... If you are ever looking for a reason to disbelieve everything political, pay close attention to the rhetoric regarding the deficit debate. Apocalyptic language everywhere. I literally don't believe a single word from either side. Somewhere the sides will meet in compromise, and I'm content right now to wait for that to happen. I do not doubt terrible consequences for allowing default, but I think the game of chicken is both disingenuous and sad. The President seems to be the only one willing to cut through the BS, and he's getting hammered for "lecturing." Well, (and I know this makes me an unabashed homer), someone has to lecture those jokers.
... I have grown so unbelievably tired of all forms of Internet reporting. There is almost no cost to reporting events wrong when the speed of information is both fast and real-time. For example, Twitter exploded with dozens of tweets from "reporters" to my modest account about how labor peace in the NFL had been reached. Not but MINUTES later you have the "hold on... we don't have a deal yet" corrections by those same "journalists." So, where are the consequences of being wrong? It's like real-time gossip. I'm not sure how this can be fixed without disabling the Internet, and that obviously isn't going to happen. Buncha crap is what it is.
... The War & Peace book club will be meeting and my inability to properly schedule my own calendar means I won't be there. A major drag and I can't blame anyone but me. Talk about a bummer, and yes, I know this makes me a big-time nerd.
... I'm re-watching Battlestar Galactica, but in HD. So, really, I'm just watching it for the first time. And it's awesome. It was No. 1 all time for me until the Wire took it over, but I'm giving it a closing argument. There may end up being a tie at the top. I mean, the Wire isn't available in Blu Ray and I'm officially a Blu-Ray snob.
... Back to working on my story, but with a bigger scope. I'm debating whether to release it in parts on here so people can trash it and I can finally give up the foolhardy thing. Either that or I'll turn it into the book I have been imagining lately and will waste a phenomenal amount of time and energy.
... Created my memory palace for the first 1/3 of the Probate Code and then got into trying to meet my War & Peace deadline, so I kinda put it aside. I need to get back to it. That being said, that first third is becoming well placed and remembered.
... I'm becoming perpetually tired and crotchety.
Good night.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Chess and Father's Day
JACOB'S CHECKMATE
My dad taught me to play chess when I was 5. I am teaching Jacob now that he is 5. In fact, I just got him his very own chess board and he is very excited about it.
My dad taught me the basics and a few simple traps. I apparently angered my grandfather on my mother's side when I beat him after he stumbled into one of my memorized taps. My dad described the look on my face as I sprung the trap and won. By all accounts, grandpa didn't take it well.
Well, I got a taste of the other side a few weeks ago. When I play Jacob, I talk him through it and ask "are you sure about that move?" when he is about to make a mistake. I do not allow myself to castle, but I encourage him to castle early. I leave myself vulnerable, but I do not expect him to see the possibilities.
Well, he unloaded some applied knowledge on me and checkmated me in a move I literally didn't see until he made it. G5 to C1 if you are scoring at home. My king was vulnerable and he went for the kill.
We love playing together and I can't wait to see him develop. Every time chess comes back into my life, I wish I hadn't let it slip from my routine. I want to play regularly again and I'm going to find a way. All the while, Jacob and I will be playing together.
My dad taught me to play chess when I was 5. I am teaching Jacob now that he is 5. In fact, I just got him his very own chess board and he is very excited about it.
My dad taught me the basics and a few simple traps. I apparently angered my grandfather on my mother's side when I beat him after he stumbled into one of my memorized taps. My dad described the look on my face as I sprung the trap and won. By all accounts, grandpa didn't take it well.
Well, I got a taste of the other side a few weeks ago. When I play Jacob, I talk him through it and ask "are you sure about that move?" when he is about to make a mistake. I do not allow myself to castle, but I encourage him to castle early. I leave myself vulnerable, but I do not expect him to see the possibilities.
Well, he unloaded some applied knowledge on me and checkmated me in a move I literally didn't see until he made it. G5 to C1 if you are scoring at home. My king was vulnerable and he went for the kill.
We love playing together and I can't wait to see him develop. Every time chess comes back into my life, I wish I hadn't let it slip from my routine. I want to play regularly again and I'm going to find a way. All the while, Jacob and I will be playing together.
