NCFE

Road Apples, #119

2012-01-25T08:33:00.000-05:00

Happy Belated Birthday...to my older (by 15 months) brother Rich, who turned 49 on the 14th. Hehehehe, he's old.

Katy Perry...who is getting divorced from horse-faced comedian Russell Brand, has a cat named "Kitty Purry". I swear this is true, as I read it in Us magazine.

The Republican Primary Race...is getting interesting. Never have I seen such a group of tragically flawed individuals, one of which will end up running against a President with a mediocre record. This is George W. Bush vs John Kerry, all over again. Let's pretend I am a traditional Republican...white, middle-aged or older, Protestant...who do I vote for? None of the candidates look like me. Heck, the two most conservative candidates are Catholic for God's sake! Don't they worship the Pope?

SOTUS...Just curious, since when did we start referring to the State of the Union speech as the SOTUS? Probably about the same time we started calling the Supreme Court the "SCOTUS". Boy, and I thought my employer was acronym happy! Anyway, I didn't watch the speech lat night. Actually I never watch the speech. Well make that virtually never. I much prefer to actually read the text, that way I can get the ideas without the bombastic theater associated with the presentation. Besides, I loathe campaign commercials, and EVERY SOTUS in an election year is really just a campaign speech. Unless you are Rush Limbaugh I guess, who probably just sees that in SOTUS by Democrats.

Speaking of radio's favorite Hillbilly Heroin addict...El Rushbo was quoted as saying that "Ron Paul sounds like an Islamic terrorist" the other day. You can read a citation HERE. Now I disagree with Ron Paul on some fronts, but this is just ridiculously silly. I guess anyone who thinks that maybe minding our own business in the world is, in Limbaugh's eyes, a terrorist. The near constant avocation of military force by someone who went out of his way to avoid serving in the military is laughable at best. Yes, that's right all you "Ditto Heads" out there...Rush Limbaugh is a "patriot" (according to geniuses such as Sean Hannity) but somehow someone like John Kerry (who besides looking like Frankenstein and sounding like Thurston Howell III, served his country with honor and distinction in Vietnam) isn't. Strange days indeed.

Travel...I've been traveling on business quite a bit lately, and I have to admit that it is getting quite tiring. Anyone who thinks that traveling on business is....

...cool
...glamorous
...exciting

...needs to get their head examined. Trust me, even when it is a day trip, spending 7 hours at full alert as you play "Mad Maxx" with trucks on I84 isn't fun...it's exhausting. I'm not asking for pity here, as in some respects it is great that I have a job where I get paid to do such things, but it's also not the best part of my job. This is all part of the package though when you work hard at your profession and have any measure of success. By the way, this is one of the areas where I part ways with some of the left: I do believe that anyone can succeed, but it requires hard work and determination. It also requires some luck, but luck is often times not quite so random a thing in that it seems to come to those who, as it turns out, work hard. So while traveling on business isn't all it's cracked up to be, it's a far cry from where I started as a kid, growing up in the Midtown Apartments. Here's to enjoying life in about the 40 (as opposed to the 1) %.

We're not really just a bunch of jock obsessed coal-crackers in NEPA...

2012-01-23T18:27:00.004-05:00

...although you would not know it from the front page of today's Scranton Times, which was a full page color picture of the late Joe Paterno.

Forget the fact that we are inching towards a possible conflict in the Straights of Hormuz, as the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln crossed Iran's "do not cross" line. (see HERE).

Forget the newly tightened race for the GOP Presidential nomination.

Forget the E.U. voting on sanctions on Iran.

Forget just about anything else that happened in the world. No, in Scranton, the single most important thing happening...so much so that it blew out all other news reports and was, by appearances, an equal event to the 9.11 attacks...was that a football coach died.

Now I am full of Penn State pride. Unlike most Penn State fans in NEPA, I actually attended the university and proudly have my Penn State Bachelor's degree proudly hanging in my humble abode. I am a life member of the Penn State Alumni Society, I have a Penn State license plate, and I proudly served on the Penn State Harrisburg Alumni Society Board of Directors. I also want to add that from my youngest years I have been a Penn State fan. Oh, and I have contributed financially to the University for many years (but not in 2011...that was another post). In short, I am a Penn Stater, and I should care as much...if not more...than most.

I also grieve for the Paterno family. Coal Region Voice has a great posting on Paterno HERE. But I realize that the sad passing of a beloved coach is just that: a sad passing. It is not the most important thing happening in...

...Scranton
...Pennsylvania
...the United State
...or the world as a whole

Unfortunately you could not discern that fact from today's Scranton Times.

Today the Scranton Times did us all disservice by once again effectively talking down to the residents of the area. The front page of today's paper basically treats all of us as if we are star-struck pre-teens. The cover page was the equivalent of the National Enquirer, giving us pop culture (of which sports is a part) instead of real news.

What's that they say about "bread and circuses"?

We deserve better from our local newspaper.

Words of Wisdom from Barry Goldwater

2012-01-21T12:09:00.001-05:00

From a Facebook posting by Justin Vacula, Joe Moreno.

All I can say is "Very Well Put".

By the way, substitute "preacher" for "mullah" and "these Christians" for "these Muslims" and you would get the standard talking point for many on the ultra-right.

"You will never..."

2012-01-19T07:53:00.000-05:00

There are few things in this world more motivating than being told "you will never....". It is almost a dare to success, and for me, it's an important reminder that I've accomplished much in a relatively short life.

As is the case with many things in my life, the details aren't nearly as important as the underlying moral of the stories. Recently one of these stories came to pass, and after the dust settled, I was reminded of one of those "you will never..." comments from a while ago. I'm not treating this as one of those moments for gloating, because that kind of thing is useless...it's the equivalent of the sugar high in that the supposed great feeling always leads to a crash afterwards. No, I am going to take this moment to contemplate some of the things that I've learned about myself. A few of these lessons include:

The Long Run...When faced with big life decisions, always vote for the option that offers the best outcome over the long term. In addition to long-term payoffs usually being better, there is something wonderful to be said about incremental steps being made towards an important goal. Success snowballs with long-term goals.
Be Positive...I really, really wish someone would have sat me down years ago and simply said "You know what? Your own attitude is one of the few things in life that truly belongs to you. Make the choice to be positive." I know this now, but it took a long time to figure it out.
The Grass Is Not Always Greener...No one really has it all. You know that person you see walking down the hallway (be it at school, work, the shopping mall, etc.) who seems just "perfect"? Well they are not. Assuming that they are human, they have their own stories and issues, just like you or I. Yes, some folks have learned to carry themselves well, and others have learned the whole positive thing that took me a while to figure out, but they still have their share of issues in life to handle. I've learned...now...to never assume that I am so defective as to be an abomination to the species.
Moss Gathers on the Immobile Stone...I am at my best when I am doing something; I am at my worst when I am sitting around doing nothing. I suspect that this is true for most folks.

I know, none of this is really all that significant in the revelation department, but so be it. I promised myself that, at some point, I'd do a few small things to celebrate a recent milestone and writing this helps to keep that promise. Check.

On the final album recorded by the Beatles, Abbey Road*, the last listed song is actually a combination of short song snippets referred to as "the medley". The last words sung in the medley go as follows:

...and in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make

Fitting, huh? Now to be fair, this isn't the last thing you actually hear on the album. On the vinyl LP there is actually a bonus, unlisted track called "Her Majesty". It's a perfect coda of sorts: a statement about "the end" followed by something that basically says "don't take it all so seriously". That's as important as just about anything else I've noted here...in any posting.

(*) Abbey Road was the last Beatles album recorded, but it was not the last released...that would be "Let It Be".

NEPArtisan Posting - Account(ing)(ability)

2012-01-14T09:19:00.002-05:00

A contribution to NEPArtisan's blog...link HERE.

Modern Music

2012-01-13T07:46:00.001-05:00

While my youngest daughter is home on winter break, she often works from 6am to 2pm. On those days I take her to work, which necessitates getting up early to get my day started. On some of these mornings I have MTV playing in the background, and shockingly, they actually play music in the morning. Yes, actual music videos. Well, I suspect that it depends no your definition of "music".

I know, I'm going to sound like an old guy, but so be it. I honestly don't think much of the a-typical urban rap stuff sounds, as it is neither unique or even slightly interesting. The visuals are equally boring, as once you've seen some scantily clad 18 year old "dancing" in a video, you've seen them all. By and large the artists in these videos look and sound the same, as there are only so many ways you can do the "tough guy rapper" look. Oh, and the grills look really stupid. I will point out that one of the artists I've seen at least looks quasi-classy...that would be the rapper known as "Pitbull".

Actually his look kind of reminds me of the Rat-Pack, sans tie, circa 1962. The music? Not so thrilling, as his gimmick is the same as what every other rapper rants about, with the addition of frequent references to Cuba, where Mr Pitbull apparently hails from. But hey, a jacket and dress shirt is better than a puffy black winter coat or 345lbs of gold chain (while bragging about "bitches").

Now in fairness, I do have some more urban music in my collection. I like Alicia Keys/JayZ "Empire State of Mind" song. I also have the Kanye West tune "Gold Digger", as I may have noted in the past. Note that while I like the "Empire State of Mind" song, I absolutely love the Newark parody...

If you've ever been to Newark then you will definitely get this one.

So despite what you may read here, I am going to try and keep an open mind about music. Actually I've been trying to listen to more classical music, and with my new Klipsch earbuds, I am actually really enjoying some stuff. Ms Rivers must be proud of me, but I'm also not making any promises.

To end this rant, here's something very fitting: one of the greatest rock-n-roll bands in the world singing about, well, rock-n-roll. Ladies and gentlemen, time for some maximum R&B...

Watching Keith Moon and Pete Townshend reminds you of just how glorious music used to be, back when it involved instruments, singing and...well...talent.

Rock is dead they say....long live rock!

Say what you want about the man & his morals, just don't "dis" capitalism

2012-01-12T07:43:00.002-05:00

I find stories like this to be fascinating...

GOP: Anti-Romney Ads Go Too Far

Here is what is being said:

Mitt Romney can carpet bomb Newt Gingrich over his morals, his record, his basic level of sanity...and that's okay! Hell, Mitt claims to not even be behind the ads.

Question the antics of Mitt Romney during his tenure at Bain Capital? Why how dare they! They are going too far! Newt should be ashamed of himself!

Just how hypocritical can they get? Newt Gingrich didn't invent negative attack ads in this campaign; Mitt Romney's surrogates did that in Iowa, thank you very much. While there is some truth in all these advertisements (Yes, Newt did serve one of his former spouses divorce papers while she was being treated for cancer. Yes, Bain Captial has made big profits from firms it pushed into bankruptcy), the claims of outrage by the likes of Santorum, Hillbilly Heroin Addict Limbaugh, the Wall Street Journal, etc. fail the propriety test in an almost laughable manner. Particularly galling is the notion by Romney that somehow he had nothing to do with the anti-Newt ads in Iowa. Yes, he had nothing to do with the ads run...against his opponents...by a SuperPac that supports him...that is run by his former campaign staff...and funded by people who also contribute to his campaign.

Oh, and this is the party of "Family Values".

I get a shiver in my bones just thinking about the weather...

2012-01-10T14:24:00.001-05:00

Mental health break this afternoon in the form of half-day off. Now there is plenty for me to do in the office, but I do have all of this time off available to me, and since my travel schedule was changed for the week, I decided that it might make sense to enjoy some down time.

Apologies in advance if anyone thinks that this kind of blogging is "trite" by the way. Wait, scratch the "apology" part. Note to one and all: I publicly proclaim that I don't especially care if anyone reads this stuff. However, if you do read it and find it at least a bit amusing, entertaining, (cough) insightful, then all the better. If you don't...well...then don't read.

Anyway, back to being trite.

I've had a few things I've wanted to write about over the past few days...I even have an idea for a series of postings...but these days I am long on ideas but short on time. Part of it is just my profession, as my job requires a fair amount of my physical time (case in point yesterday: I was in the Scranton office at 6:05am, got back from the Hartford office at 8:30pm), and what physical time it doesn't take is sometimes absorbed by mental time (meaning that I am thinking about work stuff). Then we have to factor in the outside stuff I engage in, and there you have it: not a lot of time.

I know, cry me a river. It's hard work striving to live a full life. Note that I said "striving".

Speaking of blogging, I was looking the other day at old blog postings that go back to the mid-2000's, some of which I think I'd like to resurrect here. That's an idea that's been on the burner for a while, one that I need to pull the trigger on one of these days. Also, in the spirit of complete honesty, I usually have one or two drafted postings that are sitting in the wings for various reasons. One such is actually ready to go, although a certain event has to occur first before I can finish and publish it. In time.

Looking forward, I'm reasonably sure that the professional side of my life will end up hitting a more reasonable stride one of these days/weeks/months. Well more like I will learn to create a more reasonable pace. As I get older I have become increasingly aware that we do in fact control far more of our environment than we previously believed. Most importantly, we absolutely control our own attitudes. In the end that matters the most.

On the personal front, well, there are always variables in life when you have kids, even "kids" that are now legally adults. Now matter how complex my life can be, it's far better than it could be simply by virtue of the fact that I have wonderful children. That will not be changing. Other personal stuff? Well, stay tuned. For me, 2010 was a year of making big decisions/changes. 2011 was a year of executing on those changes. 2012 will be even more change, but it will be all good. I'd rather face the uncertainty of change, knowing that it offers possibilities, than the certainty of a sameness that offers...well...just sameness.

"Live a good life. If there are gods and they are just, then they will not care how devout you have been, but will welcome you based on the virtues you have lived by. If there are gods, but unjust, then you should not want to worship them. If there are no gods, then you will be gone, but will have lived a noble life that will live on in the memories of your loved ones. I am not afraid."

- Marcus Aurelius

Iowa really is "out there"

2012-01-04T07:42:00.000-05:00

Want proof positive as to just how disassociated religious conservatives are from reality? Then you need only look at the results from the Iowa caucus voting (from the Drudge Report, this morning):

Rick Santorum? Seriously? I can understand the appeal of Mitt Romney. The guy is a proven leader, even if you don't like his ability to switch polar opposites on just about every issue known to the American voter. But Rick Santorum?

Smug

Arrogant

Holier-than-Thou

Genuinely Homophobic

It's a good thing that the Iowa caucuses are predictors of, well, almost nothing. Why? Because if they were a genuine barometer of where the GOP votes are going...and Rick Santorum potentially becomes the nominee to run against President Obama...then it will be four more years of a Democratic President. Mark my words. Rick Santorum is unelectable in the Fall, period.

Just how out of touch is he? He was recently quoted as saying that states should have the right to outlaw birth control. Yes, ban birth control. Reference HERE. So all you haters of intrusive government out there, what say you about a government...Federal or State...that has the right to tell you what you birth control measures you and your partner can use in your intimate relationship? Seriously, someone out there want to defend this? I can understand that some one's religious convictions could prevent them from using birth control, but is it the business of any government to simply dictate these choices to you? This is just a single sample of just how "out there" Rick Santorum is on many issues.

Mark my words: If Rick, then 4 more years of Obama.

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T15:13:00.000-05:00

I'd have to say that the past two weeks have been hectic at best. Now given the range of things that people experience around the holidays, "hectic" isn't all that bad in the grand scheme of things. Yes, there are some things I could do without...the annual ritual of major car repairs for example (last year: oldest daughter's car; this year middle daughter's car)...but ya know what? It's the "things" in life that actually matter the least anyway. Besides, I'm sure Phil Vullo & company don't view the "major car repair" thing to be all that bad from their perspective.

Perspective: yes, in the end, it's all about one's point of view anyway. The "what" is basically everything I suppose.

As I am sitting here thinking about 2012, there are some of what I would call "tactical" things I want to accomplish, but that kind of list is for another time and another place. For now, my New Year's resolution is more one of perspective: namely to keep it. At my worst I sometimes get almost overcome in the minutiae of whatever is happening in the moment. It's kind of like my head is underwater...but yet it's because I am sitting in the water and the overhead water is just a wave. The trick, at least for me, is to remember at those moments in 2012 that:

a) the waves always pass
b) worst case I can simply to chose to stand up & let the wave pass under (instead of over) my head

Easy to remember, but more difficult to apply. But hey, the important stuff is seldom easy in life, now is it? What matters is that we can always try, as long as we are alive and kicking (segue to video...).

Here's to having perspective as we all stare down a new year.

2011: A Personal Odessey

2011-12-30T17:42:00.000-05:00

Well it's nearly the end of 2011 and as such it makes some sense to take a few moments to look in the rear-view mirror.

The Rear View Mirror
One thing I've learned in 2011 is not to spend too much time looking in the rear view mirror. Yes, reflection & retrospection is a good thing, provided that it serves a useful, forward thinking purpose. Oh, and that it is not done at the expense of living in the now. Life truly is short & time is fleeting, so why spend too much of it engaged in "if I had only" mental exercises? In the past we did the best we could at the time, period. This kind of acknowledgement is an important part of accepting ourselves for who we are as fully functioning human beings.

As A Dad
I have a lot of different names & titles but none is as important to me as that of "Dad". As I have noted in the past in this space, growing up I didn't really have a functional father, so I have been determined over these past 23+ years to be for my children what I only dreamed of (and saw on TV...although I will confess some relief when I discovered that Mr Brady was actually gay) when I was a child. Have I been successful? That's not for me to answer, but I will say two things for certain:

...I try very hard to be a good Dad & I don't take the role for granted
...I try to live an example in my own life of what I tell my girls should be important in their lives

To the latter I think some parents fall into the trap of "do as I say, not as I do". For example, we tell our children that they deserve to be in happy, healthy personal relationships, but those words are detrayed if we ourselves live in relationships that are unhealthy. How is this any different than the pot-head parent telling their own children "just say no"?

Note that I do not claim that this notion of "eating your own cooking" is ever easy; in fact I am living proof that this is actually extremely difficult. But your children are smarter than you think (mine are...), and while even parents are allowed to make mistakes, the error of hypocrisy is very difficult to overcome.

My "children" are actually adults now, ages 18, 19 & 23 (soon to be 24), so I guess I could look back and point to all my failings, but that would be foolish (see the rear-view miror). Instead I will offer this: one is a colledge graduate who is employed in the field she studied in school; one is a Dean's list Biology major at the University of Scranton and my youngest just finished her first semester at West Chester University, also making the Dean's List. In totality, I think the evidence points to some success in the co-parenting world.

Professionally
This was probably one of the best years I have ever had professionally. I report to someone who is a terrific manager himself, and the company is taking an interest in my personal development. Well that last phrase is incorrect: more correctly, I am being given the opportunity to explore development opportunities (meaning the door is open...but I need to do the walk'n through it). This year also saw something for me that hadn't happened last since Bill Clinton was President, namely that I received a promotion.

It's all good stuff, and when I think about how difficult the job market is for some, I realize just how many blessings I truly enjoy.

Personally
Life has its ups and downs, and no where was that more on display for me than in my personal life during 2011. All told though, I've landed in a terrific place. As I often times remind myself, sometimes you don't get what you want in life, but over time you always get what you need. For me, nothing could be more true. God at work? I don't know, but sometimes you just have to accept that it's not possible to understand everything. Faith? Perhaps.

I'll end this trite tirade with completely different but equally true sets of thoughts:

(from Good Juju on Facebook)

To the second "W", here's to not ceasing from exploration.

****

End-Note: In high school I was ungainly tall, extremely thin, fairly bright, very uncoordinated and exceptionally introverted. In short, I was a pretty weird kid. I heard about a book called "The Great Shark Hunt" and read it cover to cover over the course of about a week. At that point I learned, for the very first time, that it was okay to be both smart and weird. This past year I learned that maybe I'm not so all alone in that department. Maybe we are all just a little bit smart and weird. Anyway, a fitting final word from the author of that book...

"I understand that fear is my friend, but not always. Never turn your back on fear. It should always be in front of you, like a thing that might have to be killed."

- Dr. Hunter S. Thompson

Response to JD's comment

2011-12-26T23:49:00.003-05:00

Comment from JD Curtis
Merry Christmas Steve.

And may your upcoming new year be every bit as gloomy, melancholy, darkly introspective, negative, stoic, foreboding, dejected, despondant, doleful, wistful, disheartening, glum, funereal, pensive, trite, and mirthless as your blog is. :)

Now this just begs for a response.

Gloomy...
Well I disagree with that assertion. I think I can be gloomy from time to time, just like any other human, but please, Eeyore I am not.

Melancholy...
One would think that JD was describing Lydia Deetz.

Actually I don't own that much black. Except for a pair of pants. And some socks.

Darkly Introspective...
Okay, guilty on that charge. But hey, life ain't sunshine, smiles and rainbows...unless you are JD Curtis I suspect. Oooops, sorry JD...don't think that I am for one minute implying that you are Gay with the whole rainbow comment. I know you feel about those people.

