Topic: Bubbling w/ energy

I want to dig up pictures and make this post creative…but my energy is racing and there’s much I want to read…so don’t have the time right now.

Sat. – went to the Breeder’s Cup, watched my first horse races in the bitter cold.  A great experience, picked the winner in the first race, lost the next three (I was betting $1 each race).  Went home to watch the rest because it was so damn cold.

Sat. night – an evening of wine, friends, music, comedy, talking politics and history.

Sun. – went for a 4-5 mile run…felt good.  Watched the Giants dominate the Washington Redskins 36-0.  Threw the football around.  Nice dinner w/ the family.  Assorted reading.

Mon. – That’s today…happy halloween.  My costume?

I’m wearing a suit…w/ a clown tie and clown hair.  I’m a “corporate clown!”

Lunch – met up w/ a friend from h.s. for lunch who I haven’t seen in too long really.  It was about 65 degrees and beautiful in NYC today.  Then…got asked to deliver something all the way over on 2nd ave (I work on 6th), so I spent the next hour walking over to an Armenian Church which my company is renting some space from for a conference…probably my first time speaking w/ an Armenian.  What fun!

Job – I’ve promoted myself…well, what I mean is I’ve essentially figured out enough about what my company does to find a way to give myself more job responsibility.  I’m having lunch w/ someone at Baruch college this week to learn the ins & outs of how we help people get work abroad!!!  I want to soak up as much of it as I can.

Volunteering – I’m planning to volunteer starting next week hopefully, reading to kids at homeless shelters.  I’m going through an org. called Makor, which is a Jewish org. as I’d rather meet a Jewish girl in a natural setting where there’s a natural screening process (if I meet a girl volunteering, that’s likely to lead to a successful relationship more than meeting a drunk girl at a party…not that I’ve been to a party since college!)

Staying current – I’ll be honest…this has been the cure to my mental well-being recently.  Staying current.  Staying current with the news, sports, happenings w/ friends and family.  And this has been the most fun, and the most work.  So…I’ve been reading like crazy the news, then using wikipedia to fill in my gaps in knowledge. 

Dream – my dream now is to have a college year again.  A year where my #1 responsibility is to learn.  Instead of 9-5 or 10-6, I could spend all those hours reading and talking to people about various topics.  But…a lot of my job allows me to learn, so I feel somewhat like I’m experiencing a heightened sense of intellectual growth that I wasn’t ready for at Wash U.

Wash U. – I’m in the end stages of making complete peace w/ my past.  I understand now that for me…Wash U. was not the best place for me at the time, but it was still a good place.  And…while it wasn’t best for me at the time, I think it did planst seeds in me that are now starting to grow.  I now have many friends as resources, and the exposure to various things I had at that school, I’m now starting to understand.  The books I never really read, are now turning into gold for me.

And the book I wrote about the experience…the bitterness from it has all faded, but at least one seed might be able to grow.  One book has landed in the hands of a college professor who I’ve been told is using his book in his class. 

Tonight…going to see Madeski Martin & Wood, jazz/funk.
Tom…Colbert Report
Wed…Movin’ Out (Billy Joel made into a Broadway show)
Thur…might go see Alfie Kohn speak again, the country’s leading critic of standardized testing
Fri…cousin’s bar mitzvah in Va.

1st up…good beer, music, and Halloween cheer.  Be well everyone.

Topic: music, movies, life, culture, work, play,

Many thanks to my friend Greg B. for “entroducing” me w/ this cd…my first taste of “trip-hop.”  I’ve never been much into aggressive sounding music, rap, punk, etc., but this is actually one chill-cd.  Music reminds me a bit of being in a game of Zelda or some other fantasy-type video game.  Thumbs way up my friend!

Had a good experience at work today…girl from Penn St. called looking for info about going abroad.  Fortuantely…she just started talking before I went to the usual “here’s who to contact routine.”  It was great to hear the passion in this girl’s voice for wanting to go back abroad.  She had studied in London and fell in love w/ Spain when she was there, going almost every weekend she could.  Now that she’s approaching graduation in Dec. she’s been doing all sorts of research into programs.  Her career center and study abraod office were of no help to her (hmmm…sounds familiar), and even the other orgs. similar to mine weren’t of much help, and many charge an arm and a leg for the privilage, NO, the right, NO, the responsibility to go abroad!!!

