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10.23.2008
10.21.2008
Me, Not My Money
I'm not a member of any organized political party. I'm a Democrat. - Will RogersI have no money to give. Of all the elections, I have no money to donate to my candidate of choice this election year. With a staggeringly slim divorce budget and these economic times, there is no money leftover.
And the countless emails I’m getting to give money are starting to rub me the wrong way because they don’t need the money. Right now, what they need, is more people.
If I ran the campaign today, I would make a huge announcement that given the economic uncertainty, my campaign was not going to ask for another dime. Instead, I’d ask for people. People with ideas. People to hold a house party just to listen to my plans on a conference call. I’d ask for more volunteers to help spread the word.
You are only asking for money because that is what campaign offices do. I’m president of a local, non-profit board. I get asking for money. We do it all the time, because that is what we do. We have all those systems in place and they kind of work on automatic. But, quite honestly, right now, what my non-profit needs is more people power. We need volunteers and people with know how. We need dedicated community leaders. If we can show a strong group of people, the money will follow ... Eventually.
So, Obama Campaign? .... Focus on your people who can get more people. You need my attention, not my money. You need my enthusiasm for your candidacy, not my last dollar. You want my time, my ideas, and my vote. Not my money. Not today.
10.16.2008
Unless You Have Blinders On
So. The last Presidential debate was last night. And after reviewing all the debates, I’ve come to the following conclusion:
If you are a registered Republican and plan to vote party line no matter what, McCain won.
If you’re anyone else, Obama won.
If you are a registered Republican and plan to vote party line no matter what, McCain won.
If you’re anyone else, Obama won.
10.15.2008
California Prop 8
Prop 8, if passed, would take away the right from same sex couples to live in matrimony in California. And again, I repeat, take away the right. Removal of rights. People limiting other people’s rights because they just don’t agree.
I understand there are biblical implications and that can get sticky when we try to legislate religious and moral issues. I respect religious beliefs and differences. But let’s keep those in the church where they belong.
I heard the argument yesterday that this would protect the sanctity of marriage. But I once wrote in the previous blog, that the largest danger to marriage is not same sex marriages. It is divorce.
So, if it is allowable to get on a ballot the removal of a select few people’s rights, then maybe we could get an initiative on the ballot that “prohibits divorce”, the real enemy of marriage.
What? You think that’s crazy. Not much crazier than Prop 8.
I understand there are biblical implications and that can get sticky when we try to legislate religious and moral issues. I respect religious beliefs and differences. But let’s keep those in the church where they belong.
I heard the argument yesterday that this would protect the sanctity of marriage. But I once wrote in the previous blog, that the largest danger to marriage is not same sex marriages. It is divorce.
So, if it is allowable to get on a ballot the removal of a select few people’s rights, then maybe we could get an initiative on the ballot that “prohibits divorce”, the real enemy of marriage.
What? You think that’s crazy. Not much crazier than Prop 8.
10.13.2008
Birthday Drive
This highway rocked of craters and boulders
Has wound around unto a new road.
It is rife and rippling with frustrations and rage.
Yet, the love and the calm of a cruise.
The rearview mirror reveals the many
Lefts and rights and the wrongs.
Only the horizon tempts with a rising sun
If I can stay within the guardrails of sanity.
I hold no regrets. Although, I have heart aches.
I get past them, around them, and through them,
Steering clear of them by looking ahead.
Tunnel vision forward. There’s no more what could have been.
I’ve always identified the family man, me.
I was one before family became true.
I wonder if I should change self-perception,
When they’re half the time not with you.
On this day on the morning commute, alone and quiet,
I wonder if the man I used to be, my younger self,
Could understand the path I have become.
That I no longer follow that map anymore,
That now I navigate my way better without one.
Has wound around unto a new road.
It is rife and rippling with frustrations and rage.
Yet, the love and the calm of a cruise.
The rearview mirror reveals the many
Lefts and rights and the wrongs.
Only the horizon tempts with a rising sun
If I can stay within the guardrails of sanity.
I hold no regrets. Although, I have heart aches.
I get past them, around them, and through them,
Steering clear of them by looking ahead.