Negative...
Wrong. I'm not the one who tells entire classes of people that they are somehow wrong. Pot calling the kettle black on this one JD? In point of fact I am one of the most positive people I know. This goes to show you that anything you read on-line should be held in suspect relative to the truth.

Stoic...
Guilty as charged.

Foreboding...
Not really.

Dejected & Despondent...
There was a point in time when I did feel that way, but not now. My life now is great, thank you very much!

Doleful...
Full of Dole?

Wistful & Disheartening & Glum...
Again, if you think you can really know someone from what you read in, of all place, a blog...well then I really want to sell you some stuff. Can I stop by? I have some real estate that I don't own that is burning a hole in my pocket as I type this...

By the way, since JD apparently do believe all that he sees and reads on-line, for the record I really look like this...

...except for the eyes. Mine are hazel.

Funereal...
I confess to having to look this word up. Kudos! I disagree underlying thought, but I am impressed never the less with the language.

Pensive...
Seriously JD, you basically just started taking words for this list that were simply found in the definitions of other words. I expect more than just blatant verbal recycling.

Trite...
You do realize that this is:
a) The Internet
b) We both have blogs
...right? Please do tell me what parts of on-line blogging are not trite? Hell, at least I am man enough to admit it!

Mirthless..
Those that really know me will tell you that I am a pretty funny guy. Now not as funny as, say, Rush Limbaugh as he makes fun of blacks, homosexuals, and others (but not drug addicts...oops), but funny never the less.

But hey, at least you didn't include hypocritical on your mirthless, gloomy and pensive list.

So Happy Holidays JD...and here's to a mirthful 2012!

Road Apples, #118

2011-12-20T07:34:00.001-05:00

Handel's Messiah...As something of a tradition...well to the extent that two years in a row constitutes a tradition...I recently attended a performance of Handel's Messiah, this year at St. Luke's in downtown Scranton. I can't claim to be the world's biggest fan of religiously inspired classical music, but this is very enjoyable when you hear it performed by a group such as the Robert Dale Chorale. It makes you realize just how tremendously talented some of the local folks are in NEPA. I have to thank Ms Rivers for continuing to contribute to my cultural learnings.

Somewhat Less than Classical...Two movies I recently purchased: Woody Allen's Love and Death and The Fifth Element. I watched Love and Death the other night with Katrina. The Fifth Element will probably be screened some time this week.

Unemployment Benefits...Congress is battling over unemployment benefits again. There is a rather slanted, in my view, article HERE from the New Republic. I am somewhat skeptical of adding too many conditions to the receipt of something like unemployment benefits, if for the only reason that workers do in fact pay into the system that provides these benefits. Besides, isn't adding rules to legislation another example of "big, intrusive government"?

Tax Cuts...Coupled with the unemployment benefit legislation is the extension of what I've previously said is an ill-conceived tax cut. Ill-conceived because this is a bogus tax-cut, robbing the Social Security System simply because Congress isn't capable of actually reforming the tax code in a way that would provide real, long-term tax relief. Every day I wake up and read the news, and every day I see why the abysmal approval rating of Congress is deserved.

Bloomberg Businessweek...An enormous THUMBS DOWN to the folks at Bloomberg Businessweek. I subscribe to the magazine and actually do enjoy the content they provide. So why the thumbs down? Well my subscription is up in early January, so towards the end of November I received a card from them stating that my credit card would be automatically charged $50 for a renewal on or about December 26th, and that if I wanted to cancel I could do any time before then to avoid the charge. Fair enough I thought...I'd noodle it over and probably just go with the renewal. So what I do I see when I reconcile my last statement? Well sure enough, I got charged $50 by Bloomberg Businessweek...on November 30th. Yes, they hit me almost a full month before they said they would. So I called them yesterday morning to get the charge reversed, and low and behold it may take "1 to 2 billing cycles" before the my account is credited. Yes...they took my money without my permission and will take their own sweet time to make it right. They suck.

Occupy Scranton...I have to find out if the Occupy Scranton folks were evicted from courthouse square in Scranton yesterday. I don't have strong feelings about this either way, although I will say that this isn't something I would participate in myself. I also found their "protest" about firefighter cuts in Scranton to be silly at best. Can you say "tool of unions"? Anyway, I say let them stay with two conditions:

There isn't any illegal activity (drugs, etc) going on.
Their presence doesn't negatively impact the use of the square by other individuals and groups. This includes health and safety concerns that might arise from a quasi-permanent camp.

Basically I don't think the rights of the protesters should supersede the rights of others. If there is no conflict of rights then I say let them stay.

Test Post

2011-12-18T10:40:00.003-05:00

This is a test using some new technology. More to come.

Truly mobile blogging technology.

Scary Newt...

2011-12-17T22:49:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of the LA Times...link HERE. This should scare the crap out of anyone with half a brain.

"Newt Gingrich says as president he would ignore Supreme Court decisions that conflicted with his powers as commander in chief, and he would press for impeaching judges or even abolishing certain courts if he disagreed with their rulings."

Favorite Beatles Covers

2011-12-17T06:24:00.002-05:00

A listing of my favorite/what I consider to the be best covers of Beatles songs. I've listed them in quasi-order..."quasi" in the sense that this is highly subjective stuff.

1. In My Life
Cover by Johnny Cash.
Ponder this: John Lennon wrote "In My Life" when he was in his early 20's, but yet a man who was in his 70's and near death records it and bring a a certain level of gritty authenticity to the tune. Listen to the Cash version and you will hear the song for the very first time. It's that good.

Trivia: This is one of my daughter Rebecca's favorite songs. One of mine too.

2. Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
Cover by Elton John & band.
I think one of the hallmarks of a great cover is that the re-recording artist brings something new to the song. That's definitely the case with this version of the Sgt. Pepper's tune. Elton's version has different sound to it, and the pacing of the vocals is completely different.

Trivia: John Lennon plays guitar on this song & also contributes backing vocals (listen carefully to the chorus and you can hear him). He is credited for the guitar work as "featuring the reggae guitars of Dr Winston O'Boogie".

3. Something
Cover by Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, et all. From the Concert for George.
I know this may not technically be a cover, since it is being played in part by another Beatle, but remember that Something wasn't a Lennon/McCartney song. I just love this version of the song, especially the initial piece where it is just McCartney, a ukulele, and some light percussion. This makes me want to sing along. As originally recorded this song was a pretty heavy love song (Frank Sinatra called it one of his favorite love songs once), but at the hands of McCartney and Clapton is is transformed into what is at first almost a sing-along...then Clapton & company (such as the terrific Andy Fairweather Low) transform it back into a serious piece of emotional angst.

Trivia: Rumor has it that McCartney didn't want to participate in the Concert for George and had to basically be shamed into joining the concert by Eric Clapton.

4. Across the Universe
Cover by Rufus Wainright.
I think this was one of John Lennon's favorite songs songs, and I can't help but think that Lennon would really like this version. It's all in the vocals by Wainright...he has this gritty but simple quality to his voice that makes the song come to life. It almost has a spoken, poetic quality to it that I think really brings the words of the song to life.

Trivia: The lyric "Jai guru deva om" roughly means "Give thanks for the heavenly teacher".

5. Got To Get You Into My Life
Cover by Earth, Wind and Fire.
McCartney wrote this as something of a tribute to Motown, which then gets turned into an actual genre piece by a soul/R&B band (Earth, Wind and Fire). This speaks to just how authentic a song-writer...and fan of music in general...McCartney actually was and is to this very day. Truth be told, as a youngster I actually heard this version of the song long before I heard the Beatles version.

Trivia: This was in the wretched St Pepper's movie spawned by the Bee Gees.

Bonus: My two favorite covers performed by the Beatles:

Money, by Barrett Strong.
Lennon just belts this one out, and the rhythm of guitars throughout the tune makes you just want to tap your feet. As is the case in many early Beatles songs you can barely hear McCartney's bass guitar.

Twist and Shout by Phil Medley and Bert Russell
Once again Lennon proves that he can belt out a rock-n-roll tune. I love the parts in the middle & end of the song where each of the Beatles contributes an "ahhh". At the very end you can hear one of them yelling "yeah". I believe that most of the early Beatles stuff like this was recorded live, meaning that all four Beatles played at the same time, instead of the instrument and vocals being recorded individually.

My Sweet Lord

2011-12-15T07:59:00.000-05:00

I have a Beatles post drafted that needs to be posted (Wow, that sounds rather "heady" does it not? As in this is some great, long awaited effort...but so I digress...), but in thinking about what I wanted to write I was reminded as to how much I love this song.

Forget the overt religious elements on this song...just focus on the notion of longing to try and understand what higher power(s) might exist. If that doesn't work, well then just enjoy Billy Preston belting this one out.

Local blogger threatened with legal action

2011-12-14T22:12:00.000-05:00

Read all about it HERE.

Apparently expressing an opinion is viewed as being illegal in some parts.

Not here though.

For the record I've had both good and bad experiences with chiropractors, although I don't buy the whole "adjusting your spine will cure diabetes and bad breath" nonsense.

Anyway, kudos to Justin Vacula for once again standing up for what he believes in, no matter how unpopular that may be in some quarters.

Road Apples, #117

2011-12-12T17:27:00.000-05:00

Non-Posting...It's rather humorous in that I have all these ideas swirling in my head about posting topics, but yet when the rubber hits the road so to speak these ideas most never seem to make it to the page. I think it's just because I am so very busy these days. I know, I know, that's a lame-arsed excuse, but it does have the benefit of being true. In time though, one of the most powerful forces in the universe...Catholic Guilt...eventually compels me to starting writing again.

Sankta Lucia...I had the honor of attending the Sankta Lucia event at Old Swedes' Church in Philadelphia over the weekend. It's amazing to hear a song that you normally hear in Italian sung in another language...namely Swedish. In addition to the Christmas carols also being sung in Swedish, the story behind the celebration and participation of the children of Gloria Dei Episcopal Church made it a really nice event.

I don't know that you could ever get me to walk around burning candles on my head. Then again I'm not a teenage girls, so the likelihood of this happening is not very good. Many thanks to Ms Rivers for answering all my silly questions about the service and to my oldest daughter for coming along. Before the service we had a chance to frequent some of the local merchants...

...which thrilled my oldest daughter. I found one book to be particularly interesting...

I am reasonably sure I am going to burn in Hell over that one.

Now if it would have been just a tad bit warmer.

Christmas Tree...For the record I have put up my small Christmas tree, although it has come down twice at the hands of Jean Luc the cat. I may yet need to re-examine how and where I have this thing located.

Meanwhile, Back in the Jungle...Republicans in the House all of a sudden want to tie extending an ill-conceived tax holiday to an oil pipeline and Democrats react in righteous indignation (as if they have never tied two completely different things into a single piece of legislation before). For the record, this tax holiday IS ill-conceived because it simply takes revenue out of the Social Security system revenue stream. This is YET AGAIN another example of how disfunctional Washington DC really is: both parties support this, yet if the problem is that people need more take-home pay, then cut the actual tax rates for Pete's sake. I am beginning to think that the biggest force threatening America isn't global terrorism or something like that, instead it's POLITICAL PARTIES. These are institutions that exist not for the greater good, but instead for the benefit of themselves.

Keeping a Promise...Okay, my blood pressure started to go up just thinking about those self-centered politicos in Washington DC, so I have to calm myself down. As I write this, one chapter of my life in formally coming to an end and a new one is beginning. Someone that helped me deal with all of this asked that I keep them posted on what is going on in my life, so I need to start working on a "here I am" letter. Actually I confess to I started working on it last night. Regardless, it's a virtue worth celebrating when we remember to thank someone for the help that they have provided. I don't do that enough.

Hartford Bound

2011-12-07T07:52:00.000-05:00

I'm off to my employer's Hartford, Connecticut office later today for a days worth of meetings and interviews tomorrow. The meetings I have scheduled are mainly just either in support of my main reason for being in Hartford (more in a second on that) or are because I will simply happen to be where others are located. Either way it promises to be a long day.

By way of disclosure I do go my company's other primary locations with some regularity, with Hartford being the most common destination. Some, such Ms Rivers, loathe the 3.5 hour drive. As for me, well I like to think of it as 3+ hours of time where I can think and process stuff. It's really a gift when you think about it, at least if you are pre-disposed to wanting to think about stuff for 3+ hours. One of these days I'm going to take the initiative, start something like Rosetta Stone, and learn Italian. At a minimum I should least find some way to get mileage points for all the car rental time I incur during these trips.

As for my primary reason for travel, I have a staff opening in the Hartford office that I am trying like there is no tomorrow to fill before the end of the year. The position requires a fair amount of technical expertise, so I am hoping that the selection process is, as a result, somewhat easier. "Easier" by the way is a relative term, as spending the equivalent of several working days either preparing for or conducting interviews isn't exactly "easy", although in fairness it is a hell of a lot better than some of the other things I've done to earn a living in my lifetime. Maybe, just maybe, the reward if you will for working one's ass off is that you get to call something like interviewing "working one's ass off".

The only wrinkle to this all, as least as far as travel is concerned, is that the weather may be somewhat less than ideal. So be it. This is the northeast and it is December, so you will have such things. Oh, and JLA...

...is always less than thrilled when I travel, but somehow he always forgives me when I return. I think that has something to do with guilt-induced cat treats on my part.

In any event, it's onward and outward.

Carbondale is Dying

2011-12-06T07:43:00.000-05:00

As was reported this past week by the Scranton Times, Marian Community Hospital in Carbondale is closing. You can read the press release HERE.

What's left? With a "major" employer is considered to have about 75 employees, then you have to wonder about the health of a community. In case the case of Carbondale, the community health has been on life support for decades. Whereas many communities in NEPA (such as Wilkes-Barre and Scranton) managed to survive the death of the hard coal industry, it seems that Carbondale never quite found a replacement and has slowly been decaying these past 40-50-60 years. Since then it has been a steady stream of businesses leaving, population dropping, and schools closing.

At the risk of sounding overly dramatic, this does raise an interesting question: should anything be done to hasten the demise? By asking the question, I'm basically saying that Carbondale, as a municipality, is beyond saving. There simply isn't anything there and outside of a dramatic reversal, say at the hands of gas drilling (unlikely at best), nothing is likely to change. Should a community in this condition have the option of going through what amounts to in the business world as a bankruptcy and liquidation? Even that's a bad analogy, as a bankrupt business typically has at least some assets of value;...in the case of a municipality, there are few real assets (outside of some city-owned real estate, perhaps). The problem though is that running the city of Carbondale will require more and more in the way of a smaller and smaller tax base., so at some point in time the math simply no longer works. Hell, the math may have stopped working a long time ago.

Maybe what I am referring to is some kind of dis-incorporation, whereby the city of Carbondale simply ceases to exist, and it is instead folded some other legal body. Services are re-aligned or changed. The police force becomes regionalized with the surrounding communities. Fire protection is modified to fit the tax base. Things have to change.

I realize that the above sounds so...so...un-American. It is as if we (or more correctly the residents of Carbondale) were somehow beaten, and we Americans hate to lose. But this is a loss never the less and it's time to face reality. There will be no big factories built. There will be no casino. There will be no mass infusion of federal or state money. There will only be further shrinking of the tax base. There will be more decay.

Next up (withing a few days): Scranton.

Skipping the light fandango

2011-12-03T12:43:00.001-05:00

"We skipped a light fandango
Turned cartwheels 'cross the floor.
I was feeling kind of seasick,
But the crowd called out for more."

- Procol Harum/Lighter Shade of Pale

When I think of my introversion, for some reason the first few lines of the song "Lighter Shade of Pale" by Procol Harum comes to mind. I suspect that this is because my line of work requires a fair amount of extroversion....at times...which does make me sick, in a manner of speaking. Also, the fact is that I often do feel as if "the crowd calls out for more" in the sense that it really is something of an extroverted world out there, as least as far as the business community is concerned.

Note: I wrote the above on November 30th and just stopped for some reason. The muse, if you will, sometimes just comes and goes. And now for something completely different.

I always wanted to do that in a blog posting. If you are not a Monty Python fan then I suspect that you will not "get" the above. Too bad. When I was a kid I loved staying up until 11:30pm on Friday nights in order to watch Monty Python's Flying Circus on WVIA. Mind you I didn't understand all of the gags, but it didn't matter, as what I did understand was utterly hilarious.

Anyway, when I started initially writing this posting I wanted to comment on introversion. Maybe not so much now, but perhaps it will sneak itself back into the discussion fold before I call this posting "done". I do feel that urge, if you will, to write about me. That's why I started this whole on-line writing thing years ago. Oh, and it was years ago. While this page dates back to 2008, I had a blog on a Yahoo page that went back years earlier. I keep telling myself that I need to resurrect some of those postings. Yes, it is all about me in the end. It's that way though for just about every blogger when you think about it....and at least I will admit that much. Others? Well not so much sometimes, but that's okay. There are some personal musings in the blog-o-sphere that I simply love reading (such as this guy's stuff) because it has such a very real, gritty quality.

None of this has anything to do with introversion, or does it? I suspect that it does. We introverts (wow...I just realized...that is almost a contradiction in terms..."we" and "introverts") get our energy from the inside, as opposed to those extroverts who get their energy from the outside. What is blogging if not an expression of what's on the inside? What's more, it's more or less a unidirectional expression at that. Yes, I know there are comments, but I view blog comments being very different than blog posting, if for no reason than the fact that they can often times take on a life of their own.

So here's to skipping the light fandango...

Can someone please step up?

2011-11-29T22:08:00.000-05:00

I don't suspect this post will make me friends or influence people, but so be it. Anyway, saying that I am disappointed in the 2012 Presidential election is like saying that fat guys like all-you-can-eat buffets.

On the Republican side, let's see what we've got:

A moron (Rick Perry) who can't remember what the voting age is or what federal agencies he himself would like to ax.
A ladies man (Herman Cain) who, rumor has it, got his 9-9-9 tax plan from a video game. Funny, my daughters used to play Sim City and yet they never came up with a tax plan...just what was their problem?
A self-righteous homophobic dolt (pick'm: Santorum or The Bachmann).
"Mr Family Values", a.k.a. Newt.
A guy who has changed more positions than your average porn star (Romney).
A few others who can't win anyway (see Paul & Jon...and I'm not talking about the Beatles).

On the Democratic side you have the current President, who doesn't seem to stand for or accomplish anything. Seriously, outside of health care reform (the core of which WILL be struck down by the Supreme Court...see HERE, among other things) JUST WHAT THE HELL HAS THIS GUY ACCOMPLISHED? Please, someone tell me! It's simply not enough to be against the other folks. Oh, and please, it was the U.S. Military that killed Bin Laden. The President simply said "yes" and watched it on TV.

Personally I think that the President needs a credible challenger. Someone like Hillary Clinton. Someone who can both stand on principle but yet actually get stuff done. History is full of examples in the past:

Ronald Raygun, "saint" Ronnie to some, worked extensively with Democrats in Congress, signed the largest amnesty bill ever for illegal immigrants, raised taxes and grew the size of government.
Billy-Bob Clinton signed welfare reform into law, had balanced budgets and presided over an expansion of the economy...but yet Republicans tried to have him impeached.

Will someone step up? I doubt it. Call me pessimistic, but I think this country is screwed.

The Onion

2011-11-28T17:31:00.000-05:00

Sometimes the best humor has an undercurrent of truth to it.

The Onion: Nation's 10 Year Old Boys - If you see someone raping us, please call the police

It's rather sick that we are in a position to even "get" the humor in this case.

Road Apples, #116

2011-11-27T16:28:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving...For the record I had an outstanding Thanksgiving holiday, spending time with the most important people in my life, including my beautiful daughters last night. There is truly much form me to be thankful for, and what a difference a year makes. Special thanks to my brother Chris, who saved me the drumsticks from Thursday's turkey (which will be my dinner tonight).

Blog Geek...While I haven't posted much over the past week, I have been making a few changes to the site, including a more in-depth "about me" description. The idea for this came from something written by D.B. Echo. Never let a good idea go un-stolen, especially when it comes to the Internet. I do need to do something about the blog mast-head picture, as it takes too long to load. I might need to do some cropping. Time to fire up Picasa, which has become my favorite free photo-editing software.

Tech Geek...As I've noted before, I'm considering the purchase of a tablet computer. It will be something of a gift to myself to mark an important milestone. Anyway, I spent some time yesterday at Best Buy playing with the tablets. A few observations:

Speed...the Android tablets seemed faster than the iPad. I realize that store display models aren't the best avatars for testing speed, but it was somewhat noticeable.
Display...the iPad's display wasn't as crisp as some of the Android models.
Android Interface...bottom line? Every Android tablet has the same interface. Zero real differentiation. The real differentiation among Android tablets lies in software add-ons and tactile feel of the device.
Sony...I played with the Sony tablet and I wasn't blown away with the overall feel of the device. The real benefit behind the Sony though lies in the software...especially the universal device remote control and the ability to play Playstation games. It was also not as large as some of the other models.
Motorola Zoon...man, the prices have dropped on this device.
Blackberry Tablet...has a great display and seems pretty quick. However I don't like the form (it is a smaller tablet) and I get creeped out by all of RIM's self-inflicted issues.
Kindle Fire...this isn't on my list, but man it is a cool device. Excellent display.

