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Getting Things Done (GTD) or Creativity: Which Is More Important? Our Thursday Cuppa Joe Discussion

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On Thursdays we grab a cup of coffee and talk about issues and opinions. Join the fun in our comments!

The Other Guy (OG) and I run a quirky house here.

We try to balance straightforward financial advice with fun topics. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. Either way, as I’m sure you can see, we’re having a blast and bringing you along for the ride.




Wouldn’t it be better if we did one or the other? Wouldn’t a site work better if it were just humorous all the time or only provided financial advice? Maybe, but OG and I don’t think so.

I’ve always been obsessed with human motivation and process management. For people to learn, remember, and replicate a concept, I think the teacher needs to set a strong anchor. Maybe our anchor isn’t strong, but the anchor I always seem to remember is humor. So, we’ve decided that they go together.

This creates a problem.

In a recent Harvard Business Review Ideacast (podcast), Portland State University Assistant Professor of Psychology Charlotte Fritz discusses the concept of microbreaks.   Here’s how they work:  if you want to get things done (GTD), it’s better to engage intensely during the day and then drop everything when you head home. Working all night on the blackberry or computer doesn’t increase productivity. Taking microbreaks each day or mini vacations every several weeks instead of coffee breaks and a long vacation can pay dividends when trying to accomplish more tasks.

What’s wrong with this finding?

Is “getting more done” better or would you be wiser to get less done and produce brilliant, creative results?

Who better to argue against conventional definitions of productivity than a Disney alum. According to Don Hahn, author of Brain Storm, Unleashing Your Creative Self, (and the producer of The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast), the goal of GTD productivity stifles creativity. While a numbered checklist and intense focus on the bottom line increases productivity, it doesn’t make you more creative. You just turn into a machine.

If we’re trying to manage a site that balances something as serious a financial security and something as playful as humor, it’s a juggling act. I often feel the pull between the need to be creative with “funny” pieces and the desire to write something meaningful and direct.

But I don’t think the problem is only felt by OG and I here at the Free Financial Advisor.

We All Need Creativity

Every day in your job, wouldn’t you preform better if you could come up with creative solutions? You may think that you don’t need creativity, but if you’ve ever had a difficult boss or a particularly intense client, you know that a creative solution is sometimes the only way to win the day.

For creativity to blossom, we need down time, according to Hahn. We need time to let our mind wander. Not surprisingly, he advocates napping in the afternoon. His concept of GTD flips our predefined goals of greater productivity on their head. For creativity to blossom, do something that at first seems irrelevant. Listen to music and sit by the stream. Wander.

In short, I haven’t asked it, but it seems that he agrees with Fritz on the value of breaks, but isn’t onboard with why we want them in the first place.

The Financial Tie-In

I’ve often felt many workplaces are run too stringently. The boss doesn’t really get how her employees operate more effectively. A shop that provides more services for employees and that is able to create raving fans by first empowering workers to think and build creative solutions will win the day.

Even if they don’t win, it’s more interesting to invest money and follow companies that are fighting to win rather than finish every day with a .03 percent productivity improvement. Yawn.

I seek out and invest in companies that have a progressive view of workplace motivation….not because I’m a liberal thinker, but because I’m a greedy capitalist. Firms such as GE, Disney, Whole Foods and Google, at different times during their development have been able to attack more quickly because of their attention to process that creates innovative solutions.

The Good News

Both Assistant Professor Fritz and Mr. Hahn agree on one aspect: whether you’re looking for innovation or GTD, how you detach from the assembly line of productive work is intensely important to the outcome.

(photo credit: origami coffee cup: scarygami, Flickr; Dicky juggles: Mike Burns, Flickr)

Okay, that’s my story, minions! Now it’s your turn: how do you value creativity? Are you more interested in GTD solutions or finding a novel approach? Do you think you should work on being more creative?

Sprint Teaches Me Geography

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Just to keep it real: that headline was a joke.

 

Backstory: I’d just gone fishing with my dad and some of his friends in northern Ontario. I wasn’t sure if my phone would work in the Canadian wilderness, so I asked my dad.

