Right where one should be!

I like surveys! To clarify: When I have the time I like to take surveys because by taking them I learn more about assessments and why most are flawed. Being an educator I'm biased to the extent that I see the worst case studies for assessment and they stick out in my mind. Not all assessments are bad, mind you. It is up to people like myself to constantly take the time to better refine assessments.

With that being said, RRJ turned me on to a political survey below, which was a fairly good survey. It confirmed what I always knew:

Your Political Profile

Overall: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal

Social Issues: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal

Personal Responsibility: 75% Conservative, 25% Liberal

Fiscal Issues: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal

Ethics: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal

Defense and Crime: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal

How Liberal / Conservative Are You?

Basically, being a moderate makes sense in the real world. As history has continued to show, if you are too far left or too far right, you ultimately miss the mark!

SYS

It was the biggest Pay Per View mismatch...

In my heart, I was expecting to see more of a war. But it turned out how it should have in the end. Mayweather easily handled Gatti in last night's "Thunder and Lightning" showdown scoring a sixth round TKO in Gatti's back yard of Atlantic City, NJ. The fight capped off an excellent card well worth the price of PPV. In cased you missed this great card, you can find the story here. HBO will also be rebroadcasting the fight later this week so check your cable listings.

The greatest allure to Gatti for me...

...is the puncher's chance; a shot for a fighter to come back and knock his opponent out and be victorious. The allure for someone like Mayweather to be engaged in a war is rooted in my belief that a fighter can only achieve so much fame by being cautious. A truly epic boxer, like Ali for instance, has the perfect combination of boxing craft and the spirit of a fighter. Let's face it, if a boxer is ever truly tested in his or her career, they need to dispense with being cautious and actually fight for the win! So far Mayweather has not had to do that and it is a shame. One icon who suffered in the long run from not developing the ability to take as well as he could give was Roy Jones, Jr. Ultimately, his career took an unexpected turn because of this.

Hopefully, Mayweather might be able to actually get into a scrap with perhaps Ricky Hatton later this year or next. Only then will he be able to garner as much of a fan base as fighters like Gatti, Ward and others who were not afraid to bare some scars from their victories.

SYS

These things spread like wild fire!

My self-discovery knows no limits lately. First, there was the stupidity test which proved that being 30 hasn't made me any stupider (er?) yet! Now I have The Quick and Dirty IQ Test brought to my attention by the beautiful bird of the Midwest.

I'm not sure whether to laugh or cry... :(

Your IQ Is 135

Your Logical Intelligence is Genius Your Verbal Intelligence is Genius Your Mathematical Intelligence is Genius Your General Knowledge is Exceptional

A Quick and Dirty IQ Test

You see just three years ago... I took an IQ test with one of my clients for both fun and to help prove a point to him. At the time he lacked self-esteem when it came to tackling subjects like the sciences (biology, chemistry, earth science, etc.). Of course, his esteem was compensated in other areas like math, social studies and within his athletic career, areas he continues to show a mastery of.

More often than not, we would argue whether or not it took a "genius" to excel in science. So I thought taking an IQ test with him would help prove that, indeed, I am not a genius and that it doesn't take a genius to do well in science subjects. Good study habits as well as assessing areas you are having trouble in, and asking questions to further you're own understanding are much more important to achievement.

Eighth grade was the last time I took an IQ test prior to the one with my client and I scored 120, a full 20 points below "genius" level. So I figured this would work out great to prove my point! Well, after scoring the test my score was a 139 (no shit!) which was a shock to say the least. I missed the genius bracket by one point. Initially, I didn't know what to make of this because I didn't realize at the time that IQ could increase either over time or with age in general. Needless to say I had to rework my lesson a bit with my client.

One good thing is that I was able to convey the message that you need not be a genius to do well in science subjects. I am pleased to say that in recent semesters my client's self-esteem as well as academic achievement have improved. I am very proud of him.

But on another note, this score has me wondering whether hitting 30 has caused a regression in my IQ. Am I really loosing it? At this rate, if it remains constant, by the time I am 40 I will be back down to the 120 range. I shudder at the thought of what will be happening at age 50. Damn, I have never really thought of how things will be when I am a senior but it is scaring me! LOL Maybe I should stock up on Ginko Boloba or something to keep my marbles from making a premature exit. The early bird keep the marbles, right? Or was it the worm? ;)

SYS

When you hear hoof beats, think horses, not zebras...

