Saturday, January 10, 2009

My Pledge to Get Back in the Saddle

Dear Blog,

It's been quite some time since we were together last. I feel like a deadbeat Dad searching for a way to 're-connect with you. I've missed sharing the latest and greatest and utilizing you as an outlet for my pent up thoughts and emotions. Plus I've missed all the other little buggers that I share this space with. I envy the time and energy they so responsibly devote to being with you, Blog. I wish I could be as special to you as they are. Rather than head down to the Department of Social Services to wait in line in search of answers and support from a professional, I figured I'd just tie myself down, strap my computer to my lap, and finally reach out and be at one with you again.

Besides, it's time I made some sense what has happened in what feels like months since my last post. I hope you can someday find it in your heart to forgive me for this unnecessary period of extended absence on my part. Blog, it is with this utmost sincerity that I pledge to welcome you back into my life...if you'll have me, that is.

Things have been really wild lately. I spent most of the other day watching CNN's live broadcast coverage of the dedication of the USS George H.W. Bush. I watched Bush II introduce his father. Now there's a guy who raised a great kid. He really knew what he was doing. Little Bush turned out to be not just a great guy, but Christ, he too was President. What a magical story. A story I am so pleased that in just a few short days, we will finally slam the cover closed on. Friends and readers, won't you join me in nailing the lid to the Bush administration's coffin closed? This man will live on in infamy as a first class citizen, a real upstanding fellow who knew how to please the people and put forth only the best decisions for the good of this nation. Thank you George H.W. Bush for bringing this final gentleman you call a son into our lives and into our bad graces. While it's been a long ride, we've finally waged the waters of your son's failed policies and abuse of power. To thank you for bringing him into this world, we've decided to name a Navy warship after you in the final weeks of his Presidency. You're the best!

On this coming Tuesday, the 20th of January in the year Two Thousand and Nine, will this country and the world move in the direction we've been led to believe it will? A world of peace, acceptance, shared global responsibility, economic and environmental sustainability? Are we on the brink of something new? Something incredible? Obama, are you really gonna be as awesome as you promised? Is your staff well equipped? When will the hiring begin for these green jobs you promise will rescue the record number of unemployed Americans? What can I do to help? A dramatic, deep CNN voiceover delivers the key message in the network's latest cable ad campaign. As 'CNN Man' states boldly, "In 2009, new questions will drive your search for truth. CNN will be right there with you." You bet your ass I've got some questions. Ladies and Gentlemen, this is a period of extreme uncertainty. It's about time we had some god damned trust in government around here. Obama--my man, you'd better clean shit up A.S.A.P. There is what can be considered a diversified and thoroughly allied army of progressives, conservatives, liberals, environmentalists, Democrats, Republicans, and recent college graduates that are ready to pounce if this man lets us all down. But seriously, Obama, no pressure buddy...just get in there and do your best, will ya? In all seriousness, I can only hope that we will be delivered the change we've been promised and quickly proceed in a more positive direction. I'm dying to see all of this unfold. 2009 is going to be a great year. I hope.

With that said, let's move on to exploring further the recent history of the period since my last musing took place. I started the new year with new living circumstance. After losing my roommate to a job transfer, I decided to get rid of my apartment and move into a new house with four other guys on the south end of Stamford, Connecticut--right by the beach. Nice place. Huge deck. Good beach access. If I stay long enough, come in the summer we'll have a grand ol' time grilling and drinking like old times. Since I'd been living alone in my spacious downtown 2 bedroom 12th floor with balcony and view apartment for quite some time, you might imagine that the transition to once again sharing spaces has been a difficult one. I've been a bit of a recluse since I arrived here; reading, surfing the net, sleeping..you know the general lazy alone behaviors we often cling to when the temperatures are low. After a few weeks off from work around the holidays, I finally fully executed the transition and am now living relatively comfortably in my new setup. It's a situation I will continue to evaluate and report on. Stay tuned.

The holidays...yea, they were cool. A little. I don't know. Life is starting to feel increasingly remedial and mundane. I made a promise to myself a long time ago that I would work diligently to live a life of substance. I think I'm starving to further my education. I go into Starbucks and envy the people cramming to finish a term paper or for an upcoming exam. I want to learn something with everything I do. Simply put, I find little fulfillment in my work at the present time. It is my hope that I may reevaluate my career when the economy grazes slowly toward greener pastures. Maybe what I'm doing is all I was meant for. Who the hell knows? I guess I'm just wanting to read the last page of the story of my life as opposed to starting from Chapter 1. It's only natural to want to know how it's all going to play out, right?