So…after chatting for a while, this girl says, “Dan…you should get a raise!”  Yeah…you work for moments like those…and I realize that in time I will be able to handle more of the responsibility (and privilage) of assisting people looking to go abroad!

In the news today…the Pres. of Iran was calling for the complete anhilation of Israel.  I’m still a few pieces of history away (more than a few) from giving an opinion, but radical Islam is starting to scare me a bit.  I guess it’s the whole ignorance is bliss thing…now, the more I read, the more I have reason to fear what these people want to do.  There is a movie out…(i’ll find the name soon) about Palestinian suicide bombers, that attempts to humanize them…not to justify what they do, but to give some more to the picture.  I’m looking forward to watching it when it comes out. 

I’m beginning to sort out my Jewish identity a bit.  I think it’s important for me because it’s important to my family, and I also think it’s just good to know what it’s all about.  In that sense…I hope to learn more about the identity of Muslims, Christians, and various other faiths and cultures.  I don’t want to become obsessed w/ anti-Semitism because I’m Jewish, but because I oppose racism of all kinds.  I don’t want to look at Jewish issues and fail to see them in the context of the world at large.  For example…while Israel is certainly threatened by those who support radical Islam, including groups with the term “holy war” in their name (Islamic Jihad), one should not ignore that radical Islam also struck in Thailand yesturday, that radical Islam struck the melting pot of NYC on 9/11, that radical Islam has been driving Christian Sudanese into Ethiopia for years, that radical Islam is responsible for the two bombings in Bali…the list goes on. 

And I think it’s important not to equate radical Islam w/ Islam in general.  Or with the Arab world in general.  Just as those who oppose U.S. foreign policy should not equate that hatred for our gov’t with hatred for U.S. the people.

In other news…I am officially excited for the next 3 years of my life.  I am 24 now.  I’m officially in my mid-20′s.  The summer of ’06 I will be 25, and the summer of ’07 I will be 26.  Once I turn 27…I’ll be on the verge of my late 20′s. 

I say all this to put my life in perspective a bit.  I’m sure most of us have forgotten how old we are, and that’s ok.  I hope to keep feeling like I’m 18 or 19, but I want to also keep reality in perspective.  I’ll be 24 years old, and living in NY for another 9mos. or so, and they’re going to be a memorable 9 mos. or so.  I’m going to meet some new people, do some new things, learn a lot, and prepare for year 25.

Year 25 will be spent abroad…that’s pretty vague now, but it’ll naturally be exciting.

Year 26 is up in the air…but i’ll be confidant by then, smarter, know more people, and be more skilled.

By the time I’m in my late 20′s, at 27…I should be moving a bit more into something…but that’s 3 years away, which is a lifetime in reality, and when I reach that stage of my life, I’ll be ready for the new pressures that come w/ being at that age….which will involve setting new goals as I enter my 30′s…fortunately, I think you only need to tackle 3 years at a time. 

I think school gets you thinking more about what grade you’re in.  “I’m in high school”  “I’m in college”  Suddently…you’re 22, and you don’t know what you are, or where you’re heading…but you’re always heading towards a new age for yourself.  You don’t need to be where “people your age are supposed to be.”  It still seems weird to me for people in my age range, the mid-20′s to be getting married…but that’s because I’m several years away from that stage of my life.  Same thing goes for job and finances.  The important thing is not to compare…but to assess yourself, where are you at now, and where do you want to go.

I now carry in my wallet several lists.  My 6mo. goals, my shorter term goals, and my more details weekly goals.  Recently…I also put together my 2 year goals, which are very vague, and deal more w/ gernearlities and the state of mind I want to be in…which I will be amending because I think it’s important to have specific goals in mind. 

Not just “climb mountains,” but “Climb Mt. McKinley”
Not just “find a job I like,” but, “find a job where I’m helping people have wonderful adventures”
Not just “find a girl,” but, find a girl who I can’t stop looking at because she’s so damn beautiful, and can’t stop listening to because she’s so damn interesting, and can’t stop talking to because she’s so damn easy to talk to and laugh with.

“Hey there world…YOU SHALL KNOW MY VELOCITY!!!”

