I can't count myself among the group of highly serene people who claim they have no regrets. Are you one of those folks?
But the foolhardy things I did as an adolescent, on balance, carry far less regret for me than the many blunders I've subsequently made. It's possible I'm able to forgive my early transgressions because they're more distant in my history; many of the people hurt by those missteps are either gone or no longer part of my life. However, some recent reflecting on my teenage stupidity - partially prompted by overhearing a stranger speak of his wayward adolescence - uncovered an equally plausible reason for my diminished regret about my wonder years.
As insensitive and clueless as I could be as a teenager, I was alive and engaged. My teachers had trouble with me, my parents and siblings were annoyed most of the time, my friends were often perplexed. Still, for all their dismay, they knew I was in the world, vs. passively observing it. I could have behaved better and followed the rules more. And I'm not proud that I didn't. But I don't carry quite as much regret about version 1.0 of Pat.
How about you? When you reflect on your wonder years what is your predominant recollection? Satisfaction? Regret? Something in between?
Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
#36: The Mt. Rushmore Series
Which four companies would you enshrine on Mt. Rushmore? Why does each company deserve the honor? In most previous iterations of this long running series, I wrote from the heart. For this particular entry, I also did a little research/fact checking; wanted to be reasonably sure the salient facts were accurate. In alphabetical order:
1.) Ben & Jerry's: When these two Long Island hippies opened their first ice cream shop in Vermont in 1978, having a social mission as part of a business plan was not that common. I'm not sure how well that mission has withstood the 2000 transition after Ben & Jerry's became a subsidiary of Unilever. But the current Board Of Directors gives me hope the initial idealism hasn't faded. Anyway, the ice cream is still amazing.
2.) Body Shop: "We dedicate our business to the pursuit of environmental and social change". Anita Roddick's 1976 social mission pre-dated Ben & Jerry's. Because of their commitment to fair trade (long before Starbucks) and ethical treatment of animals, when buying cosmetics for my wife, I've frequently gone out of my way to find a Body Shop. Roddick sold her brand to L'Oreal in 2006, the year before she died.
3.) Marriott: Of the four on my mountain, this is the most personal. In the years I worked for the Commission For The Blind, before the passage of The Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990, I witnessed firsthand the Marriott Corporation's leadership hiring people with disabilities. When traveling, I try my best to stay at Marriott.
4.) Newman's Own: Since Paul Newman and AE Hotchner founded the company in 1982, all after-tax profits generated by the sale of Newman's Own products have been donated - through the Newman's Own Foundation - to charity. The main recipients of the Foundation's largesse - $430 million according to the website - have been educational and ecological organizations. BTW, the vodka spaghetti sauce is very tasty.
This post is dedicated to my daughter who suggested this version of Mt. Rushmore.
1.) Ben & Jerry's: When these two Long Island hippies opened their first ice cream shop in Vermont in 1978, having a social mission as part of a business plan was not that common. I'm not sure how well that mission has withstood the 2000 transition after Ben & Jerry's became a subsidiary of Unilever. But the current Board Of Directors gives me hope the initial idealism hasn't faded. Anyway, the ice cream is still amazing.
2.) Body Shop: "We dedicate our business to the pursuit of environmental and social change". Anita Roddick's 1976 social mission pre-dated Ben & Jerry's. Because of their commitment to fair trade (long before Starbucks) and ethical treatment of animals, when buying cosmetics for my wife, I've frequently gone out of my way to find a Body Shop. Roddick sold her brand to L'Oreal in 2006, the year before she died.
3.) Marriott: Of the four on my mountain, this is the most personal. In the years I worked for the Commission For The Blind, before the passage of The Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990, I witnessed firsthand the Marriott Corporation's leadership hiring people with disabilities. When traveling, I try my best to stay at Marriott.
4.) Newman's Own: Since Paul Newman and AE Hotchner founded the company in 1982, all after-tax profits generated by the sale of Newman's Own products have been donated - through the Newman's Own Foundation - to charity. The main recipients of the Foundation's largesse - $430 million according to the website - have been educational and ecological organizations. BTW, the vodka spaghetti sauce is very tasty.
This post is dedicated to my daughter who suggested this version of Mt. Rushmore.
Monday, September 28, 2015
Away From Home
When you're away from home what do you miss most? How much does the length of time you're away affect what you miss? How much time do you need in between trips to catch your breath?
My wife and I are off to San Antonio for the week even though the laundry from our just finished trip to Alaska is still not done. But, having already passed up an opportunity earlier this year to accompany her on a business trip to Barcelona, no way I was letting this time away with her slip by.
