Well What Do Ya Know

Today I realized I know just enough to know that I don't want to know anymore than I already know.

The Taste of Victory

...even better than the taste of victory was the taste of ice cream sandwiches and Oberweis chocolate milk the boy and I had as we watched the first half of the Bears' game. He had to go to bed at nine and miss the exciting, and somewhat penalty-riddled finish.

I don't know what to make of the Bears victory and, quite frankly, I don't care. It is fun when the Bears are good. People just yell out "BEARS!" randomly and for some reason, I never grow tired of that.

Supposed to meet with Brian this week so I have to get that together. I also need to talk with Rob at Tapa. I could use a delicious Old Fashioned with the Crown but not tonight. Writing at home is the name of the game.

A very boring game compared to the Bears' win on MNF...

BEARS!!!!

Digging the New Digs

Digging the new digs at work. Having our department moved where more of the day to day comings and goings happen is mild to moderately exciting. Yes, I am being sincere.

Today blew by like it didn't even happen.

Need to finalize some stuff to see if bD gets out to Larry's to record our first practice in however long. Great to hang out with those guys in the great outdoors (they weren't so great after we got through with them) over the weekend.

Alex and I are plowing through homework, trying to get everything done so we can enjoy the Bears game....although if history repeats itself the Packers and the Bears can get pretty ugly.

And depending on what history had to eat last night, if it goes repeatin' itself, the room could get pretty smelly.

Or if the room gets smelly, and it is because of me, I plan to blame history.

Golf for Joy

Thanks and much love to dear friends for coming to our home and filling it, my family and me with some measure of your joy.

To the game of golf, forgive us for our sins.

Maybe It Just Looks Small from Here

It amuses me to no end to remind people that some opponents of the US Constitution (at the time of its writing) took the position that it created a government that was too big and unwieldy. Two hundred plus years later, the opponents of big government think the same Constitution is the only thing that can restore our sanity and save us from big government.

Apparently big government can get smaller with the passage of time.

Consistency

I am going to play catch up because it matters to me.

Alex and I had SOX tickets last weekend (and we are going again this Friday). Fun time. Thanks and much love to Al and his guy for getting us Club Level seats.

After the game we saw my dad and he looks great. These days are a real blessing. Nice visit, then back home for delicious pasta and chicken thighs. Thanks and much love to KJ for being the best cook in the world. I know it because she makes simple things AMAZING.

Busy week and change may be coming for me whether I want it or not. Whether I want it or not is not relevant. What is relevant is how I deal with it. I've worked at this place for ten years and it is a fuck of a lot better than the University. The shop where I am is a small, family business and they have always treated me like a human being. In this world that is a big thing, so even though I've had a perfect working environment for awhile (and it's hard to get better than perfect...hence my slight fear of change)...whatever comes I can roll with it.

SOX are probably out of it after losing 9-3 on back to back nights against the Twins.

At least they're consistent.

Doing Something

Last week's Mad Men may have been my favorite since the first episode. Who knows if it is the best episode or even in the top ten. That's really not for me to say. If you've seen my record collection you know you can probably take or leave my opinion on the good

...while also getting some exposure to the bad and the ugly

DD misses Clay/Liston fight to work on an ad, and he makes Peggy miss her birthday. Her fiance assembled her family at a fancy NYC restaurant for an evening of talking and eating. What a thrill. Draper is less than sympathetic when he learns what she has given up. In these scenes (before the main character gets too fucked up) I am reminded of how work/creativity/productive fucking around...whatever you want to call it, can be, for certain people, far more rewarding than adhering to social obligations.

Like Don Draper, I have invested myself in ideas that are important to me but may be relatively meaningless in the long run. The process is what is satisfying, or maybe a more accurate way of describing it is nothing in a birthday party or a social event that could be as satisfying as even making failed art.

I spent my 40th birthday overdubbing guitars with Devin. Someone asked me if I kept a low profile because it was a milestone birthday. It was not that. It wouldn't have mattered what birthday it was. I don't believe in milestones for just living, at least when it comes to my life. I do not fear getting old. I just don't want to sit around like a dick, with a bunch of people talking my stupid shit when I could be somewhere, doing something.

Probably not something useful or world changing....but meaningful enough for me.

Work is a joy. Making music is glorious and I am lucky enough to have friends who want to help, decent material to do, and the opportunity to get it done.

In the end, it is unlikely that any of my projects will be celebrated. That's ok. As long as I am not forced to celebrate a fake-ass holiday when I can be in the studio or at my desk, doing something.

The Merits of Merit Pay

The whole merit pay for teachers thing really burns my ass. Here's a conversation about this topic (a conversation, which if I was a good Christian I would've walked a thousand miles to avoid, but since I am me I didn't, and I was too tired to walk a thousand miles) The other interlocutor shall be referred to as Woman In Favor of Merit Pay or WIFMP

WIFMP: "Whatever teachers get paid, they chose a job that has a direct impact on our society and they should be responsible for the results. Besides, the rest of us get paid or promotions based on our results."

Me: "Not true for investment bankers since about October of 2008, but let's just say you're right."

See, somewhere before I said that last sentence I should've pretended to have a stroke or find a way to stop talking because, if you've engaged in conversations like this with me (where I think I understand some of the mitigating factors) you know the rest isn't going to go well.

Me (some more): "So accepting the responsibility of educating a child on whatever level means you ought to be subject to public scrutiny in your compensation."

WIFMP: "Absolutely."

Me: "What about The federal income tax credit for dependent care?"

WIFMP: "What?"

Me: "By accepting a tax credit for having a kid you and I (not that I would have a kid with this person, I didn't even enjoy having the conversation with her) agree that we deserve to pay less tax because of the time and treasure we invest personally in raising, feeding and, to some degree...educating the child."

WIFMP: "I do that."

Me: "I'm sure you do. I suck at helping my kid with homework. Maybe 50% of my dependent care tax credit should be granted or revoked based on his test scores?"

WIFMP: "Are you saying I should get my taxes based on how my kid does in school?"

Me: "Well, I'm talking about me now, but we can talk about you if you want. You, me, and parents in general are the one constant in a child's life. The 5th grade teacher only has them for 5th grade. How can they be evaluated on the work done, or not done, from grades K thru 4? You were there the whole time, conferencing with the teachers, helping with homework, taking the point in educating the child. I think if the kids' scores are low it has way more to do with us. Don't worry, the test scores only impact half of our dependent care income tax credit. And we chose this responsibility, didn't we?"

WIFMP: "You are a jerk."

I can not deny it.

Back and Forth

Some personal/family stuff has me driving back and forth to Lockport the past several days. Everything looks much better now. Life is good.

What Have I Done

?

Interesting summer. If being a Christian means learning how to walk with Christ and walk with others, I think I have taken a step (or several steps) in the wrong direction. I am learning that in my desparation to do what I consider to be my work (that is the wrong word) I drive myself away from others to focus on some narrow goals that make sense to no one else, but me.