Thanksgiving Thoughts

I haven't posted here in a while (I'm trying to find a way to remedy that--I miss blogging, actually), but I just couldn't resist posting this little gem.



Hope everyone had a good holiday.

Divergence

I recently had a conversation with a person I used to know quite well. In fact, the person said something along lines of "You used to be my best friend and I respected your thoughts more than just about anybody. Now, I just don't know who you are." Around what did the conversation in question center? Obama and the healthcare debate. When this person started down the "Obama is a Socialist" path and I suggested, in what I thought was a rather non-threatening manner, that the "socialist" argument was a form of fearmongering intended to elicit a purely emotional response, I found myself on the receiving end of a conservative tirade. People are lazy, almost all people in need are actually out to game the system, and Obama is just trying to give handouts. I was also informed that my position (systemic inequities exist that lead to significant social/political/economic advantage and disadvantage) was the result of being brainwashed by people who look like, well, me (the liberal intelligentsia?). Ultimately, the person in question implied that my position--some kind of healthcare for all--was somehow in opposition to my education and intelligence. I bit my tongue (I think it may have been bleeding) and removed myself from the conversation.

I will gladly have a debate regarding the ideological positions regarding whether the US should offer healthcare to all citizens or not. There are reasonable arguments to be made on all sides of the issues. While I will defend healthcare as a right, I understand there are well thought arguments against that position. What I will not listen to is someone tell me that Obama is covertly advocating some kind of socialist takeover by the US government. That is just disingenuous and unfair. Quit spewing conspiracy theory nonsense and dig into the substantive issues at hand.

And to that person with whom I had this conversation: you're right. You don't know me. At all. Our political positions, and our general views of humanity, diverged 17 years go. I tried to have a civil conversation with you. I presented my position as one way of viewing the world, not the right way of viewing the world. I listened to your position and acknowledged that your view was a valid way of engaging the healthcare debate. In return, I was attacked. Not my position, not my argument, but me. I'm stupid because I don't think like you.

Brilliant.

Spank!

I gave my students a verbal swat on the behind this afternoon. When I asked what they thought of the President's address to the joint session of Congress, only one person could engage in a thoughtful discussion thereof. Why? With the exception of this one student, nobody took the time to watch or read the President's remarks. Are you kidding me?

I reminded my students that one of the goals of a liberal arts education is to become a learned citizen capable of joining the conversation regarding the public good. I suggested that their education goes beyond what they're learning in the classroom and extends to their practices in everyday life. Seek out knowledge and become a "person equipped to understand and confront a changing society." That's straight from the mission statement of our fine institution. One would think that students, particularly Communication Studies students, would be interested in how the President's message fits into a particularly contentious debate about our changing society.

Is this thing on? Am I reaching any of these young adults?

Hot Zone

I received an email from our Public Information office late yesterday afternoon: 7 cases of H1N1 have surfaced at our school. With all the conflicting media reports out there (It's a pandemic! It's really nothing to worry about!), I suppose the school is handling the news in the best manner possible. Nobody appears to be freaking out; instead, the administration is encouraging students to quarantine themselves and asking the community at large to do simple things like hand washing, preventative coughing and sneezing (sneeze into your hand or your arm), and staying home if one becomes symptomatic. The last one will be tough for me. I'm that professor that brings a box of tissue to class and lectures with a 101 degree fever. The administration also asked all professors to think about contingency plans for keeping ill students up to speed with coursework. The expectation is that we'll modify any course assignments so that they can be handled digitally, thus limiting contact between infected students and the rest of the campus community. This will be inconvenient, in some cases (how do I handle remote speech assignments? webcam?), but not impossibly so.

As my school is a residential campus--all 2700 students are required to live in residence halls all four years--it should be interesting to see how quickly this thing spreads. In fact, we've been identified as one of the most dangerous infectious disease sites in our county. Score!

Am I being selfish if I admit that I'm more concerned that I might bring home the virus to my 4 year old son than I am about infected college students? When will those vaccines hit the clinics? I want mine yesterday.

Conversational Realities

STK: What do you think Mom and Dad do while you're asleep?

TLO: Watch Olbermann. Or Burn Notice.

Errand Boy

Where did all these errands come from? School starts a week from today and I've been running around the last few days trying to tie up a few odds and ends before I'm back in the classroom. Bank, hardware store, supermarket, library, office. Lather, rinse, and repeat.

