We know, most of us anyway, good writing when we see it. Those who have studied literature can identify good writing better than the rest of us, but the written page is art. And art is subjective. That’s not what I’m referring to.

Allow me an analogy:

A firefighter (I’ll use the masculine for this example and feminine for the next).

He has no qualms running headlong into a burning, risking life and limb to save those trapped inside. Does that make him a good firefighter? Or should I say, does that alone make him a good fire fighter? What if he is belligerent to his fellows at the station? What if he doesn’t pull his weight during the down time? What if he is rude to both children and animals as they tour the firehouse? I think you see my point. While he might be called an excellent “lifesaver,” I doubt he’d be termed a good firefighter.

Obvious. Then wouldn’t the same tenet hold true for a writer? Sure one needs the basic understanding of spelling, grammar and storytelling, but what about the marketing, personal relations, tenacity, quantity of work, as well as the ability to ask for and assimilate feedback? Are they also not vital elements of a “writer’s job?”

A writer.

She can spin a yarn with language that would not only make Hemmingway come back to life, it would get him to an AA meeting. Her eloquent words can be written in adequate volume but she refuses to partake in submitting her work. Or perhaps she has but refuses to promote it. She is a terror for agents and editors to work with. When in public, she regularly offends her fans. Because she can effectively “write,” is she still a good writer? I’d say no. Others might disagree. I’d say she’s a storyteller.

Of course on the reverse side of the same coin, what about the writer (I’m thinking of one specifically who’s releasing a novel this fall that is sure to sell a million copies – he’s not released a book in six years) whose prose may not be the best but it identifies with the masses on a scale of immense proportions? If a team of ten literature professors denounce his story and flunk his prose on an epic level but he’s done all the other things well (marketing, sales, fan development, and writing what people want to read), is he a good writer?

Again, I answer in the negative. Others might disagree. I’d say he’s a pop entertainer.

To be a good writer one must perform ALL elements of the writing process effectively. One must write effectively and in sufficient volume. One must entertain and effectively be able to market his/her work. One must network with industry professionals and make proper career decisions. One must master relationships with his/her fan base, know and deliver what those fans want. I can’t be the judge of anyone else’s progress on this scale.

I just know that, by my standards, I’ve still a long way to go to be considered a good writer.

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."

- Martin Luther King Jnr.

By electing Barack Hussein Obama the 44th President of the United States of America, we fulfilled the dream of Dr. King by judging Mr. Obama fit to govern, not on the basis of the color of his skin, but on the content of his character. It was a revolutionary thought forty years ago, even twenty years ago, and perhaps even just twenty months ago, but it has been realized in the sizzling flash of one election season. A forty seven year-old, first-term Senator taking on and beating the likes of a former first lady and former Vice Presidential candidate in the primaries and then a war hero in the general election are the stuff of legend and yet it played out before our very eyes. In fact, we made it happen before our very eyes.

Sometimes revolutions occur without a shot being fired.

But what happens after most revolutions? Greed. Infighting. Competing Agendas. Unrealized expectations. Dissention and Disappointment. Those who band together to effect change in leadership, often disintegrate once that leadership takes hold of government. It happened in post-revolutionary Russia, France (several times), and England. One place it didn’t occur was here -- post-revolutionary United States of America. So certain these men in their cause, so resolved in the realization of their ideals, they put aside their differences and strove to create a more perfect union -- one that protected life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

They were simpler times. The pursuit of happiness typically meant that government stayed out of the lives of the citizens so that they could grow crops or raise animals to feed and clothe their families, go to church on Sundays and spend their later years somewhere near a warm fireplace.

Today, our pursuit of happiness seems blocked at every angle. Our blackberries don’t upload our emails fast enough or the batteries to our iPods don’t hold the charge as long as we’d like. We’re forced to listen to thick foreign accents when our satellite TVs malfunction or our DVRs forget to automatically record our favorite programs. Friends hound us with debate on the merits of being pro-choice, opposed to gay marriage, convinced of global warming, protesting the death penalty, or maxing out our 401ks.

Does this generation, the one used to having everything they want when they want it, have the determination and patience to see this president through two terms and two mid-term elections? Do they understand that in our government, massive change is brought about slowly? Do they have what it takes to sustain their support (real support) or is their allegiance blind and Obama is supported with lip service but inaction?

