Moneylife

Did you know that in some parts of the world, movies start after 9:30 at night? In Miami they do. So I decided to take my incredibly beautiful Latina girlfriend (with the high heels and everything)to one of these strange, after 9:30, showings. We went to go see Moneyball. Having read the book, I really wanted to see it. I wasn't sure just exactly how Isa was going to like it because I knew that this movie was made to appeal to a certain group of people. It's not really a sports movie per se but more of a movie about economics and changing the status quo.
Overall its was a good movie I thought. For me it really doesn't do the book justice, but it does explore some things that just can't be done in a book. However, one thing I took away from it was the way the the main character had to adapt to survive when the odds were stacked against him. The theme is perfectly adaptable to our daily lives. We can look at the things all around us and just accept the way they are or, we can challenge them. Just because things are the way they are doesn't mean that they have all the power. Finding new and creative ways to go about the same thing is endearing and quite often, profitable. There are things steeped in tradition that everybody recognizes as being "good just the way they are". I'm not suggesting here that we have to radically change the way things are done. I'm suggesting that often there alternatives to doing thing that get the same, or some times, better results.
For example, my hometown is a little banal for my taste. To me it's complacent with being a cliche' in a region of "the sames". The downtown, to me, is boring and there just a whole lot going on in the way of innovation. That confuses me because of the fact that it is a "college town" (yeah, I just put college town in parentheses. do something to change that and I'll leave them out next time I write about it). I see a gold mind that Troy is sitting on. It has a world of potential. Last I checked, the main campus had just over 7,000 students. Theoretically, that's over 7000 intellectuals wanting to better themselves by committing to a process of higher education. Plus, they are being poured into by those educators who have proven to themselves and to others that they are experts is the various disciplines. There is a tremendous amount of mind power in Troy.
However, what I would like to see is that mind power channeled into doing something. I would like to see a university that is not content with it's students leaving on the weekend to attend those other (unmentionable) university's functions. I want the city to facilitate an atmosphere of ownership and betterment of it's citizens and those that study at the university. I would like the leaders to take good long looks and the status quo and say, "what can we do better". If Troy really wanted to better itself, there is nothing stopping it. However, it's going to take a "Billy Bean" to do so. I really love that town, but we're going to have to have a heart to heart first.