Should’ve Bought a Camaro…

I recently graduated from college.  It took two strong runs at higher education but I finally received a Bachelor’s degree.  I guess I am proud that I did something difficult; something that not many people around me have accomplished.  The first time I went to school, I decided to go out of state to a small private college mostly because I had a friend that went there.  I studied theology and family therapy and went pretty deep in to debt without ever finishing my education there.  A few years later, I got tired of driving tow trucks and rolling around in drywall dust so, with the support of my wife, I enrolled in online classes with the goal of earning a degree in information technology.  Yay! I did it!  Now that I have taken down the party streamers and replaced homework with video games, it is time to start paying back some student loans.  Between my wife and I, we owe a pretty sizable chunk of change to that faceless demigod that loaned us so much money in the first place.

Look, I’m an American; I have seen some pretty crooked corporate shenanigans in my day.  I have never seen anything like the student loan industry.  These cats get to lend out non-existent money to anyone they want with a guarantee that they will get every penny back with their interest tacked on.  If I had a collector with the finger-breaking, hang-you-over-a-bridge strength of the U.S. government, I wouldn’t think twice about getting in the money loaning game.  You can’t default on student loans, you can’t bankrupt-ify your way out them; if you try, the government will hunt you down.  Forget getting a paycheck, collecting social security, or getting a tax refund.

Luckily, our president has made it easier for those of us with student loans to pay them back.  It is easier to consolidate and restructure loans to make payments consistent with my income.  Without this initiative, my wife and I would be giving close to 30% of our gross income every month to our tuition lenders.  Trust me; this degree hasn’t earned me a 30% increase in pay.  That’s one of the main reasons I like our president; I can breathe underneath the debt.  And he can ball.

Where is the money back guarantee?  If the education didn’t work, shouldn’t I be able to return it?  Oh well, it’s in the past.  Now just to find that job that mixes theology, family therapy, and information technology…

This Ain’t the Cosby’s. Part II.

In continuing the inner-dialogue about my family, after I think about how much I love them, how I would do anything for them, and how badass I would be if I ever ended up in a post-apocalyptic scenario a la Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road”, I often consider how much my family separates me from my peers.

As I explained in a previous post, an overwhelming majority of my friends are not even in a serious romantic relationship let alone a committed marriage where intentional parenthood might be an option.  With very few (read: one) exceptions, I am the only person in my social circle with a child.  Part of me is extremely proud of it; being a good father and accomplishing the things that I have in order to provide for my son was no easy task.  When I was in my early twenties, I would have never envisioned myself eight years down the road with the life that I have right now; a job in information technology that pays well, working for a company that is well-respected in the community, driving a station wagon with chrome wheels, etc.  That other part of me, though, feels very alienated.  My close friends talk to me about their relationship woes, their weeknight partying, and part-time jobs and I have absolutely no platform on which I can relate.  I’ve been married since I was effectively an adolescent making this marriage the only real romantic relationship I’ve had as an adult.  My perspectives on “single life” are mostly rooted in episodes of “Friends” and the late-90′s iterations of MTV’s “The Real World”.  Sorry to say this, friends, but a lot of you could be categorized as a “Puck”.

I really don’t know why I should even write about this.  It’s not something that could be remedied even if I wanted to change it.  Luckily, I really love my life.  I really love my friends.  I will just watch your dating lives like they were 90′s television shows soundtracked by the Goo Goo Dolls.

John McCain Responded to me…

Dear Mr. Gonzales:

Thank you for contacting me regarding Internet anti-piracy legislation, specifically the PROTECT IP Act and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). I appreciate hearing your views about these important pieces of legislation.

As you know, online piracy is a major issue facing the American economy as more and more digital creations, such as music, movies, software, and books, are moved online. The Internet, which has delivered so many benefits to our economy, has unfortunately also allowed bad actors to steal and sell these stolen works. It is estimated that our economy loses more than $58 billion annually as a result of online piracy. As part of an effort to fight back against these losses, Congress has introduced two bills, the PROTECT IP Act in the Senate and SOPA in the House of Representatives, respectively.

These bills are designed to help the government more effectively utilize legal tools that are already at our disposal to fight against online piracy and protect American intellectual property. If enacted, the legislation would allow the Department of Justice to notify a website owner that the government intends to pursue a court order for alleged illegal activities. Next, the court would have to determine whether the website has a significant use other than the selling of counterfeited goods. These basic protections are designed to provide due process protections to ensure legitimate websites are not at risk for inadvertent violations.