Lastly, and most importantly, now that we’ve taken a step to move beyond race (and to some extent gender) in our national politics, can we continue to develop the content of our collective character?

The election is over and I'm finally able to think about baseball without puking. The talk here in San Diego is huge about a Peavy trade and as a Cubs fan, I'd be really stoked to get him. But it's not enough!

I'm sick of the curse talk. THIS is why we lose -- BAD DECISIONS. Remember this is the same team that decided to keep Bob Howry and Neal Cotts...
http://www.sportsline.com/mlb/players/player/gamelogs/2008/7593

Look at May and June. Scott Eyre set a CLUB RECORD for most appearances without giving up a run -- he got hurt. Then he gets ONE CHANCE to pitch before they cut him?!?!?!! Then he goes to the Phils and goes 9 appearances before giving up a run. These are the same Phils that the Cubs scored a big dramatic win against on a Friday to take the first two games of a series. On Sat and Sunday after patting themselves on the backs and reading their own press clippings the Cubs showed up to the park apparently expecting the Phils to lay down to their greatness...only to lose both games. The Phils battled back down 0-2 in that series, won both games and salvaged a tie. THESE are the Phils that won the championship.

LEARN Cubs LEARN!

I'm sick of BS like this. It's the little things that win championships -- it's sweeping (not settling for 2 wins in a 3 game series vs the Reds and Pirates and Giants) the teams you need to beat. It's throwing strikes and playing good D and scoring key runs. It's cutting Bob Howry and keeping Scott Eyre. It's playing as hard on every play as the fans are cheering at every game (home and road). You want good "karma?" Then stop making bad decisions and hoping that you don't "mysteriously play bad" in the post season. Play every inning like it's Game 7 of the WS, then when you get there, you'll be ready for it. There are no "coincidences." There are no "Cub incidences." There's playing winning baseball and there's playing losing baseball.

I'm sick of watching these prima donnas mope around the field during the post season playing losing baseball because they got away with it during the regular season!

I hope someone has the 'nads to stand up at the Cubs convention this year and speak the truth...

Rant over.

 

This past year, my best friend and I have been emailing each other a question each morning. His question to me yesterday was, "If you were running for President, what would you say during the debate."  It led me to this blog entry:

Seven years ago this month our country was attacked in one of the most vicious despicable acts in the history of the world. I have good news and I have bad news. The good news is that we came together as a nation in September of 2001. The bad news is that since then, we've become divided. The frank truth that no one wants to say aloud is that because of our division, the terrorists are winning. I'll repeat it; the terrorists are winning.  Oh, they're not winning in Iraq. They're not winning in Afghanistan where we've been fighting all these many years. They're winning because we have been operating as an “us against them” mentality. Not just “us against the terrorists,” no no. “Us Against Them” here at home. No sooner will a Democrat propose a plan of action, than ten Republicans line up to oppose it. No sooner will a Republican sponsor a bill than ten Democrats plot to block it. No sooner will someone speak out in the workplace for a particular candidate than several friends or coworkers will attack that candidate or that person for being “too far left” or “too far right.”

Maybe in better times, this system, this way of operating was acceptable, but in times like these, when major institutions are failing, when people can’t make their house payments, when our government can’t respond to emergency situations, when bridges are collapsing, when schools are not educating, hospitals are not healing and banks are not lending, we must face reality. Our system is broken and little tweaks and pokes are not going to fix it.

So how did we get here? This didn’t happen overnight. This didn’t happen over the course of one or two presidential administrations. We are in the mess that we're in today because over the past few decades, as technology has improved and information is passed along faster, ironically enough, we've allowed ourselves to become more and more divided. We've become so overly focused on the minutia of "battleground states," "same sex marriage" and “which celebrity is in rehab,” that we've missed the big picture of digging in, making sacrifices, working hard and developing new technologies.

I have a question for the auto makers. Why has the personal computer gone from being a room-sized million-dollar product down to a laptop, $300 product in less than a generation but 100 years later, we're still using an engine that runs on a fuel source we not only know to be limited and pollutes the environment, but one which our demand can only be met from a part of the world we know to be volatile and hostile? It doesn’t make sense.

