09

1. Connie Goes To Kindergarten. RE: Family.
2. American Cows. RE: Politics.
3. The bitchy bitch bitched bitchily. RE: Literature.
4. American Cows 2. RE: Politics.
5. Coming Out Bright. RE: Philosophy.
6. Alan Died. RE: Personal.
7. Neil On Alan. RE: Family.
8. All The Peanuts. RE: Comic Art.

2003-09-02t14:34:27Z | RE: Family.
Connie Goes To Kindergarten

I just got back from dropping my daughter off for her first day of kindergarten. Our whole family (Julia, Connie, York, and myself) was there for Connie's first day. We arrived early, thanks to my wife's inclination to be early, but it was good to arrive early because we parked a few blocks away and during the walk to the school our family held hands and Connie got to pick up four pigeon feathers, look at some bugs, admire morning glories, and point out leaf impressions on the sidewalk. Connie also mildly expressed some of her anxiety (I've heard her complain more about her younger brother York taking a toy). I knew she would be fine because she went to pre-school at the same school just a few months before.

The teacher, Ms. Sesslar, seemed kind but in control. She was a grandmother who has been teaching for a long time considering that she also taught kindergarten to the daughters of Mike, her teaching assistant. And those daughters are now in high school! Mike had been with with the kids upstairs last year but this year he was with the kindergarten class.

Connie and her classmates seemed to fit right in. No one, except for the teachers, noticed the very short haircut she had given herself a few days ago. Some of them were classmates from pre-school, like Adaan, a handsome boy with dreadlocks, and Alexandra, the girl with "tickle feet", i.e. artificial shins and feet. The parents got to take a few pictures and have a few words. One girl was actually in the wrong but Ms. Sesslar handled it smoothly even though the mother hardly spoke any English at all. Another girl had been mildly crying for a while but she seemed to settle down once Ms. Sesslar gathered all the kids closer and started reading with them.

That's when most of the parents did their last hugs, kisses, words, and good byes. My last words were "have fun", but by then Connie was paying rapt attention to Ms. Sesslar.

I seemed to get more emotional as we left. I was thinking of how fast she's grown. How I've had all summer to hang out with the Amazing Connie but how I probably spent more time on the computer. How it seems that childhood is to short. Earlier this morning I hugged her and told her how when she was a baby she would cry a lot because her tummy ached. I told her that I would hold her in my arms and walk around with her at night, comforting her, telling her that everything will be fine and that I love you. I told her that your so big now but no matter how big you get, we will always love you and you can always get a hug.

On the way back to the car, York wanted hugs the whole way. He's always been a good hugger. Thank goodness he isn't very heavy yet. I'm sure York noticed the attention that Connie was getting, and how the teary-eyed the parents were.

All right. I've got to go to work now. I'm looking forward to picking her up at 2:30. She'll probably want to delay going home by playing in the playground first. Who am I to resist her?

2003-09-03t17:17:19Z | RE: Politics.
American Cows

Everyone knew we had to fix Iraq and Saddam. I totally agree that We Must Win but Bush was mistaken to jump the gun and do it alone.

• The US is now officially crawling back to the UN for help. 
• I rate Bush as extremely dangerous and I don't need to see Bush's psychological profile.
• Bush Was All Too Willing to Use ?igr? Lies
  • No WMD have been found by either the UN inspectors, the US Military all over Iraq, a team of US Military experts, or the 1400-member Iraq Survey Group.
  • The Brits hate being fooled but we Americans, in spite of our independent attitudes, are nothing but cows willingly feeding off of Bush's lies.
• Bush's gung-ho but thoughtless crusade has not made us safer, but is instead breeding more terror.
• This Iraq War is a quagmire both financially and militarily.
• Bush's approval zoomed to 80% right after 9/11, but remember that the SAME THING would have happened for any Joe Shmoe President in office after such an event. If anything, Republicans should be steaming mad that Bush has squandered his approval rating.

I don't know what it will take to convince Republicans that they have alternatives to Bush. People have to put politics aside and think ruthlessly of what needs to be done. Bush may have the ability to win elections but does he have the ability to do the job? Thank God some Republicans like McCain and Powell are adult enough to finally admit it and genuinely push for UN cooperation like I've said all along.

I don't care if a Republican, a Democrat, or a whatever wins the next Presidential election. As long as Bush doesn't.

P.S. One of the most troubling things for me is that I haven't seen any debate against any of my points. No counters at all: whether the counter is brilliant, good, weak, or just totally lame. It's as if the pro-Bush people are utilizing their right to remain silent. Who cares about who is clever or who wins a particular argument? Democracies must have an exchange, a debate. Otherwise we just lay down and let the politicians run the show.

2003-09-03t19:11:14Z | Link | RE: Literature.
The bitchy bitch bitched bitchily

Ms. Gosnick, you poor dear! It's such an endearing piece about teaching and how some kids are these days.

