I’m slacking this week, I didn’t get the list up on Friday and I didn’t even make the list myself. Jesse offered up the following questions and I’d have to say he did a better job answering them then I did. His answers are the first ones posted in the comments.
1. If you could do anything for a living what occupation would you choose?
Without any obligations to anyone, I think I would like to travel all over the world and live within all the many different cultures outside the safe confines of our American Borders. I would love to be photojournalist writing and photographing my adventures a sort of William Safire cross with Indiana Jones.
2. If you could be a rock star, a star athlete, a politician, or an actor for a week, which would it be and why?
I’m with Jesse on this one. As a star athlete I think there would be more to savor in one week than any on the other options. Of course if I could keep the skills beyond the initial week I’d go with Country or Rock music star. Even if I wasn’t famous It’d be nice to play a guitar that well.
3. If you could play one sport professionally, what sport would it be and why?
Football. And when I say football I mean soccer to you Americans. You have no idea how huge this sport is in the rest of the world until you travel a little bit. It’s nearly a religion in the rest of the world. We need a miracle team like the 1980 USA Olympic Hockey team to energize the nation and make it popular here. The football athletes are in better shape than most sports, the sport is fast, the scoring isn’t outrageous, the rules are not complicated, its just the best sport.
4. What books have you read lately and would you suggest them to others?
I have not read anything I would recommend recently. I’ve been reading some pretty boring stuff. Right now though I am reading “Demian” by Herman Hesse. I read three of his other books in high school and enjoyed them so I figured I would read some more. When I finish this one I’ll start “Steppenwolf,” when that’s done I’ll check out some of your suggestions.
5. What are your plans for the weekend and next week?
Just another week in Iraq. My goal for the week is to get caught up on some email correspondence.
1. If you could do anything for a living what occupation would you choose?
This is a very easy one for me which is why I made it the first question. I would want to own an exotic car dealership. I have always said I wanted the dealership because then I would be able to drive the coolest cars and that stills remains the case even today. Through the dealership I would offer cars that most people have never heard of because they are so exotic such as the TVR Tuscan and the Pagani Zonda, but certainly include the staples such as Ferrari, Lamborghini and Porsche. Of course, I would want to include the Mercedes and BMW line simply because they are a higher volume sale than your average Ferrari and the goal would be to sell vehicles but my intent would be to focus on the higher end models. There are some really great looking Mercedes that I am sure many people would love to own. I haven't opened for business yet simply because I don't have the cash flow for the land to build the lot nor the financing of the vehicles. Certainly if there is anyone who reads this message board who wants to talk business, has a spare 'cool million' and has a similar dream as I, shoot me an email and I will run my business plan by you.
2. If you could be a rock star, a star athlete, a politician, or an actor for a week, which would it be and why?
I think I would choose to be the star athlete. The idea of being respected by thousands of fans and hearing people chant my name when I would come to the plate or score a touchdown would be the ultimate rush for me. Think about it, how many people walk around with a T- shirt that says Pitt or McGreevey on the back of it? Now how many people do the same for Derek Jeter. Plus although there is a ton of money in all of the above mentioned, athletes in general get paid very well for doing something they enjoy doing. Finally, in my question I said for one week. I believe that an athlete in that period of time given could accomplish the most. Giambi can hit five home runs in a week and that could be the difference in a World Series ring or not, whereas an actor certainly doesn't have time to make a movie and we all know that a politician wont accomplish much in that time frame. A rock star sounds like fun, but at the same time it seems like a lot of shuffling around for concerts and recordings and media attention which is something I personally would not enjoy.
3. If you could play one sport professionally, what sport would it be and why?
I would choose to play professional hockey. The sport would allow me to play a game that requires a great amount of skill as well as one that would allow me to take out any aggressions 'legally'. In soccer or basketball you would be called for a penalty if you ran right into someone purposefully but with hockey it is allowed. My concerns would be losing my teeth and getting concussions but I think putting them aside my answer stays the same.
