Being Frank

Making Waves

2012-02-19T10:17:00.002-06:00

A couple of times a week I drive past the Liberty Tax services office near my house. I always feel amused by the young person stationed on the corner, dressed in a poor impression of the Statue of Liberty, dancing as if they are in the middle of their own private Soul Train.

I can’t imagine working that job. Sure, a paycheck is a paycheck, but my personality just doesn’t fit the job requirements. In fact, I imagine it takes a very special person to stand out in public, dressed in ridiculous garb, and wave at people all day long.

For the longest time, I felt embarrassed for the kid, projecting my own feelings onto their experience. Why, though, does it have to be embarrassing? Should dancing in public, in full view of thousands of people a day spur thoughts of inadequacy? Most of the people working the corner don’t display the best dance skills, but does it matter what anyone else thinks? I have written many times that it isn’t any of our business what others think of us. So, why should anyone feel uncomfortable selling tax services by dancing on the corner?

Honestly, I felt embarrassed for myself. No matter which Liberty Tax service I passed, the dancing statue always waves at everyone. I refused to wave back. Deep down, I felt that if I acknowledged their presence through my return wave, I would encourage their ridiculous behavior. By not waving, I ignored the potential discomfort felt were I dressed in a frumpy, green dress, jamming to the latest top 40 hits.

How dumb is that?

Recently, I decided to change my own ridiculous behavior. I now wave at the Liberty Tax Service dancers, wherever I find them. The first time I waved was spontaneous. As I approached the corner, I noticed the kid throwing down some awkward moves. Traffic was slow, so I watched for a long time from the corner of my eye. Of course, as I passed, he waved at me, and although I looked away and didn’t make eye contact, my right hand raised into the air and waved back.

Immediately, I giggled. I know part of my reaction stemmed from the amazement that I had actually acknowledged his presence. I just couldn’t contain my mirth that I had actually waved back, and accidentally, no less. I also giggled at the face Lady Liberty made, a combination of both surprise and joy I can only assume derived from my wave. Is it possible that through the simple action of a wave, I validated someone’s existence?

Since that day, I have made sure to wave every time I pass. I get the same reaction every time, though the dancers vary. They wave, I wave, then I giggle at the silliness of the whole episode. But, silliness is ok.

The one random wave that broke my pattern exposed a profound truth about my actions - the only reason I had to be embarrassed rested in my own inability to participate in something as simple as acknowledging another human being. My experience also opened my eyes to the majority of the people around me. If my waves could engender reactions of surprise, how infrequently do other people wave back? I don’t think I have been alone in my reluctance.

There is no reason not to wave back in a situation like that. No one needs to feel embarrassed for the Liberty Tax Service dancers. In fact, the only embarrassment any of us should feel originates from our unwillingness to pick up our hand and wave back. How hard is it, really?

Shot Through the Heart (and you’re to blame)

2012-02-12T17:55:00.003-06:00

Valentine’s Day is near. Can you feel it? The supermarket candy aisles pay tribute to candy hearts and oversized boxes of chocolates, floral markets burst with the giant influx of roses, and the diamond industry would have us believe the only way to your loved one’s heart is through sparkly minerals. Yes, America, St. Valentine’s day approaches - capitalism’s take on love.

The Valentine’s holiday has always amused me to some extent. In college, there was always a group of students who refused to participate due to the lack of a significant other. Instead of the celebration of love, these poor individuals focused on their lack of a partner, mourning their situation through Singles Awareness Day, or SAD. They wore black, some wouldn’t speak, and they refused to entertain the notion that love was possible.

Samantha and I officially started dating right around Valentine’s Day in 2002. We had our “coming out” at a joint mixer with Phi Mu Alpha and Sigma Alpha Iota in the music building at the University of Houston. We had both recently emerged from long relationships and planned on taking things slowly. She made me peanut butter cookies and gave me yellow roses. I gave her a book I made out of construction paper (elementary school style) detailing the reasons I liked her. I think it worked, after all, she has kept me around for another ten years.

Since we have been married, we have always agreed not to do the extravagant gift exchange celebrated by Valentine’s Day’s commercial sponsors. Our decision isn’t a protest of the commercial nature of the Hallmark Holiday, instead we have chosen to spend our money differently, creating memories instead.

Whether or not your buy an expensive gift, make something crafty, or do nothing at all (with your love’s permission), be sure to celebrate the holiday beyond the gift giving - celebrate the love (or pre-love) you share. It isn’t just about the gift wrap, the floral presentation, the fancy dinner, or the pay-off afterwards. Valentine’s Day is about the time you have spent together, the experiences you share, the moments you are apart and can’t stop thinking about each other. Valentine’s Day is about how you feel when your love is around, how you feel when they look at you, and how you still feel ten after you first got together.

Valentine’s Day should still be about love for those people tempted to celebrate SAD. Whether or not you have found love before, know that love is out there. Don’t feel saddened by the sappy couples that pop up like wildflowers on Valentine’s Day, feel emboldened by the possibility that love will find you for the first time or the thousandth. The most important thing to remember when thinking about the future possibility of love is that most people find it impossible to love someone who doesn’t love themselves. If love is avoiding you, turn introspective, make the decision to love yourself.

No matter what your plans are for Valentine’s Day, treat everyone you encounter with simple human love. Celebrate every personal encounter with the spirit of Cupid. Give those who have love a reminder and those who do not a reason to hope.

Happy Valentine’s Day 2012

Garbage In - Garbage Out

2012-02-08T10:48:00.001-06:00

I find most demotivational posters funny. They keep the humor simple, accessible, and pertinent to current trends. Barney from How I Met Your Mother decorates his office with demotivational posters (what does he do for a living anyway?), keeping anyone who enters his office grounded. Recently, I found one on Facebook I thought particularly funny. Under a picture of a hoverboard from Back to the Future II the caption declares “Scientists: You have 3 years.”

I always appreciated the power source for the futurized Delorean - trash. 2015 technology takes garbage and turns it into fuel for flying cars. Wow! Somehow, in the next two years, we are going to be surprised with rapid development in antigravity technology and a reimagination of our roadways.

I think many of us believe our bodies work the same way as the Delorean. We fill our bellies with heavy, unhealthy food, yet we expect to be fit and trim, full of energy. Somehow, our bodies are supposed to take garbage and turn it into fuel to fly. I am not sure biology works that way. Most of us know this, yet we do it anyway.

We treat our mental health the same way. When we input rubbish, we output rubbish. Garbage In - Garbage Out. We are not futuristic Deloreans. Dr. Brown has not been tinkering under our hood. We should not expect miracle results after filling our minds with trash.

Please allow me to clarify exactly what I mean by trash. I am talking about people and situations that pull us down. How many of us have a friend who chooses to dump on us every time we see them? That person fills our minds with trash, weighing us down, and eventually bringing us to a place where we are even with them. Ever heard the phrase “misery loves company?” Well, it does. When misery goes in, misery comes out.

The same goes for what you read, listen to, watch on television and in movies. All the stimulus found in our environments does one of two things - it lifts us up or it brings us down. Think about your experience. Do you fill your universe with garbage elements or with uplifting elements? Do you wake up to a series of demotivational posters, constantly describing how much you suck? Or is your life filled with the opposite - positive messages, stocking your soul with energy and life?

Garbage In - Garbage Out is true, but so is the opposite. Surround yourself with people who beam with positivity. Find friends who always build you up. Fill yourself with abundance instead of emptiness. Demotivational posters are fun, but your life should not read like one.

While a Delorean that flies using only garbage is fun to think about, our spirit does not work that way. The only way we are able to fly is to fill it full of positive energy, freeing us to float high above negative influences.

Frank Chambers

Follow on twitter @fxcIV

The Hero

2012-02-05T11:26:00.000-06:00

Our culture loves to celebrate the Hero. We idolize these men and women, placing them on a pedestal in hopes that someday we too can share the same characteristics they so prominently display in their lives. More often than not, these heros are sports characters, TV or movie stars, cultural and societal faces; all people who are detached from our everyday experience. But, what is to stop us from being the heros?

The term hero is versatile, used to describe a person who acted extraordinarily in a particular set of circumstances. In 2010, the year my band marched in the Tournament of Roses parade, the Grand Marshall was pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, the man who safely landed his disabled plane on the Hudson River shortly after take off. Most of us know nothing of this man other than this one heroic action. He was feted, then forgotten.

No doubt this year’s Super Bowl will feature a hero of sorts, the sports superstar who leads his team to the win. Millions will buy his jersey, displaying their proud support of their hero, eager to live up to his on field heroics.

The idea of the hero is an ancient one, stemming back to the Greeks. Heros were usually demigods who shared complicated relationships with both the people around them and the Gods who spawned them. Hero worship was real, as cults were typically founded to celebrate the hero mythology. Later, the idea of hero transferred into literary archetype, presented as a common man or woman who performed amazing feats of bravery without regard for their own safety.

The modern concept of heroics still fits into these two molds, with our sports superstars playing the part of conflicted demigod and more common, everyday people like Sully Sullenberger filling the role of the literary archetype.

