On My Mind – Juneteenth – 6/19/20

This:

 

 

BLM1

 

And this:

 

BLM2

 

I could write more but why…

Don’t these say it ALL!!

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On My Mind – Cuppa Morning Joe – 6/14/2020

Morning Coffee

It’s frivolous but it’s fun.

Here’s how my wife and I are taking our morning coffee these days.

 

Great way to start the day!

🙂

 

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On My Mind – Running The Table – 6/14/2020

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Make no mistake – I am passionately committed to helping Joe Biden become the next President of the United States for a whole host of reasons.  As Joe says though – Here’s The Deal.  That’s just not going to be enough.

In order to make meaningful change possible in the wake of the November elections, changing the balance of power in the U.S. Senate is going to be critical.  There are currently a growing number of competitive Senate races in states that haven’t recently been the most friendly places for Democrats – places like Montana, Iowa, Colorado, Georgia, Maine, Kentucky, Arizona and North Carolina.

Helping Democrats win these Senate races is almost as critical to enabling change as helping Joe Biden win the Presidency.  The Republican controlled Senate has been the place where House passed legislation has gone to die for the last two years.

A Joe Biden win would help to reverse many of what I see as the negative consequences of the Trump Presidency.  Democrat control of the Senate will ensure the passage of meaningful reform legislation in the areas of election protection and reform, environmental protection and health care. The Democrats need to flip a minimum of 4 to 5 Republican seats in order to regain control of the Senate.

I live in IL but I’m all in for change and I’ll do whatever I can wherever there’s an opportunity to move things along in what I think is a better direction.  Here’s a quick list of some particularly critical races.

Steve Bullock:  Former Democrat Governor of Montana running against 1st term Republican Senator Steve Daines.  Recent polling suggests that Steve has a slight lead in this race.

Steve Bullock

Here’s a link to his site:  https://stevebullock.com/

Jaime Harrison:  Former South Carolina High School teacher running to unseat long serving Republican Senator Lindsey Graham.  To the surprise of many, recent polling suggests that this race is a dead heat in a state that has, for decades, been reliably Republican.

Jaime Harrison

Here’s a link to his site:  https://jaimeharrison.com/

Mark Kelly:  Former Space Shuttle Commander and wife of former Democrat Congresswoman Gabby Giffords – who served as a respected member of the U.S. House of Representatives until forced by brain injuries resulting from an assassination attempt to resign her seat – is running to flip the Arizona Senate seat currently held by Republican Senator Martha McSally.  Recent polls suggest that Kelly has a healthy lead in this race.

Mark Kelly

 

 

 

Here’s a link to his site:  https://markkelly.com/

Theresa Greenfield:  A new wave Democrat with an impressive personal background – growing up on a family farm, widowed and remarried, mother of 4 grown children and former urban planner is running to flip the Iowa Senate Seat currently held by Joni Ernst.  To the surprise of many, recent polls suggest Theresa is running neck to neck in a state that has historically been reliably Republican.

Theresa Greenfield

Here’s a link to her site: https://greenfieldforiowa.com/

Sara Gideon:  Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives currently running against incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins.  Recent polling suggests Sara has a slight lead over Susan.

Sara Gideon'

Here’s a link to her site:  https://saragideon.com/

Amy McGrath:  Last but certainly not least, retired U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel Amy McGrath is running to unseat long serving and current Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.  Nothing would do more to encourage meaningful new legislation on a whole host of critical issues than seeing Mitch McConnell defeated in November.  Recent polls suggest that this is a very close race and that Amy has a real chance of doing just that.

AM1

Here’s a link to her site: https://amymcgrath.com/

There are plenty of ways to get in involved or have an impact – the simplest being to donate to candidates. Whether you like it or not – and I don’t – I’ve always been supportive of a publicly financed political / election process – politics in this country runs on money.  Anyone – anywhere – can make a difference for the candidate of their choice for the daily price of a specialty coffee at Starbucks.

