The Eccentricities of Hobbies – Things about Which One Can Find Themselves Jazzed

You’ll have to forgive me; this blog isn’t about politics or some hilarity from my youth. No, it’s a subject I was thinking about recording as I walked one-half mile back to my house after my run last night.

My run last night was fantastic. For some background, while I am an assistant coach with a running group here in Boise, Boise Run/Walk, I’ve taken it upon myself to engage a personal coach to improve my marathon time. My coach is the head coach of the running club I run and coach with.

Thus far, engaging a personal coach has worked for me on a few levels. One, I’ve found myself resolved to work harder at my runs. I am not necessarily running harder, but I am even more mindful of certain things I would normally take for granted. As an example, this last Saturday, during my eleven miler, I made a real point of taking hydration and nutrition during my run and not skipping them, like I so often do. Of course, another component was that I spoke at my group about ensuring one is properly taking in energy and water whilst running; nevertheless, I’ve said those things before, and not practiced what I preached. With a coach and a personal program, that’s right, I’ve found myself actually doing what I know I am supposed to do.

Wow, Matt, that’s great. I know. I know, here I am prefacing the point on which I was going to write. Well, what I just wrote was more or less the point; however, what has me so motivated was the run I took last night. Mike, my coach, on Wednesdays, has my program set up for “speed work.”

For you non-runners out there, “speed work” integrates some different sorts of training into one’s run. There are different types: interval training, hill repeats, striding, tempo running, Yasso 800’s, etc… Long and short, there are lots of ways to practice speed work, and there are lots of good reasons to do it. Rather than bore you with the sports physiology, we’ll say I am motivated to do this, both to improve my marathon time and to shake up what is normally a nice gentle Wednesday-night eight-mile run.

Last night, I ran 4.16 miles from my house to a street just east of Warm Springs golf course in Boise. There, I crossed the street at the ped-way, and came to the hill at Wind Song St. Wind Song is a beautiful steep hill, with a sidewalk, leading up to nice affluent homes. It’s rather rural, but it’s not in the middle of nowhere. I believe technically it is still in Boise-proper.

There at Wind Song, I did 8 x :30’s. Essentially, after running 4.16 miles, I stretched a bit, and ran 8 trips up this hill, turning around to return to the bottom. When I got to the bottom, I’d prepare my Garmin again, and take off up the hill. That took me between five and ten minutes. I don’t recall exactly (when doing hill repeats, one isn’t turning around to run them the second they get to the bottom).

Anyway, after I completed those hill repeats, I took off back to my house. My head felt great, and my run started quite strong. At that point, I think my body was accustomed to the challenge of running up hill. Needless to say, I ran back to my house, and cut it short at eight miles, which left me about .8 miles to walk back to my house. The walk was quite refreshing, and I did so with a great amount of self-satisfaction.

It’s quite amazing, this human experience, pushing myself to do something I would have considered “conditioning” as a teenager. Now, I dig on the fact that I am going to be a better runner, and that I was motivated to do that on my own. Coach Mike left me a voice mail while I was in a meeting earlier, and wondered how it was going. I think I’ll send him this link.

A Relaxed Sunday and a Weekend of Movies

Typically, this time of year, following early church service on Sunday, I like to head up to Bogus to get in some skiing. Yesterday, however, I heard that it was busy, and I was a bit fatigued, so I decided to run errands and relax a bit. As far as the errands went, they were relaxed and rather uneventful. Following trips to “Bed, Bath and Beyond” and REI, I went over to my friends, the Bush’s, house.

Bob and Dianna were gracious hosts, as always. Dianna immediately served me ranch beans she had sitting from being made earlier in the day or weekend. They were very nice, and it was quite nice to have homemade food. Bob and Dianna had friends of their staying with them, in town from Southwest Washington and McCall, I’d refer to them by last name, but I cannot say I ever got that.

Prior to their friends coming back from running errands, two of their guests are getting married in the near term, the mother and sister of the bride were the other two guests, Diana, Bob and I watched “Pineapple Express.”

In the same way Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn, the Wilson brothers, and Wes Anderson formed the “Frat Pack,” Seth Rogan and Judd Apatow have now dominated the humor scene. It’s a good thing, as the “Frat Pack” is not nearly as prolific as they once were.

Not having seen “Pineapple Express,” I was well entertained by the movie. I am glad I saw it. It was most fun watching it with Bob and Diana. Express wasn’t the best movie I saw all weekend though, I have to admit. Saturday night I saw “MILK.”

“Milk” was an incredible film, and I was glad to have seen it. My friends Dan and Patty asked me to join them, and I was more than happy to do so on Saturday Night. It’s hard not to go on and on about why I enjoyed the movie and thought it was so good.

To summarize my feelings on Saturday evening, I would have to put it along these lines: not being gay, the movie being shot by a gay director, Gus Van Sant, gave me a better feel for the characters’ struggles, thoughts and feelings. I know that sounds rather surface, but genuinely, in the same way few if any but African American directors could really convey the rage and pain of racism, I had more empathy for what these folks endured/still endure. Two, Penn’s performance was magnificent. I realize that’s like saying, “Hendrix played a mean guitar,” but his performance showed his range and really made me feel for the character. I don’t want to spoil the ending, but just prior the credits, my feelings for Penn’s performance really crystallized. Three, I thought the movie was so apropos, primarily due to this past year’s Proposition 8. After seeing “MILK,” I look forward to supporting future GLBT rights initiatives.

