Tell me you are a young 20-something without telling me you are a young 20-something... Your definition of success is as narrow as your life experience. And it shows. Let's talk about pet stores, and see if I can bring you some perspective you'll understand. Almost exactly 1 mile north of me is a tiny little woman-owned pet store, and she employs 4 people. We'll call it Lori's Pets. I've been patronizing her shop for more than a decade. Talking with my neighbor the other day (who moved in 4 years ago) I mentioned Lori's Pets, and he'd never heard of it and never been there. It is literally the closest pet store to our houses, and he has 4 cats and has never heard of Lori's Pets. A little over a mile south of me is PetCo. It's the size of giant grocery store and employs probably 30 people. It's the kind of big landmark you use to give people directions. ("It's in the PetCo parking lot." "Take a left at PetCo, and you'll see the place you want on the right, in the next block.") Lori owns two houses; one she lives in, one she rents out. In the hottest real estate market in America. She just had her first employee turnover in 5 years. Her business has been running for 15 years. PetCo employees are bottom-of-the-barrel minimum wage drones, with zero product knowledge or even care for pets. The products are largely mass market garbage that your pet can survive on, but will never thrive on. Employee turnover seems to be around 25-40%. But - using your metrics and valuation system - PetCo is a success and Lori's Pets isn't. Big does not equal good. Big does not equal success. In actual fact, BIG is almost universally bad; for the people who work there, for the people who engage with their products, and for the communities in which these big companies operate. Many people would argue that Hubski is an unmitigated success, having launched the same year as Google+, Snapchat, Groupon, LinkedIn, and Wikileaks, and being still in regular use today, while maintaining its core values, purpose, and intention. EDITS BELOW because my original comments were overly harsh, and that was not my intention: Don't parrot the value system of corporate America; find your own measure of value, that reflects your priorities. You have inadvertently validated KB's tirade, and taken the easy route to bash the "little guy" (Hubski/mk) because it's not Reddit-sized, or something. Which, somewhat ironically, is exactly why many (most?) of us love it here.
Spent the weekend in a lovely little cabin on a river, near Leavenworth, WA, with my wife and dog, to celebrate our 6th wedding anniversary. The river was very high and the sound was amazing ... filled the area and the house with the soothing sound of water. We went hiking, went into Leavenworth a couple of times, had dinner with @ball00n@ and his wife, went to the distillery and got some bourbon and gin (the Ghost Gin#6). The bourbon is lovely and warm, but the gin is REALLY something special! First off, it is aged. Second, it has the most wonderful combination of floral and herbal that are right up front and fill your nose and mouth with amazing complexity and fun!! Love this stuff. We picked up some cured meats, pickles, mustard, and cheeses in Leavenworth and spent time walking the trails along the river with our dog, Moxie. The weather was about 78 degrees with a nice mountain breeze, so it was the perfect warmth, and all the pine trees were giving off their lovely warm scent in the sun... it could not have been better!! (There weren't many people there, since the previous weekend was 4th of July, and was super busy... most people don't travel the NEXT week after the 4th, so we had no problem with finding places to park, walk, eat, etc.) We stayed over until Monday, and I worked from their fast wifi in the cabin, then we took a leisurely drive back home. It was perfect. Now to go buy a new lawnmower.
I've got a group of friends from my time in Budapest who are high-quality journalists (Economist, Reuters, Independent, etc), members of the EU governing body, academics teaching courses on Russia, and others who watch Russia professionally. Everyone is scrambling now and wondering about Putin's mental health. He may have had a mental breakdown ... this was all the standard Russian power-ploy that he pulls when the EU needs Russian natural gas to stay warm during the winter ... until they bombed Kyiv. Grabbing the Crimea was all about getting a port that isn't iced over 8 months of the year. So annexing the rest of the southeast was kinda inevitable, and people always expected him to expand deeper into Ukraine. But when you bomb the capitol city, that has no tactical advantage in his southeastern land grab... well, that is a full on invasion, with the intent of taking over the entire country by force. Not annexing a port. So when he bombed Kyiv in the first hours of the attack, that CHANGED EVERYTHING. This is actual war. One of my uber-conservative friends suggested the EU should take Kaliningrad. Immediately. Tit-for-tat. And that's ... both scary and fucking clever. The EU (or anyone else) can take it by the same logic Putin is using, since it has only been a Russian protectorate (completely encircled by the EU) for 75 years. And it gives the EU a bargaining chip with Russia that has fuckall to do with the USA/Britain/etc. We are in completely uncharted waters. I don't see any way out of this without an actual shooting war between the US and Russia. It may finally happen. Of course, the Russian military will be utterly wiped out quickly, because they are mostly a pretend army with mostly defective equipment. Then again, Americans are, first and foremost, racist. And Ukrainians don't really register in our hierarchy of "who is worth saving". So...? Completely uncharted waters, my friends.
