1.29.2008

Tonsils Finally Out

You would think that two weeks ago when they removed my tonsils that I would be writing more, not less... Alas, instead of taking that time to do something productive, I mainly slept and internally moaned about the ridiculous pain that plagued me when I awoke.

But now the swelling is down and the gross white patches have all but gone away... my voice is back to normal and perhaps more clear than ever (which can't be a bad thing).

[now for something completely different]

Do not ignore that a major election is about to take place. We have been inundated recently with bogus news stories about celebrities gone wild, when the fate of our nation - and perhaps the world to some extent - is resting on who will be the next president.

I was one of the many jaded from the past two elections and I am absolutely tired of sighing because of poor thought out decisions made by our current administration. Countless teachers have told me that "No Child Left Behind" is a flop... Young American men and women die every day in current war efforts that were based on a series of lies - yet we are *spared* from seeing the body bags and coffins returning from the Middle East because our government will not allow the media to photograph them.

When I was younger, there was another Gulf War that dominated the news. My older brother collected trading cards about the soldiers while I learned about Patriot and scud missiles in school. Are kids still doing this, or instead are they learning about what brand of underwear Britney Spears is wearing (or not wearing) this week?

OK, enough rant.

I do have a point. Sometimes we get lost focusing on a single issue, without understanding that full implications of our vote. Please do your research and pick the *BEST* person for the job - that's all I ask.

Personally, I am voting for Barack Obama. I'll let you figure out why :-)

1.11.2008

New Year.

Ah, 2008... who ever thought we would see you. Another year, another chance to lament the fact that I spend my days inside a cubicle world (although I do enjoy my job) instead of being outside in the wilderness enhancing the lives of young people...

This year is filled with promising projects for me... There are a couple of museums in the works that will have my interactive touch. I am blessed to have gone to so many museums as a child (thanks Mom and Dad) so that I can give a fairly accurate viewpoint of the typical (or atypical) child. These spaces are becoming more and more interesting... to a point that we're not really allowed to use the name "museum" anymore, rather "experience" or "institute."

Anyway, I have a couple of projects JUST FOR YOU in the works as well. Certainly, I am way behind in my professional cuts of the more popular camp songs... so that will be a priority. I am teaching a Photoshop class to some high schoolers tomorrow (gasp!) so I hope that goes well... perhaps leading to more opportunities in that area. Jamie (my Assistant Director at iD Vassar) may be coming back to iD this year... and we're planning on running the NYC Marathon... or rather I am planning on jogging the NYC Marathon with moments of walking, crying and perhaps napping.

That should be fun. Other projects are in the works... I will start posting more and maybe some podcasting, newsletters and more... just be patient :-)