It’s interesting, being straight, but having so many friends that fall into the categories in the movie, I don’t know that I’ve ever been confronted with the turmoil or issues that friends of mine have had to face. I guess that is part of the struggle GLBT folks are subjected to, primarily, because the social construction is that they should be undercover about their preferences. Whatever the case, I have to expect that if I was in their shoes, I would be quite radical. I don’t think anyone knowing what GLBT folks are subjected to would choose to deviate from society’s norms; nevertheless, there are ignorant people that still think people “choose” their sexuality. I am still looking for someone opposed to Gay marriage, to tell me where in the Bible it says being gay is bad. Please, if you can find the chapter and verse, let me know. While it doesn’t apply to me, I would just assume those that have those feelings be afforded the same rights I have.

Thankful

First, my apologies for a long overdue post. I suppose that’s one way to keep readers from hitting one’s blog too often—quit posting. If you are here in spite of iterant lapses in posting, I thank you. Sincerely, it’s nice to have one’s thoughts read.

I was thinking about what to write, because at the moment, with the holidays, the free time I’d have had at work last week was spent on vacation to Phoenix. Phoenix was quite nice, and I had a great time spending lots of quality time with my family. My Auntie Pat was a terrific host, and I had all too much fun and leisure from which to leave. I suppose we all have to return to normal lives, leaving vacation, but it is what it is. In short, I had a wonderful time, and I’ll sound all too cliché saying this, but the six days I was in Phoenix went much too quickly.

While I was there, I had a bit of an epiphany. I was there at my grandparents’ retirement community, which provides for meals and care, if care is needed. There we were guests in the dining room, and the people of Royal Oaks, the community where my grandparents live, couldn’t have been nicer. My wonderful Grandma Phyllis is quite well known at Royal Oaks, largely because she is on the board. My grandmother is a sharp lady, and it’s fun to see her doing so well with their community.

I apologize; I digress. There we were in the dining room, and on more than one occasion friends of my grandparents would marvel at how well I’m doing, when they would realize I was “Phyllis and Mel’s grandson.” It’s not very often that I hear people refer to parts of my life that have since passed by a few years, but it happens from time-to-time, mostly around the holidays. At one point a woman said to me, “Matt, we sure did pray for you.”

When she said that, as one would expect, I said, “Thank you very much, those prayers certainly made the difference.” I said that quite sincerely.
The evening continued on, and we went on with dinner. At a later point, after we had left the dining area, I was commenting on being flattered and caught off guard that my circumstances were a topic of discussion. Again, it’s something that I have the good fortune I don’t have to think about very often.

During that discussion, I made the following statement, and it put me back for a moment. I said, “Following such an ordeal, we should all be so fortunate, as to be able to thank those who have prayed for us.”

Reading that after I just now wrote it, for me, again brought in that same meditation. Odds are good if you’re reading this, you too prayed for me a little more than two years ago. For that, I am most thankful—God bless.

The Big Three – Congress, Let’s Make the Most of It

Here I am, and I’ve commented on this numerously; yet, I’ve not written anything here on my blog. Detroit, what to do with you? Congress, why would you ever dare squander this opportunity?

Obviously, one could spend forever writing this, but that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense for your or my time. Congress – loan them the money for which they are asking, but put them under receivership. In short, now is the time Congress to ensure that the Big Three all live up to real CAFÉ standards.

It’s quite simple, mandate greater fuel efficiency standards that match the most efficient cars in the world, those coming out of Japan. Ensure the Big Three, if they don’t already have the technology, knocks off the designs via reverse-engineering these foreign automobiles. In addition, ensure that idle assembly plants partner with someone making alternative energy products, e.g. Wind Turbines or Solar Panels.

In all of these instances, we have an experienced labor force, well trained about the construction of automobiles. We have plants and assembly lines well tooled and equipment for two of the three above products. Lastly, for the one errant out-of-the box component, there could be retraining and retooling, or there could be the usage of the infrastructure to package and distribute, cutting the costs right out of the production.

Detroit’s issues for the past thirty years have been the result of bad management. It’s not as though the labor force is lesser than elsewhere in the world. Detroit, in both design and materials, has gone for cheap, shoddy quality and inefficiency in favor of faddish wants of car buyers at a given moment. Off the top of my head, I cannot think of one car designed by a Detroit automaker that makes me think twice about heading to the dealers.

In short, Congress has kowtowed to Detroit on emissions for far too long. They did so when Detroit, between the UAW and the Big Three execs, leveraged its weight on both sides of the political spectrum. Now is the time to make them change, while they are down; keep people employed, and keep millions with health insurance until a decent health plan comes about for our country’s people.

Australia - a new film...

This last week, with my family, I saw “Australia.” I don’t quite know what to make of the movie. It was entertaining, and it had all of the romantic and epic elements of a 1950’s-era film, including the gallant rugged horseman, the aristocratic lady, and the spiritual native boy. Rather than those elements being injected for the sake of camp, I think the filmmaker, Baz Luhrmann, genuinely works within these conventions out of sincerity.

