The Rogers News

Blog

  • Everyday Everything

    She was his everyday everything, and he realized he would never replace – or fill – the part of his heart that he had devoted to her. It’s not that it was off limits, for he had tried to reach it every day since he last called her his love. Instead, the void was simply too enormously significant to fill with any other memory.

    He had loved since, but it was never the same. Everything felt like some crude high school mock-up, not a Broadway set. The pinnacle of his recent loves was, to be austere, the destruction of the set pieces and, equally, the black absence of the negative space when it was over. In that space, he could see through to what was left of his shattered and failing memories.

    Loop and again, he couldn’t get her out of his mind. But the sad thing was, his memories were fading – not much faster than the basal sliding of a ten-thousand year glacier – but fading nonetheless. Stored sensations that he once carried in and around him now seemed as far away as the migrating sea gulls circling above the summer bay. He devoted hours of his days to trying to remember the details that mattered most – the ones he now missed the most. God, damn it. The beginning wasn’t right and there was no end.

    It wasn’t much of a leap to presume that in spite of the bad and the worse, the fighting and the distance, the intrusions by others and the exclusions by one another he could have had her for the rest of his life. They could have persevered.

    Love is perseverance he would say aloud when there was nothing else he could do to calm his hands which shook from anger. He would fold them together and say aloud that love is perseverance. That sturdy set around him both walling him in and walling him out.

    Written from 11:45pm to 12:15am on Sunday, November 8 and Monday, November 9 of 2009 in my childhood bedroom in Traverse City, Michigan.

  • NaNoWriMo

    Have you heard of NaNoWriMo? It’s linked so you can check it out and confirm that I’m not just making up a word. It is short for National Novel Writing Month. The idea is to write 50,000 words during the month of November without thinking (much) about quality, flow, etc. – the things that usually slow a writer down if he’s trying to do his best writing.

    Every year I get excited about possibly participating in NaNoWriMo, but have yet to commit for an entire month. If you do the math, you have to write 1666 words per day to hit 50,000 words by December 1. That is a lot of original content, even if the quality isn’t superb.

    I’m dying to do it, though. So I’m thinking of starting now and running a few days into November. (As if I can’t just pick any 30 days of the year!) Also, 50,000 words is short for a novel. I’m thinking of writing a series of short stories.

    So this is it. Let the writing begin. (Just FYI, this post is 175 words.)

  • Finding Meaning

    It is just me or do you, too, ever look back at how you spent a day and wish you could have done more with it? Today was not one of those days, but I’ve have a few lately that, if I could tweak them a little, I would. I’m not talking about the days when bizarre or unexpected stuff happens that messes up what you had planned to accomplish. What I’m talking about is those instances when you chose to do a task that, even in the short run, didn’t have that high of a value to you.

    For example, a few days ago I opted to sync my Google contacts list with my Apple AddressBook. This wasn’t hard, but it took about an hour by the time I sorted through stuff and shifted files around. This is a chore that I know will make me happy in the very short run. I’ll be able to say, for about 24 hours, that I have no duplicates in my contacts list, that the information is accurate and well organized. In just over a week, however, discrepancies work their way back in, there are two John Smiths, etc. So, I look back at that hour I spent and wonder why I bothered. Did I spend my time wisely?

    Multiply that experience by several dozen and you get what I and most people in the digital age deal with on a monthly basis. I don’t have to look hard to find some transient discrepancy within my own little world that could use sprucing up. But why? What is the cost? And what is the alternative?

    Why re-sort my storage shed instead of trying to write a book? Why search for duplicate songs in my iTunes instead of learning how to better invest my savings? There are a dozen trade-offs that I face everyday, and many times I make productive decisions, but there is also a lot of waste. The waste is getting to me because there are an increasing number of distractions (for whatever reason).

    A certain order is necessary, and a variable amount of time and effort is required to maintain that order. But I’ve always believed in two things:

    1. Little things done right can change big wrong things; and
    2. Never let the big picture fall (too far) out of focus.

    I propose that instead of doing something mindless and long-run-irrelevant, find meaning in something – even the little things. I’ll do the same, and the collective improvement will leave us both feeling better about our days past and our days to come.