Dad: Sure, it’ll work fine.

Me: You sure? I have to stay in touch with the office if something goes haywire in the markets or with my clients.

Dad: You’ll be fine.

The short story:  I wouldn’t have a tale for you today if it’d worked. The owner of the fishing lodge bought me a phone card on a trip to town for supplies. I was allowed to stand in his living room and use his personal phone for about 15 minutes each day.

 

It was ugly.

So, a couple months later I was headed to Toronto for a business meeting. Being the think-ahead-guy I am (you may recognize that as another joke if you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time), I decided to call Sprint to verify that I could keep in touch with clients and my office.

Sprint: Thank you for calling Sprint. This is Betty. How may I help you?

Me: I’m headed to Toronto in the morning and I wanted to verify that I’ll have phone service.

Sprint: I’m happy to help you with that, sir. First, I need to verify some personal information.

It’s clear to me at this point that she didn’t even listen to my question. We verify that I really am AverageJoe, quite a sexy dude.

Sprint: Okay, now how can I help you sir?

Me: I have a work trip to Toronto, and I’d like to make sure my cell phone will work.

Sprint: Certainly. I can look that up for you. Where was that again?

Me: Toronto, Canada.

Sprint: Hold on a moment, sir. I’ll find out for you. Can you hold please?

She’s gone for flippin’ ever. I don’t mean “walk around the house” ever. I mean “fix lunch and dinner and mow the lawn before she gets back” ever.

Sprint: I’m sorry for the delay, sir.

Me: (I was starting to think she’d hung up on me) That’s quite alright.

Sprint: Where was it you’re heading?

Me: (amazed) Toronto. Ontario. Canada.

Sprint: Certainly, sir. Can you hold again? I apologize.

I remember her being very nice about it. Now I’m starting to think something is wrong.

It turns out, something was wrong.

Something was very, very wrong.

Sprint: Sir?

Me: Yes?

Here’s where the Sprint woman gave me the awful news for Americans everywhere.

Sprint: It appears that Toronto, Canada isn’t a part of the United States.

I couldn’t help it. There was only one possible reply.

Me: (indignant) SINCE WHEN?

I hung up. I couldn’t stop laughing.

(Not that it matters, but my phone worked. There were huge roaming fees…maybe so they could hire geography experts.)

(photo credit: Phones: David Paul Ohmer, Flickr, Toronto: Steven Harris, Flickr)

 

How about that? Canadians, are you sad you aren’t a part of the United States? Americans, are you sad the awesome city of Toronto isn’t part of the United States? What’s your best customer service story?

The Two Reasons I Save

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It’s show and tell time!

There isn’t much that makes me happier than looking at old pics of children. Even the ugliest of adults was once a beautiful, smiling baby.

We were cleaning out boxes of old photographs to scan and store when we came across this gem on the left.

In my mind, this picture was taken yesterday,

and yet my twins are now 16 years old.

Holy s$%! I’m old!

This time next year they will have been accepted at a college of their choice.

In less than two years Cheryl and I will be here alone.

I’ve met plenty of people who’ve said “I can’t save for that yet.”

The key word: yet.

Here’s my perspective:  Time runs away. 

 

That’s why I sock money away. What motivates you to save?

The Worst of the Free Financial Advisor Podcast: Print Edition

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Because Joe couldn’t be bothered to put together a podcast this week (he’s secretly out of town on business), we interns have decided to give you something more…..thrilling.

Here’s a shocking newspaper story from a top news source about intelligence in infants that we thought you could read rather than waste your precious time on the podcast.

Seriously.

You have better things to do anyway.

Enjoy the reprieve.

Love,

The FFA Intern Team

PS – AverageJoe has threatened assured us that the podcast will return next week.

I Miss Checkbooks

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Another in the series of AverageJoe’s day-by-day attempts to just get along. And failing. For other stories in the series, check out:

– There’s Something Wrong With The Car

– I’m Not an Expert on Everything

– Networking 101: Meeting Basketball Insiders (a How To manual)

– Blog Post of the Week! by Money Beagle

 

A recent post at DebtBlackHole.com showed some awesome Wonder Woman prints, and reminded me that we’ve probably come to the end of the golden age of taking out a pen and actually writing a check.