I would like to suggest a third type of modern hero, one who never receives airtime on news stations, is never discussed over coffee with friends, or has their name plastered all over merchandise. This is the hero that does the right thing as often as possible, the hero that demonstrates how to live life through unremarkable example, quiet and steady, yet strong.

This is the hero we can all be.

Most of us will never win the Super Bowl. Most of us will never land a plane full of scared people on the Hudson River. But we can all live our lives in a way that encourages others around us to find the best way to live themselves. Our words and actions can be rooted in love. Our legacy could be as simple as leaving behind people who have chosen to live more positive lives.

While our heroics will go mostly unsung, we should take comfort in knowing that people are watching. Just as those familiar heros we see on TV will never know the names of all the people they have effected, neither will we. The power we have to be a positive force of change is amazing; use your power in the best possible way.

Be the hero to those around you. The true hero is one who doesn’t live to be a hero, but simply through living, becomes one.

Signing Day

2012-02-01T10:14:00.000-06:00

Today is college football connoisseur Christmas. It is Signing Day. This is the day where high school seniors and junior college standouts officially commit to a university football program, signing their next three to five years over to a coaching staff, a university body, and to a fan base. This single choice can make or break their career depending on a slew of influences beyond the recruit’s control.

I had a Signing Day of a sort while writing my last blog. There wasn’t the same kind of fanfare that accompanies a top recruit inking his name to the line, but the commitment is the same. In order to accept my February challenge of living more positively, I had to make a commitment to myself. I committed to being positive.

Unlike the college recruits, my commitment shouldn’t have a shelf life. Most of these athletes will be part of the squad at least four years. Some schools will red-shirt them for a year, elongating their eligibility to five years. If they happen to injure themselves during their college experience, they could even gain a sixth year of eligibility. If they are good enough, they might even declare for the NFL after three.

My commitment to retaining a positive outlook on life is indefinite. There is no expiration date when it comes to changing your life. No person with physical addictions ever wants to quit for just a few years; they want to quit for good. By signing up to live a more positive life, I am quitting negativity, not just putting it on hiatus.

Another difference between the young football players and myself are the benefits that accompany the commitment. They have to finish high school, move to college, pass their classes, practice, work out, then win football games while performing at a high level. Their big payoff is down the road, assuming they have worked hard enough, are talented enough, and have gained the right notice from scouts and pundits.

My commitment to finding positivity begins paying off right now. Immediately, my human interaction gains an extra level of connection as I look for the positives. I look for reasons to love everyone I meet. I look to celebrate simple moments.

Sure, there is as much work happening within my soul to maintain my positive positioning as there is with the future linebacker or wide receiver to become stronger, quicker, and more agile. While they spend time working on their bodies, I spend time crafting my spirit. They will see results just as I will, but while both sets of results are personal, mine are intangible and immediate.

Signing up for any commitment takes strength. These young men are choosing a college to craft their future, and whether or not they know it, their decision can have a long lasting impact on their success. Committing to personal change takes strength as well, and it is strength all of us can find within. If there is something you dislike about yourself, make a commitment, sign a contract. Making that decision is definitely scary, but finding the faith to go through with it is the first step towards something beautiful.

Today is Signing Day. What is your commitment?

When in Doubt, Say Thanks!

2012-01-29T16:14:00.002-06:00

One of my readers recently issued a challenge. While I am not sure the intention was to drive me in a different direction than I am currently headed, it certainly knocked me off my course for a little bit. Now, I am happy to say, I have faith I am back on track, albeit a different one.

The reader didn’t issue a challenge straight-up, medieval style, slapping a glove across my face. In fact, I am not sure the point was ever to challenge me at all. Needless to say, the result is the same - I need to take a more positive view of the world in which I live.

Looking back on the course my blog has taken, I see the message has altered, straying from my original uplifting and positive messages focusing on how to live a better life. Lately, I seem to live in a semi-cynical world, full of selfish people only interested in self-serving opportunity - at least, that is what my blog might have you believe. I know this is not the world I live in. I have let myself develop tunnel vision, focusing only on those people whose actions and words seem to force my conclusions into an ego-driven corner.

February will be my challenge. I will remain positive every day, looking for the best in every situation. Instead of looking for the worst in people, I will actively make the choice to see the perfection hiding behind a scared and hurt facade. I will find opportunities to practice what I have preached in my blogs, working to help the people who share my existence find the same positivity in their own universe. Then, I will come write about it.

I know the first few days, maybe even weeks, could be challenging. While I fear that I might have been marinating in this negative stew for a while now, I am confident my destiny lies somewhere other than cynicism.

My first step, and probably the most important, is to always be thankful for what the universe brings my way. Every situation offers a teachable moment, no matter how negative it might appear at first. Finding those lessons and building upon them is primary to my success. At the very least, I will be thankful for the learning opportunity brought to me.

Laying a foundation in thankfulness should help direct me towards the positive goal I hope to achieve. By establishing my life in a place of thanks, I can be confident that my mindset will begin to change. How fast change occurs depends on how devoted I am to finding the best in every situation.

I would like to challenge you with the same goal. Make February the month you determine to find positivity in every experience. See the best in everyone you meet. Look behind upsetting actions and words and see the real person, then find a reason to love them. Share your experiences by emailing me or commenting on the blog. I would love to know what obstacles everyone else has overcome in the drive to discover the world we live in is, in fact, awesome.

Frank Chambers

Follow on twitter @fxcIV

Spin Cycle

2012-01-25T20:44:00.000-06:00

Last night, I wasn’t sure my washing machine was working properly. I could hear it making noises, but couldn’t tell if anything was actually happening on the inside. We have a front loading washer with the window in the door, so I snagged a flashlight and shined it through the window, peering into the guts of the machine. Inside, the towels were tumbling as the washer was going through its spin cycle. Everything was as it should be.

The laundry room isn’t the only place we experience the spin cycle. Last night, the entire country received a lesson on the spin cycle from our two major political parties and the Tea Party. Facts were bandied about, claims of success and failure presented by all three sides, figures and numbers were held up for all to see. Spin was in full session. Afterwards, the news media took the spin and spun it some more, twisting vague statements, squeezing every last drop of advertising value from the political statements.

This is every day in the political sphere and the news media. In the GOP primary process, one candidate makes claims about themselves only to have them disavowed by another candidate. They make claims about each other that later are exposed as lies and falsehoods. This is spin. This is the game played constantly in every aspect of political life.

The media is famous for spin as well. Each news outlet, regardless of what they might say in public, is driven by a certain set of principals. The reporters, copy writers, and editors at print and television news establishments have their own politics which will invariably color their content. Each company spins the news, choosing its presentation to garner the appropriate reaction from readers and viewers.

Spin isn’t just a game played on the national level. We practice spin within our own circles. We might exaggerate to our friends to make ourselves look better - “I once caught a fish thiiiiiiiiiiis big!” We cover mistakes with viable excuses, we avoid telling the whole truth to people to protect our image, we attempt to recuse ourselves from situations that would make us appear unfavorable.

We even spin ourselves. Have you ever done something, felt bad about it later, then justified it to yourself just to feel better, despite the fact that you still disagreed with your own actions? I have. Sometimes we spin ourselves so well we confuse the truth and end up believing the false story. Only later, when we truly look within, do we see where we hid the truth.

Look behind the mirage. Look past the spin to find the real story. Get your news from multiple sources, then piece the real story together. Listen to what the politicians have to say, but check their facts before you believe them. Sometimes, like I had to do with my washing machine, you just have to get a flashlight and look around a bit to see if what you are hearing is the truth, or just the spin cycle.

Frank Chambers

Follow on twitter @fxcIV

When the Reason has Gone . . .

2012-01-22T11:25:00.002-06:00

“Next door there's an old man who lived to his nineties

And one day passed away in his sleep

And his wife; she stayed for a couple of days

And passed away”

These are lyrics from the Ben Folds song “The Luckiest.” This touching song struggles to describe the undefinable feeling of love people share. In the quoted verse, after the man dies, the woman passes too. Her reason for existing - her husband - has left, leaving her without a reason to live any longer.

Joe Paterno, the stalwart icon of Penn State football, succumbed to the same fate. While I certainly do not discount his relationship with his family or his wife, Penn State football was JoePa’s life. His tenure in State College began in 1950 when he followed his college coach as an Assistant Coach. His relationship with Penn State lasted for 61 years.

The story of Paterno’s death really began three months before he actually passed. Abandoned by the school whose success as a major university and football powerhouse are closely tied to Paterno’s tenure, Paterno went home. Nine days later he was diagnosed with lung cancer. Three weeks after that he fell and broke his hip. Six weeks later he was in the hospital due to failing health. Nine days after he entered the hospital, he died.

While Joe’s passing was not as quick as the woman in the song lyrics, his death derived from the same source. Penn State was his life blood. While he still technically remained a tenured faculty member of Penn State, he was not the coach. He was forcibly put to pasture.