Thanks to RRJ for turning me on to yet another source of self-discovery and amusement.




The test is actually nicely done. I'm sure I dooped one question that should have been easy. The funny thing is one word on the test I have not seen since I took the S.A.T. I don't know if this speaks any less of me or the people I hang out with. LOL One thing I don't get though is how they say you will have to "cheat harder" to do better on the test. How can you cheat when taking this test?

SYS

Here Come the Scanty Clad Girls of Summer...

On a side note, not only did these past few weeks fly by, but packing up my things has been like a trip down memory lane. Also, I have a new appreciation of just how many things I have collected over the past seven years or so. As I am sorting through the stuff I can't live without and the stuff I can really do without, slowly but surely order is being established which is always a great thing. I can't wait until the packing is done and I no longer have to worry about it. But then again I will be unpacking pretty soon which will I'm sure i will be cursing a bit. Although, I plan on taking my time with it. No sense turning my new crib into chaos from the get go.

On a more serious note...

School is letting out for the young'uns finally. This doesn't affect me in the least only the noticable increase in foot traffic. Around this neighborhood that means more and more scantily clad 15-18 year old birds strutting up and down the block, at times accompanied by their wanna-be playa peers with one hand constantly in their pockets adjusting themselves and tongues wagging like pups. I'm certain I am not breaking new ground when I pose this question. Where are these kids parents?

For the boys, their actions are not condoned but are at least understood. With the way their minds work it is no wonder they carry on the way they do. It's like me wagging a strip of bacon in front of Caesar. Caesar will follow me to the end of the earth with drool and desire. But like Caesar, boys need training and some restraint. At home, they must not be getting much of this.

For the girls, my mind is equally perplexed. As a rational person, I can understand why they dress the way they do, tease, flirt and carry on. Watch MTV or Fuse for a half an hour and all is clear. Now if I were a Dad I would have to be brain-dead to let my little girl walk out of the house looking like that. No, I would not force my daughter to dress like the Amish. Obviously my wife and I would have to have a sidebar every now and then to come to an agreement with what is appropriate for them to wear. I guess this is not happening in their homes either.

At least they are pedestrians and not yet behind the wheel of a car. Although inside a vehicle, you cannot see what skimp they have on. The only thing you can catch of glimpse of is a beam formed by the color of the car zooming down the road like the Flash. To be honest I do not know which is worse. While walking up and down the street all day is quiet and safer for some of the little tikes, they still get an eye full. When I was in grade school we had some hot chicks don't get me wrong. I simply cannot remember there being so many or so many dressed like the echo boomers do.

One thing I do notice, out of all the echo boomer birds in this neighborhood, most who are dressing like street walkers in training do not participate in sports. A few birds I see jogging in the late afternoons and on weekends look like they are rather athletic. When they are in their street attire I notice they are not so "ghetto bootified." So perhaps this is a key to remember when I have daughters of my own. Make sure I start them off with an appreciation for sports this way they spend their free time either studying, training, playing their sport and NOT walking the streets attracting dawgs.

SYS

Another one hits the big 3-0!

Whoa! The Cop's 30th birthday bash was off the hook. And it was off the hook too! Great food, music, swimming, sprirts and, of course, nurses. Yes, they were sheilas and 90% looked like they were able to give good mouth-to-mouth! In a couple of days I will have shots to upload to "Visual Davis" hopefully. Today, I am just so lazy although I did mow the lawn. After the lawn I quickly headed back into the house because it was hot and I was VERY dehydrated. Piper, Ketel, Amber Bach and an assortment of Smirnoff Mandarin Orange fuzzy drinks will do that to even the hardest among us!

One thing I have come to appreciate is that indeed asian chicks pack some plump in the dumpy-dump. And its so nice!

SYS

Now get packing, fool!

With all the anxiety and anticipation from last week I find myself physically depleted. I guess it has been a combination of weather (again the switch is flipped and NY is HOT baby), pollen, training and finally entering contract that has left me low on energy. But I am plugging along at a decent pace. For the rest of June, I will be packing a little bit each day (sort of going from room to room) as well as organizing the things I will be selling in my yard sale. I thought I would be able to avoid doing an actual yard sale but more and more it looks as though it will be necessary. Not that I have a lot of stuff to sell, but so far none of my buddies or people I know have taken a stab at some of it.


