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It turns out I do my best thinking when watching TV. I think there is something about reflecting on pop culture that allows me to frame my thoughts against a backdrop of what is and what is perceived. Today I was watching Royal Pains while cobbling together a draft for a Shadowrun project. The combination seems unlinked, but both were focused on the idea of tradition. It made me think about tradition, the talisblog, and why we continue to due things in certain ways.

When I was a sociology student I heard a professor remark, “Tradition is what makes us human.” Even then I was floored by the inaccuracy of the statement. Animals have traditions and routine that are even more engrained than our own. My dog for one goes to the bathroom in the same handful of places in the same routine every day. This is his tradition. He is not human. I don’t see how what he does is any different then gathering at a church for a wedding or lighting the christmas tree. These traditions are steeped in history and memory. They are talismans built to ward off the idea of chaos. Like the church, they exist to maintain social order, but I argue that social disorder is in fact what makes us human. The ability to break from tradition and to form counter-traditional arguments is what separates us from the other animals of the earth.

Nearly every kids film about animals is about this core concept. The animals, steeped in tradition and routine (yes, there are subtle differences that I will not have time to discuss) are faced with an individual who wants to break from tradition. This is either the protagonist and the antagonist and the plot itself shapes around the changes that take place as a result of the break from tradition. The beauty of this structure is that it realizes the core concept of humanity. It teaches our youth that they can in fact break from tradition to forge their own way. This is done in front of parents who, in every other instance, are quick to say ‘do as you are told’.

I think tradition is important, not because it makes us human, but it makes us a society. All society is formed on tradition, and though new traditions are born and old ones are modified, tradition remains the thread that holds us together.

I’ve heard that once you replace yourself you’ve done your job on this planet. Well, there. I replaced myself in a couple different ways. I generated three boys to replicate my boyness. Then I helped to put R(squared) out there in the writing world, effectively replacing myself as a writer. So, yeah I’m done. What shall I do next?

Seriously, I have been thinking about that idea of replacement and wondering about my contribution to the writing world. I’ve written a few things, but nothing so substantial as to be called lasting fiction. When I think of myself in the teaching vein I know that there are a few writers who I affected positively. When I think about myself as a writer, I point to the journey. I know that I am headed for 6 or so really great books. There are going to be stories along the way and progress made towards the eventual goal of a lasting impact. I am at the point where I can visualize it and, like a true outliner, see the steps needed in order to get there.

Some Thoughts:

1. Terrible football season in every way so far. My fantasy team was a disappointment, my college team slipped, my Giants are slipping, and yes, I am a Jet fan. With this level of failure it has to get better next year. If there is a next year… When you’re looking to Tebow as a saviour you know things have begun to stink.
2. Speaking of football, I missed the game this week in order to play laser tag. I gotta practice for next week’s game, because I am still having a tough time tracking the deep ball in the air. I don’t know what that is about.
3. Samsung’s new SIII commercial where the kids make a video and then mom makes a naughty video is funny. Watching them map that same sequence unto a santa commercial is hilarious.
4. I haven’t done a lot of these thoughts in a while. This is not to say I am not thinking, but to say I am not writing down much of what I think.
5. I actually stepped back and considered my bookcase today. I have two full size Ikea bookshelves and three half-sized cases. The shelves are filled with books 2-deep. This means I really do have an astounding number of books. I’ve read most of them.

Watching A.D. Adrian Peterson come back after a terrible knee injury and reconstructive surgery to lead the league in rushing–on a record setting pace–is a clear indication that I don’t work nearly as hard enough as a should. Not many people do. Back in 2008 Time magazine published an article about a Lazy Gene. I for one took the research with a grain of salt, but at the same time I know full well that once I am comfortable or doing something I find myself locked into a ritual of non-movement. Now that it is severely affecting my parenting, I know that I need to do something–anything–to get that body in full range motion again.

It is important to recognize that change comes slowly. The more difficult the change, the longer it takes. A super carrier at sea cannot spin around quickly, because there is a lot of mass to turn. Likewise, a person who has been one way for so long cannot suddenly become the other way. It too takes time.

I think that message is more for me than any others, because I am the person who always expects change to come overnight, and when it does not it is easy to become discouraged.