Still, the short gap between these trips brought me back to my rock n' roll road years. For a while in the early-mid 70's it seemed as though I was away more than home. What did 20-something Pat miss the most when away from home over forty years ago? Uncool as it may be, I missed my parents. When I was in Los Angeles in 1972, my Father asked if I was considering moving there. I clearly recollect his relief over the phone when I said "no". What I don't recollect is whether I said how much I missed he and my Mom; I hope I did.
When away from home these days, I miss my daughter the most. And though it's much easier to stay in touch now than it was in 1972, nothing takes the place of being right alongside someone you love. That part hasn't changed at all.
My wife and I are off to San Antonio for the week even though the laundry from our just finished trip to Alaska is still not done. But, having already passed up an opportunity earlier this year to accompany her on a business trip to Barcelona, no way I was letting this time away with her slip by.
Still, the short gap between these trips brought me back to my rock n' roll road years. For a while in the early-mid 70's it seemed as though I was away more than home. What did 20-something Pat miss the most when away from home over forty years ago? Uncool as it may be, I missed my parents. When I was in Los Angeles in 1972, my Father asked if I was considering moving there. I clearly recollect his relief over the phone when I said "no". What I don't recollect is whether I said how much I missed he and my Mom; I hope I did.
When away from home these days, I miss my daughter the most. And though it's much easier to stay in touch now than it was in 1972, nothing takes the place of being right alongside someone you love. That part hasn't changed at all.
Sunday, September 27, 2015
Saturday, September 26, 2015
How Was That Sandwich Of Yours?
http://reflectionsfromthebellcurve.blogspot.com/2015/07/so-long-seth.html
Good news first. Over the past two months I have kept my resolve (see above) from July 23; movie consumption is way down. The less encouraging (if not bad) news is the few films I've since watched at home have largely been ones I'd seen previously. Monotony in the diet, you say?
Not entirely. Re-watching Nobody's Fool (1994) a few weeks ago was a wholly delicious twenty one year sandwich. Saw the film upon its release; I love Paul Newman almost as much as most of the women I know. Then in 2010 I read Richard Russo's excellent 1993 novel of the same name. Then, a few days ago, I renewed the magic via watching the movie a second time.
And, the geek abides. Earlier today, I read my 2010 book journal entry on "Nobody's Fool". I also returned briefly to my underlined copy of the novel and compared my end notes on Russo's wonderfully drawn upstate New York characters with those depicted in the film while it was still fresh on my mind. My verdict on this sandwich and it's geeky aftermath - The book is better (duh!) but screenwriter and director Robert Benton nailed the essence of Russo's novel. In particular, the hapless main character Sully and his landlord Beryl - Newman and Jessica Tandy in the film - are brilliantly realized. Benton was also wise to use the author's dialogue, verbatim, in his movie. Dialogue is arguably Russo's greatest gift.
What's the verdict on your most recent sandwich? What book was it? Did the movie have the same name? Was your sandwich like mine, i.e. movie-book-movie? In order to vary my diet, think I'll switch now to book-movie-book. Hope that sandwich is as good as this last one.
Good news first. Over the past two months I have kept my resolve (see above) from July 23; movie consumption is way down. The less encouraging (if not bad) news is the few films I've since watched at home have largely been ones I'd seen previously. Monotony in the diet, you say?
Not entirely. Re-watching Nobody's Fool (1994) a few weeks ago was a wholly delicious twenty one year sandwich. Saw the film upon its release; I love Paul Newman almost as much as most of the women I know. Then in 2010 I read Richard Russo's excellent 1993 novel of the same name. Then, a few days ago, I renewed the magic via watching the movie a second time.
And, the geek abides. Earlier today, I read my 2010 book journal entry on "Nobody's Fool". I also returned briefly to my underlined copy of the novel and compared my end notes on Russo's wonderfully drawn upstate New York characters with those depicted in the film while it was still fresh on my mind. My verdict on this sandwich and it's geeky aftermath - The book is better (duh!) but screenwriter and director Robert Benton nailed the essence of Russo's novel. In particular, the hapless main character Sully and his landlord Beryl - Newman and Jessica Tandy in the film - are brilliantly realized. Benton was also wise to use the author's dialogue, verbatim, in his movie. Dialogue is arguably Russo's greatest gift.
What's the verdict on your most recent sandwich? What book was it? Did the movie have the same name? Was your sandwich like mine, i.e. movie-book-movie? In order to vary my diet, think I'll switch now to book-movie-book. Hope that sandwich is as good as this last one.
Thursday, September 24, 2015
A Sure Thing
After five and one half years attending meetings with eighteen different book clubs, I'm confident asserting Christina Baker Kline's 2013 bestseller "Orphan Train" cannot miss.
* Both stories being told - although separated by more than eighty years - unfold in a linear fashion.
* The prose is straightforward and told in the first person.
* Though there are sad elements in both stories, the ending is upbeat.
* None of the surprises revealed as the book draws to its conclusion are at all implausible.
