I'm overextending myself. I don't think I came to terms with that until I realized I still had to write my three posts a month in May ...and it was already the 19th. I ended up only finishing two posts, which marked the first time since 2005 that I didn't write at least three dispatches in a 30-day span. To both of my remaining readers, I apologize.
The end of May marked the second anniversary of my mother's passing. My sister and I are still holding down the fort in the west Chicago suburbs, but we don't know for how much longer. We're paying for property taxes through the teeth, and upkeep around the house has been daunting. My sister has contemplated moving out of state, and my wanderlust has never gone away. In April, we set a tentative timetable to move out and sell the property by mid-2021; its an attainable goal, but there's a lot of work to be done.
Besides subbing, I have two part-time jobs. I drive for Lyft, but one or two nights a week I do box office and tech for a small improv venue in Wicker Park. I set a financial goal for the year, and I'm just barely hitting it. I've also been battling writer's block on and off for much of the past year, though that could be due to everything else going on; my energies are often elsewhere. As for leisure and pleasure, I have a couple of mini-road trips planned, besides going to Scotland in late July.
I haven't elaborated on what *I've* been up to recently, so I just thought I'd post this to let everyone know where I am at the moment.
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Monday, June 10, 2019
Wednesday, May 29, 2019
Through a Freshman's Eyes: Post-Millennium Edition
Another graduation season is upon us. Its another reminder that time is a gradually moving circle, and that inch by inch we're all getting a little older. I remind you of this because this year's high school class was the first born entirely in the 21st century. Their entire lives have been, technically, "the future." Without further navel-gazing, I present my annual mindset list.
If you are a graduating senior...
...you have only a vague memory of a Clinton in the White House.
...you have only a vague memory of the World Trade Center.
...it's commonplace to complain that the President of the United States spends too much time on vacation.
...it has always been possible for the results of a presidential election to be disputed.
...you've always assumed that politicians in Washington sleep with interns on the regular.
...there has always been Wikipedia.
...Google has always been the dominant search engine.
...you were born *just* before Nuvaring was patented.
...Robert Hanssen has always been in prison.
...it has always been possible for a non-astronaut to "visit" space.
...your first memory of watching Weekend Update on SNL was with Tina Fey and Jimmy Fallon.
...no MLB team has ever won the World Series in consecutive years.
...there have always been at least 30 teams in the NHL.
...Albert Pujols has always played in the majors.
...Jamal Crawford has always played in the NBA.
...Tom Brady has always been the Patriots' starting quarterback.
...Pierre Trudeau, Richard Mulligan, Steve Allen, Richard Farnsworth, Ben Orr of The Cars, Gwen Verdon, Hosea Williams, Gwendolyn Brooks, Werner Klemperer, Kirsty MacColl, Pops Staples, Jason Robards, Victor Borge, Ray Walston, Dale Earnhardt Sr., Morton Downey Jr., Robert Ludlum, Joey Ramone, Douglas Adams, Perry Como, Imogene Coca, Anthony Quinn, Carroll O'Connor, Timothy McVeigh, John Lee Hooker, Jack Lemmon, Korey Stringer, Lorenzo "Garfield" Music, Aaliyah, and Chandra Levy have always been dead.
(624)
If you are a graduating senior...
...you have only a vague memory of a Clinton in the White House.
...you have only a vague memory of the World Trade Center.
...it's commonplace to complain that the President of the United States spends too much time on vacation.
...it has always been possible for the results of a presidential election to be disputed.
...you've always assumed that politicians in Washington sleep with interns on the regular.
...there has always been Wikipedia.
...Google has always been the dominant search engine.
...you were born *just* before Nuvaring was patented.
...Robert Hanssen has always been in prison.
...it has always been possible for a non-astronaut to "visit" space.
...your first memory of watching Weekend Update on SNL was with Tina Fey and Jimmy Fallon.
...no MLB team has ever won the World Series in consecutive years.
...there have always been at least 30 teams in the NHL.
...Albert Pujols has always played in the majors.
...Jamal Crawford has always played in the NBA.
...Tom Brady has always been the Patriots' starting quarterback.
...Pierre Trudeau, Richard Mulligan, Steve Allen, Richard Farnsworth, Ben Orr of The Cars, Gwen Verdon, Hosea Williams, Gwendolyn Brooks, Werner Klemperer, Kirsty MacColl, Pops Staples, Jason Robards, Victor Borge, Ray Walston, Dale Earnhardt Sr., Morton Downey Jr., Robert Ludlum, Joey Ramone, Douglas Adams, Perry Como, Imogene Coca, Anthony Quinn, Carroll O'Connor, Timothy McVeigh, John Lee Hooker, Jack Lemmon, Korey Stringer, Lorenzo "Garfield" Music, Aaliyah, and Chandra Levy have always been dead.
(624)
Friday, May 24, 2019
"Like a Bar Mitzvah That Sucks"
Twenty years ago this week, I was confirmed. Its a Catholic rite of passage, but it was the beginning of the end of my relationship with the church. I normally avoid delving into religion and spirituality on this blog. (Politics is one thing, a higher being is another.) Additionally, while I have discussed my mother in a mostly flattering light, our relationship was slightly more contentious than I've let on.
