Change in '08

“Obama is, in fact, committed to respecting the opinions of cultures of others even when religious beliefs aren’t involved. ‘There are universal values that I will fight for,’ he says. ‘I think there may have been a time and a place in which genital mutilation was culturally appropriate, but those times are over. I’m not somebody who believes that our foreign policy has to be driven by moral relativism. What I do believe is that we have to apply judgment and a sense of proportion to how change happens in any society–to promote our ideals and our values with some sense of humility.’”

The New Yorker
May 7, 2007
Profiles – The Conciliator
Where is Barack Obama coming from?
By Larissa MacFarquhar

Reading this is what drew my support for Obama.

Reading the article below on CNN leads my practical side to think that my joke of “Team Opression ‘08” might be the strongest bet Democrats have at the White House in 2008.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/10/26/obama.nice/index.html














This just might be the future vision of leadership for this country.

If you hate your job, then get a new one!

I don’t understand people who go to work and do nothing but whine about how horribly overburdened they are, or just complain about their work or work environment in general. If your job is too difficult for you, or you hate it so much then put in your two weeks notice and find a new one. The problem – I know – is that people are lazy, and that people with these bad attitudes feed on others feeling miserable as well, so it’s easiest for them not to look for a job they’d enjoy and to pull their co-workers into their seething pool of despair.

These people make me angry, and I’d like to punch them all in the nose.

Now, as a disclaimer, I’m not making any reference to my own job or workplace. Everyone here is happy to be here and happy to be doing what they do. And if they’re not they keep it to themselves. Positive attitudes and friendly co-workers make everyone in the office happier, and I think more productive. Who wants to work hard in an office where no one is happy? What would the purpose be anyhow? I’ve seen a lot of this in my short time period in the work force, and it makes me sad to know how many organizations out there consistently employ unhappy, unmotivated, unproductive people. And to think of the people that would be so grateful to have one of these jobs. Someone whose life might be completely changed for the better by having the job that someone else wastes and complains about. It makes me sick.

People that spin their heads and wave their hands in the air claiming to be “too busy” are full of it. No one is too busy to do anything – nothing in life is that important. And if there’s a problem then it’s probably associated with the person themselves. Too many files? Be more organized. Too many people to call? Work on your time management. I think this is often a mixed case of people a) thinking they are more important in the grand scheme of things than they really are and b) disliking their job.

Expanding on point a) above, people have a really inflated sense of ego that comes along with a title at work. People feel that their title actually means something more than it really does. I’ve studied several organizations that solve this problem by throwing out titles entirely, or by using one common title for everyone. Gore & Associates, Inc., the company that manufactures GoreTex waterproof sports material among other things, runs their entire business with nothing but Associates. Everyone is an Associate, from the secretary to the CEO (which don’t exist obviously). Using some other interesting practices – they never have more than 100 people in one work unit or office – they have been an extremely successful company (for more information on this organization you can refer to Malcom Gladwell’s The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference).

It fascinates me that we can live in a place where people are afforded so much opportunity, and could feasibly do something in life that made them truly happy. Yet people stay, for years sometimes, in jobs they hate, working with people they don’t really like but delight in making miserable, and not pursuing their own happiness in life. It’s baffling, yet all I can think is that by doing so the people like that are only making it easier for me and others who care about their lives resulting in a feeling of satisfaction and fulfillment. I can only hope the best for anyone that feels the same.

Jonesing for Espana

Right now I'm cooking a beautiful seafood paella, listening to some lively classical Spanish music, and am longing to be back in Moratinos.

I had a taste for the savory Spanish rice dish and the next day as if by some divine intervention found a paella cookbook at Barnes & Noble in the bargain section. The next day I found a grab bag mix of frozen seafood that reminded me of the festive medley they have at Lupa.

I'll let you all know how the paella turns out - my first ever, and surely it won't be a fraction as good as the ones Paddy can make, or that rabbit and snail one I had - but with time they'll get better I hope.

