💪Finkel's Fast Five 126 - June 26th, 2020

Welcome to Finkel's Fast Five #126. Thanks for reading and subscribing!

ONE

PEOPLE - I have found my new favorite follow on Twitter and this is his bio: NASA astronaut and U.S. Navy SEAL currently living aboard the International Space Station.

Is that the coolest one line career bio you've ever seen? I think it is. The difficulty of getting into either of these clubs is off the charts, but to achieve SEAL and astronaut status? That's amazing. Without further adieu, this bad ass bio belongs to Chris Cassidy, A.K.A., AstroSEAL and he's on twitter at @Astro_SEAL. He's been posting some outstanding photos, including some cool shots from his space walk this week.

TWO

PSYCHOLOGY - Did you know that the average best hand dealt in poker typically only wins 12% of the time? And did you know that when economists studied all the hands at the 2010 World Series of Poker, they determined that it takes far more skill to be a professional poker player than a professional investor? Even if both are successful.

I learned both of these facts and about a dozen more from this piece, 'Poker and the Psychology of Uncertainty' by Maria Konnikova in Wired Magazine. It was adapted from her new book, 'The Biggest Bluff'. The article is about how Konnikova, a Harvard grad, decided to become a professional gambler and what she learned along the way about odds, guts, smarts and studying people. It's an excellent read, whether you're into gambling, investing or not.

THREE

BASKETBALL - I've been playing a decent amount of NBA2K with my son and with their 'All-Time Line-ups' feature I continually find myself choosing the Phoenix Suns so I can be vintage Charles Barkley while I knock down threes with Thunder Dan Majerle.

The best part about playing with my boy is when I hang 40 on him with Barkley or someone and he'll say, "he wasn't that good"... then I get to go to YouTube and show him clips like this one, from Barkley's 56 point, 14 rebound game against the Warriors and say, "uh, yeah buddy, he WAS that good." This highlight video of the game is awesome. People forget that Charles had a real soft touch from 15 feet and when he wasn't slamming people inside, he could knock down jumpers and fadeaways.

FOUR

HEALTH - I have been debating and debating with myself whether or not to share this joint supplement I've started using because I am so leery of the placebo effect and all the other factors that go into supplements working for individual people, but I think it's time.

A few months ago my right shoulder and right knee were bugging the hell out of me. I could still lift and play ball and do everything, but my joints were getting sore (yeah, it sucks getting older and I can't believe I'm even writing this). From my fitness magazine days I knew glucosamine and a few other supplements have been proven in some studies to actually relieve joint pain, so I did my usual amount of research and I found a zillion positive reviews for Osteo Bi-Flex with Turmeric. I'm not a doctor. I know nothing about science. All I can tell you is that it worked for me. It took about a week but then the little creaks and cracks and soreness started to fade and now, two months in, most of it is gone. I have no affiliation whatsoever with this brand. It just worked.

FIVE

A great quote about aging:

“If you are pining for youth I think it produces a stereotypical old man because you only live in memory, you live in a place that doesn’t exist. Aging is an extraordinary process where you become the person you always should have been.”

– David Bowie

BONUS TRICK SHOT

For Trick Shot Tuesday this week my son challenged me to knock in a basketball shot from past the foul line using his old tee-ball bat. This easily had one of the highest levels of difficulty so far... But... In true dad fashion... I rose to the occasion and sank it and you can bask in the glory with me here.

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