2003-09-04t18:52:44Z | RE: Politics.
American Cows 2

My friend Gus replied to my American Cows post with just a quotation:

"Cynicism is full of naive disappointments."
-Mason Cooley

Here is how I replied:

A reply of a quotation deserves a reply of quotation! (However, I will avoid using ad hominem quotations. :)

"An idealist believes the short run doesn't count. A cynic believes the long run doesn't matter. A realist believes that what is done or left undone in the short run determines the long run."
-Sydney J Harris.

Bush's short run actions of going into Iraq unilaterally and nosing our long run allies has certainly made the war longer and more expensive. It's not too late yet if Bush can make more concessions.

"Of what use is a philosopher who doesn't hurt anybody's feelings?"
-Diogenes of Sinope (c. 410-320 B.C.), a.k.a. The Cynic.

I think an evil overlord should always have at least one cynic around to keep things in perspective. Only an emotional fool would have his feelings hurt by a cynic. A ruthless overlord would utilize a cynic to expose any weaknesses in his master plans. (Of course if the cynic got too mouthy, the cynic should be slapped around a bit.) Any emotional stings should make you think of different perspectives instead of turtling in.

However, I don't consider myself a CYNIC, I consider myself a SKEPTIC, which is quite a different thing.

"The Skeptic being a lover of his kind, desires to cure by speech, as best he can, the self-conceit and rashness of the Dogmatists. So, just as the physicians who cure bodily ailments have remedies which differ in strength, and apply the severe ones to those whose ailments are severe and the milder to those mildly affected—so too the Skeptic propounds arguments which differ in strength, and employs those which are weighty and capable by their stringency of disposing of the Dogmatists' ailment, self-conceit, in cases where the mischief is due to a severe attack of rashness, which he employs the milder arguments in the case of those whose ailment is superficial and easy to cure, and whom it is possible to restore to health by milder methods of persuasion."
-Sextus Empiricus (2nd or 3rd cent., A.D.).

Why speak of the little satan: Bush is a rash Dogmatist! Here's a simple analogy: If you are playing a 4v4 game, do not go out by yourself against the other team and fight 1v4; instead bring your team mates with you and always try to fight 4v1. Isn't it obvious that this war on terrorism should be done with allies instead of without? I want my brothers to have as much help on the field as possible.

"It is one thing to live, another to philosophize. When therefore the question is about the conduct of our lives, and the performance of our duty, we cease to be philosophers, to be opponents, doubtful or uncertain; and become poor, simple credulous idiots; we call things by their names, and re-assume our understanding and manners; we conform our manners to those of other men, and to their laws and customs."
-Pierre-Daniel Huet (1630-1721), Huet's explanation of how a complete skeptic lives.

Clearly a skeptic struggles to not be a "poor, simple credulous" idiot, or even a useful idiot. We skeptics must struggle to think for ourselves. It is outright un-American, un-Scientific, and non-Skeptical to lie down and let a small group of politicians do our thinking for us without our checking up on them. It's like taxation without representation. Emotions over 9/11 should not cloud our thinking as to the best course of action.

Enough quotations! I would like more dialogue on the issues everyone. We aren't here to hurt each others feelings: we should be sparring with words and ideas. Get in the ring and fight! Or, if you don't like the sparring analogy, then consider these exchanges like chatting around the virtual water cooler. I am in earnest need of dialogue because that's quite different from reading articles on the Web.

2003-09-22t17:16:23Z | RE: Philosophy.
Coming Out Bright

A Bright is a person who with a naturalistic worldview. I've fit the definition of a Bright for a long while. A few minutes ago I signed myself up to be counted as a Bright at The-Brights.net.

2003-09-25t14:54:05Z | RE: Personal.
Alan Died

I was shaving earlier this morning when my wife Julia broke into the bathroom with her phone in hand. She was crying and trying to say something—I could tell it was bad news and not some goofy thing that the kids had done. After a moment she was able to tell me that my brother Alan had died of a heart attack at boot camp and my mother was on the phone. I was immediately sad but I seemed to be thinking more of how this must be affecting Julia, whose close brother had also died at boot camp of a heart condition, and how grieved my mother must be. I got on the phone and I thought to myself: "What should I say?".

I decided to let my mom talk and cry for a while and then I asked basic questions like "When did this happen?" and "How did he die?". Alan died yesterday, a day after his birthday: he had just turned 32. He had a heart attack during basic training for the Marine Forces Reserves of the U.S. Marine Corps. A soldier, a Lieutenant I think, had come to my mom's house last night with the news. Mom said that you hear about that sort of thing in stories but don't think of it happening to yourself.

I'm sure the Marines will cover the costs of the funeral and such. However Julia said that they will probably be required to do an autopsy. Julia's brother had died during basic training because he had an extremely rare congenital heart defect. I knew Alan had some asthma but he was always strong and wiry. I had never considered him as a heart attack candidate. Because of the autopsy and "shipping", we'll probably have a funeral next week. Good old mom. It's a terrible thing for a parent to bury her child. I'm glad she's keeping her head and making all these phone calls to the various relatives.