Scranton...Many reports over the past week or so about how my home-town is running out of things to sell and credit upon which to borrow. As I've noted many times before, Scranton's government is simply too large for the tax base to support, period. What's more, there isn't a secret of horde of "crony consultants" that, by eliminating, will save the fiscal day for the city (sorry Janet Evans fans). Scranton IS bankrupt, period. It's just a question of legally acknowledging this fact. The sooner that happens, the better.

Ron Paul...I want to like Ron Paul, I really do. He was giving a speech the other day in New Hampshire where he basically said the U.S. government had no business telling other countries what to do. I agree. However, Representative Paul seems to have no problem with the U.S. government telling women what they can and can't do with their own bodies. This is a contradiction I find troubling. While I don't support abortion as a concept, I find it troubling that some believe the government should have the power to reach into a woman's body make decisions for them. I don't expect that my position on this issue will resonate positively with everyone, but so be it. As the father of three adult daughters, I shutter to think what would happen if they were ever the victims of a sexual assault that resulted in a pregnancy; in such an instance I would not be qualified to tell them what to do...and I am their father...so the government sure has Hell is not qualified either.

Penn State...For several years I have made an annual contribution to the University. That will not happen this year. Mind you this has never been a large sum of money in real terms, but it was the largest single donation I would make to any organization. At this stage I simply can't support an organization that has been so focused on a stupid game that they were willing to look the other way when there was credible of child abuse. This was and is appalling. I'll find some other use for the money and hope that, in the coming months, real changes are made at Penn State.

Being Thankful

2011-11-23T09:22:00.000-05:00

I know, this is the time of the year when I list all that I have to be thankful for in my life. I loathe being so predictable though, so what to do?

Well I've thought this through, and while there are in fact tons of things to be thankful for, I am going to pick just one. Note though that this doesn't mean that I am NOT thankful for all of the other blessings in life that I enjoy, because that would be completely FALSE. I am, in fact, truly blessed with healthy children who make me so very proud, the caring and support of a wonderful friend, a great job, (and the list goes on...hey, I AM listing things...need to stop).

This year I am going to be thankful for a gift that I think some seem to lack: the ability to be critically introspective. Maybe it's somewhat presumptuous to state that others lack this ability, but you know what? I've seen some evidence to the contrary. Now I'm not talking about morality or necessarily the ability to make "right" decisions, because the very concepts of "morality" and "right" are at least somewhat subjective in definition. What's more, I've learned over time that sometimes one has to make short-term decisions that seem flawed in order to achieve a far greater objective over the long term. It's really though not outcomes that I am thankful for anyway; what I am truly thankful for is an internal process that allows me to make decisions.

It's all about the process in life, at least when you boil things down to their elemental components. As is often said, life is a journey and not a destination. That journey, I suspect, is in part driven by your ability to be critically introspective. What do you do along the journey of life? How do you act and react when you come upon those milestones that define you as a person? I know, these are just questions, but they at the heart of being introspective. I do, in fact, question just about everything, all the time. At times this has been a blessing, such as when I need to make a decision at work that requires the weighing of different factors. It has also...all be it rarely...been something of a curse, especially when the introspection creates a kind of feedback loop that prevents me from acting. Mostly though it has been a blessing, as the curse part has been relegated to relatively few times in my life. These "curse" times are usually defined by instances where I've had to deal with ideas, concepts and emotions for which I have little frame of reference.

Anger on my part, for example, creates the kind of feedback loop I referenced above, as I'm simply not an angry kind of person. Even allowing myself to feel angry takes substantial work on my part, as my introspective tendencies tend to tell me to always consider someone or something else's point of view. "Maybe I shouldn't be angry" or "Maybe I've done something wrong to cause these feelings" are what typically ping through my head when faced with budding personal anger. Almost always these feelings end up getting somehow settled. On rare occasion I actually have allowed myself to be righteously cheesed off. Did it feel good at the time? Not really, but as a fully formed human being I am allowed to be angry once in a while. Introspection on introspection.

My particular blessing of being able to sense the world around me and ponder it has led me to appreciate, of all things, poetry. For me, poetry is a kind of song that goes with life. It's creating visuals and rhythm to slices of existence. Poetry can be, at least for me, a true act of introspection, both on the part of the author and the reader.

Maybe I'm just (as they say) "whacked". Maybe this "gift" of always questioning and pondering is just part of the equipment that all humans come with when we roll out of our mother. I don't think though that everyone takes advantage of it. I am also sure that, as a gift, it requires practice and cultivation. The full utilization of critical introspection seems to be contingent on other gifts, such as humility. It may be hard for someone to deeply consider their own thoughts, ideas and decisions if they believe they are inherently better than the rest of the universe. Mostly though, I don't think we, as a species, are introspective enough.

As for me, well the past year has been one of significant change. Throughout it all, I've maintained this internal discussion about what has been happening both inside and outside of me. That has been the one constant. I've learned though that you can use introspective to move your life along, or you can become so wrapped up in the internal discussion that it becomes an all-consuming monster...the kind of constant feedback loop that causes nothing but grief. In totality I've learned more about myself over the past year than I probably did in the last 15 years. The fact that I can ponder what I've learned...and use those learnings productively...is the gift of critical introspection. For that I am very grateful.

"The longest journey is the journey inwards."
- Dag Hammarskjold

Responding to a comment about Holy Family Church

2011-11-22T08:11:00.000-05:00

A comment from one of my postings about Holy Family Church.

Anonymous said...

May the spirits of those Slovak miners and their founding families rise out of the rubble and let their presence be made known.

November 21, 2011 11:15 PM

Amen Anonymous...amen.

By way of history, this was actually the second Holy Family Church. The first was a wooden structure on, on think, Capouse Avenue. That original structure stopped being a church after the brick structure was built on North Washington avenue. I understand that the original church actually stood until the 1940's used as an indoor racketball/handball court until it was demolished.

The picture I saw of the wooden structure actually showed it to somewhat resemble the brick church, all be it on a smaller scale.

When you consider just how little some of these miners had, and how they must have sacrificed to build these churches, it's actually pretty awe inspiring.

Latest NEPArtisan Posting: Super Failure

2011-11-21T07:53:00.000-05:00

My latest contribution to NEPArtisan can be found HERE.

Getting older stinks, but...

2011-11-19T09:28:00.001-05:00

Some good news on the health front.

I had my follow-up visit to the doctor yesterday after the end of October asthma flair-up. The good news: my breathing capacity just about doubled (going from something like 250 to 575 on the "blow into the tube" gizmo). Even better news? My blood pressure was astonishingly low, something like 112 over 68. Now sure how that happened. Maybe the equipment failed. Who knows. I'll take it though, for the record.

The less than stellar news in all this is the fact that I'm probably gong to have to take an inhaled steroid over the long term (well I'm supposed to...actually doing it is another story). I'm also going to have to take an allergy medication daily from now until forever. The thought behind the medications is that they will prevent another asthma attack, which sounds reasonable to me. I had never wanted to be on any daily medication for anything, but years ago that mojo was broken by virtue of the fact that I've been taking medication for acid reflux daily now for years. I guess I am really screwed if the zombie apocalypse actually occurs.

The other variable in all of this lies in where I live. While I don't have any science to support this, it wouldn't surprise me if there was some kind of environmental factor in my current living arrangements that somehow disagrees with my physiology. Can't prove it, but I do have my suspicions. That will be resolved, as the "NCFE Command Bunker" will eventually be relocating. After that maybe I will do some experimentation with the medication.

In totality though, it is all good. I'm a pretty healthy guy, all things considered, and I've managed my health such that I'm really not at risk for a lot of the horrid things that come with age. While my weight fluctuates more than a Kardashian's marital status, my cholesterol numbers have always been very good, I don't drink, I've never smoked (not once) and I'm very active. My goal in all of this? To be healthy enough to live a good life.

Occupy Protesters/Free Education

2011-11-18T07:47:00.000-05:00

Occupy Protesters were heard shouting that education "should be free, like the air and water" yesterday in New York. Well, they think that, do they?

First, the water is NOT free; anyone who has a home will tell you that fact. Second, while I do agree that a post-secondary education by and large costs too much, that's a different issue than claiming it should be "free". The fact is that the moment you make something free you diminish it's value. We sometimes lose sight of this fact in our society these days. Education has value, and a higher education is worth paying for, by and large.

In a larger sense, there are times when I think that the current generation has been given TOO MUCH and they have lost sight of the fact that there are few actual RIGHTS in this world. A post secondary education is NOT A RIGHT, it is a privilege, one that requires two abilities:

The ability to intellectually handle the work
The ability to pay for it

It may be all warm and fuzzy to think that everyone can do both of the above, but that's simply not reality. We are not all equal in our abilities, and that's okay. Society needs both lawyers and plumbers to function, and true personal value isn't measured by W-2 earnings or what (if any) school you attended...personal value is best measured, in my opinion, by the kind of person you are and the kind of person you strive to become,

Strive.

The RIGHT that I do think we all have is the "right to strive", but "strive" is different that being "given". Hell, I don't really think that we have a right to strive, I think we have an OBLIGATION to strive. We owe it to ourselves to always try and make ourselves better, throughout the course of our lives. That kind of drive almost has to come with a cost, because it's the effort part of striving...the having the work hard and make choices part...that builds us as individuals.

I do believe that it is entirely noble and correct to fight against injustice, and in American society today there are tons of injustices that need to be addressed. Having to pay for a college education is not an injustice. Pain in the butt? Definitely. Injustice? No. Claiming the right to a free education as an issue worth chanting about makes at least some of the Occupy Wall Street protesters out to be spoiled little children who believe that they should entitled to anything they want, just "because". Wrong.

Holiday Mail for Heroes 2011

2011-11-16T21:20:00.000-05:00

I saw something posted on Facebook about sending Christmas cards to veterans at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Since as a general rule I don't believe anything I read on Facebook, I decided to check it out. You can see what snopes.com had to say about this HERE.

The good news? There actually is a program sponsored by the American Red Cross that allows us to support our soldiers over the holidays. You can read about it HERE. I've also copy & pasted the key points immediately below.

Take a moment and support those who put their lives on the line for all of us.

**********************************

Holiday Mail for Heroes 2011

Posted on November 3rd, 2011 by Gloria Huang

Welcome to the fifth year of our Holiday Mail For Heroes program! As in previous years, we will partner with Pitney Bowes to collect holiday cards from regular citizens all across the country and distribute them to service members, veterans, and their families. If you’re looking for a fun way to give back a little bit this holiday season, this is a great option. Check out our slideshow of cards from previous years for some inspiration.

Send cards to the address below:

Holiday Mail For Heroes
P.O. Box 5456
Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456

All cards must be postmarked no later than Friday, December 9th. Cards postmarked after this date will unfortunately be returned to the sender. This deadline ensures enough time to sort and distribute cards before the holidays.

After the mailbox closes, the cards we received will be screened for hazardous materials by Pitney Bowes and then reviewed by Red Cross volunteers working around the country.

I was duped...

2011-11-14T23:15:00.001-05:00

I was duped. I confess. Now I am not easily duped, for the record; in fact, with most things I am fairly skeptical. But not this time.

Yes, for years I swallowed the whole Joe Paterno "victory with honor" bullcrap. I believed that he wasn't like the other big-time college sports program coaches (such as Calhoun from UConn). Even worse, I believe that he was inherently a good man.

Fast forward to now and a two things are pretty clear:

Joe Paterno knew of credible allegations against Jerry Sandusky, but basically sat on the information...until, of course, he was forced to testify in front of a Grand Jury.
Joe Paterno put the interests of a f&^king game before children being harmed.

College football is a game. It is a cousin to just about any other game out there. It is dominos on steroids. Yet this game somehow over-powered the moral sensibilities of adults that people such as I took for granted. Of course I believed that "JoePa" was a highly moral guy. He graduated lots of his students. Many Academic All Americans. Again, he wasn't like "those others". Yes, I was duped.

Even if you feel that Joe Paterno rightfully followed the rules by reporting the allegation of abuse to his "superior" (a laughable concept by the way, as he had no "superior" at Penn State), no one can question the fact that he did not follow-up EVEN ONCE on what was reported.

In the end, the rape of a 10 year old boy simply was not important in Joe Paterno's world. It fell below his precious little game. At one time "JoePa" seemed so big. Now he seems so very small...just like his game.

Never again.

Swimming in a fish bowl

2011-11-13T11:51:00.003-05:00

A little over a year ago I made what I consider to be the biggest change in my life, ever. Now since we are talking about me here, the whole endeavor was fought with "the over": over-thought and over planned. What's more, I have to confess though that I probably was not ready emotionally for what I needed to do. I was, in a very real sense, very much afraid.

Afraid.

Can you believe that? Here I am, this hunkeringly large individual, who from the outside would seem to be very much confident, and I was actually being held together by what seemed like Jello from my (all be it) twisted perspective. The benefit of over a year has given me lots to think about and ponder on this whole topic (what I am doing now...), but I am still amazed that I actually did it. The whole concept of what "afraid" means is worthy of pondering. I wasn't afraid for...

...my health (I was the only one who took care of me anyway)

...my wealth (I don't have that much to being with)

...my intellect (I wasn't suddenly going to go all Rick Perry)

...on the surface I'd say that I was afraid that I would end up "all alone". Hindsight being 20/20, that was probably cover for something deeper. What that "deeper" is, I'm not sure. I do know that I hate losing at anything. Maybe, just maybe, I was actually really just afraid of failing at making this kind of change. I knew that once I started doing this, my compulsion to not fail would force me to move ahead. Would I then lose control of the situation? Would I end up starting a course of action that I myself would somehow not be able to change? Would I "fail"? Note I did reference "over thinking" before.

Courageous vulnerability.

There actually is a term for what I was doing over a year ago. That term? Courageous vulnerability. What this means is basically that "I am scared, but I am going to do it anyway". Regardless of what I found fearful in making a major life change, I still did it. Over a year later and I can still almost smell the fear in the air...it almost exists as a tactile sort of thing. Amazed, as a descriptor, doesn't begin to articulate how I feel now when I look back at that time. I truly was afraid, but I truly did it anyway. Now I am sure I could do it all over again, but I could also, for example, go through the process of getting a dental implant again...but I have no desire to do so.

There are other lessons in all of this, of that I am absolutely certain. Some I've articulated in my head a hundred times over, to the point of being bald tires in my mind. Some have made it here, some will never make it here. Some exist as your basic vapor-ware in my head...they are there ready to be spoken, but just need to be coded in words. As someone who has poured a thought out in words over time I almost feel a need to somehow explain things, not for anyone else other than me. That will come, in time, as I am ready.

Wish You Were Here

Over a year ago, the song "Wish You Were Here" by Pink Floyd was playing in my head almost constantly. Now as I mentioned to Ms Rivers just yesterday, I love things that are smartly multi-dimensional. I find it fascinating when you see something that has a different color/meaning to it, depending on your perspective. In 2010 I would listen to this song and think about how it somehow symbolized losing something in my life. It's for that reason that I actually didn't listen to that song for almost a year. I simply couldn't listen to it because of the thoughts & feelings it brought up. However a few weeks ago I listened to the song again, and I got a wonderfully different perspective that, as I noted, comes with experiencing something "smart".

Side note: you can read more about this particular song HERE.

That new perspective? Perhaps the "you" in "Wish YOU Were Here" is actually a "me". Put another way, I think that we all engage in some kind of self-isolation. We put ourselves in a fish bowl, year after year. My life for the longest time was just that: simply swimming in a fish bowl. The benefit of being in a fish bowl, I suspect, was that I knew every inch of the space. There is a comfort in limitation. Over a year ago I basically jumped out of the fish bowl...not prepared...but I jumped out anyway. Courageous vulnerability.

Maybe when I am 80 and explaining all of this to grandchildren I will come across as being supremely confident and acting in accordance with a big plan. That future statement would be a lie though, but that's okay. There has been no big plan, other than to move forth and take some chances in life. Some have worked out, others have not. Some things have happened that I would have never guessed could occur in a million years. I have not been given what I wanted, but at every step of the way I have been given what I needed. In totality the chances and changes have been worth taking and I am truly in a great, wide-open place in life.

In the end I suspect that all of this can be summarized into one single thought:

Your life can be as small as your own personal fish bowl, or it can be big as the universe.

You decide. Circumstances may make change in life difficult, rarely do they make change in life impossible.

Veterans Day

2011-11-11T18:52:00.000-05:00

In honor of all those who honorably served in the United States military, including my father (U.S. Army/Korean Conflict), my brother Chris (U.S. Navy/1983-1986) and my uncle Frank (U.S. Army Air Corps/World War 2).

Dad (in uniform), home from the Army at the Hotel Casey, early 1950's.

Dad's grave, Fairview Memorial Park (Veterans Section), Elmhurst, PA.

A Message from PSU President Rodney Erickson

2011-11-10T18:23:00.004-05:00

As received from the Penn State newswire service.  Don't expect anything relevant here, other than an acknowledgement that more is to come.

******

A message from Interim Penn State President Rodney Erickson

This is one of the saddest weeks in the history of Penn State. It has been
difficult to comprehend the horrific nature of the allegations that were
revealed in the Attorney General's presentment last week. As a member of the
Penn State community for 34 years, as a parent, and as a grandfather, I find
the charges as they have been described to be devastating, and my heart goes
out to those who have been victimized and their families. This is a terrible
tragedy for everyone involved, and it will take some time to bring a measure
of understanding and resolution to the community.

In addition to the legal process under way, Penn State's Board of Trustees has
authorized a full investigation "...to determine what failures occurred, who
is responsible, and what measures are necessary to insure that this never
happens at our University again and that those responsible are held fully
accountable." As those involved pursue their cases, I also urge you, as Penn
Staters, to be patient, to avoid speculation, and to refrain from passing
judgment until the facts are known.

As you are now aware, the Board of Trustees has asked me to serve as the
interim president of Penn State effective immediately. I undertake these
duties with a firm sense of resolve, and I ask for your support as we move
forward. And move forward, we must and we will.

Penn State has a long and storied tradition that has endured for more than 150
years. Our roots are deep, our constitution is resilient, and the importance
of our work is as vital today as it was last week - perhaps even more so in
the face of such adversity. We are 96,000 students, 46,000 employees, and
more than a half a million alumni. We are 24 campuses across the Commonwealth
and a World Campus. We are a university that is committed to its core values
of honesty, integrity, and community. We are a university that will rebuild
the trust and confidence that so many people have had in us for so many
years.

Through your conduct every day, you can play a role in restoring the
integrity, honor, and pride that have always characterized Penn State. I share
your anger and sadness in this time, but always remember that your actions
reflect on the entire Penn State community. Please set an example that will
make us all proud. Moving forward is the only responsible course to take in
the coming months. I ask for the full support of our faculty, students, staff,
and alumni, and in return I will do my best to lead this institution through
the challenges ahead.

Thank you for being a part of Penn State.

 Read the full story on Live: http://live.psu.edu/story/56307#nw44

Penn State Pride (and Shame)

2011-11-10T07:22:00.001-05:00

Reference article HERE.

As a kid I wasn't the biggest sporting fan in the world. I was tall, very lanky and not particularly graced by any sense of coordination. Sure, I eventually learned to enjoy playing some sports, such as basketball and tennis, but by and large I was not ever someone who was a sports fan. I was always a Penn State fan though.

As I worked through my high school years, I really wasn't sure what I would be doing with my so-called life. Sure, my grades were good...I think I graduated in the top 10% of my class...but I wasn't particularly inspired for anything, other than maybe architecture. Well the architecture thing didn't work out, as you need great test scores to get into college for it, and my SAT scores were abysmal. In truth I think I had been drinking the night before the test, which probably had something to do with my shall we say "less than stellar" scores. My senior year approached and I applied to a few different colleges, but I was really only serious about attending one: Penn State.

My Penn State career began in 1982, the year in which the school won its first football national championship. Four years later, after stints at Scranton and Harrisburg, I left Penn State with a BBA and a job. It was the year of Penn State's second football national championship.

Interestingly enough, I had never been to State College (Pennsylvania) until a few years ago. That, however, never curbed my enthusiasm for the university. Over the years I've done my best to financially support Penn State, I've volunteered for events at Penn State Harrisburg and served on its alumni society board for two terms. I also, after years of paying for it, got my much sought-after life membership in the Penn State Alumni Association.

I mention the above, I suppose, as something of a way to give myself some "street cred" when it comes to Penn State. My time at Penn State really, truly changed my life, especially my last two years. I have been nothing but exceedingly proud to proclaim myself a Penn State graduate, up to and including the alumni license plate that graces my car.

