Month: December 2015

 

A core principal of how I see the world is the idea that views–all views–are constructed. Unfortunately, some views are created as absolutes, which don’t allow any space for contrary or even slightly different views. Religion, for example is one of those views where often there is little room for different views. Is there one God or Many? God or Allah? The division we draw along these views creates tension that often bleeds into outright conflict. At the same time, the distinctions, or lines we draw, about our views is what creates identity.

What is identity but the balance of how we see ourselves and how the world sees us. That value is shaped by what we see the world as and how we see ourselves in it. This is all a large equation; the plus and minus of viewpoints and the 0,1 of computer language. When we find people who are similar to us we are largely talking about how these people view the world and view themselves and how they see their role and place in the world and the factors that affect that. This is why it wasn’t surprising that  a group of people in Walmart who all happen to be ‘open carry’ people felt the need to come together and acknowledge each other. It is culture and culture is often the signpost of identity.

The point of all this is to say that holding tightly to views creates suffering. The more I base my reality around particular views, the more I am hurt or enraged or shocked by the world not existing in accordance with those particular views. It is only when I am able to pull back and allow myself space to question, consider, even evolve my views that I can then find peace.

I want to start with an Emoji. I don’t have one so I’ll tell you that I am thinking happy face. The Eagles fired Chip Kelly today. I am pleased. Don’t get me wrong. I like Chip and try to emulate his offense in many ways, but he coaches the Eagles and that is not a team I spend any time liking. I think the bet part of his leaving is that it means the Eagles have some rebuilding to attend to and some questions to ask about their philosophy.

It has been a special week for football overall. Lots of records broken. I would say much more but I’ve been in and out of consciousness for the las ten minutes..

I’ve been moving through the past few weeks (post semester) without any real sense of purpose and that has led to a clear reflection on what was, is, and should/will be. The more I consider these points, the more that I think about my home and my practices and the very basic concept of where I am going.

As a writing teacher one of my favorite remarks to leave on a pear is ‘Where are you taking me/where are we going?” That is a clear indicator that I want to be on a journey with the writer but I want to have a sense of where that journey leads or what it is about. Life is a lot like that. When I was at my most confused and vapid, fat with minimal success, I had no goal–no destination. I had no journey. Nowadays I know where I am going and what I am moving towards and the new target is not a fixed point but a type and way of growth. So, when I think about how my life is going to be moving forward, I think about the dysfunction of mind and the idea that without an agenda or orientation it is very difficult to know what to focus in on.

All of this seems pie in the sky but on the ground level it involves some simple steps and changes: lists, being better to friends, being more in touch with my soul. Simple words, but big tasks.

I am in an abusive relationship with the NY sports franchises. The teams we call our own are utterly miserable. In truth, the entire hopes and dreams of the city’s sports fans presently hangs on the NY Jets. Yep, those Jets. The ones  who still talk about Namath as the last great QB. The Jets who last won in 1968. Those Jets. Why are they the hope? Well, the Bills have sucked since inception. The best they’ve ever done is get to the big show and straight up crumble. Four times in a row. The Giants are presently being beaten to death by the Vikings. This after a series of similar beatings throughout the year based on a near complete lack of talent on both the Offensive and Defensive lines that extends well into the Linebacker and Running Back corps. That’s what bad football is made of.

I’m not even going to get into depth on the basketball issue. Porzyngas seems to be the new hope of the NY Knicks, but I’m not buying it. They were all but out of cap trouble when they bought into Carmelo again. How’s that working out for you? How’s that move to Brooklyn working out for you, Nets? Nothing seems to go well for sports lately in the city that never sleeps.

I get the feeling some of these players need a nap. I just want some tough wins and a feeling that someone has the talent to go all the way. Even when the Mets were doing their thing this year it never felt real. I don’t know, maybe the city is cursed right now or it just isn’t our time. When is our time then?

There are some chances for us to get it right. The NFL offseason can bring change and promise as it did for the Jets. They did a lot of good–though in the era of Brady it means little. We will see how things pan out with these high draft picks next year.

 

If you haven’t watched Star Wars then stop reading now. I’m going to talk about the end. I’m going to talk about all of it and break own what changed from the Lucas years and what I think Abrams is up to with his take on how things should be moving forward….

 

SPOILERS, man!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ok. Lets begin:

This movie was not going to ever let me down. I say that because I’d already heard Lucas review it (he isn’t a fan) and the commercials left me very flat. I went into it expecting Abrams to be average at best and campy at worst. After all, he is the guy responsible for Alias and partially to blame for Armageddon. Please don’t misunderstand my language here: These were decent shows and movies, but as a Star Wars fan and a Christopher Nolan fan, I have extremely high standards for someone stepping in and taking over a franchise. After the second Star Trek (we shall not speak of the third) remake, I believed the dude had the chops to do it.

