Thoughts Post Election 2024

     It’s a shame that, as a centrist who voted for Harris, I worry what will be said if I congratulate the Republican Party and by extension President Trump on its victory this election. To be sure, I have never liked Trump or his rhetoric and I feel like the party as a whole has leaned into some of his negative character traits too much and excused too much, but the Republicans in my life have, in general, been kind loving people about as often the Democrats in my life and I have listened to both sides of the aisle.

    

    In fact, that is truly what I want to talk about: listening. Since the Democratic Party lost, most of this will pertain to them, but what I’m talking about is, I believe, more universal. 

    

   Consider this truth: if you found the Republican victory “shocking” and it seemed to you like every indicator showed Harris was the likely winner or that it would at least be a close race, there are probably a few issues at play.


    How diverse are your news sources in terms of political background? I hope you have more than one and that you go out of your way to listen, not to memes of the opposing party or soundbites shared from your side that cast them in the worst light, but to long form debates or discussions they are having. The diminishment of radios and newspapers and the rise of places like TikTok and X, for all the good they can bring, means that our attention is often held by clips not long enough to delve into the meat of real topics. They skim the surface. I am probably as guilty of skimming the surface as many in many areas, but I have tried to seek out long-form content from both sides to try to understand not only the issues at hand, but the people who hold them dear. I’ve listened to Trump on the Lex Fridman podcast and Harris on the Club Shay Shay podcast. If there is one long YouTube video I could recommend right now it would be a debate on The Free Press between Sam Harris and Ben Shapiro, both intelligent and articulate individuals who disagree on many topics, who clearly voted for opposite sides, and yet who can talk to reasons as to why to vote for one side over the other and yet admit to the excesses of their party.  

    But it goes deeper than purely what media you consume.

    Who are your friends or associates and who do you either block from Facebook or otherwise block from your life? I’ve made a point to never block anyone for their political views and it keeps me in the loop as to why people are voting for who they are voting for. It goes into how many social spaces you have outside of home and work - some of church, school, or the playground like I do, but it’s also so easy to stay inside and curate what we read or listen to. And with this it’s easy to think of the other side bad or evil or out to get you personally. That sort of distorted thinking should be challenged and changed.

    Third, what environment do you foster for free speech? Clearly not enough. The polls are an indication of this. If you are surprised at the election results and nobody around you said they were voting for Trump or had anything good to say ever about the Republican Party or its ideas, it could be because of reasons 1 and 2 I gave, or it could be because the people around you feel societal pressure not to do so, feel like they will be labeled for doing so. Oh yes, I am well aware of the things Trump has said demonising people from the Democratic Party, but I’m not talking about him or Harris - I’m talking about you and me and those around us. Already online I’ve seen people on the Democratic side throw fits online and describe how half the country clearly has it out for them or doesn’t care about them or wants them dead. Such hyperbole isn’t helpful and it certainly isn’t true. I hate to see either side vilify the opposing side, but it happens far too often. Talk to people and get to know people. Be slow to anger and patient with others.

    

   There’s more I could add, but I’m busy. Suffice it to say, I have reason to hope that the next four years won’t bring disaster and could even bring good - and that reason is I do honestly believe that the majority of the people who voted on both sides are people, even mostly good people. If you aren’t careful, you will be fed the worst of it and you can keep yourself isolated, but you can also break out and listen to those around you a little bit more. There are issues beyond the character of the President that matter to people and are so crucially important to them that it determines their vote more than anything else. And having listened to you, each of you on both stages, I understand you and love you even if we don’t agree. And we might even agree more often than you think! I won’t judge you for the bad actors on your stage, but instead seek to get to know you off the stage. If anyone from either party wants to talk to me know this:



I’m listening.

Going Postal: An Apt Read For Our Time

It's been a while since I've posted a review here, but this book has been itching at me since I read it.

Going Postal is a book by Terry Pratchett, famed author of the Discworld series, a group of sometimes interconnected fantasy stories taking place on a unique and clearly farcical world. I bring up farce, because his stories, the ones I've read at least, are just that, buffooneries that simulataneously don't take things too seriously while striking effective jabs at modern political and social norms.