Recent events have given my pause though as I think about how others view Penn State, particularly current students and supporters of Coach Joe Paterno. As I noted the other day, Coach Paterno made a grave error (or maybe errors) by simply following procedures when credible allegations of child molestation were made against a former coach. The "Paterno Way" was to never simply take the easy road, it was never simply to "just follow the rules", it was never just victory...it was "victory with honor". There is no honor in placing a football program's reputation above that of even the potential that children are being harmed.

To the Trustees of the Pennsylvania State University: I applaud your actions in immediately terminating Coach Paterno and President Spanier. I'm not proud that this had to be done, but I suppose you have done the best you could in these particular circumstances. Now take the text step by putting policies in place that will prevent an athletic program to become so important that it can run an entire university's reputation into the ground.

To the current students of Penn State: Imagine yourself being ten years old and being raped by an old man in a shower. Now tell me what the real issue is in this case.

I am not Penn State Proud at the moment. And my annual gift is sitting here un-mailed. It very well may stay that way for the rest of this year.

Joe Paterno

2011-11-08T20:23:00.000-05:00

"Success without honor is an unseasoned dish; it will satisfy your hunger, but it won't taste good."
- Joe Paterno

If Coach Joe Paterno had evidence or allegations of wrong-doing and simply followed the letter of the law in addressing it, then he has failed to live up to his own standards. It has never been enough, for example, for Penn State to have a graduation rate that was acceptable to the NCAA; Coach Paterno saw to it that Penn State's graduation rate for student-athletes far exceeded the minimum required.

As an alumni of Penn State, I've been proud that Joe Paterno represented my university so very well over the years. Until now. I expected more, again, because he taught Penn Staters such as myself to expect more.

Coach Paterno should resign, immediately.

- Steve Albert, '86

NEPArtisan Posting: O'Brien and Wansacz

2011-11-08T00:01:00.000-05:00

My latest NEPArtisan posting can be found HERE.

I may not be making too many friends or influencing too many people, but what the Hell? Sometimes you just gotta call'm like you see'm.

More Holy Family Church Pictures

2011-11-06T17:02:00.000-05:00

Just a few more that I have snapped.

Mass schedule. The sign dates back to when I was a teenager (I think).

Anthracite Bridge Co, Scranton PA. This stamping probably hadn't seen the light of day for over a hundred years.

This is the structure of the church steeple. The Children of God (or whatever they are) folks stripped the copper off weeks ago.

What's left of the structure that supported the steeple. Note the rivets. It looks like the hull of the Titanic. I think it dates from about the same period actually.

The front of the church.

Decorative stone work that isn't so decorative any more.

Post script: Holy Family Church was built by Slovak miners from Scranton's Pine Brook section. The dedications on the stained grass windows were actually in Slovak. Rumor has it that the church, being built in a heavily mined area, was constructed on pylons that went down to bed-rock so as to avoid subsidence. In all the years that I attended Holy Family I don't recall ever seeing evidence of mine subsidence, so how knows?

In any event, I can't come up with anything more meaningful to say about the demise of something that really was a part of my childhood, so I'm going to leave this subject with the following...which seems strangely aligned to how I'm feeling.

Holy Family Church

2011-11-06T09:31:00.002-05:00

A few pictures from earlier in the week, as Holy Family Church falls into the sunset.

Side view...you can see how they are stripping material from the steel.

Detail of the steel structure being dismantled. Some of the girders are stamped "Scranton Anthracite Bridge Company".

Steeple, sans copper and structure.

Rear view; note the ceiling art. When I was a child I would spend many-a-Mass looking at these beautiful pictures.

The confessionals, still in place at the rear of the church where they were when I made my first confession.

Detail of the structure holding up the plaster roof.

Road Apples, #115

2011-11-03T07:09:00.000-04:00

Blame the 'roids...As I noted yesterday, I'm currently taking a large does of steroids to combat some asthma problems. The down side? I get this kinds slimy feeling about myself. As if I am always sweating or something. Or my pores are extruding olive oil. The up side? I get tons of energy out of the deal for some reason. I was up at 3:45am this morning and feel pretty damn good. The asthma is feeling noticeably better as well. Still waiting for my neck to swell though. Oh, just don't cut me off in traffic! (just kidding)

Holy Family Church...As noted by Andy Palumbo, Holy Family Church on North Washington avenue in Scranton is being demolished. I drove past there last night and, sigh, almost half of it is gone now. I'm going to leave for work early and drive by to take some final pictures with the Sony Alpha this morning. This was the church where I received most of the Catholic sacraments, a place that, at one time, looked so very big. Now, well it looks rather small. More pictures to come. Whenever I see visible changes like this...changes that signal that an era has ended...I am reminded of this great song "Hold Back the Years" by Simply Red.

I guess sometimes you simply can't hold back the years.

The Holidays...are coming, seemingly pretty fast. I also have a week's worth of business travel coming up. And then there will be some travel around Thanksgiving holiday. It's all good.

Greece...Proving that spineless politicians are not specific to this side of the Atlantic, the Greek government has decided that they will not take responsibility for saving their own economy (and for potentially dragging down Italy and Spain, not to mention knocking world stock markets) and instead will subject the recently approved EU bailout proposal to a beauty contest popular vote. This is bad. Greece is a test case in an economy where the wrong things were rewarded (massive numbers of public sector jobs, short work weeks, extremely early retirement ages) and the right things (hard work, industriousness, self-sufficiency) were discouraged. Proving once again that the Hell's Angels are right ("Ass, grass, or gas...nobody rides for free"), the bill for all the wrong things has come due. Unlike the United States, there is not a massive "1%" to blame it all on and tax the hell out of to fix things. This is bad folks, very, very bad. If the bailout is not approved, look for Greece to leave the Euro Zone and for financial markets to be rocked for months and years to come.

Herman Cain...has supporters who are now crying "the race card" at accusations he engaged in sexual harassment. But wait: weren't some of these same supporters deriding President Obama every time he even mentioned race during the last presidential campaign? I don't know if Mr Cain is guilty of engaging in sexual harassment, but I know he has supporters who are guilty of hypocrisy.

Your parents lied to you: monsters are real.

2011-11-02T17:44:00.003-04:00

Warning...this is a graphic video that has disturbing visuals and language. If you are easily offended or if you are under age 18 you should NOT watch it.

Now I normally don't post stuff like this, but I think this one has to be shared. As a parent I was nearly brought to tears listening to this young lady scream and cry. In a world where we sometimes become desensitized by violence in video games and TV, this one really hits a nerve.

Coincidentally, I first saw this on, of all places (that love Texas and Texans) Fox News.

Video: Texas Judge beating his daughter with a belt.

Visit to the Doctors

2011-11-02T08:07:00.000-04:00

It all started about three weeks ago: it was a cold, or maybe seasonal allergies. No bother, armed with the very best in store-brand-equivalent-OTC medications, I did battle with the ranging sinus pressure, nasal discharge and assorted problems when that kind of stuff runs down hill (make that "down throat"). Man, it took a long time though for the symptoms to abate. Hell, I still am a tad bit stuffy,

Then of course my new "friend" came to visit, Mr Asthma.

This is the friend who first came last Spring and insisted that I needed to check out the Emergency Room at Moses Taylor Hospital, at 7:30 in the morning. Gasping like a goldfish out of his bowl, Ms Rivers was kind enough to come over from work and haul my wheezing butt to the hospital. After an morning enjoying the staff at Moses Taylor and not especially caring what they did to me...as long as I could breathe...I came home to a follow-up visit with my primary care physician and a course of steroids that I was sure would end up making my head look as large as Rosie O'Donnell's.

Fast forward a month or two and I was symptom free. Until three weeks ago that is.

The latest fiasco took a bizarre turn on Monday night. Maybe it was the Pop Tarts I had before I want to bed. Maybe it was the book Inside Scientology I am currently reading. Maybe it was just stress. Maybe it was just bad luck, but regardless, I ended up sleeping horribly. I had all these strange dreams that kept waking me up...gasping for air. So Tuesday morning I send a note to my primary care physician asking for his advice. I got that advice in the form of a checkup yesterday: yes Steve, this Asthma thing is a problem again and let's be really aggressive in treating it.

So starting today I have 3 (cout'em 3) new medications to take.
...One which I apparently may be taking quasi-forever
...Another mega-but-declining dose of steroids
...Another inhaler

All of this begs a few questions.
Q: Will my neck grow to roid-sized proportions, you know, like certain well known athletes?
Q: Even worse, will I end up looking like this guy?
Q: Why, at age 47, why would I even develop Asthma?
Q: Why even write this post?

I can't really answer the first three questions noted above, but I can answer the last: because on some visceral level this bugs the hell out of me, and I tend to write about things that bug the hell out of me. I thought avoiding the whole 90's cigar smoking fad would have paid some dividends. Apparently not. Nor has a life of never even trying smoking, not working in an asbestos plant, not mining for coal and generally speaking trying to be healthy. Nope. Now in fairness my doctor does have a root cause in mind...it would be this guy...

But as I told my doctor back in April, "the cat stays".

Rant concluded. Now back to your regularly scheduled blogging nonsense.

PA House Redistricting: Should We Care?

2011-10-31T18:05:00.002-04:00

As reported HERE and lots of other places.

Here's my comment to a posting by Liz Randol that I pretty much sums up my thoughts on this subject:

I don't mean to sound flippant, but seriously, who cares? Is this yet another example of politics that means something to politicians, but basically not the rest of us?

What's more, I have a strange feeling that the Democrats (of which I am one...) would be equally guilty of redistricting magic if they were in control.

Time...and smarter folks than I (like Liz Randol) will tell. I'm just a pension guy.

NEPArtisan Posting: Welcome to the Thunderdome Herman

2011-10-31T07:50:00.000-04:00

You can read my latest contribution to NEPArtisan HERE.

Charlie Bible Buck Hatchko

2011-10-29T21:50:00.001-04:00

Local Atheist and general all around good guy (you can follow him HERE) Justin Vacula noted on Facebook that...

"Just putting the following out there...if the upcoming election in Luzerne County happens to be delayed or modified in some way because "Charlie Bible Buck Hatchko" is listed as a candidate on the ballot, don't blame me for complaining, but rather blame the persons who allowed this to go on the ballot. Thanks!"

As I think about this, it's pretty clear that Mr Hatchko is trying to alter his name in order to appeal for votes. Fair enough. What if others tried to do the same? We could end up with combinations like...

Heinz "Jews Control the Media" Von Erich
Appealing to the neo-NAZI vote.

Walter "Abortion is Murder" Jones
Appealing to the Right to Life vote.

Bob "Scary Brown Horde" Smith
Appealing to Lou Barletta's supporters.

Fred "Popery" Carroll
Appealing to the anti-Catholic vote.

Lisa "Trick or Trout" Anderson
Appealing to the Dyslexic vote.

Larry "Uptight White Guy" Alden
Appealing to Rick Santorum's supporters.

Lisa "Black Helicopter" Rimes
Appealing to conspiracy nuts everywhere.

Tim "Freedom to Crap Anywhere" Simmons
Appealing to Occupy Wall Street supporters.

Charlie "Pretend it's Still 1954" Peters
Appealing to Rush Limbaugh's listeners.

Luther "I don't Care if Scranton is Actually Larger" Searfoss
Appealing to Wilke-Barre voters.

Steve "Who are You" Allen

Appealing to the dementia vote.

Lester "Doherty Caused my Psoriasis" Windstead

Appearing to supporters of Scranton City Council President Janet Evans

Steve "Lame-Assed Posting" Albert
Appealing to...well...no one.

Al Pacino on homophobia

2011-10-29T20:28:00.000-04:00

“I don’t understand the hatred and fear of gays and bisexuals and lesbians…it’s a concept I honestly cannot grasp. To me, it’s not who you love…a man, a woman, what have you…it’s the fact that you love. That is all that truly matters.”

~ Al Pacino

(via Wipeout Homophobia on Facebook)

Al Pacino is the man.

Road Apples, #114

2011-10-28T08:12:00.000-04:00

Blogging (in general)...I go through these phases where I write in manic quantities, both here and in other places. Then the pendulum swings back and I struggle a bit to put any thoughts, cohesive or otherwise, into words. It's been more of the latter lately, although I'm at a loss to explain why. Part of it has to do with work these days, as some changes that evolved over the past month or so have put more responsiblity (and more urgency) on my plate, which ultimately just sucks some of the "vita" out of me. Part of is the fact that I genuinely have far less personal angst in my life. Well maybe I have the same amount of angst, but I'm just better able to handle it all.

Speaking of Work...and Vacation...I read where Andy Palumbo is crying over burning off his last vacation days (link HERE), which isn't something I've had a problem with for years. Just yesterday I scheduled time off through the balance of the year and when the dust settled I still have 10.5 vacation days left to carry-over into 2012. Now for the record I did take two weeks of vacation this year (New Hampshire and Maine), so it's not as if I don't take some time throughout the year. I suspect this is one of the benefits of working at the same place for so long, namely the 33 vacation days I earn per year (which increased by about a third when I added in carry-over from 2010 to 2011). I will use one or two of the 10.5 days before the end of the year, as I'm sure youngest daughter will want to be picked up from college and/or I may just need an extra mental health day here or there. Oh, and I am taking time off around Thanksgiving and Christmas (which I usually don't do).

Beavis and Butthead...reappeared on MTV yesterday. For 30 minutes I laughed myself into a stupor. Mike Judge creates terrific parodies, be it Office Space or the world's dumbest teenagers. If you don't like Beavis and Butthead because it glorifies stupid behavior then I'd say that you miss the point...namely that it pokes fun at stupid behavior. "Beavis was crying, hehehehehe."

Europe Pledges a Trillion in Bailout Money...who here in the US cares? Will the GOP Presidential candidates even mention this? Of course not! There is an element of United States society that still thinks it is 1915 and what happens "over there" can't impact us "here". Reality check: nothing could be further from the truth. Whether we like to admit it our not, we have a world economy. Greek debt, for example, may be held by some American financial institutions; what's more, I'm sure that American financial institutions have a large financial stake in the other holders of Greek debt. It's like a small Arkansas town...everyone is related.

Occupy Wall Street...Is Rush Limbaugh still claiming that the Occupy Wall Street people are defecating over everything?

The Research Begins: iPad vs. Android Tablet...I'm not going to do anything until early next year, but I am salivating at the thought of having another tech toy. I'm open to any opinions on the subject, be they pro-Android or from Apple fan-boys. If I go Android then I'd be tempted to buy the Sony S1. Do I need a tablet? Not really, but there is a certain element of needing to stay on top of technology that helps in my career...which sounds good, even if it is mostly horse manure.

Interesting Article

2011-10-27T08:09:00.000-04:00

Failure: The Adult Baby

I read this article yesterday and found it very interesting, in a very sad sort of way. I'll let the author tell the story, but the bottom line is that I think on many levels our mental health professionals are failing us in this country. Whether it's...

...over-work on the part of mental health professionals
...the easy fix of medication
...a desire to not judge

...it all amounts to the same thing: we seem to be less mentally healthy as a society, despite advances in science a desire to be "compassionate".

To the latter point, I do think that sometimes we are compassionate in the wrong ways. As noted in the article, we allow someone to die a very slow death because that's easier than telling them a difficult truth. In the end, that's actually not all that compassionate.

The 1%?

2011-10-22T09:14:00.000-04:00

I confess to following some of the Occupy Wall Street protest stories. Some I find very amusing, such as the "coverage" by right-wing talk radio, who would have you believe that the protesters are defecating over everything. Others I just shrug off as part of the now all-too-typical polarization of American society. Mostly though, I do find it interesting.

By my own reckoning the 99% probably represent about 3% actually, about the same percentage that last voted for Ralph Nader in 2000 (citation HERE). That's not a knock...it's more like reality check. In fact, while I hate to admit it, the Tea Baggers probably represent a larger percentage of the American public. The Wall Street protesters should take some solace in the knowledge that fighting for what you think is right is a very good thing, very much in keeping with the best of American history. I'd say the same for the Tea Baggers, but some of the not-so-subtle racism expressed during many Tea Bagger rallies really turned me off to their "cause"...many of the tenants of which I actually do agree with by the way. Want to immediately turn me off to a cause? Then be a racist swine.

Now when I was thinking about writing this note I had contemplated talking about some of the protester's demands, but I've decided against that for one simple reason: I've not seen any single cohesive set of demands. Yes, there has been whispers of "eliminating college debt" (for example), which is actually just too silly for much in the way of serious commentary. I do agree that a college education costs far too much, but it does have value...and that is worth paying for no matter what you think (outside of love, the best things in life aren't always free). There are also some elements of union frustration in the protests, for which I have only a limited amount of patience at any given moment (but that is another topic for another time).

So where does this leave us? Well by my optics I think we have the Wall Street protesters on the hard left, the Tea Baggers on the hard right, and the vast majority of us in the middle. I'll confess that my sympathies probably lean ever so slightly on the side of the protesters, but not by much. In fact I enjoy my capitalist existence. I am proud of the fact that I've been able to move from very modest beginnings in my youth to professional position now that affords me the ability to do stuff I enjoy, like writing this spew. That kind of success doesn't happen in a vacuum...it happens because we have a society that has the ability to encourage it. To the extent that we may need to re-orient our society so that this can happen for more folks...well...that's something I can support.

Shaken, but not stirred

2011-10-20T07:40:00.000-04:00

One of the many gifts I have been given in 2011 (and I actually have been given many gifts this year...) has been this whole adult asthma thing. A side effect of that has been, I think, a tendency for colds to stay longer. This has been the case for me for the past two weeks. I don't think I've ever had a respiratory thing that lasted this long. I know, "call the doctor", but as long as things slowly but surely seem to be getting better I'm going to avoid that, if for no other reason than the fact that there is not a lot the good Doctor McKenna can do for me anyway.

Ironic, huh? A guy who is has never even tried bad for the lungs stuff like smoking now has asthma. Somewhere someone is laughing about that one.

Anyway, I will confess to the fact that, earlier this week, this whole thing was getting me down. I was tired of feeling sick, tired of feeling all doped up but not really better. Insert invitation to pity party here. Fortunately that passed, in large part to the discovery of the 10mg dose of Phenylephrine. Now I just seem to have the linger effects of the cold, stubbornly holding on like Rick Santorum in the GOP primary. Here's to hoping that both fade, and soon.

I really need to blog more...

I'm not a joiner but I'm alright

2011-10-16T12:00:00.001-04:00

Over the years I've been asked to participate in various social activities. I've gotten Facebook event invitations. I even had a therapist suggest that I should be more socially engaged. Throughout it all I usually & respectfully decline. Why?

Well before delving into the pop psychology of it all, first and foremost I am always grateful whenever anyone thinks to invite me to their party, event, etc. Sometimes, on rare occasion, I even accept and show up. It takes some effort though, and I find that for the most part I'll go out of respect to the person who invited me.

Last December, for example, I attended a post-wedding party for my friend Leigh. For me it was the perfect storm of stress: I really didn't know anyone at the party (outside of Leigh and her husband) and it was something of a trek to get there, but I still went out of respect. Leigh has been a good friend for a number of years, and I was genuinely glad for her on this occasion. What's more, the wedding cake was awesome.

I could add the two blog-fest events as other examples of my discomfort in social situations. Now I did have a good excuse for not attending the last blog-fest, as I had just dropped my youngest daughter off at school. However, as the brilliant Ms Rivers stated to me after the fact, "you really didn't want to go, did you?", to which I copped a reluctant "yeah, you're right". She was right, and although I would know a few people there (Gort, Tom Borthwick, and others) and I genuinely enjoy some of the conversations that come with these kinds of events, I never the less feel this reluctance to put myself out there in a crowd.

Work-related social events are probably the worst of this sort of activity for me. In part it's because, I suspect, the fact that I have a "work" persona that I'd like to think is different than my "personal" persona. The melding of the two is incredibly difficult for me, even in small doses. Now I never hesitate when I need to talk to groups of people, as this is an important part of my job. Never the less I was very tense when, at the beginning of a recent meeting, we were all told (as part of a ice-breaker activity) to share something with the group that we no one knew about us. What did I share? That I had my own URL (that would be THIS site). I could feel the tension though as I thought of what to say.

Pop psychology.

So what is the "why" to all of this?

Well on one hand, I suspect the quick-n-easy answer has something to do with self-image. Maybe I lack a positive self-image and this is manifest by fear of being exposed for all my supposed flaws in social situations. For the record, I'd give this one only a so-so nod of acceptance. Yes, I don't always think that I have what I would call a healthy self-image, but I don't think it is debilitating either. What's more, at least professionally I think I have a fairly healthy self-image. The dirty little (not so) secret is that I have been successful professionally, and in fact I've already gone further in my career than I ever thought I would when I started out in the workforce a quarter of a century ago. So while there may be some element of poor self-image in this pop psychology mix, it's only a minor ingredient, if at all.

On the other hand, Myers-Briggs tells me that I am a dyed-in-the-wool introvert. Among other things, I've learned that I don't get a lot of energy from being around others. My energy...and my best work...comes from more individual interactions. Yes, I can "do" social situations, but it probably takes more of an energy toll on me than it does for someone who is very extroverted. Interestingly enough, I really do enjoy facilitating in front of groups of people, but I also realize that it takes a lot out of me.