Re: Walls, Perception, and Henry Miller

“Instead of bucking your head against a stone wall (why do we get headaches so often?), sit quietly with hands folded and wait for the wall to crumble. If you’re willing to wait an eternity, it may happen in the twinkling of an eye. For walls often give way quicker than the proud spirit which rules us. Don’t sit and pray that it will happen! Just sit and watch it happen. Sit thus, indifferent to everything that has been said and taught about walls. From dwelling on the headache which you will notice has departed, dwell on the emptiness between things, and finally on the emptiness of things. When this vast emptiness is filled with nothing but emptiness you will awaken to the fact that what you regarded as a wall is not a wall at all, but a bridge possibly, or a ladder of fire. The wall will still be there, of course, and if you had only ordinary vision it would be much like any other wall, but now you’ve lost that kind of vision and with it the difficulty that a bricklayer has in understanding what a scientist means when he explains what the elements of a wall really are. You have an edge over the scientist because you feel no need to explain anything. What is, is (Page 165).”
...

“I speak with inner conviction because I have been through the struggle. What I am trying to emphasize is that, whatever the nature of the problem, it can only be tackled creatively. There is no book of “openings,” as in chess lore, to be studied. To find an opening one has to make a breach in the wall – and the wall is almost always in one’s own mind. If you have the vision and the urge to undertake great tasks, then you will discover in yourself the virtues and the capabilities required for their accomplishment. When everything fails, pray! Perhaps only when you have come to the end of your resources will the light dawn. It is only when we admit our limitations that we find there are no limitations (Page 397).”


The two passages above are from Henry Miller's Big Sur and the Oranges of Hieronymus Bosch. Ever since my stay in Moratinos with Rebekah and Paddy I have poured over this wonderful book. Paddy suggested it to me, and I quickly connected with the text. I think above all else my outward laughter at certain points while reading pleased him immensely.

Since leaving Spain I had to go out and purchase my own copy of Big Sur. To this day I have still not finished the book in it's entirety, but continue to dip into it time and again to take away bits of Miller's insight and perspective. I see much of the person I hope that I am, or the person that I would like to become at some point within his writing.

Coming back to the point at hand though. I found the two passages within the text, much unconnected in proximity. However the individual ideals that each represent really struck me as intriguing. The first is clear in suggesting that obstacles are not always such, and that if we make the effort we can see them for what they really are. The second passage, on a somewhat similar note, remarks that often obstacles we come up against are for the most part within ourselves, and thus under our control should we choose to take that control. Nothing is impossible.

I know that lately there's been a lot of hype surrounding another book, The Secret, and the general consensus is different depending on who you talk to. Some regard it as a theory of positive thinking leading to positive outcomes. Others will tell you that no matter how hard you think about a pile of money it's not going to make a dime appear. When it's all boiled down it comes down to a difference between optimists and pessemists, or "idealists" and "realists" as they like to refer to one another. I would be lying if I said that I'd ever considered myself part of anything but the former camp. While yes, I'll agree that "magical thinking" does not necessarily exist as a phenomenon - despite what some people, including Augusten Burroughs will have you believe - that there is a certain truth to the ideal of positive thinking. Whenever I've faced a challenge in life or approached a difficult situation I've always found that finding the good, or more often than not the humour, in the subject helps it to not be such a challenge.

I think this idea relates well back to the statements that Miller made regarding walls and how we have the power to transcend them and revise our obstacles into something better - opportunity. Control is an amazing thing. The concept of the Locus of Control is a very important concept that I took from several of my classes in college. You either have an internal locus or an external locus - things are within your control or they are not. Studies have shown that the former perception leads to people living happier lives and being free of abundant mental stress. Likewise, just the opposite for those who rely heavily on an external locus. This is really what Miller is talking about, and to some extent what I'd be lead to believe The Secret (I've not read it for myself, so can't claim any authority over it's content) hinges it's philosophy on. It's not something mystical. It's just the power of human perception.

I'll drink to that!

