Another day, another crazy wild city

Today on our installment of where in the world is Matthew, I have landed in Amsterdam home of diamonds, chocolate and some other sweet delicacies. The flight over was unremarkable save a portly fellow who was my cabin mate (a.k.a sitting next to me) for the short seven and a half hour flight. Lest you think I have something against portly gentleman quite the contrary, he was a cheerful individual who quickly went to the sleep directly following the dinner service. What I make notice of is the repeated samples of internal air he decided to share with the rest of the cabin and myself especially. Now I don’t know if his poison was Indian, Mexican, Tai or just plain beans but they came out rancid with a capital R. Even the two sitting behind me could be heard gasping at the occasional extreme noxious fumes. Arriving in Amsterdam never had fresh air smelling so good.

Speaking of the air winter out here can be a cold and forbidden area. With fog so thick the visibility is measured in single digit feet and even the taxi drivers have difficulty navigating some of the roads. But alive and in one piece I made it. Now the goal is to stay awake as long as possible to acclimate oneself as rapidly as possible. What better way then to walk around the city in the bitter cold?

My first observation is that the woman of this fine city are unbelievably stunning. Now for those of you who have been to Amsterdam or have heard the stories I am not referring to the woman who adorn windows in a specific street, rather I am talking of the everyday woman walking or much more commonly biking down the street. Does it have to do with a girl in a mini-skirt with knee high boots bicycling down the street while text messaging on the phone? Or maybe it is their wonderful facial complexion and deep blue eyes, with rosy cheeks (mostly due to the cold)? Either way they are stunning to view if for the first time or the hundredth time.

At this point I fear I need to take a hour nap for fear of utterly crashing in a couple of hours. More on the women in the windows when we return.

Get on the train

I direct your attention to two quotes, the first the more somber for the mature in heart.

“If you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there.”

Simply put if you have no idea what your goals or dreams might be, it truly doesn’t matter what choices you make. You can change jobs, stay in the same place, it doesn’t matter you chose not where you are going. When I entered college I had a five year plan with a number of goals. I found this list recently during my move and remarkably enough with the exception of one I have met each of them. Maybe there is something to be said for subconsciously making choices to accomplish what we lay out to do. So my goal for this holiday season is to lay out my next ten year plan. Where do I want to be when I hit the unthinkable age of 37? Will advise as I start solidifying key objectives. But time for the second quote.

“The most important thing about trains is not where it is going, is getting onboard to begin with”

This is otherwise known as the key to any trip is the journey not the destination and I am a firm believer. Taking the first step which may be scary or uncomfortable is the key to growth and satisfaction. Deciding to change jobs, move houses, transverse difficult personal pilgrimages or even deciding on a vacation to a remote location can be a major deal to some, but the rewards are more than worth it. Can we all imagine the poster that professed “No Guts, No Glory?” Well do we not believe it to be true? Even if one fails on an enterprise, I don’t mean just fail, I mean utterly and completely fail, one still learns. Take Walt Disney as an example, Walt went bankrupt twice on his journey to become the giant he was destined to be. Did he take the failure, even the second failure as an excuse to give up? Nay, rather he picked up the pieces pushed his mind to try something completely new and look at the rewards. He got back on the train put his destiny back on track. We all need to take setbacks, even failures as a push onward and upward, who knows what lessons we learn from the small decisions, only to aid us when we come to larger opportunities.

Thus endeth the lesson.

A time for thanks

As the hour turns to a day of thanksgiving we reflect on what that really. If we look at this from a historical view it is a time to appreciate what we have in this great nation. Did you know earlier this month on election day a small town in the Midwest elected an 18 year old to be mayor? No this was not a stunt or prank, an 18 year old had some issues with the politics and direction of the incumbent and decided to take a stand and put his money where his mouth was. Taking money from a summer job, he ran and won. Now prior to graduating high school he is about to take office as mayor of the town. To some extent it is not about who wins, it is the process that we should be thankful for. We have the oldest form of government that has had nothing but peaceful transitions on a continual set basis. We share freedoms not enjoyed by other countries, those freedoms guaranteed by not weapons or even documents, rather by a belief, a belief formed in the 1770s. So that is one way of looking at this Thanksgiving.

