Observations 61

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.

• Have you ever tried to be sullen and brooding when something suddenly makes you laugh? That can really mess up a good sullen brooding.
  
• The other day I was stung by a wasp and since then I have had wasp-like powers. I flutter around people making them nervous until they swat at me.
  
• Have you ever gotten into a battle with a piece of Saran Wrap and lost? I have known the bitter taste of such defeat.
  
• I passed by my local Chik-fil-A fast-food restaurant the other day when it was about 100 degrees (F) outside. They had a guy out front waving at traffic in one of those ridiculous cow costumes. How did this person not collapse and die after 10 minutes?
  
• After one of those recent World Cup soccer matches ended with a 1-0 score, one of my friends from Italy actually described the game as a complete blowout. No wonder Americans yawned through this whole episode.
  

Mindful

One of my daily prayers is to ask God to keep me ever mindful of the needs of others. However, I too often speak well in advance of a properly considered and fair response. Just over the past several weeks several examples perfect for illustration came from somewhere within me.

Example #1: When addressing an engineer at a recent group meeting. "Wow, that's pretty naive thinking."

The truth is that the engineer was simply trying to better understand why I was stressing a certain point of the system design. My response was disrespectful and showed a lack of patience.

Example #2: When discussing the designs of a detector group in a planning meeting. "Those people are clowns, they have no idea what they're doing."

The truth is that I disagreed with the basic approach of the detector group, especially when they did not consult with me. My response was flip and I should have acted to better understand their thinking and their constraints.

Example #3: When talking to a colleague about some management decision. "They continue to follow a path of incompetence all the while congratulating themselves for their brilliance."

The truth is that I really did not understand the pressures faced by the management group and what limitations were placed upon the decisions that they were likely forced to make. Without full information my opinion was designed to inflate my own ego.

It's amazing how I can pray in one breath to be mindful of others and in the next how I can take swings at their reputations. Working on my own shortcomings often seems to take longer than I would care to admit to realize even the slightest, fleeting improvement. It seems the insults and knives are tossed out before I even realize that I have fired a salvo. Then after a moment I recognize that I have fallen short again.

Red Prophet

The second part of the Alvin Maker series by Orson Scott Card is entitled Red Prophet. This story is essentially a parallel novel to the first book in the series, Seventh Son. However, about a third of the way into the story the timelines and story arcs align to where Seventh Son ended up. We are reintroduced to the Alvin Miller, the seventh son of a seventh son, a 10 year old boy living with his family on the frontier of a young America back in the early 1800s. It was foretold upon his birth that he was destined to be a maker, although Alvin has no idea what this actually means. What he does know is that he has been gifted with a knack of knowing how to affect matter, whether that is healing himself or others, or coaxing a millstone from a cliff face.

The main story arc deals with the conflicts between the native Indians who are being forced off of their ancestral lands by the European settlers. In rapid order the white man has swept from the eastern coast to the Ohio valley laying claim to whatever they desired. The Indians tribes are caught between two powerful leaders, the brothers Ta-kumsaw, who is trying to rally an overwhelming force to push the white man back into the sea by whatever means necessary, and Lolla-Wossiky, a prophet who values all men and wishes to broker peace and compromise. The new Americans along the frontier are being directed by one Bill Harrison (a fictionalized version of William Henry Harrison, 9th U.S. president) who will use whatever sleazy means he can to rouse the white population up against the Indians. Caught in the middle of this is one Alvin Miller who uses his nascent powers to help out as best he can given his morality, his conscience, and his loyalties.

The story was enjoyable overall, but did tend to get bogged down and drawn out several times. In some ways it wasn't as crisply and tidily written as Seventh Son, but given some of the undercurrents that Card built into this narrative that weren't fully developed or used as a focus of the story, it is clear that he is building up to something that will require patience. I move onto the third novel in the series, Prentice Alvin.

Quick Hits 23

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.

