Old School vs. New School

What does it mean to you when someone says that something is old school. To me it means that it is classic and still applies to today like being a sharp dresser or knowing how to treat people right. Old school also means someone who is not afraid to be themselves no matter what the room says. If you have ever seen the movie "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" the character Demone says it is the "the attitude" that no matter what the house is doing you do your own thing and you do not let someone else' attitude influence yours.
If someone is old school they are not interested in the status quo. Status is not important. Respect and reputation is. When you deal with an old school person you have to come correct. What does this mean? It means that you have to come to them with respect and they will accept nothing less. An old school person is known by their rep and no one crosses them because they do first and say later . They don't say of you come at me in a certain way I will punch you in the mouth an old school person just punches them in the mouth. Old school does and does not threaten . New school is bluff, smoke and mirrors. Old schools says your word is everything. New school says your word can be changed as it suits your needs. Old school is the ultimate in cool. New school is the ultimate in flash and shallowness.
Examples of old school guys and dolls: Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, Malcom X, Robert F Kennedy,Stevie Wonder, Alan Ginsberg, Amelia Earhart, Lena Horne and Dinah Washington. Fictional characters: Humphrey Bogart, Jethro Gibbs from NCIS , Ed Deline from Las Vegas.
Old school is not just an attitude it is a lifestyle where you live by your wits and by your standard. We need more old school guys and less weak, whinny dishonest new school manipulators. People of action not faction those who have a passion not a fashion.

Something Called High School

Tomorrow is the freshman orientation at Central high school. I can remember my first day at that thing called high school.
It was 1972 when I entered high school and it was a mystery to me . I have two older sisters and they went to high school before me but I really knew nothing of it . During the time that I was growing up younger brothers and sisters usually did not visit their older siblings schools plus what is there for a boy to learn from an all-girls school?
So I was in a fog when I entered high school, there were no websites, no touring groups and few opportunities to view your new school. Students today at least have that advantage but little else.
Many of the students tomorrow will come through the doors of Saint Paul Central high school with apprehension . They are coming from schools where they were student council presidents, team captains, band section leaders, newspaper editors etc. They are all coming to Central as freshmen, the low end of the pyramid, the bottom of the heap, the Rodney Dangerfields of the school in that they get no respect. But it has to be that way, for if it was not what would freshmen have to look forward to.
My request to all of you . As a father with a daughter entering high school I say go easy on them but let them know that it gets better each year.
When I entered high school the upperclassmen were not as hospitable . They were out to get you and they made that clear. Lets send a message to the class of 2013. Central is a cool place to be if you come correct.

Football for Life

I used to be an A number one football hater until I saw football for what it is a metaphor for life. As a high school teacher and ski coach one of the highlights of my year now is to sit in our stadium and watch high school football practice.
The other night, I was watching "Any Given Sunday" and the defensive coach played by Jim Brown said to the head coach played by Al Pacino that he was going to retire and coach high school football because kids play football for the sake of playing, money is not an issue only love.
I do not know if that is the case for all high school players particularly for the stars but it is the case for those who are near the top or closer to the bottom of the football hierarchy. Football for many young men is one of the only reasons they attend high school, the only reason they make passing grades , the only reason they get up in the morning.
Some people say this is wrong and young men should not be as focused on sports and more focused on academics. I say anything that keeps them in school and achieving is very important. Football if coached right builds character and creates in young men a work ethic and a sense of pride.
The football coach at the school that I teach at Saint Paul Central high school is Scott Howell. Coach Howell is a living example to these of the importance of character on both the playing fields, the classroom, the city and life itself. I have seen him bench star player with attitude problems, bad school behavior or players who do not take their academics seriously . Scott has a no pass no play policy that he extends not only to the worst players but the stars equally.
Often sports are criticized by society as not being a good example of what young men and women should focus on . I see it as a good way to build solid citizens who have goals and expectations. These students more often reach their goals when they are led by coaches like Scott Howell who understand that football as in life extends to many areas beyond the playing fields.

Start the school year Right

In today's economy or any economy the more you save the better off you are. the less you spend the more capital you will have to do the things that you want to do like travel, go to school and become financially secure. My aunt Rosie used to say, if you make a dollar a week save fifty cents. Twenty to twenty five percent of your salary should be saved every pay check.
You might ask how does one do this? The question is, how does one not do this? It is almost a rule of survival all of the time not just when the economy is bad or good. Frankly the economy is as much an individual endeavor as it is national or international . All investors know this. If your accounts are fluid and you expenses limited you can weather any economic storm. They only way this can be done is to cut back on expenses and increase savings.
By my own design, I have 25% deducted from my pay every pay period, that is not enough so this year, I am deducting another 20%. I know 45% sounds extreme now but it is important to give myself more economic stability. It is not that I need the money and I guess that is the point save it when you don't need it not when you do.
The next part of this stability is to cut back on expenses. The best way to do this is to look at all of your expenses and eliminate duplication of services. If you have a Netflix account you do not need all of the premium cable channels because Netflix delivers first run movies at the same rate as cable. I am not saying get rid of them all but choose between HBO,Showtime, Cinamax, Encore etc. One cell phone will do customize it with different rings to distinguish business calls from personal calls and increase the number of minutes. Also go to each of the companies that you use tell each that you are going to drop one or the other depending on which gives you the better deal.
Eat out less eat in more, avoid the theaters except for matinees and then limit movie going to once a month. do not worry about those movies that you missed because either they will be on Netflix or cable 3 months after they are in the theater .
Clothes make use of consignment shops the clothes there are a fraction of the costs of new clothes and they are environmentally sound because the energy used to produce new clothes is not needed for used.
Transportation.
Pay off your car early and keep it for ten years, it may not be as up to date as a new car but the money you save can be used on airline tickets to interesting places instead of driving town in your new car. After you car is paid off, save for a new car and send in at least half of the car's total value with your first car payment.
Get rid of what I call nuisance accounts. Those that have a balance of $500 or less. Each month pay off one of these accounts and keep this payment going into another account for a year.
Finally limit you spending to 20% of your income and stick to this save for the future, do not spend for the present.

