Batter Up

A raincloud of doubt reigns o'er me from above

I wield my instrument as it was designed, swatting at too many ideas

Drops of brilliance and cloudiness shaped by years of unconscious filters

Each year a new rung on the tree of life.

Seeking harmony with the falling rain.

Earth Day March for Science ✌️🇺🇸🌎

APRIL 22, 2017 "EARTH 🌎 DAY" - This weekend I'll be joining scientists of all occupations for what is being dubbed the "March for Science".  As I did for the Women's March, I feel the need to explain why this is important enough for me to give up my Saturday and what I hope it accomplishes.

For starters, I'd like to make it very clear that I am not marching for any particular political party or group. I consider myself an independent thinker and I am marching on behalf of myself and my fellow humans.

Secondly, I am not technically a scientist, but I believe in science. Just as I am not a theologian, and believe in religion. With a little bit of effort, I have found those two concepts can exist simultaneously in my head and not be contradictory. I regret that I feel the need to make that distinction, but I want that stated.
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Google defines "science" as:

"The intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment."

When scientists come to consensus on a subject, it represents what we know collectively to be true at this moment in time. On the subject of Climate Change, the scientific consensus is there: it is a real and active threat to the fate of our existence on this planet.

Ignoring this is convenient.  Accepting it, however, requires that we take action both personally and politically to remedy it. It also requires us to view Mother Nature as an active participant in our existence on this planet.

Never in the history of humanity have people been forced to collaborate so extensively so as to deliberately alter the fate of our host planet.  That is not to say we haven't accomplished feats of this magnitude before: landing on the moon, creating atomic energy, harnessing the power of the sun... all of those things have gone a long way to altering the fate of our existence.  They also share something important in common: American Scientists.

Americans have altered the fate of humanity in the past and will do so again.  We are not a people to gleefully back down from a challenge. However we must be convinced that one lies before us.

That is why I am marching: to assert that I acknowledge and value scientific agreement, and to show others that I am willing to do my part, whatever that may be, to advance human interests and life on this planet. I take my being a citizen of the world as seriously as my being a citizen of this country.

Love,
Steve

Poem: Which side am I on?

Which side am I on?
I do not know
Am I the friend, or despicable foe?

The fact that I need to ask
Makes me take myself to task.

And eternally echoed, the thought is spawned...

Untitled: Self Assessment Musing

Self-assessment really sucks
It's here that I must count my fucks

The grading scale is too complex
To reach your entangled(?) desk

Despite relativity,
I'm still into me.

Poem: A ___ in the current

Imagine, if you will, you could breath, submerged, without a gill And in floating around you might Find yourself without a light And so you begin to feel around But is there something to be found? YES OF COURSE! YOU JUST HAVE TO LOOK (is something you might read in a book) no way, jose - said the man in the song but we both know that he is wrong And so we swim the great unknown with speedy currents and dead zones Looking for a pride to ride - the stream to match a clumsy stride Despite your body pushing and swaying, your parents and what they might be saying, Your presence is needed now and quickly! But deviations make them sickly... Not to be deterred by the foreign rain For all that matters is inside your head.

Why I Marched

Hi,

I have been asked by a number of people why I marched in the Women's march this weekend.  It's a fair question that deserves an answer.  Here it is.

First and foremost, I marched out of respect for the men and women who have fought for the freedoms I enjoy as a citizen of this great country.  I understand the privileges granted by the Constitution are guaranteed only to the extent that we are willing to fight for (and to keep) them. Those privileges include my right to protest if I feel those freedoms are being threatened.

I marched because freedoms are actively being threatened.  This is important to understand.  People aren't marching because they "are sad they lost the election".  No. The millions of people that demonstrated this weekend were actively combating a real threat against their statuses as citizens. Hostile rhetoric towards women, Muslims, blacks, Mexicans, the disabled, the press, etc. is being normalized as an assault on the "politically correct" by "whiny liberals", but by allowing those comments to go unchecked, it severely hinders the political capital those groups have fought hard for. Phrases like "Grab them by the pussies", "they're rapists", "Liars!", etc.   normalize an ethnocentric view of America and castigates entire demographics.  It is a direct call to popular tendencies that demonizes people in order to win loyalty from an uninformed public.  This is truth just as much as the climate is changing due to human interaction. Even though we can't see it, it is there and many of the people marching understand that.

I marched to make it clear that I will not be caught up in populism. Just because I am a white male does not mean I need to act on behalf of all white men.  When my fellow citizen is slighted, so am I.  My demographic has been given a lot of great privileges of which I am very grateful. It is my responsibility to recognize that advantage and help others or risk that privileged status being challenged by others through violence.