I’m convinced I was right, but I am afraid he aimed a little low brow on this one. See, the first two trilogies were essentially the hero’s journey over and again. I get it. The originals (4-6) did a bang up job of portraying that and they represented a moment in time for me. The first three basically showed how that Hero’s cycle began. It is for that very reason that I expected Abrams to step away from the formula and do something new and exciting and engaging.

But, he’s not Nolan.

Abrams gives us the best possible version of that same old tale, but adds something that makes the whole thing a surpassing commentary on fan expectation and the modern society. At least, I think he did.

Here is my take: The new trilogy introduces a cast of characters that are shades of their historical counterparts. The major proof of this is a weak-knee Kylo Ren who prays to a false idol and is only ever going to be a shadow of the man he believes he understands but really doesn’t–Vader. Now tell me that isn’t a social or political commentary. ‘You will never be as good as your grandfather, because your grandfather was a real man and part of the greatest generation. Yet, you will continue to try and look like a fool and be exposed for doing so.’

If I am right, the Kylo portrayal, the death of Han Solo (kill your old heroes to make space for new ones), and the utterly expected reveal of Rey and Luke (and Mara Jade?) Skywalker’s daughter is merely a passing of the torch to a series that will move away from expectation much in the way that Star Trek II-B moved away from the standard Enterprise stories. But where is it moving to?

Well, we know Snoke is going to complete the boy’s training and we know that Finn really has no story arc yet. We also have the promise of a powerful cast and the return of the Jedi order for the second movie, not to mention a First Order on the ropes and a galactic republic wiped off the board. I say we have a lot of new space to work with….

However, if I see Justin Lin anywhere near the set I’m going postal.

Some Thoughts:

1. Jumped back on the writing train today and it went just about as well as can be expected for day one. I grew tired far too quickly, I didn’t get a lot done. I got even less of value accomplished, and my mind wandered quite a bit. In other words, I made progress! It doesn’t seem like much on the surface, but much of the early part of any writing project for me is diving deep into the work. This starts that process. I wish I could learn how to stay submerged in the writer’s world forever.
2. Eagles v. Redskins tonight. An Eagles win means the Giants still have a shot at the playoffs, which at this point seems like a lark at best. I think they have the best chance of any team to actually be successful in the playoffs, but they need a lot of help to get there. A Redskins win means the Giants are looking towards the postseason as a time to recoup and plan a way to win more games–kinda like the Cowboys have been doing.

I’m sitting here curled in my favorite blue blanket thinking of yesterday and tomorrow. The blanket always brings me back to the time I was a ten year old kid and my Dad was still here and wrapped me up in this old thing and hugged me and made sure everything in the world was good. Thirty years removed the blanket is still here, old and falling apart, but here and keeping the memories and the legacy of things past. I’ve wrapped up two boys in this thing, the second still refusing to let it go and pass it down to his little brother. I don’t much blame him. He hasn’t had it for long and he recognizes what it means. He smells the history on it.

Or that could just be mildew.

Its all a matter of perspective, I suppose. We thrust great meaning upon things that, to others, are all but meaningless. I find significance in trinkets. I store memories in items, muggle made horcruxes that keep a bit of me alive forever. I also drink in moments. I drank in the moment of today, my first solo Christmas. The boys roused me about 7 am, anxious to tear into those gifts. As this is new to us, I started a new tradition of themes. This year the theme was Mind, Body, and Soul. Each boy got presents relating to one of the three and their job was to figure the category and how each gift fit in.

We did a dry run of the theme on Christmas eve day with their Christmas Crates, a loot crate inspired upgrade to the traditional stocking. They got hackysacks and bouncy balls to energize their bodies, Pokemon cards to challenge the mind, and Stuffies to warm the soul. The ‘real’ gifts followed suit. There isn’t enough time to explain what they were, but I can say that they were a big hit.

Christmas was a big hit. It was also a moment in time; one that will stay etched in my memory for years to come.

Twas the night before Christmas

and all through the year

My three boys were asking,

“Will Santa stop here?”

 

I thought I ought tell them

Santa was not real

But for boys to act right

He’s a part of the deal

 

So instead I told them

what would go down

Santa would bring presents

Somewhere else in town

 

It’s off to your Mom’s house

On Santa’s big Day

But all days before that

Us Boys will still play

 

This plan seemed so perfect

Till boys were still boys

Crying and fighting and

Breaking their toys

 

So next came the elf

Santa’s bouncer, you see

They’ll be good in his sight

but not listen to me.

 

I suppose this is normal

All the stories I hear

Kids misbehaving

Young parents in tears

 

But for one month in twelve

all is suddenly good

No instructions are ignored

Nothing misunderstood

 

I suppose I am sad

as the big day comes

My three good little boys

will turn back into bums

 

I kid you of course,

‘cuz my boys aren’t that bad

Still, that doesn’t make

christmas any less sad.