Next fall I’ll be teaching a series of books in my SOC/RDG LC that focus on serial killers and mass shooters. Though it is not abnormal psych, I want to get at the social conditions that contribute to people behaving in this manner. I also want to have a very frank conversation about what to do about these things, what kind of society we want to be a part of, and what freedom really means.

So much is being made of the shooter and his reasoning, as though we can rationalize past this. We cannot. We also cannot seek to control society in any reasonable way to prevent outliers from wanting to do this. This was not spontaneous. This was not triggered by video game play. In fact, violence is highly social in nature and can be traced back to an offender’s social roots. Worst still, the offenders are often suffering from undiagnosed mental illness.

So we cannot stop a shooter, but we can minimize the shooting if we control the access to weapons. W.P. Kamau, a comedian on FX, recently joked about how we need to have mental condition questions. He quipped, “Do you ever wish a nigga would?” Funny but true. We do not restrict the undiagnosed unbalanced from getting weapons. I don’t know that we even question the purpose of a gun purchase at the register.

I don’t have the answers. I know that the conversation needs to be had. Notably, there was a similar school attack in China hours before the U.S. tragedy. The attacker could not get a  gun and attacked instead with a knife. 22 students were injured and none died. The difference? Gun Control.

I don’t want to be China, but that doesn’t mean that everything they do is wrong.

I’ve been sitting here thinking about what to get my 8 yr old boy for xmas and in the back of my mind I am very thankful to still have a boy at all. Earlier today A gunman stormed a school building out on the east coast and murdered a lot of people. He wasn’t a ‘criminal’ and he wasn’t the person ‘you’d expect’ as if these things could be predicted. He was an angry 20 yr old who murdered his parents and in the process of doing so, took the lives ov many children.

I don’t care what his parents did to make him feel the need to take their lives, he did not have to kill those children. There is no reason I can think of that this Christmas should be a time of pain an mourning for any family let alone the many affected by this tragedy. Worse still, there is no justice here; no answers are forthcoming. The gunman took his own life at the scene, so we will never be able to string him up, to have the parents look him in the eye and say how it felt to lose their child. No catharsis can occur because he stole that from the families as well.

There are not a lot of words I can say tonight to reflect the horror that occurred. I will say this: I grieve for the parents who lost their loved ones today. A tragedy like this does not need to happen. I hope that this will not be politicized. I hope that it doesn’t become the rallying cry for one side or the other to change rules. The fact is a lone gunman cannot be stopped so long as he is willing to sacrifice himself in the process. We have seen that time and time again in these instances. It is not the time to preach policy. It is the time to stand beside those who are affected by this tragedy and do what we can to help them survive these dark days.

 

After several years my wife has graduated from nursing school. I wont deny that the schooling put a cramp in our relationship. Between three kids, my work, my writing, her studying, and her schooling there was no time for each other. The burden of education is heavy and it can destroy relationships or it can grow them.

In many ways going through this process was a growth process for me. I believe I will write about it, if only through fictional characters, at some point in time. I learned what I need from a partner, what I get from my partner, what I need from myself, and what I need for me to be happy in the many years of life I hopefully have left to live.

So as she graduates we graduate into the next phase of our relationship. We’ve got a lot of work to do as parents, and I am pleased to know we’ll be doing that important work together.

The wire is officially compromised.

See, I am a fan before I am a picker and deep down inside I believe in the interconnectivity  of the known multiverse and the persuasive power of will. It is a proven fact that witnessing an event actually affects the outcome of said event–at least at the quantum level. As such I am compelled to make several picks this week that reflect my desire to see the Jets limp into the playoffs and somehow knock off the Patriots. So, please recognize that what I write now represents that skewed reality.

 

PHI over CIN
Foles is not the answer. Vick was a good effort, but the team quit on the coaching staff and the O-line quit once the first paychecks were cashed. Must love dogs indeed. Still, Cincy needs to lose twice.

NYG over ATL
Yeah, this is the game of the week for me, because I want to see if Big Blue’s patchwork of a secondary can contain Matty Ice. If so, we are looking at a realistic run to the Superbowl.

GB over CHI
The Chicago D is ailing and the GB offense is getting weapons back. This is a recipe for a heck of a showdown in Chicago. Weather conditions may shape the outcome of this game, as snow tends to favor a strong running game, which GB does not have.