On Chess and Bobby Fischer
From this:
To this:
I just finished Endgame: Bobby Fischer's Remarkable Rise and Fall - From America's brightest prodigy to the edge of madness, by Frank Brady. It involves two of my favorite topics: Chess and unstable people.
Bobby Fischer's singular brilliance on a chess board was fascinating. And the ungodly amount of time he put into mastering that game left enormous holes in his social development. The result was a brilliant but moody and unstable chess prodigy who reached the peak of world chess domination and then disappeared into seclusion only to emerge decades later spouting conspiracy theories and anti-Semitic venom.
It's just odd.
The first thing I took from the book was complete appreciation for what Fischer accomplished in Chess. Fischer's contribution altered how the game was played and created a new generation of chess players worldwide.
A few highlights: He was the youngest grandmaster in the history of Chess (13); he won a completely unheard-of 20-straight games on his way to qualifying for the World Title match with Spassky; he won two consecutive US Championships without losing or drawing a single game (11 victories each year); and he so thoroughly scared the Soviet chess machine that seven of the nation's top Grand Masters were assigned to find weaknesses in his game (Including "master of endgame," "master of openings," etc.).
There was also this: He expected to be treated like a king at all times and required all demands (no matter how ridiculous or inconvenient) be met 100%. Moody and fragile does not begin to describe his obstinacy. I came away believing that moodiness was not an intentional strategy of psychological warfare as much as an accurate reflection of his personality.
He won the title, made such ridiculous demands for his first scheduled-defense of that title against Karpov in 1975 that he resigned the title without a game (leaving millions of dollars on the table) and disappeared for about 20 years. He became a vagrant, literally went into hiding and "wandered" Los Angeles with a new beard to hide his identity.
He surfaced only to play a game against Spassky in 1992 in violation of international sanctions in Yugoslavia as it was being torn asunder by war (he posed with Milosevich). That led to him hiding in various placed all over the globe and surfacing only enough to spout hate-filled rants. Apparently unsatisfied with being merely allowed to travel despite his status as a fugitive from the law, he then applauded the 9/11 attacks, thus provoking the repeal of that passport.
After being arrested in Japan, he renounced citizenship and negotiated Icelandic citizenship. He died in Iceland a bitter and ranting victim of too many perceived slights to count.
Unfortunately, 1950s US policy helped create "Crazy Bobby" because the CIA had 750 pages worth of file on his mother because she attended protests and tapped his childhood phone because he frequented a Russian bookstore to study chess. In other words, its easy to believe in conspiracies when your phone is tapped from an early age and you are followed and approached by agents in black suits and sunglasses. I'm not saying it makes his later paranoia logical, but it sure didn't help. I have yet to discover one positive impact of Joseph McCarthy and his witch hunts.
I recommend the book highly as both fascinating and educational. It's a great read and a sad, sad story.
I started playing chess at age five and have started teaching Jacob how to play this year. Its a game I too-often stray from and always wish I could play more. It set me once again to search for a local chess club. Once again to no avail, but I'm now going to find a way to play one way or the other.
Bobby Fischer is an example of how not to raise a promising-child, but the greatness of the game benefitted from having devoured his sanity.
To this:
I just finished Endgame: Bobby Fischer's Remarkable Rise and Fall - From America's brightest prodigy to the edge of madness, by Frank Brady. It involves two of my favorite topics: Chess and unstable people.
Bobby Fischer's singular brilliance on a chess board was fascinating. And the ungodly amount of time he put into mastering that game left enormous holes in his social development. The result was a brilliant but moody and unstable chess prodigy who reached the peak of world chess domination and then disappeared into seclusion only to emerge decades later spouting conspiracy theories and anti-Semitic venom.
It's just odd.
The first thing I took from the book was complete appreciation for what Fischer accomplished in Chess. Fischer's contribution altered how the game was played and created a new generation of chess players worldwide.
A few highlights: He was the youngest grandmaster in the history of Chess (13); he won a completely unheard-of 20-straight games on his way to qualifying for the World Title match with Spassky; he won two consecutive US Championships without losing or drawing a single game (11 victories each year); and he so thoroughly scared the Soviet chess machine that seven of the nation's top Grand Masters were assigned to find weaknesses in his game (Including "master of endgame," "master of openings," etc.).