Topic: A PERFECT PLAN

So…for 24 years now, I’ve driven by one of the premier race tracks in America.  After catching an ad on the NY channel this morning, I decided it might just be time for me to take part in the history of this race track.  What I’m referring to is this weekends Breeder’s Cup Championship horse race at Belmont Stakes.  Only a $10 admission…($10 to park), a few dollars on bets and Guinness, and you’ve got yourself a potentially memorable afternoon.

 

Watched Citizen Kane last night…trying to catch up on the classic movies from the 40′s era.  I must say I really enjoyed it, good story, great acting, might even need to see it a second time before I return it.  And now I can identify w/ some of those classic movie posters you sometimes see.

More to come…stand by

 

Topic: tear

I just finished writing an amaizng post…and it all vanished. In an instant.  I don’t have the time to re-write it, as it was largely about the topic of time management,

and i have little time to waste.  I want to quickly hit on the highlights though:

1) I began writing about the need to set long-term goals.  After setting a long-term goals at 6mo. goals, we must then use our 24hr. days efficiently in order to add up to our 6mo. goals.  For me, some of those goals include increased fitness, reading more books, keeping up w/ the daily events of the world, spending more time w/ friends and family, securing future plans, and all of this while maintaing a sense of calm.  On an Outward Bound course, I learned quickly the importance of managing time in order to get to a site and set-up camp in the daylight.  Now…I need to manage my time so I can read all the news, have time in the morning for breakfast, to work-out, to have some social time w/ friends and family in the evening, and time to unwind alone before falling asleep.  Lots to do.

2) I then got onto the topic of Wikipedia…the online encyclopedia where there is 0 barrier to entry.  Anyone can share and edit the content.  Thomas Friedman writes about its founder Jimmy Wales:

“He said he has one simple goal: to give every single person free access to the sum of all human knowledge.”

Beautiful!!!

In the morning, I read in the NYT about bankruptcy law, briefly talk about the relationships between banks, credit cards, products, and people w/ my dad, then can use wikipedia to read more about it, and learn about the banking system, the federal reserve and its history, the Great Depression, films relating to the Great Depression, Tim Robbins and his left-leaning political films like Bob Roberts, and then go on to rent it immediately through Netflix.  So many things…tying together

 (sheepshank…used for tying to ropes together)

4) Outsourcing my social life:

In the spirit of building community, and in the spirit of embracing a flattened world where simple tasks can be outsourced to others to maximize efficiency, I would like to outsource a piece of my social life.  If anyone has any ideas for activities, gatherings, speakers, cultural events, in the NYC, Brooklyn, Queens area, for this weekend, any coming weekend, or any weeknight, please let me know.  In return for your service, I will continue to provide this service to you free of charge, and will also make attempts to leave comments on your site as well.

I’ve decided that this digital age does not have to leave us feeling nostalgic for a simpler time.  Nor do we need to cry that it’s dumbing us down and isolating us from real people and real communication.  What we make of this digital age is up to us.  In this spirit, I hope to make this digital community, the nostalgic quaint community we all long for.

Topic: My new site

I’ve decided to enhance my posts w/ images:

Someone asked me why…i don’t quite know why.  I think my site was getting dull, and I want to start increasing my readers again.  Besides using my site as a form of personal expression, I want it to be a community of ideas…not theoretical ideas like “how to change education,” that’s how this site began.  I’m thinking much smaller…ideas like, who has a good idea for a daytime snack?

For me…GORP (good ol’ raisins and peanuts) helps get me through the day.

Anyways…enough about that.  What’s new?  I’m starting to pay attention to technology and finance, two things I’ve kind of allowed to go over my head for too long.  For most of my life, a computer was a computer, a car was a car, a dollar was a dollar. 

Now that I have a job, and I’m making some money (not a lot, but more consistantly than I was making as a panhandler…where my only business came from mom and dad).  And, so I’m beginning to think, money is awesome!  Money provides a sense of security.  Money actually does achieve many things that you’d have to be an idealist hippy to ignore.

All things being equal, an increase in your personal finances is an important thing and can improve your life…now let me tell you, this is certainly the first time I’ve ever felt inspired enough to support the pursuit of wealth…but, let me remind everyone, that wealth is good, with “all things being equal.”  By this I mean keeping all the other priorities in your list just as high.  All I’m doing is adding one more variable to the other things one should value in life…

So…what do I think about money?  The first thing, is that I want to have money so I can buy new technology like a laptop, a touring bicycle, a kayak, and…my newest addition and still figuring it out, would be a a flight to Bueno Aires.