I miss that sexiness in my banking. I’m not referring to Wonder Woman’s …ah….assets, either.

My debit card has a free picture of a baseball on the front, but there was once a time when people would whip out a cool pad of Bugs Bunny checks to purchase a new toaster. Or pizza rolls.

Those were the days.

 

Better You Than Me

 

I’m that guy.

There’s no way I’d ever give up the few extra dollars it costs for Skeletor or the Detroit Tigers logo on my checking account. My checks are and always will be white with the name of my bank across the front.

Beyond creative.

But that doesn’t mean I’m a hater. I love creative checks if you use them.

Checks are gone partly because scammers figured out that it didn’t matter what you wrote on a check. If you shopped at Sears, you could make the check out to “Mickey Mouse” and write “One million, seven hundred and seventy seven dollars” across the front. If the little box said $32.50 in it, guess how much money was deducted from your account? You’ve got it. $32.50. And it wasn’t made out to your favorite mouse, either. The cash went to Sears because they’d presented it for deposit.

But that’s not the reason I miss checks. I have a better one for you. Read on…..

 

My Irrelevant Tale

 

My daughter, like many, played youth soccer from about six years old on. I’m not the world’s biggest drinker, but I so wanted to be drunk at these games.

The kids swarmed like hungry wolves around the ball, all kicking each other at the same time. You had no idea which kid was yours. Then again, it really didn’t matter.

The coach yelled, “Don’t bunch up!”

He was a nice guy, but if the best soccer advice you can offer is “don’t bunch up,” youth soccer strategy might be over your head.

Luckily, I met some nice parents at the games. Many are still friends today. One who isn’t, is Dick Smith.

I’d plop down my chair next to this dad, Dick, who was out there like me, taking one for the team every week. He was a flat-out super guy. Distinguished looking grey hair. Tall and thin with an easy smile and easier laugh.

I’d always try to sit next to him because Dick was a vice president at a frozen food manufacturer and always had good engineering stories about process management and green beans. I’m a sucker for logistics and keeping veggies icy, apparently, because I had tons of questions and always was mesmerized about how the shipment to northern Ohio dethawed while the trucker frantically tried to keep the refrigerator running.

I’d pull up a chair and say, “Hey, Dick! How are you?”

He’d smile back at me as I slumped next to him. We’d watch our daughters kick each other and the ball for about 45 minutes and chat.

This went on for about two and a half years.

 

So far, so good, right?

 

Each week I’d walk down the sideline. He’d be sitting there, pretending like he wasn’t trying to pull his hair out. Then his miserable look would melt as he’d see me and smile, “Joe! How are you?” I’d reply, “Hey, Dick! Mind if I join you?”

Of course, he never minded.

It took the pressure off watching the game.

Our daughters went to the same school. In a big parent money-grab for the Parent-Teacher Organization, semi-annual teacher conferences dumped into the library, where a huge Scholastic Book Fair sucked money out of our checkbooks.

It was expected that you’d buy your kid a book after the conference.

Dick and his wife, Margie happened to be in the book fair when Cheryl and I finished meeting with the teacher. As always, our daughter had a fine conference and we were doing our duty by buying her a book.

The line for the cash register was a mile long. I thought about heading to Barnes & Noble to buy our book. Who’d know? My daughter wouldn’t have a clue where it came from.

I was just telling Cheryl that we should ditch the fair when I saw the Smiths.

“Hey, Dick!” I said, waving. My mood changed immediately. Now I could stand in line for a long time if Dick was there. We’d just talk frozen food, sports, or whatever.

The four of us chatted for about a half hour before we finally made the front of the line. Dick motioned to Margie.

“Can you hand me the checkbook?”

“Sure,” she said, rummaging through her purse.

She pulled out the checkbook. Dick opened it and took a pen from his pocket.

