10 Minute Rule

I haven’t done this for a while, but the mood struck me. Ten Things is a staple of the Peter King MMQB post. It is a part of the post where he waxes philosophical about dang near everything–especially coffee. I don’t have much to say about coffee, but here are few things I do want to spit about:

1. I think working from 9-5 limits the ability to perform mundane tasks such as a car emissions test, getting a new bug guy, etc. I’m new to this experience, because my schedule generally allows for the opportunity to get these chores done. Not so much the last few weeks.
2. I think the person who invented Fantasy Football is a marketing genius. I found myself watching the Chargers v. Colts game without having a particular affinity for any team. On the other hand, my fantasy football week was at stake. Andrew Luck was up against Rivers and Gates. It came down to a last minute TD drive. Luck got picked and I still have a perfect record in fantasy football. See, people only care when they have something at stake. I had a win at stake.
3. I’m at the point where I am more interested in watching The Blacklist than I am in Agents of SHIELD. This, coming from a big time Whedon and Marvel fan, does not bode well for SHIELD. I need more from the weekly offering. On the other hand, it could mean that me and NBC are vibing again.
4. I think Kevin Hearne’s book, Hexed, is not as good as the first one, but serves as a witty and engaging introduction to the 3rd book, Hammered. I haven’t consumed #3 yet, but give me a week.
5. I think the return of the watch phone is one of the coolest things in the world, outdone only by the fact marketers used a clip from Babylon 5 to sell this thing.
6. I think Breaking Bad is a stark reminder of the power of chemistry. I wish my chemistry classes in H.S. weren’t the end of my chemistry history, because I could’ve devised some wicked stuff. Not drugs or explosives, persay, but I am a huge fan of the idea of devising new chemical mixtures in the vein of the great science geeks.
7. I think ones ability to compartmentalize parts of their lives is the key to great success and utter depravity. Where one person who goes off to war and is able to come home and put that part of themself away, another person is able to become a serial killer and then make pancakes with her children.
8. I think my identity as an educator is nascent at best. I watch so many other people who are defined and even consumed by being a teacher, and as much as I want to say that is who I am, I recognize that who I am is a writer. The two don’t exist at odds with each other for the most part, but can.
9. I think Stallone is having a second career right now. He keeps on shoving out new movies. Each is worst than the last, with the exception of the Expendables films. Those are fun.
10. I think writing gives me more than an outlet. I think it continues to give me a purpose past the daily ho hum and the difficult beauty of being a husband and a father.

“I call upon all of you to wage a second American nonviolent revolution, to use civil disobedience, and to demand that this president leave town, to get up, to put the Quran down, to get up off his knees, and to figuratively come out with his hands up,” posts CNN.com, sharing the vitriol of Larry Klayman of Freedom Watch, a conservative political advocacy group. When I read those words I immediately remembered why this site is called talislegger. See, people are extremely impressionable and thus vulnerable to vitriolic information that somehow makes them feels good or gives them someone to blame. The truth of the message is basically irrelevant, so long as agreeing with the message means that you feel good and insulated amongst other believers. Such is the power and the problem of politics.

I’ve been studying this shutdown debate from a power dynamics position. Here is how it works: There are three governmental groups at odds. 1 is controlled by one party while the other two are controlled by a second party. The party with the least amount of control is the one pulling all the strings. They are necessary to the bill-passing process and unless they are willing to participate, the government will shut down–which it has. Now that we are in shutdown mode, the spin is taking off and the blame is being spread around. The media is not much willing to tell the obvious story. There is no story in what we already know, so they chase the other story–the ideas perpetuated by those unwilling to accept responsibility. So, we get stories about Obama the Muslim again.

Obama is not a Muslim nor a socialist–two ideas that exist in some opposition. However, there is a growing number people willing to believe he is somehow both and somehow part of a vast conspiracy to destroy America. Well, I guess it is easier than having to think, reason, and fact check for yourself.

Still having some trouble stringing together a rational post. When I get this way the best thing to do is look for inspiration. The story that, expectedly, caught my eye was one about a young teacher who posed for Playboy in 2011 and went on to become a H.S. Spanish teacher. This isn’t the first time a teacher has been outed for a past Playboy shoot. Students are adept at both wanting to see their pretty teachers unclothed and locating any circumstance in which that may have happened. On the other hand, I get the sense that a parent dug this 2011 spread up. Regardless, it isn’t so much about what she did as much as what the state wants to do, which is fire her.