I also want money so I can have peace of mind as I grow older.

So I don’t have to worry about unexpected medical costs.  So I can raise a family.  So I can one day afford a place to house this family.  And…so I can afford a lifestyle in which I can work a job in the field that I love (adventure, tourism, education, cultural studies…) without feeling like I’d be better off doing something of less interest to me (financial planning, corporate lawyer, professional assassin).  It’s all a lifestyle thing…really.

So…now I need to figure out how to make my money grow. 

Which means starting to pay attention to these sorts of things…

Now…I don’t want financial matters to be the focus of my life, but…remember, we’re not idealist hippy guy anymore.  We need to start getting serious about our finances, because it’s not just the case that “time = money,” but it’s also true that “money=time.”  I don’t know why I’m really trying to tackle this…but it’s a topic that’s on my mind right now.

I think being a hippy idealist has skewed me from having a more objective undersanding of the business world.  It’s only by embracing the capitalist and digital world I inhabit, that I’m able to see the different forces at play.  I now look forward to asking the customer service agents where they’re from (I called Orbitz today to cancel flights due to hurricane Wilma…and the agent was from Mauritius…)

So…I’m learning to like money.  I’m also learning to like technology.  Blogging…what an amazing resource!!!  I’ve befriended someone who now lives in NYC through the aid of xanga, i can get advice on books to read, and how to prepare for running a marathon.  I sort of see blogging as the 21st century version of having a pen-pal.

As I wrote in my last post…there’s probably some nostalgia for the old way of writing letters…and nobody is saying we can’t still do that.  But the world wide web allows us to connect to people in the world in ways that can enhance our quality of life like never before.  It is my hope to get a computer w/ a camera and find a program (i know it’s out there…just need to dig), that will allow me to finally move beyond the shallow nature of instant messenger, so I can have a face-to-face telephone conversation through the internet w/ my friends from London, Israel, S. Africa, and Australia…likely for cheaper than w/ my cell phone.  That to me is the beauty of the digital age.

One last point…while it’s easy and reasonable to criticize society at large, to criticize the mass media for dumbing us down, to point to mass advertising as turning us all into mindless consuming zombies, to point to an image of a child in front of a video game system and cry how we’re being dumbed down and isolated from people, to read about parents trying to limit children’s IM time…I believe that we too often generalize the ills of our time, and it is up to us as individuals to decide how we shall live. 

If this post leaves you feeling confused..that’s ok.  my thoughts weren’t all organized on this one.  but…i enjoyed trying to put it together for your amusement.

 

 

Good morning everyone

Well, the work-week is winding its way on down.  Last night was pizza night, I’ve had pizza every Thursday since I was a little kid, and nothing beats N.Y. pizza.  Even when I was in school in St. Louis, I’d go to the one decent pizza place, Racanelli’s, which served New York style pizza at its best!

My oldest sister had some friends over…was a pretty good time.  She has become quite religious in the last few years, Judaism becoming more and more and important piece of her life.  I have relatives who are on varoius spectrums of orthodox Judaism

Not quite black hat…although closer to that end of the specturm than me, for sure.  I’m more in it for the food, the holidays, and the summer camp experience…

which is probably what has influenced me most in my interest in foreign countries.

And speaking of the global world and I-pods…Thomas Friedman had an article about just that thing in today’s NYT (which can’t be accessed online because they just made it a “special feature” for certain articles).

I’m currently reading his book, “The World is Flat.”  His main argument is that the world is entering a new phase in which virtually any job can be done in any corner of the globe.  Global economics has become one giant interchangable part, where anything from service jobs, to intellectual jobs like research and development, can be done anywhere (but will be done wherever it’s cheapest and most efficient).

He gives some interesting examples of this.  Some are well-known, such as call-centers in India.

When you have a problem w/ your computer, the person you speak to might be someone in India, who can answer all your questions, and do it w/ an American accent (they actually have accent training for these people). 

Another example he gives does not involve jobs going oversees.  McDonald’s now has drivethroughs in places like Missouri where the person taking your order is actually in Colorado. 

