So, Today was not a great day. The article I had prepared was nixed, the fixes I made were nixed and then I started my other job. Now teaching isn't terrible, on the OK days, and today was one of them, but it is stressful and murder on your throat. Add the drizzly yet muggy weather, the utter lack of sleep from the night before and the idea of seeing my contentious family tomorrow and you get, yes- a not great day.
Which makes Cameron Moore's Thanksgiving article a real treat. Cameron's piece, Thanks for Nothing , really hit home with me.
I'm not going to give you the details and ruin the article for you, but once you've read it you'll understand.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
The Story Behind the Article
If any of you are reading my new eGO article, "Nothing Personal, But..." you might find that it's a bit more intense than the usual, a bit maudlin maybe.
Well, what happened is this; I had a departmental meeting tonight and I basically got told off for not following all the procedures and schedules that the school had provided. Now it doesn't matter that each time I deviated I asked my Dept. Head, who always approved them, because he was the one telling me off. His excuse was that he misunderstood me and that the sort of things I was doing were so out there that he obviously couldn't have thought I meant that because he wouldn't have let me do that for a second.
Get the picture? I could go on all night about this but the point is in my article. I sat down on the train and thought it out. What he was asking me to do wasn't really a bad idea and it would help the school out. Why should I be the maverick out of spite? The fact is, the way the school wants stuff done could turn out to be better for my students (I doubt it, but stranger things have happened!). Even if it's not better for them, I realized, it wouldn't actually be worse, so why not do it?
The only reason I had was my personal embarrassment and shame. I realized that both those emotions were actually fueled by my pride and, voila! An article is born!
PS: I'm especially proud of the image I chose for the article. What do you think?
Well, what happened is this; I had a departmental meeting tonight and I basically got told off for not following all the procedures and schedules that the school had provided. Now it doesn't matter that each time I deviated I asked my Dept. Head, who always approved them, because he was the one telling me off. His excuse was that he misunderstood me and that the sort of things I was doing were so out there that he obviously couldn't have thought I meant that because he wouldn't have let me do that for a second.
Get the picture? I could go on all night about this but the point is in my article. I sat down on the train and thought it out. What he was asking me to do wasn't really a bad idea and it would help the school out. Why should I be the maverick out of spite? The fact is, the way the school wants stuff done could turn out to be better for my students (I doubt it, but stranger things have happened!). Even if it's not better for them, I realized, it wouldn't actually be worse, so why not do it?
The only reason I had was my personal embarrassment and shame. I realized that both those emotions were actually fueled by my pride and, voila! An article is born!
PS: I'm especially proud of the image I chose for the article. What do you think?
Thursday, November 19, 2009
this Quintessence of Dust
For some reason, I can't help thinking in Hamlet quotes while I'm teaching it. There's just something about that Bard that moves me.
While not the central focus of my piece over at eGO.com, I do mention teaching it and I do use a line from this same speech in the title: "In Apprehension, How Like a God?"
The quote comes from a little bit of Free Verse Hamlet throws out at Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and it goes like this:
"What a piece of worke is a man! how Noble in
Reason? how infinite in faculty? in forme and mouing
how expresse and admirable? in Action, how like an Angel?
in apprehension, how like a God? the beauty of the
world, the Parragon of Animals; and yet to me, what is
this Quintessence of Dust? Man delights not me; no,
nor Woman neither; though by your smiling you seeme
to say so"
(No spelling comments, please, this is how the piece appears in the First Folio)
Who agrees with Hamlet?
Class?
While not the central focus of my piece over at eGO.com, I do mention teaching it and I do use a line from this same speech in the title: "In Apprehension, How Like a God?"
The quote comes from a little bit of Free Verse Hamlet throws out at Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and it goes like this:
"What a piece of worke is a man! how Noble in
Reason? how infinite in faculty? in forme and mouing
how expresse and admirable? in Action, how like an Angel?
in apprehension, how like a God? the beauty of the
world, the Parragon of Animals; and yet to me, what is
this Quintessence of Dust? Man delights not me; no,
nor Woman neither; though by your smiling you seeme
to say so"
(No spelling comments, please, this is how the piece appears in the First Folio)
Who agrees with Hamlet?
Class?
Monday, November 16, 2009
Ever get the feeling Cameron Moore is Talking Directly to YOU?
It's like everytime I get one of these articles he writes (balloon boy notwithstanding), I feel like he has been spying on me, or reading my mind from across the country.
HOW DOES HE DO IT?
My theory is this: Unlike myself, Cameron writes about general truths about life, he writes about what we do and what we think, on a whole. I stick to more personal whining and complaining.
And that's why he's a better writer than I am.
(Well, that and his spelling.)
Check out his latest:Honesty
HOW DOES HE DO IT?
My theory is this: Unlike myself, Cameron writes about general truths about life, he writes about what we do and what we think, on a whole. I stick to more personal whining and complaining.
And that's why he's a better writer than I am.
(Well, that and his spelling.)
Check out his latest:Honesty
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Glee
OK, so... I know this show is super popular and anyone who read Cameron Moore's article knows that there are those at eGO.com who love it but I don't really understand how it is soooooo accepted in the high school world. Why is it that super-"tough" students I have and very popular "hip" girls are talking about how much they love it and how wonderful it is? Don't they realize that the show is anti- them? Or maybe not "Anti" but certainly not aimed in their direction.
Or am I wrong?
Explain.
Or am I wrong?
Explain.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Lazy
Sorry I've been so lax here on the blog. I am trying to juggle a lot of balls right now and I find myself putting this as a low-priority one.
Which is ridiculous. This blog is a more informal aspect of eGO.com and should be the place I can really let go, spark discussion and get ideas for articles. It's a resource, not a task but I find myself forgetting that or lying to myself so that I have "less" to do. In all honesty, though, I am making my job harder- I could be sending out feelers for ideas or just sparking an interesting discussion that could help me deal with the other writing I have to do.
So... Anyone have any topic or idea they would like to see me tackle over on the eGO.com site? Any discussion they'd like to get feedback from others on? Hit me!
Which is ridiculous. This blog is a more informal aspect of eGO.com and should be the place I can really let go, spark discussion and get ideas for articles. It's a resource, not a task but I find myself forgetting that or lying to myself so that I have "less" to do. In all honesty, though, I am making my job harder- I could be sending out feelers for ideas or just sparking an interesting discussion that could help me deal with the other writing I have to do.
So... Anyone have any topic or idea they would like to see me tackle over on the eGO.com site? Any discussion they'd like to get feedback from others on? Hit me!
Friday, October 30, 2009
10 Questions for Amanda Palmer
Amanda Palmer is, really, indescribable. A living statue, actress, writer, singer, musician, yoga enthusiast... the list goes on and on. When asked to describe what kind of band her group, The Dresden Dolls, were she called them "Brechtian punk cabaret" and left it at that. When her record label wanted to cut some shots of her stomach out of a music video because they thought she looked fat, she inspired her fans into what they later termed a "ReBellyon", bombarding the company with e-mails, calls and pictures of their own less than perfect abdomens.
Clearly we are not dealing with just some rock star here. Nor just some writer or popular blogger. Amanda Palmer is a new breed of talent. eGO.com was lucky enough to get a sliver of her time just days before she set off for China and disappeared off the grid. With no further delay:
Ten Questions for Amanda Palmer
1. As a successful artist, singer and cabaret force of nature how do you actualize your dreams?
I simply grapple on an every morning basis with the fact that nothing will manifest perfectly. Then I leave the house at top speed and regret nothing.
2. What are the greatest obstacles you have faced in doing this?
My own expectations. And fear.
3. When creating/songwriting do you just start and let the piece "find" itself or do you plan meticulously to "discover" what you want to do?
It's different for every project. And song. Sometimes I simply let things go wild and pare down afterwards, and sometimes I build bit by bit with anal precision . Usually the former. I'm better at that, I think. And I like doing what I do better.
4. What is your overall goal, as an artist?
I don't have one. Do other people? How terrifying. If you put a gun to my head, I'd probably say that it's no different from my overall goal in life: being present.
5. What is the most courageous thing you've ever done, as an artist or "just" as a person?
Leaving the band and going solo. That was hard. Massive paycuts.
6. How do you decide that something is "finished"?
When there's no possible way I can improve it, even if it's not perfect.
7. LOFNOTC- Explain.
Losers Of Friday Night On Their Computers. It started one Friday on Twitter and I found thousands of other losers out there online. We started a movement. With goals to get the government to issue us vodka, pizza and sweatpants. I love twitter.
8. Please share your favorite bit of wisdom (learned or heard) with us?
My mentor Anthony, taught me this one: honor those who seek the truth, beware of those who've found it.
9. When it comes to knowledge, which do you feel is stronger, learned wisdom or inherent sense?
Inherent sense will tell you to incorporate your learning, so I think that one trumps.
10. What are you working on next?
My next big project is the Evelyn Evelyn record, a concept album by two conjoined twin sisters that I produced with my friend Jason Webley. Cythia Von Buhler is making some wonderful art for the album and also working on a graphic novel to be released after the record. After that? World takeover.