In the final analysis, pop psychology can explain some things at a point of time, but the stark reality of life is that very few things stand still (least of all in our heads). I am, in fact, evolving. That's as instructive a point as I can make about myself, and I'm sure that it is equally true for most others as well. As humans we are given this almost miraculous ability for introspection. We can question who and what we are, and we can, if we feel the need, change. I know real, substantial change doesn't come via fiat, and sometimes that change never comes at all. Never the less it's comforting just to know that we can evolve. As for me, well I'm certainly okay with questioning my discomfort with some social situations, but I'm not all that interested in drastically changing. I basically like who I am. I am, it seems, alright.

Mind, Body & Doing The Job

2011-10-12T08:19:00.000-04:00

Last week I had responsibilities at work to carry out that, let's just say, represent the worst of the "stuff" I ever have to do professionally. I think anticipation leading up to this work increased my overall stress level so much that I ended up getting physically sick...in this case a fairly decent head cold that is only now abating. I don't mention that for want of sympathy, as I deserve none in this particular case. My stress over doing my job pales in comparison to the stress others are under, and besides, when you want to have a certain kind of job you have to take all that goes with it, both good and horrendous.

My point in the above paragraph? Well I have two fold purpose in mind for this particular rant.

Point One: As I grow older, I am becoming increasingly aware that how you feel...that is emotionally, attitude-wise, outlook in life...plays a part in now you feel physically. Not related to what I noted in the first paragraph, but part of my job entails doing adult-learning related work. There have been times on occasion when I genuinely don't feel good, suffering from the kind of maladies that strike all of us from time to time. You know what though? For some reason I'm always able to hold it together for that portion of time when I am in front of others. Yeah, there may be the errant sneeze or cough, but by and large my energy level is high, I'm physically moving around a lot, and I am actively engaged in the learning process. Before and after the event I may be the physical equivalent of jello, but when I'm on it's all systems active. Mind over matter if you will.

Point Two: I do have sympathy for those engaged in the Wall Street occupation movement*, but I'm not completely sold on everything that is being spouted. I get the distinct impression that some folks...particularly those who are younger...feel there is a "right" to a good job, high pay, a pension, etc. Simply put, there is no such right, and this is a GOOD thing. Why? What we have to enjoy today isn't the result of an entitled citizenry! No, it's the result of people working their asses off in pursuit of more. They wanted more, and they realized that the only true way to have more in life is to work hard and strive to achieve. Life hands us adversity, and we choose how to react to it. We can....

Choose to whine, cry and complain that we are entitled to stuff and point fingers of envy at those who seem to "have" OR
Choose to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and get back in the game.

Maybe my perspective is somewhat different than that of the average 20-something these days. By way of background, I grew relatively poor. My three brother and I lived with our mother in a housing project. Mom worked nights to support us so that she could be there for us during the day. We didn't have a lot, but my mother constantly impressed upon her sons the need to get an education and showed us by example that all work was noble. Fast forward to now and I did get an education and I have a very good job that enables me to do some good things, such as help my children pay for their college educations. What I have now career wise is the product of some luck (being at the right place at the right time), but by and large it is the product of almost persistent hard work and determination. Yeah, there were times when I thought I "should have been promoted" or something like that, but they were fleeting, as I would inevitably come to my senses and remember that the best things in life aren't given to you...they are earned.

The common thread to both points above is simple: how you feel matters, and by and large you control how you feel. Yes, we are guaranteed the right to pursue happiness, but there is no actual right to be happy. Oh, and sometimes happiness takes a mighty long time to achieve. The world isn't a video game there rarely is there actually instant gratification. Real gratification comes from a life well lived.

(*) There is an element of the Wall Street occupation movement that I do very much "get" , and that has to do with egregiously excessive executive compensation. No executive, no matter what they do, is worth hundreds of times the wages of an average worker.

Dr CO Marthins wants to know my religion

2011-10-09T17:09:00.001-04:00

It's comforting in a weird sort of way that...like the changing of the seasons, like the coming of the holiday season, like the inexorability of Scranton's city government to function...there are still laughably bad Internet scams still out there.

From my Hotmail account, I give you Dr CO Marthins...

FROM THE DESK OF DR.CO MARTHINS

The Head of File and Auditing Department,

BANK OF AFRICA (B.O.A)

Ouagadougou Burkina-Faso (West Africa)

REMITTANCE OF US$25,300 million

CONFIDENTIAL IS THE CASE. VERY URGENT ATTENTION

This message might meet you in utmost surprise, however, it's just my Urgent need for foreign partner that made me to contact you for this transaction I am a banker by profession from Burkina Faso in West Africa and currently holding the post of director Auditing and accounting unit of the bank.

I have the opportunity of transferring the left over Funds ($25.300 million) of one of my bank clients who died Along with his entire family in a plane crash.

Hence, I am inviting you for a business deal where this money can be shared between us in the ratio of 50/40 while 10% will be mapped out for expenses. I will like to inform you that this transaction is 100% risk free, WHILE further details of the transfer will be forwarded to you as soon as I receive your return mail. And also promise me that you will not disappoint me when this fund hits your account.

Meanwhile the World Bank Group has mandated the BANK OF AFRICA Burkina Faso to release this unclaimed fund immediately when the next of kin is discovered with due application.

This payment will be effected through Swift Telegraphic Transfer in conjunction with the support of the World Bank.

Your Urgent response is needed for immediate transfer of this fund IN TO YOURRECEIVING BANK ACCOUNT.

(FILL THIS FORM BELLOW PLEASE AND RESEND IT TO ME).

1) Your Full Name.............................

2) Your Age....................................

3) Marital Statuses............................

4) A copy of your photo identity

5) Your Cell Phone Number......................

6) Your Country................................

7) Your Occupation.............................

8) Sex....................................

9) Your Religion...............................

Please keep this proposal as a top secret and delete if you are not interested.

Regards,

Dr.co Marthins

Bank Of Africa, Burkina Faso-West Africa.

Runaway Train

2011-10-09T09:31:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite songs...

10 Clues that "The Office" Really Doesn't Take Place In Scranton

2011-10-08T13:32:00.002-04:00

In no particular order, for no particular reason:

It's clearly way too flat to actually be Scranton.
No office chatter about the loons that spoke at the last city council meeting.
No reference to a location being "up da line" or "down da line".
The men always tuck their shirts in (this is a dead give-away).
It would actually be nearly impossible to drive your car into the real Lake Scranton (and if you did, I think the EPA would end up getting involved).
No office political loud-mouth parroting what he just heard Rush Limbaugh say.
Angela clearly isn't Catholic.
People in this area drink their booze in the woods, a beer garden or at home, not on Lake Wallenpaupack.
Mose would be in a group home instead on working on the beet farm.
If it really was filmed in Scranton, malcontents in Wilkes-Boro would be complaining about it (and would not doubt try and get their Congressman to have the location changed to somewhere in Wilkes-Boro, you know, like Nannicoke or Plimmit).

A simple solution to Bank of America's new $5 debit card fee

2011-10-07T07:50:00.001-04:00

Bank of America will start charging debit card holders a $5 monthly fee, as reported in many sources (including HERE). This has gotten a lot of press, and I heard a story about a BofA customer bringing a petition with 100,000+ customer signatures in opposition to the fee. I also hear that Wall Street protesters citing this as an other example of corporate greed and general badness on the part of the banking industry.

Now I know that it is easy to get caught up in all of the rhetoric. Point taken. However, I do think that many who complain about the fee forget one very simple reality of this situation: you don't have to do business with Bank of America.

That's right: if you don't like the fee then you can simply bank with another institution.

Some will claim "Steve, all the bank will start doing it eventually", but like most generalizations, this one isn't entirely true. Yes, I suspect that many banks will impose similar fees, especially large, multi-state banks. I am reasonably confident though that the fee will not become an industry standard, at least not across all segments of the banking business. So what are your choices?

Small, Community Banks - I've read where some industry analysts predict that many small community banks will not impose the fee.
Credit Union - Almost everyone these days can join a credit union. Read HERE.

So enough already with the whining and victimology.

As a side note, I suspect that BofA is imposing this fee precisely because they want to thin their customer ranks of those clients with relatively small account balances. That is certainly the bank's right, but it is certainly our right to not do business with BofA.

The Legacy of Steve Jobs

2011-10-06T07:42:00.000-04:00

I do not own a single Apple product. I have purchased them over the years as presents for my daughters (iPods & helped with the purchase of an iPhone or two), but I have never found them appealing for two main reasons:

I think the designs (hardware & software) tend to be over-simplified. I like having lots of options and choices to make with the technology I use. For example I hate the whole "automatic sync with iTunes" thing that iPods make you do; I want to make the choices of what is on my music player; I don't want anything to happen automatically.
I think most of their products are over-priced. The one exception I can think of is the 16gb iPad, which at $499 seems to be moderately priced relative to the competition.

The above noted, you can't help but admire the fact that Apple puts so much emphasis on design and product experience. Compare this Microsoft's products, which tend to have clunky, sometimes non-intuitive designs. Yes, it makes all the sense in the world to click on the "start" button to stop the computer. Oh, and let's not forget the ever-feared "blue screen of death"...

...which we all tend to face from time to time. Yes, I think there is something of a stark contrast between Apple and Microsoft...well more appropriately Apple and the rest of the technology world. I suspect that this is the legacy of Steve Jobs.

Speaking of legacy, what better way to end this post than with the words of Steve Jobs.

"Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle."
– Stanford commencement speech 2005

Well spoken.

Rest In Peace Steve Jobs

2011-10-05T20:34:00.001-04:00

You can't have to be an Apple fan to appreciate just what Steve Jobs did for technology in general over the past twenty years.

Rest in Peace Steve Jobs

Somehow I don't think there will ever be anyone quite like him.

Your parents lied to you: monsters are real.

2011-10-04T20:01:00.000-04:00

I read about this in both the local (Scranton Times) and national (CBS, Reuters, and others) news.

7 Year Old Child Tortured in Scranton

As a parent I utterly disgusted. I am a loss for words. I want to just find this child and protect him...protect him from the monsters that were disguised as his "parents".

For the child, I hope that his life has begun anew.

For the "parents", well, I hope that one day they realize just what they have done...and that this realization tortures and consumes them for the rest of their lives.

Who Is Harry Nilsson? (And Why Is Everybody Talkin' About Him)

2011-10-04T07:32:00.000-04:00

As I may have mentioned a week or so ago, I purchased a DVD on the life of Harry Nilsson, which I finally got around to watching Sunday night.

My overall impression? If you are a fan of Harry, or of the music of the late 60's/early 70's, then I'd suggest you check this out. The DVD is long for someone who actually had a relatively short career in the spotlight, but it held my attention for all of two hours it played. I do confess to pausing at about the one hour mark for some popcorn though.

The basic story of Harry Nilsson is really rather compelling. Here is a guy who was enormously talented. He played multiple instruments, wrote terrific songs, and had one of the most incredible singing voices of all time, bar none. Want some evidence?

Interestingly enough, Without You is a song that Harry didn't write (it was actually written by a member of the band Badfinger). Regardless, I think this is something of a signature piece for him, along with Everybody's Talking. I don't know of another current musical "artist" that can sing like Harry; hell 90% of what you hear in modern popular music is acoustically altered using auto-tune or some of other computer magic.

As for the man, this is something incredibly tragic about someone born with so much talent...that works so hard to get noticed and becomes successful at their craft...and then becomes intent on destroying that which made him so successful. Yet later in life Harry seemed to become grounded and by all appearances died while personally very happy, surrounded by his family.

This is a great, all be it very sad at times, story.

Road Apples, #113

2011-10-02T15:32:00.000-04:00

Hotel Sterling...If I wasn't completely devoid of motivation I'd make my way down to Wilkes-Boro to take some pictures of the decaying-before-our-very-eyes Hotel Sterling. There is something incredibly fascinating but yet sad about a grand old building that has fallen down into such disrepair. Think about it: a building is a "thing" on one level, but on another it represents so very much on another. How many loves were found, marriages celebrated, campaigns began, campaigns ended and just lives changed at a place like the Hotel Sterling? It is something of an old cliche (sorry, I don't have the accent mark), but if only the walls could talk in places such as this.

Holy Family Church...Speaking of places with history, the church where I received most of the Catholic Sacraments is being slowly dismantled. Andy Palumbo is doing a great service for me (and others I suspect) by taking pictures of this sad event. When I was a little person receiving first Communion the place looked so very large; now that it is being dismantled it seems to be so very much smaller.

TrashAThon...For a few minutes this afternoon I was alternating between Mod Wives and Jersey Shore as my background TV noise. The very best that New Jersey/New York has to offer I suppose. I'd be critical of both shows, but what's the point? They both apparently do well in the ratings, so someone is making money off it all.

Rick Perry...There is a story in the National Enquirer that connects Rick Perry in some manner with the KKK. Now hardcore Republicans will whine that "it's just the National Enquirer", but how many of those folks were reveling when John Edwards was getting skewed in those same pages? The National Enquirer may publish its share of trash, but they also get it right every once in a while. Anyway, the story is well beyond the U.S. tabloids, as it has gotten coverage also by the U.K.'s Daily Mail. You can link to the story HERE.

REM...The band REM recently announced their retirement, and while I will not going to claim that I am the biggest fan of their music, I will note that they have had a hell of a run. Some of my favorite REM songs include The One I Love, Stand, Pop Song 89, Fall On Me, It's The End of the World As We Know It, Losing My Religion and others. The music was great, but even more impressive was the fact that, in an industry full of assorted wankers, stoners and degenerates, they carried themselves well over the years. They are also incredibly talented musicians. Here's to Athens greatest contribution to popular music...

You just don't see talent like this in popular music very often these days.

NBA Season...It looks like the battle of "millionaires vs multi-millionaires", also known as the NBA owners vs NBA players union, will result in some kind of season cancellation. How many people care? Personally I find the concept of a labor union representing individuals who on average make over $5 million (reference HERE) to be ever so slightly surreal, especially when you consider that most top talent in the league have individual agents representing them as well. The folks entertain others for a living for Pete's sake! In the "contribution to society" department they may rank slightly above circus clowns.

Don't get me started on the public financing of athletic facilities.

"Divorce is too easy these days..."

2011-10-01T14:41:00.001-04:00

"Divorce is too easy these days..." is what someone posted on the Facebook group page "Your know ur from Scranton, Pa". I wanted to post a reply in that thread, but then I remembered that I have the whole entire blog thing going.

Anyway, had I been so motivated to post in that discussion, I would have told the individual making that statement that:

They obviously have never been through a divorce.

or

If they have been through a divorce, it must have been far different than what most folks experience.

Divorce is NOT easy, not now and I suspect not "back then" either. In fact, I would go so far as to describe it as being an almost perfect storm of suck...

...it is chock full of the worst possible emotions (anger, sadness, jealousy, regret, and I could go on)
...if you have children, no matter what the age(s) are, it is disruptive to their lives
...lawyers are almost almost always involved (things that involve lawyers are almost always bad news)
...it costs money no matter how you do it (sometimes a lot of money)
...it puts your life in limbo for an extended period of time
...it consumes enormous amounts of your time
...it exposes you personally and financially

The above is just for run of the mill divorces. Lest we forget that also sometimes divorces result from...

...substance abuse
...physical abuse
...emotional abuse

...and other assorted really horrible things.

Now if you are reading this and you are in a happy marriage then you certainly have my congratulations. You truly are living the dream.

If you are reading this and you went through an easy, painless divorce, then I'd say you have been one of the fortunate few.

If you are reading this and are going through (or have gone though) a difficult divorce, then you truly have my sympathy.

The past wasn't always better. The good old days weren't always so good. And what appears to be "easy" to some can be in fact very difficult for others.

Carpe diem folks.

Advertorial

2011-09-27T21:36:00.000-04:00

I was reading the golackawanna website today, trying to catch up on some local news, when I spied a review of the Suzuki Kizashi. Now being mildly interested in cars, I thought to myself that this might make for an interesting diversion. I like reading car reviews, and while I'm not in the market for a car at the moment, who knows, I may find some useful tidbit and/or factoid.

Then I saw the word: Advertorial.

My initial reaction was a simple and straight forward "what the hell is an advertorial?". Then, as I am often fond of doing, I thought about it some more. Sure, I got the definition...Advertisement + Editorial. In other words, this was a paid opinion piece. Someone greased the golackwanna folks so that they would publish this mock review of the Suzuki Kizashi. Forget for a moment that this looked like a straight-off review, although the constant references to "J.D. Power award" came up time and time again. That was a dead give-away.

Side note: I think just about every piece of crap that Detroit has ever produced has won a J.D. Power award. I wouldn't be shocked if, going back to the 80's, JD. Powers marveled at the cutting edge engineering of the Chevrolet Citation.

So now I am left wondering just what place, if any, the "Advertorial" has on a real news site. Call me old fashioned but if an advertiser pays for space...be that space on paper or virtual...that is an advertisement. Calling it something else is, in my opinion, walking the edge of propriety.

Maybe this is a common practice in print journalism. Maybe I'm making too much out of this whole thing. Maybe I'm just tired. Who knows? Well I do know one thing: I am disappointed in the golackawanna folks.

The vaccination against cervical cancer can turn your daughters into honor students!

2011-09-26T18:17:00.001-04:00

Michelle Bachmann wants you to believe that a vaccination against cervical cancer can cause mental retardation. Oh, and she brings this up to score cheap political points against Rick Perry. Read how Leonard Pitts calls her out on it.

Leonard Pitts: Bachmann's Irresponsible Behavior

For the record, all three of my daughters received this specific vaccination. All three of my daughters are honor students as well. There may be no connection between the these two facts, but my making a none-too-subtle claim that the vaccination can cause higher intelligence is just as valid as Bachmann's claim that it can cause mental retardation. The difference? I admit that my claim is just simply made-up bull$hit.

Lest we forget...it's the little things that count

2011-09-26T08:18:00.000-04:00

There is a larger thought in all of this, but as I'm sitting here stalling on starting what is a very full day, I am reminded that in life it is the little things that count the most. Here is a smattering of that for me...

Having children that aren't in jail, are not on drugs, and do work hard at their chosen endeavors.

Having healthy, clear lungs so that I can breathe in the Fall air and enjoy every molecule.

Having a good job that gives me some satisfaction and which pays my bills.

Having a pet who meets me at the door when I arrive & waits outside my bedroom when I wake.

Having good enough vision so that I can read a book, drive a car or post stupid ruminations on-line.

Having sufficient smarts that I can ask the questions, even if I don't always understand the answers.

Having an extended family that is supportive.

Last but certainly in a category all of it's own, having someone in my life who asks how I am doing, listens to me, respects me and genuinely enjoys spending time with me.

Yes, the days come with frustrations and there are reasons a-plenty for feeling down. Points taken, But you know what? When all is said and done, every day that we can wake up and realize where we are is a day that we are given yet another chance to get it make a difference and get it right.

One final note: almost by habit whenever someone causally asks how I am doing I respond "Not Bad". How sad is that? My response is basically that "hey, it could be worse". Maybe that's the wrong frame of mind. Maybe a more accurate response would be simply "Well", because in the totality of it all I am, in fact, "well".

Carpe diem folks.

Road Apples, #112

2011-09-25T09:25:00.000-04:00

Apollo 18...I went to see this last night, and I highly recommend it, but only if you really want to waste $17.50 and 90 minutes of your life. If this is supposed to be a documentary, then how did the film get back to Earth? This was prior to high-speed data streaming or even digital video. I know, I shouldn't point out plot flaws in something that is supposed to be just entertainment, but still I was very disappointed.

Road Trip...The return trip to West Chester is this afternoon. Here's to hoping that it is less dramatic than Friday's excursion.

Republicans...Isn't it time for another GOP debate? I mean we have gone a whole three days...I think...since the last one. On the positive side, my favorite Republican, former governor Gary Johnson, seemed to do well. Speaking of Gary Johnson, he put out a great piece on the end of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell". You can read it HERE. From the statement:

“The idea that our professional service men and women could not serve effectively with gay colleagues has long been unfair, and just wrong. Over the past several years, we have lost thousands of volunteer defenders of freedom to a policy that, on its face, ran counter to the American principles of equality and, yes, freedom. It took far too long to get here, but this is a great day.”

Of course Gov. Johnson doesn't stand a chance in GOP primaries. That's too bad, as instead the nomination will go to either a dullard (Perry) or a man that is so overproduced (Romney) that I half expect a line of Bob Mackie attired dancers to appear whenever he speaks.

Recently Ordered from Amazon...This DVD on the life of Harry Nilsson.

The "New" Facebook...Much has been written about changes to Facebook recently. If you are not a "user" then I suspect that you probably think it's all just a bunch of hoo-haa. As for me, the changes seem to violate a technology rule that Apple routinely gets right and Microsoft typically gets wrong...namely that making things more complex (even with the best of intentions) is seldom good for a users experience. I'm not shilling for Apple here, and in fact I don't own a single Apple product. I do, however, like the focus Apple puts on ease of use. Speaking of technology...

