It's Just Not "Me"

Want to get to know someone? One way to do it is to learn what they are not. Or to learn what things are not really for them.

These things are not "Me"

• NASCAR
• Rap music
• Coffee
• Caviar
• Hunting
• Romance novels
• Non-fiction books (generally)
• Teen comedies
• Live interviews
• Jumping from high places
• Camping

I bet the list could get longer. But it's time for the weekend.

A Cage-inspired blog

I think Mike will like this. Mike? Mike? Pay attention, Mike.

I have been sampling a few blogs in order to expand my geographic knowledge of the blogosphere. Yesterday, I found "The Synchronicity of Indeterminacy," which the blog owner describes thus:

Found Photo Stories: Life and Art Linked by Photographs
A study in creativity, this site features one-minute short stories inspired by found photos, an idea based on the Indeterminacy recordings by John Cage, pairing one-minute short stories with random sounds.
All stories © 2004-2007

So, the idea is this: the blog owner posts a photo he has found. He encourages blog readers to write one-minute (very short) stories about the photo. Then soon after, he posts his own.

It's very organic. It's "random" in the new-slang sense of the word. It's fun. It's communal creativity.

I tried my hand at it for the June 27, 2007 photo. I like some of the other entries, and found some pointless. But it was fun to contribute.

I'm happy to know that I followed up the idea I posted in my entry titled "Daily."

Dr. Doom Defeated!

Adam, Lucas and I guided the Dragons, our superhero team in "Marvel: Ultimate Alliance," to victory on Monday night. The universe is now safe, and Dr. Doom has been reduced to a simpering husk of egomaniacal ineptitude. The combination of Ghost Rider's chains, with Moonknight's blindingly fast attacks and Doctor Strange's powerful spellcraft quickly dispatched the Latverian ruler and allowed us to unlock the final difficulty level of the game.

Congratulations, gentlemen. We make a great team!

Is this a diary?

I've been blogging regularly for over a month now. Sure, for three years I've posted entries intermittently, but this attempt at a daily entry has lasted for over a month.

So, what's the purpose? I've actually written about this question multiple times, but now that I'm writing daily, it's worth asking again.

In some ways, I treat a blog as I used to treat a bedside journal. I want to capture thoughts so that they aren't forgotten. I want to push myself to build cogent arguments and make salient points. (I want to find a venue for using words like "cogent" and "salient" where people won't look at me funny - or if they do, I can't see them.) I want to examine life, rather than just live it.

Secondarily, I know that writers write. Every piece I've ever read on "How to be a Writer" contains the advice that writers must write; daily if possible. Since I am a writer wannabe, I've tried daily writing at various points in my life, but never stuck to it. Blogging seems to be the most comfortable, repeatable outlet for daily writing.

I am about to post another piece that seems somewhat trivial. If someone were to read this blog and only read that new entry, the reader might assume I'm essentially doing a diary. But I'm not. A diary contains private thoughts. I don't blog about private issues. I save those for e-mail to close friends, and for actual conversation.

Certainly some entries serve as reminders of what I've done in my life. Diaries and journals can accomplish that, too. So, in that way, this blog overlaps with a diary. Yet, I think they are distinct. Whether anyone actually reads this blog or not, I do intend for it to be read, and for it to be readable. If I blogged each day about the minutiae of my daily life, it might help me to remember how many times I've eaten at Wendy's in a year, or who bought me what Christmas presents, but it would not be something people would want to read.

I try to make sure each entry has a point, and that the point is discussed in a clear, concise way. I hope I succeed.

Happy Birthday, Sarah

As of today, I only have one teenager. Sarah moves into the twenty-something world.

Tonight, we will gather to celebrate as a family. Taco Pizza. Homemade apple pie. Gifts and smiles!

I don't know how many more of Sarah's birthdays we'll get to spend with her, so I will cherish this one. She's so much fun to be around, especially when she's happy. I expect she will be today!

Happy birthday, Sarah!

Goodbye, "Stargate: SG1"

For ten seasons, "Stargate: SG1" gave us imaginative stories, memorable characters, believable visuals - and a great reason to watch TV on Friday nights.

I've liked it all. Most episodes were excellent. Some episodes were (by definition) below-average, but they were still superior to most of the drivel on TV, because they made you think and gave you hope.

The torch has been passed on to "Stargate: Atlantis" and the last couple episodes from that show's season demonstrated that they are carrying it well.

