Tim Cook recently spoke at Auburn University as he received the Lifetime Achievement Award. I hope everyone hears the words of his speech.
J.P.
Turin, New York.
Today I went for a ride into the Lake Ontario Snow Belt to see where I could find the most snow. My ride included the eastern shore of Lake Ontario, the city of Watertown, and then along the northern edge of the Tug Hill before heading south along the “other side” of the Tug Hill to get back home.
The winning area of “observable” snowfall was the small village of Turin, New York, the home of Snow Ridge Ski Resort.
Here’s a few shots taken along NY Route 26, the main route through Turin. The pictures with the Jeep are to give an idea of how high the snow banks are, which weren’t piled that much higher when compared to the adjoining fields, they were basically just flat across.
Vintage.
So this grocery store was just a little over a mile from the house I grew up in. Sometimes it seemed like we were there once a day, tagging along with mom as we picked something up for supper that night (that might be a slight exaggeration). I always had one of those Hostess Apple Pies as a treat. As an adult I wish I still had the ability to burn all those calories.
I always liked the original sign on the front of the building. While they used to be common in communities around where I grew up (there were quite a few “Red and White”s, most of these signs are long gone. It’s great to see these in such good shape.
It’s a shame that the store has closed down. A victim of a shrinking community, it just couldn’t hold its own anymore.
At least the sign is holding up.
Sharing.
Back in 2007 I was looking out in the woods behind our house. It was spring time and the leaves were just starting to pop out. Being comprised primarily of maple trees and a lot of underbrush, it wouldn’t be long before the leaves and other greenery would fill up the woods. The season wasn’t quite there yet when I gazed in the woods so that’s when I had the opportunity to spot the little evergreen tree.
Obviously spawned by the evergreens several hundred feet farther back into the woods, this little guy had found himself in the thick of the maple trees and the greenery. He wasn’t quite “Charlie Brown” material, but it was obvious that he was struggling with holding his own during the summer months. I sensed that given the right amount of light and TLC, he could thrive and be a big strong tree. At the time he was about two feet tall.
I dug a hole in the middle of our yard near the garage. It was a nice deep hole with plenty of room for the roots that I knew would come along with the tree. I had never transplanted a tree before, but I hiked across the little creek the runs behind the house and dug in a big circle around this little guy. I gathered up as much of his native dirt that I could, tried to keep all his roots intact and after crossing the creek with him in tow, I planted him in the newly dug hole in our yard. For several weeks I watered him regularly until I was sure that he was holding his own. That first Christmas in his new home, I decorated him with a set of miniature Christmas lights. There were only 50 lights on that set but it was plenty.
The next year he was taller and we upgraded to 100 lights.
The third year it was obvious that he had grown some more and we added more lights to accommodate. I didn’t really pay much attention to the fact that we were decorating the tree every year, after all he is an evergreen tree and when we decorate outside for the holidays, we decorate the evergreen tree. But that was the year that Earl was stopped by one of our neighbors. It’s rare that we speak to the neighbors, we’re not in that type of neighborhood really, but she stopped Earl to let him know how much her family loved that we were decorating that tree each year. Looking out their back patio door, they had a perfect view of the ever growing evergreen, and seeing lights out their back window carried the intended Christmas spirit into their home. It’s good to share the spirit that way.
A couple of years ago I let Earl know that we would need to buy more lights for the evergreen tree. He’s been thriving over the past 18 months and we just didn’t have enough lights to do him justice for the season. We purchased two new big spools of lights and last Sunday I decorated what has become my favorite evergreen tree on the property. He’s over eight feet tall now and he’s doing wonderfully. This evening, when we pulled into the driveway after a most excellent gathering with some dear friends, a flash of motion caught my eye as I saw the neighbor looking out her patio window at our tree.
Our little evergreen is growing more beautiful and stronger every year, and apparently he continues to delight all during the holiday season.
Memory.
