There and Back Again

Pondering: It was sung by immigrants as they struck out from distant shores and pioneers who pushed westward against an unforgiving wilderness. (Barack Obama)

Whether you voted for him or not or believe he can bring change or not; whether you are a Republican, Green Party or a doubting Democrat; whether you have good things to say about the first black president of America or not, you can’t deny that last night was a turning point for America as a nation.

His victory speech was full of hope and energy that I am hopeful will transform into actions come January, when he takes over an ailing, aching country. He has a long way to go and so do we all but at least we’re taking the steps.

It’s the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled - Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America (President-Elect, Barack Obama

Yet as America elects its first non-Caucasian president and turns a tide, California recedes into bigotry and discrimination as it voted to eliminate gay marriages. We do have a long way to go…

Pondering: Life is just a mirror, and what you see out there, you must first see inside of you. (Wally Amos)

This beautiful, beautiful song from the new Keane album, Perfect Symmetry moves me so much, I can’t explain it. It brings tears to my eyes for many different reasons. I am posting the lyrics here today, which is my birthday. Nothing else is more appropriate…

You Don’t See Me
(T. Rice-Oxley, T. Chaplin, R. Hughes)

All moving at the speed of life 
Reflecting in each others’ eyes 
But you’re moving with such irresistible speed 
You don’t see me 
No, you don’t see me 

Pondering: Nothing is really work unless you would rather be doing something else. (James M. Barrie)

For the last three weeks, I feel like I’ve been living off of a suitcase.  After awhile it gets a little boring and tiring.  I miss my bed, I miss my own bathroom, I miss my own car, I miss my own cooking.  As I write this, I am on board Virgin America back to San Francisco and this should be the last trip I take for a while, unless of course my sister decides to spend her December birthday elsewhere.

Three weeks ago, I was in Austin, TX for the Austin City Music Festival.  It was a lot of fun – I can tell you that albeit there weren’t too many bands I was familiar with who performed.  It was like going to a picnic everyday, eating unhealthy, greasy, barbeque food and sitting under the sun and watching people go about their own business.  The temperature was ridiculously high, of course but pleasant.  The festival this year was more organized than it was three years ago when I went.  The shuttles to and from the park were more controlled and the turnaround quicker.  The only downside was the hotel where we stayed in.  It’s one of those hotels where the acoustics are just really, really poor.  The occupants of the neighboring rooms liked to talk loud and decided, on the second night, to have some friends over for a late – LATE – night cap of drinks and screaming, excitable girls.  I had to call security twice to get them to shut up and by the time they did, well it was 4PM.  Thank god, I could sleep in.

The week after Austin, I had to fly to Sparks, NV for 3-day conference.  I stayed at what seems to be the only decent hotel in Sparks.  Why the conference couldn’t be in Reno, where there is a bit more life around, I don’t know.  The hotel was a sad place – old décor, dark hallways, cheap polyester beddings, an empty casino and restaurants that serve the most tasteless dishes.  The whole place reminded me of a senior center complete with a bingo hall in the basement and a gift shop that sold items from probably the 1980’s.  The whole time I was there, I felt like I was in a time warp and I couldn’t wait to get out.  The training/conference I attended was another thing that I don’t even want to discuss and think about.

This week, I was in Las Vegas for a conference and a bit of R&R.  I didn’t really do much while in Vegas.  The conference itself took up two of the three days I was there.  On Saturday, my sister and I went outlet shopping, like we always do, and spent the evening winning and losing a few dollars on the slot machines that give out free spins.

Life on the road can be tiring after awhile. I can’t imagine how others can do it all the time as part of their jobs. I find that while I’m on the road, I do miss the comfort of my own bed, the joy of eating food I cooked in my own kitchen, and the routine of my days at home.  I wish I were home already…

Pondering: Here is a lesson in creative writing. First rule: Do not use semicolons. They are transvestite hermaphrodites representing absolutely nothing. All they do is show you’ve been to college. (Kurt Vonnegut)

On my trip to Austin, TX last weekend to attend the 3-day Austin City Music Festival, I brought with me a copy of Ian McEwan’s On Chisel Beach. Once I started reading it, I just could not put it down. I usually get headaches when I read on the plane but I didn’t care. I couldn’t stop reading.

McEwan’s words and paragraphs are so vivid and so memorable. When he describes how sunny and glorious the day is, I can actually feel the sun kissing my face and when he describes the pain in his heroine’s heart, I can feel a lump in my throat the size of a tennis ball because he describes it in a most affecting way. He truly, truly moves me with his words.

I finally finish the book while waiting for my very delayed flight back to San Francisco. (Yes, there’s hardly any opportunity to read at the festival as you can imagine.) When I finally finished, I was heartbroken. Partly because the story is heartbreaking but mostly because I just read the book I wish I wrote. A review on the back of the book said it was the “perfect novel” and that is so true.

