Observations 117

My occasional blog series "Observations" was created to be an outlet to share a variety of topics that pop into my field of view as a result of a condition that many bloggers are afflicted with known as "blogger's eyes". In this state we view the world on the constant look-out for topics on which to write about. Today's blog came about from random odds 'n ends of things that I have noticed over the past few weeks.

• There is a fine line between being eccentric/interesting and odd/creepy. I am pretty sure that those on the odd/creepy side of the line don't truly understand this distinction.
  
• Sitting in a colloquium in the auditorium at work the other day, I found that suddenly I was unable to hear the speaker any longer as the snoring of the guy across the aisle from me drowned him out. What is the etiquette in such a situation?
  
• One of India's biggest non-profit groups to help disabled people for many years was called the "Spastics Society of India". Due to increasing pressure they ultimately decided to change their name to ADAPT, which is an acronym that stands for "Able Disable All People Together". I don't think we should let this group come up with any more names for anything ever.
  
• "We are always more afraid than we wish to be, but we can always be braver than we expect." Robert Jordan in Lord of Chaos.
  
• People magazine just released their annual list of the sexiest man alive. They have been releasing this list since 1985 and not once have I won the award. What gives?
  

Quick Hits 51

Sometimes I hear an utterance or catch a quick visual of something that sticks in my mind. As this sensory input rolls about in my head, several different outcomes are possible. It might be the case that after a moment of consideration, the input is deleted as uninteresting, trivial, or too much for me to deal with. However, another possible outcome is that the input keeps demanding my attention. It somehow wants me to wrestle with it and give it more than just a passing notice. In such cases, they can end up here, in my blog series called Quick Hits.

I can't understand how a coach can take his team deep into the playoffs, get a lucrative and lengthy contract extension, and then be fired early the following season. Did they forget how to coach? How to communicate? How to do what made them successful in the past?

What do you think?

Guns Ablazin'

I think that no matter how innocent your actions are towards another, there will be times when you inexplicitly set them off. There have been several times that I can recall where I have been laid into by someone who felt that I had insulted them to the core, whereupon they came at me with guns ablazin'. As far as I could tell my actions were wholly benign, but something they perceived in my behavior or words triggered them into an attack.

I was talking with a colleague in his office when a friend of his popped in to say hello. Out of the blue he offered to go and get him some coffee. I asked if he was my colleague's "pool boy" (a reference to a sketch on a show called Mad TV). He then laced into me with vehemence about my insensitivity that his people had been forced into servitude for generations. This guy was of Asian descent but he was American white bread through and through.


A colleague at work waved to me and said hello across a parking lot as I was going in one direction and he in another. I gave the usual dude head nod, which is normally universally accepted. However, this guy hunted me down and launched into me because I did not say hello back.


I pulled into the parking lot at work at lunch time the other day looking for an open spot. Half blocking the path was a car that I presumed was idling, the driver waiting for someone to join them. To be sure, I paused for more than a few casual Mississippis but the driver just sat in their car. I saw no taillights and no sign that the driver even cared whether I was there or not. I then pulled into the first spot that I came across among several available. A large woman then rolled out of the car and tore into me because I took the spot that she claimed she was planning to back into.

I wonder what goes through people's minds when they verbally attack someone that they don't know or don't know all that well. What reaction do they expect in return?

Lest Our Passage Be Forgotten

I stumbled across the talents of author Bradley Beaulieu quite by chance. My first taste of his acumen as a fantasy writer was through his enchanting trilogy The Lays of Anuskaya. I then read his interesting novella Strata. For my next course I decided to dive into his short story collection Lest Our Passage Be Forgotten. This offering contained seventeen short stories most of which I had not read before as they appeared in different short story anthologies. I was blown away by he worlds and the eras that he conquered and the variety that he tapped into. No two stories were alike and each was rich, textured, and intriguing. Even through the medium of the short story, Beaulieu was able to develop worlds and character of such dimension that I never felt cheated. He has definitely cemented himself on the top shelf of my favorite authors. If you are a fan of fantasy fiction, I highly recommend this book.

