I was born in the early 1960s, which means I did most of my growing up in the 1970s. And what that means is that my key college years were in the early-mid 1980s. Like most of those of my generation, music has been an integral part of my life - I can't remember a single day when I haven't listened to an album (CD or MP3 now, I guess) or the radio. And I can't remember a day when I haven't listened to at least 1 Beatles (or solo Beatle) song. My musical tastes are varied, ranging from 1940s big band to John Mayer, classic rock to classical, jazz to country.
And yet I have almost no use for anything recorded in the 1980s. I came to realize that the other day when I finally replaced all of my stolen Sirius radio accessories and returned the radio to the car. 200 channels of stuff and I ended up, for five minutes, on Channel 8 - Eighties on 8. And it was then that I thought my ears were going to fall off.
The song that set me off - "We Got the Beat" by the Go-Gos - was when I came to the realization that the Go-Go's are living proof of everything that was bad about the 80s. To say that they were mediocre is putting it mildly. The truth is that they were just awful. And yes, I will acknowledge that there were some really awful bands in the 1960s and 1970s. But these were mostly one-hit wonders that came and went and now, when you hear their song, you say "Oh Wow - I remember this song. It sucked back then, too!" and then you move on.
But the Go-Gos were a bad band that SHOULD have been a one-hit wonder but somehow weren't. The kept releasing bad record after bad record - and America kept buying them!! And so, as a result, they are a staple on 80s on 8. And a constant reminder of the lost decade of music. Their effects were far reaching, taking so many others down to their mediocre levels.
Don't believe me? Look at all the great acts that went to hell in a handbasket during the 1980s. Hall and Oates - great blue eyed soul in the 70's, pop crap in the 80s. Chicago - cutting edge jazz-fusion in the 70s, the same old David Foster sounding pop in the 80's, Cher - oh, who am I kidding, she just sucked all the time.
Even the legends weren't immune. Name one great Rolling Stones record in the 80s - "Dancing in the Street", Mick Jagger's nightmare with David Bowie? Or how about Bruce Springsteen - musical genius in the 1970s who was reduced to recording the song with the single worst lyrics ever written by a rock and roll hall-of-famer - "Glory Days." Just what the hell is a "speed ball" anyway, Bruce?? And just to show that I'm not ignoring my own musical favorites - did we really need McCartney II? I mean, really??
All of this music sucked - the shitty soundtrack to what should have been my own glory days - graduating high school, college, and the start of my first career. Instead of fond memories, I have A Flock of Seagulls, Softcell and Kaja Goo Goo to look back on.
But no matter how hard I try to twist and turn this - I still blame the Go-Go's for making mediocrity acceptable and setting the cause of all-girl bands back 20 years.
Thanks girls.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Monday, March 15, 2010
The Loneliest Profession
When I became a teacher, after a long career doing other things, one of the veteran teachers surprised me with this little tidbit. "One thing I never get used to," she said, "was the loneliness. Teaching is a lonely profession."
I was somewhat taken aback by that. Lonely? I'm surrounded by 25 kids all day. Constant interruptions. Library. Gym. Art. The occasional assembly. Who could be lonely?
She was right. It is a very lonely profession. But not lonely in the sense that you are "alone" such as a hermit might be. But you are very much alone despite being surrounded by a sea of young faces. You are pretty much on your own after your initial training. You get a curriculum guide, a few reference books and then have at it. Figure it out on your own. And, after a while, you do. Or at least you think you do.
But the loneliness persists. You don't have much adult conversation during the day. And after school, you are busy copying or grading or having mandatory meetings to do anything other than just packing up and going home. As far as professions go, other than an undertaker, I think teaching is a pretty lonely profession.
But the loneliness doesn't end in the classroom. Not any more, at least. No, the loneliness continues outside the school now. For I'm finding that being a teacher is not only a lonely profession, but one that is clearly the scapegoat for everything that is wrong with America today.