The Show That Never Ends . . .

I really had no intention of leaving this place to gather dust for three months. Three months? Where did three months go? Seriously. WTF? As I retreated from the world after the Nuggets' loss to the Lakers, I can understand the month of June. I have absolutely no excuses from July and August.

Seriously, though, the latter part of May and the 1st half of June were all about writing, writing, writing. I sent a co-authored article off to be ripped by the critics of a prestigious journal (I am completely confident that the piece will be outright rejected), finished a book chapter, and hammered out a quick book review. Not a bad bit of academic production during the first month of the summer, eh? I've accomplished zilch since that little burst of academic productivity but we take our victories where we get them, right?

I'm noodling around with one other piece, a piece that's written and being presented at an upcoming convention, but I'm getting the feeling that I need to do a MAJOR reworking of the article if I want to get it published. An anonymous reviewer for the convention thought the piece was good enough to present but wasn't good enough to be taken all that seriously. I'm bound and determined to make that reviewer eat her or his words. Said review did make a couple of useful comments about weaknesses in the piece that I've taken to heart.

I'm also starting the preliminary research (I'm reading, reading, reading) on two different projects, one of which might be suitable for a book length manuscript. The other project concerns the recent explosion of rural quilt projects. The county in which live is just starting one such project and it would be fairly easy, I think, to gain access to the people involved. My finished work would involve the rhetoric of these pieces. Is it just me or do these modern works of art--modeled after an artistic medium of historical significance and installed frequently on old weathered barns constructed in the 19 century, reveal an attempt to suture a modern/postmodern fissure? As the Bellamy Bros song says, "Should he hang on to the old, should he grab on to the new?" The major question regarding this project is whether or not I should pull together a proposal and submit the project for a possible governmental summer research grant. The grant pays up to $6000 for two months of work. This kind of thing always gives me great pause as I could take the 20-20 hours of work needed to pull together a competitive proposal and be denied. Aye, there's the rub.

Enough about academics. Over the next few days I'll try to post a couple updates regarding the whats and wherefores of life in Bluff country. I know at least one or two of you might enjoy reading about what's been up in my life for the last few months.

For the Record

Before the Nuggets/Lakers game starts I want to get my prediction out there and on the record. This isn't based on any statistical measure or observation. I'm making my prediction purely on my homerism as a Nuggets fan. The fact that I absolutely LOATHE the Lakers makes my prediction even easier.

This is the year the lowly Nuggets emerge as winners. Nuggets take the series 4-2.

Mini Meditation

We're trying to introduce the concept of "quieting the mind" to TLO. He has become exceedingly verbose in recent weeks (verbose as in he NEVER stops talking) and it's starting to wear on both STK and me. TLO has also inherited almost all of my bad personality traits--odd and sundry obsessions, fiery temper, the inability to let something go--which he really doesn't need. I've worked on these issues for the better part of 16 years, with varying degrees of success (and still a lot work to do), and it pains me that he probably has similar struggles ahead.

With these things in mind, we've decided to introduce five minutes of family meditation right before bedtime. We started the practice last night and it went surprisingly well. After completing TLO's usual pre-bedtime ritual we made our way to our meditation space (we have a family altar in the house), lit the candles next Buddha, fired up some incense, and assumed the customary sitting position. TLO rang our small singing bowl at the start and conclusion of our five minutes. He did surprisingly well. He sat, quietly, with his hands in his lap.

STK and I have talked about this experiment as an attempt to introduce some sense of spirituality into TLO's life. As we don't attend church and have a difficult time finding our way out to the local monastery, this appears to be the next best thing. The more I think about this, though, I realize this is as much about STK and me as it is about TLO. We haven't been doing much meditation lately (none would be more accurate) and there was a time when STK and I were far more dedicated to our respective spiritual practices. I miss that. My beliefs haven't changed all that much but my sense of connection with those beliefs has faded. Maybe this will help reestablish some of that spiritual connectedness.

Nuggets Talk: Lips Tattoo

Derek: Mavs fans were hassling the families of the Nuggs during the game.

Bob: classy

Derek: Totally.

