drewhousman

How To Ruin a Negotiation Without Really Trying

1. Be angry from the moment you wake up.

From 10 AM on I was working myself up about my meeting with the team owner. I decided that there was no reason that he should have charged me for the car that he let me use for a month. There was no reason I should have to pay for a flight when we never the discussed the details before hand. There was no reason I had to go in there and be a kiss ass when I had not been paid in over 2 months. I was ready to really get into it with this guy.

2. Don’t Listen to Anybody’s Pre-Meeting Advice

Maybe my agent sensed the fury growing within me, because he called me around 11 AM. He told me that he had talked with the owner, that I needed to accept whatever money he offered me, and that he would work something out later. I asked him why everything always got pushed back around here. He insisted that nothing good would come of bringing the ruckus right now. Continue reading “How To Ruin a Negotiation Without Really Trying”

The Echo Zone

I went into the Echo Zone for a bit while watching practice the other day. I hadn’t been in a while. It was nice to stop by.

I discovered what I would later name the Echo Zone during a particularly long morning practice during my junior year of college. I was on the sideline watching 5 guys do god knows what, probably rehashing zone rotations for the 10th time that day, when I felt a yawn coming on. Continue reading “The Echo Zone”

Walking in Groups

I watched a couple of episodes of this show House of Lies, and it got me thinking about something. There are four main characters. The show is chock full of scenes that feature all four people walking. They stroll through the airport, the company hallways, the street, wherever. You get the point. The thing is, they somehow always find a way to walk side by side by side by side. Four people across.

In all my walking experience I have yet to find a way to walk comfortably three people abreast. The real world presents too many obstacles for this to happen. Walkways can be narrow, packed and hard to navigate. Oftentimes nimble movements are required. Continue reading “Walking in Groups”

Term Update

I finally went back and looked through the comments on my first Term post. Two people posted music videos asking if the Term I was talking about was the one in the video. I didn’t even bother looking at them. I assumed there was no way Term was a rapper. I just couldn’t see it.

Well, lo and behold, Term is an aspiring hip hop artist. He goes by ‘El Jefe.’ I had to look that up to see it was spanish for The Boss. Kind of apropos that he would go with a Rick Ross esque name after clearly being inspired by the Boss’ beard. Continue reading “Term Update”

Water Heater, Texting, Team Meetings

I was sitting in my underwear on the computer, as you are going to find me pretty much every afternoon, when my landlord and another guy busted through my front door.
Me “Dude, you need to knock!”
Land Lord “What? I try calling you but your phone is off!”
Me “My phone is right next to me! You can’t come barreling into people’s houses without knocking!”
LL “We thought no one home.”
Me “Well maybe knock next time to be sure.”
LL “I try calling you.” Continue reading “Water Heater, Texting, Team Meetings”

The Rule

Thanks to everyone for the amazing feedback. I will try to post more often to satisfy my slightly increased reader base. To kick things off here are some thoughts on race and basketball, featuring more Jeremy Lin talk! But, I refuse to use any more Lin puns. This thing has flown off the rails. I saw a sign at tonight’s game that said “Lindemonioum” and I could only shake my head.

Jeremy’s race is obviously a talking point. No Asian American has ever done what he is doing. He has had to deal with all kinds of unfair stereotyping. I remember subtle racism from a waitress in Vermont. We were eating our pregame meal and the waitress was going around asking for our choice of main dish and a side. Jeremy got through picking his steak, but before he could name his side the waitress interrupted with “don’t worry, I know you are getting the rice!” She was dead serious. Jeremy was always good-natured about these things. We laughed about it a bit and then kept the conversation moving, but I am sure it had to bother him a little. Continue reading “The Rule”