There is something inside of me that wishes I was doing something more substantial. Upon reaching this conclusion, I asked myself if I had become obsessed with fulfillment that was too substantial in scope. Go for my MBA? Study Journalism? Law School? a Government Job? Run for office? "Are these goals too substantial?," I ask myself. Maybe I'm too caught up in the belief that thinking big yeilds better outcomes. But in all actuality, where in the outline of my life did I decide that it was cool to settle and submit? I feel like I'm writing a five paragraph essay that has a superb introduction and conclusion and body paragraphs composed of countless sentences ending with question marks. What the hell? See look, right there. I did it again. You see?

So Blog, I think I've rambled on to you enough for this evening. So many questions I've asked of you. I hope we can work out our differences as we move forward. I'm tired of feeling like I'm Gaza City and you're Israel. Cut me some slack once in awhile, will ya? I promise to make more time for you. I'll try to make it home from work to have dinner with you a few nights a week, Blog. Oh hey, and great news---Mom says we can discontinue the weekend supervised visits. It's time to turn over a new leaf. I just know it Blog..this is the beginning of something great between you and I. Have faith in me.


With Warm Regards,

Will Tower
Deadbeat Dad Too Busy No Longer

Thursday, January 8, 2009

planes, trains, and automobiles

when i awoke (albeit massively hungover and near death) on January 1st 2009, i felt a wave of terror crash upon me. i was still the same person. maybe the worst version of myself ever.i have woken up on the past 9 different new years, pledging the same pathetic collection of resolutions and never once making good on any of them. That morning I wasnt sure if the unsettling feeling i was experiencing was do to the alcohol or my nerves, but i knew something needed to change. my wheels have begun spinning. i now have a plan.

now, i know that part of my problem is that i am a planner in the worst sense of the word. i plan to a fault. i wasnt always this way but in the last few years i have come to believe that if i plan, than nothing can surprise me. this has definitely proved false considering: i moved back home (not in my plan), my three year on/off boyfriend moved to colorado (not in my plan), and i still visit him (nope, no plan). But, alas, i am planning again. However, this time I am gonna need some help choosing. Gimme some feedback. What would you do? Where do you wanna go? Hey! Feel like coming along?

plan 1: yellowstone national park

i have applied to work 8-10 weeks at yellowstone park in wyoming. if chosen, i will live in a "bunker", with communal bathrooms, massive bugs (i assume), and be a waitress or retail cashier in one of their hotels.
But, i will also be breathing some of the most clean and wonderful air you can get your lungs on. i can take pictures, hike, canoe, do whatever the hell it is people do there. all that matters is that it is something that i havent ever done before.

plan 2: railroading
the lovely people at Amtrak have made it possible for you to purchase a 30-unlimited train ticket for $375. with said ticket you can go ALL OVER THIS GREAT COUNTRY ON A FREAKIN TRAIN! where ever you want to go, coast to coast. the whole while looking out our window at the various cities and plains you pass through. I plan on taking this trip to chicago, nashville, denver, moab, vegas, montanta and san fran. stopping where ever i want. meeting the salt of the earth.

plan 3: west coast trippin'
after flying out to denver, colorado I (and maybe a lil mattreen?) will drive to Moab Utah, the Grand Canyon, Death Valley, Joshua Tree and then up the Cali coast. Your typical road trip peppered with some sweet naturally occurring wonders.

plan 4: outward bound
i also applied to work for outward bound. OB is a fantastic company that takes kids and teens on adventures all over the country. kayaking, climbing, hiking, dog sledding. seriously, anything you can come up with they do. if chosen i get to come along as an adult logistics person for the trips. i will get to see parts of the country i typically would never see. the best part is that a lot of the work they do is with at-risk youths. getting kids outta the ghetto and into the wilderness for some good, back-country fun.

I am in a wonderful position where I dont have to work this summer (until Sept). So i wanna take advantage of that. I am planning on doing one of these trips. Help me out. what would you do? (WWYD)hahah

2008: A Retrospective

Intro
This is a really long post so to make it easier to read I’m breaking it up into parts. It was obviously written as one piece but if you read all of these individual posts from top to bottom it should still make sense – I hope. Enjoy.

I know this is late to be doing a year in review thing but I’ve been meaning to write this for a few weeks now and due to work, the holidays, etc. I haven’t been able to get it done. It’s Jan. 8 – no more excuses so I’m just going to write this and hopefully you don’t mind reading about everything that made this year so interesting for the umpteenth time.