More Info:
Amanda Palmer has released six albums in the the last seven years, five with the Dresden Dolls and one as a solo artist, she has written or co-written three books and has tweeted over Forty-Five hundred times.
Links
http://amandapalmer.net - blog, music and more
http://www.postwartrade.com - find all sorts of Dresden dolls and Amanda Palmer inspired items
http://twitter.com/amandapalmer- join Amanda's over 150,000 followers on Twitter.com.
Clearly we are not dealing with just some rock star here. Nor just some writer or popular blogger. Amanda Palmer is a new breed of talent. eGO.com was lucky enough to get a sliver of her time just days before she set off for China and disappeared off the grid. With no further delay:
Ten Questions for Amanda Palmer
1. As a successful artist, singer and cabaret force of nature how do you actualize your dreams?
I simply grapple on an every morning basis with the fact that nothing will manifest perfectly. Then I leave the house at top speed and regret nothing.
2. What are the greatest obstacles you have faced in doing this?
My own expectations. And fear.
3. When creating/songwriting do you just start and let the piece "find" itself or do you plan meticulously to "discover" what you want to do?
It's different for every project. And song. Sometimes I simply let things go wild and pare down afterwards, and sometimes I build bit by bit with anal precision . Usually the former. I'm better at that, I think. And I like doing what I do better.
4. What is your overall goal, as an artist?
I don't have one. Do other people? How terrifying. If you put a gun to my head, I'd probably say that it's no different from my overall goal in life: being present.
5. What is the most courageous thing you've ever done, as an artist or "just" as a person?
Leaving the band and going solo. That was hard. Massive paycuts.
6. How do you decide that something is "finished"?
When there's no possible way I can improve it, even if it's not perfect.
7. LOFNOTC- Explain.
Losers Of Friday Night On Their Computers. It started one Friday on Twitter and I found thousands of other losers out there online. We started a movement. With goals to get the government to issue us vodka, pizza and sweatpants. I love twitter.
8. Please share your favorite bit of wisdom (learned or heard) with us?
My mentor Anthony, taught me this one: honor those who seek the truth, beware of those who've found it.
9. When it comes to knowledge, which do you feel is stronger, learned wisdom or inherent sense?
Inherent sense will tell you to incorporate your learning, so I think that one trumps.
10. What are you working on next?
My next big project is the Evelyn Evelyn record, a concept album by two conjoined twin sisters that I produced with my friend Jason Webley. Cythia Von Buhler is making some wonderful art for the album and also working on a graphic novel to be released after the record. After that? World takeover.
More Info:
Amanda Palmer has released six albums in the the last seven years, five with the Dresden Dolls and one as a solo artist, she has written or co-written three books and has tweeted over Forty-Five hundred times.
Links
http://amandapalmer.net - blog, music and more
http://www.postwartrade.com - find all sorts of Dresden dolls and Amanda Palmer inspired items
http://twitter.com/amandapalmer- join Amanda's over 150,000 followers on Twitter.com.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Moved to Tears
If some of you recall, I mentioned eGO.com's other writer, Cameron Moore, here on the blog not too long ago. Cameron, as I said then, is our "media" guy, our "arts" guy. And, to be quite frank, our Up-beat guy. Those of you who know me know that it is not so easy for me to just look at the good side of things. I always feel the need to weigh both sides, see both points of view and, if all else fails, just be pessimistic. The guy who hired me at eGO.com knew this about me as well, that's why he insisted that I not take on the complete writing course-load and that we find someone else to write who has a more positive outlook, a more approachable manner.
Enter Cameron Moore, I'm not sure how my boss found Cameron but all the work I saw as samples and eventually edited was definitely... up-beat. (Not that there's anything wrong with that!)
Tonight I was waiting and waiting, hoping Cameron would at least give me something worth the wait. After reading the piece, I really do feel it was worth the wait; http://ego.com/news.aspx?id=1080
Well, what do YOU think?
Enter Cameron Moore, I'm not sure how my boss found Cameron but all the work I saw as samples and eventually edited was definitely... up-beat. (Not that there's anything wrong with that!)
Tonight I was waiting and waiting, hoping Cameron would at least give me something worth the wait. After reading the piece, I really do feel it was worth the wait; http://ego.com/news.aspx?id=1080
Well, what do YOU think?
Friday, October 23, 2009
10 Questions for Cynthia von Buhler
Posted at eGO.com this morning:
Cynthia von Buhler is a successful author, artist and performer. Her work is internationally known and award winning, while still wholly very much her own- from children's books to art installations to a machine that gives you a real, biological bit of her for a quarter, all of her work shines through with a fierce individuality and insight.
Here at eGO.com we strive to help others reach their goals and keep their flames of independence alive. We try to make inspiration and success-plans that are easy to use and access so that people don't get discouraged when faced with the fast-paced, often cruel, world of the Twenty-First century. What better way than by finding out how a true eGO-centric success has reached her goals and accomplished so much. With that in mind we have here:
10 Questions for Cynthia von Buhler
1. As a successful artist, author and sculptor how do you actualize your dreams?
I have a constant stream of ideas. In order to remember them I make daily lists and plans. It feels good when I check things off my list. I usually create these lists in the bathtub when I am relaxed with a clear mind and a relaxed body.
2. What are the greatest obstacles you have faced in doing this?
Time. There is not enough time to do everything I desire, I always feel like time is running out....and it is. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2B8oZwVKro
3. When creating do you just start and let the piece "find" itself or do you plan meticulously to "discover" what you want to do?
I usually have a strong plan, but I am not afraid to veer off course when I'm executing.
4. What is your overall goal, as a artist?
To share who I am and how I think with the world. With my books I hope to teach children to be become better, more thoughtful, adults.
5. What is the most courageous thing you've ever done, as an artist or "just" as a person?
Placing live cockroaches on my face for a self-portrait photograph was pretty damn courageous. It later appeared on the cover of Gallery Guide NY, so I guess it was worth it. I am a strong believer in trying to do those things which you most fear. This is the best way to conquer fear. I am actually an agoraphobic, believe it or not. I am also a control freak, so I have this fear under control (most of the time). Doing performance art is an odd thing for an agoraphobic, but you'd be surprised at how many people in the spotlight are actually quite fearful.
6. How do you decide that something is "finished"?
When I'm working on an art piece I get to a point somewhere mid-way where I say to myself: "Okay this doesn't suck anymore, this is now good." Once I pass that level it isn't much farther to the: "This is complete - move on" phase.
It goes like this:
Phase 1: Idea. Phase 2: Struggle. Phase 3: "It doesn't suck anymore" (if I do not get to this phase I must start from the beginning, but 95% of the time I get pass this phase). Phase 4: Looking Good. Phase 5: Complete. Phase 6: Next!
7. Your most recent book, "But Who Will Bell the Cats" just got nominated for a Cybil award, does that kind of recognition feel like validation or is it just a bonus?
I'm never satisfied. It's tough to be inside me; I tell myself: "Is that it girl? You can do better than that!" I appreciate the recognition though....for about 2 seconds.
8. Please share your favorite bit of wisdom (learned or heard) with us?
It is nice to be important, but it is more important to be nice. - by William Lincoln Tisdale (my dear friend who died of AIDS in the 90s)
9. When it comes to knowledge, which do you feel is stronger, learned wisdom or inherent sense?
Inherent sense, Hands down. There are many book smart people out there who are complete idiots.
10. What are you working on next?
Currently, I'm collaborating on a Graphic Novel with the wonderful musicians Amanda Palmer and Jason Wembley. It is about conjoined twins who have a really f**ked up life. The working title is Evelyn Evelyn: A Terrible Tale in Two Tomes. It will be released by Dark Horse Comics next Fall. I'm writing my next book: a surreal chapter book. I'm working on a plan to make stop-motion animations of my stories with the talented Christiane Cegavske. I'm writing ideas for children's TV shows. I'm scouting locations for film, TV and photo shoots (We just shot one of the recent winners of American Idol at one of my locations, and my house is currently being considered for a tv shoot with a live elephant). I'm rescuing animals whenever one in need crosses my path. I'm doing book signings and school appearances (see the link below). I'm the host of a 16 year girl from Thailand for the 2009-2010 school year. I'm continuing my solo exhibit at The Nassau County Museum of Art until Jan 3, 2010. I'm trying to give my darling husband some attention during all of this.
I just signed with The Gotham Group, a film, TV, and literary agency, so that should help with a few of the above tasks.
More Info:
Cynthia von Buhler’s work has been compared to a trip down an ornate rabbit hole. She is an internationally known and award-winning author and artist. Her three-dimensional works have been displayed in galleries and museums around the world, as well as in books, magazines, and newspapers. She shares her home with her husband, eight cats, one dog, seven doves, and an unknown number of mice living below the floorboards.
(PS: Her birthday is this Sat. the 24th, So wish her a happy one on Facebook or on twitter, @cynthvonbuhler)
Links
http://cynthiavonbuhler.com - painting, sculpture, past and recent press http://butwhowillbellthecats.com - latest book
http://catbooktour.blogspot.com - touring and exhibitions
Cynthia von Buhler is a successful author, artist and performer. Her work is internationally known and award winning, while still wholly very much her own- from children's books to art installations to a machine that gives you a real, biological bit of her for a quarter, all of her work shines through with a fierce individuality and insight.