I marched because greater things can be achieved by those who work together.  It is clear to me (and to our president!) that our focus should be internal.  America needs to work together to address domestic issues before we can reasonably be stewards of democracy worldwide.  That is what we voted for and I tend to agree.  The march helped make clear where a lot of Americans stand on issues of social justice: We will not stand for the the de-legitimization of any of our fellow humans. And while global Isolationism may be a temporary solution for dealing with other countries, we will eventually need to find a way to work with other nations or suffer their malcontent.

I marched to be informed. It is difficult to understand the viewpoints of others without getting out and hearing from them.

I marched because I needed to be reminded that people are overwhelmingly good.  The warmth I received from the smiles of the peaceful protesters re-invigorated this conviction.

I marched because I wanted to support my wife. Not because she needed me to, but because she inspires me to be a good citizen.  She was marching with or without me.

I marched because the future is female - and I'm OK with that.  I'm a man. I have a tendency towards machismo and can vividly recall times where I was overly aggressive when challenged in public.  In the age of easily accessible weaponry, perhaps it's OK that a man doesn't have The Button to press if his ego is bruised. With dwindling resources on this planet, it's clear to me that humans will need to shift from a "get off my lawn" attitude to inviting our diverse neighbors over for dinner.

I marched because I took history class. And while I may have only garnered a B letter grade, it doesn't take an A-student to see the threat of authoritarianism as real. We have a charismatic leader who demands loyalty and threatens "law and order" if it is not given. There is an assault on truth with retribution promised to those who don't see things his way.  This has happened before and while authoritarianism doesn't necessarily equate to Nazi-ism and fascism, it can easily slip a similar way unintentionally.  For this we must stay vigilant.

I marched because I have friends who don't understand why a man is marching in a women's march. If this post hasn't helped clear that up, I'm afraid I won't be to able explain this further without talking in person. I am happy to have conversations with friends and always welcome alternative points of view.

Finally, I marched because I am in awe that the Constitution continues to govern with relative effectiveness.  Sure there are laws on the books that could use revision, but I am astonished by the respect these living documents command.  I feel responsibility to help ensure that our government continues to be effective and I am proud to be an active participant in this great social experiment.

Why did(n't) you march?

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Poem: I have been woke

Poem: I have been woke

I stand woke at work
In the present state of pantless mediocrity
Observing others with far greater aspirations and means

In my wakedness
I understand our days to be
Brightly elucidating
Until I am born the meekest
And have completed my final trip around the Sun
To become the dream that is shared.

How many others? Rebel and Empire?
A trinity? A majority? All?

Must I wait.

Cold at my feet.
Sun on my face. Warmth.
Complacency less an option

Clothes would be nice, but...

My ego is yours and you know it.

Has it really been over two years since my last post?

BOSTON:  Apparently it has.

Not that there hasn't been any excitement - I just haven't documented it for the world to see.  Allow me to bring you (and future me) up to speed:

Sarah moved to Michigan where she spent some time as a career advisor in Ann Arbor.
I switched positions at Tutor.com to a Client Services Manager where I had library clients initially, then K12 and Higher Ed institutions.

Our company purchased The Princeton Review and my role switched to working mostly with K12 institutions.

A wild ride ensued with a lot of work, and a flirt with fame as I moved to California to part-time manage my cousins' music career. That is a story that could easily be made into a screenplay and I'd be happy to tell you it someday. I maybe even document it on the Internet for the world to read one day.  Maybe.

All of those events, plus many more lead me to where I am now, which is in Sierra Madre (Southern California) living in an apartment above my Aunt Kathy and Uncle John's place.  Sarah moved recently to Santa Clara (Northern California) where started working last month in a consultative training position with Adecco for Google Express.

Oh, and we are engaged to be married.

So yes, eventually I am going to move the 5-6 hours north to be with my future wife, but until then, I am pretty content having a place to call my own. It's right at the foothills of the San Gabriel mountains and I have the unique luxury of waking up to a view of the mountains and backdoor access to some pretty breathtaking hikes. It doesn't feel like the Greater Los Angeles area until I get on the freeway at least.

Lately, I've been focusing on work, organizing a wedding and an impending move north. Last week I was offered a new position "Director, Institutional Sales Operations - The Princeton Review & Tutor.com" which I accepted on Friday.  I am currently en route to Boston where I will be learning more about what that means. I feel good about that new position and look forward to making our contracting and sales processes more efficient.

I hope to pick this back up as I enjoy reading some of these older posts. 

Until next time,

Steve