That Guy-Part II

As my death march toward 40 continues I perpetually come upon occassions reminding me of my mortality, frailty and long lost prime of life.

Take this evening for instance.

I was on my treadmill (conjure up the stereotypical image of a middle aged man on such a contraption). After my 'workout' was over, I got off and stumbled to the closet to take off my shoes. Standing in the closet, I lost my balance, fell back and knocked over a box of memorablia. Luckily I grabbed hold of the wall to prevent my complete collapse.

When I stood straight up again, I gazed down to see what exactly I knocked over and clean up the mess I made. Staring back at me was a picture of me...when I was 20 years old. As I was still short of breath and quite convinced I pulled a muscle when I nearly fell, there, mockingly looking back at me was my former self.


Take a look for yourself.

I think it was 1990. Dear God, time is a harsh mistress.

As if that were not enough, the other day I was really excited to find my copy of Van Halen's 1984. I enthusiastically uploaded it to my iTunes. As I was reading the liner notes it dawned on me that it had been 25 years since the album was released. That is a quarter of a century ago! I was a freshman in high school.

Remembering the show Family Ties? You know when we were in junior high and high school. Alex Keaton's parents would talk about Bob Dylan and a much healthier Michael J. Fox would remind them that was 'ancient history'? I'm now that guy. Some of my favorite albums of my youth are now ancient history.

My life has become a sitcom.

A caricature of over-the-hill domestic manhood.

What happened to the young man in that picture?

I'm going to go bury my yearbooks.

Be well.

Dust

In additon to being a sign of poor housekeeping, dust is usually an indication that something has been in one place for a while.

This epiphany struck me the other day in my classroom.

I was looking for a box with student work samples that was stored on a top shelf along with some other teacher miscellany. As I moved things around, I eventually knocked another box off the shelf whereupon it settled on the counter and sent dust plumes rising.

It was not what I was looking for, but it was what I found.

As soon as I noticed I got down and sat in a nearby chair and watched the dust work its way back down to the surface of the box and it got me thinking.

How long had that box been there?

Surely, it must have been some time because that much dust does not accumulate overnight.

Why had I not noticed that box before and where was the box I was actually looking for?

Seriously, how long had that box been on that shelf?

The implications were numerous. If I could not remember when I put that particular item on that paricular shelf and sufficient time had passed to collect a good layer air-born sediment, then clearly it and I have been here longer than I thought.

I live here.

I'll never be 'from' here, but this is where I now live. What else could explain the layer of dust on the item that fell? But there were also several other items put up out of arms reach that I was now noticing for the first time. When did I put them there? Have I been so busy living here that I did not notice that dust was collecting on me?

And so, for whatever reason this reality has come upon me, here is where I am. I enjoy the weather. The cold and rain are preferred to the climate of my SoCal homeland, though I admit, by the end of March I welcome the sun. I don't understand the people here and I imagine they don't understand me much either. As I have said before, I fell like an alien in my own country. I have chosen to see what positives I can. I only see 140 students a day as where before I was used to seeing 185. I do hate that there few sidewalks and there are too many two lane roads. There are so many stupid, backward and naive things about here that I dislike. However, the idea of returning to that rotting corpse that is California is even less appealing and a notion that fades more with each passing month.

It is not what I was looking for, but it is what I found.

Now what?


Be well.

Perspective

While idiots on both ends of the political spectrum 'debate' the stimulus plan likely to pass Congress, I can't help but be amused by Republican efforts of late.

It seems that not only have Republicans in office recently got religion about spending, they also seem to suffer from an amazing case of amnesia.

In an effort to provide some perspective on our current economic woes, a little math lesson seems to be in order.

Cost of Bush tax cuts to the wealthy: 1.6 trillion dollars

Cost of Iraq war he lied about: 1.0 trillion dollars

Cost of his de-regulation of banking
and the resulting mess 700 billion dollars

Total cost of the fiasco that was the Bush years: 3.3 trillioin dollars

Allow me to say that first and foremost I wish there was not a need to borrow 800 billion dollars in an attempt to stimulate our economy. It may work and it may not. We are simply out of options.

I've taught history for 11 years. I know a few things about economics. This is the worst it has been in 75 years. I don't care if you don't believe me. Some things are true whether you choose to believe them or not.

My point, and I do have one is this, we are at this junction as a result of the mismanagement and mollesting of our economic instiutions for the last eight years. Republicans easily forget how their policies were shoved down the throat of the Congress for years. Democrats flailed about in useless impotence and the American public cowered in fear of terrorists around every corner and by doing so abdicated their civic responsibility to question their leadership. This ultimately led to abuses of power not seen for some time.

We are here and something, whether it works or not must be tried. I dare the Republicans in Congress to fillibuster a plan, that by no means perfect, is much more balanced than any legislation George W. Bush ever endorsed.

If we do survive this it will be because we came to our senses, not because of political posturing.

Be well.

What Will I Do For Fun After January 20th?

Check out this article on YahooNews. To think, this idiot was allowed to run our country for the last eight years. Say what you will about Obama, at least it is easier to listen to him speak.

I Love Christmas

We caught this gem on video the other day while we were decorating the house. We may be snowed in and had our flight cancelled, but this reminds me of how much I love this holiday.

Be well. Merry Christmas.

I Wish I Had Been There

I don't know if there is any greater indictment against this president than the recent actions of an Iraqi reporter. This poor excuse for a chief executive has so badly damaged our nation's reputatation and that of every Christian, of which he claims to be. Anybody who voted for this war criminal in 2004 should be ashamed of themselves. Though he deserves far worse, at the very least, these events may give him a sense of the anger, pain and humiliation he has brought to several nations, including our own.

We can only hope that history will be as unkind to Bush as this shoe throwing Iraqi nationalist. It would have sweetened the deal if Cheney were also in the line of fire.

Tom And Dave's Gift Registry

I have hesitated posting my thoughts here on the issue of Proposition 8, which recently passed in California on the issue of gay marriage. Then I realized, the beauty of the blogosphere is that it is like my own digital talk radio program. I can say whatever is on my mind. I'm glad Proposition 8 passed. Marriage is a heterosexual institution.

I cannot however, offer an argument denying equal legal rights to gay couples nor their right to enter into long-term committments. I believe that all couples ought to have the same rights. I feel that it is the right of homosexual couples to enter into public declarations of life-long pairing and to hold property in common. It is antithetical to the ideas of justice and equity for anyone to say otherwise. Those couples ought to have the full legal right and social mobility as any other. Such a union though is not a marriage. It is the homosexual equivalent perhaps, but it is not a marriage. Socially-historically speaking it is something unique to the union of gay couples, therefore it requires it's own, fully legal designation.

No matter how strongly you feel that gays ought to marry, you have to acknowledge that marriage, since it's introduction to human society has been defined as a union of man and woman. To say that gay couples should be able to marry, is like saying a white person can become black. Socially, culturally speaking the two are by definition different.

Having said that, regardless of my faith, I believe that it is only judicious to offer the same legal protections that heterosexual couples enjoy when they enter into a union. It is not therefore a marriage as it has always been understood. Such a legal creation should not be considered Jim Crow for gays. It is not a case of 'separate but equal' segregation. I'm suggesting rather a distinctive and affirming recognition of the unique constructs for those of the same gender who love one another. All things being equal legally, there is no good reason, absent blind emotion to resist such a proposal.

Surely, my remarks will offend some, encourage others or perhaps no one is till reading this humble blog. Either way, it is just the ramblings of a middle aged heterosexual male.

Hopefully that profile does not marginalize my thoughts.