There are a few ways to look at this. 1. The chick was wrong to expose herself. 2. The school is wrong for trying to get rid of someone for doing something legal and voluntary. 3. She was wise to use whatever legal means available to earn the money to be who she wants to be. 4. This is Texas. 5. We have a really messed up idea of sex in America.

I’m going with #5. So she posed for Playboy and some over-excited boys can pay to see her naked. Okay. How does that affect her teaching? What, will boys be thinking about her sexually, and girls disliking her because of what the boys are thinking and even going so far to talk badly about her sexuality? Umm, that was already happening.

So what is the difference? Parents have proof of her sexuality. Now that to me is the real problem. We live in a nation that has a very skewed view of sexuality. On the one hand we say it is bad to be a sexual creature but on the other we treat 50 shades of gray as literature.

 

Some thoughts:

1. I wonder if we will ever understand why being intellectual is considered more evolved than being athletic. The body and mind have both evolved over the millennia and for whatever reason, intellectual growth and higher order thinking remains prized over physical prowess. I’m not saying I disagree with the hierarchy, but I am saying that I don’t know why I don’t disagree with the hierarchy.

Christina Scalise was right when she said, “Organization isn’t about perfection; it’s about efficiency, reducing stress and clutter, saving time and money and improving your overall quality of life.” I think that quote applies best to the idea of having an office space that reflects the mood and tenor with which you mean to work. It is for this very reason that a messy office bothers me. It feels like a naked reflection of my life.

Over the past few weeks I’ve been talking about getting order in the home life before I can really dive headlong into novel writing. There are no problems at home, but the deeper issue is finding that level of balance between home space and work space and constructing that space, both physically and mentally. Both require organization whereas the mental separation is often neglected. I have a friend who works at her desk beneath a basketball hoop where her kids play. This is clearly no way for a woman to work. My situation is not as bad, but I must confess to a small arsenal of Pokemon cards littering my office floor. Likewise, my mind has long been cluttered with the knowledge that I have children that neither have concern for nor are challenged by school. The middle one in particular passed out of the competencies for his current grade level last year. The school can do little for him as he did not get 100% on all of his areas (high 90’s) and he’s already a grade level higher than he is supposed to be, which is to say advancing him another grade level would be cruel and foolish. Instead I am left to work out a guerrilla curriculum for the kid, including opportunities for enhancement for his big brother whose math skills are above par and his atrophying in the math classroom while his reading skills slowly grow. I’m almost done with that curriculum and I almost have an organized schedule for the next 4 months, which means, once again, I am on the verge of finding that balance and that magical writing time.

 

That time is long overdue.

 

Some Thoughts:

1. Well, I was wrong about the Giants. Again. At least management was courteous enough to tell coach C that it is his choice to stay or go, as opposed to laying the blame at his feet. The blame goes to the training staff in part, the turf in part, and the utter lack of a line on either side of the ball in the most part. Eli is trying too hard because he knows he doesn’t have time and that results in bad plays. He’s thrown more picks in the first 6 than he did all of last year. Eli Manning is putting up Sanchez numbers.

An interesting intellectual conversation is happening on Facebook and face to face around the idea of youth in sports. My big bro-in-law proffered the idea that early entry into sports can cause burnout. He’s right, I admit. Unless the kid has a healthy love of the sport and unless the practices walk that razor’s edge of fun and educational, there is not much that playing as a kid can add to a kid’s appreciation of making sport a lifestyle. Kids these days (look at me sounding like my gammy) don’t have an appreciation for organized sports. In fact, I made the comment in our conversation that organized sports at the city or rec (YMCA out here) level are akin to playground play with cool outfits. I went on to discuss it with a number of friends (which is what a guilty person does, btw, to absolve themselves of guilt) who agreed with him and with me in part, understanding that the desire to play has to come from the kid.

What about the desire to win?
The concept of victory has been abolished in youth sports. We don’t keep score, we give everyone a trophy, and then we clap loudly as they flumox play after play. I am not that coach. I recognize the schizophrenia inherent in being that coach. Look, when every professional athlete is being paid a minimum of a quarter million a year, they are, in a sense, getting that basic trophy we give all kids for participating. Hey, thanks for playing and here is your 250K. This is a factor why many I speak to enjoy college sports more. They recognize there is no golden carrot there. Those athletes need to win to be successful. The pros, like the YMCA kids, win by merely making it to the game. So, why do some teams do better than others? Love and Glory.

