Road Trip!

I took a brief road trip over the weekend, to Nashville. The weather was cool, grey and rainy. Not that I cared much, really. I went to Two Rivers Park and wandered around for a bit. The weather kept many away, I am sure, but there were a few other stalwarts out, some walking, some jogging, some playing golf, both the kind with clubs and the kind with Frisbees.



Judging by the amount of traffic near the shopping areas I passed, a lot of folks were doing their damnedest to prop up the economy through rampant consumerism. I didn't really buy anything this weekend, apart from gas for the car, a couple of Redbox DVD rentals, snacks and a couple of meals out.

One meal was noteworthy, at a place called The Silly Goose.The atmosphere was good. My friend and I went at peak dinner time on Saturday night, but didn't have to wait long at all. We sampled some local cheeses and then enjoyed our meals. I opted for fish and she went for a vegetarian plate; we shared liberally. They had a decent wine list, but as I was already a little tired, it was raining, and I was pretty much a stranger to the area I decided not to add another level of complexity to my driving.

The last time I went to Nashville I had dined in the same neighborhood. It was interesting how, even in the dark and rain, I started to remember the area from a visit some time ago.

I do enjoy getting out on these short trips, and Nashville has a lot yet for me to explore.

Long Distance Call

I had an interesting phone call over the weekend. I spoke with someone that I have known through various virtual media for some time but had never held a real conversation.

I was a little nervous. At times in the past I have made comments/expressed opinions that really annoyed this person. And this person pulled no punches once and really blasted me. That's okay. At times I think we try to be too nice for the sake of not rocking the boat and the expense of dialogue and honesty.

I enjoyed the call. It helped me fill in some gaps of knowledge, erase some assumptions, and confirm others. I had the chance top get some of my questions answered. It made my night. I wonder what this person, who I do claim as a friend, got from the call? I suppose it is not for me to know, ultimately.

Book Review (Brief)

The last time I was in the local library I saw this book on one of those shelves were books are displayed covers out rather than neatly organized in the stacks. I am glad that librarians go this effort. If they did not, I and I imagine many others would miss out on a number of good reads, this one included.

Karen Fisher-Alaniz's father, Murray, served in the USN in WWII. He was, ostensibly, a radio operator in Hawaii for the duration of the war. At least that was his story, if asked. But one day Karen was given a stack of letters that her grandmother had saved, the correspondence her father had written home during his time away from home.

What unfolds is a daughter's discovery of her father's real contribution to the war effort as well as an old man's battles with PTSD. I found it to be heartwarming and quite the page turner.

Political Hangover

I am a bit of a political junkie. Early in my post-college career I was offered a post with some friends to help manage and run a political campaign with a number of college friends for a contender for a seat in the House. It was a tempting thought. The fellows who were forming this team were incredibly bright and we had spent countless hours in college in class together arguing and even more outside of class doing the same, discussing both political theory and practice.

I had been very active in campus politics for my four years at university.And yet I declined the offer. I had a job of sorts and didn't want to take the risk. My friends went on to win the campaign, and two of the five are still very much involved in politics One is major wheel in local politics in our college town, the other is a smaller fish in the D.C. pond but has found his niche and has built a couple of nice companies and is what one might call "financially secure."

These days I follow politics, but my interest waxes and wains, depending on the season, the politicians and the issues. Neither of the major party candidates excited me, but the issues of the day certainly do. It seems that as a nation we are becoming increasingly polarized on issues and that our leaders are unwilling to compromise and broker deals.

That's a shame.

Politics does have winners and losers, but it is not a zero sum game. If we constantly bully  and push the 'other' around then what kind of system are we building? I had hoped (in vain) that the Libertarian party would break the 5% threshold this year and become a national voice and a viable option to the two parties in power. I have looked at some of the parliamentary systems with their multiple, fractious parties and see some value to those systems, although they are not without their flaws. But it does seem that in those systems the brokering of deals among groups becomes more important for getting things done.