In the story, Moist Von Lipwig is a notorious conman who is caught, hanged within an inch of his life, then put in charge of the long abandoned post office as a consequence/second chance. Although he is constantly trying to figure out how to escape, he ends up restoring it enough to put him at odds with Richard Gilt who runs the only other communications system in town and is willing to kill to keep it that way.

The story has been itching at me for several reasons, but I'll start with the characters. Moist is perhaps one of the most lovable con men I've ever had the chance to read. He's a dynamic character who is always looking for that gamble that will take him over the edge. He's great at reading people and great at thinking on his feet. His actions excite you even if not all of them are perfect and some are morally questionable.

In contrast, Richard Gilt is also a con man. But where Moist truly has a desire to never hurt people and has limits to what he will do, Gilt has no such qualms and will off anyone in the name of money and business be they rivals or compatriots. He is smart and smooth, not easily riled nor taken in. But whereas Moist learns to value other people and shift his talent away from selfishness and towards others, Gilt only doubles down. As an aspiring writer, I was awed by the perfect contrast between our hero and the villain, how close they are in character, but for a few important differences. Moist even declares at one point that his goal is to prove that he is NOT Richard Gilt.

The remaining characters are mostly one dimensional support characters who help Moist along in either plot or character ways, but they are written so well you love them. The whole book is filled with humorous barbs at collecting, politics, business, bad habits, obsessions, magic, knowledge, restaurants, class, that one stern old lady teacher you back in elementary school, and more. The plot is tight and internally consistent even as it's filled with hijinks and improbable situations. There's a lot to learn as both a reader and a writer.

And there's a lot to learn as a human being.

How can we prove we're not Richard Gilt?

How, when looking at two people or two groups, can we sort out who is Richard Gilt and who is Moist Von Lipwig? Out of all the actors in the stages of our lives, whether it be the upcoming election, wars abroad or wars at home, who are those in power who are in it for themselves and who are in it for themselves and no one else. Who places limits on the lies they tell? Who is willing to kill, physically or metaphorically, to maintain their position or their ego?

It's a hard line to walk and each of them says "Trust me." It was hard to escape this idea while reading this book and that's why I believe you should read it. Read it now if you can, but if not read it soon. Anyone can make the front page, but not everyone builds as they go instead of tearing down. I know it's not that simple, but it's a good start.

Books Read 2015 - 50 Reviews Part 1

Ahoy everyone; been a while since I've updated; sorry about that. Still I did want to let everyone know which books I've read this year and which ones you should pick up as well, which is most of them. The following are very briefly reviewed grouped together as makes sense, while still trying to keep in semi-chronological as to the order I bought them. I also want to take this moment to advocate audiobooks as a great way to catch up on long literature that you may feel you wouldn't finish easily otherwise. I did that for "The Count of Monte Cristo", "War & Peace", "Warbreaker", "Mistborn" (all 3), and most recently "Middlemarch" (in 2016). Listening to music is fun, but so is reading a new book. Also, "GraphicAudio" is a great audiobook area if you like full-cast audio (each character has a voice and there are background sounds). 

Key: Titles (# number if NOT the first time read), Author, Fun Picture, Review

The Great Hunt

The Dragon Reborn

The Shadow Rising

   By Robert Jordan

Books 2-4 of "The Wheel of Time" series. Epic fantasy at its epicmost. These books have great characters and a great vast story. That being said, the books feel dense, in that they are hard to speed through, for me at least. There are 14 books in total and I go through them slowly, but consistently (currently in the middle of book 5). If you like fantasy and enjoy being with a story for the long haul this is a good series to start. But if you want something quick, stay away.

War & Peace (2)

   by Leo Tolstoy

One of the longest books you can read in any language and one of the most worth it, in my opinion. This is a classic deserving of the title, a story that constantly makes you think in many directions. It takes place during the Napoleonic wars and often follows aristocratic families, so it has that old feel in many ways. And yet it continues to apply to you and to me nowadays. Tolstoy's theory on history is very interesting to follow if you are interested in it, but if not the story is excellent nonetheless.

The Aeronaut's Windlass

   by Jim Butcher

An excellent first book in a series. It has multiple viewpoints; I think that the cat is one of the best narrators ever. Action, Mystery, Steampunk, Airship battles, and character relationships and character arcs that you care about. If you don't like waiting for new books to come out in a long series (this is likely to be 6 books long), perhaps you can wait. But this book made me a Jim Butcher fan and now I'm out to read the other many many books he has written. This book does wrap up nicely as well, so while it is quite obvious there is more to come, you won't die waiting. Definitely an excellent book.