Don't believe me? Just look at the newspapers for proof.
Here in New Jersey, we have a tremendous budget deficit. And our illustrious governor has decided that it's the teachers who are at fault. If we could just find a way to have schools with teachers that would work for NO money, things here in New Jersey would be paradise, to listen to his rhetoric. Teachers make too much. Teachers have tenure. Teachers have summers "off" (which is complete bullshit, by the way. Just ask any teacher how much real "off" time they have during their unpaid vacations and I think you might be surprised). Teachers have a pension. Teachers get health benefits.
Nobody ever asks what teachers give up to be teachers. Like the right to work in a building that is less than 40 years old. Or computers that actually have an operating system newer than Windows 98. Or the ability to take a vacation when everyone else ISN'T on vacation. Or the ability to pee when you have to, instead of on a schedule. Or heat in the winter. Or air conditioning in the summer. Or overtime. Or a bonus.
The reality is that teachers perform a valuable service and expect to be paid. We don't expect to become millionaires. None of us got into this gig for that. But after a number of years, it would be nice to be able to have a few nice things.
The truth is that during boom times, nobody wants to be a teacher. They all want to go into private industry and make big money - myself included. But these are not boom times. And, the nerve of it all, teachers are actually working while other industries are not. But that's not our fault. We didn't tell American manufacturers to outsource all of their work. We didn't tell the banks to make all those bad loans. We didn't tell GM and Chrysler to make all those shitty cars (who really needs the Pontiac Aztek anyway!!) All we did was decide that education was the calling we had. And now we are the bad guys.
And to those that think we're the bad guys, let me ask you - just who do you think is paying all the income taxes in this state while everyone else is unemployed? The teachers, that's who.
But I digress. It's not only the teachers making too much money. No, now the federal government wants to revise the shitty No Child Left Behind law with still another half-assed attempt to "fix" American schools. Hey - I have an idea. Let's figure out just what's WRONG with American schools and fix that. Because all this fixing isn't doing a damned thing. Oh, and did anyone ask a teacher to help "fix" the schools? Look at who's doing the writing of the law and let me know what you find.
And, while they are at it, let's not just fix the law, let's rewrite the standards so that we have national standards - across all 48 states. Oh, wait a minute, there are still 50 states aren't there. At least there were when I looked at my flag this morning. But Texas doesn't want to play nice in the sandbox. And if Texas won't play nice, the textbook makers won't play nice. And if the textbook makers won't play nice, you can bet your ass there won't be any national standards.
Did anyone ask a teacher about this?
Just when I'm ready to pitch this whole thing and return to Wall Street with the ridiculously high bonuses, free-flowing coffee and the ability to pee when and where I want, something happens to draw me back in.
Tonight, it was "To Sir, with Love", the great movie with Sidney Poitier. This movie always reminds me that there is more to this lonely profession than the bullshit that you read in the paper. There is the dedication to the students - to making a difference for them, to being a role model for them, to being "there" for them. That is why we accept the sub-standard working conditions and the wrath of the public and the interference of the politicians.
Because, at the end of the day, when a former students stops by to say hello, or when you run into a parent of a former student and they say "Thank you. You made a difference for my child" it makes you feel better than any six-figure bonus check ever did. That's why I stay in the lonely profession. Because, despite what everyone else seems to think about teachers in public education, we DO matter and we DO make a difference.
I was somewhat taken aback by that. Lonely? I'm surrounded by 25 kids all day. Constant interruptions. Library. Gym. Art. The occasional assembly. Who could be lonely?
She was right. It is a very lonely profession. But not lonely in the sense that you are "alone" such as a hermit might be. But you are very much alone despite being surrounded by a sea of young faces. You are pretty much on your own after your initial training. You get a curriculum guide, a few reference books and then have at it. Figure it out on your own. And, after a while, you do. Or at least you think you do.
