...

YouTube’s 15 seconds of fame

Andy Warhol's saying “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes...” couldn't have been more appropriate last night at the Shaun Canon concert in Deer Valley, as this great singer announced that a YouTube video would be shot during the concert.

While the crowd in attendance was rather thin, a large number of young, old, fat and skinny spectators jammed the stage area to be part of a few seconds of (after-editing) fame. This goes to show that folks would do anything and perhaps give their first-born to be on YouTube!

Common-sense economics

The economists that write books or columns, teach at universities, come on TV or give speeches, strike me as being only scholars and intellectuals.

What they all seem to lack however, is good, common-sense. It's as if they had been insulated from the bites of real-life and had just experienced a cocooned existence where everything can be precisely measured, comes out of theory and repeats itself always predictably.

They complicate things that don't need to for no good reasons, chase the big trends but seem to ignore the important little details that are too down to earth for them. They're disconnected from real life and reality.

That's why I don't trust them and why they're predictions almost come always wrong.