Whew. Busy day. I'm glad I came out swinging this morning with writing, getting as much done as I could, because Exene was gone almost the whole day, on various arcane things, so I had the boys all day. No problem, nothing I'm not used to, believe me.
Not sure what I'll do tomorrow. The boys and I'll figure something out.
B2 cuted me out while I was loading the dishwasher. Out of the blue, he asked me "Daddy, can I help you?" And so I had him help me load the dishwasher. He was very focused on it, eager to assist. Gold star for B2!
Saturday, July 31, 2010
China Syndrome
I was reading in Businessweek about how the US is screwing the pooch where alternative energies are concerned ("America Sits Out the Race," August 2-August 8, 2010). It's actually been something that keeps popping up in that magazine, one way or another. China has been racing ahead with it, with something like $35 billion invested in alternative energies in 2009. This easily more than double what the US has done. The most frustrating thing about it is that there is a vital market here just waiting to be tapped, and the US's captivity to Big Oil and Big Coal on energy policy is keeping us out of it. Now, maybe it'll be a "panic button" kind of thing ala Sputnik, where the US will be made acutely aware of how behind it is on this (and the likely $100+ barrels of oil will eventually help grease those wheels), and the US will suddenly get serious on this issue. Maybe. But meantime, China's marching steadily onward on it. Now, I'm not one of those scaredy-cats where China is concerned. Our media likes to demonize China, and I'm not that way. They are, however, making the right decisions where alternative energy is concerned, and our country simply isn't.
Bradbury on Writing
This clip of Ray Bradbury is enjoyable, although he grew up in the golden age of short speculative fiction, where there were plenty of venues for short stories of the type he writes/wrote. Not saying it can't be done, but it's a lot harder in genre fiction to find homes for your work, let alone paying gigs (where, paradoxically, more and more writers are competing in fewer and fewer venues with ever-diminishing readership/circulations, for less and less pay). The kind of Horatio Alger story Bradbury actually experienced is a much unlikelier tale these days.
I banged out 3000 words this morning on the new project -- I never call it a "book" when I first start it, because it's not a book until it's done. But it was nice to get that much down on the front end. I'm going to try to get back to my old turnout level of around 3000-6000 words a day. When Exene's out of my daily mix, I should be able to get even more words down.
I banged out 3000 words this morning on the new project -- I never call it a "book" when I first start it, because it's not a book until it's done. But it was nice to get that much down on the front end. I'm going to try to get back to my old turnout level of around 3000-6000 words a day. When Exene's out of my daily mix, I should be able to get even more words down.
Friday, July 30, 2010
BP ... Bernadette Peters!
Chicago
Was tickled to see Chicago on this list... (funny about the Gen Y thing -- I've noticed that on my commute. I'm like "Damn, Gen Y is taking over! D'oh!")
http://realestate.yahoo.com/promo/10-great-cities-for-young-adults.html
Cost-of-living index: 118
Median monthly rent: $861 (average is $819)
Average annual wage: $45,119
Unemployment rate: 10.3%
Percentage of Gen Y residents: 24.6%
Top employers: City, state and federal government, Chicago Public Schools, Wal-Mart Stores, Advocate Health Care, Walgreen, JP Morgan Chase, Abbott Laboratories, AT&T
Chicago is an exceptional value in big-city living, packing the cultural punch of Manhattan at nearly half the cost. Its lakefront district, with beaches, parks, a zoo and several museums, is a model for other waterfront cities. There are great sports teams, theater companies, and music festivals. And it's the home of the deep-dish pizza. The jobless rate is higher than the national average, but the Windy City's financial sector is thriving and promises more entry-level jobs in the future.
PROS: Low cost of living for a major city, cheap and widely available rentals, an efficient and user-friendly public transportation system, high-paying jobs in business and finance, great nightlife and entertainment venues
CONS: Extreme winter weather, high crime rate, and it's a long car drive to other major cities
http://realestate.yahoo.com/promo/10-great-cities-for-young-adults.html
Chicago, Ill.