But the loneliness persists. You don't have much adult conversation during the day. And after school, you are busy copying or grading or having mandatory meetings to do anything other than just packing up and going home. As far as professions go, other than an undertaker, I think teaching is a pretty lonely profession.
But the loneliness doesn't end in the classroom. Not any more, at least. No, the loneliness continues outside the school now. For I'm finding that being a teacher is not only a lonely profession, but one that is clearly the scapegoat for everything that is wrong with America today.
Don't believe me? Just look at the newspapers for proof.
Here in New Jersey, we have a tremendous budget deficit. And our illustrious governor has decided that it's the teachers who are at fault. If we could just find a way to have schools with teachers that would work for NO money, things here in New Jersey would be paradise, to listen to his rhetoric. Teachers make too much. Teachers have tenure. Teachers have summers "off" (which is complete bullshit, by the way. Just ask any teacher how much real "off" time they have during their unpaid vacations and I think you might be surprised). Teachers have a pension. Teachers get health benefits.
Nobody ever asks what teachers give up to be teachers. Like the right to work in a building that is less than 40 years old. Or computers that actually have an operating system newer than Windows 98. Or the ability to take a vacation when everyone else ISN'T on vacation. Or the ability to pee when you have to, instead of on a schedule. Or heat in the winter. Or air conditioning in the summer. Or overtime. Or a bonus.
The reality is that teachers perform a valuable service and expect to be paid. We don't expect to become millionaires. None of us got into this gig for that. But after a number of years, it would be nice to be able to have a few nice things.
The truth is that during boom times, nobody wants to be a teacher. They all want to go into private industry and make big money - myself included. But these are not boom times. And, the nerve of it all, teachers are actually working while other industries are not. But that's not our fault. We didn't tell American manufacturers to outsource all of their work. We didn't tell the banks to make all those bad loans. We didn't tell GM and Chrysler to make all those shitty cars (who really needs the Pontiac Aztek anyway!!) All we did was decide that education was the calling we had. And now we are the bad guys.
And to those that think we're the bad guys, let me ask you - just who do you think is paying all the income taxes in this state while everyone else is unemployed? The teachers, that's who.
But I digress. It's not only the teachers making too much money. No, now the federal government wants to revise the shitty No Child Left Behind law with still another half-assed attempt to "fix" American schools. Hey - I have an idea. Let's figure out just what's WRONG with American schools and fix that. Because all this fixing isn't doing a damned thing. Oh, and did anyone ask a teacher to help "fix" the schools? Look at who's doing the writing of the law and let me know what you find.
And, while they are at it, let's not just fix the law, let's rewrite the standards so that we have national standards - across all 48 states. Oh, wait a minute, there are still 50 states aren't there. At least there were when I looked at my flag this morning. But Texas doesn't want to play nice in the sandbox. And if Texas won't play nice, the textbook makers won't play nice. And if the textbook makers won't play nice, you can bet your ass there won't be any national standards.
Did anyone ask a teacher about this?
Just when I'm ready to pitch this whole thing and return to Wall Street with the ridiculously high bonuses, free-flowing coffee and the ability to pee when and where I want, something happens to draw me back in.
Tonight, it was "To Sir, with Love", the great movie with Sidney Poitier. This movie always reminds me that there is more to this lonely profession than the bullshit that you read in the paper. There is the dedication to the students - to making a difference for them, to being a role model for them, to being "there" for them. That is why we accept the sub-standard working conditions and the wrath of the public and the interference of the politicians.
Because, at the end of the day, when a former students stops by to say hello, or when you run into a parent of a former student and they say "Thank you. You made a difference for my child" it makes you feel better than any six-figure bonus check ever did. That's why I stay in the lonely profession. Because, despite what everyone else seems to think about teachers in public education, we DO matter and we DO make a difference.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Thoughts during a blizzard
So I'm outside shoveling snow that's as high as my ass when I see my wife looking out the window - probably checking to see that I haven't had a heart attack or something. Which I appreciate, but I think I'd appreciate it more often than, say, every 45 minutes or so. Because unless one can be revived after 45 minutes in sub-freezing temperatures, all she is going to find is a dead popsicle of a husband.
