Monday, January 28, 2008

Delusions of Servitude

Leadership: the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.  ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

Every man comes with a resume, whether they realize it or not.  The more professional have their’s transcribed on elegant watermarked printer paper, but the less white collar of us wear ours’ upon our rolled-up sleeves or tucked deep within them, depending upon nature of the individual.  Regardless, if it becomes so required, a solid look at what one has been previously involved in and or accomplished thereof is necessary before he or she is entrusted with any level of responsibility.  This is true of most trusted positions: lovers, Fortune Five-Hundred employees, mafia affiliates, professional athletes… you get my drift. 

The difficultly for those of us who spend a considerable part of their day reading resumes that are of the less than typed variety typically occurs when several men whom hold similar and extensive experiences offer vastly different and often contrasting points of view.  This bizarre process of assumption and considerations is further blurred by the fact that often those whom are vying for a single subordinate position may have stores of skills and knowledge that dwarf yours.   A paradox to be sure, but reality has produced stranger sets of circumstances.  Reference the Civil War or Britney Spears.

These conflicting points of view can be argued and debated until one becomes so muddled that madness seems like a completely viable option.  Our society has arguably submitted to this course of action, taking in endless meetings and negotiations in the name of finding middle ground.  I am not sure, but I believe the name our grandfather’s gave to such term was “No Man’s Land”.  Semantics are a motherfucker.   

That being said, you can please some of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all the people all the time.  Sure, when faced with men who know the score, feelings and opinions run deeper than the man who is still green under a freshly placed weight upon his shoulders.  But with these men, one has to except the reality that to get what knowledge they have acquired, somewhere along the line, some one has told them something they did not what to hear.  That’s the mark of a silent professional, not the green horn, and that is the company I find myself in and should strive to emulate. 

To not keep council when surrounded by men such as these would be foolish, but to allow council to keep you is inexcusable, and further, a failure to the men who offer their rolled-up sleeves to you.  In the same understanding that some transcriptions of Self are written and some are not, it stands to reason that some of us get paid to make decisions and some of us do not, but whatever your pay stub reads, at the end of the day, to not make a decision of some capacity in a timely manner makes the reading of a man a futile venture.  I believe we owe ourselves and each other regardless of organization or circumstance such face-a-face judgments, favorable or not, because in the end, the professional will simply add such to his already impressive resume.

I dunno, I guess I just want to get home and get a clean slate with everything…  ~ Guttersnake
…there is no clean slate, brother; you just got right now.  ~ B. Marty

Posted by The Guttersnake at 19:23:57 | Permalink | Comments (1) »

Sunday, January 20, 2008

The Ice Bowl Cometh

The real glory is being knocked to your knees and then coming back.  That’s real glory.  That’s the essence of it.  ~ Vince Lombardi

My apologies to Diamond Dallas.  With the NFL season being nearly over, I cannot help but feel at least partially responsible for whatever shortcomings you may or may not have experienced during this year’s high school teacher’s football pool.  With respect to a man who does not have Sports Center , Diamond usually does fairly well for himself, and in these cases, I can almost count on hearing about how his natural insight told him to pick a certain underdog team to come out on top with an upset because of some slight of hand, giving him then edge in the English Dept.  However, since I have heard nothing, I fear the worst.  He’s either monetarily broke or a mockery; perhaps by this point in the post-season he is both.  But I come to you now, at the turning of the tide, and give to you an unprecedented look into how the these final three games are going to play out.

Kick-off is occurring at 0200 hrs, and you can bet I’m going to be awake for it.  The history that is surrounding these games is mythical.  In the AFC, you’ve got Green Bay at home against an extremely unlikely Eli Manning and the NY Giants.  While Manning has been red-hot for the last three games, completing over 85% of his passes, this is where it stops.  With temperatures dropping to -15 degrees at Lambeau Stadium, the came becomes reminiscent of 1967 Ice Bowl where 15 mph wind chills dropped the temps at Green Bay to a frozen -48 degrees.  The G-Men have played in the snow before this season and come out on top, notably a white-out slide-show against The Bills, but there was no wind, temps in the twenties, and both teams played like slop.  This is Lambeau.  Worse for the Giants; this is Farve.  Watch for the four horsemen of Brett to get some incredible YAC (yards after catch) on home turf against a team that is going to already be a tad hesitant to tackle due to cold temps.  More so than the youngest Manning, Brett Farve as been playing in this weather for nearly twenty years.  Final: 28 – 13 Packers.