The PROTECT IP Act was passed out of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary and SOPA has been referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary on October 26, 2011. Please rest assured that should these bills come to the Senate floor, I will keep your views in mind. Thank you again for sharing your thoughts on this important topic. Please feel free to contact me regarding this issue, or any other in the future.

Sincerely,

John McCain

United States Senator

SOPA and PIPA

Go here:

http://www.mccain.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.ContactForm

Copy and paste this:

Senator McCain,
As your constituent, I ask that you take a stand against the SOPA and PIPA bills that seek to hinder the productivity and ingenuity promoted through today’s internet. Currently, we have free access to an immeasurable amount of knowledge. I can learn a new language, interact with different cultures, or even learn a trade with the hopes of finding work. The internet is the last remaining tool that allows citizens to seek the American dream; we can build something out of nothing, turn our lives around through knowledge and self-motivation. These bills threaten to destroy all of that if copyright holders and government agencies are allowed to abuse this power. In no way do I support copyright infringement and understand that intellectual property should be protected but this could be accomplished without handing over control of free knowledge to a limited number of people. Who should be given the right to choose what is in the history books? What government agency should decide what books belong in a public library? Knowledge needs to remain free. The internet seems to be the last remaining plane where we can take an idea and turn it in to a money-earning business. These bills could destroy future internet startups by taking away any attractiveness they might have to investors. Please stand up for your constituents by fighting these bills.

This ain’t the Cosby’s.

I often hear my friends say things like, “Isn’t it crazy that you have a kid?” or “Dude, I can’t believe you have a 3 year old son.”  If it’s not evident by the fact that I just collectively quoted all of my friends by prefacing a statement with the word “dude”, I am the only person in my immediate circle of friends with a child.  I married my wife at a relatively young age, 21, and had a son about three and a half years in to our marriage.

I love my family.  More than anything.  I can’t think of a thing I would not do for either one of them.  Oddly enough, I always knew I was going to say that.  Even before I ever met my wife.  I knew I would say that cheesy thing that old people say.  I remember thinking that I would say these things only because they are the statements that boring married people use to give their lives meaning.  I always knew I would say it and I was scared of that, not proud of it.

Now that I am living it, though, I am in no way ashamed of feeling this way.  It’s crazy; I really would do anything for them.  Most of the decisions in my life are made primarily by analyzing the effects they will have on these two other human beings.  In the past, I would make jokes about guys that did that.  No matter how many times I made a “Who wears the pants…”  joke, I still thought it was funny.  I understand it now, though.  I’ve learned so much about what love actually looks like from my wife and son.  I made those jokes before only because I just didn’t understand love fully, I think.  For some reason, humans have the capacity to take a bullet, to work a shitty job, to bleed and sweat and cry for the sake of another person.  In that one defining fact about our race, I can feel a little hope about our future.

I still listen to Propagandhi  and Pantera.  I still want to debate which Marvel characters could destroy which DC characters.  I still think 9/11 was orchestrated with knowledge of the US government and that aliens from outer space play an active role in international politics.  I’m just happy and beautifully normal now.  Not disgustingly normal.  Beautiful.

PostScript.  I really want to try updating this thing more.  I think about my family more than anything else so most of the posts will probably revolve around that.

I’m A Phoenix.

I am currently one month away from finishing a Bachelor’s degree in web development.  I’ve spent two and a half years taking classes online through the University of Phoenix, a process that has made it possible for me to work full time, be a father and husband, and have some semblance of a social life while continuing my education.  That being said, it has become apparent over the past two years that the University of Phoenix can attract a……special kind of student.  I am often surprised at the questions and responses I read in my online classrooms.  I’ve decided to post one particular interaction here giving you a real, behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like to be a Phoenix.  These all came from a Biology class I am taking to clear up some general education credits that have been waiting to be completed for years.  The professor asked why, for the first time, is the projected lifespan of babies born today shorter than that of their parents.  If you don’t know, the answer to this question is simply obesity, a conclusion I am sure any of my friends would have come to without too much thought.  These are real responses.  From real college students.  That I have to interact with every. single. day.