Here at eGO.com we strive to help others reach their goals and keep their flames of independence alive. We try to make inspiration and success-plans that are easy to use and access so that people don't get discouraged when faced with the fast-paced, often cruel, world of the Twenty-First century. What better way than by finding out how a true eGO-centric success has reached her goals and accomplished so much. With that in mind we have here:
10 Questions for Cynthia von Buhler
1. As a successful artist, author and sculptor how do you actualize your dreams?
I have a constant stream of ideas. In order to remember them I make daily lists and plans. It feels good when I check things off my list. I usually create these lists in the bathtub when I am relaxed with a clear mind and a relaxed body.
2. What are the greatest obstacles you have faced in doing this?
Time. There is not enough time to do everything I desire, I always feel like time is running out....and it is. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2B8oZwVKro
3. When creating do you just start and let the piece "find" itself or do you plan meticulously to "discover" what you want to do?
I usually have a strong plan, but I am not afraid to veer off course when I'm executing.
4. What is your overall goal, as a artist?
To share who I am and how I think with the world. With my books I hope to teach children to be become better, more thoughtful, adults.
5. What is the most courageous thing you've ever done, as an artist or "just" as a person?
Placing live cockroaches on my face for a self-portrait photograph was pretty damn courageous. It later appeared on the cover of Gallery Guide NY, so I guess it was worth it. I am a strong believer in trying to do those things which you most fear. This is the best way to conquer fear. I am actually an agoraphobic, believe it or not. I am also a control freak, so I have this fear under control (most of the time). Doing performance art is an odd thing for an agoraphobic, but you'd be surprised at how many people in the spotlight are actually quite fearful.
6. How do you decide that something is "finished"?
When I'm working on an art piece I get to a point somewhere mid-way where I say to myself: "Okay this doesn't suck anymore, this is now good." Once I pass that level it isn't much farther to the: "This is complete - move on" phase.
It goes like this:
Phase 1: Idea. Phase 2: Struggle. Phase 3: "It doesn't suck anymore" (if I do not get to this phase I must start from the beginning, but 95% of the time I get pass this phase). Phase 4: Looking Good. Phase 5: Complete. Phase 6: Next!
7. Your most recent book, "But Who Will Bell the Cats" just got nominated for a Cybil award, does that kind of recognition feel like validation or is it just a bonus?
I'm never satisfied. It's tough to be inside me; I tell myself: "Is that it girl? You can do better than that!" I appreciate the recognition though....for about 2 seconds.
8. Please share your favorite bit of wisdom (learned or heard) with us?
It is nice to be important, but it is more important to be nice. - by William Lincoln Tisdale (my dear friend who died of AIDS in the 90s)
9. When it comes to knowledge, which do you feel is stronger, learned wisdom or inherent sense?
Inherent sense, Hands down. There are many book smart people out there who are complete idiots.
10. What are you working on next?
Currently, I'm collaborating on a Graphic Novel with the wonderful musicians Amanda Palmer and Jason Wembley. It is about conjoined twins who have a really f**ked up life. The working title is Evelyn Evelyn: A Terrible Tale in Two Tomes. It will be released by Dark Horse Comics next Fall. I'm writing my next book: a surreal chapter book. I'm working on a plan to make stop-motion animations of my stories with the talented Christiane Cegavske. I'm writing ideas for children's TV shows. I'm scouting locations for film, TV and photo shoots (We just shot one of the recent winners of American Idol at one of my locations, and my house is currently being considered for a tv shoot with a live elephant). I'm rescuing animals whenever one in need crosses my path. I'm doing book signings and school appearances (see the link below). I'm the host of a 16 year girl from Thailand for the 2009-2010 school year. I'm continuing my solo exhibit at The Nassau County Museum of Art until Jan 3, 2010. I'm trying to give my darling husband some attention during all of this.
I just signed with The Gotham Group, a film, TV, and literary agency, so that should help with a few of the above tasks.
More Info:
Cynthia von Buhler’s work has been compared to a trip down an ornate rabbit hole. She is an internationally known and award-winning author and artist. Her three-dimensional works have been displayed in galleries and museums around the world, as well as in books, magazines, and newspapers. She shares her home with her husband, eight cats, one dog, seven doves, and an unknown number of mice living below the floorboards.
(PS: Her birthday is this Sat. the 24th, So wish her a happy one on Facebook or on twitter, @cynthvonbuhler)
Links
http://cynthiavonbuhler.com - painting, sculpture, past and recent press http://butwhowillbellthecats.com - latest book
http://catbooktour.blogspot.com - touring and exhibitions
Love is a Many Splendid Thing?
Just thinking about my next article and having some trouble.
How would you define the sublimation of the two different personalities into one unit in love?
I'm trying to pinpoint a secret I seem to see in the best relationships, which is not so much a common interest but a willingness to try the others interests or ideas, the fact that people in loving relationships are able to re-define themselves so easily while in those relationships.
Sort of contra-wise to those relationships were each party insists on independence and feel the need to define themselves as separate.
To my mind, the first is a much healthier relationship. What do you think?
How would you define the sublimation of the two different personalities into one unit in love?
I'm trying to pinpoint a secret I seem to see in the best relationships, which is not so much a common interest but a willingness to try the others interests or ideas, the fact that people in loving relationships are able to re-define themselves so easily while in those relationships.
Sort of contra-wise to those relationships were each party insists on independence and feel the need to define themselves as separate.
To my mind, the first is a much healthier relationship. What do you think?
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Personal Obstacles
I have a terrible Personal Obstacle, Cell Phones.
I so enjoy using a nice piece of tech, especially for writing while traveling.
I got my last phone, the HTC Fuze less than a year ago, it works fine, could use a new battery but I've started looking at "new" phones more than 3 months ago!
I know I won't be getting one anytime soon; if there's "extra" money there are a lot of things that come first, yet I can't keep myself from looking, reading up and imagining, "What if?" It doesn't help when one of your best friends and your brother both write for mopocket.com and always write the latest news with the latest reviews...
Anyway, that's my Personal Obstacle. Ok, fine, I have worse ones. MUCH WORSE ONES, but this is one that is bugging me right now.
What's yours?
I so enjoy using a nice piece of tech, especially for writing while traveling.
I got my last phone, the HTC Fuze less than a year ago, it works fine, could use a new battery but I've started looking at "new" phones more than 3 months ago!
I know I won't be getting one anytime soon; if there's "extra" money there are a lot of things that come first, yet I can't keep myself from looking, reading up and imagining, "What if?" It doesn't help when one of your best friends and your brother both write for mopocket.com and always write the latest news with the latest reviews...
Anyway, that's my Personal Obstacle. Ok, fine, I have worse ones. MUCH WORSE ONES, but this is one that is bugging me right now.
What's yours?
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Big Things A'comin'!!!
Just finished a whirlwind e-mail conversation with the amazing Amanda Palmer and am happy to report that her interview will be up in 2 weeks on our website, in lieu of our regular Weekend Feature. But that doesn't mean you have to wait for cool, interesting stuff from eGO.com, this weekend's article is by fantastic NY/CT Sculptor, Painter, Children's book author Cynthia Von Buhler- This Friday!
If you really really really can't wait, I have a new article, "Creature Comforts" up now.
If you really really really can't wait, I have a new article, "Creature Comforts" up now.
Monday, October 19, 2009
eGO Mash-up
As I was writing my most recent piece "Look! Up in the Sky!" for eGO.com I received the piece my fellow writer, Cameron Moore, had written for this Monday. Now, Cameron is the Media writer, the TV and Movies sort of stuff. I'm the one who is supposed to write the "provocative" pieces, the "Think" pieces. Cameron is supposed to give an interesting, eGO-centric take on popular culture and has been doing a nice job of it since he started. All I do, in regard to Cameron, is some slight editing and maybe hunt up a picture for the front page.
But this time things were different. Cameron had chosen to write about the same topic I had; Falcon Heene, the "Balloon Boy", and his take- titled "To Dream the Impossible Dream" was not a similar article, much worse. It was a totally contradictory piece! There was no way we could run both pieces, that was for sure. So, I did what any good American would- I passed the buck. I sent in my piece and Cameron's and asked my boss (quiet smugly) which he thought was better for the fit of the site. Image my surprise when he responded in less than twenty minutes that I was to put them both up, together!
Well, they're both there, under the title Fame or Fraud. Go read them and then either comment here or on eGO.com itself about who you agree with (Ahem! Ahem! Sorry... must be something in my throat).
But this time things were different. Cameron had chosen to write about the same topic I had; Falcon Heene, the "Balloon Boy", and his take- titled "To Dream the Impossible Dream" was not a similar article, much worse. It was a totally contradictory piece! There was no way we could run both pieces, that was for sure. So, I did what any good American would- I passed the buck. I sent in my piece and Cameron's and asked my boss (quiet smugly) which he thought was better for the fit of the site. Image my surprise when he responded in less than twenty minutes that I was to put them both up, together!
Well, they're both there, under the title Fame or Fraud. Go read them and then either comment here or on eGO.com itself about who you agree with (Ahem! Ahem! Sorry... must be something in my throat).
