On Terror

May you never get that call. - Me
********

This has nothing at all to do with that crisp September morning ten years ago.

September 10, 2011, a crisp September afternoon in AP,about 3pm. Just back from a brief family outing, and the boys have just left for a bike ride with a friend. A nap beckons.

The phone rings, and Bride answers. Son #1 is explaining to her that Son #2 has just been hit by a motorist, and that he is badly hurt. I am getting the gist of this, and as she hangs up, we're both racing for the door. Moments later, we arrive on the scene, and are advised by a friend in the fire department that he's conscious, and is heading to the hospital. Bride goes in the ambulance, Son #1 in the Jeep with me.

The stuff that goes through your head at times like these is staggering. The kid's been thrown 20-30 feet across the road by the impact, and as we go into the ER, he's already been admitted, and is being examined. The injuries are significant; a broken left ankle, left collarbone, right pelvis, and scrapes and cuts all over the place. He's made stable, and is lucid throughout. It is soon explained to us, however, that the extent of his trauma is such that he'll be moved from the local hospital to Albany Medical Center, whose facilities are much better suited to his type of injuries.

Long story short, we spend six days at Albany Med, followed by seven more at Sunnyview Rehab Center, before we get to bring him home September 23. He's in a wheelchair, owing to the hip-length cast on the left leg, and while he's thoroughly miserable about that, we are all by now aware he'll recovery fully over time. That we as a family have been extraordinarily lucky is manifest.

I thought I knew everything about this kid. I was wrong; I learned his strength of character, his toughness, and his sense of humor were far greater than I had thought. His first few days at Albany Med were very painful for him, and required some pretty heavy-duty medication. About day 4 there, the kid sharing the room with him had been operated on for something or another, and returns to the room just FLYING on pain meds. He's loud, and he's pretty silly. My kid simply looks at me, and whispers, "I'll have what he's having..."

The point of all of this? Damned if I know, but that I know I am so lucky, and so grateful to have him back. When I think of what could have been, I just shudder.

Until next time,

Excelsior!

POSTSCRIPT: November 4, 2011. The casts are off, the shoulder allows the use of crutches now, and Son #2 returns to school in three days. God has truly been good.

On Change (again)

"Turn and face the strange changes..." - David Bowie

"Don't look back. Something might be gaining on you." - Satchel Paige

********

We have written in this space before of the anachronism that is your intrepid scribe's working life. Essentially, the twenty-eight years of that career have been spent with Mother Bell, in one of many incarnations: New York Telephone, NYNEX, Bell Atlantic, and Verizon.

Absent some last-minute intervention, that will come to an end some fifty hours from now. Due to the effects of a reduction in force (RIF), a determination has been made that my services will not be required as of the close of business on August 5, 2011.

Those are the facts, and as it has always been my goal in this space to support one man's opinion with reasoned argument, I want to try to reflect without bitterness, and, hopefully, with a bit of good humor.

Twenty-eight years is a long time to do anything, especially within one corporate culture. Like anyone, I have done some things well, some things less well, and some things I wish I hadn't done at all. Hindsight is at once a remarkably useful, and a remarkably dangerous tool at times like these.

I have very few regrets. I've had the opportunity to travel a bit, and to support a family and home that I love deeply, and that is directly due to the stability that my time with Ma Bell has afforded me. I have made many lasting friendships in my time here, and I truly cherish all of them.

It has also been a pleasure to witness firsthand and up-close the change wrought by the coming of the Information Age, for my money the single greatest technological leap in human history. Without the network advancements put forth by my industry, those changes simply would not be feasible, and it has been a privilege to take a very small part in that.

Like any corporate culture, that of Verizon has undergone great change over the past thirty years. Divestiture, merger and acquisition, and the inherent advancement of the industry made such change inevitable. It's very easy for an individual observer to take a position that such change is "good" or "bad"; the truth (to me, anyway) is that it's far more intellectually honest to assess the changes individually, and with the perspective of what was happening at the time, rather than in hindsight. I'm of the opinion that the general calculus of business as a whole has changed so radically in my time that to take any other point of view would be sheer folly. The notion of "lifetime employment", fairly commonplace within my own lifetime, simply does not exist any longer, and even the most casual of observers can see that.