Provided we live in an age of taking previous conventions from the Modern-era, and we turn them on their head or turn them inside out, for me, it was hard to make whether or not “Australia” was a high-camp rendition on past conventions. Of course, then I thought of it, and there was no irony injected along with these ancient conventions. For example, looking at the film poster, there is no sense of irony to it.

Quite simply, “Australia,” a long narrative, could have been made in 1958 with James Dean and Elizabeth Taylor. Of course, they both would have had to acquire Aussie accents; nevertheless, that was the feeling I had leaving the film. It’s a palatable rendition, but for my money, it certainly was nothing new or thought-provoking. Moreover, I don’t like Luhrmann’s continuous injection of music—particularly Judy Garland sung songs from “The Wizard of Oz.” To me, it seemed as though this was projected towards three very specific audiences: women, children, and Judy Garland fans.

Delinquencies

I’ve been out for almost a couple of weeks, and I had meant to write a review of my trip back to the Quad Cities. It was a delightful time, and one with a good number of interesting observations—not coming from Chicago but from Boise.

What was most important, arriving home in Moline/Fyre Lake was seeing my beloved family, including my sister, and then seeing my friends. I had a good number of runs on seem neat routes, which made the runs at home neat. The two eight-milers I ran were different: one went from 24th Ave, down to the Mississippi, off to East Moline, and then back. The other run went around Fyre Lake, back up to the Corner Mart, and then back to my folks’ house. They were fun runs.

Of course, what was also quite delightful was returning back to Boise, where I’ve bought and moved into a house. I bought the house back in October—closed on the 30th. Then, I took possession on the 31st. I moved in over subsequent weeks, and I couldn’t be more pleased with the house.

You’ll have to forgive the organization or cleanliness, as the pictures were taken following my return from a week of vacation. It’s not that I live messily, but that I still have not had a chance to finish unpacking. In addition, I had not unpacked from being away for the week of Thanksgiving.

Here are pictures:

That’s where I am, and I look forward to having visitors to Boise. It will be too much fun to have friends and loved ones come to Boise to visit.





http://picasaweb.google.com/matthewcurtisjohnson/MattSHouse113008#

Iraq boots out the Americans

http://www.economist.com/world/mideast-africa/displayStory.cfm?story_id=12650224

It’s amazing to me that we have a “withdrawal agreement” with Iraq, and it’s not been broadcast throughout the media. Of course, right now, we have the big three automakers asking for money from Congress. Nevertheless, this is pretty damn big news, in my humble opinion. Moreover, it is particularly amazing is that we’ve not had this announced via televised Presidential Announcement.

There was a quote in this article that struck me: “This is a big moment for America and Iraq, yet the Iraqi government was more regretful than jubilant, calling the deal the best it could achieve after more than a year of negotiations. The Bush administration, now in its last weeks in power, made several concessions.”

Is it me, or is it a far cry from the US being greeted as “liberators” that the above had to take place under those circumstances?

Those items are less of a concern, now that the Office of the President is being relieved of its most incompetent administration. What is more concerning, from my perspective, is the dichotomy between the Sunni and Shiite. This potential sectarian strife is not limited to Iraq, but the vacuum created by a US withdrawal, done poorly, has the potential to result in a civil war, all too easily funded by the Sunnis in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, etc… and the Shiites in Iran. I don’t know. I am hopeful and anxious to get our troops out of Iraq, but I certainly hope that the government in Iraq is well enough constructed that it can withstand those tensions.

Without the Presidential Campaign, It’s Tough to Write

My friend Martha today was curious as to why I hadn’t posted anything as of late. It’s interesting why I haven’t. I had to think about it a bit. Realizing that I’ve not had anything viciously political on which to write, I’ve been left with little to write.
Is that the case? Am I not doing anything? Of course not; truthfully, I’ve been quite busy being a new homeowner, and with a vacation back to Illinois starting Friday afternoon, I’ve not had a lot of interesting stuff to write.

In short, while I would be self-conscious about writing about just me, writing about the minutia of what I am right now doing is just not that interesting.

However, I can write about the following: Here in Boise, I have a dear friend, Betty. Betty is noteworthy because of what a great friend she is. Betty and I met at our church about a year ago. Betty is also known as “GiGi” to her great-grandkids. Betty knows me well, and a few Sundays ago, asked me what had me fidgety. I explained that I was in the process of moving, was going to try to meet up with a friend for coffee, and I had to clean a bunch at my old place.
From there, Betty insisted on helping me move my kitchen supplies. What a dear friend! Betty came over to my place, and was an absolute help! For Betty to just come over and keep me company; that would have been enough, but she packed so much of my flatware, silverware and dishes! Because I had bought brunch a few Sundays before hand, Betty insisted that Sunday of doing the same! I know. I know. I was having the hardest time accepting, and not stealing the check; however, I know better than to mess with my friend Betty. Betty is not to be messed with, so I relented!

This past Sunday, without having any signs of being fidgety, again, Betty insisted on helping me clean. I already had the majority of my cleaning done, and just a little bit to move out. Nevertheless, Betty came by and helped! As I am leaving a few days from today, I wanted to see Betty prior to leaving for Thanksgiving, so I could take her something nice.

Last week, after the first Sunday, I took Betty some potted begonias; provided that, I was going to bring her something else. As I went over to Betty’s to say “goodbye” prior Thanksgiving, I dropped by my PO Box. There I was, at the post office, and I saw in my PO Box an envelop with Betty’s return address. There I was, about to take this dear friend a gift for helping me more than she already had, and I was receiving such a lovely card.