I have to wonder, had Joe left on his own terms, would he have fallen so quickly so fast? Part of me thinks not. The void left by Penn State football would have been large, but manageable. But, can anyone survive when their heart has been torn from their chest? Penn State was Joe Paterno’s heart.

While I find the lyrcis of “The Luckiest” touching and heartfelt - it is the song Samantha and I danced to at our wedding - the same circumstances found in Joe Paterno’s death are sad. Heartbreak is tough to overcome.

Frank Chambers

Follow @fxcIV

The Difference Between 15% and 31% is Zero

2012-01-18T22:08:00.001-06:00

I am not entirely sure what the deal is with Presidential candidates and their tax returns. Apparently, there is no law on the books that requires candidates to disclose their income tax return, but since 1968, when Mitt Romney’s father ran for President and released his own records, it has become tradition.

Recently, Romney revealed that he was taxed around the 15% level. His income comes primarily from financial investments made years ago, which keeps the bulk of his income taxed at the capital gains rate. By contrast Newt Gingrich revealed his tax rate was 31%.

So what.

What is the big deal that Romney was taxed at a lesser rate than Gingrich? Does this somehow affect either of the men’s ability to govern? Does it change their politics or their electability?

No.

So what is the big deal? Well, the point Gingrich seems to be hinting at is that Romney’s income level, based primarily on investments, prevents him from understanding the plight of the working man. How can someone worth over $200 million understand what it is like to worry about bills at the end of the month? How can someone who theoretically never has to work a day in his life to earn a dime connect with the overwhelming number of Americans who are now below the poverty line?

I think Gingrich has a point. Romney can’t. Now, please don’t get me wrong. I am not saying that because of Romney’s financial situation he would not be a good leader. I am saying that Gingrich is correct. Romney can’t understand. Romney himself, in an effort to make light of his own income level, shoved his own foot into his mouth by saying his speaking fee income for last year wasn’t very much. It was $374,327.62.

You know what is even funnier about Romney’s not very large speech related income? In 2009, it only took $343,927 to be in the 1%. I think this is where Gingrich hits the nail on the head. Romney is so used to a lavish life, so used to money always being there, that an income that qualifies him for the 1% is regarded as “not very much.”

So, does Gingrich prove anything about being a better Presidential candidate by exposing Romney as wealthy? Not necessarily. Gingrich, while being taxed at twice the level as Romney, was still taxed at 31%, which also happens to be the tax rate for the top 1% of income earners in the US. So both Gingrich and Romney are in the 1%. The only difference is that Gingrich was taxed on earned income versus investment income, leaving him subject to a higher tax rate.

Gingrich has since said that his goal in getting Romney to reveal his tax level is not to lambast the man, but to point out that everyone should be taxed at that rate, not just the super wealthy. I don’t think he minded scoring political points with lower income groups though by seemingly bloodying Romney’s nose.

Gingrich himself is worth somewhere between $10-$20 million. While only a paltry 10% of Romney’s worth, his net worth is still at the very least 100 times the net worth of the average American citizen. While Gingrich still has to work for his money, he is still a far cry from the ability to connect to ordinary, everyday Americans.

I am sure many of you think I am trying to play the angle that the Republicans are out of touch with the common American experience. You are right, I am. But, I am playing this angle as well - so are the Democrats.

The point I am trying to make is that it doesn’t matter what the finances of the President are like. Presidents over the years have been very wealthy men. Some were not wealthy until they left office, but most recent presidents already had accumulated wealth prior to entering office. If Romney were elected President, he would be the 4th wealthiest man to hold the office (accounting for inflation). Gingrich would be the 21st wealthiest. Even the esteemed George Washington was worth over half a billion dollars.

What matters is their character, their leadership traits. Bullying someone into releasing their tax records accomplishes nothing because it proves nothing. The only result is that it demonstrates that the current tax code benefits those with a lot more money than you or I. We all know these men have more money than we do - does it matter how much more?

Instead of losing ourselves in the drama, pay attention to how the candidates act. Review their record, not what they say. Sure, the rhetoric can be entertaining, but half of what any politician says seems to false and the other half confusing. Choose your candidate based on what you see in their soul. You can just about count on them being rich.

Frank Chambers

Follow @fxcIV

The Marathon

2012-01-15T10:59:00.002-06:00

Runners by the thousands descended on downtown Houston today for the running of the Houston Marathon. All kinds of people braved the cold morning to get this years chance to conquer the course. Of course, to get to the starting line, each and every one of them had to conquer something else first - themselves.

For the amateur runner, the decision to run 26.2 miles is not an easy one. There is a large leap between running three miles as a fitness routine and swallowing the twenty-six week training period that typically precedes running a full marathon. Many people start the training and never finish, succumbing to injuries or excuses.

I trained for the marathon a few years ago but failed to make it to the starting line due to a knee injury. While I was disappointed not to have to opportunity to participate, I still learned much about myself. Without the guts to jump into the training process in June, I wouldn’t be able to say that I have run sixteen miles straight. Apparently, sixteen was my limit, because after that last run, my right knee wouldn’t even let me go one mile before the pain was so much I couldn’t even walk.

I have since recovered from my injury, but have consistently succumbed to the other reason runners don’t compete - excuses. I have experienced the excitement of following the race on my bike though, and while I definitely didn’t feel the joy of success at the end of the run, I did enjoy myself.

The runners in a marathon are all types - professional, amateur, recreational, exhibitionist, etc. Some are running for causes, having raised money for a charity. Others run for themselves, eagerly desiring the 26.2 sticker they can add to the back of their car. While following the marathon on the bike, I saw people wearing normal running clothes, bathing suits, trash bags, and even a statue of liberty costume. Like I said - all types.

At one point, our friends running the race texted “need advil.” We raced to the nearest drug store and bought a bottle, then tracked them down north of the Galleria and delivered the goods. After they ran off, we offered the advil to the other runners passing by. It didn’t last long, eager hands grasping at the tiny pills. Later we did the same with a tray of Oreo cookies.

Running a long race like this teaches you a lot about yourself. Over the course of the training period, you run hundreds of miles, and unless you have a partner or a running group, much of it is spent on your own. Some people get lost in their iPod, others in their own mind. I ran without music, listening to what my body had to say, making adjustments as I went.

Steady activity like this is a lot like meditation. Rhythmic breathing, steady footfalls, conscious awareness of your body, your mind, and your surroundings, all contribute to a meditative state. The results of long distance running are similar to practicing yoga, producing states of a gentle euphoria along with an intense knowledge of self.

I applaud the runners today for their dedication to their goal and to themselves. Persevering over such a long time is difficult, and your race today is tribute to both your strength as a runner and as a human. Congratulations on both your physical and mental resolve.

Some of us might be involved in marathons of our own without ever running a single step. Remember, just like the runners today, if you believe in yourself and never quit, you can feel the exhilaration of conquering your goal as well.

Frank Chambers

Follow @fxcIV

There'll be Banana Hammocks Everywhere!

2012-01-11T21:53:00.000-06:00

Have you ever taken a situation, and anticipating some sort of dread consequences, blown the potential end result way out of proportion in your mind? Yes, table of one right here! I think this is one of the reasons I have always felt a kinship with JD, Zach Braff’s character from the TV show Scrubs.

JD’s fantastical departures from reality were the backbone of the comedy element to the show. No matter the seriousness, any situation lent itself to being elaborated upon through JD’s wacky imagination. He would play out fights, adventures, tragedies, and love stories, lost in his own mind until snapped back into reality. The results were always funny.

I often find myself lost in mental episodes like JD, although the humor level is never quite so high. I frequently play out conversations I am about to have, attempting to anticipate the direction in my head. Arguments seem to be a favorite, going through the he said, she said, as if my mind really could understand the way other people think.

The funny part about my own episodes? Like JD’s, they rarely ever turn out the way I imagined.

For JD, imagining alternate realities provided an escape from the drama of his real life. Sometimes his fantasies took him to a place where he could feel like a kid again, lost in his cotton candy dreams. Other times, his mind jumped track like a runaway train, ending in a place no one anticipated, like finding his apartment full of male strippers wearing nothing but thongs.

Where JD got lost in the wacky and absurd, I get lost in the negative too often. There have been plenty of occasions where I attempted to avoid the mental parlay, but the ego is sometimes hard to control. Playing through the negative provides one small benefit - I prevent myself from saying something stupid out loud when I have already said it in my mind. On the other hand, when my brain does go the way of JD’s comedic romps, I have the opportunity to ready jokes and anecdotes.

The imagination is a wild horse, full of spunk and eager to run. Just like any feral animal, it can turn on us and bite. When harnessed properly, imagination opens doors to worlds we couldn’t have previously imagined. You have to be careful, reigning it in at times and letting it run free when appropriate. If not, you never know where it will take you.

Frank Chambers

Follow @fxcIV

Wildflowers, Flip-flops, and the GOP

2012-01-08T11:41:00.000-06:00

I am wearing shorts today. I wore them yesterday and the day before. I also wore flip-flops, which in Hawaii are called slippers. Is it really January?

