What are those numbers above? Is it a lopsided basketball score? Is it a really good blood pressure? Is it the won/loss record of a really good baseball team? No, it's what I like to think of as my vegetarian scorecard.
I'm am currently on a personal mission to become more vegetarian. Perhaps not 100% vegetarian ( It would be hard to imagine Thanksgivings without any turkey ), but certainly more vegetarian. I'm sure a lot of vegetarians would say that being partly vegetarian makes as much sense as being partly pregnant. I'm sure some of them would tell me that you are either an animal killer or you're not, but that's because a lot of vegetarians see vegetarianism as a moral choice. I really don't, at least not in the sense that a lot of vegetarians do. I have no problem with the killing of animals for food. I don't really anthropomorphize animals, and I don't think animals we use as livestock have the mental capacity to ponder life and death ( I think some animals, such as dolphins, whales, and chimps do have the mental capacity to ponder their own existence, so I would draw the line at killing those kinds of animals ). I also thinks it's naive to think that one can live a vegan life that doesn't exploit animals at all, unless one is willing to live naked in the woods for the rest of his/her life. Anyone who lives in house made of wood is already supporting the killing of animals, because a lot of tree-dwelling animals die as a result of their homes being chopped down. Plus, a lot of vegetables are grown on the plots of lands that used to be wild, which of course leads to the displacement and death of many wild animals. I actually think that actions that lead to the death of one wild animal are more morally wrong than actions that lead to the death of 100 livestock animals that would not have even existed if man wasn't breeding them in such large numbers.
My moral issue with meat eating actually has to do with the impact meat eating has on humans. For starters, the eating of meat is incredible wastefull. If you took all the corn and soybeans that are fed to livestock and simply fed them to people, you could feed about 16 times as many people as the resulting meat would. In a world with so many starving people, it seems morally wrong to waste that much food. Second, the production of meat creates an incredible amount of pollution. Third, the production of meat produces a lot of greenhouse gases and global warming. About a year ago, I read in the New York Times that if Americans ate 20% less meat, it would reduce greenhouse gas emissions as much as if everyone in the USA started driving a Toyota Prius. I may not have a moral problem with the killing of animals, but I am very much an environmentalist, so I've decided to start working towards reducing my meat consumption. In all honestly, it would be best if I just gave up meat entirely, but when people try to quit stuff cold turkey, they usually fail ( Oh just in case "cold turkey" is a USA-only term, I should briefly explain that quitting something "cold turkey" means quitting it in an immediate non-gradual fashion ). So rather than quit meat cold turkey, I decided to least take some steps in the right direction.
I took the first step during the 40 days that preceded Easter ( called Lent in the Catholic religion, and I imagine in some other Christian religions ) this year. Each Lent, Catholics traditionally give up something over the 40 days. We also give up eating meat ( except fish ) for each Friday during Lent ( Time for a quick tangent. Up until the early 1960's, Catholics were required to give up meat ( except fish ) every single Friday of the year. I find this very suspicious for the following reason: The Catholic church traces it's roots back to the original Christian Church, which was founded by Christ's apostles. For almost 2000 years, it was Church policy that the only meat you were allowed to eat on Friday was fish. So the Church has always had a policy which leads people to eat fish at least once a week. What was the profession of the apostles who founded the Church? Fishermen. Thus, I've always thought there was something a little bit "fishy" about this fish exception ). I personally like the taste of fish more than any other meat. So, for years I actually quite enjoyed that Fridays during Lent were considered to be "fish days". About 5 years ago, I decided that enjoying my Friday meals during Lent ( which is supposed to be all about denial ), was kinda against the whole spirit of Lent. So 5 years ago, I decided I should just simply be vegetarian during Lenten Fridays ( and nothing yummy and bad-for-you like pizza or pasta - nothing but veggies and tofu, beans, and nuts ). So, this year I decided to expand my vegetarian eating to every lunch I eat at work during Lent ( I eat lunch on my own each workday ( usually Chinese food ). I eat my dinners and weekend lunches with my family, and didn't feel like eating different meals than the rest of my family just yet. I already have vegetarian breakfasts when I actually eat breakfast ). So, the when the vegetarian lunches worked well during Lent, I decided to try to expand the policy to the rest of the year. Well, not all at once, actually. I figure I'd start small. I was planning to eat vegetarian for half my work meals the first year, and gradually convert to having all vegetarians meals at work over a period of about 5 years. After that, I would start converting the dinners, and within 10 years, I'd be an almost full vegetarian. Actually, I sincerely hope I can become a 100% full vegetarian someday, but I'm not going to make any promises to myself that I might not be able to keep. I still not sure I could be vegetarian during traditional family meals and gatherings, and as gross as hot dogs are, it seems almost un-American to eat anything other than a hot dog at a baseball game. In any case, I'm going to need to break a lot of very old habits if I'm going to get this done, and as somebody once said "The longest journey begins with a single step".
So, anyway, after all the long-winded stuff in the paragraphs above, I'm finally going to get to what the numbers above actually mean. After Lent ended, I started to keep a tally of meat meals vs. vegetarian meals during my lunches at work. My goal thing year was to just be 50% vegetarian, but since Lent the numbers are ...
110 vegetarian lunches
50 lunches with meat
So, I certainly still eat way too much meat, but at least I'm ahead of my not-so-ambitious schedule to convert to vegetarianism.
Oh one last thing, which is kinda a nod to a certain old friend in California who may be reading this ( he has commented on a handful of my blog posts ). I've noticed that a lot of folks ( including this friend of mine, and my new brother-in-law's father ) are semi-vegetarian in the sense that they do not eat any meat except for fish. I can clearly see some of the logic in that, but I'd like some clarification. Clearly, the industrial meat industry does some pretty bad things, from massive pollution and global warming, to treating animals remarkably inhumanely. So, all things considered, eating fish probably is at least marginally better than eating other kinds of meat. However, fish farming is pretty bad for the environment as well, and if everyone who currently eats industrial meat were to switch to wild fish, I think that overfishing would completely destroy the ecosystem of the ocean. Even considering all the bad things the meat industry does, the fishing industry just might be able to do worse things to the earth if we give them enough motivation to ( by increasing the demand for fish ). So, that's why I'm not distinguishing too much between fish and other meat ( although because I think fish does taste better than any other meat, I'll eat fish more often than other meats if given a choice ), and my goal is to simply eat less meat of every kind. I may not get to my goal anytime soon, but at least I can make sure I am headed in the right direction.
Sorry for the long post, I've just been thinking about this stuff a lot lately.
Rich
Friday, November 28, 2008
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Peter; My Backyard; My Wife
I know I've been telling a lot of sob stories about Peter lately, so I thought I'd make it clear just what a sweet little beautiful boy he is. The photo above is of Peter in his Thinking Chair back on March 29th of this year.The photos below are of me playing ( American ) football with the boys back on October 4th, and some nice shots my wife took of the backyard on November 4th ( Election Day ). Do yourself a favor and click on the photos of the pretty leaves to get the full-size color impact.
A bunch of my YouTube subscribers have asked for my wife to appear in a YouTube video. She's a bit shy about being on the Internet, so she won't be on YouTube anytime soon. She also wouldn't want her picture posted in a public blog like this one. However, if you are one of my curious YouTube subscribers, and you are kind enough to be reading this blog post, I thought I'd point you to where you can find some photos of my wife ( BTW, her name is Ruth ). Just click on this facebook link, and send me a friend request. If the link doesn't work, just search facebook for the name "Rich MoLewis" ( BTW, MoLewis is not my real last name. I don't really want people to find me on facebook. If I wanted to keep in contact with somebody from my past, I statyed in contact with him/her, and I already have his/her phone number and email address ). After you get access to the facebook page, look for the photo album entitled "The Maternity Files".
Rich
Sunday, November 23, 2008
55 Questons ( Hey you, scroll down! )
Well after a week of working on it, I finally finished my 55 question blog. Unfortunately, because I started the post on Nov 16th, it's being listed as Nov 16th post, and it is not at the top of my blog. Rather than risk that a week of blogging might go unnoticed and unread, I will kindly ask the reader to scroll down to the "55 Questions" post below, or simply click on this link to go right to the post.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Bad Dream
Last night, I had a dream that I was back in college. It was more than halfway through the semester, and I had just realized that I had been skipping most of my classes and I had missed most of my assignments. I also had exams coming up soon, and I was woefully unprepared. I still have those kind of bad dreams all the time, either about High School or college. I felt soooooo relieved when I woke up, and it got my thinking about a great clip from the movie Top Secret ( I couldn't find a YouTube video that had the scene all by itself, but if you want to see it, watch from 4:21 - 4:48 in the video here. ).