From there, I went over to Betty’s, and she had made a nice dinner for us. I seldom, if ever, eat prior my evening runs. In this case, I was more than happy to dine with this dear friend, and the gesture itself was ever so generous and wonderful. Betty is truly a great and dear friend, and I am fortunate to have her as a friend.

It’s such a wonderful thing, friendship. I was concluding a conference call I organized with some engineering students at the University of Illinois yesterday and Village Hope, the charity with which I am working to put irrigation in Sierra Leone, and I noted that what we were doing was far from being zero-sum. That’s the amazing component with great friends and family, all wonderful people; it is quite far from zero-sum. Great family and friends are instances of “win-win” – truly great things.

The Palin Industrial Complex Redux

Following the election, aside from Obama, the person we are hearing the most of is Sarah Palin. You and I both know it. Governor Palin is receiving more press than George Bush, Dick Cheney, John McCain or Joe Biden all put together.

What can I say? You heard it here first! http://mattyjohnson.blogspot.com/2008/10/britney-industrial-complexis-it-now.html

I am telling you – there will be a massive offer for Sarah Palin to be featured in all of these various ways. When a scandal hits her due to Trooper-gate, we’ll not have heard more on one subject from Greta or Nancy since that little girl in Florida went missing. Like it or not, you can thank the GOP for sticking us with Caribou Barbie. The upside? Well, Saturday Night Live is once again funny, and we get Tina Fey in costume. We always need to see the sunny side up, I suppose.

As I wrote that, I just thought about how my normal five mile Tuesday night run is different than it used to be from Boise’s North End—surreal…

Out of Pocket

Hey Readers, I hope you are doing well. Apologies for the delay in posting, I have been in the process of moving to my new home. I was reticent to write about the process of moving into a home I bought—what, without pictures, but it’s what I’ve been up to. Please know that the pictures are forthcoming. I have not yet had a chance to take too many pictures, largely because I am in the process of settling in.

Alas, were it not for our families, most specifically our Mothers or Sisters, and imminent visits—you’ll note I am speaking from a bachelor’s perspective, we would not settle in to things as quickly as we should. What’s amazing about home ownership, as most of you know, is that it takes us back to the Problem of Universals.

In short, there is an idea of how one’s home should be, but that idea of a home in stateful perfection, while conceivable, is something that can never quite be obtained. I suppose that could fall back to one of the first rules of economics, which is to say, “Human wants are insatiable.” Of course, the second rule to accompany that is “resources are limited or finite.”

Right now, I couldn’t be happier with my home, and I don’t have too much in the way of projects. I have a few minor projects, like correcting a tree’s growth, from slightly meandering to perfectly vertical, and doing some caulking in a few little spots prior to winter. None of these things are terribly intimidating, nor am I too hurried in dealing with them. Of course, the counterbalance to completing these two minor tasks is cleaning up my old apartment, and completing the last of my move.

My move is done, with the exception of the cards and drawings hung on my refrigerator—those things and my cleaning supplies at my old place. Other than that, moving those remaining items and cleaning up after a year’s worth of living, then I’ll be free and clear. Of course, then I’ll start on the aforementioned projects, and whatever other little ones I have outside. At the same time, I have pictures, which still need to be hung or framed, and I have friends for whom to cook. Indeed, I am little homeowner/homemaker Matty, and I am having a ball.

If this is the first you are hearing about my move to buy a house and move into it. It’s been to long since we’ve spoken or corresponded. I am sorry for that. Sometimes I feel quite disconnected from many friends back in the Midwest or elsewhere. I do have guest bedrooms, so please plan a visit to Boise. I look forward to seeing you sometime soon.

I hope you are all doing well.

The Wall Street Journal's Opinion Page has always been Right Wing - The Deconstruction of a Disgraceful Plea

A dear friend forwarded me the below editorial yesterday, and as one would expect, I vehemently disagreed with Mr. Shapiro’s position. I am prone to deconstruct the essay, which one can find by clicking on the picture.

For Mr. Shapiro’s first point, the San Francisco sewage plant, it was a proposition in San Francisco. One could find that a city permitting a gay pride parade or another commemoration classless. Perhaps the citizens voting for that “classless and disrespectful” measure learned something from those dismissing exculpatory evidence during Whitewater? In this instance, they had a sense of humor about what to name something that removes waste. I enjoy how Mr. Shapiro uses the phrase, “many Americans,” lest we not forget this is a democracy. Our first questions should be about where and who descended our politics to this level in the first place, something over which we should all stop to think. President-elect Obama cited those immature in their dissent from persons’ political positions in his speech. How did we arrive at this level of immaturity?

“Mr. Bush has endured relentless attacks from the left while facing abandonment from the right.” Relentless attacks from the left? Yes, well I suppose when one has been at the helm of a ship driving into an iceberg, perhaps they deserve dissension. I don’t have the time or space for concision to lay out all of the ways this President and his administration have governed so poorly, but putting us into a war under false pretenses might be a one-off that one could mention.