Friday, October 16, 2009
Listening to Voices
Earlier this week, I posted an article on our blog asking my readers if I should stay up and do more school work or just go to bed. I had been sick all day and knew that I had a lot of work to make up but I was still a little sick and thought that sleep would allow me to function better (It's below, if you feel the need). The mighty Internet failed me; by the time I had gotten even ONE response, forty minutes had passed and I had made up my own mind. This got me wondering about all those decisions we make everyday.
Decisions are a huge part of everyone's life. Sometimes they're just little things like what flavor ice cream to have and sometimes they're huge- like which school to send your kid to. The point is, both of those have the same elements present. You weigh the good and the bad, you think which will be better in the long run, which in the short run and then, at one point, you just go for it. No matter how perfectly you consider your options, there is always an element of gut involved, a piece of you that just has to dive in.
I could quote the fascinating dopamine studies done that show how without an emotional aspect to a decision people are mentally UNABLE to decide but I don't think I have to go that far. If you're honest you know it's true. You can be Mr/Mrs/Ms Reasonable, but at crunch time, there's always a part of you that acts by instinct.
In our Rational and Scientific world this sounds horrifying. Am I saying that we can't just be "Mature" and "Reasonable" and just do what's "Right"? Yes, in a way, I am. The issue here is that decision making is not a purely rational act, it never was and to pretend that it is is just plain dumb. We need our emotions involved in a decision, we need that "Sense" that speaks through our veins and not our brains for two very simple reasons.
Firstly, our emotions are involved in the outcome! We are going to have to live with our decision and all the feelings and thoughts that come from it, we are going to have to feel we made not just the right choice, but a choice that we are happy with. In fact most people define decisions on an emotional basis after the fact, they say, "I'm glad I made that choice." Or "I'm so upset that I picked the wrong one!" If emotions are going to be our measuring rod for the outcome, shouldn't it play a part in the choice?
Secondly, we are all the time processing information. Without knowing it we are taking in data that would make a supercomputer overheat. Our brains, wonderful little things that they are, are able to filter all this and tell us what is important and what is dross. This means that when we ask our brain to weigh an issue there are lots of lost little bits of information that we were never aware of floating in there, information that may help us. Our brain can't suddenly pull up this data, it can't change it's operating procedures like that. It can, however, give us a "Feeling", a sense that something is one way or the other. Many great businessmen and entrepreneurs attribute at least part of their success to listening to that little voice, the one that says, "Go for it."
So whether it's Cherry or Vanilla, Mac or PC, Public School or Private or just Yes or No don't forget that the little feeling your having is not "just emotions" but possibly something much more important- YOU.
Principles: Decision, Sense
Decisions are a huge part of everyone's life. Sometimes they're just little things like what flavor ice cream to have and sometimes they're huge- like which school to send your kid to. The point is, both of those have the same elements present. You weigh the good and the bad, you think which will be better in the long run, which in the short run and then, at one point, you just go for it. No matter how perfectly you consider your options, there is always an element of gut involved, a piece of you that just has to dive in.
I could quote the fascinating dopamine studies done that show how without an emotional aspect to a decision people are mentally UNABLE to decide but I don't think I have to go that far. If you're honest you know it's true. You can be Mr/Mrs/Ms Reasonable, but at crunch time, there's always a part of you that acts by instinct.
In our Rational and Scientific world this sounds horrifying. Am I saying that we can't just be "Mature" and "Reasonable" and just do what's "Right"? Yes, in a way, I am. The issue here is that decision making is not a purely rational act, it never was and to pretend that it is is just plain dumb. We need our emotions involved in a decision, we need that "Sense" that speaks through our veins and not our brains for two very simple reasons.
Firstly, our emotions are involved in the outcome! We are going to have to live with our decision and all the feelings and thoughts that come from it, we are going to have to feel we made not just the right choice, but a choice that we are happy with. In fact most people define decisions on an emotional basis after the fact, they say, "I'm glad I made that choice." Or "I'm so upset that I picked the wrong one!" If emotions are going to be our measuring rod for the outcome, shouldn't it play a part in the choice?
Secondly, we are all the time processing information. Without knowing it we are taking in data that would make a supercomputer overheat. Our brains, wonderful little things that they are, are able to filter all this and tell us what is important and what is dross. This means that when we ask our brain to weigh an issue there are lots of lost little bits of information that we were never aware of floating in there, information that may help us. Our brain can't suddenly pull up this data, it can't change it's operating procedures like that. It can, however, give us a "Feeling", a sense that something is one way or the other. Many great businessmen and entrepreneurs attribute at least part of their success to listening to that little voice, the one that says, "Go for it."
So whether it's Cherry or Vanilla, Mac or PC, Public School or Private or just Yes or No don't forget that the little feeling your having is not "just emotions" but possibly something much more important- YOU.
Principles: Decision, Sense
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Should I Stay or Should I Go?
Being sick is no fun. Everyone can agree on that. More annoying, though is when you are just slightly sick. Do you take a day off? Ask your partner to run the house/kids? Moan and groan? Or do you just carry on, snuffling and red-eyed, hoping someone will notice your efforts?
This is an issue I face a few times a year. Yesterday I soldiered on, today I moaned and groaned and took off work (It helps the PSAT was today, so two of my classes were only proctoring). The problem I now face, after most of a day sleeping and the rest of it reading, is what to do? I tried to help around the house once I was up for it (around 3 pm) and I think I did an OK job. I straightened up the kitchen somewhat, bathed the kids and even did some laundry. But now there's school work to tackle. I have papers to prepare, hand-outs to create and grades to put in. I'm feeling MUCH better, but still not 100%. Do I damn all the sleep and relaxing and make sure I'm ready for work tomorrow, or do I go to bed and hope I'll feel even better in the morning?
Input NEEDED!
PRINCIPLE: OBSTACLES
This is an issue I face a few times a year. Yesterday I soldiered on, today I moaned and groaned and took off work (It helps the PSAT was today, so two of my classes were only proctoring). The problem I now face, after most of a day sleeping and the rest of it reading, is what to do? I tried to help around the house once I was up for it (around 3 pm) and I think I did an OK job. I straightened up the kitchen somewhat, bathed the kids and even did some laundry. But now there's school work to tackle. I have papers to prepare, hand-outs to create and grades to put in. I'm feeling MUCH better, but still not 100%. Do I damn all the sleep and relaxing and make sure I'm ready for work tomorrow, or do I go to bed and hope I'll feel even better in the morning?
Input NEEDED!
PRINCIPLE: OBSTACLES
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Scandal Sheet
eGO.com's Cameron Moore does a quick little piece on the current events that are rocking the world. Check out Scandal Sheet.
Make sure you look at the nifty image photo-manipulated by yours truly!
Make sure you look at the nifty image photo-manipulated by yours truly!
Friday, October 9, 2009
Such Stuff as Dreams are Made Of
To dream is to desire, to envision, to wish. But as the old saying goes, "If wishes were horses than beggars would ride." It's not enough to want, you have to DO SOMETHING. You have to actualize those dreams into reality. When eGO.com lists Dream as a principle, it doesn't mean that wishing is something you should do, it means that one must NOT wish, but do, actively pursue those dreams, don't just build castles in the air. At this point in my life, my biggest dream is my children.
As the father of two little girls, I spend most of my waking life worrying and hoping for my girls. Unlike other dreams, the desire for your kids is not a simple "point A to point B" thing, like winning theSuperbowl or becoming a novelist. You can't just think, "OK, I just have to do this then that then this..." to realize your goals. You need to constantly keep in mind your goals and realize them in everything you do, at every moment and be aware that every single thing you do will effect them.
My wish for my daughters is not so easily put into words, but it can best be expressed by my desire to make them the best people they can be. Our children can hear us tell them what we believe or what things are right all day long, but they will be figuring out what they should be not just from that, but from observing how we actually act. This entails teaching them the morals, values and desires that I find important and making sure that what they learn from me is not what I am, but what I wish to be. The question is, how do you actually do that? If everything matters and could potentially change your child, how do you know which battles to pick and which things to let slide?
One of the huge parenting debates is media content. Children are so impressionable and they respond to moving images so well that TV and movies are both a blessing and a curse. How to balance the calming and distracting nature of kids content against the need to control your child's world view?
To illustrate- while "reading" the fantastic book Hug by Jez Alborough my eldest named all the animals. The geckos were frogs, the giraffes were giraffes and the lion cubs were "Simba". I cringed when she did that, I had exposed her to The Lion King at such a young age that all young lions were Simba (I don't think she meant to say "Lion Cub" in Swahili). I cringed, but beside saying, "Those are lion cubs," once or twice, I left it at that. This is one of the major balancing acts I am always trying to pull off with my kids; I want my daughters to be aware of and part of popular culture but I also want them not to be slaves to it, to not be afraid to challenge it and look at it from their own perspectives. This is why our massive Disney collection is balanced by The Last Unicorn, Mirrormask and Yellow Submarine. Not so much that I want them to be "cool" but because I want them to be aware of the wide plethora of non-Disney animation out there, to realize that kid's movies can be more than saccharine-sweet happy endings. At the same time, it's not one of the major
As part of our solution we don't own a TV. The judgement to not have a television had less to do with the content, but on the pervasiveness of your standard TV set. You sit a child in front of Nickelodeon or Sprout and you introduce them to the crass blatant ads, the crappy cheap shows and the branding of modern media. To my kids, anything on our computer is a "Movie" whether it is an episode of Charlie and Lola or Sleeping Beauty. This little "trick" allows us to create a sense of distance to the media we show them, it also allows us to keep track of what films or shows they are watching. Sad as it is that my girls don't get to sit through a whole episode of Sesame Street in its entirety, there is something comforting in discussing with her what she liked about things that my wife and myself either watched with her or have watched as children.