Metro population: 9,580,567Cost-of-living index: 118
Median monthly rent: $861 (average is $819)
Average annual wage: $45,119
Unemployment rate: 10.3%
Percentage of Gen Y residents: 24.6%
Top employers: City, state and federal government, Chicago Public Schools, Wal-Mart Stores, Advocate Health Care, Walgreen, JP Morgan Chase, Abbott Laboratories, AT&T
Chicago is an exceptional value in big-city living, packing the cultural punch of Manhattan at nearly half the cost. Its lakefront district, with beaches, parks, a zoo and several museums, is a model for other waterfront cities. There are great sports teams, theater companies, and music festivals. And it's the home of the deep-dish pizza. The jobless rate is higher than the national average, but the Windy City's financial sector is thriving and promises more entry-level jobs in the future.
PROS: Low cost of living for a major city, cheap and widely available rentals, an efficient and user-friendly public transportation system, high-paying jobs in business and finance, great nightlife and entertainment venues
CONS: Extreme winter weather, high crime rate, and it's a long car drive to other major cities
Weekendish
Plans for the weekend? Do I ever really plan that far ahead? Nah. Weather permitting, I'll take the boys out, maybe hit the Zoo. I'm going to write (of course), hunt out some furniture, and clean up the boys' room, which is in need of it. I'll have the guys help, too, but I just want to get it cleaned up. I'd like to get some new dressers for the boys, too, if I can find any that are any good. Nothing much planned beyond that, but I think that's probably enough for a couple of days.
On the ride in this morning, this sort of odd gal sat next to me -- older woman, 50-something (?) in a navy blue summer dress. Done up, just kind of odd vibe from her. Of course, she sat next to me, primly sitting there with her bags on her lap, staring forward. Crowded bus, breaks of the game, but then when the bus emptied, she stayed in the spot next to me, which irks me. One of those mass transit-user etiquette things, like when the conveyance clears up, move over, give yourself and your fellow commuter more room. But no. She just stays there, staring forward, same blank expression on her face. Totally irksome. Then my stop comes, and I move to get up, and she still doesn't move. Just sits there, motionless. I push past her, glad to get off the bus. I glance back into the bus as I'm leaving, and she's still just staring ahead. She looks vaguely like Kate Pierson of the B-52s, although sans beehive. This picture looks a lot like her, like the eye makeup thing going on.
I think Michael Bay's film crew may still be around town here and there. I saw some film trucks on some of the side streets. Definitely filming on-location. He's been around for a few weeks, getting the shots.
I think Michael Bay's film crew may still be around town here and there. I saw some film trucks on some of the side streets. Definitely filming on-location. He's been around for a few weeks, getting the shots.
Parental Miseries?
http://www.tnr.com/blog/damon-linker/76603/the-misery-the-modern-parent
As ever, the New York whiners. I imagine the absence of accolades that generally accompanyg good parenting bother them. I never complain about parenting (my sole complaint being that I do nearly 70% of the parental load, to Exene's roughly 30% -- and this is borne out statistically, isn't just some arbitrary number I throw out). But in terms of the actual parental load, I don't have a problem with it. I work on my ME stuff when I can, but not to the exclusion of the boys (again, this differentiates me from Exene, who just runs off [literally] or in other ways just checks out).
I don't complain about parenting because it's the nature of parenting to be hard. It's like working in a coal mine and complaining about all the dust and dirt! It's just part of the deal. I guess that's what makes me a great dad. When I had the boys with my family in North Carolina on vacation, at one point, B2 was acting up, being a real pistol, and I just kept my cool, held to my parental line (he wasn't wanting to eat the food I'd set out for him), and eventually, without losing my head, B2 came around and ate his meal. No drama (and no mama -- haha). My mom, stepdad, and stepsister were all amazed that I hadn't lost my temper with B2, hadn't raised my voice. I just kept my cool.
Kids are kids. They're the ultimate egoists, and I think it's actually kinda charming about them. They're these young little universes, full of promise and potential, and it doesn't even occur to them that there are other universes out there, and that the reality beyond them doesn't care about them, or is even dangerous to them. Sure, it's a bliss borne of ignorance and naivete, but at the same time, it's charming. They want what they want when they want it. Over time, they learn (or should learn) the necessity of diplomacy and tact (and, again, amusingly, they learn Machiavellian intrigues so damned early). I think kids are great. Fatherhood is a true joy for me, because I think kids are wonderful. For them, everything is new and wonderful. That's precious, so I do my part to ensure that they get the best sampling of life that I can give them.