Bob: The nuggets look like a tattoo factory exploded

Derek: I love it. And Birdman's hair. I'm thinking about getting some of those big red lips tattooed on my neck.*

Bob: EEEE, that's one I don't really like

Derek: Cracks me up every time I see it.

Bob: Gives me the willies

Derek: I think that's what Kmart wants. Tattoos as psychological warfare.

Bob: yeah. in some cases I think they are very cool

Derek: Although given his numbers, I'd say the jury is out regarding effectiveness.

*

Franchise on the Edge of Forever

Tickets are purchased. Anticipation is building. The only way I could be more excited about Thursday's Star Trek premiere would be if this were a new Star Wars movie. The geek buzz about the film is tremendously positive.

New Trek Should Love Long and Prosper.

After my dreadful experience with Wolverine (that movie truly sucked), I'm ready for a most excellent movie. If the film does well, and I believe it's likely to be the summer's big money maker (how 'bout that for turning around the Trek franchise), can a new TV series be far behind?

American Stonehenge

I haven't posted in a while but simply had to share this:

The strangest monument in America looms over a barren knoll in northeastern Georgia. Five massive slabs of polished granite rise out of the earth in a star pattern. The rocks are each 16 feet tall, with four of them weighing more than 20 tons apiece. Together they support a 25,000-pound capstone. Approaching the edifice, it's hard not to think immediately of England's Stonehenge or possibly the ominous monolith from 2001: A Space Odyssey. Built in 1980, these pale gray rocks are quietly awaiting the end of the world as we know it.

The entire thing is quite an interesting mystery. STK wants to take a trip down to the Savannah College of Art and Design, her alma mater, and the Georgia Guidestones would be a perfect side trip.

Atonement?

For the most part, I've been pretty put out with Marvel's new Dark Reign storyline. Norman Osborn/Green Goblin becomes a national hero, organizes his own group of Avengers (the Dark Avengers), and commits to making the U.S. safe. Ick. I really can't stand the whole villains pretend to make good but really continue to be bad comic book trope. The one good thing that's come out of Dark Reign has been the revival of the Avengers. The most recent lineup appears to be comprised of Hank Pym, Hercules, U.S. Agent, Stature, Vision, and Bruce Banner/Hulk. That's a damn powerful lineup with some quirky, and volatile, personalities. Could be great fun.

In the first story arc with the new team, Modred unleashes the power of Chthon from the Darkholde. The Avengers assemble to confront the menace but, before they can take action, Iron Man arrives on the scene to assume command. As an Avengers fan of 30+ years, the following exchange had me rolling.

Hank Pym: You can take over from here? You? Tony Stark? Mister fought against Cap in the Civil War. Shot Hulk into space and caused World War Hulk. Gave the Skrulls everything they needed to invade earth. You’re taking over? Come on. Give me one good reason why . . .

Iron Man: Three words. You’re Hank Pym.

Hercules: Zounds.

Hank Pym: That’s not a reason! That’s just a cheap shot at my . . .

Iron Man: I’m sorry, Yellowjacket, but we don’t have time to deal with all of your baggage-

Hank Pym: I’m not Yellowjacket anymore. I’m the Wasp.

Iron Man: Wow. Thanks for making my point.

That is funny on so many different levels. If you're not a longtime fan of the Avengers, much of the humor is probably lost. You can see/read the exchange at Marvel's preview page. Could this title lead to the redemption of Hank Pym? He's supposed to be one of Marvel's most brilliant minds; I'd love to seem him finally atone for that little Ultron mistake.

Pop Quiz

The following is an excerpt from Jimmy Carter's 1976 DNC Address.

At a time like this, scorching irony, not convincing argument, is needed. O! had I the ability, and could I reach the nation’s ear, I would, to-day, pour out a fiery stream of biting ridicule, blasting reproach, withering sarcasm, and stern rebuke. For it is not light that is needed, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake. The feeling of the nation must be quickened; the conscience of the nation must be roused; the propriety of the nation must be startled; the hypocrisy of the nation must be exposed; and its crimes against God and man must be proclaimed and denounced.

True or false?

Celebrity Look-a-like

Remember my list of celebrity comparisons from way back? A couple days back, someone told me I look like Evel Dick from Big Brother 8. Don't look at me; I didn't come up with the spelling. Oddly enough, this is the 3rd time I've heard this very comparison. During the initial run of Big Brother 9--a show I never watch--my sister commented that I look, and act, like Evel Dick. A few months later, an employee at a Petsmart came up to me and said, "Do you know you look just like Evel Dick? I thought you were really him for a while."