Of course, I have bigger things to worry about than possibly dying and being found 45 minutes later by my caring but otherwise pre-occupied wife. Like trying to remove the 3 foot wall of snow that the town conveniently left at the end of my driveway, courtesy of a too-small plow and a too-large snowfall. I have to remember to send them a thank you note - there is NO WAY I could have possibly built this 3 foot wall on my own!! I wonder if they are going to clean the drains sometime before May, because this mountain of snow is probably going to start melting by then.
As I struggled with the snow, I found myself wondering if George Clooney was going to set up a telethon to help those who are either buried in snow or mud? How about it George? After all, we have telethons to help everyone else - how about ourselves?
And speaking of telethons, I really do feel sorry for all of those who were lost or who lost everything due to the earthquake in Haiti. It really is a tragedy, but doesn't it underscore a bigger tragedy - that an island that COULD BE a vacation paradise is instead a wasteland of corruption and irresponsible government? I mean, if the government was any good, and if the police and the army didn't go run and hide once the earth shook, and if they had a modern building code, and perhaps a clue as to how to market themselves, all the Haitians who are working in hotels here would be working in luxury hotels there and perhaps the island wouldn't have crumbled like a house of cards.
And why is it that only the poorest of the poor seem to build their homes and communities on fault lines? Oh that's right, because the rich seem to build their homes only where there are mudslides or raging wildfires. That explains it.
Well, the snow has stopped, I'm out of coffee and patience and my back is killing me. Quitting time.
Of course, I have bigger things to worry about than possibly dying and being found 45 minutes later by my caring but otherwise pre-occupied wife. Like trying to remove the 3 foot wall of snow that the town conveniently left at the end of my driveway, courtesy of a too-small plow and a too-large snowfall. I have to remember to send them a thank you note - there is NO WAY I could have possibly built this 3 foot wall on my own!! I wonder if they are going to clean the drains sometime before May, because this mountain of snow is probably going to start melting by then.
As I struggled with the snow, I found myself wondering if George Clooney was going to set up a telethon to help those who are either buried in snow or mud? How about it George? After all, we have telethons to help everyone else - how about ourselves?
And speaking of telethons, I really do feel sorry for all of those who were lost or who lost everything due to the earthquake in Haiti. It really is a tragedy, but doesn't it underscore a bigger tragedy - that an island that COULD BE a vacation paradise is instead a wasteland of corruption and irresponsible government? I mean, if the government was any good, and if the police and the army didn't go run and hide once the earth shook, and if they had a modern building code, and perhaps a clue as to how to market themselves, all the Haitians who are working in hotels here would be working in luxury hotels there and perhaps the island wouldn't have crumbled like a house of cards.
And why is it that only the poorest of the poor seem to build their homes and communities on fault lines? Oh that's right, because the rich seem to build their homes only where there are mudslides or raging wildfires. That explains it.
Well, the snow has stopped, I'm out of coffee and patience and my back is killing me. Quitting time.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Where has our compassion gone?
I had written previously about misplaced priorities. Today, however, I have an even bigger concern - that of human compassion and decency. What inspired this was a man's suicide and the callous and heartless reactions to it that have been posted to a newspaper message board.
A little background is in order to fully understand this. In the town where I currently live and teach, we have had a bit of a drug scandal. Seems that a few of the custodians at the local high school were bilking the school prescription benefit plan by passing off illegal prescriptions for drugs such as Oxycontin. Seems that the custodians were obtaining hundreds of illegal pills and ultimately selling them on the street. Value - who knows, but an awful lot.
The employees were identified by police, and ultimately, a few of them were arrested. While the investigation has been continuing, one of the janitors, who was incidentally a former firefighter in town as well, hung himself. Who knows why. Maybe it was the pressure of this investigation. Maybe it was that he had failed at still another job. Maybe it was the thought of disappointing his family, including a young daughter. Maybe it was his drug problem.