The Knife of Never Letting Go (3-4)

The Ask & The Answer (3-4)

Monsters of Men (3-4)

   By Patrick Ness

If you've talked to me about books to read before, this series has come up, almost without fail. This is my 3rd or 4th time through it and I love it every time. It makes me laugh, cry, and think in multiple directions. When I say that, it means that it doesn't give me easy answers on hard topics. Sure, it eventually leans in certain directions, but there is still much for you to consider as a reader. This is a trilogy where each book feels unique even though they are part of a larger whole. Each book is deep with symbols and meanings as well as good characters who change over time. This is one of my favorite series and I will continue to read them again and again.

The Sword of Summer

   by Rick Riordan

I enjoy a good romp. That's what Rick Riordan's books are to me. They don't feel deep (nor too shallow either), but I don't care because the story is just fun to go through. Also, you get to learn about Norse Mythology as you go. The characters are engaging and they learn over time and you love them. The thing that I love most about Riordan's books in general is that they encourage kids to read and learn. Classics are all well and good, but I appreciate the authors who, like bards of old, just want to tell a good story whose messages are easy to discern and that help their audience yearn for more. This is book one, probably of a 3 or 5 book series, so hold tight for the rest of them.

Hollow City

Library of Souls

   by Ransom Riggs

The final two books of the series "Mrs. Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children." A really enjoyable series that uses and seems in part inspired by old weird photos that appear to have illusions/camera tricks in them. Only this book takes those photos seriously and weaves a tale about children who have peculiar abilities. It's hard to say too much without spoiling the plot, but these have some good history to them as well as having good stories. The trilogy wraps up well and would be worth reading again I think. So have at'em.

Promise of Blood

   by Brian McLellan

Good first book - a mixture of old time guns and magic. The whole trilogy is out and has decent reviews. I don't like to give a final opinion until I've read them all, but so far so good.

Westmark

The Kestral
The Beggar Queen

The Book of Three (4)

The Black Cauldron (4)

The Castle of Llyr (4)

Taran Wanderer (3)

The High King (3)

   by Lloyd Alexander

The Westmark Trilogy and The Chronicles of Prydain are both excellent stories that also make you ponder. Three things I require of my favorite books - A good story, characters I care about, and words or situations that make me wonder about issues to my improvement. The Westmark Trilogy is less known but still excellent in this regard. The topics found there are perhaps a little darker than those found in the Chronicles of Prydain. That being said, The Chronicles of Prydain win the title, between these two, of books you need to read. If you like them, then try Westmark, as it is a similar style of writing with a very different plot. How can I put into words how wonderful the Chronicles of Prydain are? They are a classic to me, a must read series, a series that once read will continue to play upon your memory.

Ella Enchanted (2)

   by Gail Carson Levine

If you like old fairytales retold, this is a winner. I actually didn't realize until near the end of the book that this is a retelling of Cinderella, but it does it well with a new twist. A children's book worth reading.

Wild Seed

   by Octavia Butler

Wild Seed is the first book in a series that is all out and with good reviews; I just haven't had the chance to read the sequels yet. The idea of it, of a man who takes over other's bodies on death and has thus started breeding abilities in humans, meets a woman who almost cannot die. It is an odd almost scary story, and yet it is very compelling. I recommend giving it a read; it feels like a stand alone.

Enchantment (2)

    by Orson Scott Card

This had become one of my new favorites from Orson Scott Card. A stand alone story that feels very fresh, and one where the ending message is believed. I love the final lines. This is not so much a retelling of Sleeping Beauty as it is a story that uses that as a device. It also incorporates old Russian stories of Baba Yaga and the Bear and other stories. I love it and plan on rereading it again, probably this upcoming year. So so should you.

The Wrath and the Dawn

   by Renée Ahdieh

Now I want to read 1001 Arabian Nights. This story is, I've been told, a retelling/expansion of sorts on that. A good story and a good romance so far. This is book of of 3, I believe so we'll see how the others turn out. Still, this 1st one was excellent.

The Raven Boys

   by Maggie Stiefvater.

