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I’m watching the G-Men fighting for their playoff lives against the all-but-mathematically-eliminated Miami Dolphins. On the one hand the game is about the Dolphins showing respect for Hall of Fame former coach Don Shula on his special night. On the other hand it is about the subplots: Beckham v. Landry, Giants trying to win the east, Campbell playing against his former team, Campbell trying to earn a job… All of this adds up to a deeply interesting game that has become a 17-17 deadlock indicative of the Giants season(s) over the last decade.

We can blame the injury bug (the 10 yr bug? get new trainers and scouts, please), or we can blame the philosophy, or we can put it on a number of factors that have kept the Giants totally mediocre–until they aren’t. So far they really are and are suddenly trailing in a game that shouldn’t even be close. What can you say about that as a fan? There isn’t much really to say or do but to keep chugging on and keep trying to support the team in any way you can. I’m starting to understand a bit more of what the Cubs fans go through…

Some Thoughts:

1. I’ve never mentioned it before, but this commercial is crazy funny to me.
2. Gameplan/practice plan for football is coming together.
3. Legit writing schedule also coming together. I’ve been given too many chances to be somebody to continue being nobody…
4. WWE TLC was not what I expected. They worked pretty hard to get Roman Reigns over as a fan fave, but will it work?
5. Hand is feeling better–broken but better.

During my weekly meditation and accounting of self I allowed myself to step back and really consider how I feel about the events of the last year. I took a moment to embrace my anger and disappointment in some of the things that have transpired in my professional and personal life. I let myself be angry for a good half hour, reflecting on how it felt to be mad and reasoning where some of that anger came from. Doing this helped me to recognize that I’ve been angry and operating with that anger as an undercurrent for some time.

I cannot go into details about the conditions of my anger without casting down negativity on a number of people. I don’t want to do that. There is no real need to be that person anymore. What I can say is that I internalized a great many things and allowed that to take away from who I am and what makes me happy. Moreover, I found myself worrying about what people think about me, which is very counterproductive and worthy of lighting the flames of anger within me. Once I’d rolled around in all of it for a while I decided to consider the impact of the anger.

Being angry makes me less effective as a person. The trick then is to recognize the triggers and to learn how to turn that emotion into something else–something that has nothing to do with undoing lies told or righting wrongs or managing impressions–something that is born from the core parts of you. For me that means returning to the idea of story and space and connecting with those emotions that swirl within me in order to embed them in story.

I’m fortunate to have writing as an outlet.

I’m going to tell you a story. It isn’t about anyone you know but it will be worth your while. I’ve always wanted to begin something with that promise. It comes from Andrew Stanton of Pixar and is the implicit promise that every writer makes when they first depress a key or put pen to paper or even derma through an idea. We promise that what we are saying to you is relatable and is worth of your attention and, often, of your purchase. The promise is often true–always true to someone but sometimes true to many. The promise reaches out past the stars of our imagination to the center of our hearts where it grabs us and allows us to be suspended in a weave or words that we call story.  It is an intricate and layered promise that leads to some of the most intimate relationships in our lives. As I think on the writers I have known and loved I believe that one rarely loves as deeply and thoroughly as one loves story–and by extension the writers who create them.

Remember Misery? The creation cooked up in the East coast addled brain of Stephen King sent a writer to hell. The writer wound up with a warden named Annie Wilkes who loved a writer’s work and hated the writer for what he did to it. It argued that sometimes the work becomes to property of the fans. Their investment in the outcome is based on their loves and lives and situation, which leads to visceral reaction based on how things turn out. I’ve been thinking about this especially in regards to Empire Strikes Back (best Star Wars movie EVER) and the new film, in which the originally director is not deeply invested.

I write this post to suggest that the implicit promise of story comes into play more now for writers than in recent times. We are writing to audience–especially in TV and that can lead to a creation and investment based on what audience might want–what might be worth their while–and not the story the writer feels needs be told.

I write this as a warning to the writers who come next. We are not a group who is meant to be controlled by audience. We are reflections of the society–where it is and where it should go. Lets hold on to that job… its worth it.