Another is to look at this Thanksgiving and be thankful for our health and that of our family. According to the CDC (center for disease control) 99.3 percent of all infants live to see their first birthday in2002, as compared to 87.6%. Life expectancy has increased by almost 9 years since 1975, only 30 years. We live in a time where we are experiencing a wealth of new innovations in health and medicine barely imagined decades ago. This is not to say we do not have horrible debilitating illnesses, but very few diseases are without hope. Unfortunately there are still too many people in this country that do not have access to the same medical care, especially children that many of you reading this enjoy. This is something that needs to be addressed for clearly medicare as it stands right now is not the solution. We have arguably the best doctors and facilities on the planet, we just need to make it available to some of those that need it the most. However as we reflect on what we do have, the health of our community is far better than it has ever been.

But maybe that is too abstract. How many of us have traveled on this day that is meant to be spent with family. Be it by car or rail or air, a considerable portion of this country is moving from place to place to be with those remote. How long ago was it that travel was measured in days and not the hours we expect now. Sitting on a plane direct from San Francisco to Baltimore where my parents live I sat next to a gentleman calmly working on numerical puzzles. When we both got up to go to the bathroom a can of apple juice was spilled into his seat. The stewardess placed blankets upon the seat and apologized, but this gentleman could not have been more calm stating that if that was the worst that was to happen to him, well he is a lucky man. He was going home to his wife, his kids, and his parents, he was a happy man. Never should we take for granted the gift of transportation in a manner never enjoyed by earlier generations.

So be it the joy of a country that expounds its freedoms to all of its citizens regardless of age, or the health of those closest to us, or even the ability to spend precious time with those not as close as desired, we all should find something to be thankful for. This day of Thanksgiving is more than just having a turkey and watching the Macy’s day parade. It is also a day of reflection for all that was done to make our lives, our community, and our family what it is today. God Bless, and have a great Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving sympathy

Its time for Thanksgiving. A time for over indulging in a banquet meal, football, It’s a Wonderful Life (multiple times a day everyday until Valentine’s Day), and family. I spent most of the past two days hearing from my co-workers all their own ways of making their famous turkey. I had one who actually de-bones the entire turkey before ever cooking it. Another with a famous barbecue, while a former chef actually makes a teriyaki version. Each one is completely assured that theirs is the finest must succulent turkey ever to graze the table since the pilgrims themselves cooked over an open fire. I haven’t the heart to tell them I would much rather have a great meal of Chinese food.

Work is encountering ever more change than could be expected. I am rapidly moving to my fifth manager in only ten months at this group and I know many others are leaving to find new opportunities. I wonder sometimes if I am missing the boat if this was only meant to be a way station between improved opportunities. I don’t know if that is the way it is, I do however know that I am going to continue to do the best possible job and taking life as it is thrown to me.

Last Saturday I retested for my EMT certification and I know you will be thrilled to know I recertified. Yes with a few weeks of studying, ok lets call a spade what it is I crammed my head with every indication, contraindication and dosage needed, and well I passed. Only two more years until my next examination.

Tomorrow I take to the skies on the busiest holiday travel day in the calendar year. I have received more sympathy and remorse from others than I think I need in any form, at least not for travel. Sure it is going to be crowded, but how bad can it be? Well I will inform you once I get to Baltimore with my family. Until then everyone have a great Thanksgiving and if you are with family or friends, enjoy.

This is the space needle in Seattle, built in 1962 for the World's Fair. 

That is Shery Crow in the middle, very attractive and a wonderful singer.  

Lets do what is hard

Lets do what’s hard

Life is full of decisions. What is right and what is wrong. What is easy and what is hard. What will help and what will hurt. How much time do we spend on these decisions? Deciding on a suit or dress could take hours, a car days, and a home weeks to months. Yet a life altering decision for another we might spend scare seconds. Need a tangible, the last time a friend or co-worker asked a personal favor how long did you think before answering? We tell ourselves if it was truly important they would have told us, have we ever considered the fact that even asking in the first place is telling enough? Take a moment from the day and listen, really listen to what someone is asking or saying. If they tend not to prattle on randomly maybe there is a reason they are at this moment. Maybe they have something to say, but simply can not. We owe it to our friends to listen even when they can not talk.