In sum, it would be easy for me to lob rhetorical hand grenades at Verizon for the inherent unfairness of my current situation. Uh-uh. Ain't happening. While I was surprised at the timing of this, I was by no means shocked by it; I've seen at least seven separate RIFs come down the pike in my fifteen years in management at Verizon, and while none of those affected me personally, I never failed to think to myself how short-sighted it always appeared at the time. The longer view here is one that I simply must adopt at this particular point. Fair or unfair is simply opinion, and not part of this particular equation.

There's a part of this that is undeniably scary; a fifty-one year-old guy hitting the job market in earnest for the first time in thirty years is admittedly a scary proposition. That said, and this may be deeply delusional on the part of your intrepid scribe, I'm oddly confident about this, and not a little excited as well. I had been stagnating a bit in my current position, and, if I'm going to be truly candid about this, that stagnation had to have become as apparent to others as it was to me. "Fair play", as Schlom used to say. In addition, there is, blessedly, no immediate urgency to find a new position; the offered severance package is attractive, and will do.

Instead, the fundamental question is "What's next?" I've been fortunate to have developed some experience that may be useful, and this world is filled with opportunities for those with the wit to find them. Further, I'm not even sure that I want telecom to be my main focus going forward; I've been indulging my more creative side of late, and that is starting to have some real appeal.

It's funny; this feels a little like dealing with a serious illness, in that there's shock, denial, etc. as part of the whole process. Perspective and reason become of paramount importance. We will progress, because the alternative is simply unaccceptable.

The point of all of this? Change happens. Deal with it. Move on. Trust in you, and in those who care for you. Satch was right.

Until next time,

Excelsior!

On Progress (?)

Normally, your intrepid scribe attempts to take a lighter view of events, and I do try to see the humor in just about everything.

Not today.

If what I have read in numerous online news sites today is true, then I have just reached a whole new level of appalled.

To summarize it, 18 year-old Kymberly Wimberly (not making that up), of McGehee, Arkansas, filed a complaint in Federal court on July 21, 2011, alleging that her rights under the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution have been violated by the school district in McGehee.

Miss Wimberly, according to the complaint, compiled the highest GPA in her graduating class at McGehee Secondary School, posting a single "B" against straight "A"s over her four years there, all while loading up on every honors and advanced placement course she could find.

By any account I have been able to find over the past two hours, an exceedingly bright young lady. So, why the complaint?

Again, according to the court document, Miss Wimberly has been denied the sole valedictory status she worked so hard to achieve, and was, instead, named CO-valedictorian with another student, whose GPA was not as high of Miss Wimberly's.

Miss Wimberly is an African-American, and her co-valedictorian is white.

The complaint document, which is readily available online, alleges that the McGehee School District, after originally informing Miss Wimberly's mother (a school employee) that she had indeed won top honors, then proceeded to name the white student as co-valedictorian, to prevent "a big mess" in the town of roughly 4500.

Admittedly, I have only heard one side of this story so far, and the school district has as of yet not commented on the matter. Further, untrue allegations filed in court are not exactly unheard-of, and I readily accept that.

That said, if the allegations are indeed true, than your intrepid scribe is appalled beyond my ability to express it.

I have personally spent very little time in the deep South, and as a white Irish guy from upstate New York, I clearly have no means of understanding what it is to be Black in America.

I can only hope that this is all some kind of horrible screw-up.

Sadly, I'm not betting on that. If Miss Wimberly's allegations are indeed proven correct, I hope that bright young lady absolutely takes that school district to the cleaners.

This one, I'm gonna keep an eye on. More as I get it.

Until next time,

Excelsior!

