Snippets of Text and Hubris

Kitty says, "Argh!"

Sat, 18 Jun 2011 15:24:06 -0700

Permalink | Leave a comment »

Storm Clouds on the Horizon

Sun, 22 May 2011 14:33:00 -0700

See the full gallery on Posterous

Permalink | Leave a comment »

Mike Rowe on Importance of Skilled Labor

Sat, 14 May 2011 10:59:30 -0700

Mike Rowe's testimony before the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee on the lack of Skilled Labor and how current cultural opinions about what a good job is further discourage pursuit of those careers. For those who don't know, he is the creator and star of the Discovery Channel's "Dirty Jobs." It's witty, personal, and well worth the listen.

Two quotes worth repeating:

"I believe we need a national PR Campaign for Skilled Labor. A big one. Something that addresses the widening Skills Gap head on, and reconnects the country with the most important part of our workforce.

Right now, American manufacturing is struggling to fill 200,000 vacant positions. There are 450,000 openings in trades, transportation and utilities. The Skills Gap is real, and it’s getting wider. In Alabama, a third of all skilled tradesmen are over 55. They’re retiring fast, and no one is there to replace them."

"In general, we’re surprised that high unemployment can exist at the same time as a skilled labor shortage. We shouldn’t be. We’ve pretty much guaranteed it.

In high schools, the vocational arts have all but vanished. We’ve elevated the importance of “higher education” to such a lofty perch, that all other forms of knowledge are now labeled “alternative.” Millions of parents and kids see apprenticeships and on-the-job-training opportunities as “vocational consolation prizes,” best suited for those not cut out for a four-year degree. And still, we talk about millions of “shovel ready” jobs for a society that doesn’t encourage people to pick up a shovel.

In a hundred different ways, we have slowly marginalized an entire category of critical professions, reshaping our expectations of a “good job” into something that no longer looks like work. A few years from now, an hour with a good plumber – if you can find one – is going to cost more than an hour with a good psychiatrist. At which point we’ll all be in need of both."

Find more at http://www.mikeroweworks.com/scrap-yard

Permalink | Leave a comment »

National Poetry Month

Fri, 01 Apr 2011 12:08:51 -0700

April is National Poetry Month. Celebrate with the Academy of American Poets.

Permalink | Leave a comment »

Long-Form Storytelling 03/16/11 The New School

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 11:27:00 -0700

via ustream.tv

This is a fascinating, if somewhat long, discussion on Long-Form reporting. I wish it was a little easier to understand Raney Aronson of Frontline, but if you're interested in journalism and long-form reporting it is well worth watching.

Permalink | Leave a comment »

My Lessons for the Week

Thu, 10 Mar 2011 22:15:00 -0800

If I am to be a "brand" should I not be a "brand" worth believing in?

It's easy to try to fit a persona with all the keywords intact. It's a
bit more difficult when that persona doesn't exactly fit. So, I am
going to stop trying to fit into a mold. After all, I'm not pretty
enough to start posting naked pictures, so you're either going to like
me for for being me or you're not going to like me.

I think that it's probably best we get that out of the way now.

Permalink | Leave a comment »

Free Creative Writing Programs for Iowa Kids starting Late this March!

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 21:14:35 -0800

The Iowa Youth Writing Project is offering three different programs this Spring. Each one is completely free of charge! These program have each been designed for a specific age-range and are focused on encouraging and developing young creative minds. They are all taught by experienced and talented teachers who have a real passion for this type of education and outreach, but, most of all, the programs just look like a heck of a lot of fun. I would have killed for programs like this when I wasI was a kid. That's why I believe so heavily in pushing these programs and in the Iowa Youth Writing Project's core mission. I grew up as a poor kid, often living in rural areas where access to these types of programs was almost non-existent. If they did exist, they certainly weren't free. If you have kids, take advantage of what the Iowa Youth Writing Project is offerring. It really is too good to pass up!

View the programs and sign up here:

SPRING 2011 PROGRAMS

More on The Iowa Youth Writing Project and its Mission here:

IYWP: Mission Statement

Permalink | Leave a comment »

TOC 2011: Margaret Atwood, "The Publishing Pie: An Author's View"

Sat, 19 Feb 2011 19:28:00 -0800

via youtube.com

Oreilly's Tools of Change for Publishing Conference wrapped up a little while ago. Unfortunately, I was busy last week so this is all a bit dated, but Margaret Atwood's presentation was incredibly interesting and funny. She also helped to frame the conversation from the author's ( "the Primary Source" as she puts it) perspective and I think that was a real positive.

Honestly, I believe the best option she lists is the U.A. model. In fact, I really believe that is where we are headed when it comes to a variety of artistic endeavors, and I readily welcome it. The idea of content creators, of all types, organizing and coming together to produce, publish, and promote their own works just gets me excited.

Permalink | Leave a comment »

Zach Wahls Speaks About Family

Fri, 04 Feb 2011 18:07:28 -0800

This is the first thing I have seen on Facebook (which I peruse in a
read-only fashion) that actually bears a reposting.

Permalink | Leave a comment »

Trojan Recruitment

Fri, 04 Feb 2011 08:12:19 -0800

This is a great idea!

Permalink | Leave a comment »

Thinking of traveling in Cedar Rapids or Iowa City? Don't. Current road conditions via 511ia.org.

