Mark Wright’s Blog

I would like to start out my first blog of 2009 wishing everyone a very Happy New Year.  I hope you all have a tremendous amount of success and happiness in the New Year.  Like everyone else, I have a few resolutions for 2009.  Obviously I want Blue Sand Design and LongBeachOnline.com to continue to grow and experience success.  I also want to do the usual things such as lose weight and get in better shape.

As I get older, I find it harder to get back into shape.  When I do work out, I find the recovery times are a lot longer and the old body doesn’t snap back like it used to.  I find that I need to take more supplements than I used to so I can heal faster.  However for many, it is very tempting to take more serious short cuts such as steroids. 

As I was looking over then news today, I came across an article about one of the former American Gladiators who talks about his problems with steroids.  He talked about how the side effects caused significant problems such as man breasts and shrunken testicles.  Now those are two phrases that I really don’t have any inkling to want to hear. 

I have never taken steroids before but I have been around others who have.  The radical changes to their bodies was nothing short of amazing.  They gained 20 pounds of solid muscle and the definition was shocking.  I would work as hard as they did but never make the gains.  However after researching the various anabolic steroids, I believed the side effects were worse than any gains I could possibly make. 

While my friends were getting bigger, there were also changes to their personalities.  Their tempers became very short and were more prone to outbursts, a term known as “roid rage.”  Most of my friends were smart enough to get off them before any long term damage was done and for that I am grateful. 

I don’t know how many times I heard athletes, movies stars or other famous people completely reform their bodies and attribute it to hard work and then find out later it was because of steroids.

Developing a healthy body is the same as developing a healthy relationship or business.  Neither is done overnight.  However, when you take shortcuts, the chances are the damage down the line will be greater than any short term gains.  I know the process of getting myself back in shape is going to be a long road, but it is a road worth traveling.   

I want to start off by wishing everyone a very Happy New Year.  I very much look forward to 2009 to continue to grow Blue Sand Design and LongBeachOnline.com.  I have met a lot of new friends and feel very blessed to have them in my life.  I hope you all have a ridiculous amount of success and good will for the new year.  To all of our clients, thank you for your business and I look forward to working with you over the next year.

Now that I have the pleasantries out of the way, and I do mean every word of it, I want to say a few words about something that I knew would be a bad idea.  A few days before the new year, I saw on the television that comedian Kathy Griffin was going to co-host CNN’s New Year’s Eve telecast with Anderson Cooper.  I saw this as being very interesting because it was probably the most mismatched co-hosts in recent TV memory.

Griffin is known for her strong opinions and the ability to say pretty much anything that comes to her mind.  Cooper on the other hand is a pretty straight laced guy.  When I heard about this match, something told me that things probably wouldn’t go well.  I figured Griffin would say something inflammatory and it would create a problem.  Now I don’t claim to be Nostradamus, even though I did predict the Virginia Tech kicker would miss his first field goal wide right yesterday, but this was an accident waiting to happen.  And boy she didn’t disappoint me.

During the live broadcast, it was reported that she dropped the D-word on a heckler.  Now you can leave it up to your imagination what that particular word is because I’m not going to repeat it, but it was in regards to a part of the male anatomy.  Now you might be thinking that I am going to rip Griffin for saying the naughty word.  Why should I?  I knew she was going to do it.  That is what she does. 

I found it hilarious that she was being heckled.  I doubt there are many times in which Anderson Cooper, Wolf Bliter or any of the other gang at CNN get heckled when they are doing their job.  I may be wrong on this but it is doubtful.  CNN is good at what they do, reporting the news.  I can see them trying to inject some life into their broadcast with Griffin, but they needed to realize that part of her job is to be shocking and offensive.  Instead of reporting the news, they became the news and that is not what they are about.     

I took a little time off from LongBeachOnline.com and Blue Sand Design to visit friends and family over the Christmas holiday.  I was out in California so I made the trek by plane to Houston and then drove to Austin to visit family. 

Now I have not flown over the holidays in quite some time.  Needless to say, it was an experience.  I am not a big fan of flying.  Being crammed in a coach class seat at my size is never a very pleasant experience but driving across the country is not very practical so what can you do?  However, with the changes in the airline industry as of late, it has become an even more unpleasant experience. 

My experience started as I got to the airport.  I arrived at the airport early since it was the holidays.  I had two layovers on my flight to Houston so I knew it was going to be a long day.  Now I paid a considerable amount for my airline ticket.  I know the airline industry is like every other industry in that they are feeling the pinch of the economy.  However, I didn’t realize how bad it really was.  I had one checked bag and a carry on.  Now I understand that if you take multiple checked bags, you have to pay an extra fee.  However, now with this particular airline, you get charged for one checked bag.  I won’t tell you the name of the airline but it rhymes with Clue Less Fair Days.  Fifteen bucks later I am heading to my least favorite part of the trip, going through security.  This is the part that I expect to suck.  However, coming and going, it wasn’t too bad.  At the very least, the people working were pleasant.  Now I will abbreviate the next part since I could write 5000 words on this if I wanted to.  The crews in the terminal are unorganized, the flights were late and the people working aren’t that happy to be there.  It wasn’t a very pleasant experience.