Part of all this is the specific moral and ethical code I try to live my life by. To me this is the most important part of my, and hopefully my daughters', life. I am of the belief that I can only be the best person and example to the world of that kind of person if I am of the world, knowledgeable and part of the culture I exist in. For my girls this means showing them the world through a lens that gives them a (hopefully) healthy and realistic view of what is wrong and what is right.
Now, many of the things I wish to do I do not do. I do not control my temper as I should, I do not treat all matters with the seriousness they require and I do not actively engage in as many communal or self-improving projects as I would like to. For my daughters, I must make them realize that this is not THE way, rather just MY way and even that is not the way I wish to be, just the way I am at the moment. But, again when do I do so? If i go around telling my kids to "do as I say, not as I do" then they'll just see me as a massive hypocrite. And rightly so.
When I lose my patience with my three year old I make sure she knows that my anger was not a valid or good response to her whining or refusals. But, in the balance, I feel the need to explain to her why her behavior got that kind of response. When I do this I try to show how, while my response was "bad" her actions were also "bad" and why they can elicit such a response from people. Anger is something I struggle with all the time and I see the seeds of this struggle in her. So that, I feel, is a battle worth fighting and a place where she needs to know the hows and whys behind the actions.
The issue here is not purely a skinner-esque behavioral one, but is the actualization of my desire for her to be a strong, smart and kind person. When I or someone else gives in to herwhining we are not just taking the easy way out, we are actually teaching her a lesson in life, a bad lesson.
The above are just some tentative answers to some very very tough questions. Dreams are always hard to actualize, but when your dream IS another person, it's even harder. Every action I do , around my girls or away from them, every battle I wage against their bad behavior, all decisions I make about them or myself is a butterfly's wing flap that could have untold effects not miles away but years down the road.
I do not claim to have any answers, all I can do is offer my experiences and ask you, my readers, to tell me what you think. Please do.
Principle: Dream
(Special thanks to the amazing Eve Rosenbaum and my ever-incredible wife for some editorial assists. All errors or lack of clarity are from me ignoring them.)
As the father of two little girls, I spend most of my waking life worrying and hoping for my girls. Unlike other dreams, the desire for your kids is not a simple "point A to point B" thing, like winning theSuperbowl or becoming a novelist. You can't just think, "OK, I just have to do this then that then this..." to realize your goals. You need to constantly keep in mind your goals and realize them in everything you do, at every moment and be aware that every single thing you do will effect them.
My wish for my daughters is not so easily put into words, but it can best be expressed by my desire to make them the best people they can be. Our children can hear us tell them what we believe or what things are right all day long, but they will be figuring out what they should be not just from that, but from observing how we actually act. This entails teaching them the morals, values and desires that I find important and making sure that what they learn from me is not what I am, but what I wish to be. The question is, how do you actually do that? If everything matters and could potentially change your child, how do you know which battles to pick and which things to let slide?
One of the huge parenting debates is media content. Children are so impressionable and they respond to moving images so well that TV and movies are both a blessing and a curse. How to balance the calming and distracting nature of kids content against the need to control your child's world view?
To illustrate- while "reading" the fantastic book Hug by Jez Alborough my eldest named all the animals. The geckos were frogs, the giraffes were giraffes and the lion cubs were "Simba". I cringed when she did that, I had exposed her to The Lion King at such a young age that all young lions were Simba (I don't think she meant to say "Lion Cub" in Swahili). I cringed, but beside saying, "Those are lion cubs," once or twice, I left it at that. This is one of the major balancing acts I am always trying to pull off with my kids; I want my daughters to be aware of and part of popular culture but I also want them not to be slaves to it, to not be afraid to challenge it and look at it from their own perspectives. This is why our massive Disney collection is balanced by The Last Unicorn, Mirrormask and Yellow Submarine. Not so much that I want them to be "cool" but because I want them to be aware of the wide plethora of non-Disney animation out there, to realize that kid's movies can be more than saccharine-sweet happy endings. At the same time, it's not one of the major
As part of our solution we don't own a TV. The judgement to not have a television had less to do with the content, but on the pervasiveness of your standard TV set. You sit a child in front of Nickelodeon or Sprout and you introduce them to the crass blatant ads, the crappy cheap shows and the branding of modern media. To my kids, anything on our computer is a "Movie" whether it is an episode of Charlie and Lola or Sleeping Beauty. This little "trick" allows us to create a sense of distance to the media we show them, it also allows us to keep track of what films or shows they are watching. Sad as it is that my girls don't get to sit through a whole episode of Sesame Street in its entirety, there is something comforting in discussing with her what she liked about things that my wife and myself either watched with her or have watched as children.
Part of all this is the specific moral and ethical code I try to live my life by. To me this is the most important part of my, and hopefully my daughters', life. I am of the belief that I can only be the best person and example to the world of that kind of person if I am of the world, knowledgeable and part of the culture I exist in. For my girls this means showing them the world through a lens that gives them a (hopefully) healthy and realistic view of what is wrong and what is right.
Now, many of the things I wish to do I do not do. I do not control my temper as I should, I do not treat all matters with the seriousness they require and I do not actively engage in as many communal or self-improving projects as I would like to. For my daughters, I must make them realize that this is not THE way, rather just MY way and even that is not the way I wish to be, just the way I am at the moment. But, again when do I do so? If i go around telling my kids to "do as I say, not as I do" then they'll just see me as a massive hypocrite. And rightly so.
When I lose my patience with my three year old I make sure she knows that my anger was not a valid or good response to her whining or refusals. But, in the balance, I feel the need to explain to her why her behavior got that kind of response. When I do this I try to show how, while my response was "bad" her actions were also "bad" and why they can elicit such a response from people. Anger is something I struggle with all the time and I see the seeds of this struggle in her. So that, I feel, is a battle worth fighting and a place where she needs to know the hows and whys behind the actions.
The issue here is not purely a skinner-esque behavioral one, but is the actualization of my desire for her to be a strong, smart and kind person. When I or someone else gives in to herwhining we are not just taking the easy way out, we are actually teaching her a lesson in life, a bad lesson.
The above are just some tentative answers to some very very tough questions. Dreams are always hard to actualize, but when your dream IS another person, it's even harder. Every action I do , around my girls or away from them, every battle I wage against their bad behavior, all decisions I make about them or myself is a butterfly's wing flap that could have untold effects not miles away but years down the road.
I do not claim to have any answers, all I can do is offer my experiences and ask you, my readers, to tell me what you think. Please do.
Principle: Dream
(Special thanks to the amazing Eve Rosenbaum and my ever-incredible wife for some editorial assists. All errors or lack of clarity are from me ignoring them.)
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Full of "Glee"
Please welcome Cameron Moore to the eGO.com writing staff by reading and commenting on his new article- "Full of Glee" on eGO.com.
Full of Glee
Full of Glee
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Healthcare Shmealthcare
Before the article- a plea- if you enjoy these articles there are more at http://eGO.com.
the short ones I do here are not posted there, and some of the longer ones I post there are not here, or only get put up here at a later date, so please, check out eGO.com and bookmark it!
Now, on to the article:
The media wants you to believe that America is divided by this MAJOR IDEOLOGY ENDING issue. The fact of the matter is that if you ask the average American about this oh-so important topic they will most probably give your their opinion on whether it is "good" or "bad", "right" or "wrong" and "necessary" or "evil" but ask them to detail the plan, to explain why they have chosen this side of the issue and all you will probably get is, "oh, I'm a..." and they will say either Republican or Democrat.
This is the issue I would like to discuss here, this line-in-the-sand political enmity.
Growing up in The Bronx it was sort of a given that I would be a Yankees fan. I went to games in The House Ruth Built and any sport T-shirts I owned were either pinstripe or navy blue. Being a Yankee fan had, inherent in it, love of the Franchise and hatred of the Boston Red Soxs (if you don't know, it's not worth explaining, just go with it). Now, New York had another Baseball team, still does, called The Mets. As a Yankee fan you just didn't care about The Mets. You barely thought of them, except maybe to feel pity, or at worst- scorn, for their fans. Mets fans and Yankee fans were friends and could joke about each others teams, players or policies.
Sometime when I was in High School that changed. Yankee fans became derisive towards Met fans, caustic. Sometimes even downright mean. Suddenly, the other team was Evil, was "the enemy".