Dropping Samantha off at church this morning, I noticed a field full of blooming wildflowers, their bright colors a refreshing contrast to the typicaly bleak Houston winter. But, they are spring bloomers. Isn’t it January?

The GOP field had yet another debate last night. Again, it was touted to be Mitt Romney vs. the Un-Romneys, but ended up as yet another fight to be the Un-Romney of the week. The fervor of the election cycle ramped up early this year, begging the question - is it November? I thought it was January?

The major difference between warm weather, wild flowers, and wily political banter? I will never tire of the first two.

I pledge allegiance to never go away, even when I should.

I am surprised the political handlers of the GOP have allowed so many debates. Gearing up so early creates voter fatigue, generating future disinterest in the political process when it actually matters. Can they really imagine the typical voter continuing to welcome the GOP candidates into their living rooms for another nine primary debates. Thank God the first Presidential debate won’t be until October 3 - we will enjoy a blessed seven month reprieve from the debates.

Perhaps I misjudge the differences between flowers, nice temperatures, and stuffy politicians. Maybe I should search for similarities.

We got to know Mr. Cain so much he dropped out.

The longer the warm weather persists, the more opportunity people have to dress in lighter, more revealing clothing. Shorts make an appearance; tank-tops, t-shirts, skirts, and the afore mentioned flip-flops emerge from winter storage to show some skin out in public. The same happens with the GOP candidates. The longer they show their face on TV, the longer their blurbs are featured on the internet, and the more debates they have, the more we get to know them. Just like warm-weather influences the length of hemlines, the more we get to see what these candidates are hiding. Perhaps this is the reason we have enjoyed seeing the cycle of Un-Romney’s parade across the GOP’s favor. After a little time in the spotlight, we see more of the candidates than we wanted to.

When compared to the beauty of wildflowers, I balk at finding an accurate comparison with the current crop of GOP candidates. While their personalities are sometimes as colorful as a field of blooms, I have a feeling few parents would be comfortable photographing their children sitting in the midst of the GOP field. The biggest similarity between the GOP candidates and these early blooming wildflowers can be drawn to their longevity. The earlier they come out, the sooner they wilt, their flowers losing color and falling to the earth, becoming fodder for the next crop to emerge.

The only real conclusions I can draw on this early January day are ones that suggest my joy at finding unseasonable warmth and an early splash of color will soon be extinguished. Unfortunately, I will only be left to survive the grey Houston winter with the warmth of knowing that when the flowers return for real, accompanied by clear skies and comfortable temperatures, the GOP field will be gone, leaving in their place only one candidate. Maybe the election cycle will take a break. Probably not though, but, at least it will be nice enough to go outside and avoid the craziness that is this current election cycle.

Frank Chambers

Follow @fxcIV

A Starry Night

2012-01-04T21:21:00.000-06:00

Have you looked at the stars recently? I mean really looked at them. The kind where you step outside the city lights, away from the light pollution, away from the urban hustle and bustle, and stare into the heavens. It is majestic. If you haven’t done it recently, I suggest you create some time in your schedule to do so, even it it means just driving until you can’t see the obscene glow of a nearby metropolis creeping over the horizon.

I had the opportunity to bare witness to the sky over the recent holiday break and I have to admit, I had forgotten about the natural beauty constantly hanging over our heads, hidden behind the sheen of electrical progress. I stood there, draped in the cloth of night, gazing at the unfamiliar stars whose names I had once known. I could make out the constellations I faintly remembered, find the unblinking planets whose names I knew but locations I didn’t, and spot the faint glow of the Milky Way constellation floating across the dark night.

It was beautiful. And the sad part - I was still not nearly far enough from civilization to taste all of the beauty the night sky has to offer.

As more and more of our population flocks to city life, we increasingly lose touch with our place in the universe - I know I had. Ancient man constantly knew his seeming insignificance. Overhead, placed by unknown forces, the glowing embers burned through the dark of night. While looking up at the multitude, our ancestors couldn’t help knowing haw small they were. As the universe is blocked from view by the glow of cities, we observe less and less stars, forgetting where we are.

As I stood looking upwards, I realized how tiny we are, our insignificance in this world. I am only one person in seven billion living on this planet. Humans are only one species out of millions. How many planets hide in the billions of undiscovered solar systems belonging to uncounted galaxies. Our average life span only counts for .00000002125% of the Earth’s total existence. The Earth has only been around for a quarter of the time the Universe has existed.

How small are we? How infinitesimal? How unimportant?

It would be very easy to sit back, overwhelmed by the sheer weight of imagining the immensity of the universe, but doing so would be unnecessary and unwise. As tiny as we are, as simple and small our impact on this Universe might be, we still mean something. We play a part in the grand drama simply by existing.

Naturally, we might feel lost looking up at the glowing tapestry of stars, but our influence is definitely worth something. Imagine this world if our heroes had looked up at the stars and decided to do nothing, choosing insignificance when faced with the overwhelming reality of the universe. We face the same choice every day. Our actions determine whether or not we choose insignificance or importance.

Staring up at the stars on an early winter night, I felt unburdened by their presence. Looking billions of years into the past proved to me that we are part of something greater; each of us plays a part. No matter your beliefs, there is no denying the beauty of this Universe we call home. Take a trip. Look up. See into your own heart. You might be surprised to find billions of lights shining back at you.

Step by Step

2012-01-01T13:37:00.001-06:00

Recently, I spoke with a friend of mine - Roland Gomez - about exercise. You may know Roland from some of my blogs. He is the super-human endurance athlete who has made being fit one of the supreme goals of his life. While we always talk about other things, inevitably our conversations will steer back to fitness of some sort.

During this particular conversation, I mentioned that I had a hard time maintaining a work out regimen once I got started. Beginning was never the problem, but following through with the routine was. I would begin, and within a few days or weeks the excuses would build, I would take a day or two off, then I would never get back out.

So Roland, who has heard this particular complaint from me before, smacked me in the face with a little bit of truth. He told me that while I had a goal, I didn’t have a goal. I didn’t quite understand it right away, but after some explanation, we were on the same page.

The problem with my goal is that it was intangible, something I couldn’t see or absolutely work towards. My goal was a number, a weight I wanted to be, and therefore didn’t have a solid deadline by which I needed to be there. Roland’s advice was to find something athletic to do, some sort of competition for which I could register, then create a workout regimen leading up to the contest. The date of the contest would be my real goal, then I would achieve my not-a-goal of a certain weight in the process.

Genius, right? Right.

Most of us will make some sort of New Year’s Resolution today. And in a few days, weeks, or months, we will break those resolutions. No one is surprised by this. We all have a sloppy history of maintaining the changes we want to employ in our life - my exercise history is a tribute to this. It doesn’t have to be this way, though. We can take Roland’s exercise advice and apply it to our resolutions.

Most of us have extremely abstract resolutions, just like I had an abstract weight goal. The most common involve health - losing weight, eating better, quitting smoking, etc. - which are all extremely abstract in their original form. Other popular resolutions involve saving money, spending more time with family, giving back to the community, finding a better work-life balance, getting organized, reading more, finishing home improvement, and many more.

While all of these resolutions are noble at their core, most of the people who make them will certainly fail.

The way to help ensure the successful completion of a resolution is to make the second goal, the real tangible goal. In the weight loss/fitness goal arena, registering for a competition gives a solid date you have to work for. For other resolutions, finding ways to interact with them tangibly every day will help guarantee that you will achieve change. Make a list of everything you can do to reach your goal, figure out how to incorporate elements from the list into your daily life. Build a routine with weekly and monthly check-points. Set larger goals and craft your resolution curve to crescendo towards these. By the end, you will get much closer to accomplishing your desired change.

Sure, cold-turkey works for some of us, but there is a reason 12-step programs are effective. Most people need to gently install change one facet at a time. Holding to the high-pressure of an instant change overwhelms us, leading to failure. Instituting the steps, the smaller goals that lead towards our large resolution, shrinks our mind’s impression of the work-load. We will achieve this time rather than pushing the boulder up the hill, only to let it roll back down again.

So, good luck to all of us as we proceed in chasing down those resolutions. Hopefully this year we will not feel so overwhelmed by the magnitude of our choices as we advance step by step.

Happy New Year 2012!

Frank Chambers

Follow @fxcIV

When Necessary, Use Words

2011-12-18T11:33:00.000-06:00

One of my favorite teachers, St. Francis of Assisi, is credited with the saying “preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary, use words.” While he first uttered these words over 800 years ago, the truth contained in them is immortal regardless of whether or not you follow his Christian teachings.

I believe that if we were to boil the teachings of the gospels down to their basic element, they could be summed up through an answer Jesus delivered to the Pharisees when asked which was the greatest commandment in the law. Jesus’ response was love - first for God, second for everyone else. This is what St. Francis implores us to do. Absent communicating the messages contained in the gospels with our mouths, our actions demonstrate exactly what is in our heart.

