Postcards: My Day Off (Plus Updates on Our Tech Tournament)

It's a great day to watch Denzel Washington movies with the dogs... ͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­͏   ­ Forwarded this email? [Subscribe here]() for more You are a free subscriber to Postcards from the Florida Republic. To upgrade to paid and receive the daily Republic Risk Letter, [subscribe here](. --------------------------------------------------------------- [Postcards: My Day Off (Plus Updates on Our Tech Tournament)]( It's a great day to watch Denzel Washington movies with the dogs... [Garrett {NAME}]( Feb 29   [READ IN APP](   Dear Fellow Expat: I am not one for taking a lot of time off. My company forces me to take time off and use my vacation day. But I always end up working anyway… I famously worked during my honeymoon. My wife is still mad at me. That said… I am taking the afternoon off… Why? It’s Leap Day. As actress Angie McDowell once said, “Nothing that happens on Leap Day counts…” Leap Day is my favorite “holiday.“ And I wish that this Jim Carrey movie existed…. Since “Leap Dave Williams” is not a film (a nod and riff on Groundhog Day), I have to settle for the next best thing… So, my tradition is to do nothing but watch Denzel Washington movies. Why? Why not… Four years ago, Leap Day was ruined by COVID-19. The market was in free fall, starting with our negative equity signal on February 23, 2020. Leap Day that year was a Saturday. And I watched “American Gangster” two times. Today, we have Flight, Glory, the Manchurian Candidate, Training Day, and maybe The Pelican Brief. I don’t know. I don’t know if we’ll have enough time. [Upgrade to paid]( What’s Taking Up My Time? Yesterday, [I released my rankings for our March Madness]( technology tournament, and a lot of you had some feedback. It appears that I put GPS on the list two times… And some people were upset that Gunpowder wasn’t on the list. It is now… Yes, I left a lot of things off the list - but in the world of entertainment, I can’t cover everything. I don’t even think I put baseball on the list - so I’ll need to give Abner Doubleday his credit. If you’ve never seen the [History of Baseball video]( from Ridiculous Six, it’s hilarious… Speaking of baseball. Baseball Season Yesterday, Tim took Amelia to a Minnesota Twins game against the Orioles. She was upset that she didn’t have anything to wear because she outgrew her Orioles shirt. So, my wife took her to Target, and there was a complete ensemble of Orange, Black, and White. She was thrilled to go to the game. Meanwhile, I sat at home and watched the game. Two nights ago, the NBA team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, won their game after a player hit a shot from more than 60 feet with no time remaining. A “sports shouting” show featuring Stephen A. Smith and some man called Mad Dog debated a great topic. What is the best way to win a game in a “walk-off” - meaning the game's final play decides the outcome? There’s only one answer to this. It’s not even up for debate. In the history of baseball, there have been more than 700 no-hitters. (Funny story, my wife’s first game at Wrigley Field was a Cole Hamels’ no-hitter… and it’s the only time I’ve ever seen one at the stadium). There have been more than 300 players have hit for the cycle… For the ultimate outlier, I’ve seen four cycles live - Jose Reyes, Aubrey Huff, Felix Pie, and Trea Turner. I’ve also attended a game where Josh Hamilton hit four home runs (18 total bases) against the Orioles, and a year or so earlier, I sat through a game where the Rangers beat the Orioles 30-3… In Baltimore… But there’s one thing I’ve never seen because of its rarity. Only 29 baseball players have ever hit an “Ultimate Grand Slam.” This is where a batter has three players on base, and the team is down by three runs. A grand slam (worth four runs) wins the game. This is what every little kid who stands in his back yard pretending to be in the Major Leagues dreams about. I watched a great compilation of [those home runs on YouTube yesterday](. Watching the joy in Rajai Davis’ celebration around 3:30 is worth the price of admission. I’ll probably watch it again today after my second Denzel Washington movie. Fun Facts The man who played President Palmer Dennis (Dexter Haysbert) in 24 and did all the All-State ads a decade ago… was Pedro Cerrano in the movie Major League. And Willie Mays Hayes (played by Wesley Snipes) in Major League was clearly a riff on Deion Sanders. This was all a reason to talk about Deion… Deion’s customized Mercedes Benz golf cart from the 1996 football season is below. He’s still one of the greatest Floridians. Speaking of Golf Carts My smaller dog decided to eat a bag of sand earlier this week, so I’m $600 lighter in the pocket after taking her to the ER vet. My other dog, Elsie, went for a golf cart ride with me the other day. And it truly is the best of Florida. I bring up my dogs because I watched a video on Monday that really carved through me. I am a fan of Jon Stewart. Some people think he’s a pinko, New York communist [who hides behind a clown nose to push progressivism](. Well, I hope I’m a bit more open-minded. I always appreciate people who can make me think and challenge my conventional wisdom, even if I think they might be wrong on certain issues. It’s been wild to watch people like Keith Olbermann have a meltdown because Stewart worried about the age of both party leaders running for president. I’m fine with it. But I do highlight a video that makes him completely likable. Stewart had adopted a dog about 11 years ago that was missing a leg. And his dog passed away on Sunday. It’s a stirring tribute to a creature that gave him so much joy. He wishes for his audience to find… that one dog. Two years ago, my dog Dagny passed away. She was one of the purest loves of my life. She had lived in six houses in five years and finally found her farm here in Florida. I did not think I would ever find a dog like her again. The sand-eating Gracie knew something was wrong when Dagny started having renal failure. We didn’t know. But Gracie did…. and Gracie slept with her for a month before we took Dags in for a checkup - and the news was grim. After Dagny passed away, Gracie was lost. She is not a leader. She needed another dog to follow (under fences). And then came Elsie… just a few weeks later from a wonderful woman who worked 14 hours daily as a nurse and cared for a dozen dogs in her spare time. She called “Elsie” - Birdie. I don’t know why. We didn’t ask. But we drove two hours north and adopted her on the spot. “There’s no scenario where I’m not leaving without this dog,” my wife said that day. Elsie is the “most dog” of any dog I’ve ever known. She is a pitbull/basset hound mix with a huge head and a little body. She doesn’t listen. She chases squirrels. She digs under the fence no matter how many times we fortify it. She barks at everything. I had to chase her down the street again yesterday - where she did her business on the lawn of my neighbor… Right in front of him. She is funny. She is sweet. She is protective. She guards my daughter. And she fills my heart with joy. Yesterday, we sat in the golf cart and looked at two roads. The first is Imperial Highway - speed limit 55 - and the second is Interstate 75. I like to bring her down here and just watch the traffic. She rests in my lap. And I think about where all of those cars are going. Some local, some to Georgia, others maybe further north. This is the leisure that I needed at this point in my life. And this is the dog that reminds me that it’s better outside. She’s a good girl. Stay positive, Garrett {NAME} Disclaimer Nothing in this email should be considered personalized financial advice. While we may answer your general customer questions, we are not licensed under securities laws to guide your investment situation. Do not consider any communication between you and Florida Republic employees as financial advice. Under company rules, editors and writers cannot recommend their positions. The communication in this letter is for information and educational purposes unless otherwise strictly worded as a recommendation. Model portfolios are tracked to showcase a variety of academic, fundamental, and technical tools, and insight is provided to help readers gain knowledge and experience. Readers should not trade if they cannot handle a loss and should not trade more than they can afford to lose. There are large amounts of risk in the equity markets. Consider consulting with a professional before making decisions with your money.   [Like]( [Comment]( [Restack](   © 2024 Garrett {NAME} 548 Market Street PMB 72296, San Francisco, CA 94104 [Unsubscribe]() [Get the app]( writing]()