Tunnel vision forward. There’s no more what could have been.
I’ve always identified the family man, me.
I was one before family became true.
I wonder if I should change self-perception,
When they’re half the time not with you.
On this day on the morning commute, alone and quiet,
I wonder if the man I used to be, my younger self,
Could understand the path I have become.
That I no longer follow that map anymore,
That now I navigate my way better without one.
10.10.2008
The Play Station and the Financial Crisis
The Boy asked this morning, “Dad? What’s goin’ on in the news? What’s this crash they’re talking about?” The morning news was talking about another couple hundred point fall in the DowJones and the President just made a quick speech to the American public.
I started to explain it simply enough, but I could tell it wasn’t registering. The Boy had a glazed look in his eyes. And The Girlie looked up from her cereal bowl obviously semi-curious about the news, too.
“Ok, let me put it this way,” I started again. “Let’s say you wanted to buy yourself a new PlayStation. It cost $100 dollars. You promise to pay it back by earning it over time doing yardwork. However, I don’t just want my $100. I want $110. The extra $10 is called interest….. Does that make sense so far?”
“Sort of,” he admitted. “But, won’t charge me more than the $100, right? You’re my Dad!” he joked.
“No, I’m a bank. I make money for the bank by charging you a bit more than the money I loaned you. Banks need to make money, too. They don’t just give away money for nothin’,” I clarified with a finger in the air as emphasis.
“Fine. I get it,” he admitted, “What about this crash though?”
“I’m getting to that. Stay with me,” I continued. “Now, not only are you promising to pay me back the $100 plus the $10 interest, I want something called collateral. Collateral is something of similar value you let me hold until you can pay me back. So…. Let me think …. I give you the money to buy the PlayStation, but in the meantime I get to keep all your GameBoy games until you do.”
“So, basically,” he continued, “You get to do whatever you want with my GameBoy games if I don’t pay you back. Right?”
“Yep!” I said, “now for the crash…. One day, you and all your friends decided GameBoys were kind of old school and nobody plays them anymore. GameBoys became like Eight Track tapes.”
“What?” the Girlie scrunched her nose.
“Never mind,” I back tracked. “You all decided Gameboys had cooties. You all are into Rock Band and Guitar Hero now, anyway. Those GameBoy games are now not worth the $100 anymore. They MIGHT be worth $20 on eBay.”
“That stinks,” the Girlie chimed. The Boy chuckled.
“Exactly,” I pointed to her and she smiled. I looked at the Boy “Plus, you’ve been spending so much time playing your new PlayStation that you haven’t done any yardwork. You don’t have any money to pay me back for the PlayStation. So, since you can’t pay me back, you just let me keep the GameBoys. Make sense?”
“Yeah, I got a new PlayStation for some worthless Gameboys,” he beamed.
“That’s right,” I continued, “the bank, or me, just lost a bunch of money because we thought GameBoys and PlayStations would be popular for a long time. And, now they aren’t so much anymore.”
“You shouldn’t have loaned me the money, huh!” the Boy admitted.
“Well, yes,” I admitted. “I, as a good parent, should have asked you to raise the money on your own first. You should have been able to afford it on your own. As a good bank, I should have had you be a bit more responsible. Instead, I let you just get whatever you wanted.”
“So, now,” I continued, “Think of the PlayStation as a house. Instead of a hundred dollars, think of hundreds of thousands of dollars. What the banks did was loan a ton of money to people to buy houses, like I just did with you and the PlayStation money. Only, nobody predicted that the value of their houses, or in this case your games, would go down in price. PlayStations, as we speak are being replaced by Wii’s. Even your PlayStation isn’t worth as much anymore and you just bought it. For years, when you bought a house, it was thought that it would keep its value, that it would be worth more tomorrow. What is happening now, is that our house isn’t worth as much as when we bought it three years ago. A lot of people borrowed money based that their house would be worth more in a year or two. That isn’t happening. Houses lost a lot of value and now the banks are losing a ton of money. It started a really bad money cycle. And it has caused a lot of worry.”