Particularly, I enjoy the non sequitur used with the following passage:
“During his 2004 victory speech, the president reached out to voters who supported his opponent, John Kerry, and said, "Today, I want to speak to every person who voted for my opponent. To make this nation stronger and better, I will need your support, and I will work to earn it. I will do all I can do to deserve your trust." Those bipartisan efforts have been met with crushing resistance from both political parties.”
I am beginning to detect a theme from this essay. He uses simply the words of the man, not his actions to support his point. In this case, Mr. Shapiro uses the President’s words subsequent an election, and speaks as though his administration “worked to earn our support,” or “did all it could to deserve our trust.” What evidence does Mr. Shapiro provide to support that President Bush has done these things, and has been mistreated otherwise? He provides no supporting evidence.

Mr. Shapiro in his next paragraphs mentions a litany of political failures by the Bush administration; however, he does nothing but highlight areas where Bush has miserably failed. Reading this is laughable, and is being published in a paper purchased by the same individuals who own Fox News. I can continue to write over this, but would ask that you look at any one of these qualitative propositions, and tell me where I am wrong. This essay is perhaps the ultimate in the Right’s insults to our intelligence.

Mr. Shapiro, One reaps what they sow...



The Treatment of Bush Has Been a Disgrace
What must our enemies be thinking?
By JEFFREY SCOTT SHAPIRO
WSJ—November 5, 2008

Earlier this year, 12,000 people in San Francisco signed a petition in support of a proposition on a local ballot to rename an Oceanside sewage plant after George W. Bush. The proposition is only one example of the classless disrespect many Americans have shown the president.
According to recent Gallup polls, the president's average approval rating is below 30% -- down from his 90% approval in the wake of 9/11. Mr. Bush has endured relentless attacks from the left while facing abandonment from the right.
This is the price Mr. Bush is paying for trying to work with both Democrats and Republicans. During his 2004 victory speech, the president reached out to voters who supported his opponent, John Kerry, and said, "Today, I want to speak to every person who voted for my opponent. To make this nation stronger and better, I will need your support, and I will work to earn it. I will do all I can do to deserve your trust."
Those bipartisan efforts have been met with crushing resistance from both political parties.
The president's original Supreme Court choice of Harriet Miers alarmed Republicans, while his final nomination of Samuel Alito angered Democrats. His solutions to reform the immigration system alienated traditional conservatives, while his refusal to retreat in Iraq has enraged liberals who have unrealistic expectations about the challenges we face there.
It seems that no matter what Mr. Bush does, he is blamed for everything. He remains despised by the left while continuously disappointing the right.
Yet it should seem obvious that many of our country's current problems either existed long before Mr. Bush ever came to office, or are beyond his control. Perhaps if Americans stopped being so divisive, and congressional leaders came together to work with the president on some of these problems, he would actually have had a fighting chance of solving them.
Like the president said in his 2004 victory speech, "We have one country, one Constitution and one future that binds us. And when we come together and work together, there is no limit to the greatness of America."
To be sure, Mr. Bush is not completely alone. His low approval ratings put him in the good company of former Democratic President Harry S. Truman, whose own approval rating sank to 22% shortly before he left office. Despite Mr. Truman's low numbers, a 2005 Wall Street Journal poll found that he was ranked the seventh most popular president in history.
Just as Americans have gained perspective on how challenging Truman's presidency was in the wake of World War II, our country will recognize the hardship President Bush faced these past eight years -- and how extraordinary it was that he accomplished what he did in the wake of the September 11 attacks.
The treatment President Bush has received from this country is nothing less than a disgrace. The attacks launched against him have been cruel and slanderous, proving to the world what little character and resolve we have. The president is not to blame for all these problems. He never lost faith in America or her people, and has tried his hardest to continue leading our nation during a very difficult time.
Our failure to stand by the one person who continued to stand by us has not gone unnoticed by our enemies. It has shown to the world how disloyal we can be when our president needed loyalty -- a shameful display of arrogance and weakness that will haunt this nation long after Mr. Bush has left the White House.

Words not Meeting their Requirements

Admittedly, I was largely reticent to even begin writing about last night, 4-November’s events. While I could talk or write about it endlessly, I’ll try and keep my words to a minimum. I don’t think I have the time or concision to keep my thoughts on yesterday’s events well enough edited to keep my audience reading.

I’m sitting down today refreshed; refreshed, because my confidence in this country is still in tact. A friend and I emailed yesterday, and we were both nervous about the day’s events. Of course, we had hope, but the consequences of the contrary were too frightful to rest easily.

I digress. I was going to keep this somewhat concise; largely, because I didn’t think I could put together something worthy of our new direction.

First, as McCain had mentioned in his gracious concession speech, what an historic achievement for this country and our integrity for equal protection and equal rights, for all people. I watched young women and men in Spellman College, in Atlanta, dancing and tearful at their hopes and dreams finally coming to reality. In addition, to all of that, to see Oprah and Jesse Jackson in Grant Park, also with tears of joy and solace in their eyes, was simply majestic. Quite clearly, I cannot begin to imagine what the election of an African-American President must feel like to a race of people who have dealt with oppression, in some fashion, since our continent was settled; nevertheless, I have to imagine it was quite reconciling, a final triumph over Jim Crowe.

Secondly, as I was watching the shots from Spellman and Chicago’s Grant Park, I saw a camera shot of young white men and women, jumping around and dancing; also, as though they were in a frat house. I suppose that goes back to something I wrote about some time ago; quite simply, Obama is meta-racial—some refer to it as post-racial, but since I called it “meta-racial” I am sticking with it for consistency’s sake.

