Some Young Foo

We have limits, but we can always do better [go beyond our limits].

Focus like when you’re skydiving.

The market gets it right over a long period.

“They say in the stock market…buy stock in a business that’s so good that an idiot can run it because sooner or later one will.”

[The West-Eastern Divan Orchestra] is a transformational experience for the [Arab and Israeli] musicians. Being an orchestral musician means you have to express yourself to the utmost while simultaneously listening and responding. That’s an important skill for conflict resolution and for life.

Daniel Barenboim, conductor, quoted in TIME magazine, April 14, 2008.

3:10 to Yuma. Christian, you rockest. Russell, what happened?

300. This is the future! Of filmmaking.

Antwone Fisher. Denzel’s directorial debut jerks at tears.

Atonement. Annoying typewriter.

The Black Dahlia. Eh.

BloodRayne. Pure garbage. Michelle Rodriguez + British accent = paycheck for Sir Ben Kingsley.

Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. Deceptively brilliant.

The Darjeeling Limited. Pretentious? Who cares?

Date Movie. Absolutely dreadful. A career low for Alyson Hannigan.

The Departed. Well-executed ripoff.

The English Patient. Almasy wins first prize in romantic futility.

Everything Is Illuminated. Laugh out loud turns to somber realism. Liev delivers.

Flags of Our Fathers. Clint, you’re awesome. Veterans, thank you.

Forrest Gump. Go Forrest!

Fun with Dick and Jane. Enron/Adelphia/Tyco debacle + keeping up with the Joneses + bilingual babysat children + migrant workers = brilliantly sly take on our times.

Gattaca. Go Vincent!

The Godfather. Back when Al was good.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. Clint, you’re awesome.

The Great Raid. Not bad, James. Unbelievable but true story.

A History of Violence. Pleasant surprise with William Hurt in a supporting role. Not Viggo’s best movie, but he was believable enough.

The Illusionist. Predictable.

In Her Shoes. Layered, authentic, character-driven, smart, unflinching. Cameron Diaz nails it.

The Island. One long commercial. Steve Buscemi appears out of nowhere like whack-a-mole.

Jackass: Number 2. Got brain?

Jarhead. Brilliantly written book, not as good Hollywood version. Dennis Haysbert, the poor man’s Denzel Washington, makes a cameo.

Last Holiday. Ladies Love Cool James loves Latifah. Cheesy and formulaic, but a guilty pleasure.

The Last King of Scotland. Forest, you were always this good.

Letters from Iwo Jima. Clint, you’re awesome.

Madagascar. Inessential.

March of the Penguins. Amazing.

Matchpoint. Where’s the tennis?

Mission Impossible 3. Non-stop action, worthy of big-screen ticket price. Keri Russell breaks out of Felicity.

Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Unexpectedly good enough to rent. Funny marriage jokes.

Out of Time. Good sidekick humor, Denzel in peak form.

The Prestige. Chris, you rock. Christian, you rockest.

The Professional. Natalie, I always knew you’d be a star.

The Shawshank Redemption. Go Andy!

Stranger Than Fiction. Cool watch.

An Unfinished Life. Another one of these roles, eh, Morgan? J.Lo, enough.

The Weather Man. Camel toe.

I first started this list when I moved to WordPress, but got bored and stopped. Well, here we are again…my favorite annoying things! Enjoy! And check often, oh, I don’t know, every three weeks or so, to see if the list has grown any.

Folks who schedule early morning meetings then cancel at the last minute. Okay, I don’t mind getting up early, but please be kind enough to reschedule the day before. My beauty sleep is precious.

Allergy medicine in packs of 15, not 18. There’s space for 18 capsules, so why only package 15?

From Pete, a veteran investor / rehabber, over lunch at Maxwell’s on Dempster Road:

• The name is the game (location).
• Where is the property located? Close to shopping, transportation, schools, entertainment.
• You gotta have guts.
• Expect to lose some deals, it’s part of learning.

When interviewing a seller’s agent to help sell your home, ask the prospective agent:

• How much experience they have
• How long their listings have been in the market
• How many listings sold in the last 12 months
• How long it takes to sell a home in today’s market
• The average selling price
• How list price is established
• List price-to-sale price ratio
• How they’ll market your home
• Any to-do items before marketing your home
• How they’ll communicate with you

Buying or Renting. If you’re new in town, rent for two years before buying a house.

Model proper behavior early on. If you want your children to be diligent, model diligence. If you want your children to be respectful, model respect. What you demonstrate in their early years will impact them for life. Teach by example.

Praise your children for good behavior. Encourage them. Build their self-confidence.

Discipline your children. Give them a sense of right and wrong so they don’t go flailing around later in life.

Whose team are you on? The enemy’s defining goal is to get you out of the game of being an effective worker for God.

Look for and take opportunities to turn the other cheek, especially in close relationships, behind closed doors. These exercises in humility and self-surrender will build your character (”…take up your cross daily and follow Me.”)

The absence of God is darkness.

Be honest. You can’t fake authenticity.

Hustle, but don’t be greedy.

Give.

Intellect is not everything.

Think the best of others. Assume others have positive intent and operate accordingly.

Don’t publicly embarrass someone. Instead, in private, ask clarifying questions, and allow the person to acknowledge he or she was wrong. Then move on.

Don’t put yourself above others. We all come into life with our own frames of reference, our own experiences, our own stories. Learn instead from the people around you. Get off your high horse, shut up, listen, and learn.

It’s nice to be important but it’s more important to be nice. –Roger Federer

Own it. If you screw up, take responsibility, and make amends. Face the music. Face reality. –October 29, 2006

“People who are operating based on their own emotions and their own personal agendas–given enough time they will self-destruct.” –Carly Fiorina, in The Chicago Tribune