I'll miss the show. Thank goodness for DVDs! I believe it will ultimately rank in my list of the top 10 TV shows ever.

Well done, SG1!

Latest Micro-reviews

A Sunday post, just to put down my thoughts on a couple movies I've seen lately. And a few I somehow missed reviewing before....

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer	70	A Super-Sized issue. It was only 90 minutes long, but it didn’t feel too short. The effects were good, the story very comic-book. OK, the Surfer didn’t get to philosophize and pontificate, but he was mysterious. And they did the right thing with the Galactus visuals.
Fantastic Four	68	For an origin story, it’s middle-of-the road. But it shows promise. Good effects. I liked it.
A Knight’s Tale	91	I loved the “knights as pop stars/athletes” and the mixing of modern with medieval. And the story is stirring and fun, if completely impossible. Chaucer almost steals the show.
Deep Impact	84	Two movies in the same year with the same premise. This one is much deeper than “Armageddon” – the acting is better, and the situations more realistic. And we all wish Morgan Freeman could be our President – if he’s not too busy being God. J
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban	93	An excellent story, and they told the best parts of it, and did it well! These young actors are growing into their roles, and the fantasy continues to grow. The dementors were scary! Lupin was wonderful. And Gary Oldman as Sirius? Perfect!
The Princess Bride	94	Sweet! Funny! And (I know now) based on some history. Really? Wow. So many quotable lines!

The ones we watched within the past few days are FF2, Harry Potter 3, The Princess Bride, and A Knight's Tale.

Meta-Blogging

I like the prefix "meta-."

We use it regularly in computer science. I don't like the definitions I find, or I'd quote them here. I'll just explain the way we use it.

We talk about meta-data, for example. My name is Steve. "Steve" is the data. How do you describe that data? Well, to a computer person, it's a string of character bytes (one byte per letter, most often), five characters long, with a specific value. The attributes I just described are actually data themselves. They are data describing data, so they are meta-data.

I'm sort of a "meta-"-phile. I like thinking about thinking. "Meta-thinking" is probably just philosophy. But it also might be psychology.

Anyway, I have a tendency to occasionally blog about blogging. I claim that's "Meta-Blogging." Maybe I'll trademark it.

So, here is a meta-blog entry:

I've been doing a decent job at writing a blog entry each weekday lately. But my topics are quite haphazard. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but I started wondering if perhaps I shouldn't mix a little structure into my entries.

For example, I could give myself a weekly layout: I can write about anything that's in my head on any day, but if I can't think of something then the day of the week would guide me.

• Monday: Movies or DVDs or TV (I tend to see these over the weekend, so that might be the tendency, even without the layout.
• Tuesday: News topics. What Really Matters could be a recurring topic.
  
• Wednesday: Faith or Religion
• Thursday: Friends or Games or being a Father or Husband -- things that tend to make me happy.
• Friday: If nothing else, a nice Photo or Comic to send us into the weekend.

So that's the idea. I think I'll think about it a while. I definitely don't want to be tied to a specific schedule. I have to be able to reply to something I read in Mike's blog, or point people to an interesting article, or just to meta-blog -- but I doubt I could do each of those every week. In the past I've talked multiple times about Words, Music, Time (that was a frequent topic, once upon a ... well ... time) and I don't want to regiment myself so much that those topics don't fit.

I have a feeling that a little structure could help free up the creative juices and actually make it more likely that I will capture interesting thoughts here.

So, happy weekend, everyone. May a little bit of structure free up something in you.

One Year From Now

One year from today, Adam and Marisa get married.

Start the countdown. 366 days left.

Happy Summer, everyone! Won't the first day of summer be a wonderful anniversary date?

I'm very excited. And proud. And happy. They are a great couple.


Wow, one year from today. I bet it will feel as if the year flew by, when The Big Day arrives.

I don't think I've asked them yet: "Does the Father of the Groom give a toast?"

Look! On the horizon! Another parental landmark!

They come so quickly and so frequently these days.

Comic Strip Alert - Zippy

I like comic strips. For that reason, I have links to a few on my blog page.

Zippy the Pinhead is a strip that grew on me over time. When I first read it, I thought "I don't get it, but I think it's saying something, so I'll keep trying."

I completely believe it's an acquired taste -- and not everyone can acquire it. But for those with a dry, wry, cynical bent, give it a try.