And it's still amusing to me what they pick up, what strikes their fancy -- B1 loves disasters of every stripe, black holes, volcanoes, earthquakes, avalanches, tsunamis, tornadoes, hurricanes, asteroids, comets, meteors, sharks, tanks, ships; B2 loves guns, cars, garbage trucks, guitars, music, performing, mischief, dogs, trains, jets, books.
This morning, the boys pretended that we were blasting off for Mars as I walked them to their sitter. I've played that game with them before, but this morning, the boys were mostly narrating it themselves, with B1 describing nebulae as we went on our way, interference with our radios and guidance systerms, while B2 was talking about being in a space capsule. I offered bits of input here and there, but it was a delight to see them playing together like that, crafting a fun narrative around an otherwise routine trip.
“Happiness is a superficial and fragile thing; joy is happiness that has been deepened and refined by tragedy. Joy is happiness with dimension. Joy is what you have that tells you that the burden is light, the yoke is freedom.”
There’s certainly truth in that. Though I fear that Rod is staying within the conceptual universe that leads so many parents—or rather, so many of the early twenty-first-century, upper-middle-class, professional, secular, American parents highlighted in the New York magazine article—to view parenting as such an unhappy burden.
As ever, the New York whiners. I imagine the absence of accolades that generally accompanyg good parenting bother them. I never complain about parenting (my sole complaint being that I do nearly 70% of the parental load, to Exene's roughly 30% -- and this is borne out statistically, isn't just some arbitrary number I throw out). But in terms of the actual parental load, I don't have a problem with it. I work on my ME stuff when I can, but not to the exclusion of the boys (again, this differentiates me from Exene, who just runs off [literally] or in other ways just checks out).
I don't complain about parenting because it's the nature of parenting to be hard. It's like working in a coal mine and complaining about all the dust and dirt! It's just part of the deal. I guess that's what makes me a great dad. When I had the boys with my family in North Carolina on vacation, at one point, B2 was acting up, being a real pistol, and I just kept my cool, held to my parental line (he wasn't wanting to eat the food I'd set out for him), and eventually, without losing my head, B2 came around and ate his meal. No drama (and no mama -- haha). My mom, stepdad, and stepsister were all amazed that I hadn't lost my temper with B2, hadn't raised my voice. I just kept my cool.
Kids are kids. They're the ultimate egoists, and I think it's actually kinda charming about them. They're these young little universes, full of promise and potential, and it doesn't even occur to them that there are other universes out there, and that the reality beyond them doesn't care about them, or is even dangerous to them. Sure, it's a bliss borne of ignorance and naivete, but at the same time, it's charming. They want what they want when they want it. Over time, they learn (or should learn) the necessity of diplomacy and tact (and, again, amusingly, they learn Machiavellian intrigues so damned early). I think kids are great. Fatherhood is a true joy for me, because I think kids are wonderful. For them, everything is new and wonderful. That's precious, so I do my part to ensure that they get the best sampling of life that I can give them.
And it's still amusing to me what they pick up, what strikes their fancy -- B1 loves disasters of every stripe, black holes, volcanoes, earthquakes, avalanches, tsunamis, tornadoes, hurricanes, asteroids, comets, meteors, sharks, tanks, ships; B2 loves guns, cars, garbage trucks, guitars, music, performing, mischief, dogs, trains, jets, books.
This morning, the boys pretended that we were blasting off for Mars as I walked them to their sitter. I've played that game with them before, but this morning, the boys were mostly narrating it themselves, with B1 describing nebulae as we went on our way, interference with our radios and guidance systerms, while B2 was talking about being in a space capsule. I offered bits of input here and there, but it was a delight to see them playing together like that, crafting a fun narrative around an otherwise routine trip.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Gods and Ghosts
The boys are watching "Hercules" tonight. They love that movie. It butchers the Greek myths, but for Disney fare, it's enjoyable enough.