I love this author and the book didn't disappoint. This is book one of four, the 4th one not having been released yet. The thing that Stiefvater does well, as I have seen it, is to take a world that is largely our own and incorporate just a few elements that are new, in this case some Irish (or was it Scottish) mythology into the story. But the characters feel like characters you could run into today. So far so good; I plan on continuing to read the series.

A little poetry at a time

These days it feels like I'm not taking enough time for poetry and its a shame. That being said, here are 3 I've written recently. They are pretty unedited; please let me know if you have any comments.

Full Moon in the Caribbean 

A clouded night, a foggy moon, 

the ocean full of unseen stars

escapes to the horizon. Every direction

impresses me with its depth and hiding

Given physics and time, I dream

it would be possible to foresee each movement

the waves set forth from my boat, lost

in the smallness. Such time, God had

and push me out to sea and measured

each whisper and placement of steady ground.

I left know how brief this would be

and tomorrow, home, but tonight endless

is a name found in a line at the edge,

where the water meets the sky. Eternity comes

like the moonlight and the waves,

calling without a question, 

it tugs at the unclear sadness and takes away

what doesn’t last forever: the clouds and shaky waves.

----

Adrian’s Sonnet When We Were Tired

Today, I dragged Adrian out of bed,

hair-wild and short of breath. It is too late

to stay the same. I took him by the heart

and pulled him across town, to work, to speak

my conversations. My cold lungs were thick

and heavy to push. I shook him awake

splashed water in his face, but his whole world

was this same line: let me go back. Let me

shelter and hide. The sun flamed with the roar

that people made outside and in. You know

the days sadness sticks so hard to our hands

that what we hold dear, we break a little.

I’m sorry, love. What violence we do

to ourselves, when what we most want is peace.

----

Autoevaluation

The truth is, Adrian, I am melodramatic

falling on the floor tired, breathing carpet

and wondering about the consequences

if I actually fell asleep, what words 

they’d siphon from my absence. Sudden.

Unprecedented. Striking. I am a believer

in the hard truths of today. A dream is broken 

and naive; the heart has barely changed size

since I first left you, yet buildings burst forth

all around like fireworks and the stars we shot for

disappear in the smoke. I am forgetful:

meanings like love and hope and diligence

slip through me like a sieve and I search

to be filled, search into the rich darkness

where dreams gain color. Here I lay, waiting

on that old energy of youth. I am waiting

flat on the ground where you find me

every time the weight of time presses down.

The games we used to play, I play them still,

but tomorrow comes quicker, the joy fades faster.

Pueblo Day Poetry

Today I went into town of Bemidji (often referred to as the "Pueblo") with the 4 week campers that I'm counseling this summer. They were only allowed a bit of their electronics, but I didn't have anything I could bring, having lost my phone earlier that day. So I wrote poetry, first one poem, then another, then another. I think the 2nd and the 3rd turned out pretty well; at least, they are meaningful to me. It's amazing what we can accomplish when we disconnect a little from our electronics.

The Laundromat

Once there was a boy and a girl who met

because they were stuck waiting for their clothes,

nothing to do but magazines from last week

and one window to the lake, constant and changeless.

So they opened up their mouths and their hearts on wings

flew away from themselves, every week until finally

they met outside in white, clean and happy.

This happened so long ago, the lake has forgotten.

Their grandchildren and great-grandchildren come

and go each week like floating islands, cut off

by closed eyes and plugged ears. Lonely beaches

littered with bottled messages and words in the sand

saying “Speak to me,” “Listen,” “Help,” washing away

like dirt on clothes or hours in silence.

--------

Café

I like to be gone,

find a somewhere filled with strangers

smoothies, smells, and sleep.

There the walls come down

and whoever I was

(before the workweek, stern-looks,

good cries and nail bites,

after the late dreams, dances

soft songs and longings)

sits down with who I’ve become

two drinks between us

happiness and sadness

both hot, both cold,

that we drink from in turn.

No one notices our table or the memories 

that sit down and leave

that fill the chairs 

and leave them empty at the same time.

My mother or father used to tell me

truth comes in contradictions

dark and light, order and chaos,

strife and peace, who I am

and who I want to be.

Everyone needs a little silence

to talk it out, a rest

to work on what’s to come.

Some hours we spend days

lost in finding deep things

on the surface of ourselves.

Afterwards, I go, again myself,

again in a world I know is larger,

yet easier to understand.