Today's strip is more accessible than most of them. It's funny on its own, but in a Pinhead way.

The Zippy the Pinhead website shows the previous day's strip on the front page, but you can click the "Today's Strip" button near the top of the page. I read him by subscribing to DailyInk (I recommend this site to comic-philes.)

The longer you read Zippy, the more impressed you will be with the way Griffith does the strip.

P.S. Zippy has a liberal bent. But politics is a lesser facet of his weirdness. Today's strip is not political at all.

What Really Matters

Once again, on the way to work this morning, I heard the latest gossip about Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears. Uck. Who cares?

Then, scanning through the on-line news outlets, I see these articles:
Colleges need education about pregnant athletes
What does a health crisis look like? See Houston

These are things that really matter. But our favorite news outlets, and entertainment sources, responding to our desire to read fluff and pick the scabs of the famous, give us pablum.

Though my blog is not intended for examining news stories most of the time, I figured I would follow up with a few links and comments on one of these stories. Health Care is too big. I'll deal with pregnant athletes.

Here's an excerpt from the Star Tribune article by Rachel Blount:

"ESPN reported that seven Clemson athletes had abortions because they feared their scholarships would be rescinded."

I went to the ESPN site to find the original stories and found these:

• Reports prompt NCAA to review pregnant athletes policies
• Athletes often forced into heartbreaking decisions

First of all pregnancy is not an injury or illness. I am aware of that. But follow my reasoning here:

If a (male) athlete gets sick or injured when under scholarship, the scholarship is not taken away. The athlete cannot participate to the level which had been expected when the scholarship was awarded, but no threat is leveled to remove it. Yet apparently it's been somewhat common for female athletes to at least be warned that pregnancy could jeopardize their ability to afford to stay in school and remain with their athletic programs.

This is a double standard of the most dangerous and sexist variety.

"But wait!" some might say. "We don't want to reward this kind of behavior in our young women."

So let's look at another view of that double standard. Again, from Blount's article:

"Former Gophers quarterback Bryan Cupito became an unmarried father on scholarship and was praised for being a good and responsible dad."

By allowing women who get pregnant to keep their scholarships, we are not rewarding them for getting pregnant, or for becoming mothers. We are supporting them in an unexpected and unplanned circumstance, and we owe it to them during this life-changing situation at least as much as if the athlete had broken her leg or gotten a bad case of mononucleosis.

I'm impressed that the University of Minnesota official, AD Joel Maturi, responded so clearly and strongly in favor of retaining scholarships and dealing with athletes in this situation with "counseling, support and love."

So, there, rather than discuss the self-inflicted tribulations of the God-only-knows-why-Elite, for a moment, we can think about something that really matters.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled pablum.

Or whatever banalities I decide to write about next.

Mike, to Decorah?

Mike posted today that he is considering moving back to Decorah.

I'm selfishly excited by the possibility. To have him close enough for a visit on short notice would be wonderful.

"You Can't Go Home Again" says Thomas Wolfe.

Heraclitus said it even earlier: "No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man."

Mike, of course, knows this. We've matured. We know that the past is not waiting for us. No, what Mike is looking for is a different future. And, as with many of us, the desire is to find a place we can call "home." For many people, if they haven't found a place to call home by the time they've reached my age, then "home" is found where they grew up.

I've found a new "home." Mike will do what's right for him. I don't doubt that. And when he does, I'll be happy for him. If what's right for him is that his "home" is near mine, I'll smile just a little more broadly.

Micro-Review Link

For future reference, I think I'll be trying to keep my micro-review file up to date and published. For now, here it is. And, also for reference, my list of DVDs is here.

I may be the only one who cares. :-)

Father's Day Movies

Yesterday was Father's Day. Being a father, I got some special treatment, including selecting the movies we would watch. Only Sarah and Sherry were around to watch them with me, but they did so with no negative comments whatsoever. I think they even liked the movies. I sure did. Here they are:

Casablanca	93	Finally, I’ve seen this film. And, yes, it’s a bit slower than modern films, but by 30 minutes in, Sarah was not looking at her laptop anymore, and we were fully engaged. So many quotes! And why are they quotes? Because they are great lines, with memorable moments attached.
Star Trek: Insurrection	90	For pure fun, great effects, episode-like story, this was wonderful. Not so much acting, and a few story-logic problems.