I have a history of being a lack-luster journal updater. I’m not very good at staying on top of a daily account of life, though I need to try harder.

Since my last entry I’ve moved to my new apartment with my roommate Hannah. The move was made much easier by family and friends, though did not take as much time or effort as I had anticipated. At this point, almost one week after hauling all my possessions to Cleveland, I’ve got a fair majority of the boxes unpacked. Things are stacked all over my bedroom though in piles.

One corner is devoted entirely to books. While I disposed of many of them I still have probably close to 200 books. I need to invest in supplies to construct shelves on the walls to hold all said books and a variety of brick-a-brack. Someone said to me, “I think getting to know you through examining all your stuff would be very interesting.”

Earlier this week I battled with the evil do-badders at Time Warner Cable. Without going in to the whole long drawn out tale though, basically their customer service is sub par, and I wasted a considerable amount of time trying to get internet hooked up. In the end I came out ahead with about a month and a half of free service for my trouble.

My new neighborhood is teeming with things to do with my friends, all of whom - with the exception of the Toledo-ites – live within walking distance of my front door. Tuesday evening is 35 cent wings at the Winking Lizard, and a good excuse to go and try their Beer of the Month. You get a free commemorative glass to take home. Wednesday evening is ½ priced margarita night at Mi Pueblo, a hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant next to Case Western’s campus. If my mom is reading this she is surely holding her head and fretting that I am on a steep decline towards alcoholism.

Then of course Sunday we all have brunch together at one of our apartments. This past week Brandon made Eggs Benedict with rosemary parmesan potatoes and garlic butter green beans. While I had to eat and run in order to get out to the winery for work that afternoon, it was a really fantastic meal. I need to follow his steps for poaching eggs, as I’ve never seen them done so beautifully.

Monday I rejoined Colette out in Westlake for Pilates. I was glad to be back, and after exercising I felt very good. She does things a little differently than when mom and I had attended her classes before, but it’s still a good work out. I’m thinking about attending two times a week, but initially may opt just for once a week so that I’m free on other weeknights to participate in other activities (i.e.: there’s a dance class I’d like to take this fall on Monday evenings, and another – and cheaper – yoga class on Wednesdays).

Tuesday evening I took Hannah to the Whole Foods Market on Warrensville and Cedar. She, as no one can help but doing, fell in love completely with the wonder that we like to refer to as the “Whole Foods Experience,” or WFE. We picked up a bottle of the 2004 Shingleback Grenache I had ordered, a couple delicate pieces of dark chocolate, and then went home to enjoy them together. Red wine and chocolate are two of the best things on earth – and keep in mind, both have been shown to be beneficial to your health to a certain degree!

Last night I bought a wireless router from Wal*Mart, and while it works perfectly fine it seems to hiccup while I’m connected to the internet. It’s – thank god – nothing to do with the actual service, so I’m pretty sure it is the router itself. I need to call their customer service line and see if they have any answers. Hopefully they can fix it because browsing the web or chatting with a friend and suddenly losing your connection only to re-establish it 45 seconds later every 5 minutes or so is rather annoying.

I’ve heard from Libby two or three times since she started her Camino to Santiago across Spain. I’m proud of her for going over to take on the adventure by herself and think that she’ll come away from the experience a much happier and healthier person. Talking with her a couple days in a row on the phone made me really long to be back on the train, backpack, boots, and all. I’m not sure if granted the opportunity I would head back right away, but living vicariously through her brings a smile to my face for the time being. On that note, I need to remember to reconnect with some fellow pilgrims I’ve not spoken with in a while. My memories of that time are so abundant and wonderful.

I’ll get back some day. In the meantime I am perfectly content with the place my life has taken me to this point. I love my job, I love my new home and neighborhood, and I’ve got a great family and wonderful friends. I really can not complain.

I need to go to the Barnes & Noble downstairs and see if I can find a copy of Big Sur and the Oranges of Hieronymus Bosch – I miss reading Miller, and that I can fix.

Until later.