YOLO - Phrase or Verb?

Happy New Year!

As Mojo and I discussed how we wanted this post to go, we came to the conclusion the annual LB Army-Navy post is like a New Year’s post to us.  Which I guess is our way of saying, enjoy this one cause we may not write again for a year.  

Any-hooch, I don’t do much of the social media, nor do I understand it on some level.  One concept I do get, however, is the whole “YOLO” concept. It’s always been something we’ve lived by, and I think it got enhanced as our kiddos got a little older.  Like the “holy s**t” moment you get when you realize ARG and C aren't little kids anymore and you better hustle up and appreciate these days while you can.  

It can be a challenge to put this concept into practice.  I think social media plays a part in this as well. If your YOLO choices don’t fit into the acceptable social standards, then it can be difficult to follow through on what you want to do to make your life happy.  At the most extreme, you may even face ostracization from friends or family. How to overcome this is a blog unto itself, one that probably won’t get written until Mojo and I can have more regular phone contact, so like 2 years from now.  The very short and serious version? Extreme comfort and acceptance of yourself, your values, and your priorities in life. The longer, sillier version? The following stories of Army-Navy fun. ** Tales told through memories enhanced highlighted impeded by alcohol consumption. 100% accuracy not guaranteed. If someone who was there remembers it differently... well, that might not be true, either.

Somerset

Wave to Mojo!

Welcome back.  It’s like we never left.  I want to thank all of you who continue to ask about how Mojo and family are doing in Belgium.  Rest assured they, deservedly, using our tax dollars to putz around Europe when possible and generally enjoying an incredible experience.  I was blessed to be able to plan a work trip back home to see them back in April, and rest assured my godson has not been tainted by his over-exposure to the Dutch and is continuing on his destiny of saving humanity from itself.  Oh, and the rest of them are good, too.

So why are we back?  Well, in many ways, Mojo and I never left.  We have not stopped writing, actually. We have just moved to a different forum with a different twist on what we write now.  It’s pretty powerful stuff, actually, just not quite the same vibe as Logical Betting. However, I have gotten several inquiries in the past few months as to where we “went.”  So to answer your question… 1. Belgium. Mojo and I developed a lot of our material over phone calls and texts, many of them while either actively drinking or recovering from drinking.  That’s tricky on a 6 hour time difference (his happy hour is my recovery). 2. Nowhere. It’s just that we haven’t shared in awhile. However, we were flattered by the inquiries, exchanged a few texts, and well… here we goes.

Twist.  Get it?  Already missing summer

Nowadays it can be difficult to be true to yourself.  It’s kind of a cop out to blame the Internet, but it’s hard to deny the effect the Internet, particularly social media, has on one’s ability to compare oneself to your neighbor, friend, community, etc.  Doing things “differently” from others, even if it’s what you feel is in your best interest, can be a real challenge. It feels like there is an increasing pressure to conform to norms, even if those norms go against your most deeply held values and beliefs.  Most behavioral research, in fact, speaks to the power of conformity in advertising and influencing people’s behaviors.

The Bridge Keeper

True story - years ago, I figured out the meaning of life.  Not making that up, but I will provide a clue at the end of the post.  (Disclaimer - it's not a great clue, but it will make you think).  The purpose of life, to myself and I think Mojo, too, is the much bigger challenge.  Decisions as big as your impact on the community and the world down to where to go to dinner can cause people stress.  What questions are we supposed to answer?  Some are tougher than others.  The Bridge Keeper can help some of us know what to ask on our quest for the Grail, but for some, it doesn't always work out.

Simple example - my two favorite brewers, Bells and Conshohocken, both started distributing to NJ in the last 3 months.  In addition, I was recently able to order the NES classic from Amazon.uk when it was on presale, which arrived while we were on vacation in the D.  Coupled with my successful search for the SNES Classic and an old version of Rampage, I now have my two favorite beers and all the old school video games I've sought for the last however many years, in the house.  I joked with some friends, so now what?

Learning from Losses

Coming for you, buddy!