Truth be told, we won't ever know because he hung himself and he didn't leave a note. Whether or he was guilty of anything, however, one must be pretty damned desparate to go ahead and hang yourself. And whether or not you are sympathetic to his plight, you have to admit that this is a tragedy - especially leaving a little girl all alone in the world.
The news breaks and, as has become the custom in the 21st century, "posters" who probably wouldn't have the guts to sign their own names to anything, let alone an internet post, start in with the most cruel, vile comments I have ever seen on a website. Comments that ranged from insults aimed at the deceased to comments about his family. Strong words and little thought.
And that is what has ticked me off. The internet, the ultimate free-speech tool, has turned us into a bunch of whiners, complainers and insult artists who can now hide behind the anonymity of a screen name and simply badmouth whomever and whatever we wish. With no consequences to speak of and with absolutely no care as to who sees the post or how many people they may be insulting.
What has happened to our society? Where is the compassion? The earth rocks and we immediately spring into action, sending millions of dollars to Haiti and offering all the assistance we can muster to help those poor helpless people and this demonstrates just how good people can be. And, almost simultaneously, a man takes his own life, shaming his family and leaving his daughter an orphan and rather than having even one sympathetic word, these jokers immediately start piling on with insults and derogatory comments. And we get to see just how bad people can be.
Why? Where have we gone wrong - and I say "we" intentionally. Because even if we don't participate in the action, somehow we must be condoning it, either by letting the posts go unchallenged or by subscribing to the paper that allows such crap, or by just turning a deaf ear.
I genuinely fear for what we are becoming. And I keep asking myself "why?"
A little background is in order to fully understand this. In the town where I currently live and teach, we have had a bit of a drug scandal. Seems that a few of the custodians at the local high school were bilking the school prescription benefit plan by passing off illegal prescriptions for drugs such as Oxycontin. Seems that the custodians were obtaining hundreds of illegal pills and ultimately selling them on the street. Value - who knows, but an awful lot.
The employees were identified by police, and ultimately, a few of them were arrested. While the investigation has been continuing, one of the janitors, who was incidentally a former firefighter in town as well, hung himself. Who knows why. Maybe it was the pressure of this investigation. Maybe it was that he had failed at still another job. Maybe it was the thought of disappointing his family, including a young daughter. Maybe it was his drug problem.
Truth be told, we won't ever know because he hung himself and he didn't leave a note. Whether or he was guilty of anything, however, one must be pretty damned desparate to go ahead and hang yourself. And whether or not you are sympathetic to his plight, you have to admit that this is a tragedy - especially leaving a little girl all alone in the world.
The news breaks and, as has become the custom in the 21st century, "posters" who probably wouldn't have the guts to sign their own names to anything, let alone an internet post, start in with the most cruel, vile comments I have ever seen on a website. Comments that ranged from insults aimed at the deceased to comments about his family. Strong words and little thought.
And that is what has ticked me off. The internet, the ultimate free-speech tool, has turned us into a bunch of whiners, complainers and insult artists who can now hide behind the anonymity of a screen name and simply badmouth whomever and whatever we wish. With no consequences to speak of and with absolutely no care as to who sees the post or how many people they may be insulting.
What has happened to our society? Where is the compassion? The earth rocks and we immediately spring into action, sending millions of dollars to Haiti and offering all the assistance we can muster to help those poor helpless people and this demonstrates just how good people can be. And, almost simultaneously, a man takes his own life, shaming his family and leaving his daughter an orphan and rather than having even one sympathetic word, these jokers immediately start piling on with insults and derogatory comments. And we get to see just how bad people can be.
Why? Where have we gone wrong - and I say "we" intentionally. Because even if we don't participate in the action, somehow we must be condoning it, either by letting the posts go unchallenged or by subscribing to the paper that allows such crap, or by just turning a deaf ear.