This is a really impressive line-up of candidates who are, in my opinion, running for all the right reasons and I’ve made multiple donations to every one of these campaigns.  I’d just encourage everyone to take a look at their sites.  If you’re not satisfied with what’s happening in this country today, believe in the need for change and see something you like, consider chipping in $5.  It’s a whole lot easier than you might think.

Cheers

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On My Mind – Represent / Vote – 6/14/2020

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I put my Biden sign up almost a month ago in a relatively conservative IL suburb.  A couple of weeks after, I ordered extras, thinking back to 2016 when my Hillary sign was stolen in the middle of the night.  The death of George Floyd and the national conversation it prompted also provided motivation.  I didn’t want a day to go by without letting everyone know where I stood.

Since then, it’s been really gratifying to receive more encouraging and positive comments from neighbors than I’d anticipated.  In fact, I’ve been offering those spare signs to neighbors and I’m starting to get takers.

Going forward, I’ll be supplying Biden signs to ANYONE in the neighborhood interested.  As I’ve said before, at least in my opinion, this is no time for anyone to be standing on the sidelines!  Go JOE!  #Biden2020

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On My Mind – 31 Years – 6/4/2020

31 years ago today, student-led, non-violent protests against the government of the People’s Republic of China, also known as the ’89 Democracy Movement, were forcibly suppressed by the Chinese military, resulting in significant loss of life among the protesters.  The Chinese government was widely and rightly criticized for the use of force in suppressing what were peaceful protests engendered by concerns regarding economic issues, corruption and restrictions on political participation.  Here’s an iconic and moving photo from the week when things came to a head.

TSM

31 years later, I challenge anyone to refuse to acknowledge the tragic role reversal leading to this travesty in the heart of the nation’s Capital.

LSP 3

LSP 6

LSP 7

Peaceful protesters in Lafayette Square – across the street from the White House and in the heart of the city universally recognized as the Capital of the Free World – violently expelled from a location that has historically hosted peaceful protests by Americans exercising their 1st Amendment right to assemble and petition the government for a redress of their grievances.

How the might have fallen…

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On My Mind – The People’s House – 6/4/2020

Th White House has always been known as The People’s House – occupied temporarily by individuals we’ve chosen to represent us all as a people.

Here’s a picture of The People’s House shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor – a time when this country was facing a true existential crisis.  When Secretary of the Treasury Henry Morgenthau, Jr., suggested to President Roosevelt that he might need additional security, he dismissed the concern, based partly on the belief that it would paint a picture of democracy under siege.

WH 1

Here’s a picture of The People’s House this week – in the wake of largely peaceful protests – new fencing installed – supplemented by a heavily armed police presence – meant ostensibly to protect the current occupant from a perceived threat posed by peaceful protesters – citizens exercising their inalienable rights under the 1st Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.

WH 2

WH 1

 

Take a moment to consider the words of the 1st Amendment – “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances – and consider what this fence says about both the character and actions of the current occupant.

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On My Mind – The Lincoln Memorial – 6/3/2020

Lincoln Memorial

I’ve spent a lot of time in DC – I worked there for over 8 years – six of them for the Federal Government – and I love the city.  There are so many special places there – special for all of us as Americans – and this is one of my favorites – The Lincoln Memorial.

Here are just a few of the profoundly important and moving words engraved into the stone of the Memorial:

“With malice toward none; with charity for all…let us strive…to bind up the nation’s wounds…to do all which may achieve and cherish a just, and a lasting peace.”

And here’s a picture of the Lincoln Memorial two days ago:

Lincoln Memorial This Week

I challenge anyone to tell me that they’re comfortable with this – with what this picture says – about our country today and about those currently in power whose words and decisions have led us to this.

That’s it – that’s the whole post.

Best Wishes,

Brian

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On My Mind – Back To The Keyboard – 6/2/2020

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It’s been 10/21/2018 since my last post.  I spent a year putting together this site and using it as an outlet to share my thoughts / opinions across several categories – the most important being the books I was reading at the time.  In doing so, it brought me a great deal of joy – both in the reading and the writing.

