Charter Cable vs DirecTV

After 6-7 years of marginal service from Charter Cable I have finally decided to try another provider.  I researched all options and DirecTV came out on top.  I realize all service providers will have outages, issues, and problems that need to be fixed, but Charter simply had too many.  Charter OnDemand seemed to be down monthly, HD channels that were in my service were down way too often, and the overall service was just not good.  The solution for every problem seemed to be power cycling my receivers and “giving it some time”.  I was paying $102/mo for my cable service (including all fees) and for what I was getting it was just unacceptable.

So, I’ve decided to give DirecTV a shot.  I know they will have problems and service interruptions as well, but I’ll let you know if it’s worse than Charter.  I went with their Choice Extra Package which will give me all the same channels I had before and lots of add ons.  First, I get the NFL Ticket for free this year.  Second, I get 3 free months of all movie channels.  Third, I get an legitimate OnDemand movie selection…many of which are free.  Most importantly, my bill is $46/mo for months 1-10, $56/mo for months 11-12, and $75/mo for months 13-24.

College Tuition

A friend recently met with a financial planner who indicated to him that it will cost his 6 month old son $1,000,000 to obtain an undergraduate degree.  My initial reaction was one of amazement, but my second reaction was simply “no way!”.  To obtain this number the advisor assumed a “worst case scenario” for his client:  the child will attend a school that is $40,000/year, tuition will grow at roughly9% per year, and it will take the child five years to graduate.

While these assumptions are arguable I think they do represent a “worst case scenario”.  My take however, is that not only will kids stop attending high priced colleges, but they will also attempt to graduate in four years.  For that matter, I don’t see how college tuition can continue to grow at 9% per year on average at current prices.  How can an average American afford such an investment?

Don’t get me wrong, kids will still go to high priced prestigious schools, but most people will start shopping colleges for value.  They will look for schools with high four year graduation rates, schools that offer “merit scholarships” as opposed to student loans and financial aid, schools with marketable majors, and institutions that give them hope for future employement without saddling them with ridiculous amounts of debt.

Is it realistic for a student to obtain a four year liberal arts degree 18 years from now at an estimated price of $800,000?  Not a chance!

The NFL so far…we’ll just the NFC today…2011

After last night’s game we are five games into the 2011-2012 season and here are my thoughts on things so far…

NFC East

1.  The dream team in Philadephia is more like a nightmare.  All the talent in the world, but nothing coming together.  I suspect they will turn things around but, still won’t do much in the playoffs.  Vick is hurt all the time, Any Reid just wants to throw, the defense is weak up front and at LB, and they just don’t win.

2.  Dallas as usual just has so much drama…too many injuries and Romo just can’t get it done.

3.  No idea how Rex Grossman has led the Skins to 3-1, but well done.  Maybe this is something to do with the Shanahans running the sideline.

4.  Giants…well they just lost to Seattle at home…come on.  I’ve never been an Eli fan and am not sure how Hakeem Nicks can’t be easily covered on every play.

NFC North

1.  The Superbowl Champion Packers have picked up where they left off last season and run the table so far.  I expect them to lose a few games soon…especially if the defense continues like they have.  The Rodgers led offense can keep them in any game though…I predict a 13-3 season with a run to the NFC title game.

2.  The Lions are real good!  While I’m a fan of the Pack, it’s still good to see a perennial doormat win some games  I think they will fade as teams figure out how to shutdown Calvin Johnson, but they will make the playoffs for the first time in a long time.

3.  The Bears are still just a team with a good def and weak offense.  I’ve never been a Mike Martz fan and their offensive line is just…well bad.

4.  Vikings…ah…irrelevant.  They should have traded AP for a bunch of picks to start rebuilding that team and franchise.  They need help on the field, on the sideline, off the field, etc.

NFC South

1.  Tampa Bay…o v e r r a t e d!!!  Josh Freeman just isn’t that good yet…sorry.

2. Can anyone believe Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers this year?  I can’t! I know they are 1-3, but they are playing well and should win some of these games later in the season.  I honestly figured Cam for a bust, but we’ll see where he’s at a year from now.  Good for him!

3.  Atlanta…o v e r r a t e d!

4.  The Saints should win this divsion and meet the Packers in the NFC Championship…a rematch of week 1!

2011 RGCC Ryder Cup

Hey boys!  The 2011 RGCC Ryder Cup event is about three weeks away and we’ve seen the sun two days in a row now!  Below are the teams, handicaps (which will be adjusted to RGCC), pairings, itinerary, etc.  If you have any questions, concerns, or requests please just contact me directly!

Schedule of Events

Friday May 13, 8 am – Check in
Friday May 13, 8:30 am – Golf
Friday May 13, 1 pm – Lunch
Friday May 13, 2 pm – Golf
Friday May 13, 8 pm – Poker Tournament at RGCC

Saturday May 14, 8:30 am – Golf
Satuday May 14, 1 pm – Lunch
Saturday May 14, 2 pm – Golf
Saturday May 14, 8 pm – Party at Peterson House

Team Peterson
1.  brock peterson (usga 7.9)
2.  tate leferink (estimated 7)
3.  thomas coenen (usga 11.5)
4.  erik harkins (estimated 21)
5.  john cokinos (estimated 36)
6.  jon haerter (usga 10.4)
7.  eddie rymer (estimated 11)
8.  doug wilton (usga 1.7)
9.  bill nystrom (usga 9.3)
10.  tim deutsch (usga 13.8)
11.  eric deutsch (usga 0.8)
12.  eric johnsen (usga 13.0)
13.  manny lopez (usga 7.0)
14.  kory kyllo (estimated 22)
15.  mitch anthony (usga 8.1)
16.  steve knaup (usga 21.9)