Because I love checkbook art, I leaned in to see what print the Smiths were sporting and turned white.

Across the top of the checkbook it said Mark and Margaret Smith.

….I know now…..

I can’t believe he’d kept smiling at me for two and a half years…..

A Cuppa Joe: What Are Your Buying Triggers?

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Minions,

Happy Monday! It’s time to gather over a cup o’ Joe and discuss the question of the week.

This week: They gave you glamour and movie stars. Let’s counter it Monday morning with our own glitz: hypnosis, fast food and cheesy commercials! Dream!

 

We all have triggers that influence our buying decisions. Many of these are unconscious, according to a recent Psychology Today article. We buy more when we’re hungry or tired because we’re especially susceptible to specific triggers during these times.

 

Fast Food Love

 

A few years ago, a friend gave me the opportunity to undergo hypnosis. I thought, “Cool! I’ll finally get to walk like a chicken in front of a crowded theater of people.” Instead, she and I were in a comfortable office alone, and I was handed a list of topics. I chose weight loss, because my waistline was starting to balloon and I wanted to keep this sexy figure.

What I discovered during these sessions was beyond interesting.

The first two times I went under, we discovered that I most enjoyed the communal properties of eating. I like good discussions, and those often happen over lunch or dinner. Plus, in my financial planning job, going out to eat was a great way to network, which led to bigger paychecks.

Eating out equaled career success.

Those were neat, but the third session was the breakthrough.

I had a strong image during the third session of riding in the back seat of our Buick next to my brother. My mom drove us to pick up my dad on his break at the local GM plant. He’d work long hours, but would be able to escape with us for a few minutes to hit the close-by McDonalds, pizza place or Dog ‘N Suds drive thru.

I remember these times and immediately get a warm, comfortable feeling. We were all together, happy and eating hamburgers.

In short, we found out that I equate fast food with home, happy times and family.

To my subconscious mind, Big Mac = Huge Love.

Ever since this revelation, my eating habits have morphed. Sure, I still like fast food, but when I pull in, I now know that those family feelings are a lie. It’s just a hamburger and fries. The old days won’t reappear, but my waistline will disappear.

 

Unlimited Laughs

 

Humor is another big seller for me. I don’t usually like dumb humor, like the Three Stooges. I know people who love that type of thing, but it doesn’t do anything for me. I’m into more subtle humor, (like lyrics found in songs by The Beautiful South). If somebody worked on making it clever, I think it’s funny.

We were up early at 4 a.m. getting ready to make the long drive to the state swim championships. I was both tired and hungry, so it doesn’t suprise me that I sat and watched all of this commercial:

 

It’s the first time in forever that I’ve watched an entire two minute commercial. Funnier? Cheryl watched it all with me. What do I like about it?

– First, the product appears to work and solve a need. If it doesn’t work, the humor doesn’t matter.

– It laughs at itself. I have this tendency, too. Witness this, this and this. I have an appreciation for those who can

– It emulates the absolute worst in infomercials and makes fun of it. Watch the commercial a second time and notice how hard the actors appear to be trying to cheese it up.

– There are slimy but clever jokes about cat hair and playing with your Schticky. Some of this stuff I can’t believe they say in a commercial. Then again, it make me listen to the whole thing, so apparently it worked.

– The pitchman even makes fun of this run-in with the law.

– They double down by making the biggest part of the product free. Of course it is! Why would the smallest portion of the product be free when you can give away the store? Brilliant.

…all while reminding you over and over again how well the product works.

I don’t know if I’ll ever buy this, but I’m captivated by the marketing strategy. In an age when everyone seems to be working hard to be taken more seriously than the next guy, I like that they’re redefining the rules of informercial television.

 

Now the Cuppa Joe Monday Question

 

What are your triggers? When and why do you impulse buy? Have any commercials keep your attention…or better yet, made you buy?

 

((Photo credit: Flickr user puuikibeach))

Boner of the Week: Nearly Fooled By Charts and Graphs

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Sure, I like making up measurements, facts and figures as much as the next guy. But when the numbers aren’t real, we award The Boner of the Week! to the most outrageous news I read during the last seven days.

