Harley Breite - Appreciation thread

[TuHolmes]

It is absolutely no verdict, no conviction, no admission, just nothing at all.
It's as if he just walked into the PTI off the street.

Interesting.

Thanks for the information.

[Las Vegas]

Dear Las Vegas,
  The gear ratios were selected with the idea that these cars would not be museum pieces sitting in garages but rather, cars to be
driven and enjoyed on a regular basis.
  The Pro Street tires actually lower the final gear ration a bit too.
Harley

Yes, gotta live it up a little while there's a chance to do that.

[pellius]

Dear Harley,

Any thoughts on the Aldo lost? Or maybe I should say the McGregor victory.

[Las Vegas]

Hey Guys,
  The below link should rile a few of you up.
  My Muslim client who went off on a Jewish synagogue (the one in which I learned to read and write Hebrew as a young boy)
went to court today for the last time.
  I am sure you won't all agree with the result.
Harley

http://newjersey.news12.com/news/synagogue-firecracker-suspect-rizek-musheisen-gets-pretrial-intervention-1.11220262

It would be dumb for someone to do what this guy was accused of, but that's about the extent of it IMO.  He's a young person who got accused of doing something stupid, and it isn't doing anyone any good to try to "protect" peoples' feelings against his stupidity.

Busting him for the illegal fireworks makes sense, but taking it any further than that without very clear reason isn't right IMO.

[Taffin]

Bump.

Seasons greetings Harley!  Do you take a break at all this time of year?  Or are your talents still in demand?... 

Taf

[Coffeed]

It is absolutely no verdict, no conviction, no admission, just nothing at all.
It's as if he just walked into the PTI off the street.

Will Big Brother do ANYTHING to keep an eye on someone like this though? 

[HarleyBreite]

Hey Guys,
  I apologize for my absence.  I intend to use today and tomorrow to catch up and answer all of your questions.
  And as to the Connor win, ugh.
Harley

[HarleyBreite]

Hey Guys,
  Last week we had the Harley's Kids' Christmas Party and over 200 special persons attended.
  There was plenty of pizza, dancing, special balloons for each kid.  Also, each left with a framed photo of themselves
and as many toys as they could carry.
Harley

[HarleyBreite]

Some of the toys from the Kids' Party

[HarleyBreite]

Harley,

If you could start over, would you still choose to be a lawyer, or do you ever regret not pursuing another career?

Dear Shizzo,
  That is truly a great question.  It is perhaps the biggest question we can ask ourselves.
  I am ambivalent on how to answer so I will put it all out there in an honest fashion.
  At times,  I wish I had gone to medical school like my father.  Lawyers receive no respect from those outside their profession
and certainly none from within.  I may be recognized as many things in my capacity as a lawyer, but hardly ever as "smart."  I
think a large part of my ego is bothered by that.  Doctors are recognized as being far more intelligent than most others (demeanor aside)
and I feel a bit jaded that I have not earned that recognition.  I also believe that had I become a doctor, my clients (patients) would be
far more appreciative than my legal clients.   I know that I would be helping people every day and that is important to me.  I also know that
my hours would be far less than the 60 - 70 I work now.
  I know I would have enjoyed being an Emergency Medical Technician and driving around in an ambulance and responding to people in need.
Intellectually, I would have been disappointed but that type of job is both fun and rewarding.
  I would like to have run a major center for mentally challenged people in order to improve their lives.  As a big shot CEO of some company that
helps people like that, I could make real changes for many people.
  I also think that I could do very well in a marketing/athlete research position for the UFC.
  However, in the end, I can't really complain.  My natural talent took me to where I could use as much of it as possible.  I am a Criminal Defense
Trial Attorney.  Every once in a while, I actually help an innocent person.  I fuck with the government every day.  I make a decent living.  I don't
break my back.  All in all, I landed where I should've landed.
Harley

[HarleyBreite]

Dear Harley,

Any thoughts on the Aldo lost? Or maybe I should say the McGregor victory.

Dear Pellius,
  That fight troubles me.  Did he really get in Aldo's head?  Does getting caught by a punch in 13 seconds really mean you are inferior to your opponent?
  I think that there is still no real answer as to who is the better fighter.  This is very much similar to the Weidman/Silva fights.  I never once believed that
Weidman was better than Silva.  For those who take the moment to analyze what happened in those 2 fights and leave your emotions at the door, there is
simply no reason to believe that the first fight was just a lucky punch facilitated by Silva's stupid tomfoolery and that the second fight proved absolutely nothing
given the horrific injury which was not caused by anything special Weidman did.
  I will say that I admire Connor's self confidence.  If I had a bit more of that,  I would be dangerous too.  I still couldn't beat Aldo though.
Harley

[HarleyBreite]

Bump.