Rich
Rich
Sunday, November 16, 2008
55 Questions
A few weeks ago, munchkinhugs ( Shweta ) made this blog post. Since then, I've been thinking about how I might have answered some of the question in that blog post. It was only a matter of time before I took a crack at it, so here goes ( Keep in mind that I composed this post over several days. I suck at answering questions succinctly, so this took a while. This post is very very L---O---N---G. You may not be able to get through it all at once, but please read/reply when you can, because I think I revealed a lot here ).
TEN HOW'S:
How did you get one of your scars?
I covered this topic in a recent video.
How did you celebrate your last birthday?
I'm not really into celebrating my own birthday. It's not because I have any fear of aging or anything. It's just that birthdays kinda lost their magic for me when I got old enough that I could buy my own stuff. I'll admit that I enjoyed birthdays as a kid purely from a materialistic standpoint. When my birthday came, I knew it was present time! Now, if I really want a present ( which isn't very often ), I just go out and buy it, no matter what time of year it is.
To answer the question more specifically, on my last birthday ( which was January 15, 2008, my 38th ), my wife probably bought a small cake from the supermarket, just so we could sing happy birthday and blow out the candles for the sake of the kids.
How are you feeling at this moment?
Tired, always so tired. I should really be catching up on sleep now, but I love to blog!
How did your night go last night?
Oh God. Last night ( Which at the time I'm writing this would have been Saturday, November 15, 2008 ) we drove into Flushing for the 100-day celebration for the baby of one of my wife's friends. It was pretty much your standard Chinese banquet with a 10-course meal ( jellyfish, shrimp and walnuts, shark-fin style soup, lobster, scallops, mushroom plate, fish plate, chicken plate, etc. ). My wife and I have probably been to about 30 of those between all the weddings and celebrations for babies, and they are usually a lot of fun ( We both love to eat! ). However, last night, the boys behaved really badly. They kept running around ( we briefly lost track of Michael ), and Peter was throwing tantrums left and right. I actually walked about 10 blocks in the rain to get them McDonald's Happy Meals ( They can be picky eaters ), but that only kept them occupied for so long. We were both exhausted at the end of the night, especially after the long drive home in a driving rain ( We got home at close to midnight ).
How did you find the one you lost your virginity to?
The "one" would be my wife, and she is truly my one and only. She is the only girl I have ever even kissed romantically or held hands with romantically. We met at college, when I was a 3rd year student, and she was a 1st year student. The story of what happened between the time we met ( early February 1991 ) and the day we officially became a couple ( April 6th, 1991 ) is an interesting story, but it's too long for this blog post, and it's probably isn't something I should share in a public forum.
How did you get the shirt you're wearing?
My cousin Steven gave it to me as a Christmas present. It's a T-shirt for his college baseball team. He was a pitcher and played briefly in the minor leagues for a few years.
How often do you see ur best friend?
As corny as it may sound, I consider my wife to be my best friend, so I guess the answer is every day. As far as all my other close friends go, I love them all, but between work and the kids, I don't get to see them that often these days.
How much money did you spend last month?
Well, I have a mortgage, so if you count that, along with all the other expenses that come with a home, insurance, kid's college funds, etc., I actually spend a huge amount each month. However, if you don't count that kind of stuff, I spent almost nothing. I'll buy newspapers to read on the train, but I don't really buy a lot for myself these days. When it comes to stuff like clothes, my wife will buy stuff and ask me to try it on every once in a while, and if it fits okay, I'll usually keep it. I'm not really picky about my clothes.
How old do you want to be when you get married?
I was 26 when I got married.
How will you celebrate your next birthday?
Probably in the same low key way I celebrated my last birthday.
NINE WHAT'S:
Your mothers name?
Her name was June. Her initials ( including her confirmation name ) before she got married were actually J. E. T. S., which is kinda amazing considering that she wound up being a huge Jets fan ( she was born long before the Jets existed ), and passed that passion for the Jets down to her sons.
Also, this reminds me that my wife and I actually have exactly the same initials. The first letters of our first, middle, and last names match ( BTW, our lasts names are different and start with the same letter ( she kept her last name when we got married ) ).
What did you do last weekend?
We went to a 100-day celebration for the baby of one of my wife's friends (see above ). On Sunday, my wife went into the city to celebrate a friend's birthday, and spent the day at home playing with the kids.
What is the most important part of your life?
My children.
What would you rather be doing?
I'd rather be swimming in tropical waters.
What did you last cry over?
Probably, the last 20 minutes of the movie "Field of Dreams". I'm not really the type who cries tears of sorrow, but I will tear up when I find something very touching. The end of "Field of Dreams" gets me every time, especially the part where Ray says "Dad, do you wanna have a catch?".
What always makes you feel better when you’re upset?
Hugging my kids.
What’s the most important thing you look for in a significant other?
Kindness
What are you worried about?
My sons - specifically their future.
What did you have for breakfast?
No breakfast today ( Nov. 19th ). The only time I really eat a full-sized breakfast is when I'm away on vacation. I do have a glass of OJ each morning at work ( we get free fresh squeezed OJ! ), and sometime a granola bar or a piece of bread with peanut butter on it ( We also have a peanut butter machine at work! ).
EIGHT HAVE YOU’S:
Have you ever had your heartbroken?
Yes, several times, but never in the sense that a girl was intentionally trying to hurt me. All my broken hearts were the result of me falling in love with a girl who didn't feel the same way about me. I spoke about one example in this video.
Have you ever been out of the country?
Yep, but not as much as I would have liked to. I was 20 before I took my first trip out of the USA ( and that was just a quick road trip Canada with my college buddies ). The first time I ever left the American continent was my honeymoon at the age of 26 ( we went to Italy ). The next time was a 10-day trip to Taiwan with my wife ( with a day and a half in Hong Kong ) when I was 30. Aside from that, the only other times were excursions of a few hours in Mexico, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic as part of a Caribbean cruise when I was 29.
Have you ever done something outrageously dumb?
Well, I have been to jail, but that wasn't really a case of me being stupid. That was more a case of a redneck cop being a complete prick. No, the true example of me being outrageously dumb happened about 2 weeks into my 2nd year of college.
I was 19, and my experience with alcohol had been limited to 3 times I did a little binge drinking during the second half of Freshman year. So, I certainly wasn't a big drinker ( which of course is a good thing ), but I did find that I had pretty decent natural tolerance as compared to some of my friends ( who also were pretty much newbie drinkers ). So despite the fact the I wasn't much of a drinker, I took a kind of perverse pride in my belief that I could drink my friends under the table.
So in any case, when we went to a house party with alcohol early in my sophomore year, it was my outrageously dumb goal to consume more drinks than any of my friends. So, I wasn't really drinking to have fun. In fact, I wasn't even really drinking to get drunk ( though of course, that was exactly what happened ). I was drinking in order to win some stupid macho competition to see who could drink the most. Unfortunately, I won.
The next thing I knew, I woke up laying on a bed in the campus health center with an IV stuck in my arm. Apparently an ambulance was involved at one point. I never did need to get my stomach pumped, because I had already emptied all the contents of my stomach on to the walls in the bathroom where the house party took place. I was told that my blood alcohol had been measured at .21 ( so it was good thing I puked before all the other alcohol got into my system ), and I had answered the questions below in the following way when the paramedics arrived on the scene:
What is your name?
Catholic ( That's my religion, so I guess that's close enough )
Can you recite the alphabet?
( I started to recite it in Spanish )
Do you know where you are?
Apparently I started speaking in Middle English ( I was studying Chaucer at the time ).
Well anyway, this was clearly an example of outrageous stupidity. The one good thing is that I learned a valuable lesson about the dangers of alcohol at a very early age.
Have you ever been back stabbed by a friend?
Nope, not even close. I choose my friends carefully, and I think I'm a very good judge of character.
Have you ever had sex on the beach?
My wife isn't they type who would ever agree to have sex in any kind of public place. However, even if the beach was completely abandoned and my wife was up for it, I can't think of too many worse places to have sex than on a beach. All that sand getting caught in all those - um - places?
