On to the next job

First: Welcome to life, Samuel Brix Bond! Kisses and roses for all! Way to go, Carolyn and Eric!

Also:

I started my new job yesterday. It’s at a small book publisher for mostly elementary level nonfiction, titles like “Why am I a Bird?” or “The Drug Trade.” It seems like it’ll be a good job, once I figure out what’s going on, what I should be doing every day, and get my commute ironed out. It’s strange to step in to manage people at an unfamiliar place. I felt confident managing people in my last job because I had done the work myself before, so I had an idea of what they were going through. Here, I wonder if they’ll think, what does he know? He hasn’t done this before.

I still miss the old job. I was preparing to go for weeks, but the departure felt abrupt, still scrambling to get stuff done on the last day, knowing that the people I left behind would be scrambling still. They gave me a great sendoff at the end, complete with thoughtful cards, notes, e-cards, and an amazing drawing from one of my favorite editors. Tears were shed. It was a privilege to have an ending like that, especially after just a couple of years there–made me feel like I really did have an impact, accomplished something, not just in whatever textbooks we created, but in creating some positive result for the people I worked with, which is even more gratifying. I hope they know how much I loved working with them, a talented, fun bunch who made me look forward to going into work every day. I will keep my fingers crossed that this job will be a little like that one.

 

Let’s have a baby and move back to Chicago

Yes, I think I will. How bout next week. For the move, that is. The baby can wait till October.

We’ve been figuring it out for a while, actually, so sorry for the belated news-dissemination. Much to catch up on. I’ll dedicate this post to the baby. We’re very excited, naturally. Reading lots of book and following his/her growth from the size of a lentil to a bean to a grape to maybe now an apricot. Isa’s been feeling the sickness, but she’s just about out of her first trimester so we’re hopeful she’ll have a few easier months. We had an ultrasound today and saw the baby. He/she actually looks human, which is a good thing. About three inches long. Apparently it’s a healthy baby. She’s due October 15…about a year younger than Griffin, whom we look forward to meeting and introducing as a playmate down the road.

The baby made it easier to decide to move back–we were thinking about it (Isa’s been missing the midwest and I still like it out there), so we decided to do it before the baby comes. She likes her doctor out there more than any out here anyway. It also made it easier to tell family about the move. We’re moving back to Chicago to have a baby is easier than we’re moving back to Chicago because we don’t like it out here.

What else…got a new job, think we have an apartment in Wheaton, and just finished my old job. Also went to Costa Rica. Hopefully I’ll get to write about those things, if anybody still checks this thing.

 

 

My almost-accident

I came within a hair of an accident last week. On the way in to work, the roads were slick with snow, and I was going down the windy road to Natick, when this car pulled out right into the street, and stopped in my path. I was going too fast to stop, so I swerved left to get around him, and barely avoided hitting him. But the swerve put me on a collision course with a car coming from the other direction. With the slick road, he couldn’t stop either, and when I turned my car just kept sliding forward.

At the last second my wheels caught the road and I veered right, just missing him. I got back onto my side of the road and was fishtailing around before I regained control. The whole rest of the ride in my heart pounded, I thanked God even though I don’t believe in him, and the rest of the day I felt wasted.

It wouldn’t have been too major of an accident; I wasn’t going that fast. But sliding head-on toward that car, with nothing to do but hope (and maybe pump the brakes?) — when you’ve led a charmed life, those moments of true panic stick with you.

 

This too shall pass

So the Pats lost. It looked like they had it for a minute there, or two, before the Giants drove down the field with the gamewinning drive. We gnashed our teeth on Chad and Anar’s couch when the last balls sailed just out of reach, and then moped about cutting our wrists and actually reading books. This too shall pass.

It’s poetic and grand in its own way, and feels not-quite-wrong. The Pats were the impossible story in 2001, the band of nobodies who rose up for the common man and took one out of the hands of the elite. Then they kept doing it, and we got used to it: they became the elite. When they couldn’t keep on top they stocked up on star players of the sort they’d never had before, and stomped the competition like a true goliath.

But if you make yourself a big enough target, everyone’s going to take a shot at you, and they did. They scraped by when they had been cleaning up, and finally, at the very end, when perfection was in their grasp, the scrappy underdogs broke through, just as the Pats had years ago. Rather than tasting the familiar victory once again, a new team and a new set a fans got to feel that incredible feeling that comes once in a lifetime–of achieving the impossible upset, of slaying Goliath.

I feel a little sad, but it’s okay. Now I can leave this behind and look at the other things in my life. Yes, there are good books to read. I’m reading Hunger by Knut Hamsum, which is turning out to be pretty good. We’ve got literature textbooks to write at work, and a tribute to write at the home business. Plus, Isa and I plan on going to Costa Rica in a couple of months. (You can see what she’s up to at lizandrws.blogspot.com.)

This one hurts, but not too badly. How many teams would kill to turn in the season the Pats did this season? It was good drama, and I’ll be interested to see what the next chapter brings. But for now I think I’ll think about something else.