WSH over CLE
RG3 or not, CLE is not good enough to wipe away the momentum this team has gained over the past few weeks.

MIN over STL
MIN is not SF. Somehow this team has SF’s number, but AP is a beats who will be fed a lot of balls inside the dome. Greatest show on turf indeed.

MIA over JAC
Where is my hercules?!?!?!

NO over TB
Quietly Tampa Bay has gone the way of the Cardinals. They are not looking like the team we all thought they were.

BAL over DEN
Manning is going to eat a lot of turf this game. BAL is angry and hungry, needing a big win to reassert themselves as a major force in the AFC playoff picture.

IND over HOU
Houston got their butts whipped and now they need to face a hungry playoff contender who is on a roll and in search of wins.

SEA over BUF
No Brainer. The Bills are terrible. They may not win again this year.

DET over AZ
See above.

CAR over SD
I just don’t believe SD is for real. They can come up with a win now and again, but the group doesn’t have the chops to be a real contender, at least not with the current staff and player leadership.

DAL over PIT
Pit needs to lose. Please. There, I said please.

OAK over KC
The Toilet Bowl 2012. KC at least has a spot of momentum while OAK just flat out stinks.

SF over NE
I don’t think NE dismantles another top team this week. I think the SF D bloodies Brady and makes them grind it out on the ground.

NYJ over TEN
Yeah, TEN can run fast, but can they take that Jet pounding? Unlikely. The passing game is going to be a non factor for both teams. We’ll get to see which RBs are real.

 

 

Most everything in the American culture is rushed. We spend so much time moving from one activity to the next that it is terribly hard to drown ourselves in any given experience. I am pushing, if only a little, towards a life where time means less and enjoyment means more. One way to do this is to make sure I give proper time to the things that matter. Setting aside time for what you care about is important. I learned over the past few years that you cannot mead out the time you spend with your family. It is not possible to say, “I will give you two hours tonight.” That is language they don’t understand, nor is it conducive to any form of enjoyment, as the time limit becomes a roadblock quickly rushing towards you. I see it when I coach football. How much time will I have for X, Y, Z?

I’m learning that you have to set aside time for the things that time can be set aside for. Grading is one such beast. My policy of 48 hrs turnaround or you get an A is sure to cause a few A’s in the beginning, but I will get to the point where it works well enough for me to stick with it.

As for the personal and professional writing, That too needs to happen on a schedule that provides a sense of freedom in the rest of my life. I just haven’t found a way to make that happen yet.

I am closing in–again–on that precious state of mind and productivity that is oh so elusive to my ilk. I am at the end of a long hard semester and my responsibilities are shrinking. This coincides with an uptick in desire to be successful in life. I went through a well documented period of stasis when I started asking myself questions like, what the heck am I doing this for? The answer didn’t matter because the question was false, driven to the front of my thought stream by stress, distractions, and uncertainty. The fact is I lost site of the love. I let the distractions take over and turn me into someone who I didn’t like very much.

I am still lazy. That is going to take some undoing. I see the same qualities in my smarty pants 5 yr old. These are the qualities that match the slowly eroding intellect I am currently in possession of. Next week I am going to start writing about the things I learned this year, and foremost among them is that smarts are a gift that must be grown, less they shrivel and die.

Took too long to figure that out. I wonder what life could’ve been had I known sooner…

Been negligent on the Waiver Wednesday blog. Part of it is discontent from teams like the Jets who persist in sucking. Part of it is being disenchanted with the season and part is the level of disappointment I’ve experienced as a fantasy player. In the real world I’ve been playing ball as well. Every Sunday is Football Sunday, and I’ve been improving. I should never have expected to wipe away 8 years of inaction in 8 weeks. Yet, I did and now I’m feeling it.

I think people who are not in shape are not in shape because they don’t care enough to be or don’t know how. I cannot go to the gym without an out of gym goal in mind. I’m no gym rat, so the idea of exercise just as a way to look good is foolish to me. It needs to improve my performance in some other part of my life. It needs to raise my STR and AGI stats just that much higher. While football gives me a reason to exercise, coaching gives me a reason to study the game that much more.

The Flag season begins this next month and I have two team, both named the Jets, who are preparing for battle. I love being a coach and bringing the kids together to play. I am glad it is happening during the spring semester, because fall was a mess.