This is the issue with the healthcare plan and U.S. Politics in general. About twenty years ago bipartisanship became a dirty word, something only done in dire need and with much wailing and gnashing of teeth. You can blame Bill Clinton or Newt Gingrich but that doesn't change the fact that the days of the gentleman politician is gone. No longer were important votes decided by policy or acumen, but by an "us or them" mentality that has finally reached a horrific crescendo during this current healthcare debate.
The President has provided plans that, at times, almost mirror those of his Republican opponent for office, John McCain. He has made concessions that solve, at least partially, a majority of "Republican" problems with the plan, but to no avail. He is one of "them" and WE do not do business with THEM.
Cries of socialism are bandied about by the same people who vote to spend more money on the public school system- a system that guarantees free education to all, a system that is the very definition of a socialist ideal.
Please don't think this is another "Left-wing Liberal" rant, the Democrats are just as bad, storming and thundering about the evil, unjust Conservatives that are undermining our government.
It is not one party or another that is destroying our country, it is not crazed Liberals or fascist Conservatives. It is the very issue of using those labels and brandishing those fright-masks. Riling up the public one way or the other without educating them as to why one group feels the way they do.
I could make a list of all the countries that have good, working, reasonable Nationalized Medicine and I could equally make a list of the numbers of people in those countries dying from lack of treatment. Both of those list would be beside the point. What matters is that if we, as a country, keep dividing ourselves into black hats and white hats, heroes and villains, nothing is going to get done. Not healthcare, not the deficit, NOTHING.
It's time we as a people stop letting ourselves be led by fear-mongers and rabble-rousers, stop picking one side and sticking with it, stop spouting one-liners and Sound-bites to defend our "beliefs".
It is time we educate ourselves, since those in power clearly have other things planned. It is time we start thinking about what we need, as a country, as a civilization- not as individuals. Lastly, it is time we put in to power people who are going to help us do this, rather than just play on our emotions and hot buttons.
Principle: Sense
the short ones I do here are not posted there, and some of the longer ones I post there are not here, or only get put up here at a later date, so please, check out eGO.com and bookmark it!
Now, on to the article:
The media wants you to believe that America is divided by this MAJOR IDEOLOGY ENDING issue. The fact of the matter is that if you ask the average American about this oh-so important topic they will most probably give your their opinion on whether it is "good" or "bad", "right" or "wrong" and "necessary" or "evil" but ask them to detail the plan, to explain why they have chosen this side of the issue and all you will probably get is, "oh, I'm a..." and they will say either Republican or Democrat.
This is the issue I would like to discuss here, this line-in-the-sand political enmity.
Growing up in The Bronx it was sort of a given that I would be a Yankees fan. I went to games in The House Ruth Built and any sport T-shirts I owned were either pinstripe or navy blue. Being a Yankee fan had, inherent in it, love of the Franchise and hatred of the Boston Red Soxs (if you don't know, it's not worth explaining, just go with it). Now, New York had another Baseball team, still does, called The Mets. As a Yankee fan you just didn't care about The Mets. You barely thought of them, except maybe to feel pity, or at worst- scorn, for their fans. Mets fans and Yankee fans were friends and could joke about each others teams, players or policies.
Sometime when I was in High School that changed. Yankee fans became derisive towards Met fans, caustic. Sometimes even downright mean. Suddenly, the other team was Evil, was "the enemy".
This is the issue with the healthcare plan and U.S. Politics in general. About twenty years ago bipartisanship became a dirty word, something only done in dire need and with much wailing and gnashing of teeth. You can blame Bill Clinton or Newt Gingrich but that doesn't change the fact that the days of the gentleman politician is gone. No longer were important votes decided by policy or acumen, but by an "us or them" mentality that has finally reached a horrific crescendo during this current healthcare debate.
The President has provided plans that, at times, almost mirror those of his Republican opponent for office, John McCain. He has made concessions that solve, at least partially, a majority of "Republican" problems with the plan, but to no avail. He is one of "them" and WE do not do business with THEM.
Cries of socialism are bandied about by the same people who vote to spend more money on the public school system- a system that guarantees free education to all, a system that is the very definition of a socialist ideal.
Please don't think this is another "Left-wing Liberal" rant, the Democrats are just as bad, storming and thundering about the evil, unjust Conservatives that are undermining our government.
It is not one party or another that is destroying our country, it is not crazed Liberals or fascist Conservatives. It is the very issue of using those labels and brandishing those fright-masks. Riling up the public one way or the other without educating them as to why one group feels the way they do.
I could make a list of all the countries that have good, working, reasonable Nationalized Medicine and I could equally make a list of the numbers of people in those countries dying from lack of treatment. Both of those list would be beside the point. What matters is that if we, as a country, keep dividing ourselves into black hats and white hats, heroes and villains, nothing is going to get done. Not healthcare, not the deficit, NOTHING.
It's time we as a people stop letting ourselves be led by fear-mongers and rabble-rousers, stop picking one side and sticking with it, stop spouting one-liners and Sound-bites to defend our "beliefs".
It is time we educate ourselves, since those in power clearly have other things planned. It is time we start thinking about what we need, as a country, as a civilization- not as individuals. Lastly, it is time we put in to power people who are going to help us do this, rather than just play on our emotions and hot buttons.
Principle: Sense
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Who Made Who?
I am Man.
I create, I build.
Mother nature fruitlessly drops acorns onto my paved roads and drives. She seeks to take back what was once hers.
Between my rubber soles and black asphalt I crush her seeds, she is no match for Man.
I prune her hedges and shape her. Geometric shapes she cannot make, I can.
I am Man.
Comments, criticism below.
You can follow Menachem Luchins on Twitter at http://Twitter.com/NukeLuchins
I create, I build.
Mother nature fruitlessly drops acorns onto my paved roads and drives. She seeks to take back what was once hers.
Between my rubber soles and black asphalt I crush her seeds, she is no match for Man.
I prune her hedges and shape her. Geometric shapes she cannot make, I can.
I am Man.
Comments, criticism below.
You can follow Menachem Luchins on Twitter at http://Twitter.com/NukeLuchins
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Goals and Aspirations
Last week the school I teach at gave out the first school-wide essay of the year: "What are your goals and aspirations for the upcoming year?" Now we all know how annoying school essays can be and I know that I, personally, dread grading them but the question being asked is not that bad.
I'm sure I'll read countless papers on how some kid is planning on getting good grades or improving his jump-shot. There'll be a few on becoming a better person or making more friends. Sounds tedious, I know, yet there is something uplifting about reading all these teens' papers. I'm not arguing that my students are innocent or naive, that their age makes them more pure or less cynical, I'm just saying that seeing those words and ideas down on paper has an effect. Sometimes a magical one.
I have bills to pay and jobs to do, children to raise and people to pacify. Life is... Well not necessarily HARD, but complicated. In all the rushing around and worry we sometimes lose sight of the very goals we are doing all that struggling to reach. Wouldn't it be nice if, like my students, we had a piece of paper we wrote that reminds us why we're doing all this? At the end of the school year I often think back to the start of this term and wonder if I reached any of these kids, if I taught them anything?
Wouldn't it be nice if I could pull out a piece of paper to remind me what it was exactly I wanted to impart?
It's not just teachers and parents, educators and role models who have this problem. So many of us have so much we want to do, even if it's just improve our jump-shot.
So, what are YOUR goals and aspirations for the upcoming year?
You can follow Menachem Luchins on Twitter at http://Twitter.com/NukeLuchins
I'm sure I'll read countless papers on how some kid is planning on getting good grades or improving his jump-shot. There'll be a few on becoming a better person or making more friends. Sounds tedious, I know, yet there is something uplifting about reading all these teens' papers. I'm not arguing that my students are innocent or naive, that their age makes them more pure or less cynical, I'm just saying that seeing those words and ideas down on paper has an effect. Sometimes a magical one.
I have bills to pay and jobs to do, children to raise and people to pacify. Life is... Well not necessarily HARD, but complicated. In all the rushing around and worry we sometimes lose sight of the very goals we are doing all that struggling to reach. Wouldn't it be nice if, like my students, we had a piece of paper we wrote that reminds us why we're doing all this? At the end of the school year I often think back to the start of this term and wonder if I reached any of these kids, if I taught them anything?
Wouldn't it be nice if I could pull out a piece of paper to remind me what it was exactly I wanted to impart?
It's not just teachers and parents, educators and role models who have this problem. So many of us have so much we want to do, even if it's just improve our jump-shot.
So, what are YOUR goals and aspirations for the upcoming year?
You can follow Menachem Luchins on Twitter at http://Twitter.com/NukeLuchins
Friday, October 2, 2009
All You Need is Love... and Guts
Recently a former student came to me with that classic problem: a girl. Not that the girl was the trouble, but his feeling for her were. You see, he was firmly entrenched in the "friend zone" (how deeply even he didn't realize until he had given my wife and I some details) and he wanted to get out. To me, the friend zone is a place where guys seem to go far more frequently than girls, the ratio is something like 5:1 in there.
It boiled down to the same issue it does for most of us when we have found ourselves dug in to that deep defensive trench of friendship; do we go over the top, risk it all and go for the glory or do we stay where we are, out of the wind, unable to be hurt but never getting anywhere? Everyone agrees that once you go over the top everything changes, for ill or good you won't know until you've done it.