I genuinely fear for what we are becoming. And I keep asking myself "why?"
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Joe Must Go
As I watch the disaster that is the AFC championship game, I have come to the conclusion that until and unless Joe Namath either renounces Satan or is ultimately put into his grave - either by natural causes or with a wooden stake in his heart - the Jets will NEVER return to the Super Bowl. Bad karma just cannot be overcome by anything less than that.
Of course, as fate would have it, Joe went to Indianapolis today. Figures.
Hey Joe - you gotta go. Next time, please stay home.
41 years and counting.
Of course, as fate would have it, Joe went to Indianapolis today. Figures.
Hey Joe - you gotta go. Next time, please stay home.
41 years and counting.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Misplace priorities
If you are not yet convinced that we somehow have gotten our priorities all screwed up, just look at the events of the last 2 weeks or so.
The New York Giants, after a 5-0 start, suffer a tremendous defensive collapse, give up more points than probably any other Giants team in recent memory, finish at 8-8 and miss out on the playoffs.
On Christmas Day, some cretin from another country boards a plane in Amsterdam bound for Detroit with a bunch of explosive stuff sewn into his underwear. As the plane nears Detroit, he somehow manages to light his crotch on fire but, due to divine intervention (it WAS Christmas, after all), the alert response of crew and passengers, and a bad fuse, the idiot is captured, his crotch is put out and the lives of hundreds of passengers are saved.
Because of the epic collapse of a once-sterling defensive unit, the owner of the New York Football Giants is incredibly embarrassed. After he lets the fans know how pissed off he is, he promptly sees to it that the two individuals who are responsible for this tremendous error are fired, and so it is done. The defensive coordinator is dumped on Monday and the defensive line coach is sacked on Tuesday. That's called decisive action.
Because of the epic collapse of what we keep hoping is a strong national security system, the President of the United States is incredibly embarrassed. He admits that, while the intelligence (I use that word loosely) was there, no one bothered to tell anyone else - in other words, his defensive "coordinator" failed in his or her duties. It later comes out that the suspect in question was a known terrorist suspect who was on a series of lists and was under surveillance. Seems to me, though, that he was somehow NOT under surveillance on Christmas Day and, perhaps in spite of all the lists he was on the most important list he somehow WASN'T on was a "no fly" list.
And for this incredible breach of security, a collapse that would have had a lot more devastating effect than losing 8 football games and missing the playoffs, the President of the United States, who clearly outranks even the owner of the New York Giants, decided to fire nobody. Let me repeat - the President of the United States, after admitting an epic failure of the system, fired NOBODY.
Giants miss the playoffs and fire two. National Security misses a terrorist who almost blows up an airplane and all the innocent lives on it and we fire NOBODY.
Talk about screwed up priorities!!
The New York Giants, after a 5-0 start, suffer a tremendous defensive collapse, give up more points than probably any other Giants team in recent memory, finish at 8-8 and miss out on the playoffs.
On Christmas Day, some cretin from another country boards a plane in Amsterdam bound for Detroit with a bunch of explosive stuff sewn into his underwear. As the plane nears Detroit, he somehow manages to light his crotch on fire but, due to divine intervention (it WAS Christmas, after all), the alert response of crew and passengers, and a bad fuse, the idiot is captured, his crotch is put out and the lives of hundreds of passengers are saved.
Because of the epic collapse of a once-sterling defensive unit, the owner of the New York Football Giants is incredibly embarrassed. After he lets the fans know how pissed off he is, he promptly sees to it that the two individuals who are responsible for this tremendous error are fired, and so it is done. The defensive coordinator is dumped on Monday and the defensive line coach is sacked on Tuesday. That's called decisive action.
