10 Minute Rule

I had the opportunity to sit down and get some hard work done. The work involved moving books and building a bookshelf. It isn’t writing, but it is a pleasant reminder of the work of writing. The BIC, or Butt in Chair of writing is perhaps the most difficult to really do consistently, and the most beneficial. Writing is about rhythm, and that only really comes with practice. I watch friends crank out six mont novels and stand gaping, but all that means is that they spent the time developing patters for for how to get that done.

 

Some Thoughts:

1. The jump in numbers represents the realization that I went through the 1890’s twice–or at least started to. So this course correction should get me in the right number range–and right era. How long before I pass 2015?

There are approximately 321 million people living in the United States. That puts us as the 3rd largest nation in the world behind India (2) and China (1). Our population density falls somewhere around 85 people per mile. Contrast this with, say, the Gaza Strip, which is somewhere closer to 10,000 or even the aforementioned India, who happens to be about as large as us but has around 950 people per mile. All of that shakes out to show that we have a lot of space and a huge amount of control of the world’s wealth.

In other words, the U.S.A is kind of the shit.

I’m not certain I mean that in a entirely good way. With great power comes great responsibility, and I don’t think it is un-American to admit that we’ve done (and continue to do) some things wrong–not because we are evil, but because the core American philosophy is capitalism. In other words, the bottom line is the bottom line for us, and like the pope said, it cannot all be about money.

We like to say that we are doing things for the greater good and for security. We are in the middle east to ‘protect our interests’ one day and prevent terrorists from attacking our shores the next. When we do true humanitarian work we are chided by one political party or the other about wasting lives, money, and time on other people’s problems.

The USA has a tremendous opportunity to shape the next 500 years. The only question is, what do we want to shape it like?

 

Some Thoughts:

1. I’m about ready to get off the bench.

After much deliberation I’ve decided to focus my teaching theme this year on heroes. While I teach a variety of prefixes, most classes follow the same theme, making it easier for me to research and gather material for the students to analyze. The material is viewed in different ways by different classes. Sociology, for example, will be studying the role of heroes in the social makeup of communities. We’ll do this through local, regional, national, and global lenses in order to think about where certain heroes are most popular and how heroes change across cultures.

I’m really curious as to whether or not the kids will see hero worship as a response to socialization (reinforcement) or as a tool (indoctrination) or some variation therein. I’m super excited about the opportunity to straight up geek out in class about heroes. Last night while I was watching American Sniper I recognized the depth of material available in regards to heroes. Everything from local news to children’s lit to blockbusters is laced with hero worship. These icons we turn to come to be meaningful in a systematic way.

Its good to be excited about school again.

Some Thoughts:

1. I am the tooth fairy. I thought I’d go ahead and get that out there, so there are no surprises when I say that last night my eldest lost a tooth and wasn’t properly compensated. Fortunately, the forgetfulness of the fairy was mitigated by the fact that the mid-kid apparently stole #1’s freshly fallen tooth and stuffed it under his own pillow in an effort to make quick profit. That’s cold business right there. Watch out, Trump. The next generation is dirtier than you are.
2. August 25th is Madden release. November (17?) is Star Wars Battle  front release. I have a very small window of opportunity to actually experience life between said games.

I realized far too late that my son’s cat was pregnant.

This revelation was quickly followed by the understanding that she would expect to have these babies and I would have to do something about it. Before you protest, I know cats have been popping out cat-lets for a ridiculous amount of time. My intervention in the process is likely not a requirement for safe birthing. True, but what if something goes wrong and the feline goes down or nothing goes wrong and she has an actual litter of cat-lets.

The thought of the situation terrifies me. Not only do I not respond well to medical situations having to do with pets, the idea of failed birth is too much to take. What do you do with any of it? I want to be there for the kid’s cat (and quietly regret the beast entirely at this point) and I will be there, cringing and trying to handle business. Apparently cat birth is my kryptonite.