Tue, 01 Feb 2011 16:37:00 -0800

via TweetDeck

Permalink | Leave a comment »

@cascade02 still manages to find a way to look stylish in the weather. :)

Tue, 01 Feb 2011 12:12:16 -0800

via TweetDeck

Permalink | Leave a comment »

Winter from the Windows of EPB

Tue, 11 Jan 2011 10:43:39 -0800

Permalink | Leave a comment »

Over Now!

Thu, 16 Dec 2010 11:30:00 -0800

The worst finals week I have ever had to endure has just come to a
close. Normally, I can procrastinate a little and still get things
done but that wasn't an option here. After nearly breaking my ankle
and being kept out of class out for two weeks in late November, it
took everything I had just to catch up. As it was, I just barely
managed to squeak everything in on time.

I'm looking forward to a short break and then my final semester
before..well..before something happens for next year. Courtney is
pushing Grad School hard and I am looking at options I hadn't
considered before. We'll see where it takes us.

For now, enjoy a little Alice in Chains because, at least for me, it's
"Over Now."

Permalink | Leave a comment »

Why the Office is a Bad Place to Work

Mon, 06 Dec 2010 10:00:47 -0800

An excellent TED talk and something all managers and creative people should think about.

http://www.ted.com/talks/jason_fried_why_work_doesn_t_happen_at_work.html

Permalink | Leave a comment »

This is my new toy from the convention (it should load now). I guess I'm still a nerd at heart. :)

Sun, 07 Nov 2010 17:16:13 -0800

via TweetDeck

Permalink | Leave a comment »

Save Me from the Prognostications of Ignorance

Fri, 22 Oct 2010 08:14:51 -0700

I sat in class today and listened to a fellow student assert, with
that smug, self-assured and confident manner borne only from the
deepest ignorance, the "fact" that literary criticism was dead
because of the Internet. I was about to feel pity for the teacher when
I realized that she, at least, was being paid to be there whereas I
was paying for the dubious pleasure of listening to this simpleton.
Suddenly, I was quite depressed.

Counting down: 6 discussion periods left.

Permalink | Leave a comment »

Why I Park on Top

Fri, 15 Oct 2010 11:31:34 -0700

Love this view!

Permalink | Leave a comment »

Why post the doubts?

Wed, 29 Sep 2010 13:22:00 -0700

There is something to be said for not posting self-doubt or moments of
weakness. After all, a persona is just that, a fictional creation and there
is no reason why the public needs to know about the doubts of the developer
of that persona.

So why am I doing it? It's not for the encouragement, though, I do
appreciate it. While I may doubt, I have chosen this path for a reason. I
know I want to be here if only to be a voice in opposition (just so long as
I am not only a voice of opposition). The reason I take the time to write
all of this down is because there is a struggle inherent to what I am doing.
I don't want people to think that this is something that I just walked into
and everything worked. The truth is a lot of it doesn't work and that is
part of the challenge, the trial and - if I take time to think on it - the
fun.

I always felt that when I told my life story people only saw the successes.
I minimized my difficulties and my failures because that is what I was
taught to do: gloss over the bad, concentrate on the good. Well, that's
bullshit. Flat out. The bad, me sitting in that class wanting to scream and
questioning why the hell I even started down this path, that is important.
It's important because that is what must be overcome. That is the obstacle.
When people want to know how I felt, I don't want to tell them, "Oh, I just
had to be a writer." I don't. I can program. I can do tech. I can run a
business and all of them would be fun. I want to write. I want to tell
stories. It is something that I see as a rare and valuable thing and I want
to be involved in that. So, I make my choice and I work my ass off and I sit
awake at 2am wondering why it is I ever decided to go this route. That is
all part of it and its all worthwhile.

That doesn't mean there aren't days I want to quit, though. The best part of
writing those pieces, at least for me personally, is that they become my
mantra, my self-affirmations. I find that they become my reason to fight
back. My secret is out. I am not all confident but what I like in confidence
I make up for in tenacity. There is something to be said for that.

Permalink | Leave a comment »

Late Night Struggles

Tue, 28 Sep 2010 23:51:00 -0700

I sit down and they begin to read and chat. The new generation of authors are here and all I want to do is run away. This isn't a question of confidence. I don't think that my work is subpar. In fact, I know that it's not. That's not a question or a concern I have had to deal with - this week. Instead, I realize - once again - that I do not fit. I find my critiques always at odds with the rest of them. What I write, what I have to say is meaningless.

These are supposedly my peers, though. These are my compatriots. These are the people who get fellowships and publishing deals and everything that I think I want. I can't write like that. No, I won't write like that. I'm sorry. The work can be beautiful. The language fantastic but what I am reading? Who here is writing something that is something.

It's all just copy. The dry imaginings of what we think is prose and poetry. None of us, is actually writing anything real and, frankly, that is obvious. Writing is work. Never forget that. It isn't a task made for quiet contemplation. It is a task of pure determination and it will suck the energy from you.

So now I sit at a crossroads. I am sick, a heartsickness that cuts me to the core. I should cry but I don't want to cry. I should scream or yell. I thought about doing that today, in seminar. I wondered how they would react and then I realized it didn't matter. My screaming would be forgotten in an instant.

But yes, this crossroads. This choice. Do I hide? Do I walk away and chase another dream or do I hold my ground? To be fair, this isn't much of a debate. I have no intention of giving ground to my own angst or to attitudes so different from my own. But I am tired and I do feel so terribly alone. Ah well, what can be done? I set the wheel and let it run.

Come hell or high water...let's travel on.

Permalink | Leave a comment »