Recently a national news network kicked up the debate about saying ‘happy holidays’ vs. saying Merry xmas. This latest conversation was originally rooted in a false controversy about Starbucks supposed war on xmas, since proven to be false. While the latest rant started out with Starbucks, it flowered into a general disappointment in those who ‘narrow’ their holiday praise to ‘happy holidays’ but here’s the thing: I always say happy holidays. I don’t do it to attack Christmas, but to be reflective of the wealth of people I know who aren’t necessarily Christian.

I grew up in NYC. Half my friends were Jewish. I remember being a kid and thinking, ‘why do they get gifts everyday, and those gifts seem to improve over the course of the Jewish holiday, and I gotta settle for a couple on one day long after these kids are having fun with their toys. I grew out of that… sorta… but growing up with Hanukkah and later Kwanza, I came to understand that I needed to say something that represented all people. It didn’t mean that xmas meant anything less–the same way that calling it xmas doesn’t make it any less of a holiday. Happy Holidays is an inclusionary simplification that allows someone to praise a holiday without walking down the list of many.

Now this false anger about how Christians are under attack is merely a media and political ploy to jack up fears. It is working, of course, or the Starbucks hoax wouldn’t have ever worked. Moreover, I wonder why those of a Christmas/Christian mind would even get so angry. The date does not actually celebrate the birth of Christ and is actually a Pagan holiday drawn into the fold as a way to attract more followers.

So, happy holidays, people. Don’t get mad at my inclusiveness…

Some Thoughts:

1. Perhaps a bit heavy on the snark at the end there…

In and out of the sleepy space this evening, and barely enough brain juice to put together this post. I’m going to stick with a handful of loose thoughts:

 

1. It is difficult to figure out exactly what kind of information you can teach to an 8 yr old. As a flag football coach I’ve been developing an ‘on the fly’ play calling system to really help the kids move through the offense quickly. I am not certain it will work, but I started implementing it today, and some of the kids seem capable of running it. The key is putting the ones who aren’t in the headspace to figure out verbal quick plays an easy way to know exactly what they need to do without being caught up in anything else I say when calling the rest of the play.
2. The obsession with vampires and werewolves, which is really about the quest for immortality and self-importance (all the things a teen needs) seems to be drawing to a quiet lull. No, not an end, because these things can need truly be over, but the books i’ve seen coming out and even being written by my students point away from that type of fantasy.
3. Speaking of stories, I’m noticing that there are a wealth of happy endings in the stories I’ve been reading. I am not sure I am a fan of happy endings, especially in fantasy and sci-fi. I feel like a more natural option is to have a balance where the protagonist wins but suffers a cost that is relative to the victory.
4. The League is done. Haven is on the way out. Funny, I once read that the cells in the human body renew over the course of seven years, leading to, essentially, a new version of yourself every seven years. That number seems to be a common one in terms of how long it takes for a show to run its course.

 

I’m sitting here in Village Inn enjoying my free pie and taking the opportunity to plan tomorrow’s flag football practices (and in fact a general practice strategy for the entire pre-season) and I thought to myself, ‘I haven’t touched the Waiver Wire in a long time…’ The reasons are clear. What business do I have offering advice when I am 1-12 in my solo league and 9-4 in the league where I have a partner? On the surface, none. However, dig a little deeper and it is easy to see why I’m losing. This week’s move of Martellus Bennett to the IR represents the 8^th of my first 10 picks to go on injured reserve. That’s right: I lost everyone. Then I went to the waiver and grabbed a bunch of guys who wound up on O status too. Oh what a strange trip this season has been. Not just for me either. See, my beloved G-men are in first place… with 5 wins. My Jets, with 7 dubs, are clinging to a wildcard spot, and team Rex is one game behind them and hot on their heels. So what happens next? I think I can help with some predictions:

 

… Some matches require no explanation:

 

Seahawks over Ravens

Colts over Jags

Jets over Titans

Packers over Cowboys

Panthers over Falcons

 

…Others still need explaining

 

Vikings over Cards
After a thumping last week this Vikings team is desperate to show they can still be relevant in the east. They have to get relevant right away if they want a chance, and no better place for a runner like AP to do it then in the sweet Cardinals arena.

 

Bills over Eagles
Those who say hell hath no fury like a woman scorned has never been in a Rex Ryan locker room. The way they came out against the Jets proved that fire. Add to that all of what McCoy has to prove against his old team and the coach that showed him the door and what we have is a recipe for a good old fashioned butt whippin.