Gross.
Have you ever dated someone younger than you?
Well, my wife is two years younger than me, but this actually seems like kind of a silly question. In every couple, one person is younger than the other, so it's not really unusual to date somebody younger than you. A better question might be, "Have you ever dated somebody a lot younger than you?". Perhaps this question was directed more at women, because women have traditionally dated older men, but even that is changing these days. My group of "neighborhood friends" ( Friends that I know from my childhood neighborhood as opposed to school or work ) consists of 3 friends, my brother, and me. All 5 of us are married now, and I'm the only guy in the group who married somebody younger than he was.
Have you ever read an entire book in one day?
Yup.
SEVEN WHO’S:
Who was the last person you saw?
My boys are asleep on the floor right next to me, and my wife is asleep on the couch behind me as I'm typing this ( 12:13 AM on Nov 23 ).
Who was the last person you texted?
If you had asked people in the mid 20th century, what they thought phone technology would be like in the 21st century, they would have invariable said something like "phone with a video screen that lets you look at the person you are talking to" ( like the phones in "The Jetsons" ). Thus, I find it rather odd that with all our 21st century technology, people are sending messages via text with their phones. What's next? Will Apple unveil a telegraph application for the iPhone?
Anyway, that's just a long-winded way of saying that I have never sent a text message. I'm sure it can be fun, but I'm kinda old-school, and I'll just use my voice to communicate if I want to contact somebody via phone. I'm sure I'd be texting left and right if I had been born about 20 years later, but for now, I'm still very old-school ( Plus, I don't have a Blackberry, iPhone, or any mobile device that let's you type using a QWERTY keyboard. My cell phone just has numbers on it. I could text with it, but it would be a real pain ).
Who was the last person you hungout with?
I've been hanging out all day with my kids today ( Sunday Nov. 23rd, watching football ). However, if we are not talking about my immediate family, or a large party ( we went to a party at a friend's place yesterday ( a college friend of mine who had moved to Hong Kong is in the States for a week ) , and I saw a lot of my college buddies ), it's probably been a while. I loved to hang out with my buddies during my college days, but after you get married and have kids, that stuff really ends. Well, I guess it doesn't have to end. A lot of married guys like to "hang out with the boys", and leave their wife and kids at home, but I'm not really that type. I just love to have family time at home. When I do hang out with one of my buddies, my wife ( and kids ) and his wife ( and kids, if applicable ) are usually part of the outing. The last time we did something like that was mid-October, when we went apple picking with one of my buddies and his wife.
Who was the last person to call you?
My Dad.
Who did you last hug?
I hugged my son Michael a few minutes ago.
Who is the last person who texted you?
My Dad. He sent me a text message out of the blue about 2 months ago. That just shows how old-school I am. Even my Dad has gotten into texting before me.
Who was the last person you said "i love you" to?
My son Michael ( when I was hugging him ).
SIX WHERE’S:
Where do you live?
Edison, New Jersey, USA - but I'll always consider myself to be a New Yorker.
Where did you last go?
My wife and kids went to a get together at a friend's house yesterday ( Nov 22nd ).
Where did you last hang out?
Depending on what you mean by "hang out" ( see the hang-out question above ), it was either at home, at my friend's house for the party on Saturday, or at an apple orchid.
Where do you go to school?
I got a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University in '92, a Master of Engineering (Mechanical ) from Cornell in '93, but the best educational institution I ever attended was Stuyvesant High School ( Class of 1988 ).
Where is your favorite place to be?
There's no place like home.
Where did you sleep last night?
My nice comfy bed.
FIVE DO’S/DOES:
Do you like someone right now?
What is this, 3rd Grade?
Do you think anyone likes you?
See above. I would think my wife and I "like" each other if "like" means what it did back in 3rd Grade.
Do you ever wish you were someone else?
I think I'm pretty happy being me. It's not that I wouldn't want to trade circumstances with somebody, it's just that I'd still like to be me under those circumstances. Sure, it would be nice to inherit a billion dollars from some long-lost relative, but I'd only want it to happen if I could still be me, and still have the people I love in my life.
Do you know the muffin man?
Oh, yes, I know the muffin man, the muffin man, the muffin man;
Oh, yes, I know the muffin man, who lives on Drury Lane.
Does the future scare you?
I'm always scared about my boys' future.
FOUR WHY’S:
Why are you best friends with your best friend(s)?
They listen.
Why did you get a myspace?
I thought it would be fun to check out other people's myspace pages. I doubt I'll actually do much with the myspace page, but then again I'm in the middle of writing a massive blog entry for a blog I thought I'd barely update.
Why did your parents give you the name you have?
I'm named after my Dad, because my Dad wanted his first son to be named after him. However, my mother didn't want me to be a Junior, so I have a different middle name than my Dad. BTW, if I'd had been born a girl, I would have had the name Michelle.
Why are you doing this survey?
See the first paragraph of this blog post.
THREE IF’S:
If you could have one super power what would it be?
Flight.
If you could go back in time and change one thing, would you?
We all make mistakes occassionally that hurt the ones we love. If I could go back in time, I'd try to correct those mistakes.
If u were stranded on a deserted island & could bring 1 thing what would you bring?
A boat.
TWO WOULD-YOU-EVER’S:
Would you ever get back together with any of your ex’s if they asked you?
Considering that my wife is the only girlfriend I've ever had, this question doesn't really apply to me. However, theroretically, if I was a single guy who had ex's, I'm sure I would not want to get back with any of them. I can't imagine breaking up with somebody unless I had a really good reason, and if somebody hurt me by breaking up with me, I would never want to take that person back.
Would you ever shave your head to save someone you love?
I'd give up limbs to save someone I love, and I'd give my life for my sons without blinking.
ONE LAST QUESTION
Are you happy with your life right now?
Things are sometime tough with work and the issues with my kids, and I have my moments of despair, but all-in-all I realize how blessed I am.
TEN HOW'S:
How did you get one of your scars?
I covered this topic in a recent video.
How did you celebrate your last birthday?
I'm not really into celebrating my own birthday. It's not because I have any fear of aging or anything. It's just that birthdays kinda lost their magic for me when I got old enough that I could buy my own stuff. I'll admit that I enjoyed birthdays as a kid purely from a materialistic standpoint. When my birthday came, I knew it was present time! Now, if I really want a present ( which isn't very often ), I just go out and buy it, no matter what time of year it is.
To answer the question more specifically, on my last birthday ( which was January 15, 2008, my 38th ), my wife probably bought a small cake from the supermarket, just so we could sing happy birthday and blow out the candles for the sake of the kids.
How are you feeling at this moment?
Tired, always so tired. I should really be catching up on sleep now, but I love to blog!
How did your night go last night?
Oh God. Last night ( Which at the time I'm writing this would have been Saturday, November 15, 2008 ) we drove into Flushing for the 100-day celebration for the baby of one of my wife's friends. It was pretty much your standard Chinese banquet with a 10-course meal ( jellyfish, shrimp and walnuts, shark-fin style soup, lobster, scallops, mushroom plate, fish plate, chicken plate, etc. ). My wife and I have probably been to about 30 of those between all the weddings and celebrations for babies, and they are usually a lot of fun ( We both love to eat! ). However, last night, the boys behaved really badly. They kept running around ( we briefly lost track of Michael ), and Peter was throwing tantrums left and right. I actually walked about 10 blocks in the rain to get them McDonald's Happy Meals ( They can be picky eaters ), but that only kept them occupied for so long. We were both exhausted at the end of the night, especially after the long drive home in a driving rain ( We got home at close to midnight ).
How did you find the one you lost your virginity to?
The "one" would be my wife, and she is truly my one and only. She is the only girl I have ever even kissed romantically or held hands with romantically. We met at college, when I was a 3rd year student, and she was a 1st year student. The story of what happened between the time we met ( early February 1991 ) and the day we officially became a couple ( April 6th, 1991 ) is an interesting story, but it's too long for this blog post, and it's probably isn't something I should share in a public forum.
How did you get the shirt you're wearing?
My cousin Steven gave it to me as a Christmas present. It's a T-shirt for his college baseball team. He was a pitcher and played briefly in the minor leagues for a few years.
How often do you see ur best friend?
As corny as it may sound, I consider my wife to be my best friend, so I guess the answer is every day. As far as all my other close friends go, I love them all, but between work and the kids, I don't get to see them that often these days.