Of course, speaking to what a diverse group of young men and women were dancing about, all at the same time as a largely African-American group were dancing down in Atlanta, it was not only change in the face of the races of those that hold the White House. No, right now, our country has finally decided to overwhelmingly depart from the politics of this administration and the politics of the boomer generation’s “liberal vs. conservative.”

When Obama spoke last night, he gracefully mentioned those who will immaturely mock the efforts to progress this country, moving it back from these horrible eight years of Republican Rule. We have so much work to do, and it is going to be difficult; however, we are in the process of correcting things, only to make them better for us and our children. Even having to get up from a comfortable night of sleep this morning, I was comforted by the fact that I can now look at the outcome of this election with satisfaction about its outcome. It’s been time for too long now, and we can rejoice that someone intelligent and right headed is heading back to the White House.

A Wonderful Letter - Please Read

I Didn't Vote For Obama Today
November 4, 2008, 9:37AM

I have a confession to make.

I did not vote for Barack Obama today.

I've openly supported Obama since March. But I didn't vote for him today.

I wanted to vote for Ronald Woods. He was my algebra teacher at Clark Junior High in East St. Louis, IL. He died 15 years ago when his truck skidded head-first into a utility pole. He spent many a day teaching us many things besides the Pythagorean Theorem. He taught us about Medgar Evers, Ralph Abernathy, John Lewis and many other civil rights figures who get lost in the shadow cast by Martin Luther King, Jr.

But I didn't vote for Mr. Woods.

I wanted to vote for Willie Mae Cross.
She owned and operated Crossroads Preparatory Academy for almost 30 years, educating and empowering thousands of kids before her death in 2003. I was her first student. She gave me my first job, teaching chess and math concepts to kids in grades K-4 in her summer program. She was always there for advice, cheer and consolation. Ms. Cross, in her own way, taught me more about walking in faith than anyone else I ever knew.But I didn't vote for Ms. Cross.

I wanted to vote for Arthur Mells Jackson, Sr. and Jr. Jackson Senior was a Latin professor. He has a gifted school named for him in my hometown. Jackson Junior was the pre-eminent physician in my hometown for over 30 years. He has a heliport named for him at a hospital in my hometown. They were my great-grandfather and great-uncle, respectively.But I didn't vote for Prof. Jackson or Dr. Jackson.

I wanted to vote for A.B. Palmer. She was a leading civil rights figure in Shreveport, Louisiana, where my mother grew up and where I still have dozens of family members. She was a strong-willed woman who earned the grudging respect of the town's leaders because she never, ever backed down from anyone and always gave better than she got. She lived to the ripe old age of 99, and has a community center named for her in Shreveport.But I didn't vote for Mrs. Palmer.

I wanted to vote for these people, who did not live to see a day where a Black man would appear on their ballots on a crisp November morning.

In the end, though, I realized that I could not vote for them any more than I could vote for Obama himself.

So who did I vote for?

No one.

I didn't vote. Not for President, anyway.

Oh, I went to the voting booth. I signed, was given my stub, and was walked over to a voting machine. I cast votes for statewide races and a state referendum on water and sewer improvements.

I stood there, and I thought about all of these people, who influenced my life so greatly. But I didn't vote for who would be the 44th President of the United States.

When my ballot was complete, except for the top line, I finally decided who I was going to vote for - and then decided to let him vote for me. I reached down, picked him up, and told him to find Obama's name on the screen and touch it.

And so it came to pass that Alexander Reed, age 5, read the voting screen, found the right candidate, touched his name, and actually cast a vote for Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

Oh, the vote will be recorded as mine. But I didn't cast it.

Then again, the person who actually pressed the Obama box and the red "vote" button was the person I was really voting for all along. It made the months of donating, phonebanking, canvassing, door hanger distributing, sign posting, blogging, arguing and persuading so much sweeter.

So, no, I didn't vote for Barack Obama.

I voted for a boy who now has every reason to believe he, too, can grow up to be anything he wants...even President.

SPAM from McCain the Morning of an Election?

I woke up in the middle of the night last night, and had a hard time falling back to sleep. As such, I got up from my bed, and went to check email. I know, this is starting out like an exciting post...

Anyway, as I was looking at my email, I found a damned bit of SPAM from John McCain! Let's line this out together:

1. I hate spam, which makes me dislike those who sent it to me


2. I've not received any spam from Obama


3. Like so many others in this country, I've already voted


4. I don't think a whole lot of McCain's decision making capabilities, predicated on the fact he picked Sarah Palin as his running mate...


5. I can only assume he bought my email address from the same people that sold it to the Viagra, Enhancement, Meet Local Women, cheap Rolex's, or Pharmaceuticals folks that spam me...

Here's the spam, sans graphics...