 

Browns over 49rs
Manziel still has a lot to prove. He’s fighting for a job—even if that job is not with the Browns franchise. I think he proves something here and puts down a spunky niner’s team.

 

Bears over Redskins
Wishful thinking and perhaps slightly magical as well, but I think that at home the Bears have a good shot at beating a pride-punched Redskins squad.

 

Steelers over Bengals
Everyone was talking about how good the Bengals were. It reminded me of the moment my eldest ran in a touchdown in his first year of tackle and his teammate looked at him and said, “dang, you got good, son!” Well he might’ve ‘got good’ but the Bengals are all smoke and mirrors—and AJ Green. Definitely him too. Still, the Steelers are real from top to bottom.

 

Rams over Lions       
Because nobody can lose that many times and not find a way to win a dang game.

 

Chargers over Chiefs
Seriously, look out for the bolts. This is the team nobody is talking about but is quietly poised to explode. The bomb blows this Sunday @ 11 AM Mountain Standard Time.

 

Bucs over Saints
Shades of RG III vs. Andrew Luck here as we watch Mariota and Winston ply their trade. The question is, which one is RGIII? So far, neither. Winston has proven himself at this level thus far and done so with his top WR having a subpar season. Up against the worst pass D ever, he might do something.

 

Raiders over Broncos
Another classic brewing here and this one matters for the playoffs. I think the Raiders bring Brock back down to planet earth. Especially since he is looking over his shoulder at the future hall of famer trying to get his spot back.

 

Texans over Patriots
Yep, I said it. Skid continues. The line is crap and the receivers are not reacting fast enough. Not JJ Watt fast enough at least. There will be many sacks. I really hope they mic that fool up.

 

Giants over Dolphins
This is what it is all about. I’m going to be recording this game as dem franchize boys and I will be watching Roman Reigns whup that trick over on the WWE network, but I expect to press play and see LSU’s two top WRs doing it big. The Giants can’t really stop Landry, but they can stop his QB. By stop I mean STOMP. The pass rush is getting close to right and Demontre Moore finally showed up. Yeah, they’ll crumble in the fourth, but Coughlin gets that now. By then it will be too far out of reach.

I tend to get weird at the end of the semester. Its something about not being able to say goodbye properly. Lets be real: the 16 week relationship with my students is a lot of contact. Relationships are formed. Sometimes friends are even made. So when that ‘finals week’ schedule comes round I start to feel like I am coming to the end of something worthwhile and remember that for the past four months I have been doing something incredibly worthwhile to myself and maybe to someone else as well.

Teaching is not a selfish profession, but I admit I do it because of how it feels to me. Teaching makes me feel like I’ve given something back to the community–something lasting. As a veteran of service learning I’ve had many opportunities to go into the community and contribute in some way. All of those things feel temporary when contrasted  with teaching. As a teacher I have the goal to help students become comfortable and confident as learners. I reach out and try to help all, but If I can manage one then I’ve done my job. I’ve replaced myself in the community.

That replacement is a person who finds something in the learning they can hold onto and find a pathway to living based on that. I cannot stress enough the importance of finding such a path.

 

Some Thoughts:

1. Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga. Who knew?

That’s enough. Really. I have grown really sick of the trumped up (no pun intended) divide between republicans and democrats. It is very stupid to divide ourselves this way considering it isn’t a real divide. I will submit that there are legit differences–especially when it comes to whether or not the role of the government should be to restrict or to create space to allow X,Y, or Z. This is especially true in terms of the role of government in monitoring and regulating financial institutions. However, this larger social divide being conjured by modern politicians is just nonsense. Moreover, these fabricated battles and conspiracies are born on a bed of logical fallacy so thick and fluffy that the truth is reduced to a pea that, only to a few, gums up the works.

When I teach composition I spend a quite a bit of time helping students distinguishing between fact and fallacy. I find the distinction to be extremely helpful, especially in a media age where the lines between the two are so smudged. It is extremely important to understand that if you watch 24 hr news, there are actually two distinct types of shows that exist on the networks. There are the straight news casts and then there are the opinion or news shows. The news casts are tasked with delivering facts, which most do to the best of their ability and allowance (remember, news stations are almost all privately held companies that answer to a central figure who decides what is and isn’t allowed to be placed on the air and in what fashion).