Team Hoss
1.  scott hoss (usga 8.3)
2.  todd hanson (usga 8.2)
3.  kirk reierson (estimated 21)
4.  gary miller (usga 8.4)
5.  doug thielen (estimated 18)
6.  jeremy seldon (estimated 18)
7.  gabriel holmes (usga 15.6)
8.  jason bever (estimated 19)
9.  jason kivo (estimated 20)
10.  john cox (estimated 17)
11.  john weber (usga 5.7)
12.  ray peterson (usga 0.1)
13.  shayn carlson (estimated 19)
14.  tom mason (usga 11.4)
15.  brad orn (usga 19.3)
16.  ben schaefer (usga 5.2)

Tee times – Friday morning May 13 – two man best ball (shots given based on low handicap in group)
8:30 am:  eric deutsch/tim deutsch vs ray peterson/jason bever
8:40 am:  doug wilton/eric johnson vs scott hoss/kirk reierson
8:50 am:  brock peterson/jon haerter vs brad orn/doug thielen
9:00 am:  tate leferink/steve knaup vs john weber/shayn carlson
9:10 am:  thomas coenen/kory kyllo vs gary miller/gabe holmes
9:20 am:  bill nystrom/erik harkins vs jeremy seldon/john cox
9:30 am:  eddie rymer/mitch anthony vs ben schaefer/tom mason
9:40 am:  manny lopez/john cokinos vs todd hanson/jason kivo

Tee times – Friday afternoon May 13 – singles (shots given based on low handicap of match)
2:00 pm:  eric deutsch vs ray peterson and tate leferink vs ben schaefer
2:10 pm:  tim deutsch vs scott hoss and steve knaup vs doug thielen
2:20 pm:  doug wilton vs john weber and jon haerter vs gabe holmes
2:30 pm:  eric johnsen vs brad orn and brock peterson vs john cox
2:40 pm:  thomas coenen vs gary miller and john cokinos vs jason bever
2:50 pm:  kory kyllo vs kirk reierson and erik harkins vs jeremy seldon
3:00 pm:  bill nystrom vs todd hanson and mitch anthony vs shayn carlson
3:10 pm:  manny lopez vs tom mason and eddie rymer vs jason kivo

Tee times – Saturday morning May 14 – two man best ball (shots given based on low handicap in group)
8:30 am:  eric deutsch/steve knaup vs john weber/kirk reierson
8:40 am:  doug wilton/brock peterson vs ray peterson/brad orn
8:50 am:  mitch anthony/tim deutsch vs ben schaefer/jason bever
9:00 am:  manny lopez/eddie rymer vs gary miller/gabe holmes
9:10 am:  tate leferink/kory kyllo vs scott hoss/jason kivo
9:20 am:  jon haerter/thomas coenen vs tom mason/shayn carlson
9:30 am:  bill nystrom/eric johnsen vs todd hanson/doug thielen
9:40 am:   john cokinos/erik harkins john cox/jeremy seldon

Tee times – Saturday afternoon May 14 – singles (shots given based on low handicap of match)
2:00 pm: mitch anthony vs tom mason and manny lopez vs scott hoss
2:10 pm:  tate leferink vs john weber and bill nystrom vs gary miller
2:20 pm:  eric duetsch vs ben schaefer and jon haerter vs brad orn
2:30 pm:  eric johnsen vs todd hanson and doug wilton vs ray peterson
2:40 pm:  eddie rymer vs jeremy seldon and brock peterson vs kirk reierson
2:50 pm:  thomas coenen vs doug thielen and steve knaup vs gabe holmes
3:00 pm:  tim deutsch vs shayn carlson and erik harkins vs john cox
3:10 pm:  kory kyllo vs jason kivo and john cokinos vs jason bever

The NFL so far in 2010…

Here are a few observations from week one in the NFL:

1.  The Jets aren’t that good.  Yes, their defense is solid, but their offense is weak.  Sanchez was an average quarterback at USC and a below average quarterback in the NFL.  He looks for Braylon Edwards on the majority of passes and Edwards isn’t even a top 10 WR in the league.  They were what…9-7 last year?  I don’t see them doing any better than that this year…especially after losing today to go to 0-2.

2.  The Lions are still terrible and it looks like Stafford has the injury bug.  He’s hurt yet again and they have to use their backup quarterback who couldn’t cut it in San Francisco.  Oh, and I don’t know what everyone was so upset about last week…by rule Johnson cleraly did not catch that ball in the endzone.

3.  The Texans looked great in a win over the Colts…something they’ve had trouble doing over the years.  Arian Foster had a monster game, but we’ll see what he can do this week.

4.  The Packers played poorly and still came out with a win on the road.  Yes, it wasn’t pretty by any means and Rodgers was the first to point out how poorly he played.  But, bottom line is they won on the road and Clay Matthews is emerging is a monster at linebacker.  With some other teams injuries who knows…maybe they can trade their former first round pick and #5 overall pick AJ Hawk and get something for hm.

5.  The Saints looked awesome on two drives, but other than that they weren’t that impressive.  We’ll see what they got this weekend on the road against a fired up 49er team.

2010 FIFA World Cup

I decided to give a world cup match a chance this afternoon, but turned it off after about 20 miuntes.  In that time two guys went to the ground with what appeared to be broken ankles after being “tackled”, but miraculously popped up after a yellow card appeared.  They then kept playing as if they had fooled the referee.  I don’t get it this “sport”.  And these god damn horns haven’t stopped…

Ryder Cup 2010 Results

A back and forth battle was had this past weekend with Team Peterson bringing it home Saturday afternoon with an impressive finish to the singles matches!  Congratulations to Team Hoss for a job well done!