After a long long long (we're talking two in the morning in suburbia here) talk I gave him the only advice I could give: Go for it.
It is disingenuous to stay in a relationship when the other party is possessed of a totally different idea of it than you. He was scared, afraid that she would stop talking to him, no longer let him snatch up the little snippets of her affection that he gets. In fact, he seems to think that outcome is much more likely than her reciprocating. But it's just not the way to go about it. How do I know? I've been there, more than once.
There I am, fifteen years old and madly in crush with a girl from my old school who I barely ever see anymore. Now a crush at fifteen is a serious business, it effects every aspect of your day and your thoughts. I was talking to her over AOL (remember when Messaging was confined to pay services or IRC?) and the subject of HER latest crush came up. Eventually we work our way around to who it may be that I like, my heart racing the whole time. It comes out, I tell her- or rather type to her, not the smoothest proclamation of love, I'm sure. Chaos ensues. She is shocked, unable to understand, maybe even a little disgusted.
This was my first introduction to the friend zone- she just did not have any idea that I was investing this much time and interest in her for anything but platonic reasons- she was doing the same and there was no interest on her side. Now, the thing is, I knew that. Or, I should say, I was fairly certain of it- but it didn't matter. Even at fifteen I knew that if you don't try you don't get the girl, so I went for it, blindly, badly and selfishly, but I tried.
POST-SCRIPT #1- this girl went on, after about a year of almost no conversation, to become my best friend (platonic, of course) from senior year till the end of college. Not a bad deal, I think.
Now we get to the tough one, the one that really paralleled my student's issue and that I have the most trouble writing about. I was a senior in High School and she was a Sophomore in a different school, we had a few of the same friends and saw each other at events and pizza shops. Eventually we ended up working together in the same Chinese Take-Out place. She was funny, bizarrely so. She was pretty, in a cute, shyly un-shy way. She was a good friend. And one night I had a dream, an incredibly vivid and non-sexual dream about her. I just couldn't get it out of my head. There were definitely romantic overtones in the dream (most of it was candle-lit) but it was the sense of comfort the dream conveyed that convinced me to convince myself that I was madly in love with her.
Her sister took us all out to a movie on her birthday. I gave her some lame gift that showed I had been listening to all her little concerns and issues and I went home. That night, on the phone (see, no Internet- I was getting better!), I told her. Unlike the last time, she didn't recoil in fear or shock, she actually denied that I could feel that way and cried. I went on enumerating the reasons I loved her and pushed and pushed. She needed time, I would give her a day. We worked together the next day and barely spoke of it. On the phone that night she said she was very fond of me and that we could give it a try.
What followed was an odd, occasionally long-distance relationship that probably had more to do with who I am today than most of what I learned in classes at college. It ended one rainy day in February, shortly after my birthday with a letter she handed me and her running off in the rain. After reading the letter in a daze I rode the train confused and saddened with a pain I had never known before.
I won't go on to talk about all my pleadings and attacks to try and win her back- it didn't happen and I grew from it in ways I can't begin to enumerate.
Flash forward to a year later, a new group of friends and a new crush. She was one of the girls my friends and I often went out drinking with and I couldn't stop thinking about her. I talked about her to old friends and strangers, I found her fascinating and funny. Not one to be dissuaded by past failures, I worked up the courage to ask her out. (Face-to-face, no less!) She quite blithely refused, saying I wasn't her type. I insisted that she give me a chance, she just kept refusing. Finally, I convinced her to go on a "not-date" with me, Coffee and a movie, just to see if maybe she had the wrong idea of who I was or what type she really wanted. What followed was a trio of "not-dates" that all ended the same way: with me asking her if she had changed her mind and her telling me that she had had a great time, but was just not interested in me "that way". We parted as friends and a few months later she was gone, transferred to a college in Canada.
POST-SCRIPT #2- a year later when she came to visit friends in NY she insisted on seeing me, to see how I was and talk about old times. Apparently, I was important to her as a friend and she missed me. We were both able to laugh about my persistence and agree that her perseverance was correct.
So what's the point of all this? That I constantly tried to get myself out of the friend zone and failed time after time? My student didn't really see this as encouragement for him to do what I was saying. I tried to explain that each of these experiences ended in the way they had to and that they had helped form me into the person I was, the person he respected and liked. But more importantly, my attempts had given me the courage and experience to tackle the hardest crush I ever had.
It's the summer after the last girl went to Canada and I am, pompously, sending out little e-mail updates to all my friends about my life (this was the days before blogs and I like to think my one hundred plus e-mails were an early form of that now ubiquitous medium). One of my friends reads one of these e-mails with her friend looking over her shoulder, the girl finds it amusing and interesting, and insists her friend send an e-mail to me to add her to my list. Soon enough we are talking on the Internet for hours at a time and I find myself falling again, HARD. This girl is it, she is the culmination of everything I love about the opposite sex. She shares my interests and has the same sense of humor as me. Undaunted by all my past failures, I take another stab at "getting the girl" I won't go into all the trials and tribulations our relationship had; the friends who didn't want us to be together, her father's strict rules about dating and his distaste for me. Everything seemed to be set against us, but we were an US. I had found someone who felt about me the same way I felt about her and through it all, she stayed by my side. My life changed into something almost unrecognizable and completely unimaginable six months earlier. In the end, it worked out- we got married a year and a half after our first conversation.
POST-SCRIPT #3- Sarah, the mother of my two children, and I are very happy together and my student who came to me for advice likes her and respects her even more than he does me.
As I said, what's the point of all this? Why did I feel the need to unburden myself unto my poor, confused student? Because he needed to know that failure IS an option, that every time you would rather just hunker down and stay out of the fighting you are cheating yourself out of life. Every time you would rather suffer in silence and let the status quo prevail you aren't just missing out on a chance, but on life itself.
Courage is not the act of facing obstacles you can overcome but the action of facing the unknown, going into the fray when you have no idea what is going to happen. Obstacles are so named because they are IN THE WAY, they are something you need to deal with. If you ignore them or try to get around them without facing them you don't just cheat yourself- you, most likely, find yourself right back were you started, having learned nothing.
Feel free to share your own obstacles and defeats that have shaped you as a person below.
Principles: Obstacles, Courage.
It boiled down to the same issue it does for most of us when we have found ourselves dug in to that deep defensive trench of friendship; do we go over the top, risk it all and go for the glory or do we stay where we are, out of the wind, unable to be hurt but never getting anywhere? Everyone agrees that once you go over the top everything changes, for ill or good you won't know until you've done it.
After a long long long (we're talking two in the morning in suburbia here) talk I gave him the only advice I could give: Go for it.
It is disingenuous to stay in a relationship when the other party is possessed of a totally different idea of it than you. He was scared, afraid that she would stop talking to him, no longer let him snatch up the little snippets of her affection that he gets. In fact, he seems to think that outcome is much more likely than her reciprocating. But it's just not the way to go about it. How do I know? I've been there, more than once.
There I am, fifteen years old and madly in crush with a girl from my old school who I barely ever see anymore. Now a crush at fifteen is a serious business, it effects every aspect of your day and your thoughts. I was talking to her over AOL (remember when Messaging was confined to pay services or IRC?) and the subject of HER latest crush came up. Eventually we work our way around to who it may be that I like, my heart racing the whole time. It comes out, I tell her- or rather type to her, not the smoothest proclamation of love, I'm sure. Chaos ensues. She is shocked, unable to understand, maybe even a little disgusted.
This was my first introduction to the friend zone- she just did not have any idea that I was investing this much time and interest in her for anything but platonic reasons- she was doing the same and there was no interest on her side. Now, the thing is, I knew that. Or, I should say, I was fairly certain of it- but it didn't matter. Even at fifteen I knew that if you don't try you don't get the girl, so I went for it, blindly, badly and selfishly, but I tried.
POST-SCRIPT #1- this girl went on, after about a year of almost no conversation, to become my best friend (platonic, of course) from senior year till the end of college. Not a bad deal, I think.
Now we get to the tough one, the one that really paralleled my student's issue and that I have the most trouble writing about. I was a senior in High School and she was a Sophomore in a different school, we had a few of the same friends and saw each other at events and pizza shops. Eventually we ended up working together in the same Chinese Take-Out place. She was funny, bizarrely so. She was pretty, in a cute, shyly un-shy way. She was a good friend. And one night I had a dream, an incredibly vivid and non-sexual dream about her. I just couldn't get it out of my head. There were definitely romantic overtones in the dream (most of it was candle-lit) but it was the sense of comfort the dream conveyed that convinced me to convince myself that I was madly in love with her.
Her sister took us all out to a movie on her birthday. I gave her some lame gift that showed I had been listening to all her little concerns and issues and I went home. That night, on the phone (see, no Internet- I was getting better!), I told her. Unlike the last time, she didn't recoil in fear or shock, she actually denied that I could feel that way and cried. I went on enumerating the reasons I loved her and pushed and pushed. She needed time, I would give her a day. We worked together the next day and barely spoke of it. On the phone that night she said she was very fond of me and that we could give it a try.