Everything is an argument. What I see in the media cycle is an effort to allow individuals to present their own version of the truth, which is almost entirely layered in fallacy–no matter the political party. Remember, these people speaking out loud are making an argument to you to listen to them and believe what they are saying so they can do what it is they want to do–by any means necessary. That last part is key, because the assumption that these pundits are being honest with you because 1) they say so (2) any religious connection they have (3) your manufactured perception of what type of person they are is all about layers of fallacy.

Recently I found this wonderful site that offers ‘reason’ posters listing fallacies. Everyone should get one. Once you have it in hand, read it. A lot. Read about the Strawman Fallacy. That is a good a place as any to start deprogramming. Make a game of it. Everytime someone on a news network commits a fallacy, take a drink. I say this because I am exhausted by this new truth. The idea that we can make our own truth and, if enough people go with it then it is made real is a fallacy in of itself. Until it isn’t.

We cannot effectively survive in a world where we allow the truth to be based entirely on point of view.

My best male friend and I wound up in a conversation today about a great number of things. In the process of this long overdue talk he managed to identify a problem that has been nagging at my psyche. The problem started in my home office and moved to the work office and back to the garage. It moved out of the physical realm to that place where it impacted my relationships. From there it really went viral. See, I found myself locked in place in a great many things without the ability to move forward, because it all seemed so much. Then he said, “Write a list.”

There are simple solutions and there are starts to solutions. I’d been thinking about it for some time. I used to be a list maker. I wrote here about the lists and the adulation of actually finishing one. That very act pushed me out of writing more lists in some way. I actually believed I’d outgrown the process. Once I thought I’d outgrown outlines and I was very wrong about that.

The problems were the same: When faced with the impossibility of a giant task I froze. Now  lists only provide the frame of the conundrum and offer the possibility of first steps. Perhaps first steps are what I needed most…

Some Thoughts:

1. Woody Allen’s marriage to his daughter Soon Yi is still creepy. In a recent interview he called his initial relationship with her ‘Paternal’. Newsflash: it is supposed to be that and not what it is. Then again, I support love as it evolves in virtually all forms. That won’t stop me from talking MAD trash.

I got thoughts, yo.

Some Thoughts:

1. The fact that Amy Robach is older than me is a fracking travesty. She’s beautiful and looks like a thirty year old, which makes me feel sickeningly old at this very moment. I only first saw her when I was watching her interview with Carrie Fisher on GMA. Now that Carrie chick is more than half-crazy. Yet I love her so.
2. Physical attractiveness is a huge part of the newscaster life. You gotta be someone people want to look at–if you’re a lady that is. The dudes seem to get hired simply because…
3. Remember GJ-1132b. Many scientists tout it as the best chance to find life outside of our solar system…
4. Also remember Garett Swasey who was recently buried. He died defending the people of a Planned Parenthood clinic that came under terrorist attack (not the muslim variety. The other sociopolitical variety). A lot of people, including myself, give police crap for the bad ones. He wasn’t one of the bad ones.
5. Now to the local police of my tiny little town: Stop pulling me over. Stop following me. Stop acting like it is random. It isn’t. Just in case you were wondering, I’m not a thug.
6. HTC’s new commercial with echoes of Orwell’s 1984 is trying very hard to draw allusions to some very powerful ideas and imagery but doing so in a juvenile way. Senseless parkour moments and overreaching–especially at the end when all of this high drama boils down to getting a pretty girl’s attention. Weak sauce, HTC.
7. Also weak sauce Dodge. Even my kids noticed how terrible the wordplay was on your ‘The Dodge Side’ commercial. No. Just no. I hate the rampant commercialization of Star Wars with a end cap in every store and commercials everywhere. Yes, the show is a cultural touchstone, but does every touchstone have to be corrupted by capitalism?
8. Clemson v. UNC came down to one of two things: a ref on the take or a ref who wasn’t doing his job very well. He called a phantom offsides call that cost UNC an onside kick recovery and, as a result, the game. Now what made it ever better was hat the offsides wasn’t even called on a particular player and upon review, nobody on the UNC side was even close to being offsides. That reeks of suspicion. It also isn’t the first time this season a game in that conference ends on a bad call.
9. Dealing with a broken finger still. I thought it was just a sprain, but that seems less and less likely. I wish I could heal like a 20 yr old again.