Here is another cost cutting measure.  You don’t even get the obligatory tiny bag of pretzels or a sip of a coke.  Now you could purchase water or soda but that was about it.  The time the flight attendants spent pushing the cart around went from about 30 minute to 5 minutes.  Most people brought their own stuff on board. 

Now I understand that businesses have to do what is necessary to watch the bottom line but at some point doesn’t there have to be a level of service.  Flight attendants used to have to be nice.  With the post 9-11 regulations that have been posted to the airline industry, I understand some changes need to be made but I actually heard a flight attendant yelling at a passenger.  I then saw him roll his eyes afterword.  Granted, the guy had not yet turned his cell phone off but you could be a little more discreet about it.  Oh and by the way, airline passengers you are not off the hook either.

When you get to the security area, take your laptop out of your bag and put it in one of the bins.  Take everything out of your pockets and put them in the bin.  Take your shoes and belt off and put them in the bin. 

When they load people on the plane, they do it by rows or zones.  If your row or zone has not been called, sit down.  Your time will come.

Last but not least, when you get on the plane and they tell you to turn your cell phone or other electronic devices off, turn your cell phones or other electronic devices off.  It saves time, keeps you from being yelled at and if the plane crashes because you screwed up some electrical doo hickey and we both live, your problems are only beginning.  When they tell you to turn off your cell phone, that doesn’t mean everyone turn off your cell phones except you.

When the plane lands, you need to wait your freaking turn to get off the airplane.   

Now I have spent a lot of time complaining but I also believe in providing solutions.  Here are a few things the airlines can do that won’t them anything and will probably make people happier.

When you are charging for a ticket, roll the cost of the baggage into it.  I would rather pay the extra money up front and not know about it. 

Get your act together at the gates.  My flights loaded up by zones which had no rhyme or reason.  It is simple.  The people in the back of the plane board first.  The people in the front of the plane board last.  When the plane lands, you just reverse the process.

Be nice.  I know your job is difficult and with the holidays it becomes even more so.  However, just be nice to people.  If they ask you a question, answer it.  It is pretty simple really.

My flight into Houston was one of the worst experiences I’ve had.  Unfortunately, it wasn’t the worst.  I found that when I fly, I have to set my expectations so low to not be disappointed.  There is something very wrong with that.

It looks like Sean Avery’s tenure with the Dallas Stars is over.  Avery, the hockey player who was suspended by the National Hockey League for inappropriate comments concerning an ex-girlfriend and a current NHL player, has been told by Co-General Manager Brett Hull that his services are no longer needed.

This is a rare occurrence in professional sports for a player of Avery’s caliber to be let go.  I have seen time and time again where athletes have been given multiple chances to come back after bad behavior.  What makes Avery’s case even more unusual is that Avery didn’t break any laws.  He was suspended for saying something crude and tasteless.  Most of you are probably aware of the comment he made during an interview so I will spare you a repeat.  I will be honest in saying that I didn’t think it warranted a suspension.  However, I was impressed that the Dallas front office didn’t approve of the comments and in essence fired him. 

In most businesses, if you say something that is inflammatory or derogatory, you are probably going to get fired.  Most businesses have very little tolerance for that sort of behavior.  However, in the world of professional sports, athletes are usually given multiple chances for poor behavior.  The reality is that they can do something that most people can’t.  The idea that owners and front office personnel actually care about the players is an illusion.  In professional sports, star players get star treatment.  Adam Jones has received numerous chances to play after multiple arrests and confrontations.  He gets these chances because he is a phenomenal athlete.  If he were marginal, he would have been out of the league a long time ago.  When you have that sort of talent, people are willing to overlook a lot of flaws.

I am impressed that the Stars would be willing to part company with him, even though it means having to still pay his salary.  I’m not saying that people don’t deserve second chances.  In Avery’s case, I hope he gets a chance with another team.  I also hope that he has learned enough to realize it is not necessary to say everything that comes into his mind. 

A software engineer in Canada has built himself a girlfriend.  That is right.  Instead of trying to meet women the old fashioned way, he decided that he would just skip that whole process and just build him one. 

From what I gather, the robot he named Aiko, can speak English and Japanese, recognize faces, read, identify medication and even butter your toast, according to Le Trung, the dude who built her.  Now I am not the king of relationships myself but I think this is going just a little too far.  At first I kind of felt sorry for the guy.  But after I read a little more, I think I might have figured out his situation.

As he was describing Aiko, he mentioned that she doesn’t need holidays, food or rest and will work 24 hours a day, making her the perfect woman.  Now I am not a relationship counselor but I think his outlook might be part of the reason he is having to build a girlfriend as opposed to getting one the old fashioned way.  He could have probably saved a bunch of money by doing to one of the websites such as E Harmony or Match and found a real girlfriend. 

I’ve seen a picture of what she looks like.  It is pretty creepy.  She looks like a teenage girl doll for the most part.  Then this is where it really starts to get murky.  She has sensors in her body including her private parts, however, Le Trung insists that the relationship is strictly platonic.  Wow!

Being in the business of technology, I like new innovations.  I love gadgets and other items that make life and work easier and more fun.  However, this kinda gives me the willies.  I can see this becoming the new fad.  Guys with robot girlfriends or girls with robot boyfriends.  I guess you just have to be careful not to take them out in the rain.  It might void the warranty.