“So, basically,” the Boy wanted to be done with this lesson, “I shouldn’t borrow money. I should raise it first.”
“Yes,” I answered, “With one last point … be careful what you buy. Nothing holds value very long. Not a PlayStation. Not a house. You have to be careful with your money. Americans and the banks and the government haven’t been very careful over the last ten years or so.”
“Obama will fix it,” shouted the Girlie striking a cheerleader pose.
“I hope so, Girlie. I sure hope so,” I finished.
I started to explain it simply enough, but I could tell it wasn’t registering. The Boy had a glazed look in his eyes. And The Girlie looked up from her cereal bowl obviously semi-curious about the news, too.
“Ok, let me put it this way,” I started again. “Let’s say you wanted to buy yourself a new PlayStation. It cost $100 dollars. You promise to pay it back by earning it over time doing yardwork. However, I don’t just want my $100. I want $110. The extra $10 is called interest….. Does that make sense so far?”
“Sort of,” he admitted. “But, won’t charge me more than the $100, right? You’re my Dad!” he joked.
“No, I’m a bank. I make money for the bank by charging you a bit more than the money I loaned you. Banks need to make money, too. They don’t just give away money for nothin’,” I clarified with a finger in the air as emphasis.
“Fine. I get it,” he admitted, “What about this crash though?”
“I’m getting to that. Stay with me,” I continued. “Now, not only are you promising to pay me back the $100 plus the $10 interest, I want something called collateral. Collateral is something of similar value you let me hold until you can pay me back. So…. Let me think …. I give you the money to buy the PlayStation, but in the meantime I get to keep all your GameBoy games until you do.”
“So, basically,” he continued, “You get to do whatever you want with my GameBoy games if I don’t pay you back. Right?”
“Yep!” I said, “now for the crash…. One day, you and all your friends decided GameBoys were kind of old school and nobody plays them anymore. GameBoys became like Eight Track tapes.”
“What?” the Girlie scrunched her nose.
“Never mind,” I back tracked. “You all decided Gameboys had cooties. You all are into Rock Band and Guitar Hero now, anyway. Those GameBoy games are now not worth the $100 anymore. They MIGHT be worth $20 on eBay.”
“That stinks,” the Girlie chimed. The Boy chuckled.
“Exactly,” I pointed to her and she smiled. I looked at the Boy “Plus, you’ve been spending so much time playing your new PlayStation that you haven’t done any yardwork. You don’t have any money to pay me back for the PlayStation. So, since you can’t pay me back, you just let me keep the GameBoys. Make sense?”
“Yeah, I got a new PlayStation for some worthless Gameboys,” he beamed.
“That’s right,” I continued, “the bank, or me, just lost a bunch of money because we thought GameBoys and PlayStations would be popular for a long time. And, now they aren’t so much anymore.”
“You shouldn’t have loaned me the money, huh!” the Boy admitted.
“Well, yes,” I admitted. “I, as a good parent, should have asked you to raise the money on your own first. You should have been able to afford it on your own. As a good bank, I should have had you be a bit more responsible. Instead, I let you just get whatever you wanted.”
“So, now,” I continued, “Think of the PlayStation as a house. Instead of a hundred dollars, think of hundreds of thousands of dollars. What the banks did was loan a ton of money to people to buy houses, like I just did with you and the PlayStation money. Only, nobody predicted that the value of their houses, or in this case your games, would go down in price. PlayStations, as we speak are being replaced by Wii’s. Even your PlayStation isn’t worth as much anymore and you just bought it. For years, when you bought a house, it was thought that it would keep its value, that it would be worth more tomorrow. What is happening now, is that our house isn’t worth as much as when we bought it three years ago. A lot of people borrowed money based that their house would be worth more in a year or two. That isn’t happening. Houses lost a lot of value and now the banks are losing a ton of money. It started a really bad money cycle. And it has caused a lot of worry.”
“So, basically,” the Boy wanted to be done with this lesson, “I shouldn’t borrow money. I should raise it first.”
“Yes,” I answered, “With one last point … be careful what you buy. Nothing holds value very long. Not a PlayStation. Not a house. You have to be careful with your money. Americans and the banks and the government haven’t been very careful over the last ten years or so.”