We've become lazy. We've become self-centered and commercially irresponsible. We’ve overspent and underworked. We want to have our oil and use it too. We want to have our high-wage jobs and export them too. We want to win our wars and watch them too.  It doesn't work that way! During World War II there were scrap metal drives, there were paper drives, there were curfews. Hell, there were even CHOCOLATE RATIONS. People understood that to fight evil, they had to tighten their belts and band together with their family, friends and neighbors. As Americans, we've done that before and unless we do it again, we're not going to pass along the same lifestyle to future generations. It's just that simple and that ugly, folks.

That's a lot of bad news, huh?  Well there's more good news in there somewhere. You see, back when America was willing to make sacrifices, and I'm not speaking now of World War II, I'm referring to September 11th, we all felt a sense of community, accomplishment, empowerment. We were able to understand how our forefathers, armed mostly with muskets, faced off against the world’s most powerful military at the time, won, and then forged a new nation. We were able to comprehend how a country made up of mostly farmers were able to transform into the most powerful armed forces in the world, defeat Hitler and then rebuild our enemies into stable, productive and beneficial allies. And these dramatic transformations didn’t take hundreds of years like they did throughout history with other nations. They happened within just a decade. 1776 to 1786. 1941 to 1951.

A decade. Ten years. Where will America be in 2018? Will we be fighting wars that are a lost cause and chasing ghosts through the caves of Pakistan? Will we be in debt, struggling to make ends meet while the rich get “guiltier” and the poor get angrier? Will we be analyzing what effect some lobbyist’s “spin” will have in a key “battleground state” or which celebrity’s reality show is higher in the Neilson ratings? Or can we put all that aside, roll up our sleeves and come together over a common goal? The American Dream. Remember her?

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”

When I was a boy, my Italian great grandfather sat me down on his lap and told me how his father punched him when he informed his dad he was immigrating to America. My great grandmother, who lived just one village over, left everything and everyone to come through Ellis Island for a better life. Today, in many parts of the world, people are still fighting and dreaming of a better life in America. As we work with our friends and our neighbors to provide a better life for our children, for the next generation, it is our duty, our responsibility, and our privilege to keep that American Dream alive. 

“And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.”

God bless this country. God bless America and God bless you all.

Last week, I celebrated my FIFTEENTH anniversary of arriving in California!  

Leaving Chicago for San Diego ranks among the best decisions I've ever made and it resulted from a conversation with my dad (for those of you who know him, you know how odd of a statement that is!). Back in 1993, I told him that I was considering a move to California and my thought process behind it.

"We'd miss you," he said. "We love you and we'd all miss you but don't come to me when you're 40 and tell me that you wished you would have done it. If you really want to go, then go."

THANKS DAD! 



Fifteen more years in California? We'll see...

This weekend, I went to Santa Barbara for a yearly retreat I've taken since 2000. One property over from one of the most exclusive hotels on the West Coast, the San Yisidro Ranch, sits a gorgeous property called La Casa de Maria. Lush but simple landscaping and hidden areas for meditation cover the acerage and allow for quiet contemplation of life's curveballs and tribulations. US News and World Report call the center "One of the 50 Ways to Improve your Life."

It has become a "tradition" (don't ask me why), upon arrival Friday afternoon, for a friend of mine and I run 30 or so stories up into the hills east of the property. He's in his 60's and in much better shape than I am, so I typically start the weekend rather humbled. Despite surviving and enjoying a training run of 11 miles last Sunday, this "run" wiped me out inside of 10 minutes. Every year, I must forget how bad the previous years were.  In any case, also tradition, at the pinnacle of our trek, we stop and issue primal yells toward the heavens. Based on the year I've had, one of my screams included a two-word phrase that’s not appropriate for this blog. I don't know how God felt about being sworn at, but I felt much better afterwards.

Friday evening we held our welcoming ceremonies. I was excited to see "G" there. G is a major Hollywood Writer/Director with some impressive credentials and quality work behind him. I met several years ago at these retreats but have never had a close connection to and hadn’t seen in a couple years since he’s moved out of state. --   Now, I need to backtrack to July -- While going to a meeting with a friend, we stopped at a Starbucks in Carlsbad for coffee. I've never stopped at that Starbucks before or since on a Saturday morning but that morning as I walked out, I ran into G! 

"Hey G!" I said. 

