Your Eyes & My Words

Obama disappoints

2008-08-23T02:20:00.002-08:00

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

2008-05-01T16:07:00.002-08:00

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

2008-04-22T11:02:00.002-08:00

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

2008-04-16T12:08:00.003-08:00

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)

The Year in Review (2007)

2007-12-24T22:25:00.000-09:00

For the first eight months of 2007, I kept really busy... really busy. Anyone that ever said life in a small bush Alaskan community is boring isn't trying very hard. If I'd had more hours in the day, I could have done plenty more. As it was, I think I did enough.

I put in a third year at Bristol Bay School District. I taught a Spanish II class to four students we'll call Jake, Mike, Derek and Katrina. Now four students doesn't sound like much, but half the class was insane so it kept me busy. But just like a dog begins to take on the characteristics of its owner, perhaps the class was merely a reflection of their maestro. I coached volleyball for a third year in a row as well, although technically volleyball season was in the fall of '06. I REALLY missed coaching volleyball this fall and will try to figure out how to involve myself again in the future - maybe as a ref, maybe as a coach... Even though we lost all of our matches, it was a great season. Then I did decided to punish myself for three or four months by taking the varsity girls basketball coaching job. To say 'varsity' is funny, however, since the total number of players in the high school varied from 11 at the beginning of the season to three at times. On average, I had about eight. Now, it should be stated that no one wanted the job, which is why I ended up taking it. My interest in ensuring that the girls I'd coached and cared about during volleyball season trumped my reservations about taking on such a big duty. Anyone that knows me knows how much I know about basketball... Anyway, armed with a stack of books ordered from Amazon and a borrowed Steve Nash video (huge thanks to Jon King and Steve Nash), I set out to conquer the world. Memorable highlights include a Cherokee ride over to Dillingham when the windows on the plane started to ice over a bit and the defroster just wasn't cutting it. Unphased, the pilot opens the window, leans out and scraps the windshield clear with a credit card. You don't see that everyday. I'll also remember regionals fondly... I spent a small part of it in the emergency room trying to get the vomiting under control. In the end, we ended up winning three games total - far more than we were expected to win, so I feel like that was something. I also feel like I had a positive impact on a few of the players - or at least I hope I did. All I can say is that I tried and that I learned a lot from the experience and that I'm grateful for having had that opportunity. Thanks to the girls that played for me and the parents and community members that supported me ...

When I wasn't wandering the halls of the school, hablando y enseñando español, or haunting the gyms with my practice plans and whistle, I was finishing off the fifth of a five-year U.S. Department of Education TRiO Talent Search grant for the UAF Bristol Bay Campus. As Program Coordinator, I had the honor of creating a compelling series of career and academic exploration opportunities for youth throughout four school districts of the Bristol Bay region (Lake & Peninsula, Southwest Region, Bristol Bay and Dillingham City School Districts). I loved the creative component of this job and I came up with some really great camps. But I'd like to pause for a second the thank the hundreds of people throughout Alaska and even across the U.S. that made these camps possible. From the patient and capable staff of the UAF offices to the counselors and village leaders around the Bay, I had an amazing amount of support - and for that I am hugely grateful.

The events included (in roughly chronological order):

· (January) Early Childhood Education Camp: Spent a couple of days talking with EEC leaders in the Dillingham area, then flew my students over to Anchorage for an EEC conference, visits to Job Corps and childcare facilities around the region, and trips to Alaska Pacific University (APU) and the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA). Highlights included watching scary movies and eating pizza, checking out the Folk Festival at UAA, and Chelsea (those present will understand). January was also an exciting month for me because I had the cast removed from my right arm.

· (February) Grand Dérangement: This was a cultural event put on by the Dillingham Arts Council. 'Grand Dérangement' is an Acadian folk/rock music group that was fantastic. Especially memorable was the look on those young boys' faces from Manokotak... I'm pretty sure that they've NEVER seen anything like THAT before. Once they got over the initial shock, they got into it.

· (March) Culinary Camp II: The first camp was so popular we did it again in the Spring. Huge thanks to Monsieur Villon and to Donna for making the camp such a success. Of all my camps, the food was best at Culinary Camp. It was a GREAT way to spend a few days.