There are a handful of players in the NFL who can be seen as supremely talented. You cannot replace Peyton Manning or Adrian Peterson or the ‘venerable’ Champ Bailey. Many of the others get by on their love of the sport and their sheer determination to feel the glory of victory. I’ve never been part of a winning athletic program past elementary school, so I don’t know what it feels like to win at the top level. In truth, I’m a bit of a curse (My Cyclones went 0-10-1, and my Hitmen did almost as bad. Both franchises perked up immediately after my association with them ended. The Hitmen won a damn championship). I know that watching these winners and losers, I can see the difference in the way they carry themselves, otherwise known as their ‘swag’. It is that swag that partially instructs my picks for each game of the picks week.

That brings us to the picking:

Giants over Bears
The blood letting must end, and this is the time to do it. I cannot fathom the G-men feeling any lower than they did last week as they were decimated, surrendering yet another 36 point game to the opposing offense. I know my G-men are not playoff bound, but I believe that they will rediscover their identity tonight with some ground and pound paired with a lot of downfield passing. Peanut Tillman: They coming for you!

Packers over Ravens
In what promises to be a explosive second half, the Ravens will fall into new ‘old habits’ and give up on the run game under threat of the massive Packer passing attack.

Bengals over Bills
Not much to say about this one. The practice squad QB doesn’t fill me with hope.

Texans over Rams
Shaub would lose his job if this game were on the STL turf, but it isn’t. He may still lose his job, but not the game.

Raiders over Chiefs
Yep. Two upsets in the works so far. Giants have it coming and so do the Chiefs…

Lions over Browns
I refused to pick yesterday in part because of this game. We all thought CLE was dead after the trade, but for the first time I can see how their system works, and it is quite effective. The Lions are less effective without Megatron stretching the field, which is why I am concerned about the pick. It isn’t clear if he will play or not (knee).

Vikings over Panthers
Behold the awesome power of AD-AP

Seahawks over Titans
Game is in Seattle. Nuff said.

Saints over Patriots
Jets have a legit chance to share first place.

Niner’s over Cards
The Cards have suffered too many injuries to be consistent.

Cowboys over Redskins
They might want to consider a name change after this horrific beating.

Colts over Chargers
Shootout! I think Turnovers play the critical role in this one.

I’m out.

I must confess it is harder to make picks on Wednesday because you aren’t so clear about the injuries. For example, is Vick going to sit? If so, it changes the outcome. It messes with my fantasy points too. What about Geno’s Jets? If he doesn’t have receiving weapons he may not generate a lot of offense against a Pittsburgh team coming off a bye week (and a trip to London). All of these questions churn in my mind in the days leading up to the waiver spot, but now that we are here, I have no answers.

Maybe it is so important I know these things because my last few weeks have been terrible. 9 – 5 is respectable if you aren’t as far back of the leaders as I am. So, 46 – 30 overall is sixteen games above .500 and 8 games below respectable. I have this week to bring myself back up, so I am going to forego my picks for a day. In truth, I need that day to give a few players more time to emerge from the healing chrysalis–or not.

I enjoy these football days. Once upon a time I dreamed of being an NFL player. These days I dream of coaching at a mid level–perhaps high school or middle school–somewhere that I can work with film. There is something chess like about football that I enjoy. You’re in a match of wits with another person, but a great deal of the play is left to luck and left to the talent of your roster. Maybe it won’t be as fun as I think, but I’m looking for a chance to find out.

I think too much of people. Something I really struggle with is the idea that folks need a lot of clear and specific instruction on how to do things. I’m talking about every thing. In teaching it is how to hold an intellectual conversation, how to stage the various stages of an assignment, how to transfer simple skills from one type of task to another, and so on. This can be a spot of difficulty in my teaching, because I teach in an environment where most students won’t stand up and say, “I don’t get this” even if I ask the class out loud and sometimes even if I ask the student in private. It is the idea of needing help for things that they feel should be easy and I recognize are difficult, but far more difficult than I recognize.

Because of this phenomenon, I lowballed my kids for a while, judging them as less intelligent than they really are. ‘This is too easy’ became synonymous with ‘I’m bored’ and ‘what else can we do?’ All three pointed to the idea of challenge and that very small region of psychological engagement known as the Zone of Proximal Development.

