Someone asked me recently what my philosophy was. I thought about it for a second and then mimed, "My philosophy in life is that I don't have a philosophy!"

Philosophy is the study and quest to answer unanswerable questions. Is the glass half full or is it half empty? It is both. It is neither. It is a question with no real answer. It is all a matter of perspective. You can go around and around thinking about it like a dog chasing its own tail. You will drive yourself crazy trying to answer the unanswerable.

That is why I don't have a philosophy in life unless you consider not having a philosophy, a philosophy. I'd rather think about psychology. Figuring out how and why the mind works makes a lot more sense to me. Determining why people act the way they do, what motivates them, and understanding my own feelings better seems like a much more useful pursuit. Psychology is the pursuit of sanity. Philosophy is the pursuit of insanity. I'm already crazy enough without trying to be more crazy with a philosophy. That being said let's talk about what's been going on.

Let's see. What has happened lately? Oh, I know. When someone asks you to turn the air conditioner up, what does it mean to you? I've always taken it as meaning to make the air colder. In other words, give the air conditioner more power to do its job. Turn its power up; make it work more. I got into this fight, I mean, conversation with a fellow mascot, who shall remain nameless, Sly the Fox, from the Nets.

He said that to turn the air conditioner up means to make it warmer. That "up" refers to the temperature. If it is 70 degrees then make it 74 degrees by turning the air conditioner up. What do you all think, besides that I am obviously infinitely smarter than Sly the Fox? Do you think he is right in this case? Remember which team you are a fan of when answering this question!

For any regular readers, my vacation to Cancun was great. I did nothing but hibernate in the sand, soak in some rays, read, and watch 24 consecutive episodes of the second season of "24" with Kiefer Sutherland in three days. If you have not seen that show, you need to check it out as long as there is not a Rockets game on at the same time.

The only down side of the vacation was that the 5-star hotel that I thought I was staying at was indeed nice, but predominately occupied by senior citizens. I don't have anything against older people. It is just a little hard for a bear eight years of age to find common activities with people who have been alive 10 times as long as he has.

I'm glad to be back in H-town and back to work. How about those new Rockets uniforms? I think they RULE! Red is definitely my color. Look for me on the tube or at a game. My ears feel like they are warming up to our new team color. You'll see what I mean.

The other great thing going on besides the start of the preseason is getting to know my new cave. The Toyota Center is totally cool. I saw Fleetwood Mac in concert this past Monday, which marked our first official event. There are so many exciting things on the immediate horizon right now. I hope all of you can share in the fun. Our first home preseason game is this Sunday, October 12 at 7:30 p.m. against the New Orleans Hornets and our first regular season game is Thursday, October 30 at 7:00 p.m. against the Denver Nuggets. It is going to be a blast! I'll see you at a game soon.

Best Swishes!

Until next time. Be BIG!