No “dark” movies for me...

Before going skiing all afternoon, I saw “Animal Kingdom” at the Sundance Festival with my wife and daughter. Great Australian thriller but a bit too “dark” and violent for my taste. My “women” stayed in the theater while I enjoyed some new powder and were treated to two more movies of the same somber “color.”

Skiing was the right thing for me to do and I was glad I made that decision, even though the weather was still snowy, on the gray side but with some interesting luminosity. You see, like I need light and sunshine most everyday, I need a good dose of positive influence on a daily basis as well. While I have been a disciple of positive thinking for a long while and have since brought some moderation that interest of mine, I don't believe that I need to feed my mind with too much negative stuff. I like to see my glass half-full and need much light around me. But again, that's only the way I like things...

Decision mastery

To make good decisions, you need practice and to make lots of good decisions fast and often, you even need to be immersed into using that tool. Decision-making is akin of risk-taking; you must be in the right mood to leave your comfort zone and, like most anything on this planet, it always takes a first step.

When I worked for a living, I was barraged by decisions, from the moment I woke-up in the morning to the time I fell asleep. These days, this regimen is much slimmer and I regret it. I should get back into the high-paced decision mode. It's good for my spirit, ma attitude and my continued vitality...

Visibility, Confidence and Speed

Making turns on skis can either be easy or daunting depending on one's ability, slope and snow conditions. Visibility is the first and foremost ingredient; skiing is a very visual sport that demand quick translation between what the eyes see and what the legs should do, and if it's available, it becomes a huge confidence booster. Seeing clearly and feeling great about oneself sets the skier up for optimum performance. Trusting enable speed fast enough to produce effortless turns and here you have the skier's magic formula: Visibility, confidence and speed, the skier's three-legged stool!

Engaging the adversary

We watched the State of the Union address by President Obama with a mix of skepticism and anticipation. We were not disappointed, as we were dazzled once more by his oratory skills and his remarkable ability to swim against the tide. As he began “cornering” or “shaming” retrograde Republicans into some action, we felt that he finally was on the right track. He needs to do more of this though and constructively engage these stubborn adversaries – what am I saying – enemies, and ask them to actively contribute to any new piece of legislation. My sense is that the GOP is so “brain-dead” and lost in its 20th century dogma that it can't come with anything relevant to our times anymore, but they need to be put on the spot over and over again, so their brainwashed following finally realizes that the “republican emperor” has no clothes indeed!

Rocky Mountains twigs

Early this winter, the snow cover was sparse and twigs showed up like never before. I know, these guys have a right to exist, but this year, they were just unbelievable, aggressive and in your face the all time. The creatures I'm talking about are either of the aspen family of trees (young shoots) or some kind of elderberry bush. Regardless of their origin or last name, these guys, depending on the diameter of their stem, can either be a harmless nuisance or plain vicious. Often they bend under the ski edge, sometimes they snap; many times though they'll slap you in the face if you attempt to plow through them and when they're big enough, they'll stop you on your tracks.

In Europe, where ski instructors are self-employed, it's not unusual to have an entire ski school volunteering one full weekend in the Fall to cut these perpetrators clean (in the Alps it's the much thicker and invading speckled alder, popularly called véroce in France.) We're not there yet in America; resorts would rather leave that job to their paying customers, but who knows? One can only hope! In recent day, I've noticed that their ranks have thinned out a lot and I assume they've begun hibernating when they saw all that new snow coming over. But I'm confident that unless ski areas do something about these “snow snakes” they'll be back in force next season!

The tail that wags the dog

Whenever a European friend asks me how is the US economy doing, I invariably answer by “still not as good as it could...” In truth, our economy continues to be dragged down by a pervasive and continuous real estate crisis. Through mortgage credit, banks are technically into red territory, but won't recognize it because of the negative impact this would have on their stocks. Yet, until someone puts their finger on that reality and take serious action, the more protracted our economic crisis will be. Yes, real estate is the “tail” that keeps on wagging the “economic dog!”

We need to go as fast as possible to the rock bottom of the real estate valuation to finally find ourselves in a position to build back from there, but as long as banks won't accept to look at the reality in the face and accept the significant losses that come with it, that silly game might last for another 2 to 3 years, and frankly, the country can't ill afford that kind of denial. Our Treasury Department is the one that should remove the veil hiding that stark reality. Until it does, we'll muddle through a long, deep and indeed “great” recession...

Religious fervor & societal happiness

I'd be curious to see a study linking religious fervor (and penetration) to economic success and societal happiness.

My guess is that the lower the former is, the higher the later becomes. Look at Haiti for example or any middle eastern or east Asian country that is under religious rule. For a happier, less crowded and more responsible world, religion should be totally eradicated, at least the one that's blended with government. You could tell me that Utah is just the opposite, but that's perhaps the exception that confirms the rule; at any rate (no pun intended) those Mormons Leaders are in it for the money, not the dogma!