Too often, I find people straying from this ideal, particularly during the holidays. For a season that is supposed to focus on joy and goodwill, many people succumb to the stress of holiday shopping, overwhelming crowds, and over spent budgets. As we look forward to whatever vacation we have managed to plan, we end up loathing the time we spend at work. Our stress causes us to sleep poorly and we turn into grouchy, unpleasant people. Happy Holidays everyone!

Our unthought actions, typically reactions to how we are feeling on the inside, reflect where we are in relation to Jesus’ teaching. The unhappy person who cuts us off in the mall parking lot deserves our love. The screaming baby in the restaurant and the parents who appear to ignore the grating noise deserve our love. The homeless man who approaches your window with the a bucket of water and a squeegee deserves our love.

Now, imagine yourself in any one of these situations as either of the participants. No matter which one you are, you have the power to change the other person depending upon your response. You can make their day better or you can make their day worse. St. Francis would implore you to reflect on the gospel message and act through love, reflecting the teaching of Jesus. Perhaps in any one of these situations, your love could infect the other person, helping to spread love through their interactions as well.

Or you could spread the opposite of love; it is just as infectious, and too often the easier, quicker choice.

St. Francis’ message applies all year round, not just at Christmas time. I understand how hard it is to stare down rudeness, selfishness, and even hate, and respond with the most truly loving (and not sarcastic) reactions. We are usually so eager to protect our ego that we tend to sink to the level of our attacker instead of raising them up to our level of love. But imagine how different this world would be if we could do that. How many ego driven actions did we take today that could have easily been derived from love? How differently would you feel right now had you chosen to respond with a smile instead of a grimace?

American culture is a paradox of sorts. From an early age we see that being the best is rewarded the most. We practice as much as we can, putting others down, creating victories where there is no competition just to say we are the best, generally acting without love. But, America claims to be a Christian nation, espoused in Christian ideals. If this were true, wouldn’t our first choice always be love instead of ego?

I think if Jesus or St. Francis were to see the America we have created, they would be severely disappointed in our efforts. Instead of a nation built on the Christian ideal of love for others, we have built a nation focused on loving ourselves, which was not the answer Jesus provided to the Pharisees. Well, not unless we have usurped the throne of God and placed ourselves upon it.

The beauty of this world is that we can change it. We can use love to guide our every action, reflecting on the teachings of these wise men. Our influence can spread beyond our own lives, beyond our own communities, spreading love everywhere. So today, as you go about your business, reflect on your actions towards others. Are you living up to the expectations set for you many centuries ago? I hope so.

Frank Chambers

Follow @fxcIV

Death and Texas

2011-12-11T18:00:00.001-06:00

There is a saying - the only certainties in life are death and Texas. After living in this great state for the past 30 years, I can say that it is true. Texas is more than just a place, it is a state of mind.

When you are driving down the road and some giant truck fills your rearview mirror, urging you to get out of its way even though you are in the slow lane. That is Texas.

When you are at a restaurant and the waiter asks if you would like the small chicken friend steak or the large and you order the large. That is Texas.

When you shoot a Coyote during your morning run because it was in your way. That is Texas.

Texas is about big. It is about tough and rough. It is about over doing it, and then doing it some more. Texas is about how much, how often, and how long. Texas spelled backwards is Saxet. Don’t mess with Texas because Texas knows where you live. Texas wears spurs while asleep. Texas is. Texas does. And Texas did.

Walker, Texas Ranger is Texas, which means that Chuck Norris is Texas as well. Nothing can compete with Chuck Norris. Looking at Chuck Norris is like trying to have a staring contest with the sun. You lose.

Texas is football. It is band and cheerleaders, drill team and pep squad, costumed mascots and live animals. What do people farm in Texas - linebackers. Our Gross Domestic Product is measured in rattlesnake skins. Texas has a National Beer - Lone Star. Every morning, millions of students say a pledge. To Texas.

Texas is the home of the Alamo, remember that? We say “Y’all.” What are y’all going to do about it? Nothing. I thought so.

As Davy Crocket told his friends - “You may all go to Hell and I will go to Texas.”

Frank Chambers

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Rinse and Repeat

2011-12-07T22:06:00.001-06:00

Most of us are familiar with laundry. We wear the clothes we like, we wad them up and deposit them into a basket (or the floor), and when we run out, or it is laundry day, we wash them. This cycle continues constantly throughout our life, with only the clothes varying.

There are many cycles in our lives, some larger and over arching like the seasons, others subtle and hidden. We perpetrate cycles without ever knowing it, running certain habits and behaviors over and over again. Many of us are often familiar with our cycles and welcome them like old friends come to visit. Some of us detest our cycles, yet still we succumb to their familiarity despite our loathing.

Much of the content in Being Frank can really be summed up in one idea - break the negative cycles. We are too frequently the victims of a vicious cycle of abuse we commit against ourselves; I see the results of my own and others’ cycles rear their heads all too often.

Amazingly, every single cycle we allow ourselves to fall into can be broken. All it takes is a simple decision.

I use the word simple weighted with as much sincerity and seriousness as I can muster. The idea of simple would imply that the the action of breaking the cycle is easy, which it is not. The decision is the simple part. We make up our mind about issues constantly during the day, choosing behaviors to manifest our experiences. Making a decision is easy. Following through is hard.

In a way, this is a cycle as well. We decide we want to change aspects of our life, we craft a plan to enact the changes, we fail to follow through. The next time around we do the same thing, accomplishing nothing more than creating frustration. If we can find a way to break this cycle and others, we will find more fulfillment through our existence.

One of my friends, Roland, recently exposed a cycle I have fallen into for the past couple of years. I, like many Americans, complain about my weight, my fitness level, and my overall health. Roland, who I have written about before, called me out. He pointed out that while I have a goal, I don’t have a goal. Simply wanting to lose weight, even having a desired weight goal, is not enough. He is right. The most productive I have ever been with fitness training was while training for the Houston marathon. While a knee injury prevented me from finishing my training, I dedicated myself to the program because I had a goal. Roland told me I needed to set a goal, an end date, at which point my obligation would be complete.

This is certainly not the only way to break a cycle in your life. First you must make the decision and second you must follow through, but having checkpoints along the way that motivate you to work and to change certainly helps.

Don’t succumb to the repetitive nature of our being. Identify the cycles you no longer wish to repeat. Make a decision and follow through. Break the cycle.

Frank Chambers

Follow @fxcIV

No Respect

2011-12-04T11:26:00.001-06:00

Rodney Dangerfield used to complain about not getting any respect. His entire career was built on this bit, driving every joke. No one respected Rodney - his parents, his wife, even his dog. Sometimes I feel like that about the University of Houston football team.

As a University of Houston alumni I have followed the Cougar’s football exploits over the years, cringing at the bad and cheering at the good. If I didn’t already bleed red, I would bleed red. As a student I survived the 0-11 season and now as an alumni I enjoyed cheering the Coogs along to 12-1 (as of this writing). I have to tell you, the Cougars have never received the respect they deserve. They are the Rodney Dangerfield of college football.

If you follow FBS football, you might wonder how I can suggest they get no respect, be it that they were ranked No. 6 in the nation before losing the C-USA Championship game. It comes down to this - the nation’s sports writers, bloggers, and pundits always seemed to grudgingly give UH some credit while eagerly waiting the day they would fall from grace. Now, after being thoroughly out-played in their last home game, the national “I told you so” will begin. The BCS system has taken a collective sigh of relief. The lack of respect will continue.

Despite the grudging national attention, the Cougars have held their heads high the entire season, playing with class. I have seen games where they kneeled the ball on the 5 yard line three times in a row to avoid running up the score, where the coaches subbed the starters early in the fourth quarter to avoid embarrassing an unmatched opponent, I have seen class from Coach Kevin Sumlin and the players alike. I have respect for the University of Houston.

Unfortunately, some of the excitement I felt at attending the C-USA championship game was muted by the actions of others (not the disappointing football performance by my Coogs, though). Our seats were great, on the 35 about half way up the visitor side. We were surrounded by a sea of red - it was awesome. I have never heard Robertson Stadium so loud.

Then, the drunks started up. Mixed into the true-hearted Cougar fans were the slovenly drunks eager for nothing more than to shout obscenities at everyone. I didn’t realize that college football was more about how many beers you can spill on an 8 year old boy than it is about cheering your team on. I heard many words spew from the mouths of these men (not college boys) that I hadn’t heard since I myself was an undergraduate. Did I mention the 8 year old boy? Did I mention the 6 year old girl sitting with her parents dressed like a UH cheerleader?

After halftime, the young boy and his father did not return to their seats. I assume they were tired of showering in a mix of beer and spit. The parent of the little cheerleader spoke up during halftime to one of the men. At least he had the grace to realize how offensive he had been and promptly sat down, falling into an embarrassed slumber for the third quarter.

There was a tussle where one of the drunks wanted to smoke a cigarette in the stands. He had already smoked one. This time the other drunks corralled him. He disappeared a little bit before the cops came by. Another drunk was reprimanded for his language by security. He slowed it down for a little while, but started back up not long after they left.