“That’s an easy answer…Obama is in office. LOL…no really, all joking aside (I really don’t care who is in office…so if I offended…it was a joke)”    After this little quip, this student proceeded to tell the professor he was wrong…

“I believe some babies born today do not live as long as they could for two reasons.  The first reason is the babies parents becoming drug addicts.  As they are first drug addicts, then comes the pregnancy, then birth.  Many children being born to addictive parents are born an addict and destroy the childs chance to live.  Another reason would be the party life, to many kids are drinking at a younger age and dying of alcohol poisoning.  To go along with the alcohol consumption, they tend to feel invincible while intoxicated and get behind the wheel of a vehicle.  Tragic consequences as we all know happen as the final result.  And I do agree with Christina on the obesity issue, children are eating way to much fatty foods and are less active these days.”

Granted, a few students did a little Googling (or have opened a magazine in the past year) and found the correct answer.  One of those correct answers warranted this response:

“I don’t think there are a lot of babies that were born obese but I can understand what you are saying. I think that babies have a shorter lifespan (if its’ true) because of the medicines doctors give them when they are born. A lot of people and different readings told me to watch and ask about the shots given to infants. Also, doctors are only allowed to give so many at one time at risk of health problems or even death.”

I. Am. A. Mormo….I mean Phoenix.

’93 Utah Jazz

Without a doubt, the Stockton/Malone era of the Utah Jazz is the most dominant line up the franchise has ever seen.  Not only were they efficient but other teams in the league dreaded playing against them because of their tenacity and affinity for playing an extremely physical game.  The state of Utah loooooooooved that team.  I hated them.  So much.  Not even for the normal reasons, either; it wasn’t because they regularly beat up on the Suns or that I felt that they played dirty.  It was just that they were the most God-awful boring team to watch.

Karl Malone, in his prime, was a creature.  He is one of the strongest players ever to come through the league and could score with the best.  On the defensive end, if you came in the lane, he would make you pay for it.  Stockton was a quintessential point guard.  He only put the ball threw the hoop if he felt there was absolutely no way anyone else on his team could do it.  Jerry Sloan is one of the most respectable coaches in NBA history.  What other coach has ever spent that amount of time with the same franchise?  They had all of the right parts….

But… I kid you not.  If I see one more boring pick and roll…. I am going to find Jeff Hornacek and I am going punish him for every second of boredom that this franchise has ever caused me.  I pray to God that there will never again be another roster that can rack up so many wins without ever qualifying for SportCenter’s Top Ten.

Photo Set from Occupy Tucson

“People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway.
If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway.
For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.”

-Mother Theresa

Return to Sender.

A week ago, I went to Armory Park here in Tucson, Arizona to take part in the Occupy protest that was starting in cities across the country that morning.  I was interested in seeing how Tucson, with all of it’s complexion and idiosyncrasy, would display itself in a protest like this.  Armed with a camera and a couple of lenses, I drove to the park, mostly expecting the worst.  Much to my surprise, though, I was floored by the mood and turnout.  By the time that I arrived, a crowd had formed that looked to be close to a thousand.  Everyone was in good spirits, happy to be a part of something bigger, filled with a very genuine spirit of community; they were yearning to work together to help one another.

I was extremely happy that I participated.  It felt good to be a part of an important event in my community.  Since then, I have been following the local media’s coverage of the movement as people continue to sleep at the park, getting citations nightly from the local police force.  I follow this news by going to the Arizona Daily Star web site to read through the articles in their section covering local news.  In doing this, I would find myself reading the comments that others have posted on the articles and couldn’t believe some of the contempt being held against those sleeping at the park and the Occupy movement as a whole.  Most of the overtly offensive spew doesn’t really affect me; what did bother me was the growing response that, “These people don’t have a message or a goal; they are protesting nothing.”  I have a hard time seeing how people are missing the message here.

I can see, maybe, how it might not be specific enough.  There is no singular problem with a singular solution.  The problem isn’t just bank bail outs or tax loopholes for the wealthy; there is no single cause to wave signs at.  The Occupy movement is seeking to address systemic flaws within the economic environment.  This doesn’t necessarily mean that they are against capitalism as a model; they would simply like the opportunity to earn and be rewarded for their work.  That opportunity is simply not being given to everyone anymore.  At one point during Tucson’s demonstration that morning, a detractor made his way through the park repeatedly yelling, “Quit picnicking and go to fucking work!”   I was proud when those at the park largely ignored the man.  He was nothing but a good laugh for them.  ”Trust me. if I coud, I would.” was the prevailing response from the crowd.

Others argue that this is not a protest of the economic system but that of politics, that if these people have a problem with government then they are protesting in the wrong city.  This is true – in a sense.  Part of the problem being addressed by the Occupy movement is that the government is too often being influenced by the bourgeoisie of Wallstreet.  Money is equating with power and government is being guided by that power rather than checking it.