My Friend,
From the time I entered the Naval Academy at age seventeen I have been privileged and honored to serve my country.
Throughout my years of service, I've been faced with challenges where I could have taken the easy way out and given up. But I'm an American and I never give up. Instead, I choose to show courage and stand up and fight for the country I love. Today, I am asking you to stand with me and to fight for our country's future.
Our country faces enormous challenges and our next president must be ready to lead on day one. My lifetime of experience has prepared me to lead our great nation. I'm prepared to bring solutions to our economic challenges, bring our troops home in victory and improve our nation's healthcare system.
Time and time again, my country has saved my life and I owe her more than she has ever owed me. I have chosen to show my gratitude through a life of service to our country and tomorrow, you will have a choice before you.
I humbly ask you to make the choice that will allow me to serve my country a little while longer by casting your vote to elect me as your next President of the United States.
Finally, I ask that you never forget that much has been sacrificed to protect our right to vote. We must never forget those Americans who, with their courage, with their sacrifice, and with their lives, have protected our freedom. It is my great hope that you will exercise your right to vote as an American tomorrow.
I thank you for your kind support, your dedication to our cause, and most importantly I thank you for your vote.

With sincere appreciation,

John McCain

You lost me there Senator...

Remiss and Good People

As of late, I’ve been feeling remiss about not writing more than I have. I don’t know that I can articulate very well my feelings of neglect on posting to my blog, but I suppose I’ll take a stab.

If you read this very often, you know that I just joined facebook this last weekend. In doing so, I’ve been rewarded with a compliment on this blog by my dear friend Wendy. Wendy is a wonderful and quite down-to-earth woman, for those of you that do not know her. Receiving a compliment on my postings was both flattering, and for me, it highlighted that it has been a bit since I last posted. On that note, I should dedicate this blog to my dear friend Wendy. To further that, I should note, Wendy, Idaho is full of people from Wisconsin.

The bar near where I currently live, it flies a Packer flag on Sundays. In addition, there is a great young family at my church, both the mother and father are officers in the Air Force, and are around our age. Anyway, they have two children, one of whom is a little girl between three-and-four. The little lady came to church a few weeks ago in a dress modeled after a Green Bay Packers’ Cheerleader’s outfit. It was undoubtedly precious. The father is serving off in the Middle East, which must be so challenging to care for the two kids with her husband being far off; nevertheless, like a good Wisconsin woman, the mother brings those two kids to church every Sunday.

In addition to that, another means of motivation for writing today was the pleasure that I had in running with my friend Jenny Stinson last night. You can see Jenny’s blog up, just to the right of this posting “Runny4yourlife.” Jenny and I ran the trails by where I live, which are a lot of fun, but they are continuously challenging. I admitted to Jenny last night, the trail I run for my Wednesday 8-miler, “Lower Hull’s Gulch,” has two-and-a-half miles of substantial uphill. That uphill is marked with rocks, and it definitely builds up one’s soleus muscles, ankles, and gastrocnemius. In any event, it’s a great run, which always reminds me that no matter how much I run, or how strong I am, challenges are always out there, and I can always improve my running.

I guess that’s the sort-of-meta thing I think about running, right? It’s a sport in which progress is so immediately quantifiable. I suppose one could say the same thing about swimming, cycling or golf, but the act of running is something so minimalist, it is ultimately reduced to two areas: physicality and mentality. The simplicity and determination of the sport are two things I absolutely adore about it.

I digress. Running with my friend Jenny was a terrific Wednesday-night run, and Jenny, right now, is training for a 50k. A 50K is thirty miles, which is four more than a marathon—err, 3.8. Anyway, it’s a 50k trail run, which is why Jenny thought of being a rare improvement on the enjoyment of my Wednesday night run. Beyond that, Jenny flattered me by noting things I had said in my blog.

It’s tough to express just how flattering it is to speak with a friend about something random, like having met a lovely woman in a coffee shop, by the coffee shop’s specific name, and for the friend to ask a question citing a past blog post. In this case, Jenny was spot on, which was quite flattering. My friend Jenny, a fellow Chicago transplant, is a dear friend of mine to have here in Boise. Not only are Jenny’s daughter, son-in-law and Grandson Marshall terrific people, but she has lovely friends, current Chicagoland residents, with whom I had the pleasure of dining before the City of Trees Marathon, and her beautiful golden Fremont. In short, Jenny keeps great company, has a wonderful family, and a great puppy dog.

Lastly, I should conclude with what a pleasure it is to have my friend Ben in town this week. Ben was in Eastern Idaho with other friends for the end of last week and beginning of this week; they were there hunting elk. Ben is here in my place until Sunday, about which I couldn’t be happier. In coming days, I’ll probably post something, which will further indicate why it is all the more fun and important to have a dear friend in town.

I guess on that note, I should be off to take care of some things for the remainder of the working week. In any event, I wanted to ensure I put up a good post, and noted some of the most immediate joys around this week.

Facebook and Detachment

I love writing for my blog, if for no other reason than expressing that which I’ve felt over a given period. One cannot deny the experience is not quite like a journal, which I’ve never been as good at keeping as corresponding with friends. As I am writing that, I am thinking of what had me write the above title. At the prompting of several friends over the past year, I’ve finally joined Facebook. Having done so, I am experiencing this incredible sensation predicated on my geographic and lifestyle changes.

Before I write further, I should preface this by saying I’m not regretting my move, nor am I regretting my aforesaid lifestyle changes. Of course, if you don’t know me well, the move was from Chicago to Boise, Idaho. From the lifestyle change perspective, we are speaking of my having traded working hard/playing hard for working well/living well, including doing a lot of running, all of that post-trauma.