There was also this: He expected to be treated like a king at all times and required all demands (no matter how ridiculous or inconvenient) be met 100%. Moody and fragile does not begin to describe his obstinacy. I came away believing that moodiness was not an intentional strategy of psychological warfare as much as an accurate reflection of his personality.
He won the title, made such ridiculous demands for his first scheduled-defense of that title against Karpov in 1975 that he resigned the title without a game (leaving millions of dollars on the table) and disappeared for about 20 years. He became a vagrant, literally went into hiding and "wandered" Los Angeles with a new beard to hide his identity.
He surfaced only to play a game against Spassky in 1992 in violation of international sanctions in Yugoslavia as it was being torn asunder by war (he posed with Milosevich). That led to him hiding in various placed all over the globe and surfacing only enough to spout hate-filled rants. Apparently unsatisfied with being merely allowed to travel despite his status as a fugitive from the law, he then applauded the 9/11 attacks, thus provoking the repeal of that passport.
After being arrested in Japan, he renounced citizenship and negotiated Icelandic citizenship. He died in Iceland a bitter and ranting victim of too many perceived slights to count.
Unfortunately, 1950s US policy helped create "Crazy Bobby" because the CIA had 750 pages worth of file on his mother because she attended protests and tapped his childhood phone because he frequented a Russian bookstore to study chess. In other words, its easy to believe in conspiracies when your phone is tapped from an early age and you are followed and approached by agents in black suits and sunglasses. I'm not saying it makes his later paranoia logical, but it sure didn't help. I have yet to discover one positive impact of Joseph McCarthy and his witch hunts.
I recommend the book highly as both fascinating and educational. It's a great read and a sad, sad story.
I started playing chess at age five and have started teaching Jacob how to play this year. Its a game I too-often stray from and always wish I could play more. It set me once again to search for a local chess club. Once again to no avail, but I'm now going to find a way to play one way or the other.
Bobby Fischer is an example of how not to raise a promising-child, but the greatness of the game benefitted from having devoured his sanity.
Monday, June 6, 2011
June is My Month
WATCHING THE NUGGETS IN THE PLAYOFFS
AT JK GRADUATION
June is my month, and it bears repeating. Birthday, Father's Day and my Anniversary (12 years this year!). I get a special "June gift" for all the occasions and that gives me more leeway on price. Sweet!
So, generally, I like June. Some of my best memories were formed in June. I got married; walked the Normandy Beaches on my birthday (anniversary of D-Day!); set off for New York to live for a summer; traveled across Germany and France and visited Moscow (one does not travel across Russia... ask anyone with an army); and I've enjoyed many nice and warm days.
Today I became eligible to run for president. That means from here until I turn 67, I have only Social Security eligibility to attain with my age. Of course, by then I may have to wait until I'm 77. So, really, let's just say I'm not going to think too much about that.
I still have no complaints. All is pretty good for the most part. And although I now CAN run for president, that doesn't mean I will. I prefer to keep my options open. In other words, I won't be doing that.
I pretty much work, read and hang with the family. It's a pretty uneventful routine, actually. And, I'm reading some great books this year. With my birthday as an excuse, I bought four more books. I like my pace and I legitimately can't wait to start each one.
Jacob graduated from Junior Kindergarten. I then immediately had him start Kindergarten this month. He tested really well, so he's a go. Summer break? We both work so that's out. But, Summer break is actually way too long and encourages our laziest inclinations.
I toyed with the idea of holding him out of graduation because... well, he was going to graduate unless he were to have killed a few kids with scissors, so it's kinda like "congratulating" him for aging. And, since that's essentially what we celebrate with birthdays, why not? Actually, he would have had to sit out all their program practice and preparation and so he would have worked less if I held him out. See how evil I am?
I actually gave this subject a lot of thought. I don't remember "graduating" before I started Kindergarten and I do kinda have this problem with our overly-coddling society, but that's just my way. I'm surly like that.
My parenting philosophy may not be what one would call "widely accepted" or "considered healthy by most people," but that's OK because our "average" kid these days could do a lot better.
I was scared to death of disappointing my dad and it worked. But we were also close. I managed to figure out that he could both expect a lot and love me anyway. We too often don't expect enough from kids. They will surprise you if you let them. Jacob shocks me regularly.
