Degrees of Freedom

On this I think we can all agree
The secret isn’t found in a degree
Embracing challenges each day brings
Provides us with many interesting things
It’s Living while Learning that sets us free

We had an enjoyable weekend motoring south to Corvallis to celebrate Cody’s graduation from OSU on Saturday. We met everyone at The Original Breakfast in Albany at 7:00 AM and beat the graduation rush before consuming a weekend’s worth of calories. We all parked at Cody & Amy’s place and strolled over to Reser Stadium for the ceremony. It had rained on us on the way down and lightly misted for a half hour as we were settling in to our seats, but the weather improved as the morning went on and we were unlayering by the end. The graduation speakers covered the usual turf successfully and succinctly: the student body president open with the Helen Keller quote ”When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us”; the Alumni Association president reminded everyone of the network available as alums, which set the tone for the keynote speaker, Jen-Hsun Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA. He offered 3 wishes for the class of 2009 – Love your work, Embrace failure (don’t play safe), and Think like a Child, which echoes Einstein’s quote that “We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”

I ‘m proud of Cody’s accomplishments and was glad to be in attendance with family for the celebration. I know he and Amy are entering an amazing phase of life with plenty of possibilities, and I look forward to watching things unfold.

It’s the 34th anniversary of my Stanford graduation and I was reflecting on the differences and similarities of graduations 3 ½ decades apart. Like now, the country was dealing with an ill-advised military entanglement and had just seen an out-of–favor President leave office. The Dow Jones was languishing in a bear market at 858 and inflation was 9.2% Oil had just recently rocketed to $13/ barrel resulting in gas of more than 50 cents/gallon. A stamps was 10 cents, but leaped to 12 cents on New Years Eve 1975. Minimum wage was $2.10/hr and I was soon to start a job @ $1200/month and my rent was $165 for an apartment overlooking Washington Square. Tiger Woods and Angelina Jolie were born during the year and the big inventions were the digital camera, laser printer, and the dueling formats of Betamax & VHS for video recording. This was a time of typewriters, turntables and 8 track tapes. Jobs and Wozniak were stil two years away from introducing the Apple II – the hot technology was calculators from HP and Texas Instruments. My senior project with Vince was working with the first programmable calculator the HP-65 which cost $795 (the average new car cost $4500) so when HP introduced a $150 unit, much of my early paycheck went toward that.

I graduated on a Sunday June 15th, drove to Medford on a Monday, woke up to a phone call inviting me to interview with FMC in Portland on Thursday ( where I was headed to a Gordon Lightfoot concert), and found myself starting my job on Monday June 23rd. I then get a call enticing me to come to Reno to work for Bill Harrah & Bill Lear (of Lear-Jet fame) as a workforce planner for the Casino for 50% more pay. I thought it would be bad form to quit after 3 days and I never could imagine myself as a “casino” guy. This just points out that I had no clue as to the opportunities that would show up once I headed out into the real world, and still don’t have firm control of the steering wheel of life – thank goodness for metaphysical GPS….

C'mon Get Happy!

It’s not caused by McCain or Obama
Nor passed down from Papa & Mama
Connection and fun after a fashion
And a purpose that stirs passion
Yields true happiness, says the Dalai Lama


Our current book reading is based on David Wann’s “Simple Prosperity: Finding Real Wealth in A Sustainable Lifestyle” (http://www.davewann.com/ ) Taking a page (leaf?) from the Slow Food movement, we’re using the Slow Read method, reading a few chapters per month of this book and bringing in related articles to discuss. Our first session, with required potluck, introduced to the book and posed the questions, What is true wealth, and What is Happiness, and why do people crave it? We had the opportunity to see the Dalai Lama when he came to Portland a few years ago, and his message was that the one thing all people want is to be “happy”. They just disagree in how to accomplish that.

Psychologist Martin Seligman, author of “Authentic Happiness” postulates that happiness contains elements of pleasure, engagement or connection with others, and meaning, such as altruistic or service related activities. Modern consumptive societal patterns tend to wade in the shallow end of this pool, trying to find happiness in “stuff” while deeper and more resonant results come from connecting with others and using your unique gifts and talents to benefit more than just you.