I think I have a better average memory. I have a hunch that I inherited this from my father, as a retailer, he could tell a customer that he hadn’t seen in 10 years that they had purchased a pound of 10-common nails a decade earlier. He had the entire inventory of the family business in his head.
While my memory kind of works like my dad’s, I don’t know that I remember the same things that he does. I got to thinking about my memory this morning while I was taking a shower and I decided that I am a very visual person. I have to see something to remember it. Writing it down and/or reading something helps me remember it better. Lately, when I’m told something, I don’t remember it that well. I don’t think this is unusual in any way.
The problem with my memory is that I remember dumb things. For example, in one of the applications I have written, I “salt” a user’s password by adding insignificant characters to it. This makes the password harder to decrypt. That’s good. The “salt” used is the SKU for a candy bar from Ames, followed by a dash, followed by the department # for a greeting card at Hills, followed by a colon, followed by the name of the department store on Arsenal Street in Watertown, New York before it was called Jamesway. I think the fact that I can remember all of these things several decades later makes me some sort of freak.
The good thing about having a good memory is that I remember lots of happy things and recalling happy moments makes me smile, even if I’m having a bad day. The bad thing about having a good memory is that I can also remember things that made me not-so-happy. These events, at key moments in my life, linger on later in life and probably contributed to a few of my idiosyncrasies. For example, I remember being told that I had to leave my fourth grade classroom for a new school program called “Enrichment”. It would be an exciting new program for all involved and I would be going twice a week. As a young lad that already felt different because of my gay wiring and all, it was kind of devastating to me that I had to leave the classroom, because I was the only one in the entire class that had been selected for this new program. All eyes were on me as I made my way from room 202 to room 210 (more random numbers I can remember). This reinforced a feeling of being different. Luckily the Enrichment teacher had a student teacher accompanying him that I found wicked dreamy so that made everything a little more manageable. In fifth grade, I remember being told that “I was a damn fool” by the teacher (ex-military from Yonkers) when I tried to leap off my chair like a superhero. I didn’t get hurt, no one got hurt, but she was cranky and somehow I filed away that taking risks could result in people with horrid accents yelling at you. She called quite a few students a “damn fool”. I don’t think she’s teaching anymore.
I’d be such a hoot in therapy.
While my memory is mostly visual, there’s a good helping of muscle memory in there too. All of my icons on my smartphone, whether it’s an iPhone or an Android device, have to be in the same place. I remember phone numbers by rapping my fingers on a flat service as if I was dialing a phone. I do the same with credit card numbers and the like.
As I mentioned before, I have a lot of junk in my head. Not only do I remember the license plate number of my Dad’s ’71 Heavy Chevy, I also remember the license plate numbers of that era of my grandparent’s car, my aunt and uncle’s car and my godparents’ car. Those old plates have been gone for at least 30 years but I still remember 819 OST. Useless fact.
I’m counting on the combination of muscle memory and visual memory being an asset as I become a pilot. I’m paying very close attention to what I’m learning and trying to do things the same way so that it becomes intuitive. If I’m ever in an emergency situation, it’ll be calming techniques and instinctive recall that will help get the plane to safety, so I guess when it all comes down to it, I’m blessed with having this sort of memory.
Image randomly selected from the Brain Excel website.
Spend Some Time.
So when I walked into the gym this morning at 5:50 a.m., all blurry eyed and trying to find the energy to work out, this song was playing on the speakers blaring music through Planet Fitness. I haven’t heard this track in a few years and it’s one of the songs I remember playing when I was a baby DJ on WRCK, Rock 107, “Central New York’s All Hit Music Station”.
From 1994, here’s the Brand New Heavies with “Spend Some Time”.
Snark.
