My Kids Finally Start Learning About Being a Red Sox Fan

Well that was painful.  I've always told my kids that they haven’t earned their stripes (emotional scars) to be considered true Red Sox fans.  They have basked in the heady days of two World Series Championships - with teams that showed character and grit.  Welcome back to earth, my high flying progeny!  I still and always will love the Sox but this team reminded me so much of the Sox teams of my youth.  They had loads of talent and dominated in June and July.  When they started to face some adversity though, they folded like wet toast.  This team really lacked leaders, outside of Dustin Pedroia, who seemed to be the only one who tried to rise to the occasion.  The rest of the team seemed content as long as they put up a good statistical year.  This team needs a serious heart transplant and, unlike in my youth, this Red Sox management won't sit back and coddle the underperformers.  I love Terry Francona but he has to assume some responsibility as "he always had his players' backs" and this seems to have led to a lack of accountability.  This was a soft team and soft teams don't win championships.  I told my wife, during last night's debacle, this team did not deserve to go the playoffs.  As hard as it is to say, the Yankees and Rays do.

Started Yet Another Blog

You'll notice the blog has changed significantly.  My daughter is my mentor when it comes to all things technological and as I stated earlier she was the one who inspired me to start this somewhat odd (for me) experiment.  She was up visiting and we were discussing how I could pass on the reviews I completed of my DVD/blu ray library a couple of years ago.  She helped me set up another blog, Dancer Goes to the Movies, where I have started the process.  In the original list there were 739 movies and I've added well over a 100 since then.  My daughter helped me with the look of the blog and also encouraged me to do reviews for the 100 movies beyond the original list; which I will do once I've finished posting the completed reviews.  One thing you'll figure out about me if you read this blog at all.  I am intensely and justifiably proud of both of my children.  They inspire me - I thought it would be the other way around - but I'm going with it.

House Full Again - Peace in Middle East

That has got to be one of the weirder titles you'll see.  My wife, her mom and friend returned from their epic trip to northern Maine last night.  Now she's getting cocky and was actually bragging about how fast she made the trip (see earlier post).  I am constantly amazed at how such a tiny person (my wife) can absolutely fill up a house with her mere presence - talk about personality!  Our house is way too big for just the two of us, empty nesters that we are, but I never realize it fully until she's away.  I'm really glad she's back.  The best news is we'll have both kids back this weekend.

There's a lot in the news recently about the Palestinians bid for UN recognition.  I grew up, as did most Americans of my generation, solidly in favor of the Israelis.  This was due to American media portrayal of the gallant Israeli fight for independence against the massed Arab neighbors, the very real need for a Jewish homeland following the holocaust, and, probably most of all, a negative reaction to Palestinian terrorism.  I spent a seven month tour in the Sinai region and was lucky enough to travel throughout the area.  I left with some very surprising impressions.  I've studied the history of the conflict but seeing it at the ground - human level really opened my eyes.  It is amazing what Israel has done - creating a garden spot compared to it's Arab neighbors.  I ascribe this to the power of a democratic government that frees its people to achieve.  However the biggest impression I left with was how much nicer the Arabs were in person than the Israelis.  As I traveled through Israel I found Arabs and Israelis living side by side with no apparent problems and Israelis vising Egypt without issue.  My two cents, for what they are worth, is that the Arabs have victimized themselves by allowing the fanatics to become their voice.  They reject anything American because of our historical support for Israel. The Israelis, on the other hand, have become arrogant to the point that, because of America's backing, they feel don't have to compromise.  As in most cases, the common people pay the price of fanaticism.  The conflict that has ebbed and flowed in the region since the late 1940s has had only one consistent loser and that has been the Palestinian people whom those currents have passed over.  From what I've seen, if the Israelis and Palestinians could both find a "middle voice" and compromise - the resulting nation(s) would become an economic juggernaut in the region.  The toughest fight will be to marginalize the fanatics on both sides - until that happens nothing else will.

"You Can Never Go Home"

This was a saying that I heard throughout my 27 year Army career, but I never truly understood it until I tried to do exactly that when I retired. "Home" for me was New England as I was born and grew up in New Hampshire.  I was very excited about the prospect of finally taking off the uniform and returning to New England where I would pick up my life again and enjoy my twilight years basking in the company of friends and family.  Unfortunately that home I was returning to no longer exists.  I learned that home is not a place but a combination of people and your relationships with them.  People, over time, move on with their own lives and their own relationships, some even have the effrontery to die.  This changes forever what "home" is.  I was deluded in my all too brief visits home over the years when, during those visits, old friends and family members made extraordinary efforts to be there for me.  Now that I am here permanently, there is less urgency to the socializing and it's too easy for all of us to delay getting together in the face of other day to day priorities.  No one is to blame - life has a rhythm that is constantly in motion.  It was extremely naive of me to think I could just plug myself back into a context that had 27 years to evolve.   I often worried that I was robbing my children of this feeling of home by dragging them all over the world during their childhood.  They seem to be extremely well adjusted and mature - much more so than I was at their age.  I still feel they missed out by not having a place to really call home.  I now find that I will probably never consider where I live now as "home" and I'm going to have to find a place where friends and family can establish that long lost dream of "home".  The Army was right - you can never go home, but I'm going to build a new one.