On The Big Man

"The change was made uptown, and the Big Man joined the band." - Springsteen

*********

OK, your intrepid scribe has a confession to make. I was not an early acolyte of The Boss. In my infinite wisdom and musical maturity, and to the extreme perplexion of my three younger brothers, I found his music limiting, terming it something like, "girls, cars, and the night."

I consider it a testament to my character that I have since softened my stance somewhat, to the point where I am now willing to admit that if this kid stays with it, he may have a future in the music business.

It took me a few years, but the simple beauty, depth, and breadth of the E Street catalogue is such that it cannot be denied. While Bruce's ability as musician and songwriter stand second to no one, I believe he is at his very best when he hits the stage with his E Street family.

That family took quite a hit this past weekend. The Big Man himself, 69-year-old Clarence Clemons, who with Max Weinberg has driven the E Street rhythm section for forty years, suffered a stroke at his Florida home. Early reports of his recovery seem promising, and your intrepid scribe just wanted to take a moment to add his prayers for a speedy return. The E Street band, and music in general, are so much the better for his powerful sax, his towering presence, and his kind demeanor.

God speed, Big Man.

Until next time,

Excelsior!

On Fatherly Pride

I write often about Sons #1 & #2 in this space, and with good reason; I am inordinately proud of them. They are bright, well-spoken, and polite. They are 14 and 12 years old, respectively, and are therefore prone to the many hormonal, cultural, and technological influences common to the modern American teenaged male. They are experiencing new things every day, but it's the reintroduction and advancement of the familiar I want to talk about for a moment.

Enter baseball. (Cue groaning; your intrepid scribe is on this topic again?) We are well into our current odyssey of daily baseball, to the point where we're hitting a bit of a wall, right about the time we usually do each year.

This year seems a little different, and I'm not quite certain whether it's just my perception, but it seems to me my guys are growing fairly rapidly as ballplayers as well as young men. Two immediate cases in point come to mind, one for each of the boys:

1) Son #1's development as a team leader. On both his modified and house league teams, #1 has turned into a de facto leader, on and off the field. He is not the best player on either team, but is clearly one of the top two or three, and his willingness to assume a role of leadership is making a real difference. He's a personable kid, and gets along well with his teammates. He's not a "clique" kind of guy, and because of that, he's seen as accessible by everyone.

He's also finally growing confident in his ability on the field. His primary positions have evolved from behind the plate to the mound, and to third base. He's always had a strong throwing arm, and has utilized that skill to grow confident that when the heat is on, he can make the play. This confidence is also manifesting itself at the plate; he's hitting well over .450 on the year, and just last night, he threw a three-hitter, did not give up an earned run, and went 2-4, with 5 RBI.

Our school district, as a result of budget cuts, just eliminated freshman sports for the coming school year. #1 will be a freshman in September; his response when told of this? "Guess I'll just have to make the JV, then, Dad."

It was the fact that he said this without a trace of arrogance that blew me away. He was one of just three returning players on his current modified team, and his attitude throughout the tryout process for that team was one of desperate concern to just make the club. Once he did, his drive to make the club quickly morphed into a leadership role on it.

2) Son #2 is rapidly developing similar characteristics. He's the catcher on his Little League team, and his team is enjoying quite a bit of success this year. Again, he's not the most talented player on the team, but he's closing that gap with effort, a bit of leadership, and growing confidence in his own game. He did not possess #1's throwing ability, yet he threw out basestealers in his first four games this season, and word got around that running on him may not be such a good idea. As the catcher for this team, he runs the defense on a good ballclub, and that defense has made the difference in at least three of their wins so far this year.

He's also discovering a knack for getting on base, and for driving in runs at big moments. He's clearly playing his way into being an All-Star-caliber player, and I was not sure he'd get there as well as he has done.

There had been a considerable gap over the years between the two of them, and I think that gap has bugged #2 for some time. I think it caused him some frustration, and caused him to be unnecessarily hard on himself on occasion.

I also think that gap is closing, and rapidly.

What's the point of all of this? Fatherly pride can manifest itself in many, many ways. It also knows no bounds, if you do it right.

Until next time,

Excelsior!