So, I’m researching content last week and stumble across this attention-grabbing headline: Gallup State Numbers Predict Huge Obama Loss.

I’m a political junkie, so I bite on the link.

And it’s our Boner of the Week.

Know why? This chart doesn’t state that the President will lose. This states that the editorial writer (and the board that allowed this garbage to pass as news) is apparently hoping President Obama will lose.

As both of my readers already know, this isn’t a political post and this certainly isn’t a political blog. I’d love to get my hands on a similar graph from the other side (I’m sure they exist). My goal isn’t politics at all. It’s just to teach an important lesson:

Dear Minions,

It’s important to know that professional people use charts and graphs ….err… creatively…. to lure away your money, your votes, or your trust. We can “prove” lots of points with a misleading chart.

 

What Does This Graph Really Prove?

 

  • The President’s approval rating ain’t high. (alert the press)
  • If the election were against his approval rating instead of against an actual opponent, he’d get his ass kicked.

 

Not quite the hard-hitting news originally implied by Senior Editorial Writer, Conn Carroll (Conn’s name might have been more apropos if it had just been Con).

 

Let’s Show You a Magic Trick

 

I’ve asked PK from DQYDJ.net, a charts and graphs wizard and fellow political junkie (AND you WILL get political discussion galore on his awesome site), to build us some clever graphs.

The chart below shows CBO data on unemployment numbers (a hot topic right now and relates to overall financial health of the United States economy). This graph projects unemployment for the next several months.

PK, how about a magic graph from DQYDJ:

 

DQYDJ1UnemploymentRate

 

Awesome.

Any guesses why this graph is misleading? Use the “comment” section below to fill in your answer.

((PK has included at least FOUR techniques to mislead you here. We’ll show them all in tomorrow’s thrilling conclusion!))

Thanks again to PK from DQYDJ.NET: Personal Finance, Economics, Politics, Investing and the Offbeat for the Night and Weekend Crowd. 

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I’m Not an Expert on Everything

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I’ve told you before but will remind you again: I’m a farm boy.

Shortly after our wedding, I surprised Cheryl with two tickets to the theater in Detroit, which was about an hour and a half from our home. The show I’d chosen was an obscure one called Les Miserables’, which I’ve since learned is French for “Joe will hate this.”

I don’t want to give away my age, but this was before the days of GPS. We took my motor-car with only a map. Back then these were printed on a thing called paper. You kids wouldn’t understand.

Because I’m a bear-of-little-brain, I missed my turn and soon found myself circling a neighborhood I’d describe as “less than optimal for people headed to the theater.”

I was horrified when I turned a corner and saw a woman walking alone in this neighborhood in a shiny formal red dress. She was over-the-top decked out with her outfit and poofy hair. For a second, I thought about asking her if she needed a ride, since it was clear that she must be walking to the theater. Maybe she could help with directions. For some reason…probably because I didn’t know the neighborhood, I decided to drive on.

…another ten minutes, and still no sign of our theater.

BUT, turning yet another corner, I spotted the same woman again. This time, she was standing on the curb, waiting for traffic to clear.

Average Joe Money Blog Masonic Temple Theater

Here's the theater we were searching for. I know what you're thinking and agree. It totally blends in with the buildings around it.

Me: Let’s follow her. She knows where the theater is.

Cheryl: She knows where something is.

I slowed the car.

Cheryl: What are you doing?

Me: I told you already; I’m going to see what direction this woman goes.

Cheryl, confused: Why would we do that?

Me: Look at her. She’s got to be headed to the theater! I’m sick of driving in circles.

Cheryl: Are you kidding me?

Me: What?

Cheryl: Really? She’s a hooker!

My head nearly swivels off as I try to get a better look, like I’ve just discovered a baby Zebra in the corner of the pen at the zoo.

Me: Wow! Really? THAT’S a hooker?

Cheryl: Holy S%$!, Joe. Pull away, before she thinks we want a threesome.