How much money did you spend last month?
Well, I have a mortgage, so if you count that, along with all the other expenses that come with a home, insurance, kid's college funds, etc., I actually spend a huge amount each month. However, if you don't count that kind of stuff, I spent almost nothing. I'll buy newspapers to read on the train, but I don't really buy a lot for myself these days. When it comes to stuff like clothes, my wife will buy stuff and ask me to try it on every once in a while, and if it fits okay, I'll usually keep it. I'm not really picky about my clothes.
How old do you want to be when you get married?
I was 26 when I got married.
How will you celebrate your next birthday?
Probably in the same low key way I celebrated my last birthday.
NINE WHAT'S:
Your mothers name?
Her name was June. Her initials ( including her confirmation name ) before she got married were actually J. E. T. S., which is kinda amazing considering that she wound up being a huge Jets fan ( she was born long before the Jets existed ), and passed that passion for the Jets down to her sons.
Also, this reminds me that my wife and I actually have exactly the same initials. The first letters of our first, middle, and last names match ( BTW, our lasts names are different and start with the same letter ( she kept her last name when we got married ) ).
What did you do last weekend?
We went to a 100-day celebration for the baby of one of my wife's friends (see above ). On Sunday, my wife went into the city to celebrate a friend's birthday, and spent the day at home playing with the kids.
What is the most important part of your life?
My children.
What would you rather be doing?
I'd rather be swimming in tropical waters.
What did you last cry over?
Probably, the last 20 minutes of the movie "Field of Dreams". I'm not really the type who cries tears of sorrow, but I will tear up when I find something very touching. The end of "Field of Dreams" gets me every time, especially the part where Ray says "Dad, do you wanna have a catch?".
What always makes you feel better when you’re upset?
Hugging my kids.
What’s the most important thing you look for in a significant other?
Kindness
What are you worried about?
My sons - specifically their future.
What did you have for breakfast?
No breakfast today ( Nov. 19th ). The only time I really eat a full-sized breakfast is when I'm away on vacation. I do have a glass of OJ each morning at work ( we get free fresh squeezed OJ! ), and sometime a granola bar or a piece of bread with peanut butter on it ( We also have a peanut butter machine at work! ).
EIGHT HAVE YOU’S:
Have you ever had your heartbroken?
Yes, several times, but never in the sense that a girl was intentionally trying to hurt me. All my broken hearts were the result of me falling in love with a girl who didn't feel the same way about me. I spoke about one example in this video.
Have you ever been out of the country?
Yep, but not as much as I would have liked to. I was 20 before I took my first trip out of the USA ( and that was just a quick road trip Canada with my college buddies ). The first time I ever left the American continent was my honeymoon at the age of 26 ( we went to Italy ). The next time was a 10-day trip to Taiwan with my wife ( with a day and a half in Hong Kong ) when I was 30. Aside from that, the only other times were excursions of a few hours in Mexico, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic as part of a Caribbean cruise when I was 29.
Have you ever done something outrageously dumb?
Well, I have been to jail, but that wasn't really a case of me being stupid. That was more a case of a redneck cop being a complete prick. No, the true example of me being outrageously dumb happened about 2 weeks into my 2nd year of college.
I was 19, and my experience with alcohol had been limited to 3 times I did a little binge drinking during the second half of Freshman year. So, I certainly wasn't a big drinker ( which of course is a good thing ), but I did find that I had pretty decent natural tolerance as compared to some of my friends ( who also were pretty much newbie drinkers ). So despite the fact the I wasn't much of a drinker, I took a kind of perverse pride in my belief that I could drink my friends under the table.
So in any case, when we went to a house party with alcohol early in my sophomore year, it was my outrageously dumb goal to consume more drinks than any of my friends. So, I wasn't really drinking to have fun. In fact, I wasn't even really drinking to get drunk ( though of course, that was exactly what happened ). I was drinking in order to win some stupid macho competition to see who could drink the most. Unfortunately, I won.
The next thing I knew, I woke up laying on a bed in the campus health center with an IV stuck in my arm. Apparently an ambulance was involved at one point. I never did need to get my stomach pumped, because I had already emptied all the contents of my stomach on to the walls in the bathroom where the house party took place. I was told that my blood alcohol had been measured at .21 ( so it was good thing I puked before all the other alcohol got into my system ), and I had answered the questions below in the following way when the paramedics arrived on the scene:
What is your name?
Catholic ( That's my religion, so I guess that's close enough )
Can you recite the alphabet?
( I started to recite it in Spanish )
Do you know where you are?
Apparently I started speaking in Middle English ( I was studying Chaucer at the time ).
Well anyway, this was clearly an example of outrageous stupidity. The one good thing is that I learned a valuable lesson about the dangers of alcohol at a very early age.
Have you ever been back stabbed by a friend?
Nope, not even close. I choose my friends carefully, and I think I'm a very good judge of character.
Have you ever had sex on the beach?
My wife isn't they type who would ever agree to have sex in any kind of public place. However, even if the beach was completely abandoned and my wife was up for it, I can't think of too many worse places to have sex than on a beach. All that sand getting caught in all those - um - places?
Gross.
Have you ever dated someone younger than you?
Well, my wife is two years younger than me, but this actually seems like kind of a silly question. In every couple, one person is younger than the other, so it's not really unusual to date somebody younger than you. A better question might be, "Have you ever dated somebody a lot younger than you?". Perhaps this question was directed more at women, because women have traditionally dated older men, but even that is changing these days. My group of "neighborhood friends" ( Friends that I know from my childhood neighborhood as opposed to school or work ) consists of 3 friends, my brother, and me. All 5 of us are married now, and I'm the only guy in the group who married somebody younger than he was.
Have you ever read an entire book in one day?
Yup.
SEVEN WHO’S:
Who was the last person you saw?
My boys are asleep on the floor right next to me, and my wife is asleep on the couch behind me as I'm typing this ( 12:13 AM on Nov 23 ).
Who was the last person you texted?
If you had asked people in the mid 20th century, what they thought phone technology would be like in the 21st century, they would have invariable said something like "phone with a video screen that lets you look at the person you are talking to" ( like the phones in "The Jetsons" ). Thus, I find it rather odd that with all our 21st century technology, people are sending messages via text with their phones. What's next? Will Apple unveil a telegraph application for the iPhone?
Anyway, that's just a long-winded way of saying that I have never sent a text message. I'm sure it can be fun, but I'm kinda old-school, and I'll just use my voice to communicate if I want to contact somebody via phone. I'm sure I'd be texting left and right if I had been born about 20 years later, but for now, I'm still very old-school ( Plus, I don't have a Blackberry, iPhone, or any mobile device that let's you type using a QWERTY keyboard. My cell phone just has numbers on it. I could text with it, but it would be a real pain ).
Who was the last person you hungout with?
I've been hanging out all day with my kids today ( Sunday Nov. 23rd, watching football ). However, if we are not talking about my immediate family, or a large party ( we went to a party at a friend's place yesterday ( a college friend of mine who had moved to Hong Kong is in the States for a week ) , and I saw a lot of my college buddies ), it's probably been a while. I loved to hang out with my buddies during my college days, but after you get married and have kids, that stuff really ends. Well, I guess it doesn't have to end. A lot of married guys like to "hang out with the boys", and leave their wife and kids at home, but I'm not really that type. I just love to have family time at home. When I do hang out with one of my buddies, my wife ( and kids ) and his wife ( and kids, if applicable ) are usually part of the outing. The last time we did something like that was mid-October, when we went apple picking with one of my buddies and his wife.
Who was the last person to call you?
My Dad.
Who did you last hug?
I hugged my son Michael a few minutes ago.
Who is the last person who texted you?
My Dad. He sent me a text message out of the blue about 2 months ago. That just shows how old-school I am. Even my Dad has gotten into texting before me.
Who was the last person you said "i love you" to?
My son Michael ( when I was hugging him ).
SIX WHERE’S:
Where do you live?
Edison, New Jersey, USA - but I'll always consider myself to be a New Yorker.
Where did you last go?
My wife and kids went to a get together at a friend's house yesterday ( Nov 22nd ).
Where did you last hang out?
Depending on what you mean by "hang out" ( see the hang-out question above ), it was either at home, at my friend's house for the party on Saturday, or at an apple orchid.
Where do you go to school?