Microsoft to Unveil Windows 8...Read HERE and in other places about the upcoming newest version of of Windows. I'm somewhat skeptical of just how successful the launch will be and how it will impact the fortunes of Microsoft. In my opinion the days of big, clunky operating systems that drive how you work are coming to an end. Apple's success with the iPad is showing that smaller, lighter, quicker and more user-focused is where technology is headed. Microsoft has another problem in that it will now have several different operating systems in use across the world, with many businesses still using a product...Windows XP (which is also the OS I use on my netbook)...that was first released in 2001. A decade is an eternity in the world of technology.

The Scranton Times...ran what I would describe as a vicious editorial under the title of "She Can't Handle the Truth..." that pointedly attacked Scranton City Council President Janet Evans. You can link to it HERE. I actually don't disagree with much of what the editors noted about Ms Evans, but it pointedly avoided any real criticism of Scranton's Mayor Chris Doherty. I like Chris Doherty, but his record of fiscal management isn't what one would describe as stellar. When it comes to Scranton's government, it takes two to Tango (namely the City Council President and the Mayor). Municipal union members will cry foul at the editorial and opponents of Ms Evans will no doubt cheer, in the end it will not be editorials that solve Scranton's financial problems. What will? Tough decisions.

Missing Blogfest + Other Assorted Tales

2011-09-24T08:27:00.001-04:00

I know that I am not the most outwardly social person on the planet. Myers-Briggs tells me, in fact, that I am probably as introverted as a human being can probably be without degrading into Bridge Troll -dom. This noted, I did have every intention of attending Blogfest 2011 in the thriving metropolis of Pittston last night. Needless to say, I did not make it. What happened?

My youngest daughter Rebecca attends West Chester University, which is about a hair shy of two and a half hours from Scranton. Since she wanted to come home this weekend, my thought was to leave work at 4ish, make it down there and back, and slip into Blogfest for a few minutes in and around the 9pm time frame. Sounds reasonable, right? Of course there is a "but" here, and this particular "but" can be summarized by a few different words, so I'll just pick one: monsoon.

Yes, it was raining basically all the way down the turnpike from Scranton to Philadelphia. Going down I would hit patches of incredibly heavy rain inter-spaced with periods of light precipitation. I could count my blessings and claim that "at least it wasn't snow", but I have other blessing to count. Read on. Anyway, my normally steady speed of 65-esque was shunted down to the 50's for much of the ride down and over to West Chester. Coming back? Well that was quite worse indeed.

So I arrive in West Chester on or about 6:45pm. This was a good 20 minutes later than I should have, but again my travel was inhibited by road conditions. That and the two enormous ladders laying in the middle of Route 202. By the time I got there, my daughter and her room-mate (who lives in NEPA and was hitching a ride with us) were all ready to go. Some quick car packing and we were back on the road sometime slightly after 7pm. From there, it seemed as if the rain picked up in intensity. At times it was steady, at times it was so dense that visibility was really horrid. Then there was the tunnel incident.

Coming up the turnpike approaching the NE Extension tunnel, the rain seemed to abate as the hole in the mountain grew near. At that point I'm thinking "good, I can pick up some speed and make up for lost time", so once I got into the tunnel I got the car up to about 65, which was a far cry from the 40-50 mph that marked the journey so far. Bad idea. Popping out of the tunnel like a cork out of a rapper's bottle of Cristal, I almost immediately hit was seemed like a torrent of rain. What didn't hit? That would be the wheels of my Kia Rio and the road surface. For about a good mile I was basically floating on the road surface, more or less out of control of my vehicle. I want to note that Kia Rio's weight about as much as your average washing machine, so it was the perfect storm of imperfect conditions: slippery road an tiny, light car. So what happened next? Well I guess there are three schools of thought that could describe those few minutes in time:

Skill - Having been driving for something like 30 years, I knew enough not to over-steer the car and to not slam on the brakes. I carefully corrected the direction of the car, preventing a mashing into the retaining wall (or off the road itself) by making slight directional changes and lightly touching the brake until the car got some traction and slowed down.
Higher Power - Some could argue that some kind of higher power guided me and prevented what would have been an ugly accident.
Some combination of the two above.

I don't want to sound overly dramatic here, but I was seriously in some deep doo-doo on this one. The Physics of the situation were working against me: I was clearly driving way too fast for the road conditions on a car that is only slightly evolved from a go-cart. This was not a good time. In the final analysis this morning, I am going to heavily weigh my after-the-fact conclusions on #1, above. I'm also though not going to discount the fact that I was clearly pretty damn lucky...or pretty damn blessed. #3 perhaps? I will say that I did take a few minutes this morning to pray & contemplate it all.

Almost being turned into road-hamburger rightly noted, by the time I dropped my youngest daughter's room mate off and delivered daughter #3 to her mother's house it was exactly 10:15pm. I would have missed almost all of Blogfest and besides, at that stage I was more or less a blithering idiot after having survived the West Chester trek.

I can't wait until the next Blogfest.

Another reason why The Beatles REALLY WERE the "Fab Four"

2011-09-21T19:31:00.000-04:00

Beatles refused to play in segregated venues.

NEPArtisan Posting

2011-09-20T21:33:00.000-04:00

My latest contribution to NEPArtisan can be found HERE. I don't suspect that I will ever have a future working county government after this, but so be it. Sometimes you just have to say "what the hell...".

10 Reasons Why I Make a Bad Northeastern Pennsylvanian

2011-09-19T07:56:00.000-04:00

In no order and for no particular reason other than my own amusement.

I can't stand cabbage and I don't like pork (there goes about 90% of the ethnic food choices around here).
I would rather drive rusty nails through my eyeballs than attend a political rally and/or campaign event for someone unless I consider them to be a personal friend.
I don't "get it", you know, the whole Notre Dame thing in NEPA. The school is in Indiana. The school's name is French. So they have this stupid little gremlin-esque thing as a mascot...big deal. Something like 0.000009% of the NEPA population has actually attended the University of Notre Dame. What's more, based on my experience, a decent percentage of the Notre Dame fans in this region probably couldn't get into the university...or any university for the matter.
I don't follow high school football. My high school didn't even have a football team.
I don't follow professional football. If I want to see a bunch of well paid males bash each other I'll hang out at a bar near the courthouse on Friday night.
I use my turn signal.
I pronounce the "t" in Scranton.
I find Ocean City Maryland to be a nice place, but not the nirvana of vacation spots.
I'd rather read a good book than watch just about any sporting event on television.
I don't drink coffee (or "caaafee" as it is pronounced in these here parts).

(credit to Ms Rivers for this one)

Maybe I'm destined to live somewhere else.

Response to Justin Vacula's Comments

2011-09-18T21:17:00.001-04:00

Preface
Justin Vacula took some time to comment on THIS posting, so I wanted to take a few minutes to respond in kind. Note that I'm not making a habit of defending what I write, no matter how articulated the opposing point of view may be. I am not prone to giving anyone a soapbox to promote their intellectual wares either. However I enjoy Justin's writing and I'm thrilled that he takes the time to read the virtual crap I write. While I don't agree with everything Justin writes, I greatly respect his well articulated perspectives.

Anyway, on to the stuff. I've pasted Justin's comments, word for word, below; my comments are noted in [blue bracketed] text.

****

I'm not sure what you mean when you note "atheism as another belief system" because, as you note, there are no supernatural beliefs. Atheism, properly defined, means lack of belief in any gods. Anyway...[Justin, your logic is flawed because "belief" as a word doesn't exclusively imply "supernatural" as a concept. I can "believe" many different things that have nothing to do with a supernatural intervention. For example I can believe that it will rain tomorrow...does that mean I am implying that God is going to make it rain? No. ]

I'm not sure what "non-religious extremists" are either. [They are individuals who "believe" that they have a right to strip out references to the belief systems of others from our culture, for example.] This idea of "people who are intent on taking any mention of religion and belief out of our culture" appears to be a strawman of the popular position which I and most atheists advocate called secularism in which we want religion to be kept separate from the government, not to have "any mention" removed. There is a crucial difference here.

The founding fathers didn't want religion removed from society, but rather removed from government. The constitution is quite clear, as you mention, to not note that we are a Christian nation. The constitution's mentions of religion are noting that it be kept separate, too.

You note: " If the intent of our founders was to have a society devoid of religious references, they would have said so in this first phrase of the first amendment." This isn't necessarily [I love it when the word "necessarily" is used in arguments. But so I digress...] the case (and, again, they didn't want a society devoid of religious references) because there are many things they did not want that were not mentioned in certain places are anywhere. [There are billions of things, potentially, that were not mentioned. The point still stands though because it is reasonable to imply, as the Founding Fathers were by and large individuals who had a belief in the supernatural. Note I am not falsely claiming...as some do...that they were all traditional Christians, as that was not the case. What I am claiming though is the reasonable idea that they did not want to exclude something from society that they themselves thought important...namely a belief in "god". ]

The establishment clause does not entail, simply as it were written, that we are a secular society, but rather the words and intent of the founding fathers say this... from my 9/11 speech:
"Another issue that is important for many atheists, although it should be important for every American citizen, is the separation of church and state. Many have false impressions of what this phrase, tracing back to Thomas Jefferson in his address to the Danbury Baptists, actually means. Separation of church and state does not only mean, in legal terms, that the government is barred from declaring an official state religion, but rather means that the government should be completely neutral in matters of religion; government should not favor religion over non-religion or favor one religion over another religion. Separation of church and state is important because, in the eyes of the government, all religious beliefs or lack thereof are viewed as equal.
[I don't disagree with you, to a point. The phrase "completely neutral" doesn't mean "completely against" either. What's more, there is no reference to "non-belief" in the Constitution, only a reference to religion.]

Some Muslims and Christians, and perhaps others, unjustly believe that the United States is a 'Christian nation.' The unsubstantiated belief of the United States as a Christian nation fuels the myth of the 'war with Islam' and it would not be much of a stretch to say that this belief is a threat to national security. [I agree. The United States is not a "Christian" nation. But I will argue that the nation is one of belief systems...even belief systems that don't entail supernatural beliefs.]

While the majority of people in the United States may be Christians, this does make the United States a 'Christian nation' any more than a majority of Caucasians would make the United States a 'white nation.' One simply needs to read the Treaty of Tripoli, a document unanimously ratified by the United States Congress and signed by president John Adams, to realize that the United States, as the document itself says, “is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion.” [But "not founded on the Christian religion" doesn't mean "not founded on any belief system"; if you want to argue that "not Christian" means "not religious at all" then your logic is flawed, as excluding "Christian" simply excludes one possible belief system. I could argue, for example, that Protestant Christians of the day (and even to this day) don't consider Catholics to be "Christian".]

Separation of church and state, whether people realize it or not, is what guarantees freedom of and freedom from religion – and this falsifies the notion that the United States is a 'Christian nation' that is at war with Islam. [I agree.] We best not fan the flames of what are seen to be religious wars, misrepresent the secular character of our nation, or distort history. It is also the case, because of the idea of the United States as a 'Christian nation,' that non-Christians are viewed as somehow being un-American or even worse, enemies of America trying to destroy the foundations of the county which some believe to be “Christian principles.” [See the anti-Catholic rhetoric spewed against John F. Kennedy during the Presidential election of 1960 as an example of how very narrow definition of "Christian" can be in the United States.] The United States, as the Treaty of Tripoli suggests, is not founded on the Christian religion. America, rather, was founded on principles of freedom, liberty, and Enlightenment values. [While I don't disagree with your general argument here, you are hanging far too much on a treaty that was signed in 1797. In point of fact the United States has codified into treaty and/or law many things. ]

Further, the 'creator' mentioned in the Declaration of Independence -- which is not a founding document such as the United States Constitution and has no legal standing -- is properly understood as a deistic god, one which created the universe but has no concerned for human affairs. Mentions of 'natural rights' in the documents of the founding fathers are not, as some religious individuals think, references to a Christian or any specific god. Many of our founding fathers were either deistic or non-religious. [Agreed. But it's worth noting that, to the best of my knowledge, all had some kind of belief system, even if it was not codified into a specific religion. Are you aware of any of the Founding Fathers who were declared Atheists? I don't think so...see HERE...specifically the sentence "None of the Founding Fathers were atheists." Interestingly enough, this same citation makes good use of the Treaty of Tripoli as well.]

John Adams, in “A Defense of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America” wrote that the original states were “founded on the natural authority of the people alone, without a pretense of miracle or mystery, and which are destined to spread over the northern part of that whole quarter of the globe, are a great point gained in the favor of the rights of mankind.”

No matter what the founding fathers believed, their intentions was clear; they wanted a separation of church and state and made sure to make no references to God in the United States Constitution, but rather references to religion in the constitution -- that there should be no religious test for public office and that no law should be made respecting an establishment of religion -- separate religion from the government."

["No religious test" doesn't mean excluding religious references in culture. A belief in the supernatural was important to the individuals who founded this nation, and it continues to be important to the vast majority of those who live here today. My bottom line premise is that extremists who attempt to strip away any reference to "god" from governance or culture are no better than others who attempt to ram their version of "god" down our collective throats. In point of fact I have no time for either group.]

Discarded blog post ideas

2011-09-17T10:06:00.002-04:00

For no particular reason, other than my own amusement, here are a few blog post ideas that I decided against using over the years.

Janet Evans: City Council President or Sith Lord?

Fear and Loathing in Nannicoke

10 Reasons why Dunmore is bad for your health

If the Internet existed in 1980 I would never have left home

The University of Scranton: Economic Engine or Hellmouth?

The Zen of the Laundry King

10 tips for a successful divorce

Playing fetch...with your cat

Illiterate F&%ks: Why there are so few Scranton-based blogs

Soiled Jocks: 15 suggested occupations for former high school athletes

Democrats Kill Babies
(oh, sorry, that was actually a PA for Human Life blog posting...never mind)

Old Spice: Whatever Happened to the Spice Girls?

Does Hillbilly Heroin abuse cause hearing loss? The Limbaugh case study

A-Roid: 10 Things I'd like to ask to Alex Rodriguez*
(#1...does it really shrink your johnson?)
*All of the questions would be about 'roids & none about baseball

How to succeed in politics without paying your taxes
(oh, sorry, that was a Ken Smith blog posting...never mind)

Heyna Go? Wilkes-Barre Geography

Sister Queer: Recollections from attending Catholic high school

Big money in killing people...assassin or tobacco company executive?

Methane: the latest craze in flavored water

Extremists & Believers

2011-09-13T22:00:00.001-04:00

Why assorted "believers" and extremists bother me.

Political "Believers"
Whether they be died in the wool "I will never vote for a Republican because they want dirty air and polluted water" Democrats or "Liberals are evil Socialists bent on destroying America" Republican types, I really have no time for individuals who simply spew what their particular party tells them to spew.

Newsflashes:

Obama didn't take oath of office while holding a copy of the Koran and he was born in Hawaii, not Kenya.
The EPA was created by a Republican...Richard Nixon to be precise (don't believe me?).

The world simply isn't that black-n-white. It isn't. Period. Some folks need to simply stop believing what the just want to hear and open their minds just a bit.

Religious Extremists (and non-religious extremists)
Along with political believers, I have a hard time with religious believers when they take their views to an extreme and try to ram them down everyone else's collective throats. Note that I'm going to include atheism as simply another belief system...more precisely one that doesn't have any supernatural beliefs.

Yes, I get it that some folks believe that they have an obligation to spread their belief systems to others, but can we all agree that everyone has a right to simply say "I disagree" and not be demonized for the effort? I am sometimes shocked at how much in common the extreme fringes of religion...be they Christian or Muslim (for example)...have in common when it comes to their histories and methods. Yes I get it that, for example, it was Muslim extremists that flew planes into the World Trade Center buildings. But I also get it that entire wars throughout history have been fought...wars that killed far more than the number of victims of 9/11...out of misconstrued Christian values. This isn't just historical stuff, as to this very day there is still sectarian violence in Northern Ireland (see some of the data HERE).

Not to be outdone, there are some who are intent on taking any and every mention of religion and belief out of our culture. The simple fact of the matter is this: this nation was founded in part by people who sought religious freedom. Religious expression was and is an important part of the American experience. Some point the the first amendment of the Constitution as a indication that the founding fathers sought to exclude religion from society. I take a different tact: this is the FIST amendment. Securing the right of individuals to worship as they please without interference was so important to the founding of our nation that it was listed first in the Bill of Rights.

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;"

Read these words! They don't mean that we have a secular society. They mean that we have a society where everyone can worship (or not worship) as they please. If the intent of our founders was to have a society devoid of religious references, they would have said so in this first phrase of the first amendment.

Finally, to those "America is a Christian nation" types I say again: read the amendment. If the intent of our founders was to have a Christian nation they would have said as much. The First Amendment would have been written as...

"As a Christian nation, Congress shall make no law respecting..."

But this isn't what was written. In fact, you will not find the word "Christian" anywhere in the United States Constitution.

In the end, I firmly believe that few things are as they seem, and what I consider to be a truth you may consider to be a falsehood. So be it. It isn't the fact that we have differences though that should matter, it's that we learn to respect those differences that really matters in the grand scheme of it all. Tolerance isn't a bad word.

Road Apples, #111

2011-09-11T22:15:00.001-04:00

Remembering 9/11...I'm not going to drone on and on about the 9/11 anniversary, as smarter people than I will post about this anyway (such as THIS). What's more, I think I've already written this topic to death. What I will do is post the best musical tribute I've heard about 9/11, courtesy of Enrique Inglesias...

WTC Hero

Enough said.

In Other Disaster News...I was traveling about the "west shore" yesterday and was amazed just how far the Susquehanna river water traveled up West Pittston. You could actually see the line of dried mud on the street and the tire tracks that plied through the mess as it was drying. There was a also the slow but steady progress of neighbors cleaning out basements, with debris sitting neatly at curb-side, as if this was some kind of rehearsed drill come to fruition. These are some resilient folks, that's for damn sure. As for me, getting to the Cross Valley Expressway via Wyoming Avenue while in the dark took some effort, but I was able to figure it out.

Laundry King...Okay, I confess: my washing machine is kaput and I really don't want to spend the money to get it replaced at the moment. What to do? Laundry King. Yes, I am actually typing this at the Laundry King of Luzerne Street in West Scranton. The "King" get props from me for being pretty damn clean and for having new equipment. They also use this magnetic strip card setup that equals no hauling quarters around. Another plus? Simply outstanding WiFi. It could be worse...far worse.

Most Lawyers...don't know an awful lot about pension plans. Trust me.

Facebook....In other news of the slightly irritating sort, Facebook has made yet another in a series of "non-improvement" improvements recently. This one has something to do with the news feeds...you know, this is the part of Facebook where you get to hear about how bratty...or wonderful...your friends children actually are. This is also where you get to see things like:

"Millions of Americans suffer from ingrown toenails! Ingrown toenails cause countless billions of hours of suffering. Most people with ingrown toenails suffer in silence. Please change this to your status for an hour if you care about people with ingrown toenails."

For the record, I never do change my status of Facebook for such things, although some of the causes really are worth supporting. I'm just not that much of a follower I suppose. Anyway, I liked the way the old news feeds worked, but now I have no clue how they work.

I Want...a over roasting pan, one that is covered and made of cast aluminum. Can I find one? Nope. Found a few that are made of aluminum, but none that were cast aluminum. Must keep looking...

iPad...I have been contemplating getting myself an iPad next year. The benefits? Well very portable, very cool and lots of productivity applications. The drawbacks? I am not a big Apple fan and in all honesty, much of what I would do on an iPad I can do on the netbook from which I type this very blog. Man, I never thought of myself as being the kind of person who "fell" for a product. Maybe Steve Jobs really is a genius.

Speaking of Technology...After over 22 years of avoiding it, my own mini-judgement day has occurred at work. Yes, I am finally getting a company provided Blackberry. Okay, in the spirit of complete honesty I asked for one, but that's simply because I really can't effectively keep up with the volume of work emails I get during normal business hours.

Feedback...Every once in a while I get feedback that blog header is unappealing and that the picture(s) were better. Well...okay...never let it be said that I don't listen (eventually).

Airplanes

2011-09-10T08:17:00.000-04:00

This picture was snapped by Ms Rivers as she meandered her way home yesterday...

I know that there is nothing funny about flooding, but there is something ever so slightly humorous about airplanes in a public park.

A big thanks to the photographer for thinking to send this to me.

"We were soldiers..."

2011-09-09T18:46:00.001-04:00

Sometime back, I had a conversation at work with a friend who served in the active duty military. As we went back and forth about various things, I ask him how he was able to do some of very difficult things required of him, things that were as far from his nature as swimming is to a bumblebee's nature. His response:

"We were soldiers"

That phrase sticks with me every time I think about average people that end up doing extraordinary things. Sometime the "things" are grand and heroic, such as many of the acts that occurred during 9/11. Sometimes the things are far less grand, but just as heroic, as in the wife leaving an abusive husband. Sometimes the things just fall under the "dirty-but-necessary" category of life, you know, the life changes we all have to make at some point and time, things that are not grand, not heroic, but personally and painfully difficult never the less.

