SuperWonderBang

The new 4-up effects in Leopard’s PhotoBooth kept me up tonight.

Happy Times

Not-so-Happy Times

I have been disconnected recently from the political scene, the daily news, and really any sort of ongoing topical interests. It’s mostly due to being really busy with work during the day and trying, unsuccessfully (despite lots of time and effort), to make some progress with a freelance project I am working on.

With this pressure, I’ve turned to the digital crack of this day and age: Madden on the Xbox360. I am finally revisiting my Cincinnati Bengals franchise which I started over a year ago. I’m also shredding on Guitar Hero, though I am not very good at that game at all.

In addition to these distractions, the weather seems to be putting a damper on just about everything. It’s hot. It’s dry. It just makes me want to sit on the couch with a book or else watching Vanilla Ice trying to ride a bucking bull on that Ty Murray TV show.

So, what I am looking for is some sort of rejuvenation. Any recommendations?

I’ve watched quite a few episodes of ABC’s American Inventor. There are plenty of people whose stories are touching or sad. There are plenty of weirdos as well. What’s rare on the show are the people whose story seems genuine and whose invention isn’t just some improvement on another product.

Maybe none of that applies to Bobby Grissett from Conway, SC. He invented a large cross-cut knife that is used to cut large pans of cakes, brownies, and other baked goods. His years of experience in industrial kitchens lead him to seek out something to make his job easier. The panel might have been right in pointing out the product’s lack of mass appeal, but what they seemed to miss was the real American part of Mr. Grissett.

A military veteran who now runs the cafeteria in a school district in South Carolina, Mr. Grissett really embodies both the greatness and the disparity in America. Mr. Grissett seems to be a man who might not have had all the finest things in life, nor all the greatest opportunities. Yet, he has worked hard all his life in what is surely an almost thankless job. He has provided for his family to the best of his abilities. There are a lot of people in America doing that. What makes him uniquely American is his lack of whining and his seemingly constant striving for even better.

Mr. Grissett hasn’t rested on just the hard work he has done, but he has vision and hope and desire. What’s more, he honestly believes that he can achieve all those things. That makes him one of the more compelling people I have seen on the show. It surely makes him a great symbol of an America that far too often gets hidden behind our minor differences. Mr. Grissett serves as a great reminder that we should never give up and never quit working for better for our families.

Technorati Tags: american inventor, abc, capitalism, entrepreneurship, american dream

I’m certain that something or someone is testing me. The last two days have had me face two very similar moral quandaries.

Yesterday, at the grocery store, the automatic self scanner machine gave me back the wrong change. It owed me $4, but instead gave me 3 ones and a 10. So, instead of $4, I had $13. I paused for a minute wondering what I was going to do. Should I give it back? Has anyone seen me? A very typical question to be asked of me. I turned to the cashier there and told her that I had been given the wrong change. She was amazed that someone would fess up to it. I traded her the ten for a one and went on my way.

Tonight, the same thing happened at the Hardees’s. Thickburgers are awesome by the way. The guy gave me too much change and I let him know.

I understand this is not earth-shattering, but it’s happened twice in less than 24 hours. That seems a little much considering it hasn’t happened in many months.

I think I passed, but I guess I won’t ever know. Maybe one of those folks I was honest with will be inspired to be the same way, on and on. Maybe they’ll call me a sucker and kick a puppy.

This is a rough draft of an idea I have had for a while. The Gomez/Gatti fight tonight finally inspired me to get it down. It needs work, but I thought I would share it. I might try to work something up to be a short story with a similar idea.

Gloves Off
July 2007

Jab. Jab. Right cross.
Gomez swings and punishes Gatti
For the glory. Ultra slow-motion
Captures brutality in crystal clarity.
A century ago, it was only blurs in an ashcan.

I’ve called my father and given him the heads-up.
I see him in that underwater squiggle
Making feints and small swings. His own
Miniature fight taking place in the
Livingroom of a house, close with the
Summer heat.

We both watch the weight of history fill
Gomez’s gloves. The mass of each blow
Shriveling the warrior, Gatti. It is a
Shared moment of violence
Crossing hundreds of miles in the time
Between the bell and the blood.

I used to hate boxing. I laughed at my
Father’s intense and rapt attention to
Foreman and Tyson crawling out of
Poverty through the ring. An alpha and omega
Of success.

Now. I am the one who makes sure to be
Around the TV. Now. I am the one who
Pesters him with the Question of the
Best “pound-for-pound.” We have found a
Commonality, or I have found it.
Moments conceived in sweat and exhaustion
Become family memories.

Could be that I am older, aware of the
Brutality of the world. Maybe now I know
How hard it has been for him. Maybe you
Have to take a punch to understand.

The bell rings and the round ends. The judges
Make their decision. My father and I stand
Together in awe as the decision comes
Down.

Technorati Tags: poetry, boxing, family

Erik would probably cut me so I bleed if he heard this, but I used to think DJ’ing of electronic music was only slightly skillful. After hearing some of the really shoddy and clumsy mixing I heard tonight, I know now that a good DJ is truly a skilled artisan.

Kim, Marcus and I ventured out to “The End” for a little dance party being thrown by our friend Dean. It probably wasn’t the best venue for dance music, but it was OK. The company far outstripped the music. It’s always fun to just hang with those two. Since, I work with them, I also get to revel in the fact that I am with such great people everyday.

At one point in the night, we took a break and were discussing some of the work we need to do in the hiring arena at work. It made me realize that I need to make sure I am dedicating myself to the job at hand as often as possible. I need to work on staying focused and growing in my responsibilities and abilities. It’s sometimes hard when the people around you are so talented, you feel a little like your staring at a big cliff you’re supposed to climb. I need to learn to face down the challenge and overcome it.