I got a couple of nice gifts, too! X-Files Season 2 (see my post from Friday) and a book I've been wanting to read -- A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson. I'll review it when I've read a bit. I expect to really like it.

Can something be too cheap?

X-Files Season Sets for only $19.99 this week at Best Buy. Do you realize that, when they first came out, they cost 5 times that much? And their regular price these days is still around $45.

So, if someone were a fan of the show, and had bought Season 1 already, he could buy the rest of the seasons for less than the price of buying just two seasons when they were first released!

That, of course, would still be almost $200 total. Still a chunk of change.

So, there's the rub -- if I buy one more season, why stop at one? But if I don't stop at one (or two) then I'm spending too much money right now.

Must it be all or nothing?

And don't let me start thinking about the fact that EVERY Fox show is that price this week. "The Simpsons." "24." Yikes!

Then again, are there any Fox shows besides those three worth owning (for me?)

For that matter, are those three worth owning? Who would watch them with me?

If I just wait long enough, the sale will expire and I won't have the option.

That's called "pulling a 'Nordmoe.'"

Unless I buy it at the higher price anyway.

That's called "pulling a 'Shawn.'"

Don't Do It!

You know what you're thinking about.

You're sure it would feel good. It's so tempting.

But the satisfaction would be momentary, fleeting.

The consequences would last much, much longer.

And you won't like those consequences. Really. I guarantee.

Trust me.

Pause. Reflect. Imagine yourself having done it. Relish the thought.

Decide later if you should repent the thought.

Just don't do the deed.

In the end, you'll be happier. Really. I guarantee.

Trust me.

I've been there.

Happy Anniversary

A sincere "Thanks" to all who wished us a "Happy 25th Anniversary." The wishes were appreciated, and the anniversary was indeed happy!

We headed to the Twin Cities, the site of our initial honeymoon. We saw several of the same things -- Minnehaha Falls, the Como Park Conservatory, the Como Park Zoo. We also stopped on Harriet Island, but just missed getting on the paddlewheel tour. But don't feel sorry for us! We had perfect weather: sunshine, 80s (maybe 90s for a few hours), no rain, just enough wind to help keep us cooled off. We even bought me a nice black suit while shopping in the Nicollett Mall.

We stayed at a bed & breakfast very near Como Park and enjoyed some solitude. Sherry brought along the scrapbooks from our college days and from the wedding. We reminisced. We both brought our current reading material and spent a couple hours reading while lounging under a fragrant (linden?) tree in Como Park.

We ate at a couple of nice restaurants, one of which has (I'm quoting the web-site here) "a progressive and interpretive approach to food." This meant "small portions of food combinations you would have never tried otherwise." But the food was good, and the dessert (Crème Brûlée) was wonderful.

Vacations, to me, should help a person get away from their everyday stress, and this one certainly did. It also was relaxed, in the sense that we didn't have any obligation to be in any particular place at any particular time. We just spent time with each other, lived in the moment, and enjoyed!

A 25th anniversary is an event worth celebrating, and this was a celebration worthy of the event. It's just "Part One" of the celebrating we'll do this summer, but it was great!

Happy Weekend

In honor of my imminent four-day weekend, I wish all of you peace, happiness, and relaxation.




Enjoy.

Things the world cares about ---- why?

• Paris Hilton
• Vertical leap
• Don Imus
• Barbaro
• Eating live frogs to cure stomach trouble
• What Richard Petty really thought of Jeff Gordon
• How drunk someone was last Friday
• Where to save a penny per gallon
• The Pro Bowl
• Whether Pluto is a planet

I'll bet I could come up with more.

But if you followed any of the links -- why did you do it?

Movies - recent mini-reviews

We've seen quite a few movies lately. Some in the theater even! Yes, the summer of [Pick Your Movie] #3 is upon us. Anyway, DVD or in the theater, I do mini-reviews to keep track of what we've seen. I've talked about it before. So, here is the recent lot. (I've removed a couple columns to make it more readable in a blog.)

