Obama disappoints

Just learned this evening of Obama's choice for VP will be Biden from Delaware. I don't know much about Biden... I know he's kicked it around the Senate for a while, that he's a lot older than me (and Obama), that he's from this tiny state out East (and North), that he likes Amtrak, and is an Irish Catholic. He's probably a nice guy, tries to make things happen across party lines, and works hard for the American people. So why am I so pissed at the Democrats and disappointed with Obama?

Because it feels like the same old thing, different day. 

Seems to me the Democrats had a real opportunity to be daring, creative, exciting and progressive - Biden represents none of those things. I wanted to see the kind of change that I thought Obama was talking about. I wanted to see someone that would drop mouths and shake up Washington. I wanted to be inspired. 

This feels like milk-toast tastes. 

Remember in '87 when Biden's candidacy had been overwhelmed by "the exaggerated shadow" of his mistakes, leading to his dropping out of the race for the presidential nomination? Or remember just last year him having to try and explain his "You cannot go to a 7-Eleven or a Dunkin' Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent. I'm not joking." remark? I can only imagine that his name on the ticket is going to hurt Obama, not help.

Case in point: Obama just lost my vote.

Song with no music

Just wrote this song. Now I need music to go with...

I want to quit
for the first and last time in my life
I want to quit
living vicariously through others
I want to feel
sand beneath my feet
as a free man
tied to nothing
but out to find the world

I want to move
a pen with clarity of thought
I want to sleep
deep and long
I want to run
with no watch
and no meetings
tied to nothing
but out to win the world

Roll over and wake me up
I'm ready to open my eyes now
Can't you hear me
screaming in the dark?

She stares
at a screen and waits
She hopes
for approval and a smile
But they're both
walking in circles
floating down rivers
without maps
and without paddles

Roll over and wake me up
for this dream needs to end
I've got to open my eyes
and make a new beginning

They're sitting on the curb
locked outside their car
pelted by the rain
holding keys in numb hands

Roll over and wake up
I want to walk together
Out into the eye of the storm
And never leave

Damn Dog

To sleep... Perchance to dream. Unless the neighbor dog continuously barks.

Bleary-eyed, I checked the clock this morning and it read 0515 - long before the alarm is set to sound off. I lay there, hoping the dog would stop... but no such luck. I swung my legs out from under the covers and slowly shuffled to the bedroom window. I opened it a bit further and shouted out to the dog to shut up. It paid me no mind and continued warning the neighborhood... but about what?

The cool air brought me to my senses and my eyes began to scan the yard. There, in the growing twilight, a female moose was helping itself to the bounty at the edge of our grass. This moose was both unimpressed and unfazed by the dog's protests and ambled along at its slow pace, stopping from time to time to reach up and grab new growth. It must have been a little dreamy eyed too, because it tripped on a rock in the yard - a visual first for me. Without a hint of embarrasement, it continued on.

I encouraged this massive beast to go and trample the fucking dog. I wouldn't say I pleaded, but the dog was driving me nuts and my encouragement grew. It would have been so easy for the moose. With maybe two quick strides it could have covered the ground from where it ate to the hound and put it and the rest of us out of our misery.

Instead, it made a line for my neighbor's property and slowly (VERY slowly) disappeared across those imaginary lines.

On the one hand, I appreciate the wake-up call because it gave me the chance to see this moose. On the other hand, I don't appreciate my neighbor's complete lack of attention to their dog going ape-shit. Hey world - if your dog is outside and it barks for more than a minute or two straight, do me a favor - go attend to the animal.

It did finally calm down and stop barking, however, and I did find my way back to bed. And I did fall back asleep...

... until 0620.

Damn that dog.

Tech Geeks

I have a colleague at work that is preparing to give a presentation at the Ragan conference next month titled "Geek Culture: How to Talk With IT People - and Get What You Need". She asked for feedback from the IT department (where I work). My response to her follows:

I’m in the ‘IT’ department, but I’m not a techie. Perhaps my contribution would be – don’t assume that just because someone is in the IT department that they are a tech-head geek.

It’s true that I AM a geek, just not a techie. I’m a huge ‘ST: Next Generation’ fan, for example. But I’m also NOT a geek. I rock-climb, I write screenplays, I make short documentary films…

It begs the question: What IS a geek, anyway? Can’t you be a film geek? Can’t you be a sports geek? I mean, anyone who gets so caught up in every freakin’ minute detail of whatever could be considered a geek, could they not? When I rockclimb, there are guys out there with HUGE amounts of gear on them. Call them what you want – gear junkies, gearheads… essentially, they’re gear geeks, right? I listen to the Creative Screenwriting podcast featuring Jeff Goldsmith, that magazine’s senior editor. Jeff is simultaneously cool AND a complete film geek. He knows all these crazy details about the writers and producers and actors… And that’s his world. But he’s also so cool – hanging out with the likes of Ethan Hawke (also a geek/stud), John Logan, and Simon Kinberg.

Further, I’d just read an article in the BBC recently that suggests yesterdays ‘geeks’ are today’s ‘cool’ (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/793983.stm) – a premise that I believe is more and more true.

Dennis Miller noted that being called an ‘Einstein’ in our culture is viewed as an insult. There’s been such a dumbing down in US society that anything requiring thought and intelligence is seen as geeky and uncool. I personally have an extremely hard time with that.

But I also believe that IT ‘geeks’ are partly to blame for their reputations. They use their understanding of technology (in some cases) as a means to look down their collective noses at the rest of the world. The “How do I…?” questions or the ‘I’m having a problem with…’ that we non-techies ask are met with heavy sighs, condescension and a rolling of the eyes, which then generally elicit a collective middle finger from those of us that bothered to ask for help in the first place. Not every question or problem is an ‘ID 10 T’ error. Asking someone for help makes one vulnerable, and there are tech-geeks out there that just don’t have the social skills to recognize that fact and to treat people with the dignity that they are due. I had a colleague at the University who was in charge of IT. He used his tech knowledge as a weapon against others, making people feel dumb and building up (what was probably) his low self-esteem. Most people that had computer problems just tried to avoid him and find others around the office to help them. I just started using my Mac – problem solved. ; )

That being said, let’s not give the techies ammo or tempt them in any way. Before asking for help with something, do the basics… Is your machine plugged in? Is your battery dead? Is the mouse and keyboard plugged all the way in to their ports? I think we need to make sure that we do as much troubleshooting as possible before we go wasting someone else’s time. There is way too much throwing up of one’s hands into the air and letting someone else fix the problem. And lastly, let’s also remember to keep a sense of humor about our own limitations… Have a thick enough skin so that if an IT geek gives you a bit of a hard time, you can just roll with it. Everyone has their talents… I speak Chinese, but I can’t code. Levi codes but can’t speak Chinese. But that’s maybe a bad example since we’re both so cool.

These are my initial thoughts on the subject. I’m going to take this and put it into my blog, however. IF I blog, does that make me a geek? If I twitter, am I a geek? If I have Spiderman action figures on my shelf at home, am I a geek ? (I don’t, by the way – I’m not a total geek)