Solitary Time

I spent the night alone at the house last night.  The wife, her mother, and friend were up in Maine and the son was up in Portsmouth finding an apartment.  He was successful and is very excited about that.  It was just me and my black lab, Buddy, hanging out last night -he's great company.  We saw the sox continue to implode - this team seems to have virtually no backbone, especially the pitching corps.  I also watched a couple more episodes of 30 for 30, the ESPN series of movies.  My daughter and son in law gave them to me for Father's Day and I have been steadily watching  and truly enjoying each of them.  While the quality of the film making varies significantly, all of the stores are compelling and a comment of how much sports consumes popular culture in the US.  This is something I've wondered about - I used to be a huge sports fanatic.  That fanaticism seems to be fading as I get older. I don't know if its because most athletes have become contemptible personalities or that they've always been that way and in today's information age we just get to know them better.  I want to get away from sports more and I don't think I would ever hear myself say that.

Big Drive and Poor Drive

My wife has an absolute phobia for driving outside her immediate comfort zone, which encompasses areas close to home that she is familiar with.  Yesterday she took on her fear and drove all the way to northern Maine to visit a friend for a few days.  I am very proud of her because she really was deathly afraid of this type drive without me.  Taking on your fears, even if you achieve only a bare modicum of success, is required in a well lived life. 

If you read this blog at all, you will realize that I am an absolute movie nut - have been since my earliest memories.  I will review the movies I see and at some point start talking about my movie collection.  Last night I went to see "Drive", which was really well reviewed and had a superb cast.  I was really disappointed by the end.  It was a great story and the supporting cast was awesome, if underused.  Bryan Cranston, Miss Mulligan, and Ron Perlman were great and believable.  Albert Brooks as a dangerous criminal was a huge stretch and I don't think he carried it off.  I really like Ryan Gosling as an actor but this was a clear miss for him.  I guess the director though Gosling was such a good actor that long stretches of dead pan looks would give Gosling a chance to emote and project what he was feeling.  For me it resulted in uncomfortable, frustrating pauses with the camera glued to Gosling's face and left me wondering if the character was supposed to be mildly retarded.  The sound track was initially interesting but supremely annoying by the end.  I've found getting hopes up too high for movies leads to disappointment more often than not.  Experienced that again last night with "Drive", I cannot recommend this film.

Crabcakes are Not For Me

I just spent a long week in Maryland and it was only four days long.  I was there for a conference for work as well as to interview for a potential new job.  I finally met a lot of the people at corporate whom I only knew through phone and email conversations.  That was the best part of the conference but it was clear to me that I am still considered an outsider by many, those who "grew up" in the industry.  Of course, it could be me, as I do not put myself out there socially as some do. We had a dinner cruise from Baltimore's inner harbor - once we left the harbor - the view was mostly oil tanks and derelict ships.   First time on Jet Blue - very positive.  I really liked the opportunity and challenges presented by the job - it involved taking over a dysfunctional outfit.  Unfortunately, the company's contract with my company runs out in June and while I was assured we stood a "good chance" of renewing - there was no way I was placing my family's financial future on such soggy turf.

Tough to Get Started During Budget Prep

Please bear with me, I started this with the best of intentions but I have been consumed with preparations for my annual budget at my current job.  I have to predict what I will be spending here in early 2013 and then defend those WAGs (wild ass guesses) with the budget weenies.  It kind of scares me but I'm actually enjoying it (a little bit).  I promise to get cranking on this blog soonest and properly introduce myself.

Getting Started

I'm not sure where this is headed but I was inspired to start this blog by my daughter, a truly gifted writer. I've discovered, relatively late in life, that I enjoy writing.  I'm a retired Army officer still learning how to be a civilian again.  I am still figuring out how to construct this thing, no bells and whistles until my daughter is available for tutorials.  I plan on just passing on observations and comments and hope to say something worthwhile.  You will be the judge but I reserve the right to overturn all convictions. Out for now.