Avoiding RTP!

As you may know, "Road to Perdition" (RTP) is a hollywood movie. It was a graphic novel turned into a great movie in 2002. "Road to Perdition" essentially means road to "state of final spiritual ruin" or "loss of soul." At this time, rsg is avoiding the "road to perdition." For the past 8 months, the author of this post has encountered four to five predicaments. Each predicament has brought the author to ask himself the question, "Can I avoid the road to perdition?" Now, it has become a question to ask regardless of the predicament. Whether it is a loss of a job, loss of residence, or financial instability, each time rsg has asked himself, "how can I continue to avoid RTP?" There is a lot of self-introspection occurring, which makes the author very careful about his decisions. He has faltered on many occasions, but there have been points of success. For those people who wonder how success happens, it comes from making the right decisions. One of them is avoiding RTP. Making the right decisions in one's career, relationships, & finances will lead to a natural avoidance of RTP. There is no exact formula, but it can be attained.

Checking out Wineries, plus RF's 15th grand slam title!

Well, it was a great 4th of July weekend for Hollywood G! I checked out three wineries (Korbel, Robert Mondavi, & Artesa), and went to muirwoods national forest also. Finally, sunday brought the best tennis match ever played as Roger Federer won his 15th grand slam title at wimbledon. He defeated Andy Roddick in an epic 5th set by the score of 16 to 14. Roddick shocked many people in this two week tournament, and he had his chances to defeat Roger. Roger played his best match of the year. Back to the trip, the weather was almost 40 to 45 degrees cooler than phoenix. It was a great escape to the SF Bay Area for Hollywood G! Check the picture above which was taken from Robert Mondavi winery! Korbel winery is known for its champagne and it was a great opening winery to check out. Robert Mondavi is a popular tourist attraction, while Artesa gives breathtaking views of Napa Valley. This trip is one to remember!

Rafa missing Wimbledon, Lakers win 15th NBA title!

Last Sunday, the Los Angeles Lakers won their 15th nba title by defeating the Orlando Magic 4 to 1 in the NBA Finals. The Lakers played great basketball and brought the title back to Hollywood. Kobe Bryant was named MVP of the Finals. The Lakers Parade was great on June 17. I watched most of it. Hollywood G. is very happy with the Lakers winning their 15th nba title. Go Lakeshow for Life! Check the picture on the left of Gasol & Kobe enjoying the parade. :)

In other news, Rafael Nadal will not play in Wimbledon. Rafael is bowing out of the grand slam tournament due to severe tenditis in his knees. It is sad since Rafael Nadal is the defending champion. Many people were hoping to see him play in the finals with Roger Federer again. Now, the field is wide open for anyone. Hopefully, Roger can win his 15th title. Or, this could be time for someone else to win in London! It could be a new face doing the London Calling!

Federer wins 14th grand slam, Lakers go up by 2 in series!

Yesterday, Roger Federer won his 1st French Open title at Roland Garros in Paris. He has tied Pete Sampras for the most grand slam titles, 14, and he attained the goal of "winning each of the 4 majors" in the tennis world. Roger defeated Robin Soderling in 3 sets in less than 2 hours. Roger Federer received the trophy from Andre Agassi, the last man to win each of the 4 major grand slam titles. Agassi attained this feat in 1999. In other sporting news, The Los Angeles Lakers are 2 games away from winning their 15th NBA title. The Lakers defeated the Orlando Magic in game 2 of the NBA Finals last night in overtime, 101-96. Kobe Bryant commented that "The Lakers are not done yet, and the job is not finished" in a post game conference. For the Lakeshow, it has been a team effort in both victories. Kobe has received help from Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, and Derek Fisher in the victories. Let's hope the Lakeshow can win in the Land of Magic, Orlando, in the next 2 or 3 games. Go Westside!!

Listening to JM, U2, and movie soundtracks!

Well, it is a night of listening to John Mayer (JM), U2, and movie soundtracks. It is a night in which RSG tries to see clarity in his life. This month has been pretty hectic with the move back to a former home, the job search, and discussions on the present situation with friends & family. As I listen to "gravity" by john mayer, it makes me realize that it is hard to find balance in your life. It is hard to find a perfect balance for everything to take place. As I listen to "clarity" (by john mayer), it is the one thing which I search for & want to achieve with people. But, when I listen to "road to perdition", I know that my life is not heading into perdition. The soundtrack is very inspirational, and it is from one of my favorite movies. Another great soundtrack is "catch me if you can". It is music that makes me feel all jazzed up to get into a situation that is inconceivable. Finally, there is music from "the talented mr. ripley." This music is jazz, and it is also quite inspirational. There is a song, Italia, which is track 3 on the cd. It makes me want to go to Italy to see venice, milan, and rome. Someday, it will happen! Areverdci!

NCAA Tournament & Wine Recommendations!

Well, the national men's basketball (ncaa) championship game is on Monday, April 6. The game features the Michigan State Spartans vs. the University of North Carolina Tar Heels. The NCAA men's b-ball tournament is always a fun 2 or 3 weeks of basketball filled with upsets, surprises, and routs. Today, I saw the game at Dos Gringos in Scottsdale, AZ. Across the street, there were a ton of Michigan State fans at Upper Deck Sports Bar. I am glad to have witnessed the game at Dos Gringos with friends and a much less crowd than Upper Deck. Later, I went to a Wine & Cheese party which made me realize that this is a fun way to spend time with friends & meet new ones during this economic downturn. At the party, a fine young woman asked me what wine to try. Even though I drink white, Red Wine was on my mind. I recommended a Cabernet Sauvignon, and it was a natural recommendation. Maybe, RSG should go into Oenology instead of supporting IT computer systems/software. If you are enjoying some white wine or red wine, then remember that being a wine connoisseur can always be a 2nd career. It's always good to wear many hats! Drink vino to your heart's content too!

G. Ripley's resilient day!

Well, it is 3-7-2009 and G. Ripley is wide awake with ideas to convey to his public! After a day of doing damage control (literally) and engaging in a worthwhile discussion with the special someone in his life, G. Ripley is thinking that his resiliency was the main element for survival today. After a day like this one, G. Ripley thinks that life is "as good as it gets." The weather outside is in the 70s and quite cloudy. It was 88 degrees on monday afternoon. On Friday afternoon, my car thermometer was at 68 degrees. That's a drastic change. One may ask "what gives?" G. Ripley is no weatherman, but he knows that "you just keep living" and life will get better. Check the picture below of Helen Hunt! She's my inspiration for writing this post, as so is the special someone in my life.