JetBlue reservations are done by mormon mothers in Utah, who work out of their homes.  These things save costs, and in some ways, improve efficiency.  The person taking the drive-through order has a picture of the driver and sends that picture and the order to the food-line to ensure the order is taken right.  The mormon mothers taking your flight reservation are happy and chipper because they can both stay at home to take care of the kids, and bring income into the home.

Just think…20 years ago there were no cell phones, no internet, no websites, no e-bay.  Technology is just going to continue to get better and better, which can be argued to be both a good

It helps this guy build his global terror network

And it helps these people help us so we can live longer and stronger

There a question I want to pose about technology, and economics.  Friedman argues that this form of capitalism, creates a lot of wealth that is distributed unevenly.  The alternative form of economy that puts clamps on parts of the economy makes everyone equally “poor.”  What do you make of his analysis?

Another thing I’ve been thinking a lot about is foreigners and work (since that what my job involves).  The cleaning lady in my office is from Guyana, in S. America, the man who delivers my DHL is from Guinea, in W. Africa. 

They have most likely come to America for freedom.  Freedom from domestic war, from domestive poverty, and the freedom to imagine and actually obtain a life (a materialistic life?) that could not be obtained in their home countries.  So, they leave their pastures behind in hope of something better in the big citty.

Many Americans have never had to worry about the problems that one might face in Guyana or Guinea, but we certainly have a wide range of opinions about these foreigners.  Some are purely racist and xenophobic.  Some see them as out of place, because of their failure to fit in w/ language, dress, attitude, etc. This morning I saw an Asian man on an old bicycle and I thought he looked out of place because it looked as if he “belonged,” in a more rural, old-world setting.

BELONGED.  Where do people belong?  What kind of work to people belong in?  My emotions in S. Africa seeing black S. Africans working in fast-food saddened me.  “They didn’t belong in this kind of lifestyle,” is what I thought.

That’s because I saw how many of these people used to live, meaning their parents or grandparents.  In the eastern part of S. Africa, I saw how they still live today:

What I saw was tradition.  What I saw was nostalgia for a simpler way of life.  And…I think it’s beginning to dawn on me…that change is inevitable.  Just as my parents, their parents, and their parents parents lived in a world far different than the one I live in, and may have resisted watching things change or frown upon the life of me and my generation, the reality is that change happened.  Change is inevitable. 

For those Africans, working in fast food means big money.  This means the ability to one day go to college, which for many is an essential stepping stone to many jobs, higher salaries, and the opportunity to live w/out the fears the poverty breeds.  I cannot argue that this track leads to a better lifestyle, that is up to the individual to pursue and decide as quality of life judgements are subjective in every way, however, this track for many does mean not having to worry about food, doctor’s visits and medication, and also allows for people to become more politically involved.

How sad…to have all those people from India working for $200/mo. in call centers.  Right?  For some…the work is bearable, and the ends for the means is more than worth it.  In what ways do you think this global economy is good, in what ways harmful to the general well-being of humanity? 

 

 

 

My roommate got standing room tickets to the Cardinals game last night…which turned out to be the last game ever played at the old Busch stadium

Students and teachers alike should be excited…no school after tom. because it’s Friday!!!

Mugabe has been ranting about how countries like America are the cause of starvation in African countries like Zimbabwe.  I think this man really needs to look in the mirror at the way he’s brutally starving his own people.

more to come…work calls.

 

Topic: good call

signed-up for Netflix…good call

went out in Williamsburg, Brooklyn last Sat…good call

Cardinals amazing comeback on Mon, game 6 tonight…good call

Avidly reading anything that mentions a foreign country, now onto Thomas Friedman’s “The World is Flat,” along w/ every magazine in B&N with the word travel, adventure, and outdoors in it…good call.

Medeski Martin & Wood, jazz…good call

white water kayaking this Sat. on the LeHigh River…good call

branching out of my bubble of job responsibilities to learn a bit about various visa legal issues…good call

been getting up early to work-out before work, quick aerobic exercise, a round of weights, and created an amazing balancing / kayak training exercise by sitting on one of those giant blue balls and working the hips, followed by a hot sauna and shower…good call

nearly have every reasonably sized country on the world map memorized, and that includes Albania, Macedonia, Romania, and Bulgaria in SE Europe, as well as Kazakastan, Uzbekastan, and the other “stans” wedged bewteen Russia and China, as well as Azerbaijan and Georgia, wedged to the East of the Black Sea, and West of the Caspian Sea. 