In Boston , the Patriots have everything running on ten cylinders, and yes, they too are playing as the frozen chosen, hosting a summery San Diego Chargers.  Now, at first this one may look all wrapped up, but wait…  You’ve got a seriously big defensive line that is going to be very focused on putting pressure on Tom Brady with an intimidating pass rush that honestly dwarves a substancial New England offensive line.  Also the Pats are going to have some defensive decisions to make between which is more dangerous: a ground assault lead by LaDainian Tomlinson or an air attack by …?  While it’s true, the Bolt’s star running back is still nursing a knee injury, he’s still going to throw up some yards, but don’t expect him to get thrown to the wintry wolves either.  This make a questionable Philip Rivers far more of the focus.  If he throws a handful of meat-sandwiches in the first quarter, look for second string QB Billy Volek to jump in and take a shot at the title.  While Volek’s stats are as good (better actually) than any number two in the NFL, he’s got limited starts and play time in this past week has been, well, weak.  Case in point; Jon Kitna a veteran QB with stunning stats steps in for a demolished Carlson Palmer back in 2005 against Pittsburg  in the first round and blows the game for a worthy Bengal ’s team… I still haven’t forgiven him for that… Point is, everyone has this team ruled out, but remember, the Pats are perfect, not unbeatable.  Still, the odds aren’t with San Diego .  Final: 27-10 New England .

I like these two teams in an Arizonian Superbowl.  Both of these teams are going to go through a frozen Hell to get to a green field of perfection.  And why not?  Both of these teams will have proven that they can handle the elements, so lets take that factor away and level the playing field.  It’s almost civilized.  Should both these teams end up in Superbowl Sunday, I’d say that any football fan outside the die-hards are going to have a hard time figuring out not only which one is going to win, but which one to root for.  On one hand, you’ve got history.  The Patriots have a strong chance at being the first perfect team in NFL history and solidifying one of the greatest dynasties every in football.  On the other hand you another team of history, the Green Bay Packers.  When you think of Tom Brady you think of super models, magazine covers, and a general play-boy lifestyle.  When you think of Brett Farve you just think of football in the purest and more idealistic forms.  Many of the players on the field will have come up idolizing this quarterback, who just two seasons ago was holding together a team who was rock-bottom of the league while being asked to retire down-and-out.  This is one of the leagues most remarkable players, a terrific comeback story, and one of the few role models for players today still on the field.  The Pats are glam rock; Green Bay is an American underdog dream.

I know what the spread will be, but here’s where I romanticize the game and bet on what should happen verses what is likely.  Green Bay is going to win in a barn-burner game with Farve throwing the game winner in over-time, capping one of the greatest NFL careers with one of the greatest Superbowl’s ever.  Final: 34-28 Green Bay .

Diamond; don’t tell anyone that I told you.

Posted by The Guttersnake at 17:56:03 | Permalink | Comments (4)

Friday, January 18, 2008

Letterman’s Lesson

… But Freedom Strike was actually quite cool.  ~ Tone Loc

It is important to have goals.  Some men dream of achievement in the corporate realm and amassment of riches, women, and fine Armani suits lining a walk-in closet.  Others of professional athletic aspirations, though most of these fall off into the more administrative dockets surrounding the various sporting networks.  Other’s still simply require a family and a traditional home to return to and thus justify a scraping 9-5 existence.  Though when I was younger I may have had a different take on things, I can say now that none of these are any less admirable than the others.  As long as one’s level of self-assessment and understanding can bring you to the truth about your own happiness then no matter how absurd wanting to be the next American Idol is, I think even Aristotle himself would bless of on the pursuit.

Sometimes though, there are smaller goals.  Milestones, if you will.  They could be anything from owning your own home by the time your thirty to being able to bench two-hundred and eighty-five pounds within a set period of time to being able to lose two-hundred and eighty-five pounds within a set period of time to perhaps dating a stripper.  Again, none are less noble than any other provided they are undertaken for the right reasons.  Personally, I am a man of many goals, both long and short term.  And while it does contradict my prior statements to some extent, I do have certain goals that I cannot truly tell you why they would make me happy; they simply would.  That being said, I am concerned about a situation that infringes upon my dream to attend the Oscars.

This Writers Strike has gone on far too long.  First the Golden Globes and now this!  This is a brilliant year for film, and to have the star’s night (however a popularity contest it may have become…) ousted because of this foolishness, is quiet beyond me.  I want to be clear – I am not crossing the picket line because I am more concerned for an award show than for my fellow writer.  Quiet the contrary.  I fully support the writers as well is my hat off to the multitude of actors and actresses who have stood up for them by not crossing the picket line.  This is an establishment who makes billions of dollars every year and has actors pulling in millions of dollars for a single film or season.  Inside, it’s nice to see the rich squirm for a change… even if it means that the American public will have to deal with reruns and reality TV for a little while.  Perhaps it will be enough to wean them from the teat of Must See TV.  Who knows. 