On a side note, how different might presidential politics be if more states opted for proportional representation in  the electoral college rather than a "winner takes all" approach? Only two states don't use this approach but it might certainly get the nation a step closer to the notion of the a truly popular vote to elect the president, if that is what one wants.

Enough of politics for now. I still do have a bit of a news hangover.

Jud's Movie Reviews of the Week

I have a DVD player and occasionally watch a movie on long car trips. This weekend I took just such a trip and had the occasion to watch three films.

The Avengers - big budget, Josh Whedon super-hero movie. It was a nice, if long, romp.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel - a fun, if somewhat predictable comedy. The story follows a diverse group of British pensioners that move to a retirement community in India. An amazing cast, a decent script and a delightful setting make this a fun film.

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen - another romantic 'comedy'. Follows the hair-brained scheme to bring salmon fishing to the high desert in the Yemen. Delightful fun. Oh, and Kristin Scott Thomas had a nice role and she makes my heart go pitter-patter.

No, I am Just Driving Through

I have lived in an around this grand metropolis since 1996. And, apart from major thoroughfares and my oft-traveled routes, I know remarkably little about where certain roads lead. This occasionally causes problems for me, especially as I do not possess a GPS.

(This not an image of my location, but I think is a decent representation of my perception of life as a commuter.)

I like to drive around and explore, and this has helped me expand my knowledge of the city. Recently, though, Little One and I moved from one end of town to the other. We even moved from one county to another. I haven't learned all of the little short cuts and back ways of our new environs yet.

Tuesday morning at rush hour may not be the best time to try to remember a back way to get across town to the office. And yet that is exactly what I did. After dropping Little One of at school, I took a different tack to get to the interstate. As I neared the on ramp and the long queue of cars I recalled driving straight through a couple of lights and then going through a neighborhood, taking a left, and  then being back to a spot where I can get to the office.

So I turned my back on the interstate and the slow-pace of traffic that I knew would await and pushed ahead. All was fine until I can to a 4-way intersection and I couldn't recall which way to go. I had to choose a lane, so I opted for straight.

It was the wrong choice. As it turns out, I was in the line of cars of people dropping of their kiddos at an elementary school. There was no way to turn around. The train of vehicles was routed, ever so slowly, around the teachers' parking lot, and then up the hill to the school. I looked for a way out. There was none.

And, yes, there were teachers opening car doors for parents to expedite the process of getting the kids out of the cars. But I had no child. So when my turn came, I rolled down the window and smiled stating "I took a wrong turn and now I am here." The teacher came me a bit of a concerned smile, and I felt quite uncomfortable, as if I was now going to be flagged as some sort of creepy dude cruising the elementary school.

As I neared the main intersection again, I managed to take yet another bad turn that took me not in the direction that I had sought. It did lead me back to a major road and avoided the siren's song of the back road.

I guess the old adage rings true that "Short cuts make for long delays."

Dealing with the Collapse

A close friend of mine has had a very rough year. First and foremost, she lost her husband in April. That has been quite a change for her and her two young children. Devastating.

Added to that is that the company for which she worked fell into fiscal ruin last year. In a very public way. In the papers. The kind of way that might give future employers reason to pause when they see your name on your resume.



It is the 1-anniversary of the wave the crashed into the company's fortunes and broken them apart. My friend and her co-workers, senior managers with the firm, are still dealing with the fallout. Reporters still call. lawsuits are still a threat. Stock options are worthless. Employment can be hard to come by.

I was once out of work for about 6 months. It was my own choosing, in a way. I left at a position with which I was miserable but didn't have another job in hand. It was a slog to find meaningful employment. It was difficult to stay motivated after a while. I can only imagine how much harder it must be when one day you have a job - a career - and the next you have nothing, and you are being accused of all manner of sins.And then in a few short months, you lose your spouse.

And now, she is dealing with the anniversary of the collapse of the business, more news reports, more calls from reporters, more meetings with attorneys. Add to this the advent of the holiday season with the kids. At least she has moved back to her hometown, where she has the benefit of her family and longtime friends.

Hang in there, C. I cannot say it will get any easier any time soon, but let's hope that it does.