 

Liz and the people across the street take off

The people across the street moved out. No more scattered kids sitting on the sidewalk, or women yelling at them from the porch. No more heated confrontations between neighbors, or drug busts. Or at least not as many. They had been living there without paying rent for quite a while, it turns out, and they left the front door wide open when they left. The other day a sign was posted on their door stating that the building was condemned. It seems hard to get your building condemned–I wonder what they could have been doing in there.

In other news, my dear sister Liza Lou is leaving for Costa Rica on Sunday. Godspeed, Liz! She’s a little nervous, but I am sure it will be an amazing and unforgettable experience. Based on my rather poor understanding of what she’ll be doing, she will be riding in ambulances doing paramedic-type work. And if that’s not an unforgettable experience, I don’t know what is.

Anyway, the Costa Ricans are going to love Liz, I’m certain. According to my research:

“…the country is a remarkably friendly environment. In the countryside there is always a warm pot of coffee on the wood stove, ready to be served to the unexpected visitor. The people are polite, curious, and inclined to smile. The tourism of the last decade has brought with it an assortment of con-artists, hustlers, and entrepreneurs, but nonetheless almost all travelers are made to feel welcome.” –(http://www.worldheadquarters.com/cr/people/)

So watch out for the hustlers, keep up your nice, even personality, and you’ll be just fine. And send us your blog information so we can keep tabs on you.

 

Happy New Year

Had a great time at the Bonds’. Deepest thanks to one and all. Their hospitality is without peer–gathering friends, building the bonfire, setting up entertainment, providing a spread for both nighttime snacks and breakfast. Thank you.

The much-anticipated reunion with Andy and Laura was the highlight of course. After three years I was nervous, but that dissolved in a second or two, and we were just as always. They seemed happy, and it was great to hear some of the Africa stories first-hand. And great to have Isabel finally meet them, and vice versa. I am hopeful that we will get to see them out in D.C. before too long of a delay.

Saw Evan and Heather too. (Andy was imploring Evan to visit the blogosphere; are you out there?) Gus was looking good, and Heather is expecting another before too long. In the morning Rob Spencer came over; we hadn’t seen him in nearly a decade, and he and his wife seemed well. They’re teachers out in Colorado. And talked to Cindy, who is going to Italy with Sergio for a year. Congrats! I will be eager to hear more about it.

The Bond family, also great. Will and Maggie are always stars of the show. Will was doing his Star Wars reenactments for us all, quite impressively. Steve wasn’t quite as cute, but fun to hang out with nonetheless. Dave and Kathy were showing us the DVD they created for their church as an example of what we could create for the business.

Thanks again to all. Great to renew friendships. Being a good friend is my new year’s resolution. Thanks for all your interest on the business, and hope we didn’t talk it to death.

So what are everyone’s resolutions for 2008? Or are resolutions for losers?

 

I dissed Chris Kattan

<corrected version> 

I cut off Chris Kattan yesterday. Then, I think, I diminished his career.

We were on our way home from Christmas shopping at the outlets. Isa wanted to rent a movie, so we pulled in to Blockbuster. Walking to the door, I brushed past the man, not quite looking back as he slowed to let me by.

“Thanks,” Isa told him on my behalf. I held open the door a bit behind me to excuse the slight.

Inside, we headed for the new releases section, looking for The Sopranos, Season Six, Part II, disc 1. It wasn’t on the shelf, so Isa went to see if they had it at the counter. While she inquired, I searched for The Year Without a Santa Claus in the Family section. Isa’s been waxing nostalgically about it for years, fondly recalling the antics of the film’s villain, the Heat Miser. It wasn’t there, so I went back to find Isa.

“Season Six, Part 1,” she was saying to the clerk. “No, it’s Season Six, Part II, disc 1,” I corrected. Checked out, the woman confirmed. “Then, do you have The Year Without a Santa Claus?” I asked. “I found the case over there, but there’s nothing behind it.” The clerk asked me to bring it up, so I dutifully returned to the family section to retrieve the case. The man in line next to us was staring at me. The clerk looked my case over, scanned it into the computer, and concluded that The Year Without a Santa Claus was out too.

When the man beside us left the store, Isa turned to the clerk. “That was the guy from…what was he in?” she asked. The clerk rattled off a few names: A Night at the Roxbury, Corky Romano.

“Wait, who was it?” I asked.

“It was that guy from Saturday Night Live,” Isa said.

“Which guy?”

“That guy next to us.”

“Yeah, but who is he?”

“The guy from Saturday Night Live!”

“Which guy from Saturday Night Live?” I asked.

The clerk helped us. The man was Chris Kattan. He was filming a movie in Rhode Island.

“Ohh…” I said.

We chuckled on the way home. I wondered why he had been staring at me. Must have been because I cut him off at the way in, I figured.

Today I looked him up online to see what movie he was filming. It’s something called Tanner Hall, formerly a pilot for UPN. Then I scrolled through some of his recent movies. One was The Year Without a Santa Claus (2006), in which Kattan plays the role of Sparky, the manipulative elf. I had no idea it had been remade. I guess that was why he was staring at me. 