Because of the epic collapse of what we keep hoping is a strong national security system, the President of the United States is incredibly embarrassed. He admits that, while the intelligence (I use that word loosely) was there, no one bothered to tell anyone else - in other words, his defensive "coordinator" failed in his or her duties. It later comes out that the suspect in question was a known terrorist suspect who was on a series of lists and was under surveillance. Seems to me, though, that he was somehow NOT under surveillance on Christmas Day and, perhaps in spite of all the lists he was on the most important list he somehow WASN'T on was a "no fly" list.
And for this incredible breach of security, a collapse that would have had a lot more devastating effect than losing 8 football games and missing the playoffs, the President of the United States, who clearly outranks even the owner of the New York Giants, decided to fire nobody. Let me repeat - the President of the United States, after admitting an epic failure of the system, fired NOBODY.
Giants miss the playoffs and fire two. National Security misses a terrorist who almost blows up an airplane and all the innocent lives on it and we fire NOBODY.
Talk about screwed up priorities!!
Friday, January 1, 2010
Resolutions
So it's January 1 - the day when most everyone in the world sets about ot create some resolutions that will govern their lives for the next 365 days. Only thing is, they usually only last about three days before the impossibility of it all sets in and they are abandoned.
I've done that for years. Set impossible goals and then abandoned them just as quickly. I even created a list of resolutions for this year. My list went something like this.
1. Workout every day. I had been diligent about working out daily for quite a while last year - that is until September rolled around, school started and I got lazy. So I laid off "for just a few days", I said. A few days became a few weeks. Then a few months. So here I am, on the first day of 2010, thinking to myself that this should be an easy resolution. After all, haven't I been working out all last week?
2. Clean my office (or at least my desk) on a weekly basis. Again, this seems like a no-brainer. My desk does get away from me, quite often. I've been trying to do this for the longest time, and I had a pretty good streak going back in November. Seems like this should be easy to keep. What's once a week?
3. Learn to cook. Seems I have always been lucky enough to have someone around who enjoyed cooking for me. My mother. My college roommate. My wife. But lately, I was thinking that maybe learning to cook might not be a bad thing. It might actually be fun. I like watching the Food Network - what's the next logical extension - actually doing it. And maybe if I helped a little more in the kitchen . . . .why not?
4. Ride my bike more often. Seems like the "going green" thing would necessitate this. That and the fact that, come May we will be a four-driver in a two-car household. And it would also help with #1.
5. Write more regularly. I mean, I do fancy myself as a writer. And I do have a blog. And I do teach for a living, including teaching writing. And I could use some extra money. And I should also stop starting so many sentences with "and."
Wash the car more often. Straighten my bedroom regularly. Learn a foreign language. Read all the books on my nightstand. The list became endless.
And as I went further and further down the list, I realized that there was NO WAY in hell that I was going to stick to these. Sure, I would probably work out more often, but daily? I was already making excuses for that one. And the cooking thing - seemed like a good idea, but unless you can make an entire dinner in the microwave and the toaster oven, realistically speaking, that was also going down in flames.
The more I thought about it, the more I realized that the reason none of us ever stick to our New Year's resolutions is because they are too regimented. They are always intended to get you to do things more often, or more regularly, or better than last year. And the reality of it is that if you really wanted to do things more regularly, or often, or better then you just would! You wouldn't need some list that you put together in a drunken stupor on December 31 to tell you what to do.
No, resolutions were not for me. Not this year. Not again. So I pitched the list, dragged myself to the shower and as the water streamed down, I tried to turn off all thoughts of improving my sorry self in 2010.
And then it hit me - the perfect resolution. One that I know I can fulfill and that would not only benefit me, but maybe all that I come in contact with over the next 365 days. And here it is:
Just live!
As in "just live your life." Live it the best you can. If you want to sing in the shower, then sing. Want to read more, then read. Enjoyed that experiment in the kitchen, then do it again.
Write in the blog. Or don't today. Get up and workout for 30 minutes, or 60 minutes, or maybe only 15 minutes. Play hockey on Tuesdays and watch basketball on Fridays, or vice versa. Go to the movies once in a while.