“Obama will fix it,” shouted the Girlie striking a cheerleader pose.
“I hope so, Girlie. I sure hope so,” I finished.
10.09.2008
Life's Lyrics 13 - Lucky to Know You
Luke Reynolds is now leading the band Pictures and Sound, a previous Life's Lyrics. Before P&S, he was the front man for a band called Blue Merle. Lot's of words here I identify with, repeat and sing in my heart ... moving forward. This is my poetry, if I had written these lines....
Friday morning all alone
One by one the stars
each say goodbye
Yeah pictures and a thousand words
A thousand miles turning into song
And I want you to know
I feel lucky to know you
Cut open my heart
And you'll see that it's true
I want you to know
I feel lucky to know you
I feel lucky to know you
Yeah summer fades into fall
And with it
Came the writing on the wall
So I sent a thousand letters on the
Backs of silver angels
through the sky
And I want you to know
I feel lucky to know you
Cut open my heart
And you'll see that it's true
I want you to know
I feel lucky to know you
I feel lucky to know you
I took a drive it's what I do
And wrote another song (poem) for you
The things we want
The things we crave
We have no choice the choice is made
And I want you to know
I feel lucky to know you
Cut open my heart
And you'll see that it's true
I want you to know
I feel lucky to know you
I feel lucky to know you
I feel lucky to know...
Friday morning all alone
And one by one
The stars each say goodbye
Life's Lyrics 12 - On My Way (aka "Anger Management")
I always have my musical obsessions. Ingram Hill is one at the moment. They showed up earlier this year in Life's Lyrics 6 with a cover of Solsbury Hill.
I just burned this song to a CD. Just this one song. I keep it in my car and sing it loudly on repeat when things with the separation, divorce, and life with an ex-wife become difficult enough I need to scream. I figure singing is better than screaming. Plus, the band rocks.
I just burned this song to a CD. Just this one song. I keep it in my car and sing it loudly on repeat when things with the separation, divorce, and life with an ex-wife become difficult enough I need to scream. I figure singing is better than screaming. Plus, the band rocks.
I don't want your old letters
And I don't want to be friends
I've had enough to last a lifetime
and I don't wanna go again
I don't have to find a reason
And I don't have to answer why
It doesn't matter who is wrong here
I just wanna see you cry
And on my way I'll take the sunshine
On my way I'll take your dreams
On my way I'll say I'm sorry to no one but me
Let your family know I'm leavin
Lie to your girlfriends that you're well
Call and leave a cryin' message
I wanna know it hurts like hell
And on my way I'll take the sunshine
on my way I'll take your dreams
On my way I'll say I'm sorry to no one but me
On my way I'll be my own man
And I'll only please myself
On my way my pride's the only feeling I've got left
10.07.2008
Graphic Designers for Obama
The site is called 30 Reasons. Their goal is simple: Use design to build a logical, multi-faceted argument for Obama and make it easy to share each reason with another person. Here is the first graphic....
10.02.2008
VP Debate and your Palin Bingo Cards
For your enjoyment tonight: Palin Debate Bingo Cards
Download and print them from PDFs. Should be a hoot!
UPDATE 10.03.08: I so lost. Twice. Possibly three times. I had the two cards that were broken. Although, I need to see the transcripts, cause I swear she said "Gee" at least once. But I just didn't hear it.
Download and print them from PDFs. Should be a hoot!
UPDATE 10.03.08: I so lost. Twice. Possibly three times. I had the two cards that were broken. Although, I need to see the transcripts, cause I swear she said "Gee" at least once. But I just didn't hear it.
10.01.2008
Celebration Man, Where Are You?
For most people the “holidays” don’t truly start until Thanksgiving, but for me October 1st is the turning point toward the wonderful insanity of celebration. Maybe because mathematically speaking it is the last quarter of the year. Maybe there is some truth that I feel this way because the Fall I know and love is finally here and the weather is starting, barely, to shift a bit more seasonal. But the truth is, for me, the holidays start in October because of the birthday celebrations I share with my two kids.