I got a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University in '92, a Master of Engineering (Mechanical ) from Cornell in '93, but the best educational institution I ever attended was Stuyvesant High School ( Class of 1988 ).
Where is your favorite place to be?
There's no place like home.
Where did you sleep last night?
My nice comfy bed.
FIVE DO’S/DOES:
Do you like someone right now?
What is this, 3rd Grade?
Do you think anyone likes you?
See above. I would think my wife and I "like" each other if "like" means what it did back in 3rd Grade.
Do you ever wish you were someone else?
I think I'm pretty happy being me. It's not that I wouldn't want to trade circumstances with somebody, it's just that I'd still like to be me under those circumstances. Sure, it would be nice to inherit a billion dollars from some long-lost relative, but I'd only want it to happen if I could still be me, and still have the people I love in my life.
Do you know the muffin man?
Oh, yes, I know the muffin man, the muffin man, the muffin man;
Oh, yes, I know the muffin man, who lives on Drury Lane.
Does the future scare you?
I'm always scared about my boys' future.
FOUR WHY’S:
Why are you best friends with your best friend(s)?
They listen.
Why did you get a myspace?
I thought it would be fun to check out other people's myspace pages. I doubt I'll actually do much with the myspace page, but then again I'm in the middle of writing a massive blog entry for a blog I thought I'd barely update.
Why did your parents give you the name you have?
I'm named after my Dad, because my Dad wanted his first son to be named after him. However, my mother didn't want me to be a Junior, so I have a different middle name than my Dad. BTW, if I'd had been born a girl, I would have had the name Michelle.
Why are you doing this survey?
See the first paragraph of this blog post.
THREE IF’S:
If you could have one super power what would it be?
Flight.
If you could go back in time and change one thing, would you?
We all make mistakes occassionally that hurt the ones we love. If I could go back in time, I'd try to correct those mistakes.
If u were stranded on a deserted island & could bring 1 thing what would you bring?
A boat.
TWO WOULD-YOU-EVER’S:
Would you ever get back together with any of your ex’s if they asked you?
Considering that my wife is the only girlfriend I've ever had, this question doesn't really apply to me. However, theroretically, if I was a single guy who had ex's, I'm sure I would not want to get back with any of them. I can't imagine breaking up with somebody unless I had a really good reason, and if somebody hurt me by breaking up with me, I would never want to take that person back.
Would you ever shave your head to save someone you love?
I'd give up limbs to save someone I love, and I'd give my life for my sons without blinking.
ONE LAST QUESTION
Are you happy with your life right now?
Things are sometime tough with work and the issues with my kids, and I have my moments of despair, but all-in-all I realize how blessed I am.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
So very tired
I'm far too tired to make a proper YouTube vid this weekend, so I thought I'd make a quick blog post to explain why.
Little Peter has been really tough on us lately. He refuses to go to bed when we want to, and he get extremely angry if you try to force him to go to bed. Last night we shut off all the lights downstairs and headed up to bed despite Peter's protests. He followed us up, but then spent about 30 minutes screaming next to my wife and tugging on her arm to try to drag her out of bed. He then decided to take matters into his own hands and head downstairs by himself. We have the top of the steps blocked by a playpen full of really heavy stuff. We can move it easily enough, but it's worked really well as a makeshift gate to keep the boys upstairs at night.
So anyway, Peter gets to the playpen and decides to go to work on it. He's screaming and yanking and pulling on it with everything he's got. At first the playpen doesn't move at all, but as he gets progressively angry, Peter starts to gain strength like something out of The Incredible Hulk. Eventually, the playpen starts to move bit by bit, and the next thing you know Peter is heading down the steps. He gets downstairs, and starts turning on the lights and the TV. I head downstairs, turn off all the lights and the TV, and I start to carry him upstairs against his will.
Of course, he's kicking me ( several times in the nuts! ) the whole way up the steps. I get upstairs, put him down, and yank the playpen in front of the steps again. He's heads right for the playpen and starts yanking on it again. I pull his hands away, he tries to to grab the playpen again, and we go through this war of wills for about another 30 minutes. I really start to lose my patience with him, and I raise my voice so much that I'm feeling a little guilty about today. However, no matter how loudly or sternly I say "no", Peter is not really deterred. Finally, I think he just gets exhausted from all the screaming and kicking, and he crawls into bed next to my wife. After about 15 minutes of relatively tame crying, he finally falls asleep.
This all wears me out, but more than anything, it really breaks my heart. I worry so much about Peter' s future. Michael seems to have gotten past a lot of his problems ( Michael has had similar issues, but it was never as intense as it is with Peter ). I'm too spent to write much more about it now, but you can find more info about the challenges facing my boys here. I just hope everything works out okay. We just found out that his pre-school program ( for kids with his kind of development issues ) is now going to offer him a full day of school ( Peter wasn't supposed to start getting a full day of pre-school until September, so it's a very good thing that they will be giving him more instruction earlier. Apparently, Peter's been acting up a lot at pre-school lately, so everyone has decided that it would be best to give him more behavior and speech therapy. ). The pre-school worked wonders with Michael, so we are really hoping Peter can make the same kinds of strides. We also contacted the speech therapist who worked with both Michael and Peter between the ages of 2 and 3 ( At 3, the state of New Jersey no longer offeers the one-on-one speech therapy sessions and you need to send the kids to a city-run pre-school ). She's like an aunt to the boys ( we invite her to all their birthday parties, and she has offered to help in any way she can. So, we feel blessed to have so much help, but it doesn't stop me from worrying every day.
In any case, this post had turned out to be longer and more depressing that I had hoped, so I'd like to end on a lighter note. Take a look at the photo below:
This, my YouTube viewers, is where the Magic happens! Yes, I have shot, edited, and uploaded all 97 of my YouTube videos from that simple looking folding chair in this little wing of our bedroom. If you think this part of the room looks messy, it's only because you have not seen what the rest of the room looks like. I really need to try shooting some videos in another location. Unfortunately, I only have experience shooting on the iMac, and I don't feel like moving ( and potentially dropping/breaking ) the big iMac around the house. Of course, I do have a video camera, but it shoots on digital tape, and I don't feel like going through the effort of shooting stuff on tape and transfering it to the Mac ( I'm sure it's easy, but I'm just been too lazy to even try ). Perhaps I'll buy myself a Christmas present and get a video camera that records in a tapeless digital format. It's been more than 5 years ( we bought our old camera right before Michael was born ), so it's probably time for a new camera anyway. In the meantime, perhaps I'll put more pictures of my home in the blog, so folks don't think I'm trapped in the little part of my bedroom all the time.
Rich
Little Peter has been really tough on us lately. He refuses to go to bed when we want to, and he get extremely angry if you try to force him to go to bed. Last night we shut off all the lights downstairs and headed up to bed despite Peter's protests. He followed us up, but then spent about 30 minutes screaming next to my wife and tugging on her arm to try to drag her out of bed. He then decided to take matters into his own hands and head downstairs by himself. We have the top of the steps blocked by a playpen full of really heavy stuff. We can move it easily enough, but it's worked really well as a makeshift gate to keep the boys upstairs at night.
So anyway, Peter gets to the playpen and decides to go to work on it. He's screaming and yanking and pulling on it with everything he's got. At first the playpen doesn't move at all, but as he gets progressively angry, Peter starts to gain strength like something out of The Incredible Hulk. Eventually, the playpen starts to move bit by bit, and the next thing you know Peter is heading down the steps. He gets downstairs, and starts turning on the lights and the TV. I head downstairs, turn off all the lights and the TV, and I start to carry him upstairs against his will.
Of course, he's kicking me ( several times in the nuts! ) the whole way up the steps. I get upstairs, put him down, and yank the playpen in front of the steps again. He's heads right for the playpen and starts yanking on it again. I pull his hands away, he tries to to grab the playpen again, and we go through this war of wills for about another 30 minutes. I really start to lose my patience with him, and I raise my voice so much that I'm feeling a little guilty about today. However, no matter how loudly or sternly I say "no", Peter is not really deterred. Finally, I think he just gets exhausted from all the screaming and kicking, and he crawls into bed next to my wife. After about 15 minutes of relatively tame crying, he finally falls asleep.