I stepped away about a year and a half ago for one frivolous and whimsical reason – a return to the other hobby that’s consumed so much of my time over the years – computer gaming.  The initial hook was the relaunch of an old favorite – World Of Warcraft Classic – which turned out to be an awesome walk down memory lane.  Once the bug bit, however, it was hard to turn away and it eventually led to a replay of one of my all time favorites – Witcher 3 (if you haven’t played this game –  please do – more for the story than the gameplay – it’s as much a book as a game).

Once done with W3, I turned my attention to a couple of titles that I’d purchased but never played – Divinity Original Sin II and Pillars of Eternity – which I’m currently still playing.  Anyone who games knows that titles like these have a way of consuming any / all time available and that’s exactly what they’ve done for a year and a half.

While I plan to keep playing – I’ve found that these games just bring me too much release, escape and pleasure – not to mention the fact that they represent a precious connection to my college age son – something happened yesterday that prompted me to re-evaluate – forced me to come back to the keyboard.  Last night I watched a crowd of peaceful protesters chased off the streets of Washington DC by civilian law enforcement and U.S. military personnel using clubs, tear gas and rubber bullets – for the sole purpose of creating a photo opportunity / campaign event for the current occupant of the White House.  It was a threshold moment for me it’s what prompted me to post today.

To be completely clear, I’ve always considered myself to be a political independent.  In the last four presidential elections, I’ve voted for two Democrats and two Republicans.  I hold what – historically – would be considered conservative positions with respect to fiscal and national security issues and liberal positions on social issues.  I’ve never found my values to comfortably match the platforms of either major party and I’ve moved back and forth depending on the issue of the day and my appraisal of a candidate’s (local, state, federal) character.  I’ve always been a classic ballot splitter.  That’s changed to a significant degree over the course of the last 3 years and I have to say that I can’t see myself, in good conscience, ever voting for a Republican candidate again.

I’m not going to use this post to detail my level of disgust with what I watched last night nor am I going to spend a lot of time talking about the level of disdain I hold for the current occupant of the White House.  Both are profound and something I’ll almost certainly speak to in future posts.  My only purpose for this initial article is to get back to writing, explain why and say a little about my plans going forward.

As you can probably tell, I’m already fully engaged with respect to the 2020 election and I’m all in for Joe Biden.  I’ve maxxed out as a donor to the campaign.  I’ve made sizeable contributions to a number of Democrat candidates running for Senate in 2020 – Jaime Harrison, Mark Kelly and Amy McGrath to name just a few.  Interesting enough, I’ve also made contributions to Republicans For The Rule Of Law and The Lincoln Project.  I follow, like, retweet and comment on Twitter content posted by individuals who I consider to be reputable and who have something meaningful to say.

All of that’s fine but watching what happened last night in DC – I just decided it wasn’t enough.  I felt the need to write again – express my opinions and share my perspectives in a more thoughtful and nuanced manner – whether anyone sees / reads them or not.  If doing so changes even one mind or swings even one vote towards Joe Biden in 2020, that will have been enough for me.  If it doesn’t, I’ll still have had an opportunity to express myself in a thoughtful and rational way – something I feel compelled to do.

So – here I am.  I don’t know how frequently I’ll be posting – that will likely be driven by the news of the day and the time available – but I am back and I do plan to be here for at least the next 5 months.  I’ll make my case for what I passionately believe to be a better path for this country at a time when, by all measures, we face a critical choice.  I welcome any comment, thoughts, questions or concerns and I’m very ready to engage in a respectful discussion with any reader who has something to say and an ability to say it in a courteous, respectful way.  I look forward to the chance.

Happy to be back and happy to be writing again.