Personally I have not fought in a war, I have not saved anyone from a burning building, I have not had to do anything that risked my own life and safety. But there have been times when I have felt like a soldier. I did my duty, followed my orders, did some things that, had I actually contemplated them during the act, I probably wouldn't have done them at all. I still did them though.

As we parse through all of the news related to the flooding in Northeastern Pennsylvania, I think of all the people who became soldiers at a moment in time...doing what they had to do, even though it seemed personally repugnant and against their real nature. Like most soldiers, I suspect many will look back at what has happened not believe what they had to do when duty called. That may be evacuating a life-long home, that may be giving up on precious belongings, that may be we walking though the liquid toxic waste that best describes the over-flowing Susquehanna river. They did their duty though.

They were soldiers.

Thoughts, Hopes & Prayers

2011-09-08T22:39:00.000-04:00

God speed to those living in the Wyoming Valley as the flood of 2011 winds down. I've been glued to the TV of late and am amazed at seeing streets that I only recently drove in West Pittston now being under water.

If you are in the area, then stay safe my friends.

Poor Rick, the Gays are being mean to him

2011-09-07T19:32:00.004-04:00

Rick Santorum's claim that gays have declared a "jihad" against him has been widely reported by the likes of Gort (HERE) and Justin Vacula, so I'm not going to retread the facts. What I am going to do to is to note here what I've noted in other places.

What's that?

Well Rick Santorum is your classic bully. Like any bully, he picked a "target" that he thought would not really fight back. In his case the "target" was the gay community. Why pick on the gays? Well demeaning homosexuals is music to hears of some religious conservatives, those who somehow feel that homosexuality is a communicable disease. It's a cheap way to get votes with a certain crowd. Anyway, the gay community did something rather unexpected by Santorum....they decided to fight back.

Yes, those darn gays decided to actually fight back against the bully.

Like most bullies, Rick almost immediately started to cry. He has whined about the Urban Dictionary definition for his last name. He cried that his kids can't Google their father's name without obscene references appearing. He is moans about the "gay jihad".

Sound familiar? This is no different than the average junior high bully running back to his/her mom after the "target" decided not to take it any more.

So to Rick Santorum I say this: You reap what you sow.

"Administrivia"

2011-09-07T18:47:00.000-04:00

A colleague at work used the word "administrivia" in an email today, and I have to say that, after reflection, I am rather disappointed. Here is a definition for the word (in case you are too lazy to click on the link):

Noun

administrivia - the tiresome but essential details that must be taken care of and tasks that must be performed in running an organization; "he sets policy and leaves all the administrivia to his assistant"

What about this bothers me?

Well it's example of demeaning the work of others. It's saying that, if you do administrative work, what you do is "trivia", as opposed to the highly cerebral work of others.

Now for the record I really don't do much in the way of administrative work. In fact, we have a professional on my team who is responsible for most of our administrative work, and she does her job very well. That work though is not trivia. As someone in the learning business, I've seen too many instances where a training class was sent completely off track...not because the content was inappropriate or the facilitator incompetent...but rather because some nuance of administration wasn't take care of prior to the start of the session. Equipment working? Markers? Registration process completed? Materials available in sufficient quantity?

No work is trivia in my mind, and there is nobility in all work. Is all work of the same value, relative to what should be paid for it? Of course not, but that assumes that a dollar value is the ultimate measure of somethings worth. My daughter saying "I love you Dad" has no dollar value, but I think it is priceless. Your son getting an "A" on a report card has no real dollar value, but if it represents hard work and commitment on their part, I'd argue that such a grade has significant value. The dollar only measures one aspect of value, and I'd argue that there are far other...and sometimes better...ways to measure value.

In the end, what's important is that all of us who have the privilege of doing work that relies on the administrative efforts of others not lose slight of the fact that we depend on that work and the people that perform it. Lessor work implies lessor workers...and I simply don't buy that concept.

On Labor Day

2011-09-05T08:57:00.001-04:00

Before I get to the point at hand, I was thinking over the weekend about how and why my blogging output is down (a.k.a. I don't write as much), both in public and in private. Part of me feels quasi-guilty, in that I set this darn thing up so I should honor it with at least some content. Another part of me thinks that it is actually quite wonderful that I don't blog as much, because that means I have other things to do in my life (like actually living it). Regardless, even if I don't post for a few days, I do take some solace in the fact that I can write at any time, for any reason, on any topic here in this place. Life truly is grand.

On to the topic at hand.

Do we even care about labor any more in this country? The people that earn the most in this country fall, in my estimation, into three categories:

Those who "play" for a living.
This includes athletes, actors and other performers. Basically they get to do fun stuff for a living and get paid millions for their trouble. Not a bad big, but not exactly "labor" either. Yeah, I know, jocks have to condition (well some of them do...I've seen pro golfers who look worse than me...), and I know that acting involves long days, but let's be real: none of it is actually difficult labor. Oh, and the payoff is pretty damn good.

(Cut-away: This weekend Penn State won big and Notre Dame lost at home to an un-ranked team. 'twas a good weekend for sports in my book! Let's go Irish!)

Corporate CEOs & Assorted Big-Time Business Types
This includes all those high-level corporate muckety-mucks who make something like a thousand times what the average workers at their firms do. Worse examples are at companies like Walmart, where the average workers tends to qualify for Food Stamps. As someone in the private-sector business world (unlike many conservatives I know, by the way), I get it that these jobs require long hours, smarts and some serious image work. What they don't require though is a hell of a lot of labor. Heck, these are the folks who pay for expensive gym memberships so that they can sweat, mainly because they don't sweat on the job. Do some executives work hard? Sure they do, but I personally don't feel that work is consummate with how much most get paid. Again, not a lot of labor going on here, just big-assed payoffs.

Celebutards, Inheritance Cases and Just Stupidly Lucky Types
This is where I file the likes of every Kardashian (I don't care if I spelled that wrong), the Hilton children and many others. These people do not work for a living, and I don't care how many "businesses" Paris Hilton says she has going at any given time. Zero labor going on here.

How very sad we have become! Well sad in a sense I suppose in that we, as a society, seem to reward so much some that actually produce so little.

On the other hand, there are many who still toil for a living and manage to live a decent life. These are the folks that I suspect John Mellencamp was thinking about when he wrote the line...

...an honest man's pillow is his peace of mind
(from "Minutes to Memories")

This pretty much described my Mom during her working years, by the way. My mother worked her butt off raising her children, and what we learned from that, in part, is that there is honor and decency to be found in hard work. It was what one was supposed to do. Working hard just isn't something that you do in order to pay your bills; rather, working hard is something that you do precisely because it helps define you as a human being. In point of fact I like the fact that I have to work for a living. Now would it be nice to earn some more money? Sure it would, but you know what? In the final analysis. it's not how much you have in the way of money that defines you and determines how happy you are...it's how you view the world that makes the biggest difference in your own personal happiness. This is one of the biggest...all be it indirect...lessons I learned from my mother.

What I learned about labor growing up, coupled with what I have learned...and continue to learn by the way...as an adult can be summarized in a few statements:

You can view labor as a struggle or you can view it as your vocation.

You can envy the possessions of others or marvel in what you have earned (no matter how small).

You can see the future as filled with struggle or you can see it as full of possibilities.

So here's to all those out there who work...who labor...for a living. These are people such as a surgeon in a five hour long operation, a pest control guy ridding a dwelling of termites, a teacher trying to explain why Algebra is an important subject (it is...I use Algebra all the time), a Call Center representative explaining where your check is, those folks who work on a road crew when it is 90 degrees outside, that Compliance person helping you obey the rules, and your friendly neighborhood "pension guy/trainer/organization effectiveness person". Here's to the thousands of vocations, high paid and not-so-high paid, where people struggle because it is the right thing to do and because labor helps define them as persons.

Here's to the glory of labor.

Road Apples, #110

2011-09-01T07:05:00.002-04:00

WILK...I've made a concerted effort to listen to WILK's morning news show a bit more of late. One conclusion I've reached? Well it was "Webster" that apparently wrote all the bits during the old Rock 107 Morning Show. What's more, radio bits work a bit better if you have people that can alter their voices just a bit (i.e. Fred Norris). Not so for Joe Thomas and Nancy Kman. Personally I think it would be a gas if Webster did the entire show in his "Jonesy" character. Come on Webster...give it a try...it will be funny...I promise...

According to Rush Limbaugh...Democrats are always evil and Republicans are good. It's true, he said so. Rush is always Right. Now all you Limbaugh fans out there repeat after me: Bahhhhhhh, Bahhhhhhh. Feel better now?

NEPArtisan Postings...I actually thought of something to post about, but now I have to find the time to actually do it. That's the good news. The bad news? It will probably piss some folks off (or is that another good thing? I am not sure), but that's okay. For the record & speaking of NEPArtisan, I liked the "less than political" recent posting (see HERE).

Dick Cheney...Exactly how many biographies can this guy write? Hasn't he already written, like, six of them already? For the record I don't really care that he sends his own fellow administration members down the river, but I do I think every time he opens his mouth President Bush ends up looking better by comparison. God save me from being a bitter old man like this guy.

Water in the Washington Monument...Story link HERE. Rush Limbaugh immediately blamed it on "the Socialist agenda of Barrack Hussein Obama". By the way, I am resisting the urge to now slam a Democrat now...unless something specific strikes me...just for sake of being bi-partisan. Yes, there many Democrats that I find wretched, but for some reason the Republicans are more fun to talk about at the moment.

Internet Big-Time...Well I finally got a reference in a NEPA Blogs posting. There must be a minority quota for non-Wilkes Barre postings that needed to be filled. You can see the reference HERE.

Andy Palumbo...wrote a great piece on the fact that my childhood parish, Holy Family, is being demolished. It's kind of sad when the things that were part of your life as a younger person end up going away. You can read the posting HERE.

Paul McCartney & Eric Clapton - Something

2011-08-31T23:36:00.001-04:00

A special dedication...from the simply outstanding "Concert for George"...

Happiness (Gordon Livingston, M.D.)

2011-08-30T22:18:00.000-04:00

From the book Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart...

"The three components of happiness are something to do, someone to love, and something to look forward to."

Dr Livingstone goes on to say that the term "work" can encompass any activity, paid or unpaid, that gives us a feeling of personal significance.

He defines "love" as a state where the importance of someone else's needs and desires rises to the level of our own. He goes on to note that true love requires us to become totally vulnerable to someone else.

Insightful stuff.

Critics of the hurricane Irene warnings

2011-08-30T19:48:00.001-04:00

I continue to be amazed at the Monday morning quarterbacks who bemoan what they perceive as the overly hyped warnings associated with hurricane Irene. These are, without a doubt, the same folks who would complain the LOUDEST if the damage from the hurricane were greater than anticipated. Pardon me, but when it comes to protecting human life I will always air on the side of caution.

Conversely, kudos to the hard working folks at the National Weather Service, NOAA, and all of the state/local officials (including NJ Governor Christie) who cared more about safety than expediency. In this day and age when too many are quick to point the finger of BLAME at government for all the ills of society, it's important to point out where government plays an essential role.

Road Apples, #109

2011-08-25T08:06:00.000-04:00

Earthquake...Kind of ironic that this was centered near Washington D.C., hay'na or no? (By the way, did I use "hay'na" correctly?). Anyway, I was working on staff mid-year performance appraisals when it all went down and I didn't feel a blessed thing. People on the second and third floors of my building (including my oldest daughter) did feel it, so best guess that was that since I was sitting on a concrete slab I didn't but those sitting on open-web steel joists did. Oh well. In other news, apparently people in California...land of fruits and nuts...are mocking the earthquake response here in the east. Big deal. Let's see Los Angeles handle 6 inches of snow.

Family Genetics & Maine...As was documented ad nauseum here, I spent a week vacationing in Maine. Loved it...and if you like the outdoors at all you should really consider going there once in your life. Anyway, it seems that my cousin Jeanine also loves Maine, which makes me wonder if there is some kind of genetic thing going on. Anyway, I really do recommend vacationing there, although it's not exactly a great place if you like swimming in the ocean.

WILK...I see & hear where WILK is thumping Lou Barletta (the man who has the whitest teeth I have ever seen on another human being) on a regular basis these days, as reported HERE among other places. Now for the record I was pretty harsh in my criticism of Paul Kanjorski over the years, so no one can successfully label me as a shill for the Democrats. However this is a self-inflicted wound for Barletta. If you are going to be critical of the former incumbent for not having town hall meetings, then damn straight you had better have lots of them...and even more importantly...don't talk about how you can't have them because of disruptive constituents (or "nuts with cameras", as Kanjorski used to say). Here's one other thing about Barletta that I want to get off my chest: he can stop already with the canned, GOP-fed word for word talking points. Barletta seems like a personable guy, so maybe he should leverage his people skills just a bit more by being himself. Talk to people in the public domain. Skip the scripts. Doing stuff like having a closed door meeting at the uber-WASPY Westmoreland Club doesn't exactly inspire confidence. Having the ability to handle critics well in the public domain can be a pretty positive thing. Seeming to duck critics can be the opposite. Man-up Lou.

NEPArtisan...I have an open invitation to continue posting at NEPArtisan, so I'm thinking I should actually write something one of these days. It's so hard though for me to get excited about political stuff these days. I normally find politics to be ever so slimy, and in this current political climate that normal layer of viscous sludge is growing even more repugnant. What's more, I think they are all mostly self-serving bums in Congress anyway. Excuses, excuses.

Movies...Movies that are coming out that I am interested in seeing include Apollo 18 and The Rum Diary. The former is your standard Sci-Fi horror thing, and the latter is a movie version of an early Hunter S. Thompson novel. I never real this particular HST piece by the way, so it should be interesting.

S-WB Yankees...Apparently a local group of investors has come forth with an offer to buy the management rights of the S-WB Yankees. Good thought, but probably isn't going to work, as I believe that there already is legal stuff in place to transition the ownership to the Yankees organization.

Sports...Finbar O'Brien has a great post on college football that you can link to HERE. It's one of those things that I read and immediately wished I had written it.

School Starts....today for a number of local districts. Here's to a safe and productive new year of learning for all the kids out there. The first day of school was always this kind of magical time for me when I was a kid, and while I am now years past such things I can still recall that feeling of wonder/awe/anticipation.

What I Read

2011-08-24T17:56:00.000-04:00

I was talking to someone the other day about my reading habits, which like just everything else about me is ever so slightly bent. So what's the dealio?

First and foremost, I love to read. I read constantly. I am proud to say that my kids read constantly as well, as this was something that was strongly encouraged. The fact that my daughters have a teacher for a mother didn't hurt as well. We had books all over the place. In fact, it kind of creeps me out when I go into a house and see no books laying around. Conversely, when I go into a house and I see bookshelves filled with stuff I automatically get this feeling of quasi-comfort. Reading isn't just an activity, it's a way of looking at the world. It's a way of acknowledging "I don't know everything and so I am willing to learn".

While I do love to read, I don't love reading just anything. Sure, the errant product label can make for an interesting diversion, but by and large there are fairly broad categories of things that I am interesting in reading about, and those for which I have no interest. What I read most the most is probably the news. Whether it's the one or two newspapers I may read during the day, on-line news (I read Drudge, Foxnews, CNN, MSNBC, CNET and Space.com just about every day), or news magazines, I just love to consume the stuff. I subscribe to three magazines by the way: Bloomberg Businessweek, Mental Floss & Fast Company. I'll also pick up a copy of Time every once in a while from Ms Rivers, when she is kind enough to share. This stuff what I consider to be my "steady diet" of reading.

As for actual books, I have to say that I am not the biggest reader of fiction on the planet. What works of fiction I have read over the years include mostly Star Wars and Star Trek novels. I could list a few titles, but the list would end up being mighty short. I've always been this way. I recall getting into trouble during a summer program, back when I was about 12 or 13, because I would not read Hinton's "The Outsiders". I just didn't really care about the adventures of Ponyboy...in my mind it was all just made up stuff anyway. I still recall trying to explain this to my mother.

When it comes to books, I love biographies. I've read so many over the years that I've lost count. Probably by favorite was "First In His Class", which was written about Bill Clinton, but others that I've enjoyed include books about Keith Moon, John Lennon and Lee Iaccoca. I know, not exactly the most mentally weighty stuff, but I do so enjoy it. I also love reading books that center around personal growth. My current read is "Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart" by Gordon Livingston, M.D., which is just outstanding. I'd offer up a few more titles, but then I'd run the risk of having someone who is reading this really think I was a nut. Speaking of odd (at least for a 47 year old man), I am a sucker for poetry, so I have a few of those books, including a well-worn copy of "The Poems of Emily Dickinson" (as edited by R.W. Franklin).

Lastly, I love reference books. I have books on...

...music trivia
...cartoon anthologies (for Bloom County)
...quotations
...astronomy
...home improvement
...local history
...religion/philosophy.

...to name just a few topics. Sometimes I find some find enjoyment in just picking up a book at random and going through a few pages before I go to bed.

Bottom line? I don't know how anyone could live a life without consuming the written word. It is, basically, glorious. Read on!

Tuesday Morning Random Thoughts

2011-08-23T07:17:00.000-04:00

I really don't have time to write this morning, but I don't really care...I'm a-writing anyway. What to say? How about a few random thoughts:

Getting back into the groove isn't as easy as it should be.

My cat seems to have grown while I was away.

I still can't sleep really well. Just shy of 5 hours last night.

While on vacation the government in Libya fell. If I go on vacation again perhaps the Syrian tyrant will fall.

The reality of my youngest daughter going away to college is starting to sink in.

I really need to get a washing machine.

Behold the wonders of the "To Do" list.

I am trying hard to worry less about the actions of others and instead of focus on what I can actually impact: my self.

I dread what my Lotus Notes account looks like at work. Best guess? 250 new emails...if I am lucky.

I hate checking voice mail. Hell, I basically hate the phone, period.

The nuttier Rick Perry and The Bachmann sound, the more reasonable Jon Huntsman & Gary Johnson sound.

Scranton Teachers are apparently going to picket the opening of a new school. Bad move.

Apparently Scranton City Council...you know, the group that passed the last budget...continues to disclaim all responsibility for the results...of their budget. We knew Mayor Doherty spends money like a drunken sailor on shore leave in Bangkok, but weren't the members of the "stupor majority" supposed to held SOLVE the problems? Funny, any idiot can point a finger and say "It's all HIS fault".

I am stalling rather than making my lunch for work.

I have to work on my weight.

Okay, enough stalling, The day has to begin now. "le sigh"

Field Notes, la fine

2011-08-22T21:03:00.000-04:00

Preface

I love the sound of the Italian language, so what better way to end a series of blog postings than in Italian? Speaking of “La fine”, I’m going to end up writing this in pieces over two days, with the result no doubt being something that is rather disjointed (or should I say “more disjointed than usual”?). For that I will say “Mi dispiace”.

****************

“What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lives within us.”

- Henry David Thoreau

Thoreau, for me, is a lot like Italy…the younger I was the less I “got” it; the older I have become the more I understand just what all the fuss is about. As I sit here thinking about the week that was, contemplating just how this was intended to be a time and place for great contemplation, the more I realize that Thoreau was absolutely right. Now translating revelations, even of the minor sort, into reality is easier said than done. That isn’t to say though that I haven’t learned many things over the past week. Here are a few, just for starters:

Guilt

I thought a lot about guilt. I even finished reading a book about guilt. Do I feel guilty? Should I feel guilty? Well the answers are “sometimes” and “mostly not”, in that order. What’s important though about this particular topic is that I do realize now just how corrosive a force guilt can be. Even more important, I now actively question many of the feelings I have taken for granted over the years. Now in fairness, I’m not claiming that a week in Maine will cure excessive guilt, but I am going to claim that thoughtful study and introspection will almost always lead to the same conclusion when it comes to guilt. That conclusion? Well it’s that we all shouldn’t feel guilty about putting ourselves and our needs first sometimes. Illogical selflessness is seldom actually selfless if you think about it, because in an effort to blindly please others, are we not actually just trying to make ourselves feel good? Is that actually a selfless act? I think not! Yes, feeling guilty has a proper place, but that place shouldn’t come about as a result of someone else trying to manipulate or control our behavior…even if that attempt is not consciously made (but especially if it is).

Simplicity

Since about December I have made something of a conscious effort to simplify my life. It has, in a very real sense, become something of a mantra to me: I want to live a simpler, more honest life. The Maine connection is actually pretty direct here: there is nothing that screams the beauty of simplicity than, for example, fog in a harbor. The fog just seems to happen, it doesn’t seem to over-think whether or not it should roll in or how rolling in will somehow impact something else. Life, like fog in a harbor, just happens.