Reading the acknowledgements I was interested to find that this book, self published by Beaulieu himself, saw the light of day only though a so-called "kickstarter" campaign. Enough folks had become familiar with his writing through his recent Lays of Anuskaya trilogy that he was able to raise the necessary cash to bring this book to reality. I love that he had the confidence in his talents and such a passion for his works that he searched for a path to see them published. Beaulieu is current working on a new series called The Song of the Shattered Sands. The first book in this planned trilogy, Twelve Kings of Sharakhai, is now in print. I look forward to getting into this one.

iTunes Latest - 31

I have been a user of iTunes since 2011. This service has allowed me to bring music back into my world and to reconnect with so many great songs from my past and to find some great new recent stuff as well. One of the things that I really like about music is how it becomes part of the soundtrack of the different seasons of our lives. So, I thought that I would share my latest five downloads and a bit about my thoughts on each song.

• Ex's and Oh's - Elle King (2015) - Have you ever stumbled across a song and wondered why you had never heard it before? This was one of those. It has a sound that will just not allow it to remain in the background at low volume. Those past lovers just won't leave you alone.
  
• Lady of the Valley - White Lion (1987) - I will admit to being on a bit of a White Lion kick recently. This song was a bit of a throw back when it was released. Relegate to the B-side of a singles release, it is an extended rock ballad about the desperation of loss and the helplessness of brothers taken before their time. Musically I love this piece as the electric guitar is wrapped around a purposeful artistry as opposed to raucous noise.
  
• Hello - Adele (2015) - I don't know much about the Adele train with its legion of devoted fans. Apparently she has been away from recording for a few years and the world was panting and mewling in her absence. When this song was released one of her countrymen was quoted as saying, "Wow. That's how you do a comeback track!" O.K., so this one is haunting and powerful, and delivered with a husky voiced melancholy that made me notice.
  
• Ride Easy - Asia (1986) - This is an early Asia song never released on a regular studio album. Even with a limited release, the lead singer of Asia has stated that this is his favorite song. It is all about letting go of the regrets that have you tied in knots expressed in that classic 80s Asia sound.
  
• Cerebral Man - Pat Benatar (1988) - From Benatar's last popular album (Wide Awake in Dreamland), I have no idea what this song is about as the lyrics are so thin and veiled. However, the sum is greater than the parts on this one and it sure is easy on the ears.
  

Observations 116

My occasional blog series "Observations" was created to be an outlet to share a variety of topics that pop into my field of view as a result of a condition that many bloggers are afflicted with known as "blogger's eyes". In this state we view the world on the constant look-out for topics on which to write about. Today's blog came about from random odds 'n ends of things that I have noticed over the past few weeks.

• When someone describes themselves as a "person of color", what does that mean exactly? Does it include those whose skin is plaid?
  
• After the recent horrible terrorist attack in Paris, Donald Trump, the leading candidate for the Republican presidential nomination stated, "The Paris massacre would have been much different if people had guns." I did note that Mr.Trump is presently the leading candidate for his party's presidential nomination?
  
• On T.V. the other night I stumbled across an ad by a local bail bondsman office. Their catchy sloan? We'll have you out the door before the soap hits the floor. That screams class outfit to me.
  
• I was listening to an interview on NPR the other day. The host kept responding to the answers given by her guest saying, "That's hilarious". Yet she never once laughed, chuckled, or gave a single tee-hee. I find that hilarious.
  
• Suddenly all of the blonde-haired women in my group have brown hair. I come to find out that they had all been dyeing their hair. This makes me wonder if blonde is really a natural hair color at all.
  

Miss You

My daughter is very nearly 18 years old but her bedroom has remained nearly unchanged since the day we set things up when we moved into our house nearly six years ago. When I go into her room to vacuum or to put away her laundry, I can get distracted by nostalgia. Her bookshelf is filled with all of the books that we used to read together again and again. Her headboard is lined with all of her stuffed animals, each alive in my mind with the personalities that she crafted for them. Her closet is filled with games and distractions that once thrilled her. Oftentimes she is not in the house and the echoes of her past are so loud that they drown out my peace. In those moments I miss her so much and wish that we had more time to be like we were.