As you can see above, he likes me. I figured out pretty quickly that I could cement a love of going to games with dad by letting him gorge himself on foods that are forbidden at home. So, he had candy, pop and a hot dog (the last one not so forbidden). Throw in a souvenir and I essentially bought him out on a lifetime contract to games with dad. I call that a win.
Now, he gets to keep going to those games so long as he makes with the 4.0. What? I keeeed, I keeeed! Well, I kind of kid.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Sunday, bloody Sunday
Sunday, May 1, 2011 was an interesting day.
A machine broke and I let out an audible yelp. I then sulked most of the day and felt generally lost until we met up with James. I later learned that about the same time we met James in Longmont, Navy SEALS killed the most dangerous man on the planet. That just made me feel dumb for mourning my Kindle.
I started the day writing a blog post about my thoughts on War & Peace (yes, seriously). I have a lot to say about the book and I missed the first meeting of the book club group. I wanted to get my thoughts down.
In the middle of my post, I wanted to quote from a passage I had highlighted that really illustrated why I thought the War scenes were necessary and enjoyable. (The movie Pear Harbor may or may not have been referenced).
I went to get my Kindle and found it laying awkwardly on my I-pod, screen down. Now, I never put it anywhere without the cover closed. But, I also have a five-year-old, so anything goes.
I let out an audible yelp when I picked it up and saw the distorted discombobulated screen. I tried to revive it, reboot it, shake it, then died a little inside before calling tech support. The techie all but told me to take it out back and shoot it.
The blog post had to wait.
For background, I can't live without my Kindle. I'm lost without it. I take it everywhere "just in case." I hate going anywhere only to discover it isn't with me and I have to wait more than one minute for anything. It actually makes me angry.
I went to the Library book sale, and felt like I was not honoring its memory. Surrounded by paper books. It sounds crazy, but this darkened my mood.
After a break, Dave and I went to see James. Meanwhile, somewhere in Abbotobad or About-a-boat Pakistan, Navy SEALS were kicking the hell out of casa-de-Osama.
We had a good time chatting with James and Jacob and Ian got to play together. It was a good time. I even managed to borrow James' copy of The Hobbit so I could continue to read while my poor dead Kindle mocked me with its blinking screen. (this mitigated my mood more than it should have).
I finished another chapter of The Hobbit and received the news from James that Obama was about to announce his inevitable re-election, er, uh... the killing of Osama Bin Laden.
I stopped reading and started listening... and surfing... and twittering... and facebooking... and, yes, I had a drink. (Topic of the night? Our President performed the walk-off of a major BADASS after his speech. My brother said he couldn't have improved it if he dropped the mic like Chris Rock.)
So, here's my story behind the Cognac. The best professor I ever had was Edward Rozek. He grew up in Poland until WWII forced him to fight for all he was worth. He then became a prominent politico and professor here in the USA. He taught all things Eastern bloc and was passionate in his hawkishness toward dictators who terrorized his home region.
Every story about a dictator brought to justice ended the same way. From Mussolini hanging from a lamp post to the picking-off of each Slavic bully and mass murderer, Professor Rozek would polish off an entire bottle of Cognac and celebrate a piece of liberation. He felt a unique joy at their demise that comes from having fought a war that failed to liberate his homeland. Every liberation was the righting of a wrong for him.
I tipped back a Cognac and Coke-a-cola in his honor and watched people singing on the White House lawn. I scoured for details and essentially forgot about my beloved Kindle. Gotta love perspective.
As a peace-loving person who opposes the death penalty, I thought long and hard about whether I could feel good about it. Well, there was no debate. It felt good. I just needed a reason. I guess Mark Twain said it best when he said:
"I've never wished a man dead, but I have read some obituaries with great pleasure."
So, for better or worse, Wars -- whether justified or not, big or small -- shape our world. War & Peace expresses that because war is the overriding factor of the world in which the characters live, and it provides the canvas for their lives (in this case: dinner parties).
I bought a new Kindle today. I'm back to comfort -- and that statement just struck me as interesting in light of all the relief one bullet brought. I don't feel safer, but I do feel relieved.
A machine broke and I let out an audible yelp. I then sulked most of the day and felt generally lost until we met up with James. I later learned that about the same time we met James in Longmont, Navy SEALS killed the most dangerous man on the planet. That just made me feel dumb for mourning my Kindle.
