Getting into the whirlwind

Can't tell how to interpret the slap in the face a flying disc gave me the other day. It happened in Tamra, from a well-meaning kid's errant throw.

On the one hand, it reminds me of last year's slap in the face. But there's more: like I'm feeling a little uncollected in terms of arrangements like my living, sleeping, traveling, unpacking. But after a few nights of very cold sleep - no heaters in the room where I'm sleeping - I broke down and bought an over-priced (but cheaply made) space heater. It improved my sleep but I'm still cranky from jet-lag and the few days of never really warming up :-/  That reminds me of adjustments I made when last year's living arrangements were new. This is all to say I'm feeling kind of worn down at the moment.

Yet on the other hand, the events I've been to so far have been great! Lots of good people are around, helping with many important projects for the organization. Conversations and decisions reflect added experience, wisdom, and maturity. A big meeting is approaching (set for Saturday) - and that kickstarts the year of working with local/mentor coaches. I'm wary of wasting people's time at the meeting, which has increased my worry about having the right goals and activities/discussions towards those goals. Fortunately they are all awesome, capable of helping a lot (even if asked at the last minute). And its going to be fun!

Hosa joins Tamra and Binyamina in a post-game cheer Tuesday

Middle East as a preferred term

Dear My People, thanks for bearing with me as I said goodbye to the region I called home for the last six months, and hello to the place I called home for the thirty years before that. When we talk about what I've been up to, and where Ultimate Peace happens, below is an explanation of why I say "the Middle East."

Silver Knights at the end of Camp Ultimate Peace 2014

1. A few years ago, David Barkan led off the orientation to Ultimate Peace Camp. And during that training period, one of the things that stuck with me is referring to our location as "the Middle East." He justified it by indicating that its a more inclusive term for all the people that would be attending - local and international coaches, campers from all walks of life, etc. This is the most important reason - a culture of inclusiveness and "one family."

2. Even when a war is not raging there, the area is in conflict - in other words, its contested. The history books are being edited every day to account for changes in local, regional, and international events. The war going on, for example, will change how Israel and leadership in the Gaza Strip relate to each other. Occupation - what's happening across the West Bank - manipulates how a place can define itself.

3. The international community disagrees on how to refer to the places and peoples.

4. Did you know that people in the region originate from lots of different tribes and national backgrounds (ie. the Jewish diaspora), speak lots of different languages and dialects (like how northern Bedouin and rural Arabic differ from that spoken in Ramallah), and/or have a discussion raging about how to refer to themselves (for example: Arabs or Palestinians)?

5. Its quicker to say "the Middle East" than "Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories," or "Israel and Palestine" (and follow up with "well, not its not exactly a full member of the United Nations, but...")

6. I'm interested in hearing what you think. How do you think your way of describing Ultimate Peace, or your visits there, or even your friends' visits there matter to you and your people?

What's actually been happening? Part 1

In the middle of September, my friend Matt and I went out on the Atlanta Beltline for some catching up. Our routine is to walk -or ride our bikes- up and back on the northeast section. So I mentioned to him being interested in international work, connecting it in part to what I did with the Carter Center last summer. In turn, Matt offers to introduce me to Rebecca, a friend of his who worked for NDI, another international elections observer group.

So Matt loops Rebecca and I together on email. Rebecca and I set up a phone conversation to get talking. And during our 30-minute talk on October 1st, she encourages me to seize the moment (meaning spring semester 2014 and maybe beyond) - why wait to get the kind of experience I'm saying interests me. Part of the argument is that organizations are looking for people to show their value before those people ask for a salary. And the other argument is that I'm not as old as I think I am (and that regretting not getting this experience at 23 isn't useful).

So once Rebecca and I are off the phone, I mull over what she said. Something clicks. A couple days later email David of Ultimate Peace about making this real. Side note: this was something David and I (along with Sarah VW) talked about back in 2011 - supporting the organization in developing the programs and doing it more like full-time.

By the following Sunday, David and I get on the phone together. Luckily, I had contacted him just ahead of Club Nationals, a tournament in Dallas that was coordinating with the Ultimate Hall of Fame induction ceremony (same city and weekend). David was going to be there -- to himself be inducted! This was the perfect opportunity to meet in the middle of the country and discuss, with Linda present, the opportunity ahead. So only two weeks after talking with Rebecca about seizing the moment, I met with Linda and David to make a real plan for making the move. And that folks is the start of what's been happening!

Robert Greenleaf - some leadership stuff

“Awareness is not a giver of solace—it is just the opposite. It is a disturber and an awakener. Able leaders are usually sharply awake and reasonably disturbed. They are not seekers after solace." 