Honor takes a lifetime to learn and yet also a trait one needs to be born with. In some modes of media we idealize honor, courage and integrity, yet in others we show it as idolatry. Demonstrate, go see Jennifer Aniston in “Derailed” a well produced and acted film rival to “The Phone booth”. It personified the absolute worst traits in even the best of people. It puts forth the devil which slumbers in the most kind of individuals. A well made move to depress an eager soul. Contrast to the latest Harry Potter saga, although not without its gloomy and dark moments still embodies the best in people. It believes in repentance, honor and friendship that no amount of evil can suppress. The movie was outstandingly created with increased character development, but in the respect of this argument it embodies the angel inside even the worst of people. We see and read enough evil in newspaper and on television to curl the hair on our toes, can we not take time to create hope in the betterness of people. The belief that honor does exist and in the worst of times may shine through like a beacon of light through the fog of our soul. Let us not sink to the level of anger, revenge, and cheats, let us instead rise to the plateau of integrity, honor and courage.

To which leads me to a final thought for all. Depending who you talk to we are either approaching or are in the midst of the holiday season. A time when charities abound with pleas of generosity for this is their time for hope in the betterness and kindness of all. Too easy it is for us to simply present money to these charities and bid them a find day while we show them our back. Too easy is it for us not to get involved with that self satisfaction of having helped in a manner that took the least effort or dirt. Do not get me wrong, these charities would not exist without the financial generosity of so many, but yet to be part of a community we need to dedicate our time as well. In rural villages around the world the life of one neighbor deeply affects another. From as far away as Africa or Iceland to as close as Racine or Watsonville when a person in a tribe is in trouble all come to help for they thrive or drown together. “When my brother’s house burned down he needed not to ask for a place to stay, for we all provided a shelter before he could speak” I challenge all of us, as I am just as guilty of this, to find some way to touch another in a meaningful manner. Be it ladling soup in a kitchen, or building a house, our time and our skills are the most precious gifts. There are 6,248 estimated homeless in San Francisco out of an estimated 744,000 permanent residents. An estimated 750,000 people are homeless throughout the country. The fearful number however that it was estimated in one of the only officially sanctioned studies in the past twenty years that in 1989 the DOE (department of education) estimated almost 220,000 school age children are homeless and do not attend school. A non government study by the Better Homes Fund partially sponsored by Harvard law in 1999 estimated that number has grown to over 1 million children. A staggering amount and a humbling one when we consider that our monetary gift is enough. I do not know what is the right way to reach out to those who need. I am however reminded of the saying of teaching a man to fish versus handing one to him. In both Judaism and Christianity, charity is actually ranked in ascending order in 8 levels. Many of them deal with how to give money so either the recipient or donator remain anonymous, all of that is left in the rear when the act of preventing someone from needing to request money is brought forth. Let us take this opportunity as we reflect with our family and friends to create ways to reach out to our community and truly embody that we survive and thrive together.

Let us do what is hard for it is the honorable thing to do!

Sheryl we love you!!

Tonight was a Microsoft customer appreciation event at the show I am at. Now although Microsoft is the butt of most jokes and scorn, this fails to stop most of the attendees of this show (and myself) from attending their event. They had roughly 1500 people and over 400 gallons of beer and liquor. Not horrible except for the fact that there was absolutely no food to help soak up the alcohol. Suffice to say everyone got pretty liquored up by the time the main act hit the stage. Yes we had Sheryl Crow show up and sing a couple of songs. I was within 15 feet of her in the front row in a mosh pit of drunks. The drunks couldn’t stop screaming ‘we love you Sheryl’ as well as we want you, and everything else that came into their head. In fact they even went so far as to throw empty cups at the stage, embarrassing. But overall it was a fun event, and Sheryl does put on a good concert. Pictures to follow.

Best of Times, Worst of Times

My lack of entries have been a reflection of some craziness in my life. Alas work has become just a bit more stressful with yet another regime change my fifth in 10 months in this position. No reflection on the people, however that many changes in any position is tough. Either way, now some fun stories to regale you and provide you some amusement.

I am studying for my recertification for my EMT (yes one needs to do this every two years) at the public library in downtown San Fran. A wonderful library filled with numerous quiet rooms, internet stations and yes a few books as well. Saturday morning at 10am promptly the library opened and within 2 minutes as the crowd outside funneled in a large and comprehensive fight broke out amongst three youths. These youths not being physically young rather more socially or emotionally began to fight over bumping into each other in the corridor. This argument ended up needing five police officers to finally tackle one of the individuals who was providing a healthy fight, all three ended up being escorted out in handcuffs. Now I ask you, at 10 am on a Saturday morning what could possibly inspire one to begin fighting. I was incredulous as I watch this but the librarian educated me to the fact that they tend to have a number of fights that break out on a daily basis usually over the limited number of internet kiosks freely available for all. A sad sort of affair when people come to blows over an internet station and get led to jail for assault.