So if you were following my Twitter feed on Thursday night, you probably noticed that my contribution to the Twitterverse blew up starting at 8:00 p.m. (7:00 p.m. Central) in tandem with “The Sound of Music Live!” on NBC. In a way I was excited to see what NBC would do with this perennial classic, but another side of me was wondering why on earth they were trying to redo another perennial classic. Because I have a brain made of Swiss cheese, I had forgotten that it was on until Earl was flipping through channels on the television in search of “The X-Factor”. I suggested we watch this exciting live performance.
I was kind of snarky on Twitter during the presentation. Ok, I was probably more than “kind of” snarky, but the truth of the matter is, I was smart enough to refrain from posting the very inappropriate joke I made about “The X-Factor” when Earl and I decided that we needed to flip away from “The Sound of Music Live!” for a little while.
On Friday there were a bunch of people posting bunches of things about “The Sound of Music Live!” and I added my two cents to the discussion. I think this conversation was taking place on the CNN site, but it basically boiled down to this:
1. The sound mix was horrible. There was this ridiculous hissing throughout the program and I firmly believe that technology today is at a point where we should be able to get the hiss out of the sound mix before going live before millions of viewers.
2. Audra McDonald was phenomenal.
3. Carrie Underwood can certainly sing but her acting was so wooden that it was making me uncomfortable.
4. In some scenes the costume choices were quite odd. Looking at the photo at the top of this entry, you’ll notice that Maria looks like she’s singing to the children before the dash off to join her on her latest TWA flight.
5. The fact of the matter is, you either have the chops to pull off a live performance like this or you don’t. Honestly, while Carrie sounded lovely and I’m sure she put all of her heart into her performance, I don’t know that she was ready for this live play on television experience.
6. Overall I was happy that NBC tried something different and I was hoping that they would do it again sometime.
Now, a couple of folks have sent me emails telling me that I am a horrible man and who did I think I was for writing such horrible things about “The Sound of Music Live!”.
First of all, I think it’s extreme to call me a “hater”. Those that called me this pointed out that Carrie and the rest of the cast should never be compared to a Broadway show because on Broadway they have months to prepare and apparently the cast had a week (after the set was completed). Well, I’m sorry, but that NBC’s fault, not my fault. If you’re banking your Thursday night lineup on remaking a definite classic in American theatre, well, you better have your stuff together and not give yourself just a week to prepare. That just shows a lack of commitment to the production.
Secondly, I’m not the only one that thought Maria turned into a flight attendant in some sort of weird time warp of the show.
Third, I was attacked on several occasions about the play being based on “the original music, not the movie!!!!!” (with multiple exclamation points). Fair enough, if that’s the case, why was “Something Good” included in the musical numbers, when that was a song written for the movie?
And lastly, I think that someday Carrie Underwood may certainly win some sort of theatre award for her acting. I just don’t think that her first foray into this arena is award worthy. Unlike many in contemporary society, I don’t believe that everyone deserves an award for doing their job or what they’ve elected to do. I believe that you have to go above and beyond and show qualities clocking into four digit percentiles to be worthy of an award. “Participation awards” are one of the concepts that is going to be the death of this country. I refuse to applaud mediocrity and I don’t expect someone to applaud me when I am just doing what I’m suppose to do. Call me old-fashioned.
The truth of the matter is, I was excessively snarky in my Twitter stream and this is something that I recognize as a fault of mine. It’s fun to bash on that which we have no control of and people titter occasionally when we say something snarky but this is an item on my personal improvement list: I need to be less snarky. I stand by my criticisms of the show but as has been pointed out to me, I probably should have just enjoyed it for what it was.
So let me state for the record, I enjoyed “The Sound of Music Live!” for it’s spirit. I might not have thoroughly enjoyed the execution of the project, but I certainly enjoyed the heart behind it.
Perhaps I should have just focused on that.
Spirit.
A number of years ago Earl bought me this ornament and delivered it to me at the office. I was working in radio at the time, in fact, it was my last Christmas in radio, and honestly, at that time I wasn’t feeling the Christmas spirit. I wasn’t feeling an holiday spirit at all. I just wanted to get the season over with. I didn’t want to buy any presents, I was sick of writing ad copy that was designed to convince radio listeners that they should be buying cheap junk to give in the name of baby Jesus and frankly, the spirit just wasn’t moving me.
