Author: Chris

Attorney & Amateur Golfer

Fall Golf & Website Update

Lindsey and I trekked over to Gaylord to use a couple of free-round coupons for The Tribute golf course at the Otsego Club. I think the rest of Northern Michigan had the same idea. It was one of the slowest rounds of golf ever. The course was nice (I holed out for eagle on one of the par 5’s on the front nine!!!). However, we called it quits after it took four hours to play 12 holes.

We had a good “old” dinner at the Suger Bowl in downtown Gaylord where we were the youngest couple in the restaurant by a good 30 years!

There was lots of wedding talk – and we’re trying to nail down the rehearsal dinner location. When it comes down to it, it’s tough to find a place to host a large group the week before the Fourth of July! One of the many “joys” of fudgie season in Traverse City.

As you can see, the engagement/wedding website is slowly taking shape. I added a countdown timer today, and we’re hoping to post profiles of the bride-elect and groom-elect this week… and then follow with the rest of the wedding party and families.

Have a great week and feel free to comment or contact us if you have any tips or just want to say hello!

The Value in Boredom

Peter Bregman – Harvard Business Review – “Why I Returned My iPad”:

Being bored is a precious thing, a state of mind we should pursue. Once boredom sets in, our minds begin to wander, looking for something exciting, something interesting to land on. And that’s where creativity arises.

And another quote, which I don’t know the source of:

To be bored is to stop reacting to the external world, and to explore the internal one. It is in reflection that people often discover something new, whether it is an epiphany about a relationship or a new theory about the way the universe works. Granted many people emerge from boredom feeling that they have accomplished nothing. But is accomplishment really the point of life? There is a strong argument that boredom – so often parodied as a glassy-eyed drooling state of nothingness – is an essential human emotion that underlies art, literature, philosophy, science, and even love.

If you think of boredom as the prelude to creativity, and loneliness as the prelude to engagement of the imagination, then they are good things. They are doorways to something better, as opposed to something to be abhorred and eradicated immediately.

Four Years Ago

Four years ago, I was sitting in a sports bar in Las Vegas watching the 2006 World Cup of soccer after having hiked the Grand Canyon. I had just left Washington D.C., and was on a month-long hiatus before starting law school. I felt clean, strong and refreshed. I was excited about the next four years and nostalgic about the past two.

Today, I’m sitting in what then would have been an unexpected destination – Traverse City, Michigan – in another transition period. This time between an academic phase and a career. As the 2010 World Cup plays out this summer, I assure you I’ll be reflecting on the past four years and wondering about the next four.

Round Notes

Monday Night League – May 18, 2010:

  1. Good drive (unpredictable though). Poor wedge shot from 50 yards… left it short… perhaps ditch the lob wedge and focus on the sand wedge or restrict use.
  2. Decent tee shot, but too much hook. Need to tone down curvature of ball flight (some). Also, as noted later, becoming too dependent on a strong draw as my safety shot. Perhaps a result of playing the Club so much. Determine a way to keep game varied.
  3. Bad miss far right with driver (almost on 15 fairway). Swung too hard and possible poor setup. Was intending to hit a fade off of the large trees on the left. Considering rethinking strategy for that tee shot. On the recovery, I neglected to consider the root that my punch 2 iron hit. Mental error, which led to bogey.
  4. Decent drive, but lost it too far right. Wedge approach from 100 yards off of sandy lie flew 15 to 20 yards long. Was amped up at this point because of something playing partners did. Also, swung too hard and thinned it. Full sand wedge probably travels further than 100. Again, need to work on this.
  5. Great drive, but out of character and not in game plan. Risk, if drive not great, too high. Hit 2 iron next time. Over-clubbed on approach. Punch 9 iron from 134 from pin flew 144 into back bunker… a combination of swinging too hard and pulling it slightly. Should have recognized that it was best to miss below the pin and gone with an easy wedge. Good to err short, especially with that pin. Need to avoid short siding myself.
  6. Bad miss right with driver, up on 12 fairway. Lie was fine, but very difficult shot back to hole. Recovered well with two strong draws (big surprise). Two putt par, but had to work too hard for it.
  7. Too much club again into this hole. For a time, I was coming up short on this par 3. Congrats on going for it, but my short game was not able to save my mis-clubbing. Poor pitches up the hill cost dearly. Need to hit harder. Again, reliance on the strong draw cost me. Tends to hit hard.
  8. Lost drive right. Came over top this time… as opposed to the others which were push-cuts. Out of game plan on this hole… should have hit 2 iron.
  9. Hit a straight drive that felt like I was going to lose it right. Out of game plan… should be hitting 2 iron. Poor pitch from just short of the green to about 20 feet.

Seat Number: 00728 — PASSED

I passed the Michigan bar examination! It was pretty darn exciting to scroll down the online document and see, “Rogers, Christopher Guy” listed… easily one of the happiest and most satisfying days of my life.

I keep comparing the feeling of passing the Illinois bar to passing the Michigan bar, and there’s no clear winner. Although, I will say that I felt like there was a lot more on the line while taking the Michigan bar. In Illinois, I was well insulated from most everything that could get in the way of studying and there were far fewer people anticipating my results!

Woo hoo! Jump up and down! (Now back to work… haha.)

My Gillette Razor

Sometime during the August immediately prior to my 18th birthday, which falls, annually, on September 1st, I received via snail mail an unexpected brown box from Gillette. Inside was their new “Mach 3” razor, which consists of a handle and replaceable blades. I was impressed, not just by receiving a “free” gift, but also by the quality of the handle. As razors go, it was weighty and made of metal and tactile rubber. The razor unit worked well on my cherub-like cheeks, and I began to use it.

And I have continued to use it for the last 10 years! It is still in my Dopp kit* to this day. I have not misplaced the handle, nor has the mechanism that allows the blades to be changed worn out or broken.

Mailing out the handles was obviously a good move by Gillette, as I have spent hundreds of dollars on the replacement blades, which cost about $20.00 for five blades. However, thinking beyond that, I wonder how it is that I never questioned the effectiveness of my Mach 3 as compared to any of the other razors on the market (I can’t even name another brand). Gillette did well to deliver a sturdy product that stood the test of time both as far as wear and tear and from a usability standpoint.

How I can take the successful concept employed by Gillette on me and use it in my own endeavors?

  1. Make a durable and effective product.
  2. Give it away for free.
  3. Make users return for a small replacement part.
  4. Charge for the replacement part.

Is there a deeper concept here?

*The name “Dopp kit” derives from early 20th century leather craftsman Charles Doppelt, a German immigrant to the United States, who invented his toiletry case in 1919. (Link)