Seasons greetings Harley!  Do you take a break at all this time of year?  Or are your talents still in demand?... 

Taf

Dear Taffin,
  There is no rest for the weary.  However, I am going to Switzerland to take care of some business.  I hope to make Herne proud in 2016.
Harley

[pellius]

Dear Pellius,
  That fight troubles me.  Did he really get in Aldo's head?  Does getting caught by a punch in 13 seconds really mean you are inferior to your opponent?
  I think that there is still no real answer as to who is the better fighter.  This is very much similar to the Weidman/Silva fights.  I never once believed that
Weidman was better than Silva.  For those who take the moment to analyze what happened in those 2 fights and leave your emotions at the door, there is
simply no reason to believe that the first fight was just a lucky punch facilitated by Silva's stupid tomfoolery and that the second fight proved absolutely nothing
given the horrific injury which was not caused by anything special Weidman did.
  I will say that I admire Connor's self confidence.  If I had a bit more of that,  I would be dangerous too.  I still couldn't beat Aldo though.
Harley

I am also very ambivalent about this fight as well. It's really almost inconceivable to me that Aldo would be intimidated or psyched out by McGregor. Aldo is a seasoned vet and the way he grew up and the obstacles and real hardships he has faced and overcome has made him a very hardened, resolute and even a bit grim warrior. To me, the psychological  pressure would be on Connor. The way he built himself up, a lost would have been equal, if not greater, than RR's lost. He would have been dismissed as just another loud mouth. And the way he won couldn't have gone any better for him. A clean knockout in the first round just as he predicted.

If McGregor had any psychological effect on Aldo it would have been, not fear or self-doubt, but Aldo so wanting to destroy him that he went in over eager and exposed himself.

Any sitting champion that loses his title for whatever reason should get an immediate rematch. I always wished that Aldo used his world class ground game more and it would be the ideal strategy against McGregor. Why play to Connor's obvious stand up strength when Mendes proved he could be taken down and not mount much of a defense?

[Taffin]

Dear Taffin,
  There is no rest for the weary.  However, I am going to Switzerland to take care of some business.  I hope to make Herne proud in 2016.
Harley

Dear Harley,
                      Nice to see you're still here, but I thought that phrase went, "no rest for the wicked"... 

Can you elaborate on your trip at all?

(And what is the deal with you and Herne...?)

Respectfully
Taf

[HarleyBreite]

Dear Harley,
                      Nice to see you're still here, but I thought that phrase went, "no rest for the wicked"... 

Can you elaborate on your trip at all?

(And what is the deal with you and Herne...?)

Respectfully
Taf

Dear Taffin,
   The phrase may have been tinkered with a bit as despite my profession, I don't generally consider myself wicked, but rather, tired.
   Unfortunately,  I am not able to elaborate on my trip to Switzerland.
   The thing with me and Herne really isn't anything at all.  He must be quite a character to invest so much time finding all those photos
and then putting them up on GetBig.  Analyzing Herne is not something I am qualified to do as I know nothing about him nor am I a psychiatrist.
    However, I am in some way indebted to Herne even though he came here once to profess how unimpressed he was with me and this thread.
Harley

[HarleyBreite]

Dear Pellius,
  I agree that Aldo was not afraid, but rather, taken away from his game plan.  He is a notoriously slow starter who can gas out in the later rounds.
  Why on earth he attacked immediately as he did is somewhat confusing.  And to his ground game, I've heard it is excellent but the fact that we
never see it executed against top notch guys makes me reserve on praising it.   It's the same as they talk about Roy Nelson's ground game.  Well, let
me see it against world class guys.
  Also, there is BJJ and then there is MMA-BJJ.  They are quite different.
  I also find that the Brazilians are far less disciplined in their training and their ability to diet and make weight (Charles Oliveira didn't make weight last night
and the classic Renan Benao, Aldo's training partner, etc.).  I think that once they achieve some success they lose their hunger as well.  It is a different
culture than Mexico.
Harley

[Coffeed]