I will take solace in the fact that, as far as I could tell through their conversation, most of them were not UH alums, because their behavior demonstrated that they had no respect for themselves or for the Cougars. As a result, I have no respect for them.

Then there were the fans who walked out on their Cougars with eight minutes remaining in the game. Sure, they were down by 21 at that point, but this is when a team absolutely needs their fans. Instead, the exits were filled with rivers of red, clogged with people who came only to see a victory, not with fans who came to support the University of Houston, win or lose. It would appear that half of the 32,400 people that were at the game didn’t respect the Cougars enough to stay through to the end (or at least closer to the end).

During the fourth quarter, there were about ten players Southern Miss players who chose to heckle and ridicule the fans instead of supporting their team in a well deserved victory. I know heckling is part of the game, especially in a stadium with seating so close to the bench. But, these young men took it too far. At one point a coach reprimanded them, but they ignored even their own staff to continue goading the fans. They were apparently unfamiliar with the term “good sportsmanship.” Their lack of respect for the University of Houston extends to their own school, for they were not representing their team very well.

Regardless of all the disrespect, I have to say it was not contagious; I still respect my Cougars, as do many Houstonians. Just like how Rodney Dangerfield earned the respect of his fellow comedians and fans, I am sure, as long as UH keeps doing what they do, eventually people will learn to respect them.

Frank Chambers
Follow @fxcIV

Open Planet

2011-11-30T21:26:00.001-06:00

As a private music teacher, I spend a decent amount of time bouncing around the various schools in the community. Needless to say, I get a lot of radio, but not a lot of full stories. Today, one of the many partial shows I listen to was focusing on a pending US Supreme Court case dealing with privacy. In this particular case, a drug dealer was convicted with the use of evidence gathered through a tracking device on his car.

The concept of privacy as protected by the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution is very simple. Each individual has a reasonable expectation of privacy within their own home or property - car, boat, etc. The Constitution, of course, never discusses whether or not an individual has a reasonable expectation of privacy when it comes to electronic tracking. It becomes an issue of the courts to decide exactly the intention the framers had when writing the Constitution.

What it does make clear is that we are never to assume a reasonable expectation of privacy the moment we step into public space. The topic of discussion on NPR turned from the pending court case to the future of privacy, and particularly the role tech giants Google and Facebook will play in defining what exactly privacy means to each of us.

At any given time during your day, computer systems and private and public security cameras provide a timeline of your daily activities. For instance, here is a log of my day and the systems that can identify my location:

Woke up and checked email (internet company)
drove to teach at first school (traffic cameras)
entered school (security cameras)
in between lessons sent email/text messages, checked internet (cell company)
changed schools (traffic cameras, phone call, security cameras)
starbucks (mobile app)
changed school (ditto)
restaurant (phone usage)
drove home (traffic cameras)
home (internet)

The combined information from these systems could theoretically rebuild a fairly accurate representation of my activities during the day. The NPR hosts discussed the idea of “Open Planet,” an idea put forth by author Jeffrey Rosen in his book Constitution 3.0. “Open Planet” is a concept that suggests Facebook and Google currently have the architecture in place to quickly introduce a system that would allow users to anonymously view any public security camera in the world, identify a face with facial recognition software, link to their Facebook page, do a search of that face in all security cameras, then track that individual’s movements at any point in the database’s memory.

Creepy, huh. Kinda makes an electronic tracking device seem quite elementary. The Constitution has enough safeguards in place to protect our privacy from government, but does it have anything to protect us from private entities? You wouldn’t have to worry about the FBI as much as your creepy neighbor. Parents could know exactly where their kids are at all time (something college kids prefer not happening).

This scenario would definitely have interesting ramifications. Personally, I am curious how my behavior would change if I knew that people could track me where ever I went. Maybe I wouldn’t go to Starbucks as often. Maybe I wouldn’t eat fast food as often. Maybe I wouldn’t care.

The whole situation begs the question: what is privacy? Do we have any expectation to privacy beyond our homes? Either way, it certainly presents an interesting possibility for the future.

Frank Chambers

Follow @fxcIV

Back in the Saddle

2011-11-27T10:29:00.001-06:00

One of my long-time friends and fellow bloggers recently jumped back into the blogosphere after a seven week hiatus. While I know it was difficult in her situation to take time away from her responsibilities (read: writing dissertation), getting back to your goals and what makes you happy is oftentimes a cathartic moment.

Her blog - called Not-A-Fortune - highlights the fortune cookie inserts she and her friends discover while satisfying those frequent Asian food urges. Each insert, while not necessarily the best of fortunes, offers some guidance on how to live your life. The blog both lampoons and validates these fortunes, offering a dose of humor combined with dash of serious life lesson.

The reason I bring up Not-A-Fortune is because her return to blogdom has reminded me of the value of getting back in the saddle. As many of you know, when I departed my stable high school teaching position, it was for the joy and excitement of writing a novel, yet in the five months since I made that decision, I have only written about thirty-four pages worth of content. Compare this to the two hundred and fifteen pages I had written in the three months before.

This took up much of my July and August.

Sure, I have been busy with other creative efforts, and my time has been occupied by discovering exactly how to go about this new life I am creating for myself, but ultimately those are excuses, and as I have said before, I should be stronger than my excuses. So, this week, while I am mostly free of distraction, I dedicated myself to writing 10,000 words, or approximately 40 pages.

Jumping back in was hard. The last passage I had written during the summer was a cliff hanger of sorts, although that wasn’t the initial intent. I left the scene assuming I would return the next day, my mind full of ideas of exactly what was going to happen. When I came back to it months later, I had only minimal notes, and my outlines failed to mention exactly what happened and why. First, I think it highlights the value of having a very clear and thorough outline before even writing one word of the first draft, and second, I think it provides an excellent example of what happens when you leave yourself hanging.

I immediately experienced frustration. Unsure of what I was supposed to do next, or even how to overcome the gigantic speed bump I had inadvertently placed in my own way, I stared at the screen. But then I started typing. I will freely admit I hated the next twenty pages or so. I felt like I didn’t know the characters any more, I didn’t understand their motivations or how they were growing. I felt like I was picking up where some other author left off. Sure, I had the notes, but the framework was created with the intention of flowing through it, not pausing for months at a time.

Either way, while I struggled with forcing the words out, my efforts to get back at it paid off. I have finally returned to a place where I feel comfortable with my efforts. I think part of my relaxed feeling is knowing there will be a second draft. I will definitely have the opportunity to fix everything I hate this time around. The importance of a first draft is to just get things down.

I think the message I take from my own mistake is to push through to the end when you have the chance. In the midst of a project, even putting it down for one day chips away from the work habit you have created. I think much of my struggle came not just from being unfamiliar with my direction, but being uncomfortable with sitting down and writing for extended periods of time. Had I not broken off my efforts, even just maintaining my writing in a minimum way, I wouldn’t have had to expend such energy to get restarted.

I couldn’t tell you how many times I have started projects and failed to finish it. While this isn’t the best way to go about it, getting back has always made me happy. The exciting part is actually finishing, finding the satisfaction that comes with completion. And while I am unsure of how long it will take me to finish my first draft, I am back at it and working more diligently than I have in months. It feels good to be back in the saddle.

Being Thankful

2011-11-23T20:15:00.001-06:00

The spirit of today’s holiday resides in our ability to gives thanks. Many of us will find ourselves thankful for our families, our health, our station in life. We will be thankful for the armed forces and the sacrifices they make for our safety; we will be thankful for our religions, and for the sacrifices associated with each of these. We will thank the people around us for their love and caring, we will post generic status updates on facebook wishing everyone happy thanksgiving, or tweet our thanks in 140 characters or less. Some of us will blog about it and some of us will simply offer thanks to an empty room.

Pie courtesy of @DuetHouston.

The meaning of the holiday sometimes gets lost in what has recently become tradition. We stare blankly at the TV, the floats of the Macy’s day parade dance across the screen, pushed along by marching bands and little known singers. We find ourselves wrapped up in the meal, eager for our favorite stuffing dish or drooling in anticipation of our favorite pie. We go back and forth with our favorite football rivals celebrating our victories and agonizing in our defeats. We cherish post meal naps, leftover turkey sandwiches, egg nog, or the family trip to the movie theater.

While all of this distraction swirls around us, tugging and pulling our attention away from the central theme of the holiday, some of us drift away from the idea of being truly thankful. Avoid the temptation of giving lip service only, proclaiming thanks without meaning. Instead of only saying that you are thankful for something, actually mean it. If you find yourself in a place in life that seems to not merit thanks, dive deeper; I am sure you can find some reason to be thankful.

There are many people who live lives that seem absent of elements deserving thanks. The universe appears to have conspired against these people, driving all positive elements from their experiences. No matter how low the world seems to have pushed you, there is always something to be thankful for.

Find it. Pick yourself up. Focus on anything good. It could be as simple as the oxygen in the air you just breathed. Find some joy in the sun shining, in the color of the leaves, in the fact you are alive to experience at all. Be thankful for anything, no matter it’s insignificance. By finding thanks in it, you have just increased its value, and by feeling thanks, you have increased yours.