  • TC Zombie Run

    Updated post on November 15, 2009: The TC Zombie Run was a great experience for me. Despite the rain and chill, there appeared to be a great turnout of zombies and humans alike.

    I remember being thrilled about the event upon my sister texting me about it. Looking back, it is another one of the many new and exciting events in Traverse City. Having the starting line in the Warehouse District was a good idea, as it’s not the easiest place to find and the exposure was good for the many wonderful businesses there.

    The race website offered t-shirts to early registrants, which is was both a great incentive to sign-up early and good advertising year round. I procrastinated and missed out, but will be on top of it next year!

    I’d like to thank organizers, volunteers and sponsors for putting on the race. The comment below brought to my attention that the race raised $8,000.00 for the TART trails, which is awesome!

    I will be back next year and I’ll bring with me as many other zombies and humans as I can.

  • Personal Betterment Metrics

    Do you, in all active and passive decisions and actions, seek to better yourself? Probably not, and neither do I, but it is interesting to think about trying to seek to improve our individual existence and that of our surrounding world with each action and decision we make.

    I do strive to better myself over the long run. I work out most days, but not everyday. I eat well sometimes, but not every meal. I undertake challenging tasks like building my own website, learning more about photography, or working on being a more empathetic human being. I’ve just recently finished going to school, but plan on learning my entire life. (How can you not?) I read books, articles, and blog posts about interesting things.

    When you look at the big picture, I do a lot of things at different times that make me feel as though I am improving, but there is no defined strategy and I have no reliable way of measuring my progress.

    I’m not sure what to think about this thought other than what I’ve found most rewarding is moderation and balance. I’m not sure that approach will make me the most successful, but it often leaves me happiest and is the most sustainable in the long run. With a little patience, grand things can be accomplished over time.

    What is your approach? Goals? Don’t care? Too busy to worry about it?

  • What Are We If Not Potential?

    Pop!Tech is a:

    unique innovation network – a global community of cutting-edge leaders, thinkers, and doers from many different disciplines, who come together to explore the social impact of new technologies, the forces of change shaping our future, and new approaches to solving the world’s most significant challenges. We are known for our thriving community of thought-leaders, breakthrough innovation programs, visionary annual conferences and deep media and storytelling capabilities.

    I attended the conference in 2004 when I worked for Ruckus. I vividly remember the trip north from Washington D.C. – arriving in Portland, Maine on a JetBlue flight – driving up the coast to Camden, Maine where Pop!Tech takes place – the classic coastal views of water crashing against the rocky shore – beautiful leaves full of red, orange and yellow – the Talking Heads blasting on my car radio. By the time I arrived in cozy Camden, I was on an emotional high like none other I’d experienced before and had no idea how transforming the next few days would be.

    The conference astonished me. I couldn’t believe how many ideas, things and experiences there were beyond those I held personally. I tried to capture as much of the conference as possible by furiously taking notes and recording the conference on my iPod. (I didn’t know that it would later be available online and they had yet to start showing it live or post videos – now they do both.)

    I quickly realized that there was no way that I could process all of the information being presented, and didn’t, and still haven’t! I’ve still got the notes and look at them from time to time. I’ve kept up online since, but the experience isn’t the same as when you’re sitting in the Camden Opera House elbow to elbow with a bunch of geeks, entrepreneurs, artists, and thinkers. There is an atmosphere to it – an atmosphere that I’ve found present few other places – Sundance to a degree, the Traverse City Film Festival, and a handful of undergrad and law school lectures.

    For all of the schooling I’ve been through at the University of Michigan and the Franklin Pierce Law Center, I look back and must say that I am underwhelmed by both of the experiences. There are a scant few professors, classes, and individual lectures that moved me the way Pop!Tech did/does. There is a difference – conferences have exciting presenters and powerful streamlined flashy ideas. I don’t care. At the end, higher education should be as powerful as a good conference presentation. Students should leave each semester with an excitement and hunger for more information.