He stared blankly at me. I explained where I knew him from and we shook hands. 

"Are you going to the retreat this year?" I asked.

His eyes focused on mine and he asked when it was. I told him, he glanced off to the distance as if calibrating his schedule and nodded. I told him I hoped to see him and we parted ways. Of course my ego envisioned grandiose visions of my “efforts” changing his life. Then, I suspected that my efforts would do little to change the course of someone’s life, especially of someone who has achieved such life accolades. Friday night at the retreat, I’d learn the truth.

G ended up being one of the first to speak before the group and shared how he recently had a dramatic and traumatic situation play out in his life. He and members of his family had recently spent time at a major addictions clinic to teach them about the family member whose life is in jeopardy. The day after he left that clinic, he was at the Starbucks in Carlsbad where he ran into me. Not only did I have a direct impact in him attending the retreat, I ended up being his roommate for the weekend!

I’m proud that I kept the focus with G on the weekend’s agenda and didn’t try to take advantage of the situation to “push” my writing or advance any ego cause.

If nothing else this weekend, I remembered that sometimes God is found in the mountains, sometimes shows up in meditation gardens, but sometimes He just works His magic on Saturday mornings at Starbucks...

I was at a concert last night (Cheap Trick, Heart, and Journey) tickets courtesy of my best friend, Dave K. A great time but I missed a great All Star game. The All Star Break is just a God-aweful time of year, sports wise. I mean there isn't even any basketball or hockey for me to pretend to be into. No football, not even any mid-week golf.  At least it's just a 3 day time span.

I went to the Cubs website today and there is a Q&A on there. The second question got my blood a boiling and I just had to respond (below) what MY answer would be. Of course, the beat writer's response was much kinder....

I can understand the acquisition of Harden but in shipping off Eric Patterson, 
Matt Murton, Sean Gallagher and Josh Donaldson, do you think the Cubs gave up 
too much young talent for a guy who has been plagued by injuries?
-- Jake M., Lafayette, Ind.

(What MY response would have been!)
Jake, are you an idiot? Do your parents make your lunch for you in the morning 
and then put you on a short bus on your way to "school?" Do you drool a lot? 
Wake your a - - up and start learning about the game of baseball, Jake. In 
shipping Patterson, Murton, Gallagher and a catcher hitting .217 at A-ball, the 
Cubs got a potential All Star and another stud long relief/spot starter. Unless 
you're like Rip Van Winkle, Jake, you might have noticed that the 
Cubbies haven't been to the World Series in a few years and most fans (as well 
as managment) are anxious to win a championship.

You don't win championships with Corey Patterson's little brother, Jake. You 
certainly don't win them with Matt Murton starting on your team. Jake, get the 
f-ing glue bottle out of your nose and pay attention to the game. Did you 
happen to see Harden strike out TEN players in 5 innings during his first Cub 
start? Did you think that was a practice game, you BLEEPing moron? Whatever you 
do, Jake, don't leave Lafayette, Ind. Ever! Never ever, you hear me, Jake? Don't 
come to the big city where people will pick your pocket and shove your face into 
garbage. Or maybe you like that you stupid hillbilly?  In any case, Jake, thanks 
for watching the Cubbies and be sure to put your name in all your coloring books!

This year just continues to fly by!

Another benefit of focusing on the positive and helping others to do so is that it comes back to you!  Amazingly enough, on days when I'm tired or a bit down, the reminders I've helped others with tend to come back to me from them. 

I don't know what's up in So. Cal these days but we're mired in a hazy gray along the coast line more often than not. After all these years of sunshine, the clouds and humidity have gotten a bit dreary. Moreover, I've been working out like a fiend. After a 7.5 mile run on Saturday, I began doing Two-a-Day workouts on Sunday...and then yesterday.....and this morning was drrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaag arse!

Still, the positivity of those around me help me remember that things are good and what I focus on expands. I got a "taste" (almost literally) today of that. I was at the vitamin store buying protein bars. There was a brand that I'd tried before and saw that the bars (as opposed to the box of bars) were marked $$25. I joked with the clerk. 

"$25 PER BAR????"

"Oh, no," he said, "That means 25 cents each."

BONUS!