Finding one thing to be truly thankful for will allow you to expand your sphere of thanks. Move it beyond the bounds of that one item, encompass your surroundings, find anything to be thankful for beyond yourself. Eventually, your thanks will grow; you will find that as you allow it to expand outwardly, it will soak in, bringing the feeling of thanks to the center of your being.

As you travel through this Thanksgiving holiday, I encourage you to review what you are thankful for. Do you skim the surface, or do you allow your thanks to delve deep? Are you the kind of person whose every action is determined by a feeling of gratitude and graciousness, or do you only play at being thankful. This Thanksgiving, choose the first option. Allow yourself the freedom to live thanks and not just give it. Be the person whose actions reflect their words. Enjoy the feeling of existing in a world in which thanks are necessary and not just optional.

This is Thanksgiving 2011.

The excitement today brings should be a celebration of a year of thankfulness, not just one day to honor that towards which we are thankful. Thanksgiving 2011 should be the cannon which launches you into a full year of an attitude of gratitude, ensuring every experience between this Thanksgiving and next is received with a spirit of thanks. Appreciate what the universe has to offer you; find something in every situation to be thankful for.

I am thankful for everything in my life, for every good and bad experience, for every good and poor choice I have made. I am thankful for everyone who has ever participated in my experience, everyone under whose influence I have operated and everyone I have had the opportunity to influence. I am thankful for my teachers and my students, those I have met and those I have not. I am thankful for the plethora of lessons I still have left to learn and to teach. I am thankful for family and friends, for food, and sports, and the Macy’s parade. I am thankful for love and happiness, for joy and tears. I am thankful for everything the universe has chosen to offer me.

I am thankful that you have taken the time to read my blog today. Be thankful for something, big or small, it does not matter. Simply be thankful, the rest will follow.

Frank Chambers
@fxciv

Band Isn't Fun

2011-11-20T16:07:00.001-06:00

One of my private students complained to me this week that band was no longer fun. I listened to her, letting her blow off the steam she felt she couldn’t (or shouldn’t) share with her band directors. She was on her soapbox for a long time, expressing her opinion buttressed by the thoughts of other students her age. They, the juniors and seniors of her school, had decided that band simply was no longer fun.

Of course, at the end of her speech, she told me that she wouldn’t quit band, but that many others were thinking about it. Why would they continue to pursue something the no longer considered fun?

I smiled at her, not necessarily because of how she felt, but because this was definitely not the first time that I had heard this speech.

High school band directing is a job with many facets. One of these is to constantly be an emotional juggler, placating the variable feelings the four grades of students in your program feel. Allow me to break them down:

Freshman - excited at the newness of marching band, discovering their place in the high school world, scared because they are the little fish in the big pond
Sophomores - encouraged by their survival of freshman year, comfortable with marching band, inspired by juniors and seniors in leadership positions
Juniors - unsure of how to balance added leadership responsibility, struggling with the fact that the newness of marching band has worn off, overloaded in classes
Seniors - ready to be done, unsure how to deal with the adulation of freshman and sophomores, tired

Each of these groups must be treated differently, otherwise the program risks alienating an entire class. For my student, who is a junior, she is experiencing the same exact thing many of my juniors and seniors had experienced before. For her, this was the sixth year in band, so the newness had faded. All the experiences she had regarded as exciting were now expected and common-place. She no longer found enjoyment in coming to band because she was now in the group required to set the example for the others, and the standard had risen, leading to frustration.

While I didn’t share this with her, I certainly have no concerns sharing it with you. This is life. Absent constant fluctuation, our lives run the risk of becoming mundane, pedantic, and boring.

Before writing today, I looked back on my own life, as I frequently do, looking for examples from which I could draw some conclusions. Really, the only conclusion I could find provided an answer to why I hadn’t entirely felt this way until recently.

Growing up, school provided enough variety to keep me interested. As the grades flew by, the activities in which I participated revolved - baseball, soccer, basketball, football, track, swimming - keeping me on my toes. As I became involved with band, I experienced the undulating excitement Texas band offers - beginning band, concert band, high school marching band, contests, youth orchestra. I kept my non-band life exciting by fluctuating my activities - working at Ci-Ci’s Pizza and Tom’s Ribs, German Club, Latin Club, Newspaper. My four years of college were broken up with a variety of ensembles, music fraternity activities, and private lessons. After college, I performed for two years before returning for my Masters.

I kept enough variety, unintentionally, to keep myself interested in what I was doing. Until recently, the longest I had ever gone without a change in my life program was two years.

Then I taught band for five years. This experience helped me understand, on a personal level, how these juniors and seniors felt. Teaching band for me had become routine. Just like with the junior and seniors, I had grown tired of the endless rotation of classes, the faculty meetings and standardized tests, the building of curriculum, the cycle of contest seasons. Please don’t get me wrong, I was never tired of the students, nor was I ever tired of the music. There was simply something I was not doing that might have altered my experience.

When I was teaching band, the head director always had the same response for the kids who would complain about the lack of fun, and it is one that I now see might have offered me a remedy. He would simply look them in the face and tell them that nothing had changed except them, now it was time for them to make it fun.

Reflecting back, I can see how I was not doing that for myself. I know many teachers who love their jobs, giving so much of themselves to their students, yet keeping their perspective new and invigorating. They constantly reinvent their teaching or their programs, working to keep themselves from becoming bored in their chosen profession by the repetitive, cyclical nature of the occupation.

Any job, and for that matter, life itself, is the same way. What you do with your time makes your life boring or not. Sometimes you do need a change, but it may not be as drastic a change as you think. For me, I am still in music education, I am just teaching on a more independent level. For my student, she needs to quit attempting to live the same experience she had her first two years in high school band and find the fun she is missing.

I think all of us can take a lesson from this. If band (or life) isn’t fun, it is because you are no longer making it fun. So, instead of complaining about it, go out and do something about it.

Frank Chambers
@fxciv

A Moment of Inspiration

2011-11-16T21:07:00.001-06:00

I recently watched The King’s Speech and loved it. Aside from the superb acting, the excellent writing, and the inspiring subject matter, I was impressed that Director Tom Hooper took the risk of programming classical music into the score, highlighting two pieces by Ludwig von Beethoven - the Second Movements from Symphony no. 7 and the “Emperor” Piano Concerto. While I am a giant fan of modern film scoring, I was delighted to know that the people who have seen The King’s Speech have been exposed to a little bit of music history.

There is part of me that wonders how much thought was put into the selection of Beethoven as King George VI’s triumphal herald. In a way, the two - King George VI and Beethoven - share a common thread: both over came debilitating handicaps to accomplish greatness.

For King George VI, a lifelong stammer prevented him from speaking in public. His attempts to treat the condition frequently met with failure, causing further stress to the future monarch. Finally, he met a teacher who combined the appropriate set of skills with sheer determination to help the King minimize the impact his stammer had on his speeches. The pinnacle of that progress, at least in the movie, is when King George announces that Great Britain has entered World War II. It is this speech that is accompanied by the pulsing, undulating melody of the Second Movement of Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony.

As many reviewers have noted, the selection of this particular movement was perfect for the scene. It reflected the rhythm with which the King spoke, mimicking his breathy phrasing and his rhythmic articulation. There is no doubt in my mind this scene cemented The King’s Speech capture of the Academy Award for Best Picture.

Beethoven, like King George VI, fought a disability directly related to his craft. Where the King, occupying a position in which public speech is mandatory, continually fought a speech impediment, Beethoven suffered a condition that gradually rendered him deaf. His Seventh Symphony premiered during a two year period in which his hearing went from poor to non-existent. How Beethoven was able to compose something so gentle, subtle, and emotionally pulling, while barely being able to hear it himself is a miracle. Beethoven continued to write many great works after he became fully deaf, the greatest and most well-known of these is his Ninth Symphony, in which he crafted the famous “Ode to Joy” melody.

Watching The King’s Speech, and later thinking about what both of these men had to overcome in their lives, made me consider my own petty excuses. Does “I’m tired”, or “my stomach doesn’t feel well” matter any more when compared to King George’s struggles? Does a cold or a headache really compare to composing great music while deaf?

Honestly, we are all going to encounter some sort of obstacles on our path that will attempt to derail us from our goals. Succumbing to our excuses only allows our obstacles to win. Neither Beethoven or King George gave up, though they frequently wanted to. They had the will to push on and fight through all the reasons the universe offered for them to quit.

One of the mantras Samantha has brought home to me from her Mary Kay meetings is the idea of being stronger than your excuses. We will all have excuses at one point or another, we have to recognize this fact and be comfortable with it. Then, we have to allow ourselves to be stronger than our excuses.

Both King George and Beethoven were stronger than theirs. They fought through the tribulations their lives encountered, persevering to the end, providing excellent models for us to follow. Whether or not Tom Hooper knew it, he provided more than just a perfect soundtrack for a moving scene in a movie, he combined the powerful spirit of two great men into a moment that should inspire us all.