Brian

 

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On The Nightstand – The Consuming Fire – 10/21/2018

Lighting finally struck for me this weekend.  Anyone who’s been reading along with me these last few months has noticed that I’ve reviewed 4 of John Scalzi’s books:

“Old Man’s War”

http://booksofbrian.com/on-the-nightstand-old-mans-war-1-14-2018/

“The Ghost Brigades”

http://booksofbrian.com/on-the-nightstand-the-ghost-brigades-1-18-2018/

“Redshirts”

http://booksofbrian.com/on-the-nightstand-redshirts-4-28-2018/

and “The Collapsing Empire”

http://booksofbrian.com/on-the-nightstand-the-collapsing-empire-1-8-2018/

Scalzi has always been a bit of a conundrum for me.  I’ve generally found his books to be entertaining but I haven’t been nearly the fan that so many seem to be.  The first three of the books listed above – at least for me – fell squarely in the mediocre to good category – a tick above average – despite the fact that “Old Man’s War” was nominated for a Hugo and “Redshirts” won both a Hugo and a Locus award for best science fiction.  I enjoy him – his books have just never impacted me in the same way that they so obviously have so many others.

I actually enjoyed “The Collapsing Empire” more than the first three.  I found the world to be extremely well-conceived and he gave me one of my stand-out favorite characters in Kiva Lagos.  I had some quibbles with the book but they were minor.  Overall, it was a very fun read that I strongly recommended.

Here’s where the lightning comes in.  I read “The Consuming Fire” and – for the very first time – I’ve found a Scalzi book that I enjoyed in a completely unconditional way.  The world develops in such a way as to become even more interesting.  The Emperox matures and becomes a far more interesting character – growing into her power and position.  There’s a truly entertaining encounter with a new AI / Hologram personality that I found to be a great addition and that left me wanting more in future volumes.  Most importantly, there was – again – a solid helping of Kiva Lagos – who was every bit as powerful, fascinating and lovable in a very intimidating and kick*ss way as she was in the 1st book.  She continues to be one of the most enjoyable new characters I’ve come across this year.  Most importantly, Scalzi builds up to and delivers a wonderful climax in this book where the good guys dominate, all the bad guys get served and a great platform is built for future installments.  Thank you John Scalzi – for finally giving me a book that I really loved.  From now on – I’m all in.

As I was reading the book and thinking about this review, I considered putting in a minor quibble about the fact that so many of the characters were just so witty in their banter that the personalities seemed to blend together a bit but I’m not even going to go there.  I ultimately decided that it would be a bit petty to throw out a minor, technical criticism of an aspect of the book that I really, truly enjoyed.  I just wound up letting go and giving myself permission to appreciate Scalzi’s humor the way it deserves to be appreciated.  There were just too many conversations in the book that left me chuckling.  It was good fun.

I can’t recommend this one highly enough.  If you liked or loved “The Collapsing Empire” or just love Scalzi in general, you’re going to love this book.  Of those I’ve read, this one is far and away his best.  I’m with Kiva on this one: “F**cking best party ever!”.

Very Best Wishes For A Great Week

PS:  I feel like I’m on a bit of a roll here – three great reading experiences in the last two weeks – “Port Of Shadows” by Glen Cook, Uncompromising Honor” by David Weber and now “The Consuming Fire” by John Scalzi.  All have been great reads that I’d highly recommend.  I’ve also managed to finish “The Accidental War” By Walter Jon Williams and I’m in the middle of Steven Erikson’s “Rejoice: A Knife To The Heart” – which I hope to finish early in the week.  Keep an eye out for reviews of both this week.  “Rejoice” in particular is quite unique and different from anything I’ve ever read by Steven Erikson.

PPS:  I may have made a HUUUGE mistake last weekend.  I’ve mentioned several times in these posts that one of the changes in my routine over the course of the past year that’s freed up so much reading and writing time has been a conscious decision to step away from computer gaming.  It was a great choice and I’ve gotten through more books in the last 9 months than I had been reading in twice that time during preceding years.  Here’s the mistake – my son was home for Fall Break last weekend and we spent time talking about gaming – a hobby we’ve always shared.  It spurred me to look through some Steam titles that I’d been ignoring for awhile and – on a lark – I decided to download Elder Scrolls Online (ESO).  I went there because I’d been an enormous fan of Skyrim – I don’t even want to think about how many hours I put into that one – an open world game that in many ways served as the inspiration for ESO.  Very sad to say that it’s just a beautiful, immersive game that I’m going to have to spend some time with – which means that I’ll be doubling down on time management in order to now serve three loves instead of just two.  Wish me luck!!