New Tech Find

Once again another tech find. This time it is not merchandise per Se but a service that provides everything in tech. These of you in the Dinkytown area of Minneapolis on the campus of the University of Minnesota may have used this service before. It is called Computer Mega Mall And it owner Syed Mia can meet all of your tech needs . From repairs to sales the mega mall has it all. I went over there today in search of a monitor for my laptop and I was not disappointed Syed produced two color monitors one 19inch and one 17inch he recommended the 17 inch because of more versatility.
While Syed was preparing my purchase I perused the shop and found several great buys including a Mac duo desktop G-5 with a WiFi card and two monitors for only $900 .There was also a uni-body aluminum Macbook for the same price.
In addition to sales the Mega Mall also offer service and tech support . What out found out from talking to him is that the Mega Mall offers repairs and service for a fraction of the cost and all prices are negotiable.
I only brought a monitor today ( by the way it was $100 including cords) but I will be back for other merchandise and services. I think I have found what all techies are looking for reliable service and good prices . Is that too much to ask ?

Best Kept Secret in Used Cars

I know there has been a great deal of hype over the last few days concerning the Cash for Clunkers program but in the final analysis in this trying economy making a major purchase may not be the best thing for the old bank account. Even with the $4500 rebate one still has to come up with the rest of the money to purchase a new car and to my recollections most are over $20,000 . To save yourself from becoming deeper in debt, may I suggest purchasing a used care about 4 to 5 years old with many of the desirable features of a new car yet the low price of a used car.
The car that I have in mind is the 2005 Pontiac Aztek. The Aztek was developed in the early 2000s as a crossover vehicle and received many complaints in the early years of the vehicle but like many GM cars those complaints were answered and corrected . By 2005 the last year the Aztek was produced it made a great deal of changes like installing side-curtain airbags as standard equipment and reinforcing the doors with steel beams .
The GM engine that also received a number of complaints was replaced by a smoother more efficient Honda engine . So all purposes the Aztek is a Honda with a GM price tag.
For those who like outdoor adventure the Aztek has many features including all-wheel drive, water repellent seats and a compressed air pump in the rear to inflate bicycle tires. Set on a minivan frame this car has lots of room, rear seats that are completely removable for heftier loads. It also has an optional tent that can be attached to the back of the car for spontaneous camping.
Considering the high costs of fuel the mileage on the Aztek is sweet 19 in the city and over 25 on the highway. In addition to all of these fine features the sound system is also sweet and depending on the model can include an XM radio, mp3 cd player or single cd player.
So instead of paying $15-$20,000 for a new car a 2005 Pontiac can be yours for between $7500 and $10,500. So forget about Cash for Clunkers and pay cash for a good inexpensive car that will last a few more year until the economy is on an upswing.

Labor Day Travel

The last weekend of the summer if you have not gone anywhere all summer maybe next weekend is the time for you to take a short economical vacation, next weekend would be even better. I do not think that one should not always run with the pack except for the Labor Day weekend. Why labor day because it is one of the few holidays that celebrates working men and women. So what better way to praise our fellow worker than to take the long weekend off.
Where should we go ? There are a few options one is the economically popular stay cation. This type of vacation allows one to sleep in a nice hotel but stay close to home. My favorite spot for a stay cation is the Radisson across from the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota. What I like about this hotel is that it is fabulous, It is centered around an indoor water park the rooms are comfortable yet luxurious . The king suites have families in mind because in addition to having a king size bed in the room there is also a couch and a bunk bed for the kids. The hotel's restaurant the Split Rock Grill has excellent food. Try the walleye fingers they are superb . They also have a breakfast buffet on weekends. For the Stay cation, I highly recommend the Radisson.
If you would like to leave town Duluth is always a good choice, it is not too far away and most of the hotels have a view of lake Superior. My suggestion for accommodations would be the Edge water hotel the price is reasonable ( rooms start at $69), there is an indoor water park ( not as elaborate as the Radisson but it will do) It is also approximately 20 minutes from the Superior's North Shore, the hotel also has a beautiful view of the lake and free bicycles to ride on the paths.
Chicago is my next suggestion for next weekend. Every Labor Day weekend, the city of Chicago hosts a free jazz festival in Grant Park. If you make reservations early enough you may have the opportunity to get a hotel within walking distance of the park I would suggest the Hilton Garden Inn on Grand avenue in the heart of the magnificent mile. They are one of the only downtown hotel that truly honor the AAA discount and make it worth your while. So if it is booked this weekend, try it on another weekend when there is not a major event taking place.
For this weekend, I would suggest something north of the city and either drive down or take the train into the city. There is also a Hilton Garden Inn in Oakbrook Terrace (home of the MacDonalds Corp.best MacDonalds in the country is located there) The room rates are reasonable and if you want to leave the city early grab a bite to eat, watch a movie or catch a show this hotel is located near it all and the Internet is free.
So instead of watching a TV series marathon or take a trip to the state fair get in your car van or wagon and enjoy this Labor Day on the road.