This topic came up in another context when I heard about the 72 year longitudinal study of Harvard students which was seeking to find the secret to what makes a “good life” 268 Harvard underclassmen, including many powerful people such as Ben Bradlee of the Washington Post, and JFK were interviewed, measured, and recorded throughout their lives and a review of the archives is fascinating. George Vaillant was the long time director, and his personal story shows the challenges of trying to find a simple answer to the question of what can we do to be happy. In the end though, it shows a mechanistic view of happiness or life in general can't explain the mystery (http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200906/happiness )

I reflected on these things after a number of relevant events in the last week. Dianna & I spent a thoroughly enjoyable Memorial Day weekend at Oceanside with Ted & Meg & Rick. We had great food; great weather, and great company. Rick & I even assisted Ted in some productive work. (You can see our "Pathway to Happiness" in the photo above)

I also got to see Sean and his band before they headed off on their 5 week 20 performance tour of the country and was reminded once again how pursuing your passion is priceless. Also, last night, I co-taught the last class of The Center for Earth Leadership's “How to Be an Agent of Change In Your Circle of Influence”, and was inspired by the creativity and enthusiasm of the participants. We went to see "Star Trek" tonight and the same message of fun, connection with others, and a higher purpose played out with great special effects and a clever nod to the memories of those of us who grew up inspired with Star Trek ideals....

I think among all the events, I had plenty of evidence to validate Seligman’s hypothesis.

In coming weeks, I’ll share more on any insights that come from our readings or any other randow nudges I get.

STP #29

As May 20th ended, I was quite STumPed
Until to a logical conclusion I jumped
A poetic tribute would not be hard to STooP
As long as I highlighted Reeble Jar, his musical group
I knew it would be hard to know when to SToP
But I had to mention his Glass-blowing shop

It’s rare for him to encounter a hill that’s too STeeP
Though one once caused the demise of his first early Jeep
He’s always been one to take the next STeP
Since he’s a happenin’ guy who’s always quite hep
Who continues to leave his unique STamP
On the Eugene city that’s quite damp

So, in closing, it is with much glee
As the last year approaches of his decade three
That with the coming dawn
We celebrate all that is Sean
On the occasion of the 29th birthday of STP

Writing a blog entry as a tribute to Sean is like describing a symphony in 4 notes... it can be done but it leaves out a lot of highlights and nuance... (Try G-G-G-Eflat....)

At 6:30 PM on Wednesday, May 21st 1980, Sean Thomas Ponder arrived in Portland Oregon during the aftermath of the Mt. St. Helen's eruption and just missed by 6 hours being born on the least likely birthday among the current population. (Oct 5th is the most common...) This would be a harbinger of Sean's style of being unique. Music has been a part of Sean's life since early on and most people are aware of his current performance with his band http://www.myspace.com/reeblejar but few people know Sean is one of only a handful of people to play the Theremin under the tutealge of Leon Theremin in 1991 at Stanford (who also gave Einstien lessons, but said he wasn't very musical) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%A9on_Theremin and to call up and talk to Bob Moog directly when 11 year old Sean decided to build a Theremin for his science project.

Sean's integration of music and glass-blowing also has followed an unusual path. He moved to Eugene and attended Lane CC and apprenticed as a glass blower and then when his bosses decided to close up shop, they handed him their customer list and Sean became a small business owner in his early 20's servicing accounts nationwide. It's an amazing balancing act, keeping the band going while working to pay the bills, so this summer's road trip with the band should be a great adventure after a lot of hard work. Reeble Jar will play in Portland at Goodfoot on May 30th and then leave June 2 for a month long tour of at least 11 states...

As the first person to meet Sean, I've always been honored by the privilege and am proud of who he is and the impact he's had so far. His grandfather was one of his biggest fans and vicariously shared in many of Seans adventures. I look forward to continuing to cheer for him - as long as I can stay up late enough...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SEAN!

It's Later Than You Think (2:30)

This aging thing has never seemed nice
As no injuries for me would more than suffice
But I’m facing the truth
That I sprained my tooth
So I must elevate my mouth and fill with ice.


LEONATO…

Brother, men can counsel and speak comfort to that grief

Which they themselves not feel; but, tasting it,

Their counsel turns to passion, which before

Would give preceptial medicine to rage,

Fetter strong madness in a silken thread,

Charm ache with air and agony with words:

No, no; 'tis all men's office to speak patience

To those that wring under the load of sorrow,

But no man's virtue nor sufficiency

To be so moral when he shall endure

The like himself. Therefore give me no counsel:

My griefs cry louder than advertisement.

ANTONIO...

Therein do men from children nothing differ.

LEONATO...

I pray thee, peace. I will be flesh and blood;

For there was never yet philosopher

That could endure the toothache patiently,

However they have writ the style of gods

And made a push at chance and sufferance.

Much Ado About Nothing, 5.1, 21-39 Thanks to VagabondScholar


I understand the sequence of decline from muscle to muscle memory to memory but the aches and pains of aging still irritate. After lucking out with years of injury free athletic activity back in the 20th century except for a few rolled ankles and an unfortunate intersection of softball and eyeball, I thought the likelihood of injuries would diminish as I aged. I was embarrassed by pulling a hamstring for the first time when I was bowling with Rick 10 years ago, but I think I topped that recently. Last week I was enjoying some popcorn, bit down funny and hurt my tooth. It bothered me for a day and a half so Monday I made an appointment with our long time dentist.