My mother, like almost everyone on her side of the family, was devoutly Catholic. It was par for the course for descendants of Polish immigrants, living in the Chicago suburbs. My grandparents' house had a cross on the wall in almost every room. I remember a clay bust of Pope John Paul II (again, Polish) sitting in their dining room, giving me a vaguely creepy glare was I walked past the doorway. My grandmother was the 13th of fourteen kids. My Uncle Jim was an usher at Saturday mass for 20-plus years, and he even went to church on vacation.
My father was nothing like that. His parents were Methodist, but he was an agnostic who only begrudgingly got married in a Catholic church. His contempt for organized religion was reasonable, but I never implicitly said that to either of my parents. Any discussion of spirituality in the household was highly discouraged. It was a mixed blessing that my father was undergoing training in Arizona during my first communion, but he was at work the day my sister had hers four years later.
The whole process was laborious. I had been in CCD since first grade, and eighth grade was all confirmation prep. I was goaded into asking Uncle Jim to be my sponsor, and sitting through the classes and lectures were a chore. There was one all-day session at church, one that was allegedly mandatory, that I got out of because my father objected. Then when the big day came, I was sitting in the middle of a packed church with 200 other uncomfortable eighth graders. It was early May and 80 degrees out, and the AC didn't kick in until 30 minutes into the two-hour mass.
After that, my feigned interest in Catholicism and spirituality further waned. I was confirmed in 1999, and I think my family stopped going to church on the regular around 2002 or '03. The fact that the Catholic child abuse scandal broke out at the same time was a mere coincidence. My mother was skeptical of the allegations, but she felt more and more inclined to sleep in on Sundays (as was I). In the last decade, I've only been to St. Mary's for funerals (including Ma's) and the occasional Easter mass. I tell people I'm a lapsed Catholic. At least I know I'm not the only one.
(623)
My mother, like almost everyone on her side of the family, was devoutly Catholic. It was par for the course for descendants of Polish immigrants, living in the Chicago suburbs. My grandparents' house had a cross on the wall in almost every room. I remember a clay bust of Pope John Paul II (again, Polish) sitting in their dining room, giving me a vaguely creepy glare was I walked past the doorway. My grandmother was the 13th of fourteen kids. My Uncle Jim was an usher at Saturday mass for 20-plus years, and he even went to church on vacation.
My father was nothing like that. His parents were Methodist, but he was an agnostic who only begrudgingly got married in a Catholic church. His contempt for organized religion was reasonable, but I never implicitly said that to either of my parents. Any discussion of spirituality in the household was highly discouraged. It was a mixed blessing that my father was undergoing training in Arizona during my first communion, but he was at work the day my sister had hers four years later.
The whole process was laborious. I had been in CCD since first grade, and eighth grade was all confirmation prep. I was goaded into asking Uncle Jim to be my sponsor, and sitting through the classes and lectures were a chore. There was one all-day session at church, one that was allegedly mandatory, that I got out of because my father objected. Then when the big day came, I was sitting in the middle of a packed church with 200 other uncomfortable eighth graders. It was early May and 80 degrees out, and the AC didn't kick in until 30 minutes into the two-hour mass.
After that, my feigned interest in Catholicism and spirituality further waned. I was confirmed in 1999, and I think my family stopped going to church on the regular around 2002 or '03. The fact that the Catholic child abuse scandal broke out at the same time was a mere coincidence. My mother was skeptical of the allegations, but she felt more and more inclined to sleep in on Sundays (as was I). In the last decade, I've only been to St. Mary's for funerals (including Ma's) and the occasional Easter mass. I tell people I'm a lapsed Catholic. At least I know I'm not the only one.
(623)
Tuesday, April 30, 2019
Tamper, Tamper
Though they are mostly associated with the far right, the concept of conspiracy theories transcends any political affiliation. Any complex idea outside the norm or mainstream could qualify as a conspiracy theory, as long as there is some viable evidence to back up this notion. Missing or misconstrued information are often what leads to such wild speculation.
Case in point, Bill Barr. Whether the once and current attorney general is another Trump lapdog or just half-assing his job, arguments can be made for both. His presence in the completion and revealing of the Mueller report has left that perception ambiguous. His handling of said report was fishy, to say the least.
The Russia election meddling was a legitimate scandal, but even that was susceptible to far-flung speculation. Like so many conspiracy theories before, it was more sizzle than steak. Its a foregone conclusion that Russians meddled, and even though the Trump administration attempted to seek their help, they totally muffed it. No collusion, but no vindication either.
And what happens now? My assumption from two years ago has proved sadly prescient. A bunch of Trump loyalists were thrown under the bus, but the president still stands, mostly unscathed. Reelection is not a sure shot, and whatever energy that progressives were putting into impeachment should be redirected into preventing a second term.
(622)
Case in point, Bill Barr. Whether the once and current attorney general is another Trump lapdog or just half-assing his job, arguments can be made for both. His presence in the completion and revealing of the Mueller report has left that perception ambiguous. His handling of said report was fishy, to say the least.