Without a doubt, this year lived up to the hype as being one which will reshape the lives of everyone in our generations. The positive and negative events (and there were many of both) will have far-reaching effects for years to come. Rather than write about how I think I’ll feel about 2008 20 years from now, I’m going to write about what I feel right now; since I obviously have no way of knowing how I’ll feel 20 – or two for that matter – years from now.

The best comparison I’ve come up with for this year (and the one that I’m confident everyone reading this will get) is that 2008 was like a really stereotypical college party. Think about it for a minute and I think you’ll agree. Like any decent party, there were some great moments during the past 12 months. I mean really, really great fucking moments. Like winning a beer-pong game in triple overtime. Or watching some dumb freshman girl try and make it to the bathroom after doing a 30-second keg-stand. Or like starting a spontaneous game of flip cup at 3 a.m. Or rocking out to your favorite classic rock ballad. You get the point. 2008 had some awesome moments to remember.

But, also like any (or most) parties I can remember there were plenty of bad memories as well. And I’m not talking about the meaningless drama that accompanies a fun party like when the room goes silent as a couple gets into an awkward screaming match as their mutual friends stare at the floor. I mean this year had some all-out holy shit moments. Like “Guys, the cops are outside and they want to talk to you.” Or like on a morning-after when you realize that you filled the basin of your bathroom sink with some puke even though the toilet was one foot away.

Okay enough with the dumb analogies. Below, I’ll try and briefly list why I feel 08 was a party to remember.

The Bad


First the shitty stuff: One thing that will be burned in my head forever is the amount of really great people who died in 08. It was amazing this summer. One iconic human being passed away one right after the other – I still can’t believe half of these people are gone. Here’s a list off the top of my head (in no particular order)


-Tim Russert – the best and most trusted voice in American political journalism

- Jim McKay – sports broadcaster best known for breaking the news of the terrorist attack at the 72 Munich Olympics

- George Carlin – one of the best comedians ever, a voice of reason who knew how to make me laugh a lot

- Heath Ledger – he was great in everything he did but in the Dark Knight he showed a rare flash of greatness that should earn him an Oscar

- Bernie Mac – another great actor/comedian gone way too soon

- Bobby Murcer – former Yankee great who succumbed to cancer

- Paul Newman – maybe the best actor of his era (which is saying something given his contemporaries). What sets him apart is the millions of dollars he gave to needy people through his charities.

Next but not least: the economy. There’s nothing new I can contribute to the massive amount of what’s been said about the recession/borderline-depression. It sucks a whole lot. I feel like writing more than a brief paragraph would be a waste of space and of your time. I majored in journalism not economics for a reason. But from what I’ve read and seen I know that it will take a few years before this all gets back to a semblance of normalcy. So, suffice it to say, if you have a job you can tolerate, hold on to it. I know I am – no matter how disappointing it may be. Shit happens right?

The economy loomed larger than every other issue by far in 2008. In all reality, there weren’t many new negative events so much as continuations of past years worth of screw-ups. Like increasing violence in Afghanistan, politicians were exposed for corruption, and Russia invaded a neighboring country. These were among the many things which pointed to the fact that America was ready to head in a new direction. Perfect segue way to the good moments of 08.

The Good

Before we get to the most historic election of our lifetime, a brief note on what I consider the greatest year in sports ever. I’ve followed sports fanatically since I was a little child and while I’m still young, I cannot recall living through nor reading about a year with so many incredible events. The Lakers/Celtics meeting again in the NBA finals. Kansas winning the final four in dramatic overtime fashion. Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer competing in what has been declared the best tennis match ever at Wimbledon. The splendor of the Olympics and Michael Phelps’s eight Gold Medals. And I may be a little biased, but I believe Super Bowl 42 will go down as the greatest football game ever played. It didn’t hurt that the Giants won =)




In the wake of eight years of American citizens being royally pissed with their government, it was clear that the country was indeed ready for a change. Voters came out in droves and elected a man named Barack Hussein Obama. Who happens to be African-American. And I voted for him, and I’m proud of that. Again, much has been said on this most momentous of events that will forever mark 2008 as a watershed year for American culture. I just hope that when he gets down to work the 44th president can follow through on the many promises for change. Like everyone else I know, I’ll be rooting for him.



2008 was indeed a year worth remembering like any true college party would be. Let’s just hope 2009 isn’t anything like the hangovers I used to have after a night in the slum.
If you're still reading: thank you. Please share your feedback and happy new year!