I have too many musical tools that I don't know well enough to use fluidly. So instead of creating music, I just think about it a lot. Play my guitar or bass unplugged. Every once in a while I will turn on a synth and try to lay down something, but quickly get frustrated at the tools, and shut it all down again. And when I went to take piano lessons, I didn't do the homework. I wouldn't make time for it. And I need to do these exercises and stretches to keep on top of my knee and wrist issues, but I don't make time for it, and don't do it. There's a pattern here of poor self care, and not supporting myself in the things I want to do. Self-defeating tendencies. At least I know that. Now to DO something about it...
Not to sound trite, but what is 'normal' has now been altered permanently. We have a new baseline to measure from, and you can't go back. I've been watching the Burningman community with some interest... there are two distinct groups forming... the partiers who were only there for the party are going all gung-ho back into community events, and are spreading covid. (Friends of mine here in Seattle made the international news for the dumbass party they held that became a superspreader event.) Then there is the other group of Burners who just deeply connect with the bigger picture/goals of Burningman, and are in full hibernation mode, and will be for probably another two years or so. (Depending on variant mutation, of course.) They (us, we) are confident that we will gather again with friends, around a fire, and do silly shit together in a safe and fun environment. In about two years. When all the idiots are dead, the variants are under control, and there has been time for people to heal from their losses and define what their next phase of participation will be. This is the group I am most excited about because they don't want to return to "normal"... they want to learn from the global human experience, and move forward and craft something new that is appropriate for the time, place, and experiences we have all had as humanity during the last few years. THOSE events are going to be very interesting, and I believe will define the leading edge of creative culture for the next two decades, as Burningman (in the desert) did for the last three decades. It will also be an interesting phase of life for a lot of my cohorts who were also "original" Burners, because we will be coming up on retirement age. And I am curious to see how we adapt to the physical and psychological changes that age brings, as well. It begs the question whether or not things will eventually return to normal.
Well, the Australia job has dried up for now. The two principles and I know we will all work together at some point, but their needs right now do not correlate with my skills quite right. It'll happen. Just not this year. The EV company job doesn't exist ... yet. But they are hiring rapidly, growing, just got a big VC capital injection, and my friends there are still interested in finding a role for me. So probably nothing before January, but the ball is still in play there. In the meantime, it is clear my current (new) management has no idea what to do with me, and no plans for me at all. My direct manager has just decided we need to have a "summit", where all 6 people on the team fly to the same location in mid-November to have in-person meetings for 4 days. IN FLORIDA. I asked him WTH they are thinking, having our team congregate in the COVID petri dish of Florida? What's the business case for that location? He said, "It's OK. You don't need to come. If there are meetings you need to be involved with, we can set up a Zoom for those." WTF?!? So my whole team is getting together for 4 days of intensive meetings, and "if" there are any meetings I need to attend, they'll set up a Zoom? And one of the guys on this team has just recovered from COVID. I'm baffled. And done. Sent an email to HR to talk about these issues and how I separate from the company, if that's the right path for me to go. Which means I'll be out of work for the rest of the year, because nobody hires during the holidays. And they especially don't hire generalists (like me) during that window. But I'm going to Sedona, AZ tomorrow to sit at a pool at a resort in 70+ degree weather and look at night skies with zero light pollution and drink mai tais (or whatever the AZ equivalent is) around the pool, and get massages, and get as far away from this work/mental state I can. So that's nice. :-)
Go now. Miss the funeral. You can mourn in your own way at home. You can't be with her again once she's gone. So sorry you have to make this decision. I've been there. You need to prepare yourself for when you leave from your visit. You know it will be the last time you see her, and you want to put some thought into how you want that interaction to go. Be genuine. Be honest. Be true. Honor the person by giving yourself fully to that moment. They will appreciate it, and you will carry it with you for the rest of your life. So sorry...