I am jealous beyond words and can only wish that I had an iota of his brilliance in taking a very simple story about words said and unsaid, and make it into an unforgettable novel that is nothing but perfect.

Pondering: When a person can no longer laugh at himself, it is time for others to laugh at him. (Thomas Szasz)

My good friend and co-worker Dina and I went to lunch yesterday to talk about the upcoming performance evaluation of three of the seven managers she directly and I inidirectly manage. (Just noticed how long that sentence is.) It was a hot day, as it has been the last few weeks here in the Bay Area but we decided to head for a Vietnamese Pho restaurant a few blocks from the office. I’ve been to this restaurant before, always ordering the same thing - grilled chicken over vermicelli, which is probably why I never paid attention to the menu.

As we were perusing the list of items, Dina pointed out to me a few of the vermicelli dishes she was pondering and then we chanced upon one item in the menu that both stopped us and sent us guffawing:

Grilled beef and shrimp over vermin.

I don’t think even Andrew Zimmern (from the Discovery Channel’s ‘Bizaare Foods’) will try this one. Hilarious! I know it’s a typo, but it’s a hell of a typo!

Meriam-Webster Dictionary: Main Entry: ver·min. Pronunciation: \ˈvər-mən\. Function: noun. 1: a small common harmful or objectionable animals (as lice or fleas) that are difficult to control b: birds and mammals that prey on game c: animals that at a particular time and place compete (as for food) with humans or domestic animals. 2: an offensive person.

Pondering: Humor is everywhere, in that there’s irony in just about anything a human does. (Bill Nye)

Being that I work in the field of human resources, a proponent of behavior-based interviewing and a huge fan of BBC’s Murphy’s Law and James Nesbitt, I find this YouTube video just brilliant. A gem of a find! Now, I have to figure out a way to introduce this into one of my training classes:

Pondering: Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy. (Anne Frank)

Pondering: Now the sky could be blue, I don’t mind, without you it’s a waste of time. ‘Could be blue, could be grey, without you I’m just miles away. (Coldplay, Strawberry Swing)

Well what can I say? I guess I’m what you’d call a die-hard Coldplay fan and so of course, I have to give last night’s concert at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, five twinkling stars. The crowd in the arena gets an equal five stars too for being so loud, so enthusiastic, participative and appreciative of the band and their hits.

It was great to see the lads on stage again. I had really crappy seats but I got a glimpse of all four - Will, Guy, Chris and Johnny. My favorite moment was when they performed 42 because it is my favorite song in the new album, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends. I also enjoyed a lot their performance of Fix Me (from the X & Y album), the surprise of Green Eyes (from the Parachute days), Will’s solo performance of Death Will Never Conquer, and the butterly confettis of Lovers in Japan. I thought Chris Martin sounded great last night, much better than how he sounded in the Twisted Logic Tour a couple of years ago.

Overall, they put together a really, really great show. I hope they put out a second leg of the tour, because I will be so there again!

Pondering: I am extraordinarily patient, provided I get my own way in the end. (Margaret Thatcher)

My 920 AM flight to San Francisco from Las Vegas has been grounded and won’t fly out until 1130 AM. Fuck, fuck, fuck! I am staying positive despite the delay but my patience is waning. To think I woke up really, really early for this trip. If they delay us any more than three hours, I’m going to hit something… or someone.

Pondering: Time cools, time clarifies; no mood can be maintained quite unaltered through the course of hours. (Mark Twain)

Another trip over. Another set of pictures to print and put together in a scrapbook in an effort to capture every moment and time in this very wonderful trip. I truly had a fantastic time. It was too short a trip, as usual, so that I am left longing for more. It won’t be the same the next time I go. As my sister said to me at the BART train going home, things never are the same the second time you go see a place.

The best part of this trip for me was Killarney and if I ever get a chance to go back to Ireland, I will base myself there next time. Dublin was exciting but it was too rushed, as a city should be. I like that part of Ireland that is lush, green, quiet and laid back. The Cliffs of Moher was another big highlight. I felt a surge of energy flowing over me while I was up there.

Other memorable moments: drinking a pint of ale at dinner and having banoffee pie for desert on our second-to-the-last night in Dublin; searching for unique postcards and magnets at numerous gift shops in our numerous tour stops; shopping at St. Stephen’s Green; and walking through Merrion Square each morning, home to the colorful statue of Oscar Wilde with his impish smile. And I musn’t forget the Guinness Storehouse where I had my first and last pint of stout as a view of the entire Dublin, Ireland surrounded me. Amazing, amazing indeed.

My dear Ireland, thanks for the memory, the views and the inspiration your wonderful cliffs, mountains, beaches, pubs and people have provided me. With fond memories, until the next time I return!