Dianna and I both grew up with unfluoridated well water so we both carry amalgam accumulations that are reaching end of life, so I assumed I broke a filling. After poking, prodding & extra X-rays, Dr. Jarvis deduced I had injured a ligament holding a molar in place – effectively “spraining” it. He said it should recover in a couple of weeks and approved noshing, but no gnashing…

Thought the Shakespeare quote would add some class to the site…

On a more interesting note, I ran across a intriguing site at our monthly “Engineers for a Sustainable Future” meeting. We had representatives from newly named Neighborhood Natural Energy (nee Northwest Neighborhood Energy) http://www.n2e.org/ , scaled district energy provider. Their ideas have interesting potential but they are affiliated with a social entrepreneur networking site for seed funding sustainable projects called The Change Exchange ( http://www.thechangexchange.org/ ) This site opens the door to a number of interesting projects and I look forward to following progress and reporting on ideas in future blog entries…

Oh, Canada!

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Adventures to the North are the latest thing new

As Victoria provided many enjoyable things to do

We walked and we ate

As the sightseeing was great

Plus we all avoided the "Moose" flu

We were able to get away for a nice 4 day vacation to Seattle and Victoria at the beginning of May to celebrate John & Sally's 25th wedding anniversay on May 1st and John's 67th birthday on May 4th. We drove up Friday afternoon with tempertures in the high 70's - quite a contrast to last year's commute in the snow. We had a wonderful seafood celebration at Anthony's on the waterfront in Edmunds Friday night and then took the Victoria Clipper hydrofoil to Victoria Saturday morning. A comfortable 2 1/2 hours later we made the 10 minute walk to our condo at Fisherman's Wharf, dropped off our luggage and headed out to explore Victoria.

As with our Hawaii vacation, things felt quickly familar and we were able to locate some favorite spots although we did add a new ice cream shop to our itinerary. A lunch choice from last year was closed so we had Chinese instead and then after browsing and checking in, we had dinner at the Marriott. We all gave positive reviews to our meal including the clam chowder and prime rib I had and our leisurely meal provided refuge from the storm that blew north from Portland and Seattle. By the time we walked home, the rain had stopped and we only had to fight the wind on the way home. The Church of Truth across the street from our condo was hosting Argentina Tango - and here I was without my shoes... We poked our heads in, but they could tell we weren't part of the in-crowd - Evan would have enjoyed it though..

Sunday dawned with possibilities as the weather system had moved through, so we booked a tour of Butchart Gardens and as the pictures above indicate, had a wonderful day of strolling through the flowers. Our dinner out was just across the street from our condo at the Superior, a hip jazz club with great food and unusual decorating style.

We originally had planned on staying until Tuesday, but John had an important conference in NYC that started Tuesday, so we arranged to take the 6:00 ferry Monday night. Since we didn't need to check out we lounged around our room and watched the DVD "Mame" and packed in fish and chips from Barb's on the Wharf. Packe dup and headed home and once again the weather hit during our commute but had stopped by the time we disembarked. Heavy rain hit Seattle overnight, but John made it to the airport by shuttling off at 6:30 and Dianna & I headed home by 10:00 AM. Smooth sailing by land through light rain got us home by 2:00 PM and we were able to celebrate Cinco de Mayo with Merry with dinner and cards Tuesday night.

I highly recommend a Canada visit - exchange rate is good ( 82 cents US to Canadian $), sights are plentiful and Canadians are friendly. We're already planning next years visit in early May before we head off to Iowa by May 23rd to celebrate Evan's graduation.

Still waiting for May weather to kick in before it turns rainy for Rose Festival - stay tuned...

"Go Crazy Folks, Go Crazy" *

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It's never bad form
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To question the norm
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It doesn't matter if you're six
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Or wait until 47 to get your kicks
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Even if you go through life named Storm
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Thursday night we had a chance to see the one woman play"Crazy Enough" which was the autobiographical musings of Susan Storm Large, a self-described 6 foot blond "Glamazon" rock & roll singer and actress. She had performed to critical aclaim as Sally Bowles in "Cabaret" last year but this current play was really an amazing production. Although I would need to use ampersands and apostrophes in unusual ways if I quoted some of the lyrics or dialogue, it was one of those most poignant performances I have seen. As a nine year old, Storm was told by a doctor that she'd be as crazy as her mother by 21, and having no reason to disbelieve an authority figure, she decided to make the most of the next two decades. Sex drugs, and rock & roll were her currency and she spent with abandon, but now as she approaches 40, she's comfortable with being "crazy enough" to deal with life. She astutely observes that getting outside the box is what's need to creatively and succesfully negotiate the ups and downs of our existance. http://news.opb.org/article/4768-storm-large-crazy-enough/