 

Because I like the buildup

That leads to the prize

I like their big smiles

their twinkling eyes

 

I’m glad for the moment

when gifts are unleashed

I don’t much love watching

them turn back into beasts

 

I think I am lucky

their glow last for some time

Its at least a week

till someone will whine

 

Then begins the countdown

till Santa appears

till we sing and we’ll play and

we talk of reindeer

 

Till under the tree

are gifts for each boy

with bright paper wrapping

with promise of joy

 

Till elf makes a showing

till advents are ate

Till boys tell me,

“Daddy, we can’t stay up late”

 

Till questions of magic

till wanting to share

Till hopes that St. Nicholas

Will once more appear.

 

So until the next time

I leave you this poem

Merry Christmas, Dear Reader

May love warm your home.

I’ve been thinking about Kevin Hearne lately. He’s an AZ born writer who hit big with the Iron Druid series and then went on to become a part of the new canon of Star Wars novels. I like Kevin. He’s a great guy in person and some time ago he was awesome enough to come and talk to my classroom full of hungry writers and feed them tons of info about the craft and the business (thank’s Kev!). Lately, however I’ve been thinking about the people who talk about him and other authors local to them and how these people often become their faves. It feels like the same way that people like the hometown player or fighter or are fans of that actor who grew up down the road but they never really knew personally. Its a strange thing, this localism. Why do we like and root for the hometown hero?

I see it as a bit of localized nationalism. It is a way to remember that where we are actually matters. That is something I took for granted when I lived in New York City. I grew up knowing my city mattered to pretty much the entire globe. There’s an ego which comes with that, but it is no larger than the ego that comes from living in a tiny town that has famous people. The folks from French Lick, Indiana know exactly what i’m on about. So, I think that is why people rally around the local kid. Sadly, I also think that is why every time anything happens in the world every local news station in AZ is quick to point out the Arizona connection.

One of the things I noticed as an English professor is that the curriculum for developmental and basic english comp courses is very pie in the sky. There are a handful of big concepts mapped out in a way that provides us with a lot of academic freedom. I like it. However, when I look at it in comparison to math or science I see that we can learn some things from those areas as well. I’m coming into this as someone who is really trying to step back into the mindset of being a creator–not just as a fiction writer but as a teacher as well. I want to create environments that are conducive to learning and in such establish some clear markers that students can follow that let them know they’ve really walked away with something useful.

But what is useful? The developmental courses in my course bank are all called Preparatory academic writing, and I think it is pretty clear to students that academic writing is not useful outside of academia. That is something that academics know to be false, but how do you get a kid who doesn’t want to be in your class in the first place to grab on to concepts they cannot readily see as translating to their work and social worlds?

No answer to that big one is coming tonight, but I do believe the key is to tear out the key concepts that scaffold up to the ability to create a clear and engaging piece of writing (academic and otherwise) and be able to show the students how all these things come together. Personally I’m thinking about extending my focus on Logos, Pathos, Ethos, and logical fallacies. Add to that purpose, audience, topic, and circumstance and that could be 8 distinct class periods in which the students dissect work and come up with a deeper understanding of how to use the rhetorical contexts in a way that extends beyond the classroom and towards their future as writers.

Some Thoughts:

1. Christmas is coming… When I say it that way it sounds ominous. Maybe I should’e written Krampus myself…

For most of us ‘fantasy players’ the season is over and now we can turn our attention to teams vs. individuals. I had a rough season x2, losing the championship in my partner league and losing all but one game in my solo league. I wasn’t alone in regards to blowing it in big moments. Watching the Giants trying to keep their playoff hopes alive was an exercise in emotional torture. Beckham was unhinged, at one point openly targeting Josh Norman after what had to that point been a chippy, physical confrontation. Short of the targeting helmet to helmet shot, I’m okay with the physical play. This isn’t baseball, folks. Football players hit.

Football players win too, when it counts. For example, the Seattle Seahawks woke up and found their rhythm. I have a theory about that. I think the team suffered from some key injuries (Okung for one) in a time where they were really trying to get the O-Line together. Strangely, the loss of Jimmy Graham seems to have helped the team. I think Wilson might’ve been trying a bit too hard to include him in an offense that really isn’t about the TE being a receiver.

Shout out to the Steelers for really getting their act together. This is another squad with key injuries that seems primed for a super bowl run. Heck, in the beginning of the year Madden 16 was pushing the theory that Steelers v. Cardinals would be the Show. For their part the Cardinals are taking advantage of their opportunities and really playing well down the stretch.

Back to the Giants for a minute: They lost that game. The Panthers were exposed. Nobody slept on the Giants. The Giants just did what they’ve done all year–play up to the skill of their players and beyond. By that I mean to say that the Giants lack the talent and depth to be a top NFL team this year. That is really hard to say as a fan, but it is real. At least I have the Jets.

How ’bout them Jets? 4 picks this week to go along with arguably the best receiving stats in the NFL (check the numbers). Those numbers took a hit this week, with the team dropping to 9th overall, but the message is clear: the Jets are here to play.