I'm reading an article for class about servant-leadership, the little-known phrase for a much-practiced leadership approach. Larry Spears is the author of The Understanding and Practice of Servant-Leadership and quotes above Robert Greenleaf. Spears (no relation) was at the time of this writing the executive director of the Robert K. Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership, where I'm doing a fellowship.

My fellowship focuses on improving the Greenleaf Center's membership program -- offering benefits to members, finding new members, and engaging current members more heavily in the leadership conversation and journey. I've sent out a couple of surveys, researched some other groups, tried to understand the field and the organization. And I've got to produce some findings soon.

In the mean time, the quote above reminds me of my time at the Open Door Community on Ponce de Leon Ave here in Atlanta. One of the leaders there insists that too many people are well-adjusted to the wrongs of the world (like homelessness, poverty, and racism). And that our task in life is not to acclimate and accept them but to reject and act to change them. This can take a fierce amount of awareness and radical defiance of cultural norms.

Thoughts welcome.

Go Get It

The club ultimate season comes to an end this week in Sarasota, Florida. This represents the culmination of months of hard work, or years depending on how you look at it. Follow along at twitter.com/atlchain and usaultimate.org.

My team took ultimate-focused training extra seriously this year. Over the year, I put some of the stuff on youtube here and here. Here's a picture of an end-of-season from the trainer and his wife, to celebrate the two teams' partnership with EDGE Ultimate.

My two main mental occupations the last few days have been (1) logistics for the team and (2) my health - ankle, conditioning, speed. I want to make an impact on the game; and I know that the tournament requires a heavy, heavy dose of intensity from the very first play. So I'll work on that in the moment.

I want to put everything in caps, bold, or with an exclamation point at the end -- cause that's how I feel right now. Like everything's a little heightened just by proximity to this great pinnacle in my life. Oh, and my control -- over the logistics and my ankle, conditioning, and speed -- is basically exhausted.

My high school Arabic teacher would implore me to "do what you know!" I think that's what I'm doin. Thanks all for the support.

When you putt, and move, and think

Last year at this time, I was in a routine of going to visit grandpa. I would leave work in my car, sit in traffic, listen to a lecture series (on cassette) of physics for non-scientists. Grandpa and I would either swim, walk, or putt golf balls.

This routine gave me some real quality time with grandpa during his final months. I'll never regret that time. My routine visiting him, and listening to physics lectures, also meant I had an introduction to the basic academic understandings surrounding the universe, gravity, and motion. In part, I'm bringing this up because I miss my grandpa very much. I think about him very often. I tell stories about him - and I connect stories about myself to his example, his humor, and his life.

Also I bring up my routine of visiting grandpa because the physics lessons I got during my drives to see him made a bigger impression than I originally expected. In discussing life's ups and downs, its hard to ignore the physical comparisons...see what I did there? There are endless similarities between physical and psychological force. And though its naive to want to experience all of life's highs and lows, I really believe that life is lived to the fullest when one submits themselves to intense changes in altitude, speed, and trajectory.

I have Katie to thank for this question: "Do [you] ever feel like you can only really think when you're moving?"

Relax

"You have plenty of time."

Always loved this advice. And even in this time of change, and travel, and hectic weeks, its nice to remember I have plenty of time.

Times are changing. Seems that the older generation is getting sick and passing on. Several friends' grandparents are in poor health. Spears family spent some more time last weekend celebrating the life of George Spears.

Been traveling a bunch. For a mid hurricane wedding in Philly and then an ultimate tournament on the west coast. Thus the hippy sign over this Santa Cruz sandwich shop.

And free time during the week, or weekend, is hard to come by. Though maybe I should digest the sandwich shop message even more.

Ultimate Peace 13 - Getting Into Some Afterthoughts

Now that I have returned from Ultimate Peace Camp and jumping all over the Middle East, I get to jump all over the place in terms of reliving and blogging the experience. First off, some of the multicultural moments from camp. Great memories, as anticipated, came from the dance floor.

Evening activities committee (group of a few coaches) had the whole week planned out pretty well, from ice-breakers to a talent show, galaxy quest to camp slide shows. But for the second or third evening of camp, we had only a few details lined up in pulling together Cultural Night.

We chose to highlight Arab, Israeli, and American cultures in several different ways. Started by planning three dances - one from each culture:

• the Israeli hora
• the Arab dabka
• the American cupid shuffle

Also had desserts...baklava was involved. And every player and coach was responsible for learning to write their name in three different languages (English, Arabic, and Hebrew).