I started the day writing a blog post about my thoughts on War & Peace (yes, seriously). I have a lot to say about the book and I missed the first meeting of the book club group. I wanted to get my thoughts down.
In the middle of my post, I wanted to quote from a passage I had highlighted that really illustrated why I thought the War scenes were necessary and enjoyable. (The movie Pear Harbor may or may not have been referenced).
I went to get my Kindle and found it laying awkwardly on my I-pod, screen down. Now, I never put it anywhere without the cover closed. But, I also have a five-year-old, so anything goes.
I let out an audible yelp when I picked it up and saw the distorted discombobulated screen. I tried to revive it, reboot it, shake it, then died a little inside before calling tech support. The techie all but told me to take it out back and shoot it.
The blog post had to wait.
For background, I can't live without my Kindle. I'm lost without it. I take it everywhere "just in case." I hate going anywhere only to discover it isn't with me and I have to wait more than one minute for anything. It actually makes me angry.
I went to the Library book sale, and felt like I was not honoring its memory. Surrounded by paper books. It sounds crazy, but this darkened my mood.
After a break, Dave and I went to see James. Meanwhile, somewhere in Abbotobad or About-a-boat Pakistan, Navy SEALS were kicking the hell out of casa-de-Osama.
We had a good time chatting with James and Jacob and Ian got to play together. It was a good time. I even managed to borrow James' copy of The Hobbit so I could continue to read while my poor dead Kindle mocked me with its blinking screen. (this mitigated my mood more than it should have).
I finished another chapter of The Hobbit and received the news from James that Obama was about to announce his inevitable re-election, er, uh... the killing of Osama Bin Laden.
I stopped reading and started listening... and surfing... and twittering... and facebooking... and, yes, I had a drink. (Topic of the night? Our President performed the walk-off of a major BADASS after his speech. My brother said he couldn't have improved it if he dropped the mic like Chris Rock.)
So, here's my story behind the Cognac. The best professor I ever had was Edward Rozek. He grew up in Poland until WWII forced him to fight for all he was worth. He then became a prominent politico and professor here in the USA. He taught all things Eastern bloc and was passionate in his hawkishness toward dictators who terrorized his home region.
Every story about a dictator brought to justice ended the same way. From Mussolini hanging from a lamp post to the picking-off of each Slavic bully and mass murderer, Professor Rozek would polish off an entire bottle of Cognac and celebrate a piece of liberation. He felt a unique joy at their demise that comes from having fought a war that failed to liberate his homeland. Every liberation was the righting of a wrong for him.
I tipped back a Cognac and Coke-a-cola in his honor and watched people singing on the White House lawn. I scoured for details and essentially forgot about my beloved Kindle. Gotta love perspective.
As a peace-loving person who opposes the death penalty, I thought long and hard about whether I could feel good about it. Well, there was no debate. It felt good. I just needed a reason. I guess Mark Twain said it best when he said:
"I've never wished a man dead, but I have read some obituaries with great pleasure."
So, for better or worse, Wars -- whether justified or not, big or small -- shape our world. War & Peace expresses that because war is the overriding factor of the world in which the characters live, and it provides the canvas for their lives (in this case: dinner parties).
I bought a new Kindle today. I'm back to comfort -- and that statement just struck me as interesting in light of all the relief one bullet brought. I don't feel safer, but I do feel relieved.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Jacob meets Darth Vader
Over the last week, I have introduced Jacob to the original Star Wars trilogy. And he loves it. But, it was a learning experience for me as well. For one, Star Wars can lead to some interesting moral dilemmas in the mind of a five year old.
Let's just say I failed to "foresee" certain things.
He has been asking about Star Wars since he got his Clone Wars Tag book. The problem was that he knew of Anakin as a good guy and the Clone Troops as good guys as well. That spin off takes place during the time when Anakin is a Jedi Knight and the Clone troops fought for the Republic.
So, I had my work cut out for me. My negligence allowed him to be corrupted by the new stuff early, which is like giving up a TD on the opening kickoff.
I decided to show him the movies in their original order so that he would not be too crushed by Anakin's turn to the Dark Side. He could know Vader as evil at first, see him redeemed, then learn the back story.