I'm researching ghost towns for one of the projects I'm working on. Ghost towns fascinate me. It's funny -- ghosts, not so much, but ghost towns? Definitely.
Ever see the pictures of Chernobyl these days? This isn't the best-organized Web page, but the pictures are haunting. A lost place.
I'm researching ghost towns for one of the projects I'm working on. Ghost towns fascinate me. It's funny -- ghosts, not so much, but ghost towns? Definitely.
Ever see the pictures of Chernobyl these days? This isn't the best-organized Web page, but the pictures are haunting. A lost place.
Ill-Suited
I forgot to mention this morning, an amusing moment -- I got on the elevator with a Korean couple who had a golden retriever (Sweet dog. I asked its name, and it was "Polo"). Anyway, it was a friendly dog, as goldens usually are, and the elevator opened and this young guy in a very nice pinstriped suit stood there, and you could see him weighing it in his head, whether or not to get in the little elevator with that friendly dog, or whether to wait until the next elevator came. He decided to enter, and came in and hugged the wall. It really was a nice suit, no doubt, but the look on the guy's face was priceless, like "PLEASE, PLEASE let this dog stay the fuck away from me. Don't. Fuck. With. The. Suit." Polo the Wonder Dog didn't mess with him (I helped Pinstripe out by petting the dog, running interference, basically), and when we reached the lobby, everybody filed out, going their separate ways.
Small World
I haven't watched "Jersey Shore," but a few coworkers have, and have talked about it more than a bit. That show seems to have captured a bit of a pop cultural moment. I'm amused, in that my hometown of long ago (Youngstown) was sometimes known as "Little Hoboken" (!!!) and, in some ways, there is a bit of cultural affinity one can find between dwellers of Youngstown and folks in New Jersey -- what plays in New Jersey is likely to play in Youngstown, in some way. You can almost count on it. Anyway, Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi is apparently emerging as the "star" of that show, surely swilling down her 15 minutes of fame. I was amazed to read that she's only 4'9" -- wow. THAT is tiny. That's only about three inches taller than B1, for god's sake (I mean, he's a tall boy, but still, wow). Tiny, tiny chick.
Mission Statement
Damn. Mission of Burma are coming back to Chicago, for the Wicker Park Music Festival. I saw them the last time they were in town, at Double Door, and they were fantastic. Truly, one of the best small-venue shows I've ever seen. I'm tempted to see them again, EXCEPT that it would mean cooling my heels in Wicker Park, where you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a hipster. Never mind that Wicker Park's been gentrifying for the past decade, or that its best years were another decade before then (and even then, not so swell) -- the WP is still a hipster haven, and the prospect of being there with all the too-cool-for-school motionless minions would be tough to take. I will give Mission of Burma credit at Double Door -- they brought it, and that show actually had an incredible dynamic where they actually broke through the wall of Too Self-Conscious To Dance-ishness that plagues so many shows -- they just did it through sheer chops and performance skill. That show was organic and impressive, a living thing, and by the end, everybody was jumping around and howling, completely transported. But that was in a small indoor venue -- at a festival, it's trickier. I dunno. I likely won't go, although I'm sorely tempted. Mission of Burma are such a good band, I'm glad they've been touring steadily since their reunion. Some bands just ride reunion tours and phone it in, but Misison of Burma bring it. It's better than Wicker Park deserves! Hah!
Kalamazoo River Oil Spill
Nice going, Michigan. Michiganders. Pffff. Just what we need, an oil slick on Lake Michigan. Were they envious at all the attention the Gulf was getting or something? Lordy. This article doesn't cover it, but the Kalamazoo River flows swiftly, and feeds into Lake Michigan, which is about 80 miles away from the site of the disaster.
It reminds me of a pizzeria job I worked around 1992, where this total clod was working in the back, and he was just worthless, a total drag on our crew -- he'd sing "Rumpshaker" all day and would dance around and was gloating about how he was joining the Air Force. And another coworker and I were commenting on it to each other, and I said "Someday, we're going to read about planes falling out of the sky, and it's because HE'S gonna be the one doing the rivets on the jets." Then we mimed hip-hop dancing to "Rumpshaker" and working a riveting gun haphazardly. "Shake baby shake baby one, two, three..."