How much damage will you inflict on someone's car before you report yourself? I find major scrapes and dings on my doors all the time. There is no way people don't realize what they have done.

What do you think?

Seventh Son

Several folks have recommended Orson Scott Card's Alvin Maker series to me over the past year and so I added it to my reading queue. A stack of six novels has been sitting in my library for a while now, just waiting for me to start in. However, before I could pick up the first book, I had to journey back to the genesis of this whole work, the long-style narrative poem Prentice Alvin and the No-Good Plow. A story about a young blacksmith apprentice who makes a golden plow that comes from his soul. He journeys to a far-away land, searching for just the right spot where the plow was destined to cut deep into the rich, black earth to bring life. Card had no intention to let this poem be the nexus for a long series, but his muse took over. Now a string of works stretches back some 20 years about this gifted young maker.

The first novel, Seventh Son, tells of a once prominent New England family of the early 1800s that fell on hard times. Alvin Miller took his pregnant wife Faith and his growing brood and headed west to leave their disappointment behind and to start afresh. When they were in the Ohio valley, they were set to cross a lifeless creek when a murderous storm arose out of nowhere. Faith went into labor just as the creek overran its banks and threatened to wipe out the family. That very evening, after being rescued by a group of locals, Faith gave birth to Alvin Jr., the seventh son of a seventh son. From the moment of his birth, Alvin Jr. was destined to be a creation with a special gift. However, with such a gift, come powers of darkness that seek to claim him for their own. The story follows Alvin as he grows into a fine young man and just begins to realize who he is and what his gift requires of him.

A fine story of frontier life in a young and vibrant America. The power of Card's work here is giving a sense of how special Alvin is and what is poised to slay him, without giving too much away or being heavy handed. Of course this book is not the usual science fiction or thriller fare that Card is most known for. However, a skilled writer understands his craft and the art of story and character development. Now onto the second novel in the series, Red Prophet.

In the News 2

I read through the news headlines on CNN the other morning as I usually do while eating my breakfast. Click ... scan ... click ... scan ... I stumbled across the following items:

• Ebola epidemic is out of control
  
• 20 kennel dogs die in baking heat
  
• Jogger finds stolen baby in bushes
  
• U.S. Navy sailor dies in parachute jump
  
• Hospital delays are killing America's war veterans
  

One might say that news stories of this sort are about as everyday common as could be. Every day the headlines are composed of a litany of woe, suffering, war, destruction, famine, cruelty, death, injury, crime, and darkness. Yet over time we all seem to have become inured to such reports. What might have sparked outrage or empathy in the past, now merits nothing more than a shake of the head, a half-hearted utterance of "Such a shame", before we let our eyes dance down to the sports headlines or the latest celebrity news. Yet each click tells the story of someone's tragedy, someone's pain. Families losing mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters. Financial ruin. Untold suffering. Tears and hurt that will take months or years to get over or get past. Me, I seem to be more concerned with finishing up my cereal while finding something just to pass the time. Click ... scan ... click ... scan ...

Observations 60

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 tries to intimidate you and make it clear that they are right and you are wrong merely because they are older than you, beware. This is the tactic of a bully and likely someone who's "truth" and "facts" are misguided.
  
• After all these years, I finally found an answer online to one of my questions about Powerpoint controls. I am stunned.
  
• I try to keep an open mind with my colleagues (scientists), but every once in a while a new student appears at one of our workshops with a mohawk or other avant-garde type of hair style. Not only do they stand out in this type of conservative crowd, but they just come across as so unprofessional (regardless of what they have to say), that it is hard to take them seriously.
  
• I checked out my local weather forecast online the other day. Normally there are several places on the page where paid ads are located. However, on this occasion the web site indicated "error, no ads to display". Perhaps you heard my heart breaking?
  
• The other day I saw one of those flatbed-style tow trucks pulling along a Smart Car. The scale of the truck to the "car" was completely out of proportion, almost comical. I was wondering why the driver didn't just pick up the car and toss it onto the back of his truck.