None Of The Below

Bill has warned me against discussing any hot button issues on the blog and, after much consideration, I don’t want to stay away from commenting on the upcoming election. I think it is far too important an issue to overlook. I will start by saying that my opinions, my perceptions and feelings, about politics are not as well informed as they should be. I wish I had a better sense of the complexities of all the issues surrounding the election and the current state of the State, but I don’t feel I have the means or the time to thoroughly keep up. Or maybe that’s just an excuse. Maybe that’s just an easy way of saying “this is what I believe and that’s that!”. I’m willing to admit this, but I still believe in what my gut tells me and this is what I think about the campaign so far…I don’t think that any of the candidates out there are worthwhile.

People chide Thompson for his late (and flashy) entrance to the campaign, but I think his entry and all the other candidates’ are too early. Thompson comes and joins the race a little later than everyone else and suddenly the national attention is no longer aware of how early these elections are starting because one guy started a little later. This is exactly how our collective perceptions get blown way out of proportion. Using a very convoluted metaphor, it’s like we’re staring at a monkey juggling on top of the head of a clown wearing a tuxedo and tap shoes. We’re so focused on the monkey that we don’t even ask ourselves why the clown isn’t wearing big red shoes. Ok, so maybe it’s nothing like that, but I’d still like to see a monkey juggle some day.

This whole process has become far too partisan. Does anyone else get the feeling that politics has become so much about politics that the people who are losing out are the people? (I’m sure I’ll be pegged as a communist for that one). What I’m looking for in a President is someone who is pragmatic, reasonable, intelligent, thoughtful, and good person. In essence, I’m probably hoping for someone who could never stomach the idea of running for office. And I also recognize that we all have our own definitions of what a good person is. I’d like to continue this rant under the assumption that a good person is someone who really wants to do what is best for everyone and recognizes that they can’t know what is best for everyone. The goal would be to do their business while always answering the question “how do I make this country a place where people can access what they believe is the best situation for their own life without having that endeavor impede the lives and drives and needs of others?”.

I believe that for hundreds of years, people have had concerns about the moral compass of politicians and political bodies. This is not always the case but, historically speaking, there has often been a general wariness of political doings. Certainly, there has been recent disapproval of our elected officials. I find it fascinating that people would take issue with Obama’s lack of political experience. How could that hurt his role as President? He would obviously not be alone in the White House and, thus, could surround himself with very capable political operatives. In fact, since he is the freshest face, and people are generally dissatisfied with politics, he appears to be the most likely candidate to insert fresh ideas and energy into the nation’s bloodstream. If I had to go with someone right now, based on (as I mentioned) limited information, I would likely vote for Obama.

But I don’t want Obama and I don’t really want any of these guys (Ok. Is Kucinich still in the race? I always liked him. You definitely know where he stands on things. And he’s all about getting things done. If he is in, I’d pick him right now.) I really believe that the best candidate for President will be someone with very strong administrative leadership skills who can see beyond Republican and Democrat and make important decisions based on good evidence, input from trustworthy and intelligent advisors, and personal meditation. It needs to be someone who understands how complex and large systems operate and the needs of everyone who is in them and is effected by them. We need someone to say “here are the problems that touch many people’s lives every day and here are some really good short term and long term solutions. Furthermore, here are some problems that may arise in the future. Let’s work together to prevent them.” I think we also need an Educator In Chief. Someone who will encourage the population to be very educated on the topics that the government grapples with, so they can make good personal and political decisions down the road.

So, I feel I’ve said my piece without offending too many people. I don’t have a solution but I will say that we have the power to say that we don’t want anyone who is going to fight over petty issues and attack the parts of their opponents’ lives that have nothing to do with politics. We have the power to decide that we no longer want any candidate for President to be tied to obligations to corporations or oil companies or any large industries (and I want to be clear that that isn’t meant to be just a jab at one party.) If the election were today I would vote and I would vote for none of the above. We can truly decide how we want this election to go. Why do we have to be forced to just vote Democrat or Republican? Especially when the options seem so bleak, once again.

Thanks.

Yoni

Morning Routine

This is a video (somewhat lengthy) that captures my morning routine in my apartment in Claremont, California. There’s been a lot of clamoring, so I hope it lives up to expectations. But, really, who has 13 spare minutes to watch me putter around my apartment mumbling and making coffee? Except me, of course.

Another Broken Squash Racket

I really don’t get how I keep breaking rackets! I play pretty carefully and have become much more adept at not hitting the walls when I am swinging. I don’t throw the racket and I carry it around in its original case. This crack happened after one swing in which I hit the side wall. One swing and the thing just snapped. Whenever this happens, the person I’m playing with says that it must be a defective racket, but there is no way I keep happening to buy defective rackets. I have also never seen anyone else’s racket break in this manner, despite hitting the wall with it multiple times or throwing it at the floor.

Anyway, I’ve gotten back to playing three times a week. I play Monday nights at the Claremont Club with Francisco. This ends up being quite a workout for me. He keeps a monitor on him that counts the amount of calories he’s burned. Last Monday, he burned over 700, which means that I likely burned more, since he had me running all over the court. Francisco is a far better player than I am and he’s started giving me tips on improving my game. I’m finding it hard to change some of the habits I’ve fallen into, and this can be frustrating during my second game of the week at CalTech in Pasadena.

The CalTech game is a round robin on Tuesday nights that I actually learned about from a guy I e-mailed when I was still living in Boston. He told me about a bunch of people, of all skill levels, who get together and play multiple games of squash on Tuesday nights at the CalTech courts. It costs five dollars to get in and we usually play for one and a half to two hours. It’s a fun time usually, but it is less competitive than when you are playing a ladder match or a tournament. The players are generally more skilled than I am, but they do not play as aggressively as they would if a ladder ranking were at stake. I find it hard to really learn and to improve my game at this round robin, but I appreciate that there are so many people who are willing to play squash on a weekly basis. Francisco came with me one week to the CalTech game and he decided that his goal would be to work with me until I could beat everyone there. This could lengthen my stay in California by at least a decade. He delivers babies, so he thinks he can do anything!

On Thursday mornings, I’ve started playing at the Claremont Club with a colleague. He hasn’t played in many years, but he has great control of the racket. I still beat him in every game, but he is improving quickly. He thinks I’m being generous when he gets a point (or he’s just messing with me), but in reality, he’s earning each point. Of course, I can blame any losses on the broken racket, until I get a new one this weekend.