It reminds me of a pizzeria job I worked around 1992, where this total clod was working in the back, and he was just worthless, a total drag on our crew -- he'd sing "Rumpshaker" all day and would dance around and was gloating about how he was joining the Air Force. And another coworker and I were commenting on it to each other, and I said "Someday, we're going to read about planes falling out of the sky, and it's because HE'S gonna be the one doing the rivets on the jets." Then we mimed hip-hop dancing to "Rumpshaker" and working a riveting gun haphazardly. "Shake baby shake baby one, two, three..."
Power Games
Saw this curious article in the Chicago READER today.
While who knows if or whether this guy's invention would work, the real roadblock to alternative energy revolves around centralization of energy resources. That's the irony of it all -- Democrat or Republican, control of power is the main sticking point, where moving forward is concerned. Because many of the alternative energy resources (particularly wind and solar) allow at least the potential for decentralization of the power grid. The "virtue" of existing fuels is control of supply -- whether oil or natural gas or coal (or even "alternatives" like oil shales and ethanol) -- you have a company controlling the supply of the energy source. That plays handily into the cartel model of energy production that keeps everybody else dependent on the supplier (think of DeBeers and their diamonds, how zealously and jealously they control production there -- it's actually quite striking the measures they take to ensure control). And even nuclear, the most-likely to be implemented "alternative" energy source is one that is tightly-controlled and centralized (which, in my view, is why it's the likeliest to be fully realized).
The "problem" with wind and solar is that if the right approach is used, it would allow individuals to become their own energy producers. It's no accident that the existing model for even these alternatives is having solar and wind farms -- trying to centralize these alternative energy sources, and keeping them "behind the wall," brokered by energy companies.
The biggest nightmare of the power brokers is a decentralized energy grid, because suddenly people would no longer be dependent on a company for their power needs (sure, the wind and solar suppliers would still have a market, but the centralized power company, whether oil, coal, natural gas, or nuclear -- would be extinct).
Fundamentally, it's about control, as is so much in our society. People generate their own power, grow their own food, what need is there for a State? You'll see -- while they won't frame it that way (because of what it implies), centralization of power will continue to be the shadow hanging over the energy debate, and the goal will be keeping everybody dependent on power companies and utilities for their energy needs, regardless of the actual energy delivered.
While who knows if or whether this guy's invention would work, the real roadblock to alternative energy revolves around centralization of energy resources. That's the irony of it all -- Democrat or Republican, control of power is the main sticking point, where moving forward is concerned. Because many of the alternative energy resources (particularly wind and solar) allow at least the potential for decentralization of the power grid. The "virtue" of existing fuels is control of supply -- whether oil or natural gas or coal (or even "alternatives" like oil shales and ethanol) -- you have a company controlling the supply of the energy source. That plays handily into the cartel model of energy production that keeps everybody else dependent on the supplier (think of DeBeers and their diamonds, how zealously and jealously they control production there -- it's actually quite striking the measures they take to ensure control). And even nuclear, the most-likely to be implemented "alternative" energy source is one that is tightly-controlled and centralized (which, in my view, is why it's the likeliest to be fully realized).
The "problem" with wind and solar is that if the right approach is used, it would allow individuals to become their own energy producers. It's no accident that the existing model for even these alternatives is having solar and wind farms -- trying to centralize these alternative energy sources, and keeping them "behind the wall," brokered by energy companies.
The biggest nightmare of the power brokers is a decentralized energy grid, because suddenly people would no longer be dependent on a company for their power needs (sure, the wind and solar suppliers would still have a market, but the centralized power company, whether oil, coal, natural gas, or nuclear -- would be extinct).
Fundamentally, it's about control, as is so much in our society. People generate their own power, grow their own food, what need is there for a State? You'll see -- while they won't frame it that way (because of what it implies), centralization of power will continue to be the shadow hanging over the energy debate, and the goal will be keeping everybody dependent on power companies and utilities for their energy needs, regardless of the actual energy delivered.
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