Event two happened just this morning as I was walking through security. The TSA agent who was helping people put their belongings in the x-ray machine wished me a safe flight and that Jesus loves me. Now I have some small issue with this very simple phrase. I am sure if you believe in Jesus, he indeed loves you but if you don’t believe in Jesus I find it hard to believe that he feels any emotion toward me, especially if I don’t believe he is feeling anything at the moment. I don’t think I mind a random person saying that to me, but a public official I find that just a bit annoying. I have no problem with celebrating your religion in clothing, jewelry, or music, but when you start imposing it in others, I feel that does cross a line.

On that same flight I was listening to my iPod shuffle a device that measures no more than an inch tall and quarter inch wide. During landing I was asked to shut it off as it can cause interference with the cockpit controls. Now I am sorry, but who are you kidding with that kind of lame excuse. You are telling me that my tiny iPod shuffle is powerful enough to bring down an airbus A320? If it was that easy the amount of security we go through is absolutely pointless, terrorists could simply bring on a couple of iPods in their pocket and crash the plane. Do the airlines or more specifically the government believe people are really that stupid. Almost as good is when they ask that we refrain from using Wi-Fi on the flight at any time as it can also crash the plane. Of course ignore the fact that most airlines are now offering paid Wi-Fi internet access on flights across country, somehow those are safe. So I ask, are we truly that gullible or willing to allow things that we know to be blatantly wrong to pass by us? Apparently we do.

Finally I am now here in Seattle for an event and besides the absolutely freezing weather it was a great city. I have been here once before with someone who was once quite special to me, and the city has lost none of its charm. It takes a little while to get used to the fact that there is 2-3 Starbucks per city block but besides that just a great walking city. More updates to come, have a good week in the meantime.

CRASH!!

I don’t think I will ever forget the sound of human bones against metal and glass of a speeding car. Recently I was walking down Market street to get some food for lunch when I heard rather than saw a car speeding down the street hit a pedestrian on foot with such force it shattered the windshield. The sound was sickening, the results horrifying. I ran over and it took all my experience, all my practice not to lose my lunch right there. As we build stronger materials and faster vehicles, the human body does not change to shield us any better. His wounds were extensive and as I tried to treat as best I could without any equipment I found myself displacing my emotions and entering into a professional state. Later at lunch with a friend, she inquired as to how I felt, I couldn’t honestly lie to her, and yet I felt very little afterwards. Maybe a little pride in being able to help, and sadness at a gentleman about to have a very bad start to his weekend, but that was it. Does one lose a little humanity when turned professional?

Along my journeys throughout the city this past weekend I stumbled across a metropolis of learning. A sanctuary of relief from the hectic pace of the outside world. In a city square filled with learned people filling the city hall, with talented artists in the performing art center stood on Larkin Street a silver building erected as a monolith to all who wish to enter. Yes I have re-discovered the library. What days there were when I browsed the aisles in the 900s of non-fiction back in my days in Milwaukee where the lives of great and not so great leaders were forever entombed. Further were the 340s where the science and technology section breathed such enticing titles as the origins of electricity or the secrets of DNA. Aisle after aisle of books with pictureless covers, just pages of information and history. How often do adventurers wander into the world of non-fiction when not on a school project? When was the last time we pick of a subject that we have no past history with? Armed with a brand new library card I left with a biography of Winston Churchill not as an international leader but a founder of domestic change, as well as the history of the Roman Empire in AD79 when 4 emperors ruled in the same year through assassinations, coups and all nature of political schemes. For the first time in years I spent the evening engulfed in the history of both ancient and modern times. It has been far too long since I have taken the time to learn something new. Even now I look forward to my next voyage to the palace on Larkin St.

Time, its just time

86,400 seconds, 1,440 minutes, 24 hours. It seems like so much time, and yet it is just discreet moments. We sleep for an average of 7 hours of that day, 420 minutes. If we watch TV for simply an hour that is 60 more minutes never to be recovered. Money is easy, we make more of it on a daily basis if we work, we borrow from friends, or acquire through other means. But our time, that is a limited resource we obtain only from our health or the lord depending on your beliefs. What we do with it defines how we will be remembered.