4. What books have you read lately and would you suggest them to others?
This is kind of a softball question for me because the truth is I have had some free time lately and have been able to read quite a bit. I read four books by Dan Brown including Davinci Code, Angels and Demons, Deception Point and Digital Fortress. I would highly recommend all of them. In fact, I recommended Davinci Code to Michelle and I don't know what she thought of it after finishing it, but about halfway through she really liked it. Forget all the media, sensationalized, hub-bub regarding the conspiracies and read them all from an entertainment standpoint. The author does an exceptional job of keeping the reader's attention by introducing various mysteries and solving them 10-20 pages later. Within those pages, generally another 'mystery' is revealed and the reader keeps saying I just have to read a few more pages and I can figure it all out. For this reason I couldn't put the books down. I highly recommend all of them and probably liked them in the order I typed them out. Also although Angels and Demons, according to the back cover is similar to Davinci Code it is not and therefore you should definitely read both. Right now, I am about halfway through Trump's book Art of the Deal. The book was written back in the 80's so it is pretty much dated material. I bought it a couple of months ago when his show was all hyped up. It reads like Trump talks, short sentences with little variety. It definitely gives some insight as to how he made it big, but does little to reveal how you, an ordinary person whose daddy doesn't have millions to offer up, can make it big in real estate. Prior to starting Trump's book, I began reading A Random Walk Down Wall Street by Malkiel. I am about halfway through that book as well and unlike the Brown books does little to keep my attention. It reads similarly to a text book with an ok story line. It basically discusses the stock market as a whole and although I haven't finished the book I recognize that the author whole heartedly believes in the efficient market theory and also believes in index funds. If you are person who 'plays the market' by trading stocks and bonds it is an absolute must read and has been considered a bible for the wall street type for years. I was first introduced to the book in a portfolio analysis class in my Masters program. I have been reading it for about 2 months now and truthfully I was side-tracked by the Brown books. I have slowly been going back to it in between books or when I have some true time to kill or I am in a learning mood. I have read all of Grishams books except for Bleachers and all of Chrichton's as well (I think). I read the four books written by Brown and now I am looking for new authors so if anyone had some suggestions let me know.
1. If you could do anything for a living what occupation would you choose?
Right now being an author looks attractive to me. It is creative, which has an appeal to me right now. The creativity also can have a focus of virtually anything, from political thrillers to studying famous people from history. So, some research is involved and becoming familiar with a topic has further appeal. There is some travel involved, with book tours. And everything, from hours to location worked, is largely determined by the individual. There are outside pressures on those individually determined decisions, but the final word is determined by the author.
2. If you could be a rock star, a star athlete, a politician, or an actor for a week, which would it be and why?
I would choose a rock star, by a hair over an athlete. The rock star wins, today anyway, strictly due to the chance of injury, which is a very real possibility in most sports, even with the limitation of one week. With a rock star, you still have the roar of the crowd and people chanting your name. And again, some of the same benefits mentioned above in ideal career apply here as well for the most part.
3. If you could play one sport professionally, what sport would it be and why?
Despite what I said in question 2, I would choose football. American football, for oddly the opposite reasons Dan chose soccer. It is complex. There are so many things and adjustments that can be made that it is almost chess like. There is plenty of scoring, but not so much so as to drain all excitement from scoring. The sport has specific times of excitement so as not to be monotonous. And, like Jesse's argument for hockey you can hit people if you want.
4. What books have you read lately and would you suggest them to others?
I'm going to talk about three books, one of which I am in the middle of. The first is Benjamin Franklin by Walter Isaacson. It is a biography of guess who? I enjoyed it and found him to be an extremely interesting individual. I picked it up mainly to learn more about Benjamin Franklin, whom I was curious about for some reason. The second book is Racing to Win by Joe Gibbs. It is a book detailing the principles Joe uses to help him succeed and provides examples based on his career in NASCAR and with the Redskins. Joe is a devout Christian, which shines through in the book. I found it a good read, and very quick. The book I am working on now is The Universe in a Nutshell by Stephen Hawking. This book has more of a textbook feel, explaining modern theories of physics and how the universe works. Unless you have an interest in understanding these theories without getting a doctorate in physics, I would not recommend it.
5. What are your plans for the weekend?
Not much really. I need to go shopping for a wedding present and will take it from there. Talk to you later.
1. If you could do anything for a living what occupation would you choose?
Good question. I think a wedding planner. I'm not sure though.
2. If you could be a rock star, a star athlete, a politician, or an actor for a week, which would it be and why?
I would definately choose a rock star. (That is assuming a miracle happened and changed my voice.) I really enjoy singing and dancing (in my house anyway). That would be so much fun rocking on stage. I would be lead singer and have a band to back me up. Maybe enven backup dancers. For a week, that would be fun!
3. If you could play one sport professionally, what sport would it be and why?
None that fits into what I think of as "professional" sports. No interest in football, soccer, hockey, basketball, etc ..... If someone would pay me to play a sport/physical activity, my first choice would be gymnastics. My second choice would be swimming. Why? I'm not into playing contact sports or any sports for that matter.
4. What books have you read lately and would you suggest them to others?
Nothing to share here. I'm not really a big book fan. (I just signed up for an Oprah magazine subscription, if that counts.) I'm interested to see if anyone suggests something that actually interests me. Maybe I need to hear from a few girls. (No offense boys!)
5. What are your plans for the weekend?
A little summer cleaning. Going through old clothes and either organizing or discarding them. Make a few phone calls. Out to dinner on Saturday. Relax on Sunday.
