Impressions of Today

Sitting alone in my office, watching the initial inaugural coverage on CNN's website, I am awestruck by the size of the crowd in D.C., and wishing I was there.

Walking past Cornell's McGraw tower precisely at noon, hearing the bells chime the hour more loudly and clearly than I've ever heard before, I become acutely aware of the moment of transition from an administration I am completely ashamed of to one that I am very hopeful about.

Listening to Obama's inaugural address in the car in a downtown parking garage, I gaze outward at a sea of fluffy white snowflakes drifting down from the frigid gray sky, as as he quotes George Washington: "Let it be told to the future world that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive, that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet it."

Eating lunch in my favorite local bar, packed with smiling people who have come in from the cold to watch the inaugural coverage, I can't help but laugh as they shout and applaud uproariously when the television screens show Bush flying away from the White House in a helicopter.

I am feeling like I am home again, after being away for far too long.

Is it a dream?

I think he's done it...somebody pinch me.

Please Vote

Charlotte and I got up at 6am to head over to our polling place and vote. Even at that very early hour, there were 20-40 people there, which is a very positive thing in my eyes. We were in and out in 10 minutes, and the people we ran into seemed happy and optimistic about the election.

I'm spending some time today calling voters in Pennsylvania and encouraging them to vote. The Obama campaign site makes it really easy to do, and so far it's been relatively painless, and even somewhat reaffirming.

Please get out and vote today!

Think about it.

Thanks to John for this link to a very worthy interview with Bill Moyers on Democracy Now.

It is so very frustrating that the media has focused almost exclusively on the horse race instead of the issues. Frustrating, but not at all surprising.

I've grown so tired of the entire "electability" debate. Why is having thoughtful ideals and being an articulate thinker a negative? Conversely, why is having the support of the uneducated voter somehow better than the support of the intellectuals?

After nearly eight years of an administration that consistently "thinks with its gut" and has provided nothing but short-sighted, ignorant, and outright self-serving policy decisions, isn't it time to start leading with our brains?

I am not saying that uneducated voters are unimportant. Quite the opposite, in fact. I think what we need in a leader is someone who can thoughtfully and skillfully encourage intelligent policy that benefits everyone. Someone who can articulate the complexity of the problems facing this republic of 300+ million to all demographics, and not merely pander to the working class like some kind of 17th century colonialist with a pouch of shiny glass beads.

I happen to think that Barack Obama is the best candidate for that job at this point, and that his biggest shortfall thus far has been that he and his campaign haven't taken enough time to expound on his thoughts about the direction that this country needs. Just about every time the man does speak at length on a topic, I gain more respect for his understanding of complex issues and his ability to articulate that understanding to anyone willing to listen.

We need to stop playing into the hands of those that want politics to remain nothing more than a flim-flam diversion of black and white, full of 30-second soundbites, delivered by polished automatons who answer to nothing but the almighty dollar and their own enormous egos. We need to have the bravery to address problems that can't be solved in a day, a month, or an election cycle, and the discipline to craft thoughtful, inclusive, and flexible solutions that won't fit on a fucking bumper sticker.

I want a high-thinker for that job, not a car salesperson.

Fall

Swirling, churning, a blustery burning, it whirls into the indolently ebbing summer to remind me of the meaning of time. Swelling the landscape with a wave of color, frosting the grass with a bitter suggestion that the party might soon be over, it nips my cheeks with chilly lips as I gather myself within a coat that embraces me like an old friend. The marina sits empty now, long weathered creaky docks calling stalwart seagulls to their tall dark pilings, to await an onslaught of ice. I walk through the wind among these patient sentries, gazing out at the lake, darkened like a winter sky, as distant rolling white-capped waves beckon me like sirens.

Kate & Terry's Wedding Pics

I've finally uploaded my pictures of Kate and Terry's Wedding. Enjoy!

Always Look on the Bright Side of Life

I read "Covenant of the Wild" last night, and found parts interesting (in between some maddening inferences, and his apparent animosity towards the animal rights movement). I did agree with the premise that life and nature are a constantly changing, adaptable, and complex system, full of organisms that are as brutal as they are beautiful; as opposed to the more traditional view of nature as fixed pantheon of noble creatures.

I also found his views on the formation and spread of agrarian culture to be thought-provoking, and in line with my recent thoughts on the human propensity to create ever-more-efficient means of fueling their burgeoning numbers, regardless of the impact on the very system that allows their existence. The thing is, it really is a very simple set of characteristics that drive all life to expand and fill every possible niche, and humans are no different than any other organism in these fundamental motivations and actions. Life will continue to evolve and adapt around us, regardless of what we do, and in many cases, because of what we do. The question is, what will become of us?

With each "leap" we have taken; agrarian, industrial, electronic; humans have increased the apparent carrying capacity of the planet for their species. The cost of these revolutions is that we have also increased the velocity and certainty of our path towards a catastrophic depletion of the resources and ecosystem that we rely upon. I often wonder just how and when we will crash as a species; just how many revolutions do we have left before we hit the ground? Maybe we'll miss the ground altogether, for now. Perhaps an inevitable revolution in our line of "progress" (if we make it so far) will be for humans to become an interplanetary or even interstellar life form.

We could spread out across worlds and even solar systems, filling every habitable space and creating many of our own along the way. Would such progress really save us though, or just increase the scope of the impending catastrophe? I'm leaning towards the latter, with what our history shows us thus far. Can we as a species really have any hope of railing against the very instincts that have cultivated our existence? I am doubtful. I think it's more likely that we will continue to use every resource available to grow our numbers, until there is nothing left for us to consume, and no place new for us to expand into.

Perhaps that is the point, though. In the end maybe we are no more than an interstellar slingshot for life; a fire that flares across worlds, but brings seeds on its scorching wind and leaves them behind on fertile ground, to bloom and grow long after it has burned out. Perhaps life is using us just as much as we are using it. "Covenant of the Wild" definitely struck that chord with me.

We will take life just as far as we can, and then it will proceed along without us, ever adapting, evolving, and spreading. It will tip its hat and thank us for the ride, or as a better writer than me once said, "so long, and thanks for all the fish."

If I cried out, who among the angels would hear my voice?

This morning as I rode on the bus in to work, I was reminded of one of the more compelling reasons why I love this town. To my left, a gentleman intently reading a scientific paper titled, "Functional Pattern Analysis: Predicting the Evolution of Complex Organized Networks." To my right, a fellow perusing an anthology of poetry by Rainer Maria Rilke. Behind me, a lively discussion between a man and a woman about the annealing process in snowflake formation. In front of me, a crowd of faces hinting of Asian, European, African, and Latin origins, all bundled in their assorted winter armor, dusted in a layer of new and infinitely variable snowflakes.

Winter's Vacation

What do you do on a beautiful, sunny, 60-degree day in January in Ithaca?

1) Check to see if you're dreaming.
2) Realize it doesn't matter if you are.
3) Go play in it!
4) Capture it.


I hope you enjoy my attempt at #4

Fall Pictures

I was out this evening with my camera, and managed to take advantage of some beautiful light.

I hope you enjoy the results.