Frank Chambers
@fxciv

The Easy Way

2011-11-13T09:43:00.001-06:00

Every so often, we are presented with a situation in which we have to choose a course of action - take the easy way out, or do what is right. Too often, human nature pushes is in the direction of doing nothing, seeing that the easy path is less stressful, less invasive, and ultimately just easier. Doing the right thing is somehow a burden on ourselves.

The Bible addresses this human condition in the parable of the Good Samaritan. After a Jew is beaten and left for dead, he is passed and ignored by two men who should have helped him, and is instead helped by a Samaritan - a people despised by the Jews. This man took the more difficult path because it was the right thing to do, regardless of the difficulties.

Many times in our lives, we are given the same opportunity, and we are the men who pass by, ignoring the opportunity to help someone else.

Think about it. Have you ever walked down the street, seen someone litter, remarked about how shameful it is that they would just throw trash on the street, and then walked by the trash? Ever passed by someone on the road whose car has broken down? I imagine you can think back to an occasion or two when you have done the same thing or witnessed someone else do it.

Doing nothing is easier.

Ever since I was little, I knew the name Joe Paterno. I was never a Nittany Lion fan, but I was aware of his greatness as a coach, a mentor, and a supporter of the athlete scholar. In college football, Joe PA is a legend, a god hoisted into the pantheon of greats. He put State College, PA on the map.

I am sure, in the months and years following the child rape scandal now dirtying his reputation as a moral behemoth, the public will be exposed to a plethora of assumptions, speculations, and eventually truths as to why Joe PA failed to pursue action in what would seem to be the most egregious violation of his moral facade. Ultimately, while the question of why will be the one to make pundits, talking heads, magazines, publishers, and maybe Joe, PA himself, the most money, it really is quite simple - it was easier to do nothing.

The Grand Jury testimony paints a picture of Joe PA at least doing something, satisfying his legal obligation - he passed the buck. His claim of not knowing the details surrounding the incident doesn’t change the fact that he knew of an incident where a man was seen in the shower performing inappropriate and illegal actions to a young boy. His failure to pursue results upon upper administration taking no action, while not being illegal, certainly suggests the Penn State board of trustees firing of Joe PA was justified.

For everyone rushing to defend him, for all the students who eagerly rioted upon his firing, and for anyone associated with the program, the reality of the situation is simply this - through his inaction, he supported the rape and molestation of additional young boys. I am going to assume (for the time being) that Joe PA did what too many American’s seem to do when presented with a situation in which they have the opportunity to do the right thing, but don’t - they ignore it. Ignoring it is easier

As a teacher, I learned repeatedly, first from my college professors, and then from experience in the classroom, that an undesirable behavior, left alone, will cement itself into the habits of a person. If you let a student speak out once in your rehearsal with no consequence, that student will continue to do so. Extinguishing the behavior will grow in difficulty the longer the talking is allowed.

I am not suggesting that the circumstances surrounding Joe PA and Penn State are in any way on the same level of a student speaking out during a band rehearsal, but fundamentally, the issue is identical. The grand jury report alleges that Sandusky has been molesting boys since the early nineties. He was investigated as early as 1998, an investigation the coaching staff was fully aware of, as it forced Sandusky into retirement upon completion of the investigation.

So, in 2002, when Sandusky was seen raping a boy in the locker room by a grad assistant, and Joe Pa was then informed, and nothing was done, his behavior was again not extinguished when the opportunity to do so presented itself, essentially suggesting to Sandusky that his behavior was condoned by those who knew.

Look at the do nothing events surrounding the scandal.

1998 - investigation into Sandusky, charges not filed by DA
2000 - janitor witnesses Sandusky molesting boy at Penn State, reported to supervisor who advises the information be brought to higher-ups; a report is never filed
2002 - grad assistant witnesses Sandusky raping boy in shower at Penn State, he informs his father, Joe PA, and the AD, later a VP and the President are involved; Sandusky’s keys are taken away and his charity to help young boys is informed of the incident

These were all missed opportunities to extinguish a behavior that destroyed the lives of the boys involved.

Finally, in 2008, when Sandusky was a volunteer coach for a public high school, a parent reported that he had been inappropriate with their child. Sandusky was barred from the district and reported to the authorities. These actions eventually led to the indictment on 40 counts.

How was it that Sandusky was allowed to go near a public school a decade after he had first been investigated? Because of the do-nothing attitude of the people involved. Doing nothing was easier than the trial of having to report what was seen, answering extensive questions, being involved in an investigation, etc.

Because of inaction, the rape and molestation of at least four more boys occurred between 1998 and 2008. The pain and suffering they endured, the physical and mental damage inflicted on them by this sexual predator, is on the heads of the people who did nothing. All they had to do was step up, call the police, and let the investigation take Sandusky out of the picture.

Unfortunately they didn’t. Instead of acting in the interest of the boys, they did the same thing as the first two men to pass the Jew in the parable, they acted in the best interest of themselves.

After all, that is what taking the easy way is.

Competitive Edge

2011-11-06T15:46:00.000-06:00

This time of year is when the Texas band students gear up for individual competitions. My Junior High and High School kids are all getting ready for the Region Band auditions, my sixth graders just had their Honor Band auditions, and we are starting to pick music for Solo and Ensemble contest in February. This is a time of nerves, anxiety, and self defeat.

Many of my students are struggling with how to deal with the pressure they encounter while playing by themselves, in front of other people, for a score. They are nervous about how they will play, the impression others will take from hearing them, and the results of the auditions. Many of them crater under the pressure.

One student in particular confided in me that her anxiety sometimes reaches a point where she blacks out. After the audition is complete, she doesn’t have any recollection of what happened.

Each of these students attempts to manage their nerves in their own individual way. They all have little rituals they perform the day of their big audition: some will not play at all before the audition, some will play entirely too much; some will wear special clothes, some don’t care; some bring coloring books into the room, some a book to read, and others will sleep. One student told me that she had heard bananas tame your nerves, so in the three days prior to the audition last year, she ate something like 3 pounds in bananas.

What many of these students find is that they only way they really are able to successfully manage their nerves is to practice them. In an effort to help them prepare, I would do mock auditions in their lessons, taking excessive notes, sitting in a way that suggests an audition setting, and looking at them intently. I also will randomly invite a band director or another student into the lesson to listen to them play. While this helps, ultimately, the student will only improve at auditioning if they take their efforts into their own hands.

As an adult, to prepare for job interviews, I would ask myself questions, crafting my answers to make sure I said exactly what I wanted to say. I would have friends or my wife ask me questions randomly, trying to knock me off balance. The only way I could improve at interviewing was to do it. The same goes for my students. I tell them to play for their friends, their significant others, their parents, to call up Grandma on the phone and play for her, for their band directors, for other teachers, etc. Putting themselves in that situation is the best way to get ready for it.

Of course, none of this matters if you can’t get out of your own head. As a teenager, the one thing you care about more than anything in the world is self image. During an audition, a student that centers in on their mistakes is going to perform poorly. I call it the snowball effect - you focus on your first mistake and not on what is coming next, so you make another, and another, and another. Eventually every note is incorrect, the music sounds nothing like what is on the page, and the student’s spirit is crushed.

I encourage them to imagine putting their mistakes in a box which they won’t look in until the audition is finished. They are more than welcome to be aware of any mistakes they might make, but into the box they must go. Ideally, this prevents them from distracting their focus from the job at hand and keeps them from snowballing to the end of their piece.

When I interviewed at Conroe High School in the summer of 2006, I felt confident going into the interview. I thought I knew all the answers to any question they could throw at me and was ready to knock them out of the park. I met with the Band Director and the Fine Arts Coordinator first and felt confident. Then we went to meet the principal, an imposing force of a man. Finally, a question was thrown my way I hadn’t prepared for - “Do you have any questions for me?”

Wow, I froze. I had no questions. I had never thought to have questions. I didn’t know what to ask. So, I told him no. He smiled an intimidating grin and said, “Wouldn’t you like to know how the principal views the Fine Arts, and band specifically, in the fabric of Conroe High School?”

I gave him the only answer I could think of - yes.

No matter how diligently you prepare for these encounters, there is always something you won’t anticipate. This is when it comes down to character and personality. My students may have to deal with broken reeds, an instrument problem, forgetting their music, or a simple brain fart like forgetting a fingering. At this point, they get to choose: push through and find a solution or succumb to the pressure of failure.

For me, as a teacher, these auditions are less about the rankings at the end of the contest and more about the growth the student experiences during the process. My job is to guide them to their best potential, offer them a set of skills that can help them reach that potential, and give them some tools to deal with the pressure of the moment. For some of my students, simply showing up, sitting down, and playing, is the victory.

The same can be said for most of us. In any situation in which we feel pressure to perform, avoiding the costly mental badgering over any perceived errors should help usher us towards a more successful attempt. Remember, competition is about the growth involved, not just the end result. Focusing only on the result can leave you cut from getting too close to the competitive edge.