When you quantify your day based on how much time you spend, it certainly puts things in perspective. Granted time in traffic can seem like a waste, when you spend an hour with red lights blaring in your eyes, smog seeping around your air conditioned car and frustration on all sides. Yet when we take that opportunity to take a pause from our crazy day and call a friend whom you have not spoken to in a few weeks or maybe a family member that has been on your list to call for an even longer time, which is not wasted time at all. It is all how we spend the time that has been granted to us. But this brings into sharp relief something much more pressing than how much time we spend watching television, in our car or even in the bathroom (yes you know who you are that spend more than an hour a day in there). We need to consider how we spend the better part of our day. Is it on small tactical projects that seem so important and even critical at the time, and yet do they really matter at the end of the day. Or did we spend our time working on some of the most important strategic things that are so important to ourselves, or family, or our job? I pose to you that when we really look at what we accomplish on a daily basis, a majority of our time is simply spent on keeping the status quo or on seemingly short term urgent requests. Next time when it seems like your entire day has gotten away from you and its not even 10am, think about if this is really something that is going to matter tomorrow and if your time would be better served working on something bigger. Just something to think about.

As for me this week has been agreeably a blur of work issues and some wonderful times with good friends. One of my friends took me out to a wonderful French restaurant in the city for an extended lunch. I don’t know if I have mentioned this before, but yet another benefit to the city is the numerous locales offering diverse delectable food selections. This restaurant was no exception, and in an exceedingly unpretentious way offered a wonderful lunch. Yes I realize I am going off on a single meal, but between the food and the company it was a high point for the week. Otherwise I actually got to a point where I am making some amount of impact at work and I am loving that. There is nothing better than feeling like you are actually accomplishing something.

300,000 strong!

How crazy can any major city take Halloween? Well I have now seen the answer and it is amazing. 300,000 people showed up on Market street near the Castro for what became a massive block party. The police closed off all of market for roughly 8 city blocks and all of Castro street, another 4 blocks. In many ways the party was less crazy than Saturday and in other ways so much more so. On Saturday there was quite a bit more openness on the behalf of the gay community, and a general sense of open block party. Last night was more about being seen and more of a parade mentality. It was certainly crazy based on the sheer number of people, but less of a party than a bunch of people walking around looking at each other.

In terms of the costumes, there were certainly many creative costumes and there was more than a healthy share of the sexiest possible lingerie ever to be seen in public. With naughty nurses, maids, police officers, fire women, flight attendants, fairy tale characters all in attendance, not to mention a certain amount of ladies who just wanted to wear skimpy tight leather thongs. Keep in mind I am not complaining, however seeing Snow White in a mini-skirt with a thong and a low cut dress will I am sure give me nightmares. There was of course those that chose not to dress up but would rather just take pictures and ogle the ladies. There were the Japanese tourists with multiple cameras and then those individuals that frankly are simply identified as troublemaker gang members. The police presence was intense for this purpose but they certainly chose their fights carefully. Woman getting verbally harangued by drunk men certainly did not qualify, nor did the more than occasional slap or fell of the butt. I feel bad, on the other hand wearing a tiny thong and string bikini probably does open one up to a certain amount of at least verbal comments (not that I condone any of it!).

I did however see quite a few fights involving the police, but I fear that is to be expected with 300,000 people in a confined space. They did however do an excellent job of confining the fights and not letting it get out of control, at no time did I really feel unsafe. Unfortunately due to where I live, the sirens that were helping disband the crowd did keep me up until about 3am, but no complaints. It is part of living in the city and I love it.

Finally my ultimate non-PC picture. I would love to post more but I do believe the graphic nature of them would move by blog into a slightly different category. Hope you enjoyed them. 

Disney even got into the act with a lovely and tasteful Cinderella. 

Even more fairy tale characters. Yes I would so get into a wolf costume and wear a dress for this. 

Why are these flight attendants never on my flight?? Seriously just once I would love a flight with them, maybe even a short one? 

I am just in love!! I love catwoman! Meow. 

Umm, somehow I think DC comics missed this superhero. 

Even celebrities came out to celebrate. I didn't want to tell Raggedy Ann that I slept with her as a child. 

Yes this nun had just a little too much to share with the crowd. Yikes! 

Fairy tail heaven. What is with tall guys anyway?? 

Oops wrong holiday Santa, this is not Nightmere before Christmas. 

Yes I was a priest, yes those are two of the tallest nurses I have ever seen, and yes they are both men. Bless you, my children. 

Even the dogs got into the act. Isn't he the cutest little.... 

Some very creative costumes, I am really not sure what he is dressed up as.