Dear Shizzo,
  That is truly a great question.  It is perhaps the biggest question we can ask ourselves.
  I am ambivalent on how to answer so I will put it all out there in an honest fashion.
  At times,  I wish I had gone to medical school like my father.  Lawyers receive no respect from those outside their profession
and certainly none from within.  I may be recognized as many things in my capacity as a lawyer, but hardly ever as "smart."  I
think a large part of my ego is bothered by that.  Doctors are recognized as being far more intelligent than most others (demeanor aside)
and I feel a bit jaded that I have not earned that recognition.  I also believe that had I become a doctor, my clients (patients) would be
far more appreciative than my legal clients.   I know that I would be helping people every day and that is important to me.  I also know that
my hours would be far less than the 60 - 70 I work now.
  I know I would have enjoyed being an Emergency Medical Technician and driving around in an ambulance and responding to people in need.
Intellectually, I would have been disappointed but that type of job is both fun and rewarding.
  I would like to have run a major center for mentally challenged people in order to improve their lives.  As a big shot CEO of some company that
helps people like that, I could make real changes for many people.
  I also think that I could do very well in a marketing/athlete research position for the UFC.
  However, in the end, I can't really complain.  My natural talent took me to where I could use as much of it as possible.  I am a Criminal Defense
Trial Attorney.  Every once in a while, I actually help an innocent person.  I fuck with the government every day.  I make a decent living.  I don't
break my back.  All in all, I landed where I should've landed.
Harley

Funny story...

A doctor  once told me just about the same stuff on the other end... about how his lawyer friends got to make money right out of school. Didn't have to bust their ass as hard.

And of course, no professional thinks they get enough respect. 

[pellius]

Dear Pellius,
  I agree that Aldo was not afraid, but rather, taken away from his game plan.  He is a notoriously slow starter who can gas out in the later rounds.
  Why on earth he attacked immediately as he did is somewhat confusing.  And to his ground game, I've heard it is excellent but the fact that we
never see it executed against top notch guys makes me reserve on praising it.   It's the same as they talk about Roy Nelson's ground game.  Well, let
me see it against world class guys.
  Also, there is BJJ and then there is MMA-BJJ.  They are quite different.
  I also find that the Brazilians are far less disciplined in their training and their ability to diet and make weight (Charles Oliveira didn't make weight last night
and the classic Renan Benao, Aldo's training partner, etc.).  I think that once they achieve some success they lose their hunger as well.  It is a different
culture than Mexico.
Harley

Yes, I think that he was more taken out of his game than afraid or intimidated.

As far as his Jiu-Jitsu, that's what he started out with and trained with the likes of Shaolin, Dantas, Robson Moura. He beat Cobrinha twice as a brown belt. He once mentioned that he didn't use his ground game much because the judges in the UFC, so he claimed, preferred the stand up and like to see knock outs, and since he was just as comfortable on his feet as on the ground he preferred to end it on his feet. But you're right tournament Jiu-Jitsu and MMA Jiu-Jitsu is very different. I don't think it is a coincidence that most (obvious not all) top of the top Jiu-Jitsu champs don't do well in MMA. Guys like Marcelo, Nino, Roger Gracie are just a few examples. Jacare, Werdum and Maia are notable exceptions but it hasn't been an easy road for any of them.

I wasn't aware of the complacency with Brasilians but I have notice that without exception, once their academies get successful, you see them around less and less. The only person I considered world class that I felt was lazy was Rigan Machado. Easily the laziest and most undisciplined world class Jiu-Jitsu figher ever. Such wasted talent.

Without even training I would see him tool guys like Pe de Pano and Monson when they was in his prime. Even Kerr was no match for him. But Rigan ended up placing third to Kerr and to Ricco Rodriguez (who wasn't even remotely close to Rigan on the mat) at the Abu Dhabi when it was actually held in Dubai. Of course his brother, Jean Jacques, another world champion, was simply no match for the larger and stronger Rigan.

He was good for one match. Then he gassed because he never really trained. Even for the Abu Dhabi he would just roll around with is students and rest when he got the slightest bit tired. 

During his active years in Brasil he dominated his competition losing only to Rickson. But even then he was only eighteen at the time, not nearly as big as he would become (finally abandoned that "fruitarian" diet) and Rickson was in his pristine prime in his mid twenties.

I would be surprised if Aldo was getting soft and complacent. Actually, considering some of his fights he wasn't as dominating as he use to be then maybe. But I figured it was because the competition was getting better. But if anybody was going to motivate him it would McGregor. I think Connor was the only one that really got under his skin and that he wanted to destroy.

[HarleyBreite]

Hey Guys,
   I am in a real rut and feel as if I am not accomplishing much and that life is passing me by.
   I decided to contact my Portuguese Professor and ask him if he would teach me to speak, read and write German.
   I keep talking about learning more languages and really focusing on my piano studies and if I don't get to doing it,
I am going to be one of those guys who just talks about stuff and doesn't do anything.
   It's not as if I don't have enough on my plate but I am feeling unsatisfied.
   What do you guys do when you find yourselves dealing with the angst and free floating anxiety that comes with
realizing that we have but a limited amount of time and there are no guarantees for tomorrow?
Harley

[SF1900]

Hey Guys,
   I am in a real rut and feel as if I am not accomplishing much and that life is passing me by.
   I decided to contact my Portuguese Professor and ask him if he would teach me to speak, read and write German.
   I keep talking about learning more languages and really focusing on my piano studies and if I don't get to doing it,
I am going to be one of those guys who just talks about stuff and doesn't do anything.
   It's not as if I don't have enough on my plate but I am feeling unsatisfied.
   What do you guys do when you find yourselves dealing with the angst and free floating anxiety that comes with
realizing that we have but a limited amount of time and there are no guarantees for tomorrow?
Harley

Harley, what is wrong?