I drive. We finally find the theater. I hate the show, except the one song where they’re all getting drunk. By intermission, I want to be drunk, too. We head for the concession area.

Cheryl: I can’t believe you didn’t know that was a hooker.

Me: It was a really nice dress.

Cheryl, putting her arm around me: I love that my man isn’t an expert on everything.

(Photo of Les Miserables – New York, Wikimedia Commons; Photo of Masonic Temple, Detroit by MikeRussell)

Okay, that’s my story. Now it’s your turn. Any “mistaken identity” stories to share? 

 

 

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Networking 101: Meeting Basketball Industry Insiders (a How Not To Manual)

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Let’s take a break from serious planning for a moment and give you some insight into my daily life. Here’s another glimpse into the stumbling life of a guy just trying to fit in. or not.

If you’ve ever wondered how to hob-knob with influential and important people in the basketball world, I’m the most perfect guy to know. Like a battle-scarred veteran, I’ve been there. Not only do I have a long, impressive history of meeting important people, but I must note that I’ve often preferred non-conventional methods to befriend insiders.

This is my story. Feel free to use this method:

As an up-and-coming and remarkably handsome young financial advisor, I recommended my clients complete their estate plan. My highest net worth clients all were entrusted to the work of one attorney. He called one day to ask if I’d like to be his guest with a friend at a Pistons game.

Me: “Sure, dude.”

Always keep the lingo real.

That’s Step One: To fully integrate with the top echelons of society, all you have to do is recommend lots of your friends complete their estate plans. Then, coerce the attorney into inviting you to a sporting event as a thank you. Simple.

We met at the Palace of Auburn Hills entrance. It’s a beautiful venue to watch any event, even from my favorite seats. To disguise myself as not yet wealthy, I generally try to sit three rows or closer to the roof.

John, the attorney, flashed tickets at me and my friend Paul.

John: “You’re going to love these.”

Me (thinking): “that’s cool. Maybe we’ll be sitting a few rows closer.

Okay, the strangeness began when we entered the area itself not at the upper level, but the lower deck. This was already new territory for me. I wasn’t sure if I spoke the language or knew the customs down here. Is my foam We’re Number One finger considered classless? Is it okay to yell at the refs from here? What are the traditions in this foreign land? I was a terrified stranger.

Step Two: Breathe. Realize, it’ll be okay.

A Piston’s person: “Tickets?”

Luckily, John took care of the whole thing. He had this practiced “I’ve been here before hand flip.” John really has skillz.

When we arrived at the next rep, about halfway down the lower bowl, she glanced at our tickets and pointed us further down.

If it was a trip to hell I would have been frightened; we were headed to the inner circle.

…we made it to the bottom of the arena, and still another Pistons rep.

He looked our tickets over carefully,then:

“Follow me.”

Ready? Our seats were folding chairs along the edge of the court.

Holy $%#!

The-Palace-of-Auburn-Hills

Now you know Step Three: make sure your lawyer friend has awesome seats to the game.

Preferably know this information ahead of time, but my method seemed to work just fine. Maybe I’m just lucky.

Then, utter disappointment: we weren’t in the front-front row of chairs. No….my loser attorney friend was only able to score second row tickets to the game. You must realize how disappointing this was. Somehow I recovered. At this point, you’re with the who’s who of basketball. Which brings up the next key:

Step Four: bring on the alcohol.

Now, I used beer. You could choose something different, but you have to have enough grease on your vocal wheels to ease into conversations with the who’s who. Alcohol gets a bad rap for “causing health problems,” but I must recommend it to really spice up your trip to the ball game. (Okay, I have to pause for a second. If your sarcasm-meter isn’t working properly, that last paragraph you shouldn’t take literally. Alcohol created the $%#! mess that I’m about to describe, so use your good judgment and drink responsibly – Joe).

During the team warm ups, then-Piston superstar Grant Hill walked onto the court with a new pair of shoes. Instead of a swoosh or stripes down the side, these were white with two blue lines running straight up the spine. They looked like slippers with a racing stripe.