Earl’s gesture that day helped me immensely and as a reminder of what a lucky man I am, this ornament hangs year round on the decorative table next to “my chair” in our great room. I look at this ornament every day and I smile.
Earl told me that he wasn’t feeling the spirit this year. He’s been in pain since he pulled a muscle in his back a while back, a despite the amped up meds the doctor gave him last weekend, he’s still feeling that pulled muscle. A lot. Like everyone else in the country, we have monetary concerns and honestly, company bonuses or raises and such, while always appreciated, just fall at the wrong time of year. Though it’s the 7th, we still have no decorations up around the house.
I brought the ornament to the kitchen table where Earl was sitting when he told me that he isn’t feeling the holiday spirit. I reminded him of the smile this ornament brought to my face 10 years ago and I hoped that he would feel the need to smile as well.
He did. It’s a start.
Before starting this blog entry a few moments ago, I was outside wrestling with decorations that were not put away properly last year (that’s my fault, by the way), so I’m wrangling with wires and extension cords and broken bulbs and lights that just don’t want to cooperate. Earl would love to help me but his sore back is preventing him from doing so. All of these elements in this paragraph are making us a little snappish at one another.
We’re not the snappish type. At least, we never used to be. Where’s the holiday spirit?
Relatives are asking me what I want for Christmas. What I really want is never the right answer. I want nothing. I have all that I want. People never believe me when I say this, because as a dreamer type I tend to dream out loud and make declarations like, “what would you think about a trip to Iceland?” but the truth of the matter is, I’m quite content right here, right now, at home. Honestly, the only thing I want is a “Reduction of Complexity”. I no longer want the biggest house or the baddest Jeep or the fastest Mac on the block. My history betrays this simple need because honestly, I’ve been a complicated person for a long time. Earl tries to keep up with “The Tango J.P.” and no one does this better, but if there’s one thing that’s going to help me find the spirit of the holiday, it’s just keeping the whole thing simple. Gaudy and bright and colorful? Yes! Needlessly over the top to be impressive? Nope.
I want to show Earl the spirit of the holiday with a colorful display of festivity all over our home but more importantly, by keeping life a little more simple that it’s been lately. No amount of presents under the tree on the 25th will ever equal what’s in our hearts, so I guess the best thing to do is just share what’s in my heart with the world and let that manifest itself in simple ways.
Merry Christmas.
Winter Wonderland.
Once upon there was a place in Oriskany, New York called Trinkaus Manor. I never went there but I drove by at Christmastime every year that Trinkaus Manor was around. They called the display “Winter Wonderland.” It was awesome and so intense that it increased their monthly electric bill by $6000. Follow the link in this paragraph for a bunch of photos or just live with this little tease (I recommend the link).
Image courtesy of trinkausmanor.com
When Trinkaus Manor burned down, many thought it was the end of the Winter Wonderland display. Luckily the decorations survived and were donated to the City of Rome, where they live on year after year. Earl and I just drove by the big “Merry Christmas” sign. It’s installed on the side of the parking garage facing Fort Stanwix. Down the street are a bunch of the other decorations that used to make up the Winter Wonderland.
Here’s a little tease.
Seeing this display year after year always help me get into the festive spirit. I’m “feeling it” now.
Wages.
So I was going to write a blog entry about the fast food workers that were striking in cities across the United States today. I wrapped the blog entry around an anecdote about a Burger King in Acton, Mass. that was self-serve was back in 1989 but the whole thing wasn’t going where I wanted it to so I just bagged the entry.
So what was I trying to say? I don’t know. Work hard. Fight for what you believe in. But always keep in mind that you can always be replaced by automation. Small chunks. Grow in a steady, upward motion.
See? I got nothing.