Sum Summer Poetry

It seems I'm slower to post these days than in years past, but I thought I'd upload a few poems from the ones I've written this month. Always, if you have any constructive thoughts, please share.

September Going Forth

August is the month of the gods

and parades of them puppeted through the streets:

spirits of rivers, roads, and street lamps,

from the large cryptomeria tree to the sidewalk bushes,

the Kami flash in and out like fireflies,

spirits of fireflies and of summer dying, his blazing beard

orange in the sunset. One of a million gods

swaying to the wind, singing with the silence. Oh gods,

how beautiful we feel as they pass among us.

There are gods we see and gods we cannot;

humble, they hide in shadows, the spirits of the night,

stones beneath our feet, a swinging door.

We see the shapes and forget the majesty. All of August

we are made holy by their passions until one

by one they retreat into their lonely shrines, separate again.

We have, every one of us, gone our way.

And September, poor broken month, wakes up

abandoned from the first. I am born to a lone and dreary world.

Heaven is that dream that thunders in the distance

and wherever I look, there are only men and women playing gods.

What have they done that I should worship them?

The moon rises this month with a toast and the sun rises also

and I bow beneath them to let my spirit stretch.

--------

Signals

When the last sound escapes 

each night, that moment 

before sleep takes over

and the false signals of dreams

begin their hollow sounding,

I hope a catalogue is kept

in the silent library where I go 

to write the day’s story,

wherever memories are kept,

with a faint ring of truth.

--------

The Lights Of Life & Death

Like white bedsheets rippling across the sky

the lights in the north and spreading 

remind me of life and death coming:

of children with flashlights, barricaded

against the darkness, and the darkness

that comes for all of us, early or late,

when it others come to cover us.

Angels swarming in the sky,

I see ghost and dragons

in the shapes you make. The light runs

like shadows behind a waterfall.

Who do I know among you?

Father, Mother, children yet to come,

your spirits dance while you are sleeping

and I am watching over them tonight.

I know they say it is the sun,

throwing out its arms to us,

touching the air like the finger of God,

but let it be God also, sending a sign

to me, here, on the other side of eternity

of life unbound by the gasps of birth and death,

of breath so beautiful, it shines.

---------

The Commute Home

A lamppost struggles at the edge of the woods.

Women flicker like stars at a distance, heads bowed,

and the sounds of a bus rumble on the dusty wind.

The air is full of waiting and the black of forests. 

As when home becomes the name of a country

long-departed, for all its hours left abandoned;

as when those around you are no than faint lights,

the weight on your eyes blurring the world like rain,

these wait alone in the near darkness, both tired

and brilliant, like a a galaxy in the universe of night.

February Poems and Books

Well, it's been some time since I've posted anything, but some good poems have come out of February so I thought I'd share. On a different note, I'm up to 12 books so far this year. You can see which ones on the side of this blog.



Painting on the Wall
       - inspired by Bob Ross


I could never go there
where the leaves have stopped
moving, have forgotten the brush
of wind,
                 careful as lovers’ fingers,
upon them. The blue mountain, split
into bright snow and shadow, is neither
cold nor solitary,
                              though I know
no one lives in the shack at the base,
lights out, doorless, built to be abandoned.

And the lake is too deep for me,
brimming with starless black.
But though it is not a mirror,

nor the painting itself a reflection,
I see in the dark and light strokes
myself and what is missing.

--------

Downtown Decay
             Sing together, ye waste places - Isaiah 52:9

Another store shuttered up downtown;
what paint is left peels off in letters
leaving the vowels of mourning behind.
Yet they still gather on the patio outside,
the local beggars, mothers, and jazz artists
blowing notes for nickels. It’s business
as usual, because who knows another way
but to tap one’s feet in rhythm with the nails
being pounded down around them. All of us,
they say, have it coming, a day of closure.
Their own homes are lost or escaping
the weak grasp of their hands. Better then
to be together a while longer and listen:
a saxophone plays with the emperor's violin;
even the wind sounds like purifying flames.

--------

A Meeting

Lights bright without blinding,
soft chatter scattering
like white snow in the wind
and the piercing organ vibrating
its notes everywhere:

if this is not heaven, it must be
a branch of its eternal tree
broken off and fallen
on leafy ground. We grow

from seeds like this into forests.

------

Hope you enjoyed them!