Thierry Henry returned from injury to lead Arsenal to a 2-0 victory of Prague, giving them 9 points in their group, needing 1 point in there next 3 games to assure themselves a spot in the knock-out round of 16.

 

Saddam Hussein trial has begun…good call

 

 

 

 

 

i’ve just created a mosaic of sorts…good call

i think this post should have a new name…good call

well…almost time to go home…good call

hopefully stay up for some tv tonight after the game…good call

i got tix to see the colbert report in a couple of weeks…good call

peace…good call

Topic: fortunate and unfortunate…a maxim for controlling greed and jealousy

I’ve been feeling wise recently.  In that spirit, I’ve come up w/ a maxim of sort for dealing w/ emotions, w/ our psychological states of being.  You know how sometimes you recognize you’re in a mood, but there’s no thoughts behind it, and sometimes specific thoughts lead you to be in a mood.  It depends on how closely you know your moods…but I’ve been paying a lot of attention both my moods and thoughts recently. 

Recently, things have been relatively smooth sailing in my life, after a long stretch of time and a lot of life and personal changes.  And…in this smooth stretch, when things feel good, there’s almost a temptation to want to hear that others are not doing as well, as well as the natural feeling of not wanting to hear about the successes of others.  Those two emotions are greed / and jealousy.  You hate someone who has something you want, and when you have it, you want it all to yourself.

I’ve come up w/ new words to help me frame the internal debate that goes on inside my mind, the debate that ultimately decides my thoughts and moods.  And the new words I wish to use more often are “fortunate” and “unfortunate.”  When things are going well…and I kind of want to feel good about it, I temper my mood by thinking, “Boy…I’m fortunate.  Fortunate to have my health, home, friends, etc.”  When things don’t go well, or when I hear of someone doing well themselves or doing much better than myself, I think, “Boy…that person has been fortunate.” Or…”I wasn’t so fortunate this time.”

By re-shaping the emotions of greed and jealousy into fortunate and unfortunate, you accomplish several things.  First of all, you recognize the volatility of life.  Fortune in its two forms, comes and goes.  Just as material fortunate can vanish in an instant through flood, fire, or earthquake, non-tangible fortune is similarly ephemeral (first time using that word…i feel fortunate to have pulled that off!).  So…when good fortune strikes, that does not mean it’s time to sit back and relax.  Rather, be grateful for that good fortune, because it’s opposite, bad fortune, can sneak up on you at any time.

The second thing that is accomplished by grouping emotions into fortunate and unfortunate, is that it can help control “negative” emotion.  By negative emotion, I mean emotions that are not only undesirable socially, but can be personally frustrating as well. 

Have you ever done better than someone at something, whether it was school, sports, or socially, and feel a sense of pride, only to feel slightly sick that you feel that way, or sick at how your reaction made someone else feel, or simply sick that this person is not feeling as elated as you?  That situation can be improved by feeling fortunate, instead of feeling “wildly successful,” “brilliant,” or any other emotion that boosts the ego. 

A kid strikes out in baseball, and the next batter hits the winning home run.  The kid is both happy at the team’s success, while angry that it wasn’t he who won the game.  What to do?  Perhaps tell the kid…”you were unfortunate this time,” recognizing that fortune is exactly that, relative to time.  Likewise, the child might feel better himself by not only avoiding self-hatred, but by being able to openly welcome the success of the other player.

So…to bring this back to my own life, I feel really fortunate right now for many of the things I have, and the life I’ve been living as of late.  At the same time, there are still things I feel unfortunate about.  I feel unfortunate about not having my own apartment, while also feeling fortunate about living rent free, and spending quality time w/ people at home.  That’s another important thing, fortune is relative.  One man’s trash is another man’s treausre…that old saying.  Well…here I’m applying it both to material and mental fortunes. 

My sister went to a book club yesturday, where she was the only teacher amongst a group of businesswomen, several of whom owned their own places in Manhattan.  We’re talking big money-makers, very fortunate people.  Yet…my sister felt fortunate for her lifestyle, fortunate for a job that ended at 3pm, and fortunate for summers off. 

