Trash Talking – Dublin Style

Earlier this year I was fortunate enough to travel to Ireland for the third time. There are so many reasons I keep going back - good beer, mighty craic, the Cliffs of Moher, liberal and encouraged use of the f-word and the fact that I can count the number of billboards I saw all week on one hand -  just to name a few.

Times Square, New York City

My vacation started with a weekend in the Big Apple. For someone like me, Times Square is like walking into a house of mirrors – shiny things everywhere. I didn’t know where to look first and wasn’t able to process what I was seeing fast enough. The messaging was incredible and overwhelming at the same time.

And let me tell you – P. Diddy loves New York. Or New York loves P. Diddy. Either way, his name and face were everywhere.

Dublin, Ireland

But I digress. Monday morning I made my way across the pond. As I was walking down O’Connell Street in Dublin one day I noticed the garbage cans positioned every couple hundred feet. On each of them was a sign that read “Litter is disgusting. So are those responsible.” After a week in New York City, the simplicity of the message and delivery was striking and incredibly effective.

I don’t care that everyone stared at me as I sat on the ground to take a picture.

Whoever created that ad deserves the free PR.

Please Contain Your Invisible Dogs

For the most part I experience life as a writer… I listen to music for the lyrics (thank you, Amos Lee), search the world for typos and spell out words in text messages. But sometimes I am so completely entertained that the writer side of my mind is hushed and all I can do is laugh.

Case in point:

 

So we agree that just the fence is invisible?
It’s possible I’m just easily amused. But it’s a legitimate question.

Obscure Sports Magazine

It’s been awhile since my last blog post… my apologies. The good news is that I’m back to work. The even better news is that I absolutely love my new job. The entire experience taught me so much and I can honestly say that my life changed for the better because of it.

But more on that in a later post. 

Everything is still falling into place in my mind so I’m going to take some time and enjoy it for now. One thing I do want to talk about now though, is another opportunity that came as a result of unemployment – Obscure Sports Magazine.

To make a long story short, after I lost my job I had quite a bit of free time on my hands. A friend of mine was organizing a fundraiser for their traveling kickball team – a backwards spelling bee. One of the members on the team is notoriously bad at spelling (and by bad, I mean oftentimes not even close to the actual word) so each participant tried to spell the words as that team member would have. Because I had the time, I offered to go through the list and provide the correct spelling for each word. I hadn’t planned on attending the event but decided to go at the last minute.

Somehow, the fact that I write came up in conversation and Dan (editor of Obscure Sports Mag) overheard. He explained the concept of the magazine and asked if I’d be interested in possibly contributing. I went to the meeting the following week and was incredibly impressed with the magazine and the team.

If I had been working then, I wouldn’t have had the time to offer my help with the words, I doubt I would have gone to the spelling bee or even had the overheard conversation that led to contributing to Obscure Sports Mag, which went live on April 1. If you haven’t already, check it out at www.obscuresportsmag.com. I’m so happy to be part of the team and find it encouraging to be able to look back and pinpoint specific moments when things changed for the better.

Rey Fresco

Like many people my taste in music would be considered random. I won’t rattle off a list of artists in different genres to demonstrate that fact but I will say that the common factor is good writing. A song that begins well on paper is usually guaranteed to make it onto my playlist. For example, Go On, by Jack Johnson – a beautiful story told by a father seeing the world through his child’s eyes. 

But don’t get me wrong, I’m not a music snob who needs to feel an emotional connection to every song. And I don’t reference bands most people have never heard of to give the impression of some sort of underground music expert. I like songs that make me want to get up and move just as much. I even break out some sweet dance moves for Bye, Bye, Bye on occasion. Go ahead and laugh… I’m not ashamed. So when I find artists that fall into both categories – that’s even better.

I was listening to Radio Milwaukee (read: Milwaukee’s best radio station) recently and heard the song, Precious Time, by Rey Fresco. The most literal interpretation of the line “all we’ve got is precious time” is pretty incredible. I loved it so much I bought their album, The People, and haven’t been able to turn it off for days. Rey Fresco, Spanish for King Fresh, is a four piece band that took over the California music scene in 2009.

They describe their music as “a wholly original sound that blends their mutual love for rock, reggae, soul, world and Latin music.”  The band is made up of lead singer and Fiji native, Roger Keiaho, drummer Andrew Jones, who builds his drums based on techniques learned as a surfboard maker, bassist Shawn Echevarria and harpist, Xocoyotzin “Xoco” Moraza, who plays a 36 string harp. That’s right, I said harp – it’s incredible.