1. If you could do anything for a living what occupation would you choose?
The wife of a photojournalist….HAHA…JUST KIDDING! Seriously Dan, we can work with that idea! I’m thinking a little freelance work on the side and we can claim the travel expenses! Actually everyone’s ideas so far seem very attainable.
For some reason, it is hard for me to think way out of the box on this one. A few ideas would be to work for the Dept. of Justice or run a non profit to help kids who age out of foster care. However, to pick something completely random that I would LOVE I have to say my dream would be to own/operate a small resort in a tropical location. Bigger than a B&B, but smaller than a hotel. It would be very private with the most luxurious and thoughtful amenities.
2. If you could be a rock star, a star athlete, a politician, or an actor for a week, which would it be and why?
Frankly, I wouldn’t want to be any of these things. However, I would say rock star, if anything. Dan knows how I like to listen to my music as loud as possible and sing along at the top of my lungs, so it might be cool to rock out with a band on stage. On the other hand, a great deal might be accomplished if I was a politician for a week. I could make all kinds of things happen without being concerned about re-election. I often think our country would be a better place if there was a one or two term limit for our elected officials.
3. If you could play one sport professionally, what sport would it be and why?
I would be a professional snowboarder. I just think that is so cool! My cousins Sarah and Leslie are actually both very good snowboarders…maybe they will go pro! I have to say that ice hockey is a close second…a good check into the boards would be so satisfying!
4. What books have you read lately and would you suggest them to others?
Jesse is right…I loved the DaVinci Code! I know it is quite controversial but I considered it purely as a work of fiction. I would second every single thing Jesse said about this book…it was absolutely impossible to tear myself away from it! I was slightly disappointed in the ending, however. I started Angels and Demons, but so far it is a lot like the DaVinci Code. I’m hoping the plot takes a radical departure soon, because the first 100 pages are remarkably similar. Its starting to feel like the guy just uses a formula with different details. I also just finished the Law School Confidential---basically a guide to the law school experience by recent grads. It was a bit overwhelming to consider, but I am sure it will be a well worn reference before my first year is over. I’m really hoping their estimate of studying 16 hours a day turns out to be a bit exaggerated.
5. What are your plans for the weekend and next week?
Sunday was Tyler’s birthday party and we had tons of fun and good food! I am supposed to have off from work this week, but just like last week I will be working at least a couple of days. The rest of the week will be spent getting ready to show our house and getting ready for the movers, who are coming the 28th. I have LOTS AND LOTS of work to do!
1. If you could do anything for a living what occupation would you choose?
I think I would enjoy being Dan's Personal Trainer...wait a minute, I already do that. OK, what else...I think if there was a field with a cliff at one end and kids were running through the field I'd like to just stand by the cliff and catch the kids as they came through the rye before they fell off the cliff.
2. If you could be a rock star, a star athlete, a politician, or an actor for a week, which would it be and why?
I'd be an athlete, renegotiate my contract so that they paid me by the game and then play a couple of games for about $30,000 each.
3. If you could play one sport professionally, what sport would it be and why? Skateboarding. Those guys blow my hair back...I have no idea how they pull those tricks.
4. What books have you read lately and would you suggest them to others?
Far from the Madding Crowd--my second time through, and I think it's worth your time.
Galations--not an easy read, but worth digging into.
Time's Arrow--an interesting look at Nazism from a unique perspective
5. What are your plans for the weekend and next week?
As per usual, my main goal will consist of motivating Dan to get his butt into the gym. I will also attempt to discover if he even brought running shoes with him on this deployment.
Warning to Michelle: you may not recognize Dan when he gets back...he's now one of the regulars in the gym (strictly free weights--no nautilus) and if I can get him into his running shoes we'll get rid of some of that baby fat. He's gonna be carved out of wood.
It's probably too late to post, and no one will read this, but I wanted to answer the questions anyway.
1. If you could do anything for a living what occupation would you choose?
I would have a ranch for rescue animals of all kinds: horses, dogs, cats, etc. They would be able to roam free and not have a care in the world for the rest of their lives.
2. If you could be a rock star, a star athlete, a politician, or an actor for a week, which would it be and why?
I would like to be the person who hosts Saturday Night Live. I guess that week would be rehearsals, and it would culminate in my hilarious performance on Saturday Night!!
3. If you could play one sport professionally, what sport would it be and why?
It would be either softball, soccer, or gymnastics. The only real experience I have is in softball, but I think I would be okay at soccer. Eventually.
4. What books have you read lately and would you suggest them to others?
I read The Da Vinci Code, which was absolutely outstanding! Very thought provoking! I am currently reading Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix. I'm not sure what I'll read next.
5. What are your plans for the weekend and next week?
Well, since that weekend already passed, I guess I did the same stuff as usual, which is not a whole lot. :)