As disconcerting and negative as the above comment may be, it has some truth. Finding the right person can be a series of successful and unsuccessful skirmishes. Losing someone special in your life is certainly a battle that ends in a temporary surrender. The challenge becomes regrouping and moving on. Once in a relationship, the war becomes a combined effort (hopefully) to withstand the onslaught of the pain and tribulations that the world has to offer. In all three cases, the battle cry remains the same.

KEEP MOVING FORWARD!

I visited the Normandy beaches a couple of years back and tried to imagine what kept the men moving forward when bullets continued to spray all about them. Ultimately, in studying warfare, the answer is simple. Typically “forward” is the safest place to be.

There was a scene in Band of Brothers that sticks in my memory. The unit is advancing on a road when gunfire erupts around them. Their natural instincts cause them to dive to the ditch and remain pinned down. They were sitting targets. Their leader begins shouting, “KEEP MOVING FORWARD!”

Pinned down of course, they’re sitting targets. In retreat, the enemy has no fear of reprisals and can easily pick them off. Moving forward not only is the most effective way to win the battle, it keeps the momentum moving in their favor. Moving forward keeps them focused on the task at hand. Moving forward puts the pressure on their foes and may reduce the chance of injury or death.

Moving forward in battle or in other areas of life can be scary. It can be terrifying.  To continue the battlefield analogy, there was a great line in a rather bad movie a few years back. Archie Gates (played by George Clooney) is asked by his men about courage.

Archie Gates: The way it works is, you do the thing you're scared shitless of, and you get the courage AFTER you do it, not before you do it.
Conrad Vig: That's a dumbass way to work. It should be the other way around.
Archie Gates: I know. That's the way it works.

So even the leaders yelling “KEEP MOVING FORWARD!” are feeling the fear. They may BE courageous but in that moment, they likely aren’t feeling the courage. They’ll only feel it later, after the battle. Feeling the fear and moving forward in love, battle or life will bring us the courage we need to do it again and again. And again.

This wasn’t a lecture for you all. This was a reminder for me. I’ll keep moving forward and hope to see you next to me on the road ahead…

There's nothing like closing a big deal on a Friday especially when it's one that I'm pretty sure will help both parties involved that I put together. It's been a long week/month and I'm feeling some relief to the stress which has plagued Me. Now to springboard that into success in other areas.

Speaking of "springboarding," I'm off for a swim. My food/exercise plan has been kicked into high gear in the past week and it's already starting to show signs of working.

Happy Weekend to all!!! 

So my life. Yes the craziest stuff happens. Almost all the time. I sometimes feel like Tim Robbins in Jacob's Ladder and I've died and no one's told Me.

I've been looking for a roommate for a month and have been dealing with flakes and weirdoes. There must be something in the air because I'm trying to help a friend who is in Hawaii sell her car and she's had 3 or 4 people say they want to see it...and then ALL OF THEM flake out before ever even looking at the car!

So yesterday, I get an email from someone trying to scam me. The first few emails were pretty generic and reasonable. Then the stuff starts…you know the deal...she's with UNESCO in West Africa and is moving here. She needs to have her stuff shipped in advance and is having a cashiers check for $4,500 sent to me. She'll need me to pay the shipper of her stuff out of that and she trusts me with the rest of it on account for the room. Riiiiiiiiiight. Oh yeah, she sent her picture. Wanna guess?

Did you guess blonde, thin, tall and very attractive?  Good one.

So we come to yesterday afternoon. I'm still at work and get an email from two potential roommates. I call one and leave a message. Nothing. I call another, and he answers. He's in his car and I can barely hear him but when I start describing my condo complex (a rather large one) , he says...oh I live there. I live on _____  (my street) . I ask if he's kidding. Nope. I ask what unit he's in. He gives me ONE NUMBER BELOW MINE!!!!!  I'm freaking out because could he have somehow found my address or something and is calling me when I'm not home to rip me off? 

I can barely hear him (and can't believe my ears anyway) so I tell him I'll call when I get home. I do and yep. Legit.

He lives in the same complex, the same building and in unit X, while I'm in unit X + 1. Unreal. He seems cool, loves the complex and seemed as amazed at the "coincidence" as I am. He's ready to move in "whenever" and claims to want a place long term.

I'm big on "signs" but even if I wasn't, I'd have to take this as a sign that I've found a roommate.