I think, in the spirit of saying random but inspirational drek, I will add this to my focus. I will try to be better about breaking things down and explaining them and I will try to be much more cognizant of everyone’s ZPD. This year I’ll move back towards the New Year’s resolution, but in the form of a new code of conduct to govern my behaviors. After all, isn’t that what a New Year’s resolution is all about?

Some Thoughts:
1. Big things coming in my writing. I am almost done getting all my long term family and work stuff squared away, which gives me a year’s worth of a manageable workload, or as I see it, several hours a night to write my ass off. So shall it begin.

2. Hitting a lot more 10K step days lately, though it isn’t showing in any physical way.I feel like I need to find the will and thus a way to step up more.

3. Thinking about random acts of kindness: I’ve done many in the past but less so since having kids, which goes to show, perhaps, that RAKs are tied to time, opportunity, and psychological preparedness, three things generally stolen by the advent of spawn.

4. I love my kids, really.

5. Having kids is damn hard.

Lack of sleep has dragged me into the depths of allergies right in the middle of flu season. My guard is down at a time where I should be doing everything to stay healthy. I’m considering Zyrtec or some other such supplement. I am also watching Prometheus, which constantly proves to be a stimulant to my imagination.

I must say tonight is another night for rambling. Sometimes it is good to clear out the mental cobwebs in order to make room for fresh thoughts. Lately the cobwebs are in the shape of lingering paperwork, football playbooks, and compound sentence structures. Trapped in those webs are plots of stories I’ve never cared to write but wondered how they would look in print. If you look closer you’ll find the gossamer threads of dual enrollment responsibility, an odd collision between the world of high school and college that I’ve chosen to navigate.

Okay, enough thinking. Now I want to enjoy Prometheus.

This is one of those nights where I can’t seem to put together much by way of coherent thoughts. The 3 hrs and 43 minutes of sleep from the night before may have something to do with that. Still, I need to take care of all of my old business so I can dedicate myself in full to the novel process. Until the ‘morrow it is just going to be these loose thoughts, so might as well get started…

1. I really should make my pics on fridays, because by then the injury reports are in and I know exactly what impact these missing parts will have.
2. Still feeling a lot of numbness and or tingling all down my left arm. I thought it was a stroke the first day, but a month in I’m convinced I have some nerve issues, likely in my neck.
3. As my #3 QB (playing for the first time in my fantasy roster) collects points in garbage time, I find myself thinking about how much better it feels to win than to lose. Last year I was 2-11 and this year I’m 5-0. Nice.
4. That winning rule applies to kids sports too. This weekend my middle guy ‘tied’ a matchup where the ref failed to call some clear penalties on our side of the ball. Normally, I don’t get pissed about these things, but her failure to call the penalties emboldened the other team and they kept on playing dirty until they injured several of our players, including my kid. For example, once the goalie has the ball you back off. You don’t run up and kick him in the head and then act like you were trying to kick the ball out of his hands… Then you as a ref should never turn to the coach of the boy kicked and say, “I don’t know why they don’t know they can’t do that.” Maybe because when they do it you complain to me instead of telling them what they did wrong?
5. While it is clear that pornography creates an unhealthy standard for women, it is also clear (by the rampant success of the plastic surgery industry) that women are more willing to conform than to challenge. Who can blame them? I mean, I’d rather be adored than be the lonely righteous one.
6. Of course, the opposite is true in my writing. I tend to write how I would not act.

 

 

I’m writing this at 2 in the morning. On the weekends 2 is still a half-hour out from bedtime. My wife and I recently had a conversation about these late nights. The conversation started off about the amount of time outside of work hours I spend working. I tried to explain that not everything I do is slaved to the one job. I write professionally and that has nothing to do with developing curriculum or grading papers. Unless you are a writer or artist it appears to be impossible to understand that people may pour hours and weeks into a task that pays them pennies–if anything at all–because they love doing it.

Writing is a responsibility. The moment you recognize that being a writer is who you are, you have a responsibility to that role. You are required to write. It may be called a hobby or a career but it is really a calling. Like a religious calling, the only people who are going to understand that are the people just like you.

 

Some Thoughts:

1. Saw hints of that killer instinct in my middle child today. He threw himself in harms way to get the results he wanted. He played hard and never gave up. Nice work, kid.
2. Staying away from information about Breaking Bad’s series finale is about as hard as dodging a mosquito in Arizona.