Kindness

I was shown tremendous kindness on this trip. I have intentionally left out many of the logistical details of the trip to protect those who may not wish to be drawn into my own personal vortex, but I will note that for all of the week (Sunday to Saturday) I was the guest of a family where parents were celebrating a 50^th anniversary. They didn’t have to invite me, but they did, and I was made to feel at home at every opportunity. It has been difficult, of sorts, for me in the past to be the recipient of things. As I noted during the week, my lot in life so far has been that of the “provider”; now I wasn’t providing much but instead was the recipient from others. That has been something of an instructional order for me: I accepted the kindness of others and I didn’t feel guilty about it.

Challenges

I know I have more than my share of challenges ahead, and some of them relate very directly to challenges in the past. I spent more than a fair amount of time thinking about some of them during the week, but as Thoreau notes, those things…be they past or future…really aren’t as important as what lies within me. I need to practice. I need to work on me. I need to continue to grow as a person, in perpetuity, until the day I die. Growth is essential because the challenges are not going to go away, and while I can’t stop them, I can improve my ability to deal with them.

Everyone Has a Story

I learned that everyone has a story. As singer/songwriter David Gates noted in the song “Been Too Long On the Road”…

“Always looks so good on the outside”

…and I believed that somehow my life of fortune and misfortune has been unique. I believed that other folks, well, they had “normal” lives. I was wrong. I was very, very wrong. Yes, my personal story has its own unique set of twists and turns, but so too do the stories of everyone else. We all have stories and that’s okay. In fact, this is something almost worth celebrating in that it is such a revelation. Not that this particular revelation all of a sudden came over me, but rather this particular road apple of wisdom has been building over time, and was most definitely solidified over this past week. In a bizarre sort of way, I feel less threatened, less alone. I can revel in being part of the “us” collective of dysfunction of stead of the solitary “them” who feel all alone in solitary dysfunction.

I know that people throw around terms like “life changing” all the time, and that in some respects the over-use of the term can be annoying at best. Never the less this past week was life-changing for me. Maine is this place of simple beauty where your thoughts can clear just as the fog clears from the harbor. No, my life is far from perfect, and yes I have a lot of work to do yet (see above), but I walk away from the week a better person than I was at the beginning of the week. This is a very good thing.

Grazie

In sincere gratitude I want to thank the extended Rivers clan for their hospitality over the past week. The entire family was so much more than just kind to me, in both big things and in small, and for all I am eternally grateful.

Field Notes, Friday August 19th

2011-08-19T08:52:00.001-04:00

Today is my last full day in Maine, with an extended return trip home in the offing for Saturday & Sunday. Actual touch-down in Scranton will come on Monday. From there it is actually a short week, with Friday being a day off to take my youngest daughter to college. The timing couldn't be better actually in that I've had more than enough time for resting, relaxation and contemplation this week, all in preparation for one of those big things that parents do in their lives, namely send their children off to fend for themselves for the first time. Well, in a "kinda-sorta" way, if you consider being off at college "fending for one self".

Ah the timing of it all.

The timing of these events reminds me that I don't consider the universe to be governed in exquisite detail by some old white guy sitting on a cloud. I guess that's another way in which Texas governor Rick Perry and I will part ways (well that and the notion...I suspect...that he feels the universe is 4,000 years old), but so I digress. Not to piss off the Atheists out there, but I also don't think that all of this is the result of some random collision between two molecules either. The very fact that I can ponder these very questions makes me believe that there is far more to the universe than simple bio-chemical reactions and random chance. Anyway, one bit of evidence that seems to point to there being "something more" out there lies in how things in our lives just seem to fall into place.

I have not lived some life of grand luxury, a-la the drunken Kennedy family, being given all the world has to offer on some kind of silver platter. I have not always been what one would call "fortunate" in the most economic and social sorts of ways. I have not been predisposed to great interpersonal relationships throughout my life. Yet I also have experienced many things where, at that moment, I would have gladly traded in a kidney just to alter my fate, but yet in hindsight all of those "things" seem to have happened at the right time for the right reasons, always resulting in a better long-term outcome. Being a good American I loathe short-term pain in exchange for long-term gain. Yet I have had so many instances of "short-term pain, long-term gain" that it's hard to believe that it's all just some meaningless bio-chemical illusion.

Has everything in my life been engineered in perfect detail by some omnipotent deity? I'm think not. Best guess on my part is that we are set off in life with a series of talents & gifts, and we are pretty much left alone to use them as we see fit. Every once in a while in our lives there seems to be something of a nudge on the part of something out there in the universe to ever-so-slightly change our course. Some of those changes seem needlessly cruel...at the moment...and I suspect that some of the changes end up costing us our lives. In the end though I think we are given the opportunity to take whatever is thrown our way in life an turn it into something better...better for ourselves and sometimes better for others as well.

Tirades are us.

Yes, this tirade on religion and philosophy has been brought to you, via Steve Albert, by the State of Maine, which wants to you know that cool morning mist and harbor views are conducive to deep thoughts at any stage in life.

Field Notes, Thursday August 18th

2011-08-18T17:08:00.000-04:00

I had this preconceived notion of just what Maine is supposed to be like, you know, not all that different that the preconceived notions that many of us have about other places (for example that the Jersey Shore is full of air-headed greasers and orange bimbos with multiple tattoos). It's heartening to know that, on balance, those notions were correct.

The above noted, I give you the Bass Harbor light house...

Yes, rocky coast, waves crashing, buoys buoying, sailboats plying the coast...it's all here, in living color. This place is as exactly as advertised.

There is a certain uniqueness in this day and age to a place like this. I know, it sounds as if I am writing advertising copy, but too bad, 'tis how I feel. I am sure that, somehow, the Maine tourism folks would be happy at this spew. I think that in this day and age we get accustomed to the sensational. We expect the be dazzled at the moment so that then we an move on. This is the same culture that decided that instant communication via email wasn't enough...no, we also need it is about 60 characters or less via Twitter. In all of this crazy pace, you know what? The sailboats seem to move up and down the waterways here at what must be the same speed they have always moved. Couple that with the fact that I sit here typing via a wireless Internet connection and we get an interesting dichotomy. Despite the speed of my connection and the wonderful tech I have in front of me, this place still seems to move slowly.

Ah, moving slowly. I sometimes forget just what "slow" means. Here and now I appreciate just how fast my life moves. Whether it is the mile and a minute pace of work (where I seldom actually get a sit-down lunch) or evenings filled with trying to get stuff crammed in, now I think I truly appreciate just how fast my life has become. This is part of the uniqueness of this place: it forces you to measure time the old-fashioned way. Tides don't operate in Twitter time and the fog takes most of the morning to clear out.

As the week winds down I'm beginning to think about some what I will be taking back to my "real" life. I know that there will be some tangible things, such as maybe 300 pictures and a tee-shirt or two, but I am mostly interested in the tangible things that sit in the back of your head, things that persist long after the tee-shirts are fashioned into rags and the photos misplaced. These are the things that really matter. I suspect I will have a few of these really important things to take back with me Scranton.

One things I know to be true: I needed to be in this place at this time.

Field Notes, Wednesday August 17th (Whale Watching)

2011-08-17T17:18:00.000-04:00

There be whales off the coast of Maine...

It's going to take me a good hour or so to get the salt out of my Sony H7 but it was worth it.

Field Notes, Wednesday August 17th

2011-08-17T06:59:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was one of the wettest days I've ever encountered as a human being. The moisture was so thick in the air that it seemed to almost be a solid. It was one of those days where it was difficult to feel warm, let alone dry. Yet it really wasn't a bad day either. The trek de jour yesterday was to Acadia National Park, and despite the lack of visibility it was still breathtaking. I took a few pictures, but alas I am not at the moment sufficiently motivated to download them for attachment purposes. No bother, as there will be opportunities for picture posting, just as there will be another opportunity to visit Acadia before I leave this wonderful place.

Another wonderful place that was accidentally stumbled upon yesterday was Seal Harbor, which just basically found us as we were finding an alternate route out of Acadia. I didn't actually see any seals, but it was one of those picture-esque Maine harbors that you see on calendars for sale at a bookstore. It's amazing how little justice pictures provide to some scenes.

In other news there will be boating today, and for that I am psyched. I'm not a big sailing kind of guy, but it is cool to be out on the water and who knows, maybe I will get a glimpse of some flora and fauna. Pictures would be even better. One never knows.

As a final...all be it unrelated...note, as I was logging in this morning to post something I actually yesterday, Google asked me if I wanted to monetize the blog as, in their words "it looks like you have a lot of readers" or something along those lines. For the record I don't believe their assertion, but even if I did I have no plans to add any advertising to this, ever, no matter how few or many actually look at this spew. Why? I have a few reasons actually:

The nature of my job requires me to get my employers permission before I engage in any outside business activities. Getting a dollar every month from Google actually would be considered an "outside business activity". Simply put, I don't want to ask my employer if I can blog.
I've seen some left-leaning blogs that end up posting advertisements for right-wing candidates (although I have not seen the reverse), and it bothers me that my space might be advocating for some one or some thing that I disagree with.

So much for earning my fortune (or enough money to buy a paper...every other month) in the blog-o-sphere.

Scranton School District "saves" Full Day Kindergarten

2011-08-17T06:32:00.001-04:00

There is an article in yesterday's Scranton Times that details the means by which the Scranton School District is closing a $5 million dollar budget gap, not firing any teachers (reduced numbers via attrition only) and keeping full day kindergarten. I've read the article twice and for the life of me I still don't exactly understand how it all adds up to the savings needed. Maybe my mind had been dulled due to vacation time. Who knows. Anyway, it does spur a few thoughts.

Full Day Kindergarten
Believe it or not I have mixed feelings about full day kindergarten. On one hand I firmly believe that more education is always better than less education. Period. However, I do wonder how much capacity for learning actually exists at that age. Is a full day too much? Does providing full day of learning at that age actually equate to twice as much learning as which occurs at a half day? These are reasonable questions to ask, and I'd love to see some evidence...either way...about the effectiveness of full day kindergarten in Scranton.

I do also wonder if something like full day kindergarten isn't actually another example of the government giving parents another excuse to, well, not parent. It isn't the responsibility of the government to take care of our children...it is the responsibility of the parents of the children. The same issue exists with school provided lunch: I do not want children to go hungry, BUT how many parents get free lunch for their children but yet have the money to spend on smokes and booze for themselves? At some point in time we have to hold parents accountable for the choices they make as parents.

Textbooks
Something that I was able to gather from the article was that the Scranton School District plans on saving some amount of money on textbooks for the year. As the parent of young adults in college I can testify to the fact that textbooks are outrageously expensive. But when it comes to the actual act of education I'd say that they are something of a necessity. Just which books are they going to economize on? Maybe the history books will stop at Bill Clinton.

Sports
I didn't read anything about cuts to sports programs, but then again this is NEPA, and there are those who honestly believe that sports=education. Sorry, but sports are, well sports, and that's about it. What's more, sports MAY be beneficial for the select few that can play them, but for the vast majority of students that don't, well, I guess they are supposed to just be "athletic supporters" (note to all the student athletes out there...this is an example of sarcasm). I know that there are many in jock-o-centric NEPA that disagree with me, but so be it: Sports are not required for the educational process, they only benefit a very small subset of students and in some instances they do more harm than good (as in the athlete who is moved ahead simply because he can play).

Now there is a glimmer of hope in all of this in that the article pointed to possible cuts in the massive size of the SSD's administration. Now there is somewhere that some actual savings can be achieved. Much of the rest of it seems like smoke-n-mirrors to me.

Field Notes, Tuesday August 16th

2011-08-16T08:43:00.000-04:00

It's barely 8am as I sit here at the official blogging patio in Maine, watching a Mourning Dove peck at the ground in front of me. He/she had better be careful, as that big Maine Coon is no doubt wandering around the grounds. Well maybe given that it is relative cool out now (high 50's) and there is a mist in the air the cat has opted to somewhat dryer and warmer surroundings. Having all that fur might be a problem to dry out, not unlike Bon Jovi, circa 1989. My "inner Beavis" is right at this moment going "hehehe, Bon Jovi is a hair band, hehehehe".

So far I've managed to reference a dove, a cat, a hair-metal band singer and Beavis, all in an opening paragraph. Yes, that sounds about right. Easily distracted? You bet!

It occurs to me that while on vacation there is this kind of time dilation occurring whereby the passage of minutes, hours and days is different for me in Maine than it is for others in the rest of the world. In fact is seems that a week has actually passed in the space of two days. Now I do know that, in the absence of an extremely strong source gravity...something so strong that it could warp space/time...this isn't actually true, but it certainly seems so. I think the far less geeky and more practical explanation for my change in the perception of time lies in the fact that the old familiar markers of the hours, days & minutes simply aren't here at the moment for me. I don't have those sign-posts of routine that tell me events are occurring in the "normal" flow of stuff in my life. This is a good thing. This is, in some respects, the kind of mental re-set that one needs to occur during something called a vacation.

Next to time seeming to flow differently the other big thing occurring in my perception centers has to do with the subject of guilt. Not a pleasant one, and no, I am not overcome by it in any way, shape or form. But I do seek to understand it better. As I have noted no doubt before, having grown up Catholic, guilt is this seemingly all-powerful force that those similar to me were subjected to at an almost constant rate. Guilt ceased to be something that helped to steer a moral compass and instead become this mental governor of a sort, one that prevents you from going further. Put another way, my sense is that guilt should be the judicial branch of your own personal government, but for many of us it also became the legislative (deciding what we do) and executive (deciding how we do it) branches as well. It ceased being a check and balance and became a entity into itself, one that now needs to be checked and balanced.

Better understanding guilt is one of the things I hoped to achieve during this Maine trip. I did bring along a book as a kind of study guild, but mainly I think understanding stuff like guilt requires that someone just spend quality time thinking. Actually the flow is one of "think, read, think some more, read some more and eventually maybe talk about stuff", which seems to work for me. As already noted, while I am not overcome by guilt I do realize that an incorrect understanding of it has been a corrosive force in my life. What better place on Earth to ponder and understand than Maine in August?

Today there will be more pondering and understanding, but there will also be a trek to the Atlantic coast as well. At the moment I am at Southwest Harbor, but the shore seems to only be a few miles away.

Here's to damp mornings, doves, fluffy cats, our inner-Beavis and better understanding the proper role of guilt in our lives.

Field Notes, Monday August 15th

2011-08-15T09:09:00.001-04:00

Arrival at Mount Desert Island was yesterday afternoon, and having successfully made the trek I drew two conclusions already about Maine:

They know how to take care of highways in this state. I've never driven on such pot-hole free roadways in all my life. Oh, and they do get some snow here.
This place is beautiful, but I say this fully noting that it's summer outside and not winter.

The environmental vibe here is interesting: while it smells like "da shore", that's where the similarities end. This is NOT the shore as folks from NEPA would recognize it. The water is calm at the the bay were I sit and type this, and there are boats-a-plenty bobbing up and down on the waves. Another difference: I actually hear more from crows than I do seagulls.

Speaking of critters, I was greeted by a Maine Coon as I got up this morning and headed over the official blogging patio. It's tail looked like something you find on the duster sold by one of the TV "miracle inventions to save you time and money cleaning" shows. You know the one...the show that is hosted by the little guy with the British accent. Anyway, the cat must be a permanent resident that makes the rounds between visitors, scarfing up that odd bit of attention from passers by that have soft spots for fluffy cats.

So here I sit, contemplating Maine, the week ahead, and devising my best possible strategy to actually relax during the week. That's in part what this vacation is designed for I think: to re-set the circuit, if you will, after what has been an "interesting" 2011 so far. I'm utterly convinced that I need to, after 47 years of life, reset certain aspects of my life. One of those things is my ability to actually relax, not over-think, not over-feel, just relax. Given the calm salty air, the light breeze, the moderate temperatures and the basic notion that here I am on vacation and for once I don't have to be "in charge".

"In charge" is more or less synonymous with "control", which is at the heart of many issues for me in and around my life. I have been learning that sometimes you have to surrender yourself to what happening in your life. I've noted this kind of revelation before: sometimes in life you don't get what you want, but you do get what you need. Now I am at the stage where I know this to be true, but actually appreciating it? Well that's what I continue to evolve towards.

End Note:

As I'm typing this I reminded that the small number of people that read this spew fall into two categories...those that like the political stuff and those that like the more introspective stuff. Sadly, much of this will probably be more of the introspective variety, as politics doesn't seem to jive well with Zen/personal enlightenment of my vacation time. One never knows though...

Field Notes, Sunday August 14th

2011-08-15T08:21:00.001-04:00

The NCFE command bunker is on the road this week, with a planned trip to Bar Harbor, Maine, being the final destination. Actually the “real” final destination is Mount Desert Island, but since I am somewhat challenged in my Maine geography (side note: I was accepted to Millersville University to study geography), I’m going to stick with Bar Harbor for the moment.

I feel like this is going to turn into an episode of Family Guy, as I have all these cut-away thoughts running through my head at the moment. For example…

I know that the blog has been somewhat barren over the past few days and weeks. In fact I strongly suspect that my blogging “volume” has decreased substantially over the past few weeks. Why? Well in all honesty (as opposed, I suspect, to lying) I’ve just had far more “things” than “time for things”. Work in a great example…I just have a lot going on these days. A lot. Change will do that every time, and where I work change isn’t something that visits infrequently…in fact it is more or less a permanent resident. There will be more to come on that one of these days.

Another area for almost constant distraction has been getting my two youngest daughters ready for college. My middle daughter starts her second year at the University of Scranton (a cut-away within a cut-away: she just recently switched majors from Business/Spanish to Biology/Spanish…a chip off the old block, as I once switched majors from Civil Engineering to Business) and my baby daughter starts her first year at West Chester University, studying Social Work. The payoff to all these things going on is that eventually life will settle down a bit more after the end of the month. Unfortunately “settle down” also equates to “seeing daughters less”, but this is what happens when your kids get older. In theory one is supposed to be thankful for this sort of thing…going away to college is preferable to going away to jail.

Distractions, distractions. Doesn’t life know that I have blogging to do? Back to the field notes.

At the moment I am in Webster, MA, getting ready to make the trek to Maine. This leg of the trip will include a stop in the massive Maine outlet complex in Kittery later today. I believe that there is an L.L. Bean store there. This is an urban preppy heaven of a sort, the kind of place that makes fake outdoorsmen like me giggle with delight. In driving here yesterday I was struck by just how green everything is in western MA. In particular the trees grow right out to the road here, is if it is some kind of perpetual battle between the forest and civilization, with civilization only marginally winning. Outside of the environmental distinctions, the house I am staying at for tonight (and next weekend, for the return trip) has a distinctive “This Old House” feel about it. In fact I am waiting for Norm Abram…who is only the second Jewish carpenter I’ve ever heard of…to come out from a closet at any moment. I’d make a crack about Bob Vila, but that would REALLY date me.

Did I mention that it is raining outside? It’s probably a typical New England rain, the kind that helps the forest in its battle with civilization. It also makes for good sleeping weather.

More to come…

Note to "Anonymous"

2011-08-09T18:43:00.000-04:00

In response to my posting on "The Response" I received a few comments, including this one:

Anonymous said...

Until you get JESUS, You'll never gonna get it. The Christian life is the ONLY WAY life makes since. May GOD have mercy on you and those you love, because Heaven and hell is a real place. Not because I say so but because THE LIVING GOD OF GENESIS SAYS SO. John 14:6&9

August 8, 2011 7:34 PM

Note to Anonymous...

At the risk of being too blunt, I believe that you harm to your own cause by failing to post under your REAL NAME. I would welcome a discussion with you on this topic and (if you read this blog with any regularity) you will certainly find that I am both reasonable and respectful to individuals who take the time to write.

I hope to hear from the "real" you.

Best Regards,
Steve Albert, Scranton Pennsylvania

Birthday Wishes

2011-08-08T21:14:00.001-04:00

A friend of mine has a birthday today, and well nothing says "Happy Birthday" better than a bunch of cats.

Happy Birthday Rob!

Your parents lied to you: monsters are real.

2011-08-07T17:36:00.001-04:00

Polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs was convicted by a jury in Texas of sexually assaulting at least two girls, one aged 15 and other aged 12. Story link HERE.

Make no mistake about it, this man really is a monster. A real, scary, child-harming monster. The kind that are usually reserved for the likes of bad Hollywood movies.

During his trial, one in which he went through something like six different defense attorneys, Mr Jeffs basically claimed that this right to religious freedom somehow allowed him to rape little girls. While he ended up being his own worst enemy (his personal record-keeping of misdeeds was almost NAZI-esque), you do have to give credit to the Texas prosecutor who doggedly created a case that clearly painted Warren Jeffs as a sick monster.

While I am not normally inclined to outrageous statements, I am going to indulge myself a little by hoping that Mr Jeffs ends up with the biggest, nastiest, most violent cellmate who also happens to have at least one young daughter at home. Hell, maybe he will make Warren his "spiritual wife".