    If I were to travel back, knowing what I now know, I would do only two things differently. First, I would major in English instead of Economics. I thought I would make more money majoring in Economics. Whether that was true or not, I now view it a foolish. I should have followed my heart and my talents, which both fell firmly in the English Department. Second, I would worry more about the courses that captivated me than those that fulfilled some predetermined study path – e.g., concentrating on financial economics, etc. I closed a lot of doors before I looked through them.

    As I walk through life meeting new people, moving to new places, and attempting new challenges, I am slowly coming to the realization that doing is living – that if I don’t open my mouth or take the first step or make a decision then the world will continue and I will stay. I think back to Pop!Tech 2004 when I say that because although I took in a lot of information at that conference and it exposed me to many new things, I didn’t stick out my hand and introduce myself, I didn’t realize how much I had to give, and I still feel as though I’m hoarding my experience and knowledge. It bring me to tears, as I write this, to think about what I could do and what I have done and I feel as though I’ve let the world down. I realize that’s a very narcissistic thing to say, but the feeling of great personal potential is something I’ve come to believe is integral to being human. What are we if not potential? There is a bigger message here than me feeling a responsibility to make this world better – it is that we should all be doing our part everyday to make this world a better place to live in now and in the future.

    With all of that said, I’ve been watching a good deal of the 2009 Pop!Tech conference via their live stream. I like the theme this year – America Reimagined. It places the focus on home, while showing what we can do to make a better world. I am personally setting goals for the coming year that will change the feeling of lost potential and make the world a better place for all of us.

  • Trail Building and Trailblazing at the CRNA

    There is a new park along M-37 (Center Road) called the Center Road Natural Area. Part of the park is cleared orchards, which are connected by grassed-over two-track roads. The more exciting parts, however, are the new single track trails that have been added and blazed.


    View Larger Map

    Today, thanks to Jason and Paula, I learned the difference between trail building and trailblazing. Jason explained trail building in a few definite steps, which I’ll detail below. Paula shared more about trailblazing that I could ever have imagined existed. I expected trailblazing to be a vicious attack on nature, but instead it is the act of painting six inch by two inch stripes of purple paint on trees along the trail to guide hikers. I’ll note some tips below.

    Trail Building

    When you’re building a trail, you’re either on the side of a hill or you’re not. If you’re not, then the trail building is significantly easier. You simply clear a path with you tool, remove roots, stumps and rocks and then pack the trail. With wear, it should become defined enough to be identifiable by hikers. If not, that’s where trailblazing comes in!

    There is more of a technique to trail building when walking along the side of a hill where the ground is higher on one side and lower on the other. The best way to describe this process is to present it in 5 steps.

    1. Rake the leaves, needles, and loose organic soil up the hill.
    2. Dig into the hill and drag the dirt down the hill. “Broadcast” (as Jason says) the dirt away from the trail and down the hill.
    3. Drag your tool along the path of the trail from the higher point to the lower point. There should be a curb on the higher side that gives way to an 18-24″ path that slopes slightly downhill. Like this: \____
    4. Pack the curb. Pack the trail.
    5. Brush the debris that was raked uphill back over the trail to allow for a more natural look.

    Follow Jason’s tips, keep your space and communicate and the trail practically builds itself! Not really. It’s hard work, but the time passes quickly.

    Trailblazing

    It was nice to learn what trailblazing actually was. I have a good appreciation for it because, having hiked many trails, I am aware of how easy it is to get lost if the “blazes” (aka – confidence markers) are not readily identifiable. If you are not a confident outdoors-man, then the sense of confusion and fear of being lost can ruin an otherwise enjoyable hike.

    When trailblazing, keep these tips in mind.

    • Blazes should be a bright color and uniform in shape and size.
    • It is ideal to place the blazes at six feet in height to prevent snow cover.
    • Hikers should be able to identify the next blaze while standing at the current blaze.
    • It may be necessary to trailblaze in both directions.

    There was a lot more that was mentioned, but that’s the gist of it. The bottom line is that you don’t want to mislead hikers or allow them to mislead themselves. Common sense applies here!

    It was a great experience and it was nice to meet a few people passionate about the park and the environment. I’ll be back out there again soon building and blazing away.