The Cop is going to buy my Echo weed whacker and shoulder mounted leaf blower as well as my Weber Gemini-C gas grill. None of these will do me much good at my apartment and since he has a house and yard to take care of they will serve him well. Plus, being in excellent condition, if he were to go ahead and buy every piece seperately he would get no where near as good a deal as I am giving him. Other items I have for sale or a bunch of old computer gear and monitors, various electronics, yard tools, some furniture as well as odds and ends. Hopefully, most will sell at the yard sale and what ever is left over will be pawned off on my loved ones. God that sounds so lame! But you know what I mean.

Also, for the rest of this month my posting will be a bit chaotic and forthis I apologize. I will be updating Mobile Davis regarding my trip to Tanzania so be sure to check out developments as they happen.

SYS

Like Waiting For Christmas Morning.

I'll be the first to admit that when it comes to the real estate game I still consider myself a bit clueless, although I have been learning an awful lot. The biggest lesson I have learned so far is that diligence does not necessarily pay off for those who are diligent. What do I mean? Well, I'm the type of person that once I put my mind to do something, I do it. If I need to research something, I research it. If I need to go somewhere, I go. And If something needs to be read and signed, I read and sign it! If not, I simply don't sleep as well at night. Doesn't take me weeks or even months. I seem to like to do things quicker so they get done and are off my mind. We all have certain things we procrastinate with like cleaning the gutters or cleaning out your closet and I am no exception. But damned if I don't feel like the buyer (and his attorney) is operating on a totally slower gear than I am operating on! For crying out loud, I simply want to be in contract, close and off to Lincoln already.

I have so much I need to do... once I do arrive in Lincoln. Most importantly I need to set up an appointment with the Nebraska State Department of Education so that I may get the ball rolling in the process of transfering my teaching credentials from New York to Nebraska. All states have certain requirements that need to be met in order to gain licensureship for that state. I want to start getting those taken care of so that I can get back to doing what I love to do, which is teaching science! But still being in NY has prohibited me from doing the necessary legwork for obvious reasons.

Next thing on the list of things I need to do is to get all of my personal records (like insurances, banking and other stuff) transfered to local institutions in Lincoln. In other words "get settled in." Not only for myself but for Caesar as well. This will take a number of weeks to get straight I am sure. If this sounds stressful to you you are right. ALthough, I will not be as stressed as I am now waiting on other parties to get things rolling.

Plus, on top of everything else I have a little trip to Africa coming up Septemeber 14th! Well, pretty much everything for the Kilimanjaro trek is finalized but there is always other things that need to get done, which I can even think about now. oh well. I will keep doing what I am doing and hopefully I will have some good news later this week or early next week. Damn, now I realize why people are so stressed out with buying or selling a home!

SYS

Who knew Bondage had an evolutionary link?

When you have trouble explaining the sources for mundane human behaviors, I say you can always look at the creatures we evolved from for the answers:



You gotta love... the male's technique of placing his feet on top of the female's feet. ("Where do you think you're going, baby?" LOL) Doesn't seem like she is in all that much of a hurry to go anywhere, so I guess he is merely being thorough. Telling from the expression on her face, he still has a lot to learn.

I was surfing around the other day during a lull in the action (in other words I was waiting to switch loads of laundry). I found some other pictures that made me chuckle a bit.



I would have enjoyed reading the rest of the cartoon strip that this cell came from. With quality dialogue like that I am sure it would have been a blistering read! Why is it the pig that says, "Sooeey!" (?) Don't people say 'Sooeey' thinking the pigs will come running? Some pigs do come running but I think it is just their way of making sure the farmer finally shuts his freakin' pie hole with all that sooeey screaming. And why is the chick surprised he likes it? He knows a good pig when he sees one too!

This one is pretty neat for the fact that I would love to have the prop in my office.



Then when people would catch me hunkered over my desk, really involved in my work they would take a look at the "iAbacus" and know I was truly old school. Hell, if mathematicians can actually do calculus on an abacus, why the hell don't they make an electronic abacus. I'm sure Belgium wasn't the first country to come up with he idea! ;)

SYS