This all wears me out, but more than anything, it really breaks my heart. I worry so much about Peter' s future. Michael seems to have gotten past a lot of his problems ( Michael has had similar issues, but it was never as intense as it is with Peter ). I'm too spent to write much more about it now, but you can find more info about the challenges facing my boys here. I just hope everything works out okay. We just found out that his pre-school program ( for kids with his kind of development issues ) is now going to offer him a full day of school ( Peter wasn't supposed to start getting a full day of pre-school until September, so it's a very good thing that they will be giving him more instruction earlier. Apparently, Peter's been acting up a lot at pre-school lately, so everyone has decided that it would be best to give him more behavior and speech therapy. ). The pre-school worked wonders with Michael, so we are really hoping Peter can make the same kinds of strides. We also contacted the speech therapist who worked with both Michael and Peter between the ages of 2 and 3 ( At 3, the state of New Jersey no longer offeers the one-on-one speech therapy sessions and you need to send the kids to a city-run pre-school ). She's like an aunt to the boys ( we invite her to all their birthday parties, and she has offered to help in any way she can. So, we feel blessed to have so much help, but it doesn't stop me from worrying every day.
In any case, this post had turned out to be longer and more depressing that I had hoped, so I'd like to end on a lighter note. Take a look at the photo below:
This, my YouTube viewers, is where the Magic happens! Yes, I have shot, edited, and uploaded all 97 of my YouTube videos from that simple looking folding chair in this little wing of our bedroom. If you think this part of the room looks messy, it's only because you have not seen what the rest of the room looks like. I really need to try shooting some videos in another location. Unfortunately, I only have experience shooting on the iMac, and I don't feel like moving ( and potentially dropping/breaking ) the big iMac around the house. Of course, I do have a video camera, but it shoots on digital tape, and I don't feel like going through the effort of shooting stuff on tape and transfering it to the Mac ( I'm sure it's easy, but I'm just been too lazy to even try ). Perhaps I'll buy myself a Christmas present and get a video camera that records in a tapeless digital format. It's been more than 5 years ( we bought our old camera right before Michael was born ), so it's probably time for a new camera anyway. In the meantime, perhaps I'll put more pictures of my home in the blog, so folks don't think I'm trapped in the little part of my bedroom all the time.
Rich
Monday, November 10, 2008
Michael at the polling place
My wife took Michael and Peter to the polling place with her on Election Day. They let her take the boys into the voting booth, and Michael actually got to push the button that made the vote official. She took this picture of Michael outside the polling place:
I can't believe how tall he's getting! My wife was always counting on my tall genes to override her short ones, and so far that seems to be working out okay.
Rich
I can't believe how tall he's getting! My wife was always counting on my tall genes to override her short ones, and so far that seems to be working out okay.
Rich
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Election Day
So, I got to the polls at 5:40 this morning. I was hoping to be the first person on line. Instead, I was 3rd, and by the time the polls opened at 6, there were about 50 people on line. 4 years ago, I was the only person there when the polls opened at 6. Things were so desolate on that morning in 2004, that the poll workers there thought I was another poll worker ( One of the poll worker ladies actually asked me to help out setting up the voting machines! ). With that in mind, I have just one question ...
Where the Hell were all these people 4 years ago????
Most pundits will tell you that one of the biggest factors in Obama's victory tonight was turnout. High turnout is always good for Democrats, and for the first time in a very long time, the supporters of the Democratic party came out in force. Of course, it's not hard to figure out the reason why. Barack Obama is a remarkably inspirational candidate. From his eloquent speeches, to his stirring life story, to the historical significance of his potential election, he is tranformational figure, and a once in a lifetime candidate. And while I'm glad he finally managed to get my fellow Liberal-Democrats off their rumps and out to the polling place, I'm disappointed that so many folks needed an inspiration figure to convince them that voting is important. Voting it the most important thing you can do as a citizen. Voting has consequences. Voting can change the world. People should have realized that 4 years ago. People should have realized this 8 years ago.
I think Obama will be a great President, but the last 8 years has left the USA in such a huge hole, that I don't think any President will be able to dig us out of it anytime soon. In the last two Presidental elections, Americans choose the Class Clown over the Teacher's Pet. They choose the "Guy they would like to have a beer with" over the nerdy boring guy who could actually get things done. Sure, Gore and Kerry weren't the most exciting fellows in the world, but if we had elected them instead of Bush, we wouldn't be dealing with ...
1) A National Debt that ballooned from $5 Trillion to $10 Trillion over the last 8 years ( We were running annual budget surpluses of $300 Billion a year under Clinton before Bush pushed through his irresponsible tax cuts ). $10 Trillion. 300 Million citizens. The math's not pretty. Our kids and grandkids will be paying much higher taxes for their entire lives as a result of the Bush tax cuts over the last 8 years.
2) An American Economy in collapse, which is threatening to take down the World Economy.
3) A world that no longer trusts or respects the USA.
4) A Justice Department and Supreme Court which seem determined to rescind Civil Rights that generations of Americans have died to protect.
5) A world in which Al Qaeda has more power and influence than Osama bin Laden could have ever dreamed of.
The last item above is the thing that really makes me angry. George W. Bush has never understood the nature of terrorism, and this has led to the deaths of at least one hundred thousand people, and has made the world a much more dangerous place. The truth he fails to grasp is that the primary goal of a terrorist is not merely to kill. Sure, the deaths of 3,000 Americans on Sept 11th was a great tragedy, but killing people is just a tactic that terrorists use. The difference between a terrorist and a homocidal maniac who guns down 20 people at a post office is that a terrorist has a strategic goal. The stategic goal of any terrorist organization is to influence the policy of large governments to suit the agenda of the terrorist organization. I don't think there has been any leader in history that has done more to advance the terrorist agenda than George W. Bush. I'm sure Bush meant well, but when you invade a country that had nothing to do with 9/11 ( which led to the deaths of at least 100,000 innocent civilians ), turn a relatively secular nation (Iraq) into a hotbed of Isalmic terrorist activity, and bomb innocent people indiscriminately ( not to mention jailing and torturing people without cause ), you shouldn't be surprised when Al Qaeda is reinforced with loads of new recruits, and Osama bin Laden becomes more popular than the USA in many Muslim nations.
So yes, I am filled with a lot of regret over the last 8 years, but I should stop worrying about the past and start to look ahead. I am extremely proud to be an American tonight. I am extremely proud to be a citizen of the world. What happened tonight is bigger than the Presidency - bigger than America. The world has fundamentally changed in a way that was unimaginable just a few years ago, and I'm very proud that America is leading the way.
There are still those in America for whom "American" means "white". There are those that think Hispanic and Asian Americans are "foreigners" and not real Americans. However, those folks don't really understand what America is about. The spirit of America is embodied by the following words which appear on a plaque at the base of the Statue of Liberty:
Give me your tired, your poor,
You huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless tempest-tossed, to me:
I will lift my lamp beside the golden door.
This is what America is all about. While most nations have largely homogeneous populations, America has always been a nation of imiigrants. We were built on the idea that once you stepped onto our shores, your race, religion, or country of origin didn't matter. We were built on the idea that people from all corners of the globe could join together to serve a common purpose. In that sense, America has always had an opportunity to serve as an example to the world. Indeed, I feel that we Americans have a huge responsibility to be a good example to the world. We haven't always lived up to that responsibility, but tonight - for at least one night - we have.
Rich
Where the Hell were all these people 4 years ago????
Most pundits will tell you that one of the biggest factors in Obama's victory tonight was turnout. High turnout is always good for Democrats, and for the first time in a very long time, the supporters of the Democratic party came out in force. Of course, it's not hard to figure out the reason why. Barack Obama is a remarkably inspirational candidate. From his eloquent speeches, to his stirring life story, to the historical significance of his potential election, he is tranformational figure, and a once in a lifetime candidate. And while I'm glad he finally managed to get my fellow Liberal-Democrats off their rumps and out to the polling place, I'm disappointed that so many folks needed an inspiration figure to convince them that voting is important. Voting it the most important thing you can do as a citizen. Voting has consequences. Voting can change the world. People should have realized that 4 years ago. People should have realized this 8 years ago.
I think Obama will be a great President, but the last 8 years has left the USA in such a huge hole, that I don't think any President will be able to dig us out of it anytime soon. In the last two Presidental elections, Americans choose the Class Clown over the Teacher's Pet. They choose the "Guy they would like to have a beer with" over the nerdy boring guy who could actually get things done. Sure, Gore and Kerry weren't the most exciting fellows in the world, but if we had elected them instead of Bush, we wouldn't be dealing with ...