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On My Mind – Principiis – Cowboy Rules – 10/16/2018

“Sorry Don’t Get It Done, Dude”

John Wayne Playing John T. Chance In The Movie Rio Bravo

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1. Live each day with courage

2. Take pride in your work

3. Always finish what you start

4. Do what has to be done

5. Be tough, but fair

6. When you make a promise, keep it

7. Ride for the Brand

8. Talk less and say more

9. Remember that some things aren’t for sale

10. Know where to draw the line

This is the 5th of my 6 pillars and – as I’ve done with every prior post – I’ll link back to prior entrants.

This is the post that started the series:

http://booksofbrian.com/on-my-mind-principiis-7-28-2018/

I followed that with a post on my 1st Pillar, “IF” by Rudyard Kipling:

http://booksofbrian.com/on-my-mind-principiis-if-7-28-2018/

Next came a post on my 2nd Pillar, “Life A Good Life” by Marcus Aurelius:

http://booksofbrian.com/on-my-mind-principiis-live-a-good-life-7-31-2018/

I followed with a post on my 3rd Pillar, “Six Mistakes Of Man” by Cicero:

http://booksofbrian.com/on-my-mind-six-mistakes-of-man-8-4-2018/

Most recently, I added a post on my 4th Pillar, “What Counts” by Teddy Roosevelt:

http://booksofbrian.com/on-my-mind-principiis-what-counts-9-9-2018/

Let me start this post by saying I am not a Cowboy, nor do I play one on TV.  I spent the better part of my young life in Texas – in Dallas from around age 10 to age 18 – then on to Austin for school from age 18 to age 25.  No – I didn’t pull a Belushi 🙂 – I was at The University of Texas at Austin for both my undergraduate and graduate school experiences.  Having said that, I’m as much or more a Southerner as I am a Texan – having been born in NC at the Camp LeJeune Marine Corps Base and then moving in fairly short order to Jackson MS, New Orleans LA, Birmingham AL and El Paso TX before settling down in Dallas around the age of 10.  My father’s family is from Jackson and my mother’s family is from New Orleans and I still have plenty of my people in both places.  I’ve spent a fair bit of time around horses – we kept horses from the day we moved to El Paso through our time in Dallas.  I’ve done my fair share of feeding and grooming and taking care of tack – complaining about the work all the way .  I know how to ride and I’ve ridden a fair bit but I’m no true horseman – this was always more my sister’s and mother’s hobby than it was mine.  Still, I consider Texas my home – always will – and I’ve known a fair few people that either could be called cowboys or who like to describe themselves as such.

That’s not where this came one from.  I found this through a website for a non-profit called The Center For Cowboy Ethics And Leadership where these ten principles are referred to as the Code Of The West:

http://cowboyethics.org/

And they’ve always spoken to me – particularly with respect to my professional life.  While they have utility in the day to day, these 10 principles have been pivotal for me over the course of the last 10 years as I’ve further defined myself as an employee, a professional and a leader.

These are my high level decision filters.  They guide me through challenges and tricky situations.  They don’t speak to the specifics of any situation.  They help to define attitude and ethics – the larger lens through which I understand and manage my obligations or address and solve my problems.  I can remember very few challenges at work over the course of the last decade where they haven’t helped me frame the problem.