Alan was talkative as a youth and very strong headed. He was a fine classical pianist, the best in our family. He went away to college at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and I'm not sure what happened there (or if we'll ever know), but it must have been powerful because he came back a very quiet and withdrawn person. In the last year he seemed to be centering himself and his joining the Marines was something that we all took to be a good move.

Of all my brothers, Alan was the most recent entry into the Armed Forces. John joined the Army first, and then Herbert (who is now in Korea). Afterwards Larry joined the Air Force Reserves. I'm guessing that their enlistments was influenced by our various cousins who have joined the Navy and a such. September 11 also had an influence. I also had an influence because before they joined I told them that when I was younger I had considered enlisting but was told that my condition would not allow it.

I've decided to stick with our usual routine today of bringing Connie to school and myself to work. However, I will not return to work after picking up Connie at 2:30 because our family will probably go visit my folks. Tomorrow Julia has to work, Connie has school, and I'll probably spend the day with York at my folks again.

So now we wait.

2003-09-29t14:34:18Z | RE: Family.
Neil On Alan

Here is a copy of an email I got from my brother Neil:

DATE: Sun, 28 Sep 2003 20:00:09 -0700 (PDT)
SUBJECT: Alan - my brother

I was at a high school football game last Thursday watching Niles West High School beating up on Evanston High School with my three year old son Trevin when I received a phone call on my cell phone. The caller ID said it was a call from my parents home. I picked up the phone and it was my mother. She doesn't call me to often so I knew there had to be some news. She said: "Alan passed away" (Alan is my younger brother, we're a year and a half apart.) She said he died of heart failure while on a training exercise one month into Marine Boot Camp in San Diego. My first reaction was one of denial and shock. How could this be? He's still a young guy. He ran cross country in high school with me, he used to box as a kid, we played football, baseball, and tennis together. We walked 8 blocks to grammar school together everyday for 7 years.

I immediately went to my parents house where my brother George, his wife Julia, and my brother Joseph were already there. Together, we grieved.

Today, I went to mass at St. Gregory parish with my parents and my brothers Joseph and Herbert (he is also in the military and currently stationed in Korea). I was there for one purpose, to try to spread the word about Alan with the hopes that his former classmates and friend will hear about the news and maybe attend the funeral or wake. I was fairly successful. I was able to talk to a guy whose sister knows the sister of one of Alan's 8th grade classmates, Glenn Corpin. I've also tried looking at classmates.com and the Lane Tech website to search for his former classmates.

After mass, Herbert, Joseph, my mother, and I had the unenviable task of opening up Alan's room. He locked it from the outside before he went to boot camp. So no one had set eyes in the room before we got in there. Herbert pried the door open with a hammer and we were able to get in there. We were in search of photographs and personal mementos to use for his collage during his wake. A couple things struck me when I went there. There was a huge American flag prominently draped, there was nothing new in his room (Alan was not into the material excesses of the world), and there was a lot of political (republican) paraphernalia all over.

Our search for photographs were futile. He did not posses any photographs of himself. We were only able to find one photograph. It was picture Alan took of himself using a Polaroid. I didn't notice it at first until Herbert pointed it out. Alan was holding a hammer on one hand in a manner like he was giving it to the camera. Could it be that this was a sign that Alan was trying to say to make sure you open the door to his room with a hammer? No one will ever know.

I apologize if this is a long email. Part of it is just expressing my grief during this very confusing and sorrow time. Another reason is that this is practice for the eulogy that I am going to deliver.

Here's the original version of this email:

My brother Alan passed away last Wednesday, September 24, 2003 of heart failure during a training exercise one month into Marine Boot Camp. He was one day pass his 32nd birthday.

The wake will be held at Drake Funeral home in Chicago on Saturday and Sunday October 6 and 7 from 3pm-9pm.

His funeral will be held on Monday, October 6 at St. Ita parish followed by a military style burial at Rosehill cemetery.

---Neil Hernandez

2003-09-29t16:30:00Z | RE: Comic Art.
All The Peanuts

They are finally going to print the entire 50-year run of Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz in chronological order. I expect to buy all 25 volumes from Fantagraphics.com over a 12.5 year period starting 2004-04.

I have a number of Peanuts compilation books but I've always felt odd that the set was incomplete, especially the transitional. There are funny little transitions such as Snoopy going from a skinny nose to fat, but I'm more interested in transitions like the evolution of Charlie Brown from a sharp sassy kid to a wishy washy character. I've always felt that Peanuts was a strip that had good empathy for earnestness and introversion.

There are kids who know how to have fun: They have no hesitation about running or laughing. Then there are kids who are stuffy, too serious. Some kids have always been one or the other, but other people transitioned from one to the other. I remember being sharp and sassy up to second grade (6-7 years old), but then I changed and I don't know why. As an adult I feel I've made some progress in becoming less repressed and more free to be myself. There's a danger of coming across as eccentric or a jack ass, but I try to allow myself some akuna matata.