· (also March) Filmmaking/Documentary Camp: One way I come up with ideas for my camps is to think about what I'd like to do, then I take the kids along for the ride. In addition to that selfish motivation, I always attempted to come up with ideas that would diversify the bush economy and give the youth idea for careers outside of oil/gas and mining that they could pursue in their backyard, all the while continuing their subsistence lifestyle and cultural way of life. It would be difficult to find a more amazing backyard than southwest Alaska. Filmmakers and photographers come to Alaska from around the world to shoot... Why not have locals do this? Such was my thinking when I came up with the Filmmaking/Documentary Camp idea. Huge thanks go out to Mark Emery and Robert Wooten for their instruction and friendship. We spent the first half of the camp learning how to set up the shots and the story, then the last half of the class learning non-linear editing techniques. If I could do it over again, I'd keep the number of students to a small group and avoid shooting in March. But despite the size, I'd call the class a success... Especially for a select group of students in attendance. Memorable moments include the frigid temperatures, staying up late with Robert troubleshooting and getting lied to and let down by a student (didn't see that coming). By the way, I turned 40 during that camp. Learning about documentary filmmaking was one of the best ways I could have spent that day.

· LPSD AA meet and the NWS Women in Science event: Flew to Iliamna with Marjorie to attend the annual LPSD AA meet. Always enjoyable. First of all, Iliamna is gorgeous. NOTE: Putting in the world's largest open pit gold mine just outside of Iliamna is an amazingly bad idea. Please help STOP the Pebble Mine. Second, watching the Native Youth Olympics is a joy that you pretty much have to come to Alaska to experience. Thirdly, I had a great time hanging out with Marjorie and the LPSD staff. Many thanks go out to Steve Atwater and the LPSD staff for helping make TRiO a success. I helped my absent wife out by taking her place at the Women in Science event. I did not go in drag.

· (June) Guide Camp: If you've never been to Pedro Bay, then you're missing out on one of the most beautiful places on the planet. I am thankful for having had the opportunity to spend a second year in a row there, exposing youth to careers in guiding. Massive thanks goes out to Jerry and the entire Rainbow Bay Lodge team for helping making this camp what it was. If you're planning to go fishing in Alaska, do yourself a favor and give Jerry a call. You will not be disappointed. We expanded the camp and changed a few things from the previous year and I think it rocked. With the exception of having the twins bail on us (incredibly moronic), the camp went smoothly. So many highlights: halibut fishing on the Pacific side, driving across the pass, climbing Pedro Mountain, beach fires, shore lunches, bear guarding, wilderness first aid... the list goes on. But the absolute highlight was flying into the Upper Tazimina Lake and rafting down the Tazimina River to the lower lake. Especially exciting was the black bear visit. Special thanks to Nancy and Mike for their expertise and fellowship.

· (July) Color of Justice: Running out of money, I sent one student into Anchorage to explore careers in law. I did not go but was glad to support for a second year in a row.

· (August) Oceanography/SCUBA Camp: The crown jewel in the '07 lineup, in my opinion. I lobbied hard to make this camp happen and, thanks to Debi, was able to put this together. Logistically, this was probably one of the most challenging camps I put together - and thankfully, everything worked out perfectly. Thanks to divine intervention and a whole army of people... Gary Hadfield (this could NOT have happened without you!), Jodie Hazenberg, the staff at BBSD, Terri at the pool (you are AWESOME), Peggy Perales, Trooper Faye... And OF COURSE Loic Thomas, Joe Waggoner, Chris Rehkopf and Teresa Duncan. Let me please recommend Last Frontier Diving to you world should you want to experience the waters of Alaska. We spent days studying, did closed water training then packed over a ton of SCUBA gear onto Gary's skiff and motored out to an unnamed island on Naknek Lake for our open water dives. So many highlights... John Casteel, you need to come into town and we'll go dive, buddy. My son Connor was amazing... simply amazing.

The grant came to an end August 31st and that was that.

In my spare time, I watched films, took a dance class, filled the role of President on the Headstart board, MC'd the Winterfest and Fishtival events (thanks for that opportunity, guys!), got to purple belt in Tae Kwon Do (thanks, Ron!), went canoeing, socialized, walked the dogs, sat in the hot tub, was the GED Examiner for our side of the bay, traveled around...

Michelle resigned from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and we decided to leave the bush. But to where? With both of us out of work, we could really go anywhere. In the end, we decided to stay in Alaska and moved onto the road system. Why stay? Simply, Alaska feels like home. With the work I'd done for the University and the school, I felt invested in the state and had grown my network to a fairly large size. It was getting to the point that I couldn't go into town (Anchorage) any longer without running into people I knew. That's pretty cool. With a population less than 700,000 in an area of land equal to an area stretching from the Canadian border down to Texas (and just as wide), Alaska is the largest small town in the U.S. I love it. And I have much exploring left to do. AND it's so beautiful, wild and vast here. It is both frightening and comforting at the same time.