The band plans to tour nationwide in 2010 to build on the overwhelming success they found in California last year. I think they’re going to be welcomed across the nation and hope they come to Milwaukee. If they do, consider me there. Check them out on reyfresco.com or myspace.com/reyfresco. Enjoy!

ItStartsWith.Us: Changing the World in 15 Minutes a Week

Sometimes when I’m driving and have a few extra minutes to get to my destination (yes, it actually does happen sometimes), I’ll turn onto a road I’ve never taken just to see where it goes. I’ve found new running paths, hidden restaurants and shortcuts I never knew existed. It’s true that I’ve also gotten completely lost, but I learned where shortcuts don’t exist so on those occasions I just call it a detour.

For me, twitter is the online version of taking the long way home. In the car I take roads and online I follow links. In both instances, my goal is to find what I didn’t know I was looking for.

A recent series of clicks led me to something I know is going to change my life – and the lives of so many others. I don’t know how I got there but I found myself staring in amazement at ItStartsWith.Us. As I read about ISWU and its founder, Nate St. Pierre (who also happens to be a Milwaukeean), I was so inspired by the concept. As I thought about the impact of a global community of people committed to spending 15 minutes a week changing the world, I was physically moved and immediately went running to let my body catch up to my racing mind.

To briefly summarize Nate’s brilliant vision, the mission of ItStartsWith.Us is to make a positive impact in the lives of the people around us. Thousands of people around the world have signed up to participate in small weekly “missions” to make a difference. Members communicate with teammates through a private forum and contribute by adding ideas and success stories. Those who join can choose to remain as anonymous as they want.

You can visit the Web site to see the ISWU 2009 accomplishments, but I want to share a few examples that I thought about as I ran that day:

Return the favor:

Has someone made a difference in your life recently? Think about what they did for you and how it made you feel, and then go and be that difference for someone else. Of course it doesn’t have to be exactly the same, but the point is to reflect on ways that you have been impacted by someone, and then pass on a variation of that action to someone else, so they can experience the same benefit that you did.

Senior citizens:

Sometime between now and next Wednesday night, seek out a senior citizen you know and have a good conversation with them. Ask about their life, find out who they are, and listen for any wisdom they’ve gained. Simply engage with them and see what happens. Let’s try to pull out something beneficial to share with the group. (Oh, and if you are a senior citizen, do the reverse – seek out a teenager.)

What I find so inspiring is that it’s not a matter of spending money or making a grand gesture - the goal is to pay forward the kindness that is all around us. Whether they knew it or not at the time, there have been so many wonderful people in my life who have provided the kind words I needed or pointed me in the right direction when I couldn’t take the first step and I can’t think of a better way to honor them than to pass it on to someone else.

I’m looking forward to what the future holds for ISWU and encourage you to visit the Web site to learn more. I sincerely hope this blog is one in a series of random links that leads you to ItStartWith.Us, because I’ve been exactly where you are and can guarantee that if your next click is this one, it’s going to change your life: ItStartsWith.Us homepage.

Book Review: Her Fearful Symmetry

Just above writing on the list of things I love is reading. Novels, magazines, cereal boxes, you name it. I’ll read a grocery list if it looks interesting. I recently finished Her Fearful Symmetry, Audrey Niffenegger’s highly anticipated second novel. It follows The Time Traveler’s Wife, which was originally published by a small press but quickly became a bestseller and one of my personal favorites.

The success of The Time Traveler’s Wife earned Niffenegger rave reviews, an eager fan base and a reported $5 million advance for Her Fearful Symmetry. Needless to say, my expectations were high from the beginning. It was released in September so this is not the timeliest review in real time, but it was new to me in January and I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to share my thoughts.

The book explores the unique relationship of twins, challenged by buried secrets, love, death and the ability to let go. It begins when Edie Poole receives a goodbye letter from her twin sister, Elspeth. Twenty years prior, a secret between the sisters forced Edie to move from London to Chicago, never to see Elspeth again. Shortly thereafter, a second letter arrives for Edie’s own twin daughters, Julia and Valentina, informing them they inherited Elspeth’s London flat and the fortune she left behind. The only conditions of the offer were that they must live in the flat for one year and their parents were forbidden to enter.