I just finished reading a wonderful book called Franny and Zooey.  The story, which takes place over the course of a day and involes 3 main conversations involving 4 characters, addressed a few of the points I have been writing about.  Franny, the youngest of 7 children, talks about her disdain for academics.  She goes on a College Daze type rant about higher education, that at first left me tingling w/ joy all over.  But as I’ve realized, and as her brother Zooey tells her, the world and people are not absolutes.  The system is not 100% wrong.  Some people do experience fortune, where you may have experienced unfortune.  Some people are fortunate and succeed in the classroom, but we should not be angry at their knowledge, or their experience, and should recognize that those who have succeeded in the academic realm are not guaranteed any other fortune in their lives, nor do we know whether they have also been suffering many unfortunes that we will never see.

I think this idea is a pretty strong one, one that can be applied for the benefit of our lives, and possibly helpful in understanding others.

Topic: religion

The last 2 days I observed the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur.  I’ve been a Jewish slacker basically my whole life, and about a week ago I was still in an anti-anything Jewish mood.  But…decided to stop “fighting everything,” and to embrace the little bit of tradition and culture that is expected of me. 

So…I fasted, and I went to temple Wed. evening and from 3-6 on Thur.  Didn’t seem nearly as long and painful as when I went as a kid. 

The rabbi gave a sermon each day, both were very good.  The first one was about change…he started w/ a funny anecdote about a Charlie Brown comic…his baseball team always loses.  In this game, there’s a pop-fly to Lucy in the outfield.  She obvoiusly drops it, and this infuriates Charlie Brown.  Instead of focussing on the ball, she was busy thinking about all the balls she’d dropped in the past, all the times they’ve lost.

“Sorry…the past got in my eyes.”

Deep…right?  From there the rabbi went on to talk about those who managed to move on from their pasts.  From the biblical figures who gave up idols for one god, to the current Pope who gave up anti-semitism.  He went on to talk at length about the relationship between Christianity and Judiasm, especially the often bad relationships between the Pope and the Jews.  He explained how the relationship had begun to change, and that it is within us all to become better people.  Most people just show up to hear the sermon, as the rabbi is speaks quite eloquently, and provides food for thought and some encouraging words of wisdom. 

To end the fast yesturday…traditional bagels and lox.  Oh so good.

Topic: Sports

Cardinals vs Astros is shaping up to be a good series.  Great pitching duel last night, Roy Oswalt vs. Mark Mulder.  With the series split at 1 game a piece, the Cards need to steal at least 1 game in Houston to bring the series back to St. Louis

World Cup qualifiers are nearly complete.  32 teams will be in Germany this summer.  The US has already qualified, and in their region Mexico and Costa Rica are coming along.  In S. America, Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, and Paraguay have qualified.  In Africa, 3 teams from the West have qualified, Ivory Coast, Ghana, and Togo, along w/ Tunisia in the North, and Angola in the south.  The Asian conference brings Iran, Saudi Arabia, S. Korea, and Japan, and Europe is loaded, bringing 14 teams w/ Germany automatically qualifying.  

27 of the 32 teams are set…w/ 6 European teams playing-off for 3 spors in Nov. (Spain vs. Slovakia, Turkey vs. Switzerland, and Norway vs. Czech), plus Bahrain playing against Trinidad and Tobago (who finished 4th in CONCACAF which is the USA’s conference), and Australia vs. Uruguay (who finished 5th in S. America).

Topic: Work and int’l stuff

Well…it’s taken over 3 months, but I finally figured out what exactly my org. does.  I’ve been so focussed on just learning the basic office tasks that I do, and also worrying about my social life, my financial life, my future, that I haven’t really had time to get it all together.  Basically…my company does 2 things…we help US citizens get matched w/ companies abroad for 2-18mo. “traineeships,” and we also help US companies bring non-US citizens to come work for their companies.

My office is more focussed w/ bringing trainees in.  I work closest w/ 2 visa officers, who in turn work w/ immigration lawyers to ensure that their clients have their paperwork together to enter the US w/ a valid J-1 visa. 

This is becoming mildly interesting to me.  Firstly…I went out a few nights ago w/ a college friend who spent about 9 months in New Zealand, so he gave me the rundown on the visa situation there.  Apparently, you can go to a wide-range of farms on a work permis, and make almost $200NZ a day!!!  My friend was able to buy a used car ($300) and pay for a week of rent ($25) after just two days of work.  Also…the best time to go he said is just after their winter, which would be next Sept. which I think is a fine time for me to go explore the land below the land down under.