So how have I been spending my time since leaving Bristol Bay? Well, I've been looking for work mostly. I've been arranging things around the house, volunteering a few hours a week down at Alex's school, working out and practicing yoga, walking the dogs (religiously), involving myself in the film community and writing. Oh yeah, and thinking a lot. Nice to have a moment to stop and think.

Which brings me to this evening - now officially Christmas. 2007 has been a gift. I'd rack it up into the 'great years' column... For that, I send thanks. May 2008 be just as great.

Favorite Movies

2007-12-16T05:56:00.000-09:00

In creating a profile, I'm often faced with filling out the 'My Favorite Movies' section. As someone who takes movies probably a little too seriously (the Academy Awards is my Super Bowl), I find this to be a very difficult task. After all, there are genres to consider and how to narrow it down? Committing to a list of 'the best' sucks, as many quality films have to be left off.

I think the kinds of movies you most identify with says something about who you are as a human being. I struggle hard not to scream and run away when someone tells me they thought 'Forrest Gump' sucked (Were they even AWAKE during the movie?). I scratch my head in wonder when people tell me just how great 'Shrek' was and how the kids just love it (Am I the only one that loathed 'Shrek'? Am I the only one that would rather have my kids watch 'The Godfather' than 'Shrek'?). I try to keep my lunch down when someone tells me just how wonderful and dreamy 'Titanic' was (I was the one in the audience rooting for DiCaprio to go down one final time AND STAY DOWN!). Creating a list of favorite movies makes one vulnerable - like baring your soul to the world. That's disconcerting.

But I'm going to give this a shot. I'm going to be a man and put it out there for the world to see. Let the chips fall where they may. Keep in mind that this list is not some critical analysis of movies that changed the world or the industry. There are many movies not on this list that were great ('Blazing Saddles', 'Dr. Strangelove', 'Some Like it Hot' as examples). These are simply movies that left me rolling. So, to begin, I give you...

Frog's 10 Comedies to take to the Desert Island

1. Monty Python's The Meaning of Life

When I saw this movie in August of 1983, I was in Charleroi, Belgium. It was the second day of a year-long exchange and I was just getting to know my host family. They thought it would be a great idea to take me to the movies and selected 'Le Sens de la Vie'. I had no clue what I was in for - nor did my host family.

I spent most of the film laughing so hard I was crying and falling (literally) out of my chair. From birth to death, this movie struck a cord with me and therefore takes the #1 spot on my comedy list.

2. Hopscotch

This 1980 spy-game comedy by director Ronald Neame never fails to put a smile on my face. Walter Matthau is amazing as CIA man Miles Kendig, Glenda Jackson as his ex-lover is sexy and sophisticated, and Ned Beatty is a riot as the hyper-intense Myerson. I love this movie.

3. The Pink Panther Strikes Again

The fourth Pink Panther movie (1976) is over-the-top crazy insane. The fight between Clouseau and Cato (played by Burt Kwouk) is worth the price of admission. Herbert Lom as the deranged former Chief Inspector is hilarious. Even if you find the movie stupid, it's worth your time just to gaze upon the sizzling hot Lesley-Anne Down. Oh to be that fur.

4. Ace Ventura Pet Detective

Make sure you watch the 1994 Ace, and not the horrible sequel. Jim Carrey was brilliant. The scene in the shower with 'The Crying Game' playing in the background is classic.

5. So I Married an Axe Murderer

Hey World, forget about Austin Powers (the first one, which was great, don't get me wrong). The 1993 'So I Married...' (directed by Thomas Schlamme and written by Robbie Fox) is far better and funnier. Mike Myers is fantastic, but it is the supporting cast that nailed it for me: Anthony LaPaglia, Nancy Travis, Brenda Fricker, Charles Grodin (why do we not see more of this guy???), Alan Arkin, Steven Wright and Phil Hartman. Phil Hartman as 'Vicki' the Park Ranger is classic.

6. Office Space

For anyone who has worked for a moronic boss or spent time in cubicle hell, do yourself a favor and see this movie. Director Mike Judge (check out 'Idiocracy' as well - it nearly made this list) has a great cast and nails corporate life. The scene in the field with the fax machine - priceless.

7. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

With the exception of Randy Quaid's 'Bingo' line, this is a perfect movie. It is funny from start to finish and never fails to please. Why did Randy Quaid not get Oscar consideration?

8. Harry and the Hendersons

Although this William Dear movie came out in 1987, I didn't actually see it until just this year. When I did, I laughed my ass off. It's sweet, it's outrageous, it's smart and it's very, very funny. Best of all, it's a movie that will appeal to people of all ages. John Lithgow is a comic genius. Kevin Peter Hall does an amazing job as Bigfoot.

9. Tommy Boy

RIP Chris Farley, and thanks for the laughs. This movie made it on my list for so many reasons, among them the deer in the car scene. As someone who worked in sales, this movie is especially meaningful to me. I'm not normally a David Spade fan, but I liked him here.

10. Support Your Local Sheriff

Here's another comedy you can watch with people of all ages. And while it's not a roll-in-the-aisles comedy, it is one of my favorite comedies. It has a first-rate cast: James Garner, Harry Morgan, Bruce Dern (awesome), the lovely Suzanne Pleshette, and on and on. It's the little things - the jail cell, the banter, the finger in the barrel... Love it.

So there you have it. My top ten comedies. Of course, I'm leaving off so many that almost made the list: Ghostbusters, Groundhog Day, She's Having a Baby, Ferris Bueller, Wedding Crashers, Old School, Dinner Game, Major Payne, Major League, Sandlot, Jonah, And God Spoke, Zero Effect, Scrooged, Happy Gilmore, Meet the Deedles, Animal House, Foul Play, Airplane!, 40 Year Old Virgin, ... and on and on. Stay tuned for other genres.

Top 10 Sign You Twitter Too Much

2007-12-14T12:34:00.000-09:00

I created this Top 10 List some time ago on Twitter and thought that I'd share it here again in my blog. I've been watching late night reruns (due to the strike) and felt that some new, fresh material was in order. If you don't know Twitter, this may not make much sense - check it out at twitter.com - maybe THEN you'll understand...

#10 - Laptop gets damp and stepped on by Senator in next stall while updating at the Minneapolis airport.

# 9 - All your conversations are equal to or less than 140 words.

# 8 - Definite and indefinite articles have become a luxury

# 7 - You ask your lover to hold still so that you can report how close to climaxing you are

# 6 - You find other people's personal hygiene fascinating

# 5 - Your cell bill exceeds the GDP of Moldova

# 4 - Being followed is something you look forward to

# 3 - Your 5 year old has had to learn how to cook Top Ramen for himself since you're just too damned busy

# 2 - Preparation H has decided to sponsor you

And the # 1 way you know that you Twitter too damned much:

You don't think saying 'Twitter' makes you sound like a goober

Inspiration by Twitter

2007-12-14T10:23:00.000-09:00

If you're not familiar with Twitter yet, perhaps you should pause for a moment to check out that Website (www.twitter.com). Please believe me when I tell you that it's more than a couple of morons texting back and forth about taking a dump. Twitter is a place designed to give you a small forum to share with the world what you're up to or what you're thinking, and you are given 140 characters with which to do so. You can write about the person sitting next to you on the bus, about the latté you're enjoying, or about the lover you just left. You can rail against the system, whine about how boring your life has become or celebrate success. The possibilities are endless and completely up to you. After your entry is complete, a click of the button and your words are out there like graffiti on a subway wall.

But who cares, right? Well, apparently, scores of people around the globe. A check of the Public Timeline will show you all of the current entries streaming in endlessly from all corners of the world. If you are the kind of person that likes to watch people in airports, then this would likely be for you. Since joining recently (free, by the way), I've been fascinated by the many people I have found there. People I've never met like communicatrix (www.communicatrix.com), billbranden, and PamelaTroeppl (www.pamela-troeppl.com), just to name a few. Of course, there are dozens (indeed, thousands) more out there filling the wires with their thoughts and words and I have been entertained by them as well. Not all the entries are spectacular and many aren't even in English, but I've found plenty to keep me coming back again and again.

But the thing I really love about the legions devoted to Twitter is that they have given me the motivation to write. We all have something interesting to say (don't we?), even if it is only 140 characters in length. And I figure if I can fill 140 characters, perhaps I can also fill 500, 1000 or even 100000. Twitter, for me, has been a place to start. It has given me a voice and an opportunity to be heard, which I find pretty cool.

And so far, a few people have been listening...