* The central premise is based on historical events.
I'm so sure this book will be a winner for any club, I'm offering a money back guarantee. If you suggest it and a significant majority of your fellow readers do not really like it, contact me and we'll arrange for an exchange of bitcoins, amount TBD.
* Both stories being told - although separated by more than eighty years - unfold in a linear fashion.
* The prose is straightforward and told in the first person.
* Though there are sad elements in both stories, the ending is upbeat.
* None of the surprises revealed as the book draws to its conclusion are at all implausible.
* The central premise is based on historical events.
I'm so sure this book will be a winner for any club, I'm offering a money back guarantee. If you suggest it and a significant majority of your fellow readers do not really like it, contact me and we'll arrange for an exchange of bitcoins, amount TBD.
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
The Sentence Collector
"Popular culture is where we go to talk to and agree with one another, to simplify ourselves, to find our herd ... books are where we go alone to complicate ourselves."
Stamps, antique cars, coins, and ... sentences. I've been collecting the latter for most of my reading life. It's rare for me to finish a book without coming across a single sentence unworthy of my collection. And some books, like the late John Leonard's "Reading For My Life" (2012) shimmer with examples like the one above. When uncovering these gems, years sometimes pass before I find a way to share them. But the joy in doing so is the main reason for collecting them in the first place.
In my experience, writers who are omnivorous readers are more apt to create sentences worth collecting. Polymaths like Leonard or Christopher Hitchens or Joyce Carol Oates, having spent a lifetime immersed in literature and ideas, seem to embody the majesty of their forebears. When asked his advice about how to write, award-winning author Ernest Gaines ("A Lesson Before Dying") replied - "Read, read, and then read some more."
I derive pleasure each time I peruse my ever-expanding sentence collection; there's a story behind most of them. I suspect stamp collectors might feel something similar. What do you collect? How do you share the stories behind your collection? With whom are you most likely to share your collection and the stories?
Stamps, antique cars, coins, and ... sentences. I've been collecting the latter for most of my reading life. It's rare for me to finish a book without coming across a single sentence unworthy of my collection. And some books, like the late John Leonard's "Reading For My Life" (2012) shimmer with examples like the one above. When uncovering these gems, years sometimes pass before I find a way to share them. But the joy in doing so is the main reason for collecting them in the first place.
In my experience, writers who are omnivorous readers are more apt to create sentences worth collecting. Polymaths like Leonard or Christopher Hitchens or Joyce Carol Oates, having spent a lifetime immersed in literature and ideas, seem to embody the majesty of their forebears. When asked his advice about how to write, award-winning author Ernest Gaines ("A Lesson Before Dying") replied - "Read, read, and then read some more."
I derive pleasure each time I peruse my ever-expanding sentence collection; there's a story behind most of them. I suspect stamp collectors might feel something similar. What do you collect? How do you share the stories behind your collection? With whom are you most likely to share your collection and the stories?
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Awaking My Activism
"Until you have done something for humanity, you should be ashamed to die." - Horace Mann
Though already pretty skilled at beating myself up, I was chastened stumbling across Horace Mann's admonishment recently. Soon after, I realized how fortunate I am to have a wife that has helped kicked my long latent activism into higher gear. Who helps remind you of your responsibility to make the world a better place?
My wife's involvement with the issue of climate change has been inspiring as well as educational. As her commitment to act deepens, my previous lethargy dissipates. The other activists she has met represent a wide swath - business men and women, scientists, clergy - people who are bracing to be around. And not one fits the stereotype of the humorless environmentalist. To a person they are positive, educated, engaged. Common sense solutions, like making your vote count, take precedence over doom and gloom.
At a recent vigil we attended, individuals spoke on behalf of Christianity, Judaism, Islam and Sikh. I was moved by the commonality of scripture cited from each faith represented. We all inhabit the same world. We are an interdependent human species. If we continue ignoring the science, we all pay the price.
Though already pretty skilled at beating myself up, I was chastened stumbling across Horace Mann's admonishment recently. Soon after, I realized how fortunate I am to have a wife that has helped kicked my long latent activism into higher gear. Who helps remind you of your responsibility to make the world a better place?
My wife's involvement with the issue of climate change has been inspiring as well as educational. As her commitment to act deepens, my previous lethargy dissipates. The other activists she has met represent a wide swath - business men and women, scientists, clergy - people who are bracing to be around. And not one fits the stereotype of the humorless environmentalist. To a person they are positive, educated, engaged. Common sense solutions, like making your vote count, take precedence over doom and gloom.
At a recent vigil we attended, individuals spoke on behalf of Christianity, Judaism, Islam and Sikh. I was moved by the commonality of scripture cited from each faith represented. We all inhabit the same world. We are an interdependent human species. If we continue ignoring the science, we all pay the price.
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