In life, as in sports, we have a tendency to focus way more on our losses than our wins.  Go 9-1, you tend to focus on what went wrong once instead of what what right 9 times.  Amazon item has 100 good reviews and 1 bad one, you're clicking on the bad one first.  For instance, it's been almost a year since Mojo took my godson away from me and family left for their overseas adventures.  While I miss them all dearly, I'm able to focus on the positives, e.g., their amazing experiences there together and, selfishly for myself, learning who the important people are in my life and working harder at keeping connections with people we want close to us.  Our "negatives" don't always have to be all negative.  In my job, we work with people on acknowledging that "negative" feelings such as anger or worry aren't negative in healthy doses.  They tell us that we are experiencing something negative, and give us the opportunity to make positive changes, and/or remind us to do more of the things that make us happy, that bring us joy.

In that vein, a former head coach of our basketball team and a man who meant a lot to Mojo, Coach Bernie Holowicki, recently passed away.  Until he passed, I didn't know how much this man truly meant to Mojo.  In the passage below, it's clear that he had a significant impact on his life.  So when I first read this, I feel like I read the thoughts of a man who is grieving the loss on two levels.  One, sadly, missing a man who is no longer with us.  And two, celebrating the impact of this person on his life, and the life of those around him.

Connections, f. Pearl Jam

Philly

I've lived on the East Coast for pushing 16 years now, the last 13 here in the Philly area.  At some point in the near future, I will have lived more of my life here in my adopted hometown than in my actual hometown.  This was a tough adjustment for me, personally.  It was the 2nd time in 3 years I moved somewhere I basically didn't know anyone (literally no one in Boston, and only my wife's friends here).

Since then, I've been blessed in developing the types of friendships here that we have back in Detroit - friends who are more like family.  The ones who you may not see all the time, but when you do, it's like you've never been apart.  In Detroit, it happened multiple times over many years, so there's no way to really pinpoint where those friendships started.  However, when it comes to my time in Philly, I can point to one man.  My first true friend here.  My longest true friend here (bro, you realize we've been friends nearly 13 years now?  Crazy).  We don't see each other as much as we once did, but when we do, it's like we live next door.

And so, ladies and gentlemen, I (re)introduce to you and share a piece of the story of how we got close to the man... the myth... the legend...the one who my boys back in Detroit know better than any other of my East Coast family...

Passion

Passionate fan base

So the Iggles are in the Super Bowl and ARG has been nuts about them ever since they made the playoffs.  She buried herself in a blanket the last 4 plays of the Atlanta game, literally telling me and the Wife, "I can't watch, just tell me what happens!"  I was like, "don't you want to see this, babe?" and she was like, "I can't, Daddy!!!"  Impressive.  A microcosm of this city right now, really.  The local news spent the first 15 minutes of the broadcast on it, then another segment during sports.

LB, Jr., on the other hand, has declared he doesn't care who wins, even going so far as making a Patriots flag, then hiding from his mother somewhere in the house - as of this writing, I don't think she knows it exists, much less where it is.  This is smart of him, since the world's biggest mama's boy would probably be disowned if she found it.

Anyhow, I'm not here to regale you on the latest around here.  I'm here to talk about another topic that has been on my mind early in 2018...

Positive Opposites and the Emotional Hedge

BGE doesn't know, either (not really him)

Before we start, I want to thank everyone who has asked about Mojo and his family over the past few months.  They are doing well and thoroughly enjoying their time in Europe.  As I write, Mrs. Mojo is on a girls' weekend that includes stops in parts of Belgium and Germany.  The kiddos are well adjusted and I'm happy to say I haven't had to go rescue BGE... yet.

Full disclosure... I bet on the Army/Navy moneyline.  You would assume that I bet on Army, but you might assume wrong.  I also bet on the Penn State/Michigan and Ohio State/Michigan moneylines.  Against Michigan.  Why?  We are calling it the "emotional hedge."  It comes from the idea of finding the positive opposite in what appears to be a negative situation.  While you try and figure out who I bet on, allow me to explain the concept.