Me: “Check out those shoes. Wow. Is he playing basketball or at home cooking pancakes?”granthill

John: “Oh yeah! Those are the new Fila Hill Ninety6, also called Fila Hill 2. They’re the hot new shoe.”

Paul: “They’re pretty strange looking.”

Me: “Beep, beep. Excuse me. My understatement meter is going off. I’m not sure I like ‘em.”

Then I continued to drink beer. I wasn’t driving, and hey, we were sitting courtside.

Here’s another cool perk I never realized. A server comes to your chair and takes your order when you’re sitting courtside. I wasn’t going to have to mix with those foul smelling little people clogging the concourse dippin’ dots stands and popcorn vendors.

This was the life. I’ve never been happier in a folding chair.

At this point, an apology: I find basketball kind of boring. Hopefully the truth is that I don’t understand the intricacies of the sport. I prefer to think that’s the case. It’s better than thinking that my basketball-loving friends are a bunch of morons with nothing better to do.

I wasn’t bored here, though. Between the beer, those cheerleaders, and being able to hear the players talking, I was having a blast. Our seats were about at the free throw line.

Near halftime, Grant Hill even walked over and inbounded the ball right in front of us.

Don’t underestimate the thrill it is to have a real, live NBA player’s butt in your face until you’ve been there. Maybe not a bucket-list moment, but I still get emotional talking about it. I could have pinched Grant Hill’s ass and he would have jumped sky high on television. Hilarity.

Truth be told, I didn’t even consider pinching Grant Hill’s butt. I was too busy looking at his shoes.

Me: “I really don’t know if I like those. Who do you think makes the design decisions at Fila?”

John: “I don’t know, but I think they’re drinking something stronger than beer.”

Step Five – Take the Card When It’s Handed to You

During intermission I was on a role. Shawn Bradley, playing his last year of basketball for the ‘76ers, towered over us.

John: “I never realized how incredibly thin that guy is,”

Me: “He needs to eat the whole box of Wheaties.”

Paul: “My mom’s roast beef would fatten him up. Did wonders for me.”

Me: “I’d love to keep talking about Bradley’s anorexia, but those shoes of Grant Hill are just plain weird. I’m not sure if I like them or not.”

Paul: “Quit worrying about the damned shoes. Eat some of this popcorn. Have you seen the server? We need another beer.”

Paul…always focused. That’s the sign of a true friend.

So, another beer came, and so did the third quarter. The ball rolled out of bounds right next to us. Grant Hill walked over to inbound the ball. It’s amazing how a guy walks right in front of you and never once looks anyone in the face. At the same time, he’s looking like he isn’t really trying to avoid looking you in the face. It’s an art, I’m sure.

But, this time, I wasn’t at all focused on on his facial avoidance ability.

Me: “Okay, I’ve made a decision. I really don’t like the shoes.”

John: “Really? Wow, it only took you three quarters?”

Me: “Yup. Hatin’ the shoes. Just wondering, though. Do you think he gets paid to wear them?”

And that’s when the guy in front of me turned around in his chair, face red with anger. He had a card in his hand and shoved it in my face.

Angry guy: “In fact, he does get paid. Call me some time and I’ll tell you how much.”

I looked at the card. It was the Fila rep in charge of the Fila Hill line of shoes.

You meet all kinds of amazing people at the basketball game.

Step Six – Realize You’re Wrong

Me: “Well, when I said I hated them, I meant…”

Fila Dude: “You know what? I don’t care what you think.”

John: (no words–just a shot to my ribs)

Fila Dude: “I’m not trying to be mean.” (Editor’s note: yes he was) “We just don’t really care what middle class white guys in suits think. You aren’t our target market.”

Me: “Good point.”

Note: I should have thought of something clever to reply at this point. Had I mentioned some awesome design tips, maybe I’d be working at Fila right now, focused on the task of bringing to market the Fila AverageJoe instead of writing this blog. Call it the fickle wind of fate that I couldn’t find any carefully crafted quip to retort. Or, call it too much beer.

Your choice.