October is birth month in the house of Mud. November holds Thanksgiving, the best holiday of all. December ushers up Christmas and then into the New Year. Everything in between is packed with “other” and “getting ready for” those big days. And it takes Super Hero determination and powers to get through it all.
I’m having a difficult time getting motivated. I lack motivation and haven’t mustered the power to fly headfirst into the melee of festivities. Why? Because the Fall of 2007 was shear hell as my marriage was failing in October, falling in November, and fallen by December.
My last birthday was a blast in ‘07, no doubt, as my ex-wife threw me a party with my favorite band playing in our tree-house like setting off the back deck. Friends danced, drank great wine, and I believe everyone had a great time. Yet, reality and reflection shows it was a great going away party, a bon-voyage to the life I knew and loved. It introduced a whole new era.
I never before understood how people could despise the holidays. And they really do, some people. When I was a kid, I remember conversations from adults stating their profound loathing of the holidays. It caused headaches. It was more work than worth. I could never figure how adults could kvetch over loved ones (near and far), all the food, lights, gifts, pumpkins, trees, champagne, and fun. And the pies. Oh, the pies. All that stuff should make you happy, not grumpy, right?
I always wondered, even as an adult, about the negative people. Until last year.
Now, as I trudge through the calendar in my Treo, contemplating the filled events, driving in traffic, lines of last minute shopping, hordes of bitchy people, and the collective crappy moods I used to easily deflect, my mood is sinking. I wonder if I can do this again. I know I can. I know I will. I know the kids need the positive, not the negative. I know I will come out on the other side of 2008 looking at a rather hopeful, gleaming new 2009. I know. I know.
I just don’t feel that Super Hero feeling of Celebration Man today. October 1st is when I dust off the costume and polish the positive attitude. Today is October 1st and I don’t know where Celebration Man is. Last time I saw him was 2006. And of all the years, we need Celebration Man again.
But, I’m working on it. I am. I am Celebration Man and he’s here somewhere.
Update (10.01.08): It helped to walk in the door after work and being given the first "Birth Month" card. That helped a lot.
October is birth month in the house of Mud. November holds Thanksgiving, the best holiday of all. December ushers up Christmas and then into the New Year. Everything in between is packed with “other” and “getting ready for” those big days. And it takes Super Hero determination and powers to get through it all.
I’m having a difficult time getting motivated. I lack motivation and haven’t mustered the power to fly headfirst into the melee of festivities. Why? Because the Fall of 2007 was shear hell as my marriage was failing in October, falling in November, and fallen by December.
My last birthday was a blast in ‘07, no doubt, as my ex-wife threw me a party with my favorite band playing in our tree-house like setting off the back deck. Friends danced, drank great wine, and I believe everyone had a great time. Yet, reality and reflection shows it was a great going away party, a bon-voyage to the life I knew and loved. It introduced a whole new era.
I never before understood how people could despise the holidays. And they really do, some people. When I was a kid, I remember conversations from adults stating their profound loathing of the holidays. It caused headaches. It was more work than worth. I could never figure how adults could kvetch over loved ones (near and far), all the food, lights, gifts, pumpkins, trees, champagne, and fun. And the pies. Oh, the pies. All that stuff should make you happy, not grumpy, right?
I always wondered, even as an adult, about the negative people. Until last year.
Now, as I trudge through the calendar in my Treo, contemplating the filled events, driving in traffic, lines of last minute shopping, hordes of bitchy people, and the collective crappy moods I used to easily deflect, my mood is sinking. I wonder if I can do this again. I know I can. I know I will. I know the kids need the positive, not the negative. I know I will come out on the other side of 2008 looking at a rather hopeful, gleaming new 2009. I know. I know.
I just don’t feel that Super Hero feeling of Celebration Man today. October 1st is when I dust off the costume and polish the positive attitude. Today is October 1st and I don’t know where Celebration Man is. Last time I saw him was 2006. And of all the years, we need Celebration Man again.
But, I’m working on it. I am. I am Celebration Man and he’s here somewhere.
Update (10.01.08): It helped to walk in the door after work and being given the first "Birth Month" card. That helped a lot.
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