A couple of YouTube videos that have been circulating also seem to reinforce the theme of what is normal and acceptable and how important it is to stay true to your talent and dreams.. A few months ago,, a British 6 year old named Connie Talbot wowed the judges of "Britain's Got Talent" ( the inspiration for American Idol) and just recently, a 47 year old Scottish woman, Susan Boyle won over skeptics with her performance. If you watch both of these singers, the most interesting thing is their complete focus and belief in what they are meant to do and how to do it. I would assume a degree of discomfort or nervousness when being in front of an audience but both singers seem amazing calm and in control.







Connie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mpVtxXJlmk

Susan: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOSVASPz3u4





I guess that's one of major questions we get to answer while we're here - what unique talent or gift do I have, and how do I express it in its highest form? We need to ask ourselves these questions every day - it would be crazy not to...



*The title quote refers to Jack Buck's call of a walk off home run by Ozzie Smith in the 1985 NCLS aginst the LA Dodgers.

It's My Birthday Quote, Unquote...

April 11 brings my 56th birthday

Which could be a cause for dismay

Although the candles increase

The wonders never cease

As long as I remember to play

When you're young, birthdays are a good excuse to invite friends over to play... has pin the tail on the donkey ever been played outside a birthday party? My favorite parties when I was young usually involved rounding everyone up for a baseball game - I asked my dad if I could burn off one of our two acres to build a baseball field in March 0f 1963 and celebrated with a true sandlot game and, as a result, that field was the site of hundreds of games over the next 2 decades. In college, I was kidnapped with a pillow over my head, put in a car and delivered to homeplate outside of our freshman dorm for an impromptu game with friends. I tried to organize a game for my 30th birthday, but Portland weather isn't as amenable to mid-April basking as Stanford's is.

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(A nice postscipt to the day came with Albert Puljos hitting a grand slam and a 3 run HR as the Cards beat Houston 11-2 and at least for a day are in first place!)

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These days, my celebrations aren't as active though nice weather will lure me out for a round of golf, but today's forecast is mixed. As a result, I'm inside posting. I've decided for this entry to collect some of the more approriate quotes regarding birthdays and also include a nice poem that Deborah wrote for me - my transcedentalist high school English teacher, Edna Stewart would have approved...

PONDERING THE PONDERER

Methinks time spent in soft repose
Is oft mistook for idle doze.
But here we’d have some hard debate
Does one daydream or cogitate?

Reflection on the past to date
May be to some, to ruminate
While others find their thoughts best spent
Toward future plans of high assent.

But neither here nor there, not up nor down
Is where ideals and dreams must crown.
For thoughts, like roads, are seldom drawn
Intending they not be traveled on.

In any trek detours are found
Amid deep thoughts our dreams abound.
So now and then, one supposes
we must stop and think of roses.
-- Deborah Huxley
April 2009

I’m 56 years old. That’s 13.33 Celsius

Of late I appear

To have reached that stage

When people who look old

Who are only my age.

- Richard Armour

My birthday!--what a different sound

That word had in my youthful ears;

And how each time the day comes round,

Less and less white its mark appears.

- Thomas Moore

Forty is the old age of youth; fifty is the youth of old age.

The years between fifty and seventy are the hardest. You are always being asked to do things, and yet you are not decrepit enough to turn them down.- T.S. Eliot

The man who views the world at fifty the same as he did at twenty has wasted thirty years of his life.- Muhammad Ali

Life is a whim of several billion cells to be you for a while.
-Groucho Marx

“And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.”
-Abraham Lincoln

“All the world is birthday cake, so take a piece, but not too much.”
George Harrison

When I was younger, I could remember anything, whether it had happened or not; but my faculties are decaying now and soon I shall be so I cannot remember any but the things that never happened. It is sad to go to pieces like this but we all have to do it.
-Mark Twain


Middle age is when your age starts to show around your middle.
-Bob Hope


Time may be a great healer, but it's a lousy beautician.


Happy birthday, you’re not getting old,

Stay in the game, it’s not time to fold.

Wrinkles and grey hair, are just a new look,

Countless experiences, you should write in a book.

A birthday is seldom, a serious occasion,

Try not to take it, like the D-day invasion.

Laughter and jokes are within sight,

Stock up on both, all through the night.


The first sign of maturity is the discovery that the volume knob also turns to the left but as you get older, it turns back to the right….


I still have a full deck; I just shuffle slower now.

If we could be twice young and twice old we could correct all our mistakes.

Inflation is when you pay fifteen dollars for the ten-dollar haircut you used to get for five dollars when you had hair