I was afraid he would be bored by New Hope, but he loved it. He was scared by the trash compactor scene a little, but not bad. On second viewing he said he didn't like that part.
He LOVES everything dealing with "Light Swords" (a term he picked up from the new Clone Wars book... which should not infuriate me quite as much as it does, yet... here we are).
He asked a lot of questions like "Does disappearing mean he died?" (he almost cried when Obi Wan died) and "why did the Storm Troopers kill them?" I wasn't ready for those questions.
Empire Strikes Back is my favorite of the bunch. I remember being terrified in the theater when the Wampa came at Luke. I figured Hoth would win him over, and it seemed to. But, the Middle of Empire just isn't real kid friendly. Jacob loved the light-saber duel (that's better) between Luke and Vader (although he didn't catch the lost hand).
But, it's clearly the most adult-themed of the movies and THIS movie led to a whole bunch of tough questions. Such as:
"I want Anakin to get out of Darth Vader's heart" (Not a question, but how do you respond to that?)
"He's his father? Why is his father dressed like Darth Vader?" (OK, that one was funny).
"Why was that a dream?" (This was when Luke "kills" Vader on Dagoba... we all wonder that one, kiddo. There is no answer).
Finally... "Is he really his father?" Yes, yes he is.
Jacob was clearly unnerved by the end of Empire, so I had to accelerate his viewing of Return of the Jedi to the next day so he would have some context. We explained that Luke was going to try to make his father good again.
Jacob loved Jedi. He loved the green light saber and really liked when Vader turned back to good. I think that was necessary for him, but I'm no longer certain it will make Episode III any easier.
Jacob is really excited to see Episode I because it will have Anakin as a kid. I have that one, but I'll need to borrow Episodes II and III. My effort to show Vader's redemption may have been for naught because he will definitely relate to young Anakin.
I guess there isn't a real easy way to do this. Either you let him start with Episode I and watch him struggle watching the good guy go bad... or you try to redeem Vader first, and... well, we'll see how this goes.
Now, if I can just get him to stop saying "light swords." My current tactic is to say "when you say that you hurt daddy." He seems unfazed. Yeah, making Vader sympathetic was probably a mistake.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Moonwalking with Einstein
I needed a break.
I am roughly half-way through about 3 books and I wasn't feeling the momentum. I knew I needed a jolt and that was provided by my wife's fascination with a book featured in Discovery magazine. We talked about it and it just seemed like a fascinating topic.
I purchased Moonwalking with Einstein and devoured it. It's a quick read and, most important to me, it adds something to my life.
Josh Foer was a journalist who covered the world memory championship only to discover that none of the mental athletes considered themselves to be savants or anything close. To test the theory that anyone could do what mental athletes could so with training, Foer trained and won the American memory title the very next year.
Most fascinating about this book is that Foer succeeds in walking the reader through some of the techniques. He walks the reader through the process of memorizing a 15-item grocery list and left a vivid picture of that list in my mind. It is very illustrative... to the point that I literally cannot forget this grocery list.
I have been left with images, at our old Virginia home, of the following;
... a man with a snorkel diving into the sink... salmon cooking on the vent of out television with smoking peat providing the heat... an elk screeching at the top of our stairs... socks dancing on the fireplace hearth and a she-male at a desk with Sophia Loren on his/her lap.
I couldn't forget that list if I wanted to. Jen and I ended up memorizing two of our credit card numbers to test the number formula... and it worked.
Although the book is not a self-help book, it gives any ambitious reader the tools to begin tinkering with his or her own brain. I will begin to work on this technique to memorize the presidents in order and my goal is to eventually memorize the Colorado Probate Code so I can work more efficiently.
There is a natural conflict between the ancient memory techniques documented in this book and our modern world and its many memory crutches (like i-phones, the Internet in general, etc.). I tend to believe that, although such tricks may no longer be necessary, there is nothing wrong with sharpening the saw, so to speak. Also, I like a good challenge.
Foer includes information about patients who represent the extremes of the memory spectrum - from the man who could not forget, to people who could not remember anything. He discusses the physiology of memory (what little is really understood) and the study of expertise.
Moonwalking with Einstein is a real feast. I loved it. I have a new leader on the early-season rankings.
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