On the Other Hand 3

One of my greatest personal struggles is that I tend to view the world through a negative lens. I am exploring avenues that might help me to reprogram my mind toward seeing things from a more positive vantage point.

Topic: Bruce Jenner's admission that he believes that he is actually a woman.

First thought:
For many years I have viewed Jenner as an absolute train wreck of a person. Someone who had reached his peak as an Olympic champion had resorted to tabloid headline grabs to extend his celebrity. An inane, purposeless celebrity. An absolute media whore who relied on his appearances on some nonsensical reality show whose producers push the show's headliners to act in the most bizarre, inhuman ways possible to titilate and shock and pull in the viewers to see what could happen next.

On the other hand:
Jenner kept himself in the public spotlight for about 10 years after his Olympic medal, cashing in on the public acclaim that he earned. Ultimately we learned that even before his star had faded, Jenner began taking hormones in 1980 to attempt to give him a more feminine appearance. He was a cross-dresser and actually thought that he was a female trapped in a man's body. Sure he played up his odd lifestyle for the cameras in his reality show to boost ratings, but he clearly has deep-seated psychological issues and has had them nearly his whole life. People like Jenner who have never been able to feel comfortable in their own skin should be pitied. Some in this state find a way to soldier on and deal with their issues under the cover of anonymity. Others must go through this horrible awkward struggle under the bright glare of the stage lights.

The Emperor's Soul

I just finished reading the multi-award winning novel (actually a novella) entitled The Emperor's Soul by author Brandson Sanderson. Right off the bat, let me just say that I give this piece my highest marks. Talk about a crisp narrative with amazing attention to detail and completeness of story! The book is part of Sanderson's world of Elantris, not in that it is a sequel or prequel or even refers to anything in that story, but in that it takes place in the same world, albeit in a very different location. Sanderson has stated that there are similarities in the some aspects of the system of magic. However, it really is a stand-alone work.

This book tells the story of a master forger named Wan ShaiLu ("Shai") who has been captured after breaking into the palace and attempting to steal the moon scepter, the kingdom's most revered relic. Shai is a forger, but her skill lies light years beyond someone who can simply reproduce another's signature on an official document. Shai is capable of rewriting the pasts of objects in order to change their present condition. It is almost as if she can reprogram the DNA of matter. Shai is thrown into the royal prisons and her execution date is set. However, the emperor's inner circle of councilors comes to her with a deal to save her life. The emperor has been greviously wounded in an assassination attempt that has left him alive but essentially brain dead. The council, fearing that they will lose their position if the condition of their emperor is found out, has tasked Shai with providing an expert forge for the emperor's soul, something that has never been attempted. Shai is not certain that she can even begin to pull this off, as she can only create the forgery if she understands the memories, attitudes, and relationships of the emperor in minute detail. Something like this could take years and years to produce even a poor facsimile, however Shai has only 100 days before the emperor must make a public appearance.

The council is made up of unscrupulous types who value their wealth and power more than the people that they preside over. Even though they each view Shai's abilities as evil and against natural law, and even though they would put to death all of those of her skills that they could round up, they turn to her as their only hope for salvation. However, Shai is much more than any of these elders had bargained for. She is clever, skilled, and learns to be genuine. I love how she comes to understand and ultimately respect the emperor, even though he is an enemy of her people, and even though she never gets to meet the real man. Just a great story from start to finish.

In the News 11

While I have not touched an actual newspaper in some time, I do skim through the online news headlines each day. There is always something that catches my attention, whether it involves human conflict, a human interest piece, the sports wrap, or just the usual absurdities. In this series, I carve out a space for my opinions, reminiscences, or comments.

Leonard Nimoy - My introduction to Mr. Nimoy came in the mid-1970s when my dad would watch Star Trek reruns that came on T.V. on Sunday afternoons. As a young boy I found that show kind of stark, creepy, and a bit cheesy. A few years later Mr. Nimoy narrated a show called In Search Of about things paranormal, unexplained, and mysterious. It was kind of spooky and haunting, but I took to it a bit more. For the next 30 years Mr. Nimoy slowly came to embrace his inner Mr. Spock and became something of a cultural icon. Leonard Nimoy died on February 27, 2015 from lung disease at the age of 83.

James Best - In the early 80s the campy show The Dukes of Hazzard was big. On Friday nights you can be certain that I was planted in front of the T.V. set and ready to go. I loved the silliness and inanity, even though each show had pretty much the same plot. Some of my favorite scenes included Boss Hogg railing over Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane. Poor old Roscoe was beaten down and corrupt, but he had his moments where his heart shone through and he did the right thing. I have not watched an episode in many years, but I hang on to those memories. James Best played the part of Roscoe and it was definitely his signature role, one for which he was perfectly cast. James Best died on April 6, 2015 at the age of 88.

Observations 89

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.

• For the life of me, I just don't get the widespread appeal of "Hello Kitty".
  
• In the supermarket I passed a display of 100% "recycled" toilet paper. To my surprise it was white in color.
  