Spiderman 3	74	Glad I saw it, and I’ll own it, but… But, there were too many long stretches of weak character development. And two of the three villains deserved a longer story than they got. Venom should have been a major story. Still, the action was good. In the category of “King Kong” in that respect. But “Kong” had too little character.
Déjà vu	75	Pretty darn good. The “déjà vu” was not mystical or haphazard, and I liked the sci-fi nature of the result.
Casino Royale	70	Really a pretty good “origin” story. But Craig isn’t sophisticated and handsome, so it’s going to be interesting to see whether they can make him Bond-like with future movies. The movie itself was a little long, as they weaved more into the origin than we expected.
The Good Shepherd	73	How much of this was “history?” I almost don’t want to know. Cool view of how the CIA got started, and what it meant for one of its key founders.
Pirates of the Caribbean 3	91	A bit complicated, but quite satisfying as a final (?) episode. Action and characters and visuals all mixed well.
Pirates of the Caribbean	95	Set the bar for adaptations of concepts into story. Casting Depp was critical to the success, and he created a character which will live forever.
Goldeneye	73	A very good installment. It would benefit from more action music, but the opening stunts are spectacular, and the grand scheme of the villain was good, if not quite as over-the-top as the traditional villains.
Children of Men	83	This is old-fashioned sci-fi. A bit tough to follow at times, but I think that was part of the appeal.
Planes, Trains and Automobiles	64	A couple truly hilarious scenes, and then the rest. I liked the movie, really. And it’s not TOO long. But a few more laughs would have been good.
Ocean’s Twelve	77	Caper films are best when you like the thieves (we did,) they pull off complex heists (they did,) and there are surprising payoffs (there were!)

Accommodating? Or Complaisant? Or Corrupted?

Life is a spectrum. Or rather, life is full of spectra. That's really more accurate. Things are rarely just black and white, with little to no room for gray. It's impossible for someone to be pure good, and it's likely just as hard for someone to be pure evil. There is a spectrum.

As I examine my behavioral habits lately, I realize that a trait which had stood me in good stead throughout the years is shifting to the wrong end of the spectrum.

Most people who have known me for a long time would say I'm fairly level-headed and pretty accommodating. It's partially my personality, it's partially my belief system, but it's also partially planned.

One online dictionary defines "accommodating" as follows: "helpful in bringing about a harmonious adaptation."

That's the good end of the spectrum. I try to be helpful. I try to adapt and to encourage adaptation. I strive for harmony.

To that end, I try to go with the flow. People behave in a lot of different ways, and while those behaviors may be different from what I'm used to, I live and let live. However, in attempting to accommodate, one can be pushed towards a negative end of the spectrum.

One way in which this can happen is to try too hard to please; to become complaisant or (worse) obsequious. As I look at my behavior in the past several months, knowing that I am trying to serve many masters, and hoping for reward, I wonder if I haven't moved too far along this spectrum.

Another related path along the spectrum away from positive accommodation is towards real corruption. Along this path, one accepts unacceptable behavior, attempting to push accommodation past its ethical limits. When this happens, the conscience says "something's wrong" and when one ignores it, the slippery slope towards personal unacceptable behavior is just ahead.

I think a large portion of the stress I've been experiencing is related to the tension caused by habitual accommodation and its inadequacy in dealing with everything. It can deal with some things, but some things require me to take a stand, whether that stand promotes harmony or not.

The Bard said "To thine own self be true." It's good advice. If my accommodating attitude is causing me to behave in ways I don't like, I must put it aside in some situations. I must stay true to myself.

"What a Wonderful World"

Louis Armstrong performed this song, and I've listened to it often. This weekend I rediscovered the version performed as a duet by Tony Bennett and k.d. lang, from the album titled after the song. Sherry received the CD from her good friend Kym. I've listened to it a couple of times in the past two days. All of the songs are so soothing, so friendly, so -- well -- musical.

"Soothing" is good. It's what I needed this weekend.

Ahhhhh.

That was nice.






OK, so I also listened to "Fat Bottomed Girls" by Queen. Remember, it's a wonderful world, not necessarily a consistent one.

And the Winner of the "Perfect Person" Award is ...

... not me.

This week I've been reminded of some things at which I excel, and some areas where I need improvement.

One of my favorite quotes:

Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.
Vince Lombardi

I have a few moments in my life which haunt me - moments when it was clear immediately after I did something or said something that I would regret it, and for a long time. I still shudder every time I think of them. {shudder} Well, the regrettable moment this week was not quite that bad, but because I know I'm being evaluated almost constantly these days, my "20-20 hindsight" might turn it into one.

And yet, I had some high points this week, too. I did some things very well, and that, too, was evaluated.

I want to be perfect. I hope, despite falling short, I catch excellence often enough.

{sigh}

Thank God for grace.

May you catch excellence, and may you be happy when you do.