1) A National Debt that ballooned from $5 Trillion to $10 Trillion over the last 8 years ( We were running annual budget surpluses of $300 Billion a year under Clinton before Bush pushed through his irresponsible tax cuts ). $10 Trillion. 300 Million citizens. The math's not pretty. Our kids and grandkids will be paying much higher taxes for their entire lives as a result of the Bush tax cuts over the last 8 years.
2) An American Economy in collapse, which is threatening to take down the World Economy.
3) A world that no longer trusts or respects the USA.
4) A Justice Department and Supreme Court which seem determined to rescind Civil Rights that generations of Americans have died to protect.
5) A world in which Al Qaeda has more power and influence than Osama bin Laden could have ever dreamed of.
The last item above is the thing that really makes me angry. George W. Bush has never understood the nature of terrorism, and this has led to the deaths of at least one hundred thousand people, and has made the world a much more dangerous place. The truth he fails to grasp is that the primary goal of a terrorist is not merely to kill. Sure, the deaths of 3,000 Americans on Sept 11th was a great tragedy, but killing people is just a tactic that terrorists use. The difference between a terrorist and a homocidal maniac who guns down 20 people at a post office is that a terrorist has a strategic goal. The stategic goal of any terrorist organization is to influence the policy of large governments to suit the agenda of the terrorist organization. I don't think there has been any leader in history that has done more to advance the terrorist agenda than George W. Bush. I'm sure Bush meant well, but when you invade a country that had nothing to do with 9/11 ( which led to the deaths of at least 100,000 innocent civilians ), turn a relatively secular nation (Iraq) into a hotbed of Isalmic terrorist activity, and bomb innocent people indiscriminately ( not to mention jailing and torturing people without cause ), you shouldn't be surprised when Al Qaeda is reinforced with loads of new recruits, and Osama bin Laden becomes more popular than the USA in many Muslim nations.
So yes, I am filled with a lot of regret over the last 8 years, but I should stop worrying about the past and start to look ahead. I am extremely proud to be an American tonight. I am extremely proud to be a citizen of the world. What happened tonight is bigger than the Presidency - bigger than America. The world has fundamentally changed in a way that was unimaginable just a few years ago, and I'm very proud that America is leading the way.
There are still those in America for whom "American" means "white". There are those that think Hispanic and Asian Americans are "foreigners" and not real Americans. However, those folks don't really understand what America is about. The spirit of America is embodied by the following words which appear on a plaque at the base of the Statue of Liberty:
Give me your tired, your poor,
You huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless tempest-tossed, to me:
I will lift my lamp beside the golden door.
This is what America is all about. While most nations have largely homogeneous populations, America has always been a nation of imiigrants. We were built on the idea that once you stepped onto our shores, your race, religion, or country of origin didn't matter. We were built on the idea that people from all corners of the globe could join together to serve a common purpose. In that sense, America has always had an opportunity to serve as an example to the world. Indeed, I feel that we Americans have a huge responsibility to be a good example to the world. We haven't always lived up to that responsibility, but tonight - for at least one night - we have.
Rich
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Waiting for communitychannel
I've got a confession to make. At least once a day, I've been checking communitychannel's recent videos to see if there have been any videos responses. The reason why is ...
1) Video responses to Natalie ( communitychannel ) do not show up as video responses on her videos until she has approved ( and presumably watched ) them.
2) It seems like she reviews her pending video responses in a huge block once every few weeks ( which makes sense, considering the huge number of video responses she must get ).
3) The fact that her videos from the last few weeks do not have responses posted, tells me that she has not checked her video responses in a few weeks.
4) I currently have 3 pending video responses to Nat.
So, I sit and wait in eager anticipation for the time Nat will actually watch my video responses. I get a great thrill when I know she's actually watched them, especially when she leaves comments. Now, if that sounds creepy and vaugely stalkerish, you aint heard nothin' yet. Just wait unitl I tell you exactly why get so thrilled when Natalie watches my videos.
The truth is, I have a huge man crush on Natalie.
Note that I said "man crush" rather than "crush", because the distinction is rather significant. I don't know if the term is commonly used in the rest of the English-speaking world, but in the USA, a "man crush" usually refers to a platonic crush that one guy has on a another guy. Very often man crushes involve sports figures. For example, lots of male New York Yankees fans have had man crushes on Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter for years. When a guy has a man crush of one his sports heroes, he often seems to adore his sports hero more than his wife or girlfriend. He'll talk about the guy all the time, think about him all the time, and would be devastated if the guy ever left his favorite sports team. Basically, a guy with a man crush has all the emotions a guy in love would have, except for all the sexual desire stuff. Considering that guys with man crushes are often macho, sports-loving, and sometimes homophobic, the term "man crush" can certainly be seen in moking terms. A great of example of this is the following video ( here ), which basically mocks the large number of guys in New England who have man crushes on New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady ( BTW, I picked my YouTube name in order to make a response to that video. Mo Lewis, who wore number 57, was a linebacker for the New York Jets ( my favorite football team ). Tom Brady was a back-up quarterback until Mo Lewis tackled the Patriots starting quarterback and ruptured the quarterback's spleen. Tom Brady then became the starting quarterback of the Patriots, and a football legend. ).
So, when I say I have a man crush on Nat, I mean that in the context of YouTube, I basically idolize her in a platonic way. Now, don't get me wrong, I certainly recognize that she's very pretty, but I've never really had a regular non-platonic crush on her. I also want to stress that I'm not just saying that because I'm a 38-year old married man. I've certainly never been afraid to admit that I have innocent heterosexual crushes on other women ( see the videos here, here, here, and here ), but my feelings for Nat are very much shaped by context. Let's say for the sake of the argument, I was 22 years younger, and I had met somebody like Nat in a High School Chemistry class. In that case, I would have seen Nat in the context of "She's that cute in my Chemistry class", and there is a very good chance I would have developed a crush on her. However, the context in which I actually first saw Nat was "Super-awesome YouTuber!". I first saw Nat when I clicked on one of her vidoes that was feautured on the main YouTube page in May or June of 2007. The video was the one in which she talks about how OCD she is and how she's afraid to touch other peoples hands because of germs. Before watching her video, I had only watched YouTube clips of TV shows. I wasn't even aware that there were YouTubers making their own homemade videos on a regular basis. So, when I watched Nat's video, I was amazed by what I saw ( though I'll admit when I first saw Nat do her "wear different clothes to play different characters"-thing, for a few seconds I thought "Gee, those 3 girls really look alike" ). After that, I watched her "Naters17" video ( where she dresses as Tetris ), and from that point on, I was hooked. It wasn't long before watching Nat gave me the idea to do videos on my own. Of course, I made my first video ( and my second ) in response to Nat. When Nat responded almost immediately with kind and encouraging comments, I think I became a communitychannel acoltye for life. I think I modeled my channel after hers ( My first few videos are very much in the communitychannel style, right down to the costume changes! ), and I began to view her as kind of a YouTube mentor ( to the extent that a person you've never met and who is 16 years younger than you can be a mentor ).
So, I guess in a way, my channel has kinda revolved around Nat ever since then. Sure, most of my videos have nothing to do with her, but it's never that long between video responses to her, and sad as it may seem, the online part of my personality likes to get validation from Natalie ( in other words, I like to get communitychannel comments on my videos ) much like a child might like to get validation from a parent ( Because hey, if there is such a thing as a YouTube Mom, Natalie would be my YouTube Mom ( Gee, that sounded weird coming from a 38-year old guy with two kids - buy hey, I'm just keeping it real. Nat really did give birth to my YouTube life, and probably the YouTube lives of many other folks ) ).
Anyway, considering how many video responses come her way, I'm been amazed by how often she's given me that validation. She doesn't comment on 100% of my video responses, but she comments at a far higher rate ( about 50% ) than any other "famous" YouTuber I've sent video responses too. In fact, I think she may have even given me a secret kind of response during an occassion where she didn't leave a comment. Once, when she was complaining a lot about guys making rude comments about her boobs ( She was threatening to pull a lot of her videos ), I made a video in which I made it clear that her real fans were not watching her for that kind of stuff. I also mentioned in the video that my all time favorite communitychannel moment was when she dressed up as Tetris. She didn't make any comments on the video, but a day after the my video response was accepted, her channel icon became a picture of her in her Tetris costume ( the icon stayed that way for a week before changing back to a basic headshot ). Perhaps I'm reading too much into to this, but if she was really willing to acknowledge a fan that way, that makes about as cool as a person can be.