[Kahn.N.Singh]

Hey Guys,
   I am in a real rut and feel as if I am not accomplishing much and that life is passing me by.
   I decided to contact my Portuguese Professor and ask him if he would teach me to speak, read and write German.
   I keep talking about learning more languages and really focusing on my piano studies and if I don't get to doing it,
I am going to be one of those guys who just talks about stuff and doesn't do anything.
   It's not as if I don't have enough on my plate but I am feeling unsatisfied.
   What do you guys do when you find yourselves dealing with the angst and free floating anxiety that comes with
realizing that we have but a limited amount of time and there are no guarantees for tomorrow?
Harley

I'm going to contact my professor of German and ask him to teach me to speak, read, and write in Portuguese.

 

Harley, you're like Dante's Ulysses (as opposed to Homer's Odysseus) in Canto 26 of Inferno, wanting to go on another journey - not feeling at-home in comfort, but itching to sail beyond the Pillars of Hercules - to break the boundaries of the known world. It's restless "curiositas" (as described by Hans Blumenberg). Don't worry about limited time: "Tho' much is taken, much abides" (Tennyson, of course). You'll be fine, just avoid the shipwreck.

Best,
Kahn

[hazbin]

Hey Guys,
   I am in a real rut and feel as if I am not accomplishing much and that life is passing me by.
   I decided to contact my Portuguese Professor and ask him if he would teach me to speak, read and write German.
   I keep talking about learning more languages and really focusing on my piano studies and if I don't get to doing it,
I am going to be one of those guys who just talks about stuff and doesn't do anything.
   It's not as if I don't have enough on my plate but I am feeling unsatisfied.
   What do you guys do when you find yourselves dealing with the angst and free floating anxiety that comes with
realizing that we have but a limited amount of time and there are no guarantees for tomorrow?
Harley

I gave up on life.  way easier to get through the day when you have zero goals to fail at.

[TuHolmes]

Hey Guys,
   I am in a real rut and feel as if I am not accomplishing much and that life is passing me by.
   I decided to contact my Portuguese Professor and ask him if he would teach me to speak, read and write German.
   I keep talking about learning more languages and really focusing on my piano studies and if I don't get to doing it,
I am going to be one of those guys who just talks about stuff and doesn't do anything.
   It's not as if I don't have enough on my plate but I am feeling unsatisfied.
   What do you guys do when you find yourselves dealing with the angst and free floating anxiety that comes with
realizing that we have but a limited amount of time and there are no guarantees for tomorrow?
Harley

I do much like you.

I search for the next thing. I took guitar lessons years ago because of it. Took Japanese. Whatever to move me forward.

Just keep moving forward as best you can.

[HarleyBreite]

Harley, what is wrong?

Dear SF1900,
   I just get very down about not being able to lose weight and train.  This liver injury is healing well but still precludes me
from getting in shape.  There is something to me about getting in the gym and just blowing out the walls with intensity and doing
more weight on legs than should be possible.  I'm 48 years old and there isn't one young kid in the gym who inspires me to train either
with his physique or gym work ethic.  If these clowns spent less time on their phones WHILE training, then perhaps they might one day
see some results.
   Also, not having anything to do with my religious beliefs, but Christmas time always finds me a bit depressed and cynical.  How many commercials
need tell me just how late the stores will stay open in order to grab money from those who can least afford to frivolously shop?  December is the most
expensive month of the year for me as almost everyone who helps me with my business has their hands out for a "gift."  This "incentive" is given every
Christmas at least and always brings me back to asking, "Why don't people do what's right or best for another without having to receive something in
return?"  I would prefer to see the "Christmas Spirit" translated into a mandatory visit with good, old friends over some inexpensive dinner and great talk.
   In the end, the relationships we have are perhaps our best asset.
Harley

[HarleyBreite]

Hey Guys,
  For those of you who observe Christmas, I wish you all a wonderful day with family, friends, a television,
a couch for napping, lasagna, ravioli, one good glass of wine, Diet Coke and some chocolate/peanut butter dessert.
  For the rest of you, I wish you basically the same except without the annoying relatives.
Harley