On Quiet Professionalism

Osama bin Laden, 1957-2011

*******

First, your intrepid scribe notes the above without any regret whatsoever. If your planned effort results in the death of 3,000 innocents on a clear September morning, you deserve to be hunted and killed without hesitation or remorse.

If this sounds like hypocrisy from an avowed social liberal, I ask you to consider the following: Men, women, and children die every single day as a result of armed conflict around the globe. It is commonplace and accepted that combatants in the field are by definition in harm's way, and wars result in people being dead. Osama bin Laden was the declared and acknowledged leader, ideologue, and spokesman of al Qaeda. By his own urging, al Qaeda publicly declared war on the United States of America, and brought that war to these shores.

As has been said in this space before, if you make war on the United States, we will return the favor.

As a first-year Midshipman at RPI, many years ago, I had the opportunity to meet a Navy SEAL who came to address our NROTC unit. The gentleman was certainly engaging and friendly with us, but the overwhelming impression I got, and one echoed by a number of my classmates, was that this guy gave off the unmistakeable aura of someone not to be trifled with under ANY circumstances.

"Quiet professionalism" is a phrase often associated with the SEALs, and with Special Forces troops around the world. Excruciatingly well-trained, intelligent, and possessed of physical and psychological strength most of us cannot fathom, these individuals do the dirty work that must be done in the defense of our country. They don't talk about, except within their own. They seek neither riches nor glory, and the only accolade they receive is from within their own very closely-knit fraternity. They do a job that they know needs to be done, so that we can sleep at night.

We may not like it, or like to admit it, but we know it.

That this world is a dangerous place is a given. That SEALs make it just a little less dangerous for you and me is equally true.

Thanks, guys.

Until next time,

Excelsior!

On Silliness

“We do not have time for this kind of silliness. We’ve got better stuff to do." - Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States, two hours ago.

"These are serious times, and we need serious people to address them." - Aaron Sorkin, via Andrew Shepard, The American President

*********

Well, thank Heaven that's out of the way.

It appears that the 44th President of the United States, Barack Hussein Obama II, was born August 4, 1961, on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, which I am fairly certain was at the time and remains one of the fifty United States.

Roughly two hours ago, the White House released official copies of President Obama's "long form" birth certificate, showing the above information. Copies of the document will be available in one gazillion news outlets before your intrepid scribe is done with this particular screed. There will be no link in this particular outlet.

That Donald Trump is taking credit for this extraordinary revelation is neither surprising, nor out of Mr. Trump's wheelhouse. Mr. Trump, who is not a declared candidate for anything as of this writing, was in his personal helicopter, and preparing to land in Portsmouth, NH, for a tour of the area, ostensibly to engender support for a 2012 run at the White House. Upon landing, Mr. Trump then engaged the press, and enlightened them as to just how proud of himself he was to have caused this revelation to occur. That he then quoted a non-existent CNN poll showing him "statistically tied" with President Obama in an hypothetical 2012 presidential race was just icing on the cake.

It took CNN roughly forty seconds to correct Mr. Trump, by my estimate; they ran a poll showing Mr. Trump and Mike Huckabee tied for an hypothetical Republican nomination. CNN then quoted three other polls showing Mr. Trump trailing President Obama by thirteen to eighteen percentage points.

Mr. Trump's ego is approximately the size of one of his casinos, or perhaps the Moon. I admittedly forget which it is.

That the President, whom I watched deliver an unscheduled address of great brevity on this topic this morning, managed not to laugh out loud whilst doing so is a testament to his character. That the press managed to recognize the linkage between this address and Mr. Sorkin's writing is encouraging, even if the reference was to The West Wing, and not The American President.

That I personally support President Obama should be no surprise to even the most casual reader of this space. That I am personally disgusted by the traction this issue has gotten in the name of partisan politics shouldn't suprise anyone, either.

Can we be done with this now? Please?

One last thing: Mr. President, if I forget to say so by August 4, please enjoy a very happy fiftieth birthday. I know I enjoyed mine.

Until next time,

Excelsior!