This will sum up everything I was going to post today about my new dog, Moxie:
Good work hawkthorne. Way to take command of the situation, and make the Pubski yours this week! I had a musical breakthrough this week. I went all-in on the Native Instruments ecosystem, with Komplete 13 and the S49 MkII midi controller/keyboard, and have been mostly befuddled and lost for about a month, now. Spending endless hours trying to figure out how to make one small thing happen, and losing all will to live, and moving on to playing Fallout 76 instead. This week I finally figured out how the system "thinks", and therefore I now know how to troubleshoot it when things don't work like I expect them to. It's a HUGE fucking relief. And in a nice little bit of synchronicity, my friend Helen (who was the voice on my last song), came by to drop off my new masks she has been making (she's an actress who has put her costume skills to work making masks since COVID)... and it turns out we both have the feeling that our friendship needs to go on the front burner and be much more focused and intent-ful going forth. She's just the kind of creative spirit I need more of in my life, and everything we have collaborated on has been awesome. That song, Monsieur Bon, was what we could do, via SMS and Google Drive, during the dark days of January under COVID lockdown. I'm SUPER jazzed for what we might be able to create if we were actually able to sit in the same room together and, ya know, TALK! :-)
It's supposed to snow, but it is 45 degrees (F) and sunny. But it's Seattle, so it could be snowing in two hours. Who knows? It's February and February in Seattle currently has camellias and crocus blooming in our yard, pleasant beach walk with my wife on Alki Beach last night, and the possibility of snow and temps down into the teens. February is always like this. I have plenty of work to do for my jobby job. But not too much. A good pace. Big personal projects this year are to resurface the back deck (wood frame is good, but going to replace the surface with a composite), install a pocket door for the downstairs bedroom, majorly modify a closet in the same room, and rototill the mulch we laid down last year, to prepare the front ex-lawn for planting a veggie garden. And I'm just about done converting a steamer trunk into a whisky cabinet. Hope everyone else is plugging along and keeping their head above water...
I'm done with liberals. They are already coming out with all the articles and OpEds about how Joe Biden needs to waffle on this, and give way on that, and soften his approach to this other thing, to appease the Republicants and nihilistic right. Fuck that shit, right in the ear. Call me the Militant Left from now on. Fuck this milquetoast weenie DNC compromise bullshit. Let's just get shit done, make life better for everyone in the process, and call out the motherfuckers when they are being motherfuckers. "Hi. My name is Joe Biden. I am holding a check in my hand for $3k with no name on it. You can write your name in here next week, if you call Mitch McConnell today and make his life a living hell."
Hey 'skis. Tell me what's good. There's plenty of bad news out there. What's making you happy? For me, it's the rain. It is wet and dreary and raining and windy in Seattle today. And it's wonderful. The smoke has cleared. The air smells fresh. The plants are happy. It feels like Seattle again... And, because I'm a Seattleite, I love the rain. So that makes me happy today.