Back to my point, joining Facebook has provided me a reconnection to many with whom I’ve not kept in touch. In so doing, I am realizing just how dynamic my friends’ lives have been. Being a human, like many of us, I tend to be rather self-centered. With that self-investment, it’s too easy to lost track of time and years gone by.

A few examples, browsing the page of one lady I knew, back at Illinois, I saw pictures of a friend of mine who went to Iowa. My friend, I’ve known him for twenty-plus years, and the girl, I knew as a younger classmate who worked at a sister bar to the one at which I bartended. Seeing the two of them in pictures, I asked my friend Paul if they were or had been dating. It turns out they have been dating for approximately four months. That’s a rather small example, but the point is that the little city of Chicago I left behind didn’t keep people from intermingling and meeting one another.

Of course, steps taken even further have been to see another woman, whom I one knew well, now married, looking as lovely as ever. In short, I always had a crush on this woman, and to see that she is now married, it leaves one thinking of years past. Of course, the last time I saw her was at Oasis playing UIC Pavilion back in 2005, when I had a girlfriend with whom I was enamored. The point is to say though that seeing these progressions leaves me feeling a bit intimidated about how fast life moves not just for me individually, but for everyone else. It’s the feeling that one doesn’t disagree with, hearing someone speak about it. Rather, it is all too easy right now to say, “No kidding, Sherlock? Everyone’s lives change? Surprise!”

With all of that said, however, it does not keep one from noticing it more vibrantly with this new medium through which it comes. It’s rather surreal, to say the least. It makes one miss those who are back in places of yore, be it Sherrard, Champaign, Memphis, or Chicago. Nevertheless, I do love having moved to Boise, the natural wonders are too nice to refuse.

Owyhee Lake - close to Boise

PS - I don't think I can / I am making it a rule to not access Facebook at work. If you send me a friend connection, and I don't confirm straight away, it's because of that. It will be later in the day.

"Joe the Plumber" the Poor Man Is Frought with Issues

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/16/joe-the-plumber-is-it-see_n_135211.html

Long and short, Joe would receive a tax cut under Obama, as his business makes lees than $250,000 per year. Moreover, Joe has tax paying issues. In short, Senator McCain, your utilization of this man was poor judgement. Perhaps not as poor as picking Sarah Palin, but your consistency gives reason to fear your success in the coming election.

Pictures, Songs, Haircuts and Fashion, How They Evoke bygone Times

This morning, I was visiting http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/, reading about one of my favorite band’s album’s reissues being postponed. In doing that, I see this picture—the one off to the right, and am struck with this wave of nostalgia and passed time. For me, it’s quite amazing to see haircuts, colors, and photo components none of which would be considered part of contemporary fashion. At the same time, because of what has since occurred, those items seem all the more out of time.

Since this photo was taken, for bands in Pavement’s genre, recollection of 60’s and 70’s garage rock meeting dive bar aesthetics has been dominant. Beyond that the styles of college-aged kids, even those revolting against their contemporaries’ affluent aesthetic, have changed substantially. I realize this is a bit meandering, but in how cyclical fashion aesthetics are, it’s hard to write about it without a flow chart. The ebb and flow are interesting.

I digress. Seeing this photo brought me back to thinking of just how much time has passed since this photo was taken for this no broken-up band, at the same time, how much time has since passed for me. The year this photo was taken, I was either concluding my freshman year at Illinois or starting my sophomore year. I was quite into being a fraternity boy, and working on enjoying the fruits of my labor during pledgeship. It all seems quite long ago, and evokes this time about which I seldom think. I think about later years in University, but seldom back specifically to the year of 1997.

Of course, sometimes I wonder if that is because 1997 was one of the easy and comfortable years of Clinton pax-Americana. Because the events of the Balkans and Africa were quite far removed from college students out having a good time, and none of my friends were subject to having their reserve duty called up, thinking about the world stage at that point wasn’t a question. I wonder now how nineteen-year-olds find themselves in those similar circumstances.

I guess that begs a great question: is it better to live in days of Halcyon or days of concern, which keeps one focused on the world’s events?

Sarah First

Governor Palin, are “pro-America” places just like the place in your home where a member of the Alaskan Independence Party lives?

Everybody’s Gotta Make a Living – Vanity Redux and Old Folks

Are we a culture obsessed with Vanity and Desperation?
You’ve probably seen me write about SPAM before, and read my thoughts about “Truth to Market.” To sum it up, we see spam about erectile dysfunction, male organ size, pharmaceuticals and clothing all the time. Spammers have one clear objective, of course, which is to make money. As such, they spam on the aforementioned topics with the hope that will grab as many desperate folks as possible. By the same token, the one liners, as here demonstrated, are overly pervasive on the Internet. It’s as though late night/early morning ad buyers have found they can penetrate a broader demographic via the Internet than through their former medium.

What does this say about our culture? Again, I think I am only stating something at which we all nod our heads, but it’s probably one of the greater flaws of our culture. By that I mean the guise of “having it all.” We are a nation that has waged a war, at the same time telling people to “spend, spend and spend,” does our Government sell the same delusions? Clearly, in the process both the citizens and the Government of the United States have run up a bundle of credit card debt.

My point is simply that we have cultural issues that we need to repair from our grassroots. It’s evident by what is marketed to us. I could probably spend more time writing on this, but for now, work is more of a priority.