• "Certainly, in taking revenge a man is but even with his enemy, but in passing over it, he is superior, for it is a prince's part to pardon." Sir Francis Bacon.
  
• I was recently struggling with a personal issue and I called my pastor. His phone went to voice mail, but he called me back just a bit later and listened, loved, and prayed. He consistently models for me a better way to live and I am thankful for him.
  
• In the hospital the other day I came to a landing that overlooked one of the large parking lots. I smiled when I saw that it was mostly empty.
  

Wonders of Armenia

A technician in my group at work is an older man from the former Soviet Union. He has been a visitor to my lab multiple times for long stretches. He is a gentle, humorous, and hardworking soul. His homeland is Armenia, a small mountainous country whose western side borders Turkey and whose southern edge meets Iran. For many years he trained to become a scientist, but as there were scant few positions available in his country, he eventually found his way to the States. As has happened to many of his colleagues from back home, they now work as technicians at different laboratories around the world. Yet this man never shows any bitterness or regret, and his positive "can-do" approach has always impressed me. I am also impressed with how he carries his homeland with him. He loves to talk about the history of his country, their arts, traditions, foods, and passions. If you spend a few days working with him, you will not have to guess where he is from or what he believes. Within a short time he will happily tell you of his past and share stories from his homeland. He is not bragging or pushing himself on anyone, it is more that he is overflowing with loyalty and pride for his country that he cannot contain his joy.

Recently after one of our discussions, he brought me a copy of an encyclopedia of his homeland called Wonders of Armenia (by Samvel Gasparian), which presented a comprehensive history of his country and its growth and development over the past millenia. Ancient times to the modern day. I found it interesting how the encyclopedia was written the same brimming passion and zeal as my colleague at work, not some dry "just the facts" tome.

My colleague's approach to sharing of his national pride comes so naturally to him. He is humble and engaging, and makes you want to learn more from him just by his attitude and his spirit. As a Christian, I have often lamented that my beliefs and passions are often too deeply buried for anyone to ever even recognize or be drawn to. How can I minister to anyone if I never even begin to share the wonders of my God and why I believe what I do?

Reflections

From a certain perspective and with a bit of a critical eye I have been observing him. Avoiding deep considerations and moral ponderings, it is almost natural to track how he has changed over the years. I wonder if he is struggling with his faith, back-sliding, or just numb and jaded.

• For years he volunteed after service to handle whatever jobs needed to be done. Now he slips from the back of the sanctuary before even the last echoes of the preacher's voice have died out.
  
• He used to participate in after-hours bible studies once a week to get deeper into the word and to connect with others in Christian community. Now it seems that he is firmly against any sort of involvement in these meetings.
  
• I used to see him clapping and smiling during the baptism services, celebrating with others who have gone public with their faith. Now he sits there staring at the floor with a wholly detached and distant demeanor.
  
• He used to so enjoy the first 20 minutes of the service when the band played three or four songs. You could see him singing and swaying to the music. Now he almost seems like he is actively working to shut out each and every note.
  
• Before the start of the service he used to take some measure of joy into talking with the few folks that he knew, exchanging pleasantries or a laugh. Now he actively avoids human interaction and seems that he would rather just be left alone.
  

From a certain perspective and with a bit of a critical eye I have been observing him ... each time that I look in the mirror.

The Shattered Lens

The final published tale in Brandon Sanderson's "biography" of the 13 year old oculator Alcatraz Smedry is entitled Alcatraz Versus the Shattered Lens. In this tale, the wicked librarians, a cult of evil ne-er-do-wells, have beseiged the Freelands kingdom of Mokia and are using every trick up their sleeve to use their technology to take over the capital city of Tuki Tuki and enslave its inhabitants. Alcatraz is under the protection of the Knights of Crystallia who are under orders to keep him far away from Mokia and most of the Freelanders view Mokia as good as lost. However, Alcatraz finds a way to travel to Tuki Tuki and his sudden arrival gives the protectors of the city a ray of hope. However, that ray is quashed when their king and queen are taken captive by their foes. Then before you can say "Dewey Decimal System", Alcatraz, as the highest ranking person in the kingdom (being that he is a Smedry from the pure line), is appointed as acting king of the nation. What was once a sort of game, then suddenly takes on an entirely new perspective, where decisions now affect lives and freedom.

In this story, Alcatraz is forced to mature and to understand that his oculatory powers were not given to him to garner praise from the people, to amuse others with simple parlor tricks, or to match wits with low-level librarians thugs. His powers exist to protect and to serve his people. During the battle of Tuki Tuki, Alcatraz must face his arch enemy, who turns out to be his mother. He comes to see her and her agenda in a completely different light and he also comes to understand a bit more about what his recently long-lost father is up to.

This was a very enjoyable series to read through. I realize that these stories are in the category of "young adult" and that the adventures of Alcatraz were written in a tongue-in-cheek manner. However, as I have said before, a great story is a great story. The four novels in the series were published in the period from 2007 to 2010. There are reports that Sanderson will return to this series with another release in 2016. I eagerly await the next chapter in the life of Alcatraz Smedry.