This is kinda where I am at right now, too. Regardless who wins in November, Humpty Dumpty has fallen off the wall and won't be put back together again. Something new will be in its place. Because, even if Biden wins, he has been left with a giant bag of shit that he now needs to force down all of America's throats; a responsible and effective response to Coronavirus will see mandatory lockdowns, mask-wearing, vaccinations, and other panic-buttons of the lunatic right. Crushing white supremacy is effectively like trying to squash our own Taliban... they practice in private, in their own groups, and work towards any goal that is contrary to the ruling party. In the 1970's and 80's the FBI and various agencies tried to do this with the various Michigan Militia loonies, and that just led to Ruby Ridge and Waco. Addressing climate change in a massively aggressive manner will require Americans to swallow the hard pill, and change their views on solar panels and windmills and on entire (dead) industries, like coal and drilling for oil. Changing the American psyche away from the coal miner and oil-stained field worker, and towards making heroes of guys in man-buns putting up solar panels, or wearing OSHA-approved harnesses while servicing a windmill is going to be a tall order for ANY Madison Avenue ad agency. And that doesn't even touch on the health insurance system (because we don't have a healthcare system, we have a business bring propped up by exorbitant prices and flat our extortion), and revamping that wasteland. Biden is fucked. He can't even compel a friend to make him a sandwich, must less get that vocal asshole 10% of America to turn around and stop slinging shit long enough for him to get something done. AND, when he gets into office on Day 1 and fires all of the Trump donors who have been put in charge of demolishing all of the various Federal agencies, he has now created the exact "deep state" that we all fear; a bunch of morally bankrupt corporate cronies with deep inside knowledge of the very agencies they want to destroy. And those people will go to work for the truly shitty organizations that have had paved the road to the Great American Demise for decades: Exxon, Philip-Morris, Blackwater, Foster Farms, etc. So Biden's efforts to rehabilitate our democracy will be sour pills that everyone has to swallow, and then vote for him AGAIN, as austerity and humility and embarrassment become our daily bread. That doesn't even begin to touch on issues like the desperate need for a Truth and Reconciliation Commission or something to prosecute those who have pissed all over our Constitution, like Bill Barr and Rudy Giuliani. Think about Nazi Germany. What if the people had risen up and ousted Hitler? There would still be tens of thousands of people who still believed in him, his philosophies, and his platform. Those people would still meet regularly to discuss how to gain power again. They'd go to work for the key companies, climb corporate ladders, and attempt to construct the Fourth Reich, because they were never beaten in battle and proven to be wrong. Without a full on civil war, how do we castrate the psychopaths that would throw out our Constitution, Bill of Rights, and our entire democracy for their authoritarian white hellscape? An election won't do it. And especially one where some milquetoast like Biden wins, who is the least inspiring thing since... ever. Augh.
Y'all can just skip the rest of my comment here, because I'm going to be talking about something that literally nobody will click on, and will forever taint everything I ever post again to Hubski with a stain of "ok, sure goobster, but you made that one post to the weekly music post, remember? So we can't really believe anything you ever say again..." . . . . . . I've been listening to a lot of Blue Oyster Cult recently. They were one of my three favorite bands as a kid (Sabbath, AC/DC, BOC), I've seen them live multiple times in multiple different decades, and I've owned a large portion of their catalog. They are the original swords-and-sorcery bar band. Their songs are often mystical Tolkein-esque stories of magic and swords and other shit I have zero time or patience for. Their musicianship is basically the best bar band in the world; they can play like motherfuckers, but don't show off. They just execute, and produce rockin', interesting music. So here's my BOC playlist for those who have only ever heard "Godzilla" or "Burning for You" from Saturday Night Live. - Veteran of the Psychic Wars This one surprised me. I know the song well. But in a COVID world, it takes on a real poignance and timeliness that the original song didn't have. It struck me. - Black Blade Just a great rock song... the story would be a fantastic movie. The hero just wants to be a Casanova, but he happens across a dark sword that takes over, and turns him into a hellion of murder and destruction. A fun twist of the genre that let's you look into the "bad guy" and see the world from his perspective, rather than the good guy, who needs to defeat him. - 7 Screaming Diz Busters No, I don't know what a Diz Buster is. But this is some virtuosic 1970's lead guitar riffing that any band of the era would be proud of. Lyrics are funny as shit, too. - The Red and the Black What band has EVER recorded an ode to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and their ability to "always get their man"? And NOBODY has ever rocked as hard whilst doing so. (Greatest song intro, too!) - Career of Evil Is completely unexpected. Just read the lyrics. - Astronomy Finally, this is BOC's magnum opus. A Pink Floyd style wide-ranging song with an almost orchestral arrangement of parts and sections. The live version from Some Enchanted Evening is transcendent, and the definitive version of this track. Just wonderful. - (NOTE: Blue Oyster Cult stopped writing new music in 2001, and still spends 11 months of every year on the road. It is what they do. It is who they are. They are a road band that plays live. And their catalog of good songs is so huge, they don't even have setlists anymore. They just play whatever they want to on that particular night. They sell a single piece of merchandise: a t-shirt reminiscent of their first album cover that says "Blue Oyster Cult - On Tour Forever".)
You are a naturist, he's a trophy hunter. I like your way better, too.