Sure beats that Yanni comparison I received. Frakkin' Yanni? I just don't get it.

Overload

Today is one of those really overwhelming media days that comes along every once in a great while. Battlestar Galactica concludes its run as a series, The Clone Wars ends its first season (and has been surprisingly good), and Dollhouse presents an episode that is being reviewed widely as Joss Whedon's return to form.* All the shows overlap, of course, and that means I had to do a quick reprogram of the DVR to record Clone Wars tomorrow AM. I'll watch it live, but the DVR can only handle two recordings at a time ::shakes fist at Mediacom technology Gods & Goddesses::). I'm dreading the end of BSG; it will not end on a happy note. With the exception of Starbuck, I'm predicting death for most of the major players. At the very least, Adama & Tigh will go down with their ship in a blaze of glory.

To top it all off, Metric released a streaming version of their new album yesterday and I just can't seem to find enough time to listen to it again, and again, and again, and again. I've contacted the Universe about adding two hours to each day but have yet to hear anything back.

*About six episodes too late. Dollhouse ratings haven't been all that stellar, although the series did see a gain last week and sees even more gains when time shifting numbers (DVR) are factored into the occasion. If forced to make a prediction, my guess is that FOX doesn't renew the show for next season. Could someone get the Sci Fi channel, er, SyFy Channel on the phone? Whedon's work never really takes off until the mythology is established, usually about half way through the 1st season. FOX never seems to get this until too late (like when Whedon's shows generate significant $$$$ via DVD sales).

Conversation Realities

T: The sorority Barbies next door just picked up a chihuahua to go with their collective ensemble. And they're partying it up on their back deck....the place is rank with cigarette smoke.

Me: Well, a chihuahua goes with everything.

T: That's what I hear.

Have Fun Storming the Castle

Just a reminder to all you Captain Mal/Caleb/Captain Hummer fans that Nathan Fillion returns to network television tonight with his shiny new series, Castle. Most of the dozen or so reviews I've read this morning seem to be of similar mind: while the acting is reportedly good, the series concept--murder mystery writer becomes police consultant--is worn out. I'm not a huge fan of the murder mystery genre but I'm going to give the series a chance based solely on Nathan Fillion. Maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised, right?

Gallimaufry

Aging with the President. I was washing my hands in a restroom a couple days back when I looked at myself in the mirror and realized that my hair is now noticeably gray. The fact that I'm going gray is not big news--I've had gray hair sprouting from my lid since my mid 20s. What's different, however, is that the grays are starting to gather in noticeable clumps. In fact, I'm starting to look a little like Mr. Fantastic. And Rogue.

RIP RMN. When I lived in Denver, the Rocky Mountain News was my newspaper of choice. Sad to see it go. Is there any hope for the newspaper industry in the digital age? Maybe.

New music on the horizon. I'm looking forward to checking out new albums by Roxy Epoxy and the Rebound (March 10) and Metric. Roxy Epoxy is kind of a guilty pleasure; I've enjoyed her work since she was with the Epoxies. Metric, on the other hand, is probably my favorite band ever. There's an outside chance that we might be in Toronto, ON this summer when Metric performs a show or two. It would be frakkin amazing to catch them again.

Stumped

As someone who teaches at a smallish liberal arts college, becoming a frequent of the college's Interlibrary Loan office has been absolutely crucial. We just don't have the resources to compete with the larger institutions. So, much of my research is done via ILL. Over the course of almost four years, and some pretty obscure requests, the ILL department has never let me down. I'm afraid there might a good chance that run is about to end.

A few days back I submitted a request for Linda Godfrey's Beast of Bray Road. I discovered the book after a somewhat local newspaper reported an encounter with the Man Bat, a humanoid figure that witnesses described as part man and part bat. Man Bat, duh! I'm not sure why this kind of thing intrigues me, but it does. I'm all about Nessie, Bigfoot, Yeti, Champ, Ogopogo, and the Man Bat. If I've managed to stump ILL--I've yet to hear a peep about my request---I'm prepared to take the plunge and buy the book. Amazon has the text rated at 4.5 stars. How can I go wrong?