The Russia election meddling was a legitimate scandal, but even that was susceptible to far-flung speculation. Like so many conspiracy theories before, it was more sizzle than steak. Its a foregone conclusion that Russians meddled, and even though the Trump administration attempted to seek their help, they totally muffed it. No collusion, but no vindication either.
And what happens now? My assumption from two years ago has proved sadly prescient. A bunch of Trump loyalists were thrown under the bus, but the president still stands, mostly unscathed. Reelection is not a sure shot, and whatever energy that progressives were putting into impeachment should be redirected into preventing a second term.
(622)
Sunday, April 21, 2019
Look at the Flowers
This Saturday is the 20th anniversary of the massacre at Columbine High School in Littleton, CO. Even though there were a handful of school shootings prior to Columbine, but this was arguably the shooting incident that turned heads. This became a cultural event that pointed fingers at everything from Marilyn Manson to violent video games to overprotective parents. And yet, no one scolded the two mentally ill teenagers that shot over a dozen of their peers before turning the guns on themselves. Our anger and astonishment was misdirected. It still is.
I was in eighth grade when the shooting occurred. The students that were slain weren't much older than I was; at least one was just a few months older than me. I had a sarcastic, facetious streak then, and my parents warned me repeatedly to not joke about Columbine. I had no intention of doing so; even I was speechless, too appalled to comment in any way.
A few weeks before, the Columbine flower was discussed in science class. For the unfamiliar, the Columbine a boldly colored perennial in the buttercup family. It is also the state flower of Colorado, which has a dense population of the Columbine genus. Like the poppies in Flanders Field 80 years before, this unassuming plant is now forever associated with unspeakable bloodshed.
What really disgusts me two decades on is that Columbine was a beginning, not an end; a root rather than a stem. Mass shootings are almost an everyday occurrence, to the extent that American society is nearly and totally desensitized. There has been multiple school shootings even deadlier than Columbine. Politicians on both sides of the aisle keep wringing their hands. Common sense gun control has proven oddly elusive. The vicious cycle keeps spinning.
(621)
I was in eighth grade when the shooting occurred. The students that were slain weren't much older than I was; at least one was just a few months older than me. I had a sarcastic, facetious streak then, and my parents warned me repeatedly to not joke about Columbine. I had no intention of doing so; even I was speechless, too appalled to comment in any way.
A few weeks before, the Columbine flower was discussed in science class. For the unfamiliar, the Columbine a boldly colored perennial in the buttercup family. It is also the state flower of Colorado, which has a dense population of the Columbine genus. Like the poppies in Flanders Field 80 years before, this unassuming plant is now forever associated with unspeakable bloodshed.
What really disgusts me two decades on is that Columbine was a beginning, not an end; a root rather than a stem. Mass shootings are almost an everyday occurrence, to the extent that American society is nearly and totally desensitized. There has been multiple school shootings even deadlier than Columbine. Politicians on both sides of the aisle keep wringing their hands. Common sense gun control has proven oddly elusive. The vicious cycle keeps spinning.
(621)
Friday, April 5, 2019
Random Notes, April 2019
Spring has sprung, I guess:
+ After nearly three years of rumors and speculation, the Mueller Report was laid out like loose ends. Even though it didn't conclude that Trump colluded, it wasn't the complete exoneration that he (obviously) bragged about. Now there's speculation from Robert Mueller's staff that the original, 300-plus page report still had some damning evidence against the president. Unless something else comes up, or the Michael Cohen/Stormy Daniels thing takes a sudden and dramatic turn, impeachment is pretty much off the table.
+ If the Democratic primary becomes a litmus test of true progressive politics, then they're handing Trump reelection. I'll vote Beto or Bernie if I absolutely, positively have to. We cannot let what happened in 2016 repeat itself.
+ My 2019 travels have commenced! I just spent a week in Austin, Texas partially for vacation but also the first screening of "The Bob Zula." The movie was my friend Brandon's baby, a passion project that I'm glad came to fruition. Later in the year, I'm hitting up Omaha (improv festival), LA (visit some friends, maybe do some networking), and Scotland (long story, more later) with more to come.
(620)
+ After nearly three years of rumors and speculation, the Mueller Report was laid out like loose ends. Even though it didn't conclude that Trump colluded, it wasn't the complete exoneration that he (obviously) bragged about. Now there's speculation from Robert Mueller's staff that the original, 300-plus page report still had some damning evidence against the president. Unless something else comes up, or the Michael Cohen/Stormy Daniels thing takes a sudden and dramatic turn, impeachment is pretty much off the table.
+ If the Democratic primary becomes a litmus test of true progressive politics, then they're handing Trump reelection. I'll vote Beto or Bernie if I absolutely, positively have to. We cannot let what happened in 2016 repeat itself.
+ My 2019 travels have commenced! I just spent a week in Austin, Texas partially for vacation but also the first screening of "The Bob Zula." The movie was my friend Brandon's baby, a passion project that I'm glad came to fruition. Later in the year, I'm hitting up Omaha (improv festival), LA (visit some friends, maybe do some networking), and Scotland (long story, more later) with more to come.
(620)
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