On a more practical matter, communitychannel video responses have certainly been one of the two main engines that keep my channel going with new subscribers ( The other factor is the Gay community. Many of of my most viewed videos ( and most discussed by a VERY wide margin ) are my videos on the subject of Gay Rights ). When she favorited my Scones video ( the ultimate validation ), my number of subscribers doubled in just a few months. More importantly, I've met a lot a great folks online since then ( which has led to this blog ), and in a way, that can all be traced back to Natalie.
And yes, after all this rambling, I don't want to given anybody the impression that I've lost perspective. Sure, I have a "real" life, and there is nothing more valuable than that. There's nothing I enjoy more than family time with my wife and boys. Sure, there's a time and place for my online life, but when that time comes ( Now is one of those times, my wife and kids have been asleep for the last two hours ), I intend to enjoy it to the fullest. Back before my kids were born, I spent far more time playing video games than I spend YouTube-ing/blogging now. I gave up video games after my first son was born, and I really haven't had any kind of hobby since. I think everybody needs a hobby, so I think all this YouTube stuff really has filled a void in my life. It's certainly better to make ( or try to make ) creative videos and interact with people around the world than it would be to spend all my free time insulated in the world of videos games. Yeah, so I don't need to "Get a Life". I've got one, thank you - and it's going pretty good - but I also have a virtual life, and I actually think it makes my "real" life more complete.
Thanks to all who read this ridiculously long post,
Rich
1) Video responses to Natalie ( communitychannel ) do not show up as video responses on her videos until she has approved ( and presumably watched ) them.
2) It seems like she reviews her pending video responses in a huge block once every few weeks ( which makes sense, considering the huge number of video responses she must get ).
3) The fact that her videos from the last few weeks do not have responses posted, tells me that she has not checked her video responses in a few weeks.
4) I currently have 3 pending video responses to Nat.
So, I sit and wait in eager anticipation for the time Nat will actually watch my video responses. I get a great thrill when I know she's actually watched them, especially when she leaves comments. Now, if that sounds creepy and vaugely stalkerish, you aint heard nothin' yet. Just wait unitl I tell you exactly why get so thrilled when Natalie watches my videos.
The truth is, I have a huge man crush on Natalie.
Note that I said "man crush" rather than "crush", because the distinction is rather significant. I don't know if the term is commonly used in the rest of the English-speaking world, but in the USA, a "man crush" usually refers to a platonic crush that one guy has on a another guy. Very often man crushes involve sports figures. For example, lots of male New York Yankees fans have had man crushes on Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter for years. When a guy has a man crush of one his sports heroes, he often seems to adore his sports hero more than his wife or girlfriend. He'll talk about the guy all the time, think about him all the time, and would be devastated if the guy ever left his favorite sports team. Basically, a guy with a man crush has all the emotions a guy in love would have, except for all the sexual desire stuff. Considering that guys with man crushes are often macho, sports-loving, and sometimes homophobic, the term "man crush" can certainly be seen in moking terms. A great of example of this is the following video ( here ), which basically mocks the large number of guys in New England who have man crushes on New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady ( BTW, I picked my YouTube name in order to make a response to that video. Mo Lewis, who wore number 57, was a linebacker for the New York Jets ( my favorite football team ). Tom Brady was a back-up quarterback until Mo Lewis tackled the Patriots starting quarterback and ruptured the quarterback's spleen. Tom Brady then became the starting quarterback of the Patriots, and a football legend. ).
So, when I say I have a man crush on Nat, I mean that in the context of YouTube, I basically idolize her in a platonic way. Now, don't get me wrong, I certainly recognize that she's very pretty, but I've never really had a regular non-platonic crush on her. I also want to stress that I'm not just saying that because I'm a 38-year old married man. I've certainly never been afraid to admit that I have innocent heterosexual crushes on other women ( see the videos here, here, here, and here ), but my feelings for Nat are very much shaped by context. Let's say for the sake of the argument, I was 22 years younger, and I had met somebody like Nat in a High School Chemistry class. In that case, I would have seen Nat in the context of "She's that cute in my Chemistry class", and there is a very good chance I would have developed a crush on her. However, the context in which I actually first saw Nat was "Super-awesome YouTuber!". I first saw Nat when I clicked on one of her vidoes that was feautured on the main YouTube page in May or June of 2007. The video was the one in which she talks about how OCD she is and how she's afraid to touch other peoples hands because of germs. Before watching her video, I had only watched YouTube clips of TV shows. I wasn't even aware that there were YouTubers making their own homemade videos on a regular basis. So, when I watched Nat's video, I was amazed by what I saw ( though I'll admit when I first saw Nat do her "wear different clothes to play different characters"-thing, for a few seconds I thought "Gee, those 3 girls really look alike" ). After that, I watched her "Naters17" video ( where she dresses as Tetris ), and from that point on, I was hooked. It wasn't long before watching Nat gave me the idea to do videos on my own. Of course, I made my first video ( and my second ) in response to Nat. When Nat responded almost immediately with kind and encouraging comments, I think I became a communitychannel acoltye for life. I think I modeled my channel after hers ( My first few videos are very much in the communitychannel style, right down to the costume changes! ), and I began to view her as kind of a YouTube mentor ( to the extent that a person you've never met and who is 16 years younger than you can be a mentor ).
So, I guess in a way, my channel has kinda revolved around Nat ever since then. Sure, most of my videos have nothing to do with her, but it's never that long between video responses to her, and sad as it may seem, the online part of my personality likes to get validation from Natalie ( in other words, I like to get communitychannel comments on my videos ) much like a child might like to get validation from a parent ( Because hey, if there is such a thing as a YouTube Mom, Natalie would be my YouTube Mom ( Gee, that sounded weird coming from a 38-year old guy with two kids - buy hey, I'm just keeping it real. Nat really did give birth to my YouTube life, and probably the YouTube lives of many other folks ) ).
Anyway, considering how many video responses come her way, I'm been amazed by how often she's given me that validation. She doesn't comment on 100% of my video responses, but she comments at a far higher rate ( about 50% ) than any other "famous" YouTuber I've sent video responses too. In fact, I think she may have even given me a secret kind of response during an occassion where she didn't leave a comment. Once, when she was complaining a lot about guys making rude comments about her boobs ( She was threatening to pull a lot of her videos ), I made a video in which I made it clear that her real fans were not watching her for that kind of stuff. I also mentioned in the video that my all time favorite communitychannel moment was when she dressed up as Tetris. She didn't make any comments on the video, but a day after the my video response was accepted, her channel icon became a picture of her in her Tetris costume ( the icon stayed that way for a week before changing back to a basic headshot ). Perhaps I'm reading too much into to this, but if she was really willing to acknowledge a fan that way, that makes about as cool as a person can be.
On a more practical matter, communitychannel video responses have certainly been one of the two main engines that keep my channel going with new subscribers ( The other factor is the Gay community. Many of of my most viewed videos ( and most discussed by a VERY wide margin ) are my videos on the subject of Gay Rights ). When she favorited my Scones video ( the ultimate validation ), my number of subscribers doubled in just a few months. More importantly, I've met a lot a great folks online since then ( which has led to this blog ), and in a way, that can all be traced back to Natalie.
And yes, after all this rambling, I don't want to given anybody the impression that I've lost perspective. Sure, I have a "real" life, and there is nothing more valuable than that. There's nothing I enjoy more than family time with my wife and boys. Sure, there's a time and place for my online life, but when that time comes ( Now is one of those times, my wife and kids have been asleep for the last two hours ), I intend to enjoy it to the fullest. Back before my kids were born, I spent far more time playing video games than I spend YouTube-ing/blogging now. I gave up video games after my first son was born, and I really haven't had any kind of hobby since. I think everybody needs a hobby, so I think all this YouTube stuff really has filled a void in my life. It's certainly better to make ( or try to make ) creative videos and interact with people around the world than it would be to spend all my free time insulated in the world of videos games. Yeah, so I don't need to "Get a Life". I've got one, thank you - and it's going pretty good - but I also have a virtual life, and I actually think it makes my "real" life more complete.
Thanks to all who read this ridiculously long post,
Rich
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