 

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving. What do I have to be thankful for? Good health, which is often forgotten but always bears remembering. I was able to walk all over Manhattan on a business trip this past weekend, and remembered how much I love walking. Saw my old friend Christina, who has been “in search of wellness,” as she puts it, for many years, after two bouts with cancer. We also got dinner with my coworker Kathy, whose husband suffers from dementia and may also have cancer, depending on the results of a test this week. I’ve never had a broken bone or major illness, car accident, anything, which is in the category of miraculous.

A great wife. We had a fun evening tonight making appetizers for tomorrow and goofing around the kitchen to Nina Simone and Van Morrison (I’m thankful for good music too, come to think about it). Great family, though I take them for granted and don’t connect as much as I’d like to. But they take me in unconditionally, as only family can.

A job I like. I was just thinking about how much I enjoy my job as I was going in. I’ve generally enjoyed this career. The work is interesting, I get to talk to cool people, learn new things, have my own office, be in charge, and my company sent me on a business trip to a conference in New York this past weekend. The next project should be a bear, but I’m looking forward to it regardless.

Good people. It’s easy to get caught up by the negative interactions, but I try to ignore them and focus on the others. Picking up some DVDs at the library today, the woman who checked me out looked up at me in the middle of the process and said, pointedly, “So, how are you?” She didn’t know me, but her subtext was that this did not just have to be a formality, but that we were human beings and could react in a personal way as well, even if we didn’t know each other.

Good friends. I’ve been lucky to know you over the years, and regret that I haven’t always been a better friend. Life goes on, I suppose, but I do look forward to reuniting and renewing old acquaintances from time to time. And when we do, let’s just pick up where we last left off, okay?

 

Warning! Sports Entry!

After reading Dwyer’s spot-on analysis of football and by the Pats, I feel emboldened to write more about sports. Plus, Nate is into sports, so that’s one more person who will be interested.

So today the Pats and Colts are playing the game of the century. Or the game of the century of the week. I think all the negative hype around the Pats is getting to me, making it less fun to root for them. I loved rooting when they were doing it with smoke and mirrors, when the other teams had all the flashy players and you couldn’t quite figure  out how they were doing it. Now we’re the bullies, the team that everyone hates. It’s the coach who cheats, who pushes cameramen and runs up the score, against the classy coach who is nice to everyone and whose son committed suicide, so we have to be nice to him.

We already had the story where the Pats were the good guys. The scrappy underdogs won, won again, and became the champ. We don’t really need the same movie again–it’s like the endless parade of Rocky movies. Maybe a movie where Rocky is suddenly the bad guy would be more interesting than seeing him be the underdog for the 8 millionth time. It’ll never be as good as Rocky 1, but it’s something. Same thing with the Red Sox. 86 years as the “underdogs”, and now they’re the ones with all the advantages. New story line needed.

Maybe the best thing to do is to focus on the game, which works too. But it really only works if it’s a good game. The World Series wasn’t much of a contest, and the Pats games have all been blowouts. So it’s down to appreciating greatness (see Dwyer’s entry). But greatness doesn’t seem so great unless it’s challenged.

These are all minor quibbles, since Boston is suddenly the master of all sports. It’s like a millionaire singing the blues. And after having the greatest sports stories ever (Pats ‘01, Sox ‘04), there’s nowhere else to go but inferior sequels.

And for the non-sports fans, I hope you saw the latest SNL song a few weeks back. Fantastic:

 

October wrap

Hi everybody.

Congrats once again to Nate and Lisa. Can’t wait to meet Mr. Griffin. (Isn’t there a book about him? Is he named after the character?)

Halloween’s tomorrow. Everyone get ready! For a Halloween party the other day I was a brain-eating amoeba. Naegleria Fowleri, to be exact. Unfortunately anoebas don’t have many organelles, so I had to expand on it a bit. The brains tasted good, however: strawberry kiwi flavor.

The Red Sox won the world series. That was cool. I’m sure it was completely uninteresting to anyone outside Boston. They were a fun team to watch, and Isa got into it too. The parade was today, so I’ve been watching the videos at different times during work. I like a team that knows how to have fun. Between Papelbon’s dance routines and Big Papi being himself, it’s fun to watch. And Manny was quite sage when he said that if you lose, who cares? I couldn’t agree more. I aspire to be like Manny. Do your damnedest to succeed, and if you don’t, just move on. I suppose it can make you a bit lackadaisical at times, as Manny is, but taking everything seriously doesn’t always put you at your best either.

Work has been slow. I’ve resorted to writing stories that I don’t know we’ll actually use, but at least it’s doing something. Apparently the industry is in a “wait and see” mode.

Movies I’ve seen recently: After Life, a fine film about what happens after you die: you go to this estate where other dead people have, and you are interviewed by the staff, who ask you what one memory you would like to bring with you to the next life. Then they create a film of the scene and you go into the afterlife with just that memory. Made me think about what my moment would be, and it’s not an easy choice. I would probably try to cheat and choose a moment when I was recalling other moments of my life, so that I would have more memories. Or, maybe I would choose a great party where I was with lots of people I liked. It would probably get lonely and boring watching a perfect sunset for eternity.

I wasn’t too crazy about Pan’s Labyrinth, though apparently I am in a tiny minority. It got the highest rating ever on “Metacritic.”