So, after this all goes down the cats will need a home. I’d offer mine but I already have a cat. At most I could support one additional feline situation but more than likely I’ll need to separate from whatever number arrives intact. This blog then is for local takers. I’m interested in giving these things a good home that doesn’t have me living in it. If anyone is willing to snag a kitty, the offer stands…

Some Thoughts:

1. Last night was a disappointment writing-wise, and a lesson. Nuff said.

If i’m being honest with myself, I didn’t want to write tonight. I kept myself up way too late playing Minecraft and watching old TV shows. The fact is, without some form of regulatory system I would be a daily mess; hot mess of the day, even. There is an expiration date on how long I can stay up and still be coherent. On average, 11 PM is my present breaking point.

In the past, so much of what I needed to do in life began at 11. As a result I was always playing catch up with sleep and productivity. Unfortunately, that time frame generally leads to a lot of staring at the screen and trying to figure out what to write…

Apparently the answer is nothing.

Its really hard to watch a Paul Rudd movie and not think about how funny and amazing the dude is at being the screen version of himself. That is why it was no surprise that, when the credits ran, Paul Rudd had a writing credit for the film. You can tell throughout that this was all about creating a dynamic and funny character that will be the perfect comic relief (alongside the Spectacular Spiderman) for a future Avengers movie. As for the Ant Man movie itself, there were moments of greatness and moments that treaded the edges of stupid.

I would give this movie a much higher rating if they would just remove the storyline/conflict between Rudd and his ex wife’s new beau. It is a dumb plot device that seems to have little value other than giving us that redemption storyline. Sadly, that storyline is too contrived to be believable. Without spoilers I can tell you that Paul Rudd is a convicted felon and his ex’s new dude is a cop. Insert classic movie trope here indeed.

What it lacked in deep and intricate storytelling it made up for in fun characterization. The story swirls around the Scott Lang character and his fairly one dimensional cohorts. The ‘bad guys’ are thinly written and even more poorly represented on screen. In truth, it isn’t about the bad guys at all. Ant Man is about Scott Lang forming a bond with Pym and becoming the Ant Man.

Is that enough for a movie? Not really. I enjoyed what there was, however minus the beautiful scenery and fun action scenes, there isn’t much of a story there to tell.

Some Thoughts:

1. There are two after credit scenes for Ant Man. The second is especially relevant to the upcoming Civil War movie, but it seems slightly contrived. Regardless, stick around, true fans. There is enough there to get you pumped.

When I was a kid my mother’s favorite phrase was, ‘Not everything is black and white’ It never quite rang true to me. When I started learning–really learning–about science and computers it became clear that everything does pare down to a black and white argument–a zero or a one, yes or a no. What creates nuance and complexity is the way these binary choices stack upon each other to form something unique and seemingly original.

Yes or no is the simplest response to any given command line. Yes, or execute indicates a willingness to form a connection, to bind oneself to the matter in a fashion that makes exfiltration difficult. No is a denial of service, a rejection of ideology that helps maintain the status quo. Individually, A yes is a yes and a no is a no, but stacked upon each other in a chain of commands that lead to a single response.

Yes and no linked in sequence formed a maybe. A repeated sequence of  yes’s and no’s form a script and a script is echoed into behaviors and trends and stereotypes, finally entirely belief systems structured, ordered, and traced back to a zero or a one.

This is an absolutely true story.

The girl fluctuated between serious and silly, each story building upon the last, a tower of tales offering a glimpse into her true mood. There were poems and glimpses; looks behind the curtain of her psyche that moved me closer to understanding her. She said, “I don’t like writing true stories. When you write down the truth it leaves your mind. Thats why I always hold a little something back so that a piece of the story is still with me in my memories.”

I didn’t want to believe her. My feelings ran opposite of her own. I told stories to never forget. I wrote them down in the moment and sometimes after I’d had a chance to reflect, the latter creating stories more built on the fantasy of what should have happened versus the reality that did. The stories I wrote down were always based on the real. I told her that even my fiction was real in some small way. Either a relationship, or emotion, or a taste at the back of my tongue, all of it originated from a life lived.