This post would go on forever if I were to try and speak to every one of the 10 rules so I’ll tease a few out and try to show you how they work for me.  I’ll start with #7 – Ride for the Brand.  This isn’t referring to “brand” in the marketing sense – it refers to the organization you’ve hired on to – to which you’ve made a commitment.  At the core of that commitment is the explicit understanding that by accepting their offer to join and taking their dollar, you’ve agreed to serve.  You adopt their rules and culture – you don’t ask them to adopt yours.  You’ve signed on to that Brand and you have to honor what they tell you it means.  If you don’t, it should come as no surprise when you find yourself looking for another Brand to sign on to.

Nothing, however, is absolute – which is why #9 and #10 are so important.  It’s not unlikely that, at some point in your professional life, you’ll commit to a Brand without fully understanding who they are or what they stand for.  It may also happen that you wind up working for someone within your organization who represents an imperfect representative of your shared Brand or who simply chooses to disregard what that shared Brand stands for.  When that happens – and it’s happened to me on at least one occasion – you find yourself in what may be an unsustainable position.  It’s time to remember #9 – Some Things Just Aren’t For Sale.

Once you’re there, you have options.  You can object, take a principled stand in the face of authority or work to change the situation from within.  You can challenge the person you’re working for who’s creating the inconsistency.  I can, however, say with a fair bit of confidence – based on many years of experience – that in most cases you’re not going to get the outcome you want.  Brands are built to protect themselves and preserve their status quo.  It doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t make the effort.  You should, however, enter into efforts like these with eyes wide open and a very realistic set of expectations – and that’s why #10 – Know Where To Draw The Line – is so important.

It’s far too easy to lose sight of this one.  At one point in my working life, I did for almost 4 years.  It’s way too easy to tell yourself that you may not like where you are, that you’re not happy riding for a particular Brand, but that you can’t make a change.  You need their dollar too badly or you won’t be able to find something better.  In doing so, you change your own standard for what is and what is not for sale.

There’s nothing straightforward about these types of calculations.  They’re the hardest conversations you’ll ever have with yourself.  There are times when you’re right to change that line regarding what is and is not for sale – at least for awhile.  As I said before, I’ve screwed this up myself on more than one occasion – either by forgetting those things that aren’t for sale or by being far too arrogant about trying to insist on having my own way in the face of a Brand culture that wasn’t a perfect fit but was, overall, very acceptable.  Those were times when I failed to remember one of Cicero’s “Six Mistakes Of Man” – The Refusal To Set Aside Trivial Preferences.  Nevertheless, having these 10 Cowboy Rules with me wherever I go does force me to think in these terms and, as I get older and more experienced, I get better at using them.  They make a huge difference for me.

I’ll finish by saying that I have, for most of my life, worked for large organizations – the U.S. Government or large public corporations.  I don’t know how useful or relevant these rules would be for someone working in a startup or a small company or as an independent contractor.  I do know that they serve as a great foundation as you’re trying to grow, develop and advance in the corporate world.

I’ll also say, just to provide context, that I’m not – never have been – one of those who believe that you have to love what you do.  Far too many pontifical CEOs, inspirational speakers, high paid consultants and professional coaches have popularized this notion.  I consider it to be one of the cruelest lies that far too many people – particularly young people – tell themselves.  In 30 years of work life, I don’t think I’ve ever loved a job or an employer.  The things I truly love are the things I leave my work and travel home to every day – my wife, my children, my dogs, my neighborhood, my books, my gardens, the chance to get a run in or work out – so many other things.  My job and my employer are there to give me the means to pay for and support and continue to enjoy the things I love.  It’s always been far more than enough for me to like what I’m doing and, for almost every job I’ve ever had, that’s been the case.

I’m now left with one final Pillar – “Feed The Right Wolf” – which is actually going to be addressed in two separate posts.  The reason for doing so is that there are actually two versions of this principle.  There’s the one that most people know as “Feed The Right Wolf” – the on that fits on a PowerPoint slide and that teaches a simple lesson and then there’s the one called “White Wolf, Black Wolf” which is far more complicated and harder to explain and apply to your life.  It’s also probably teaches a more fundamentally meaningful principle.

Very Best Wishes For A Great Week!

Brian

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