Julia and Valentina, college dropouts with no direction in life, lived as one person and shared every experience. They put their future on hold for fear that they would eventually have to untangle their lives. Lacking any other logical next step, they accepted the offer and moved to London. Soon after moving into the flat, Niffenegger introduces the reader to Julia and Valentina’s upstairs neighbors, Martin and Marijke. Martin is obsessive compulsive and survived for years almost entirely due to Marijke’s enabling. She eventually reaches her breaking point and leaves Martin alone with his paper covered windows and excessively bleached floors. As Martin struggles to accept life without her, he and Julia become friends.

Elspeth’s younger lover and graduate student, Robert, lives downstairs. His obsession is his grief and his only escape is Highgate Cemetery, located directly across the street. Highgate Cemetery was established in the early nineteenth century to accommodate the large London population and inadequate space for proper burials. Over the years, the cemetery was beautifully landscaped and home to elaborate architecture, making it the choice of final resting place for many prominent historical figures. It was also where Elspeth had been buried. Robert’s thesis explored the history of the cemetery and the research eventually took over his life.

As Julia and Martin become friends, Robert finds himself enamored with Valentina. The girls slowly untangle and while Julia is fearful, Valentina revels in her newfound single identity. During this time, Elspeth’s spirit returns as a bundle of energy contained in a desk drawer. As she gains strength, she is able to move about the flat and eventually introduces herself to Julia and Valentina through dust writing and a Ouija board.

Julia initially rejects Elspeth but Valentina caters to her needs and demands. She wants to learn more about Robert, the secret between Elspeth and her mother and most importantly, her help in keeping a secret from her own twin. A secret that would set her free.

The story comes together very quickly at the end with secrets exposed and new ones created. The element of fear suggested in the title finally appears in the form of a body and soul swapping plan with dangerous consequences. In my opinion, the plot was a bit too thin to justify over 400 pages, but it is undeniable that Niffenegger once again succeeded in creating characters worthy of spending time with.

Whether or not Her Fearful Symmetry was worth the six year wait and $5 million advance is widely debated. Although I didn’t fall in love with it like The Time Traveler’s Wife, I would still recommend reading it. The incredible success of The Time Traveler’s Wife may have made it impossible to beat, even for Niffenegger herself, but that should not overshadow the fact that this is still a well-written and worthy read.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Everyday Mentoring

January is National Mentoring Month and it is by wonderful coincidence that my “little sister” and I are attending our one year match party tonight. Although we had a slow start, we were able to refocus and begin building a strong friendship midyear. I’m excited to celebrate the steps we took in 2009 and am looking forward to all that 2010 has in store for us.

I don’t know what she’ll look back and remember about our time together. I can’t guarantee that I will say or do anything that will stick with her, but I hope she knows that her future is worth every second we spend together. She really is a wonderful kid and has enriched my life as well. Being a “big” has made me think about and appreciate the people who have influenced me. The key players of course being mom, dad and brother – whose collective awesomeness is beyond words – but there are others who may not even realize how much I looked up to them.

One in particular is my high school math teacher. If I saw her today she might recognize me as a student from years a go but that’s about all. We didn’t talk outside of class or spend extra time on homework, but she was the best teacher I had. She set high but reasonable expectations and there were consequences for not getting the work done. She didn’t let her students cheat themselves because “we would never need to know this in real life.” And to be honest, pre-calc has never gotten me out of a jam, but I have been assigned research or projects that I didn’t ever see being relevant – but I was told to do them and that was reason enough to get the work done.

I could go on listing people who have taught me important life lessons but the point is that every situation is an opportunity to be a mentor, whether you officially commit through an organization such as Big Brothers Big Sisters or just lead by example in your day-to-day life at the office or in the classroom. You may not realize the impact you’ve had in someone else’s life, but the important part is that they do. Some day they will be the mentor and will pay it forward for you.

 “The unselfish effort to bring cheer to others will be the beginning of a happier life for ourselves.” –Helen Keller

The Beginning

As a writer, starting a blog has been on my list of things to do for some time but kept getting put off for the usual reasons – lack of time, topics, fear of being uninteresting. So when I recently found myself unemployed I decided to make the best of an otherwise unfortunate situation. Why not, right?

With that being said though, this will not be a running commentary about struggling with being out of work. Believe me, those thoughts are boring enough the first time they run through my brain. So, what will I write about? I can guarantee some constant topics – the book I’m currently reading or concert I plan to attend (The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver and the Pablove Benefit, respectively), opportunities for do-gooding, profiles of interesting people I’ve met and anything else I find compelling enough to sit down and commit time to researching and writing about.

I’m not exactly sure which direction this is going. And I’m alright with that. If you want to follow along – and I hope you do – then let’s do this.