What followed was an odd, occasionally long-distance relationship that probably had more to do with who I am today than most of what I learned in classes at college. It ended one rainy day in February, shortly after my birthday with a letter she handed me and her running off in the rain. After reading the letter in a daze I rode the train confused and saddened with a pain I had never known before.
I won't go on to talk about all my pleadings and attacks to try and win her back- it didn't happen and I grew from it in ways I can't begin to enumerate.
Flash forward to a year later, a new group of friends and a new crush. She was one of the girls my friends and I often went out drinking with and I couldn't stop thinking about her. I talked about her to old friends and strangers, I found her fascinating and funny. Not one to be dissuaded by past failures, I worked up the courage to ask her out. (Face-to-face, no less!) She quite blithely refused, saying I wasn't her type. I insisted that she give me a chance, she just kept refusing. Finally, I convinced her to go on a "not-date" with me, Coffee and a movie, just to see if maybe she had the wrong idea of who I was or what type she really wanted. What followed was a trio of "not-dates" that all ended the same way: with me asking her if she had changed her mind and her telling me that she had had a great time, but was just not interested in me "that way". We parted as friends and a few months later she was gone, transferred to a college in Canada.
POST-SCRIPT #2- a year later when she came to visit friends in NY she insisted on seeing me, to see how I was and talk about old times. Apparently, I was important to her as a friend and she missed me. We were both able to laugh about my persistence and agree that her perseverance was correct.
So what's the point of all this? That I constantly tried to get myself out of the friend zone and failed time after time? My student didn't really see this as encouragement for him to do what I was saying. I tried to explain that each of these experiences ended in the way they had to and that they had helped form me into the person I was, the person he respected and liked. But more importantly, my attempts had given me the courage and experience to tackle the hardest crush I ever had.
It's the summer after the last girl went to Canada and I am, pompously, sending out little e-mail updates to all my friends about my life (this was the days before blogs and I like to think my one hundred plus e-mails were an early form of that now ubiquitous medium). One of my friends reads one of these e-mails with her friend looking over her shoulder, the girl finds it amusing and interesting, and insists her friend send an e-mail to me to add her to my list. Soon enough we are talking on the Internet for hours at a time and I find myself falling again, HARD. This girl is it, she is the culmination of everything I love about the opposite sex. She shares my interests and has the same sense of humor as me. Undaunted by all my past failures, I take another stab at "getting the girl" I won't go into all the trials and tribulations our relationship had; the friends who didn't want us to be together, her father's strict rules about dating and his distaste for me. Everything seemed to be set against us, but we were an US. I had found someone who felt about me the same way I felt about her and through it all, she stayed by my side. My life changed into something almost unrecognizable and completely unimaginable six months earlier. In the end, it worked out- we got married a year and a half after our first conversation.
POST-SCRIPT #3- Sarah, the mother of my two children, and I are very happy together and my student who came to me for advice likes her and respects her even more than he does me.
As I said, what's the point of all this? Why did I feel the need to unburden myself unto my poor, confused student? Because he needed to know that failure IS an option, that every time you would rather just hunker down and stay out of the fighting you are cheating yourself out of life. Every time you would rather suffer in silence and let the status quo prevail you aren't just missing out on a chance, but on life itself.
Courage is not the act of facing obstacles you can overcome but the action of facing the unknown, going into the fray when you have no idea what is going to happen. Obstacles are so named because they are IN THE WAY, they are something you need to deal with. If you ignore them or try to get around them without facing them you don't just cheat yourself- you, most likely, find yourself right back were you started, having learned nothing.
Feel free to share your own obstacles and defeats that have shaped you as a person below.
Principles: Obstacles, Courage.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Inspirational Dark Lords
In High School I had this math teacher who was scary as hell- He wore black on test days and laughed a cruel chuckle if you answered a question incorrectly. He had glimmering, dark eyes and a balding head that made him look like he was more brains than face. To this day I think of him as one of my great inspirations as a teacher.
What about you, have any scary or dark inspirations somewhere in your past?
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
WHY AMANDA PALMER IS SO RIGHT IT HURTS
When someone points out the elephant in the room some people are shocked, some are thrilled that someone finally said it and others, sadly, will just keep ignoring the pachyderm taking up all their space. When Singer/Songwriter Amanda Palmer (formerly of the Dresden Dolls) posted her blog article: "why i am not afraid to take your money" she did more than unapologetically strike a blow for creator's rights, she said a lot more than "I wants to get paid!" And she certainly made a point that is much bigger than just her, the music industry or even the Internet.
The fact of the matter is that whenever you buy a piece of art, be it a comic book, a movie, an album or a painting, a nice chunk of the money you plopped down goes to people besides the artists. Some goes to the retailer, some goes to the agents, managers and other brokers and, very often, a big part of it goes to some major corporation/publisher that was willing to front the money for the project. Now, this is not a bad system, per se, but it is one that is not necessarily needed anymore.
The Internet is getting faster, downloads move at insane rates and you could have a high definition movie on your home PC in the time it takes to make a cup of (instant) coffee. With this easy-to-use delivery system there is no reason any artist can't deliver their product right to their fans. Most do this in free MP3s or little extra film snippets, but there's no reason a musician, like Palmer, shouldn't use the net to make a fair monetary bargain: product for cash. The beauty of this system is that for a (sometimes) small expenditure of her own money Palmer can host an awesome webcast concert AND GET THE MAJORITY OF THE MONEY FOR HERSELF!
I'm not here to discuss copyright, artists rights, or the right for someone to get paid for giving you something (Corey Doctorow does much better anyway). I'm here to talk about just plain RIGHT and the seven principles of eGO.com, one of which is courage. Let me tell you this, if we at eGO define courage as: "the willpower to act despite fear, emboldened by the knowledge that your actions will help you achieve an outcome that is far more valuable than surrendering to your inhibitions." Then I think it's fair to say that Amanda Palmer fairly exemplifies that principle.
When fans complain that you're charging them for a webcast, most artists would find some guilt-laden way of saying sorry. Palmer just unabashedly tells them: "artists need to make money to eat and to continue to make art." The closest she comes to anything like an apology is,
"maybe i should be more tasteful.
maybe i should not stop my concerts and auction off art.
i do not claim to have figured out the perfect system, not by a long shot."
But she clearly takes a stand by following that up with,
"BUT … i’d rather get the system right gradually and learn from the mistakes and break new ground (with the help of an incredibly responsive and positive fanbase) for other artists who i assume are going to cautiously follow in our footsteps. we are creating the protocol, people, right here and now."
The fact of the matter is that whenever you buy a piece of art, be it a comic book, a movie, an album or a painting, a nice chunk of the money you plopped down goes to people besides the artists. Some goes to the retailer, some goes to the agents, managers and other brokers and, very often, a big part of it goes to some major corporation/publisher that was willing to front the money for the project. Now, this is not a bad system, per se, but it is one that is not necessarily needed anymore.
The Internet is getting faster, downloads move at insane rates and you could have a high definition movie on your home PC in the time it takes to make a cup of (instant) coffee. With this easy-to-use delivery system there is no reason any artist can't deliver their product right to their fans. Most do this in free MP3s or little extra film snippets, but there's no reason a musician, like Palmer, shouldn't use the net to make a fair monetary bargain: product for cash. The beauty of this system is that for a (sometimes) small expenditure of her own money Palmer can host an awesome webcast concert AND GET THE MAJORITY OF THE MONEY FOR HERSELF!
I'm not here to discuss copyright, artists rights, or the right for someone to get paid for giving you something (Corey Doctorow does much better anyway). I'm here to talk about just plain RIGHT and the seven principles of eGO.com, one of which is courage. Let me tell you this, if we at eGO define courage as: "the willpower to act despite fear, emboldened by the knowledge that your actions will help you achieve an outcome that is far more valuable than surrendering to your inhibitions." Then I think it's fair to say that Amanda Palmer fairly exemplifies that principle.
When fans complain that you're charging them for a webcast, most artists would find some guilt-laden way of saying sorry. Palmer just unabashedly tells them: "artists need to make money to eat and to continue to make art." The closest she comes to anything like an apology is,
"maybe i should be more tasteful.
maybe i should not stop my concerts and auction off art.
i do not claim to have figured out the perfect system, not by a long shot."
But she clearly takes a stand by following that up with,
"BUT … i’d rather get the system right gradually and learn from the mistakes and break new ground (with the help of an incredibly responsive and positive fanbase) for other artists who i assume are going to cautiously follow in our footsteps. we are creating the protocol, people, right here and now."
WHAT IS EGO.COM?
eGo.com is the new blog from the website www.eGO.com.
The blog will provide daily questions and comments for discussion and debate as well as posting all the major articles that will appear on our parent site. All the discussion, articles and quotes will be centered around eGO.com's seven principles;
Please feel free to comment on anything posted and to check out www.eGO.com for more info!
(You can also follow eGO on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/eGOCards
and on facebook where we are listed as www.ego.com)
The blog will provide daily questions and comments for discussion and debate as well as posting all the major articles that will appear on our parent site. All the discussion, articles and quotes will be centered around eGO.com's seven principles;
Please feel free to comment on anything posted and to check out www.eGO.com for more info!
(You can also follow eGO on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/eGOCards
and on facebook where we are listed as www.ego.com)
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