Growing up...

Sometimes I think about growing up. It's hard not to with facebook bombarding me with friends getting married, having babies, etc. The craziest part is they're mostly people who are younger than me. I don't feel like I've gotten older, but here are kids I used to teach who are now well into college; people who were born in 1990 will be able to drink this year; kids born in 2000 are in middle school.

I remember when I first felt old like this. I was directing Jungle Book and my friend Kenny was assistant directing and we were brainstorming with the kids to figure out themes for the Saturday rehearsals. Kenny suggested the '80s and one of the kids...not even one of the youngest, mind you, said, "What's the '80s?" Wow. Seriously? Quite a shock.

It all makes me think.

Editing Huckleberry Finn is counterproductive...

Really. It is.

What reason are they giving for removing the "n" word and "injun"? They want to avoid offending people? They want to prevent the perpetuation of racism by eliminating references to those words?

Another perspective...

First...let's get one thing clear. I would NEVER work for Starbucks again. Period. That being said, I think I can share this now without any confusion. I just got a coffee and they didn't have a carafe of half & half out. I went over to the bat to ask for one and the girl said they didn't have any in carafes, but she would give me the jug. Now, I know this is a blatant health code violation, but it popped on a light of realization for me. I saw everything from the customer's perspective in an instant. I understood why we should do all the small, annoying things that customers ask for. They're just nice. Eff the company & eff all the metrics the manager & DM try to judge you by. It really is only about people. I even had a moment of believing that I could go back and actually enjoy it. I definitely know it's an epiphany that will stick with me through any customer service job I may have in the future. I only wish we could live in a system of compassionate capitalism instead of the ruthless, bottom-line one that we have. People and all our interactions matter. Nothing should ever trump that.

Till next time...

Taxes and social responsibility...

It's called "responsibility" for a reason. The common tone seems to be, they shouldn't raise taxes, they should find the money somewhere else. Really? Where? No one wants cuts in services, but at the same time, they don't want to help pay for those services. There seems to be an innate hypocrisy in the conservative attitude that is anti welfare and other social services, but also anti taxes. If they're opposed to social service programs based on the idea that people shouldn't get something without giving something back, why do they feel a sense of entitlement when it comes to civil services like police, fire, and schools while they're strongly against raising taxes to fund them? That sounds more communist and socialist than anything Obama has suggested.

Books to read...

Just a list of books I'd like to read:

Nerd Do Well by Simon Pegg
Booky Wook and Booky Wook 2 by Russell Brand
The rest of the Jim Butcher Dresden series
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith
Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters by Ben H. Winters
The Internet is a Playground by David Thorne

Books I don't want to read:

First Step 2 Forever: My Story by Justin Bieber

Let's go over a few things wrong with that item:
1) There's a number 2 in the title.
2) He's only 16. The book has 240 pages. Really?
3) Judging from his lyrics, his vocabulary mostly consists of the word "baby". 240 pages?

Not a usual post...

I've been thinking recently about things I'd like to do. Not like a bucket list, more like activities I'd like to take up...hobbies if you will. I'd really like to start woodworking, tshirt screening, and maybe even painting. I'd like to continue my composing and writing, too. I love creativity. There's a certain satisfaction from coming up with an idea, being able to make it happen, and then seeing it realized. Plus, I enjoy working with my hands. I really love working digitally and computers can for sure help with all the projects I mentioned, too. I just want to make things and be able to share them with others who will hopefully enjoy them. I guess that's part of the whole process...having created, then sharing whatever it may be that was created. Yes, creativity is a reward unto itself. I appreciate that. Self satisfaction. It's a very good thing to not have to find one's validation through others. There is something to external approval as well, though. Praise on top of your own knowledge of self-worth is gratifying. Not fulfilling, since true lasting fulfillment can only come from within, but definitely gratifying. If I could create things only for myself, I would be happy, but being able to share those things with other people feels like a kind of immortality...I guess like having children. What this all boils down to I suppose, is that I have a burning desire and passion to create. To be trite and hokey about it, you could say it's the chicken soup for my soul.

Well, I see this did turn out more like a usual post than I expected it to. My mind rambles and meanders, and my fingers just keep going.

Until next time...

Epicness...

Today's theme, boys and girls, is epicness. Things so truly awesome that they stand out in a crowd. There may be more posts on this topic to come, but for now, we will talk about today's Chargers game and key changes. Read on...it's gonna be epic...