Clean the damned office so you can find the top of the desk - maybe not each week, but maybe more often than last year. Dust off the bike when the weather gets better and ride it - even if only for a few minutes.
That was my resolutions - just live. But really live.
Live your life. Don't just sit there making lists because lists never did a damned thing except waste paper, ink and time. Be in the moment more often. Don't just READ about experiences - experience them!
So that's my resolution for this year. I intend to "live" more. And maybe, if I live more, those around me will learn to live more too. And maybe, just maybe, I can finally work on no starting as many sentences with "and."
I've done that for years. Set impossible goals and then abandoned them just as quickly. I even created a list of resolutions for this year. My list went something like this.
1. Workout every day. I had been diligent about working out daily for quite a while last year - that is until September rolled around, school started and I got lazy. So I laid off "for just a few days", I said. A few days became a few weeks. Then a few months. So here I am, on the first day of 2010, thinking to myself that this should be an easy resolution. After all, haven't I been working out all last week?
2. Clean my office (or at least my desk) on a weekly basis. Again, this seems like a no-brainer. My desk does get away from me, quite often. I've been trying to do this for the longest time, and I had a pretty good streak going back in November. Seems like this should be easy to keep. What's once a week?
3. Learn to cook. Seems I have always been lucky enough to have someone around who enjoyed cooking for me. My mother. My college roommate. My wife. But lately, I was thinking that maybe learning to cook might not be a bad thing. It might actually be fun. I like watching the Food Network - what's the next logical extension - actually doing it. And maybe if I helped a little more in the kitchen . . . .why not?
4. Ride my bike more often. Seems like the "going green" thing would necessitate this. That and the fact that, come May we will be a four-driver in a two-car household. And it would also help with #1.
5. Write more regularly. I mean, I do fancy myself as a writer. And I do have a blog. And I do teach for a living, including teaching writing. And I could use some extra money. And I should also stop starting so many sentences with "and."
Wash the car more often. Straighten my bedroom regularly. Learn a foreign language. Read all the books on my nightstand. The list became endless.
And as I went further and further down the list, I realized that there was NO WAY in hell that I was going to stick to these. Sure, I would probably work out more often, but daily? I was already making excuses for that one. And the cooking thing - seemed like a good idea, but unless you can make an entire dinner in the microwave and the toaster oven, realistically speaking, that was also going down in flames.
The more I thought about it, the more I realized that the reason none of us ever stick to our New Year's resolutions is because they are too regimented. They are always intended to get you to do things more often, or more regularly, or better than last year. And the reality of it is that if you really wanted to do things more regularly, or often, or better then you just would! You wouldn't need some list that you put together in a drunken stupor on December 31 to tell you what to do.
No, resolutions were not for me. Not this year. Not again. So I pitched the list, dragged myself to the shower and as the water streamed down, I tried to turn off all thoughts of improving my sorry self in 2010.
And then it hit me - the perfect resolution. One that I know I can fulfill and that would not only benefit me, but maybe all that I come in contact with over the next 365 days. And here it is:
Just live!
As in "just live your life." Live it the best you can. If you want to sing in the shower, then sing. Want to read more, then read. Enjoyed that experiment in the kitchen, then do it again.
Write in the blog. Or don't today. Get up and workout for 30 minutes, or 60 minutes, or maybe only 15 minutes. Play hockey on Tuesdays and watch basketball on Fridays, or vice versa. Go to the movies once in a while.
Clean the damned office so you can find the top of the desk - maybe not each week, but maybe more often than last year. Dust off the bike when the weather gets better and ride it - even if only for a few minutes.
That was my resolutions - just live. But really live.
Live your life. Don't just sit there making lists because lists never did a damned thing except waste paper, ink and time. Be in the moment more often. Don't just READ about experiences - experience them!
So that's my resolution for this year. I intend to "live" more. And maybe, if I live more, those around me will learn to live more too. And maybe, just maybe, I can finally work on no starting as many sentences with "and."
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