Honestly, I’m very theoretical about this whole thing in my support of the writers.  I think that I understand the situations, but I’m sure that there are gaps in coverage that I am missing completely, which will all be settled some weeknight when I get back huddled around a small outdoor café table at some coffee house discussing out-of-date politics with my artist friends back home.  Without my celebrity gossip mags and ridiculous American news headlines flashing every seventh second across my nose, I’m unsure about all the latest dirt and proverbial puddles of the sunset strip sewerage which have spilled over into each other’s private swimming pools and hi-society.  I glanced at something about Jennifer Aniston and Ben Affleck the other day, and forced myself not to read lest I have to start waking up an hour earlier every morning to start surfing the web to find scandalous articles about the rich and famous… but I would never do that…

But I do hope the whole thing clears up, and the writers get everything they ask for.  While I haven’t seen nearly enough of what are being hailed as the top films of the year, I am still interested in Hollywood ’s night and a little man called Oscar.  In the meantime, what will the American people do without our fix of 7.6 hours of TV per household per day.  I would like to think that they’ll turn it off and get out, lose some weight, and start thinking for themselves for a change.  But I’m a realist, that’s not going to happen.  It’s not like the writer’s from FOXNews are on strike. 

Posted by The Guttersnake at 17:36:57 | Permalink | Comments (1) »

Saturday, January 5, 2008

Ever Resolute

Don’t you just love this time of year?  You get to start all over…  ~ Long Limbs Lenora Forest Gump

On the sixth day of the New Year, I realize that I have not yet made any sort of resolutions.  Such traditions are rather wrapped into the day, I suppose, but meaningful nonetheless.  True, I do not have the usual debauchery, depravity, or degeneration that is typically associated with a night of festivities consistent with an End of the Year celebration, but still one can resolve not to do other things in a similar manner, which is to say, having no intentions of ever following through.  Its nice to be wishful for a few days, maybe hit the gym really hard for about three weeks until that lactic acid really starts to make the back-to-work days in the ol’ cubical really start to suck, but by mid-February, most of us will be thinking about candy hearts and either how much we have to shell out to get into someone’s bed or how much someone shelled out to get into our beds.  Either way, your midriff, smoking habit, or attempts to stop using curse-words like adjectives will be long forgotten when the lights go out on Feb 14…  probably all three will be forgotten in about a two hour time span if you get lucky enough. 

Personally, I love New Year’s Eve.  It’s one of my favorite holidays – right up there with the Fourth of July and Saint Patrick’s Day.  All those “family” holidays are great and all, but in the real sense of celebration, there is missing stature, a lost point.  Don’t take me the wrong way, I love seeing all my family together, but it’s something vastly different seeing all whole bar full of semi-tanked single women out on the town and cutting loose, looking for an indiscriminate someone to kiss on the stroke of midnight.  I mean, my aunt Sofi is still a looker, but that’s not quiet the same…

New Year’s is a time of renewal, but more than that, it is a time for reflection.  It’s a day for where we stop and look at ourselves in the mirror, or better, the mind’s eye.  Often that pulls our vision to the usual scars and deficiencies that we are always drawn to when we think of who we are and what we want to be.  The context of life arises not soon after these disfigurements are noted and because the context itself is not remedied, the maladies persit, forgotten and left in a constant cycle, spinning at the wayside of the day-to-day.  It’s unfortunate that New Year’s only comes once a year.

I know that I am different from most people.  I do not tolerate unhappiness within myself, rather, I rage against it.  Sure, I’ve heard the argument; some things just are and that I should learn to accept them.  I don’t buy it.  If you subscribe to that philosophy then there is no boundary to its conclusion.  A slave to one thing or a slave to hundreds still makes servitude.  I recognize that there is no such thing as an absolute freedom, such is anarchy and there is no peace in that.  Part and parcel of security is conscription of one sort or another, but we are free in so far as we can choose which laws, believes, and norms that we subscribe too.  Past that though, it’s America the beautiful: all else you either accept or do not.

This is the still time of the year.  There is no need for me to become overworked on this matter.  After all, I am in Afghanistan .  Many of you will never know the raw impact that you can have as a commanding officer of a regiment of men such as these on a war-torn environment.  Conversely, I do not know how much effort it takes some of you to do the smaller breaks and bends within your own lives; things that take token resolutions to draw a focus and light upon for perhaps a few days before allowing them to return to the recess of the grind.  But then again, perhaps not.  This past holiday may be more than paper hats and too many draft beers.  This is the still time of the year…

And still, it is too bad that reflections and resolutions could not be made more often and more formally.  But then again, who says that they can’t?  I’ve actually been accused of resolving too much and too often; “too much thinking” is the usual accusation.  It’s a fair one.  What I consider to be my hallmark, is the more often that not, I action my analysis… which undoubtedly returns to more analysis.  A vicious cycle to be sure.  But as far as this holiday is concerned, I can’t say as that I made any resolutions… although I think I decided somewhere as I was waiting for the satellite clock to strike, I decided that I would like to take up cigar smoking… irony is a motherfucker.

Posted by The Guttersnake at 20:39:09 | Permalink | Comments (3)