“I couldn’t do that. If I told all my stories I’d be empty. There would be nothing left of me that wasn’t on the page.”

Nothing that belonged to only her, maybe, but wasn’t that the true point? Didn’t she want to echo the way I wanted to echo. I wanted to be heard so that my experiences could affect someone else going through the choices I went through.

“But then they are no longer your own.”

I asked her what an empty version of herself looked like and imagined bone and black space floating beneath her skin. I imagined a head that pleaded for stories, for shards of memory to orient herself in a past that led her to a present and into the future. I imagined all of these things but said, “Maybe you’re right in one sense. The memories I hold to tightest I’ve never shared on paper. Not because I was afraid to lose them, but because I had nothing to do with them in story.”

I feared she was like me; she was a writer deep down but was afraid that story was something more than she was capable of and that her experience was not the ephemeral human sort but the stuff of bad nickelodeon and made for TV lifetime dramas. I call that life fuel, and she claims that fuel burns until nothing is left but the dust of the memories that powered your words.

Tonight is the last two games of the short summer basketball season. I’ve learned that without practice or any lasting exposure to the sport, my kids rely on their own raw athleticism to get things done without actually caring too much about the game. I’ve also unfortunately learned that as a coach, I have not achieved the level of skill (communication and teaching-wise) to be highly effective at bringing a team of misfits together, a la Bad News Bears.

The 8-9 yr old team finished last night with a 3-4 record. However, two of the four losses were by a combined total of 3 pts. The other two losses were without our best player. In other words, we far exceeded my expectations for the team. The kids looked good and passed the ball well and played as a team. five of them have been together for years, so that is to be somewhat expected. What wasn’t expected was how well the new kids played together and integrated with the core five. Now these core five are all freshly turned 8 and one is still 7, meaning there is a real chance that they go back to being their usual dominant selves in the next season. I’m grateful for the losses and the learning that provides.

The 6-7 yr old losses (5-2 record with one game left) were less informative. One was purely a management issue from me. I blew it, trying to push my luck with player rotations and winding up with my best on the bench while their best went to work. The other one was a 6-8 loss that didn’t teach anyone a dang thing save for the knowledge that sometimes there is a lid screwed on the top of the basket–for both teams involved.

My 10-12 team enters its final game tonight short handed. Our largest kid is gone as well as two other starters. On the other hand some of our new players have really stepped up and we are finally coming together as a team. In three short hours they go for their first win in their final game of the year. Based on how things have been going thus far, I say we have a real chance to make it happen.

Some Thoughts:

1. I’ve come to the conclusion that, at some point, I need to decide if I am okay with the way I look  or if I am going to do something about it. Non-action is indeed a form of action, but it isn’t any form that I can logically continue to take.
2. Prime day sucked. I had to sit around all night and day waiting for the good deals and when I tapered off to sleep, I missed the $75 TV. Amazon is not cool. Worst. Holiday. Ever.

An hour from now I’ll be lamenting the fact that I got paid last week. Amazon has turned July 15 into a near holiday. The earmarks of a U.S. holiday are having the day off of work and a massive sales event. Most of us are working through hump day, but Amazon’s sale is the real deal. The sale is so potent in fact that Walmart has decided to join in on the fun, offering a competing sale that includes in store pick up. I’m not quite ready to get into the whole commercialization of holidays angle in any meaningful way. Instead i’m excited about this fabrication. Prime Day is an in your face excuse to shop a la black friday, but without the clear infringement on family time.

So, in one hour I will be terribly broke as I am every holiday. I think this time I’ll go in with a game plan: I’ll aim for the cool cheap stuff I can’t get any other time and try to stick to a budget that doesn’t leave me holding a sign in 109 degree heat on the i-10. Not sure I’ll succeed…