Here are two pictures of the cupid shuffle. You can tlel the crowd went from learning to enjoying pretty quickly.

Also, here is a video of dancing under a full moon the last night of camp:

Just talkin

Count me among the sufferers here in Atlanta's coldest weather ever. It snowed non-stop from yesterday afternoon to this morning. And the wind chill was in single digits. And it was windy. And snowing. Enough of that.

My housemates and I constructed a rec room yesterday during the snowstorm. There's a space, like a hallway, between the two bedrooms upstairs. Its just the right size, we figured out, to put a tv in a nook and have some seating (and ddr pads) in the middle. I'm sore today from all the wii olympic games. Check out Andrew's blog for some footage from the event.

Been doing some christmas shopping. Bought a tree, a sweater, a chair cover, a photograph, and more. Still on my list are a book, a cast-iron skillet (hope you're not reading this potential recipient), gift card or two. I'm feeling generous this year and very grateful for family.

I just finished Eat, Pray, Love. Saw the third movie in the Millenium Series (books by Stiegg Larson) and finished that book recently. Now I'm onto The Unbearable Lightness of Being. I like it a lot so far.

Lessons from Eat, Pray, Love

A few months ago, I went with my family to see the cinematic version of Eat, Pray, Love. I got into it and a couple weeks after borrowed the book to read at my leisure.

Now that I'm in full leisure mode, taking time to read the book is exactly what I'm doing. And here are some notes I'd like to make from the book, both of which come from the "big texas yogi" the protagonist spends time with while at an ashram in India.

1. send love and light every day to the people you miss and love, particularly those who you loved closely. this is relevant for me cause, even though we've been apart for more than five years, an ex-girlfriend's marriage last year hit me hard. i hope she's sending light my way sometimes - and i hope that i find the strength to do the same for her.


2. "you gotta learn how to let go...otherwise you'll just toss and turn forever, beatin' on yourself for being such a fiasco in life." the other day i lost my cell phone in an idiotic stretch of drunk dancing in the street (on a sunday night).

Glad to hear comments when y'all got 'em. Or just keep sending my thoughts out to ya (and by keep sending i mean send only very periodically and almost never).

Some news today

Don't know how to start this post except to take a deep breath and commence typing.

Andrew Breitbart, a commentator for the Washington Times, is on my sh*t list for two reasons. More broadly, I'm feelin angry and upset about shit going down in Washington (and all over). First, Breitbart blames my U.S. representative for being called the n-word last weekend. Speaking of John Lewis and Jim Clyburn, after they were harassed between their office and the capitol, Breitbart says "they should be the objects of ridicule [for walking through the crowd]."

Secondly, Breitbart has now issued a reward offer of $10,000 for video of the harassment Congressman Lewis and colleagues experienced. If anyone has video that the N-word was thrown at the Congressmen, Breitbart will cut a check to the UNCF. By the way, countless news sources have reported the N-word was yelled. Raising his profile seems to be Breitbart's intent here.

By now, there are critics of members of congress even responding to requests for comment. Its all of a sudden a partisan act when one states the facts of an incident... I'm upset this is all so fucking hateful - or is it anymore hateful than usual, only now just coming to the surface?

Good for the creative loafing for having a sense of humor - at least humor is somewhat constructive, as opposed to the Tea Party who have done little except tear people down. So what can Congressman Lewis do - or anyone else concerned about the issue of health insurance reform but also decency and positivity? Respond to the demand for video? Ignore it and leave the hateful activists to roast in the light of day?

Anticipation time

Almost five months have passed since the '09 ultimate season. But I've only posted once in that time about something other than ultimate. This post is no different. I guess ultimate remains my main safe topic, the one I can most easily elaborate on without worrying about privacy and such. Naturally, people blog about their main hobbies, which ultimate most certainly is. Lastly, and this is something characteristic of most hobbies, its something that I think I do well, or I have reason to feel good about my success in the area.

I'm also really good at giving more introduction than is necessary then running out of energy for the intended post. I want to talk about the upcoming season, think through a little more what 2010 means.

The big news, and maybe I haven't fully leaked this to my swarms of readers yet, is that Chain has been invited to Prague, Czech Republic, for the World Ultimate Club Championships this summer. I can remember in 2006 when Ozone qualified for Worlds how much fun and meaning the Atlanta women's team had in their trip to Australia. So not only is this a great opportunity to represent our nation and city, but its a unique chance to experience time in historic central Europe... plus ultimate.

I trust there will be life after Prague, but its so tempting to build up all excitement around that week-long tournament and travel opportunity.

The ultimate season is pretty straightforward after July. We take a few weeks off, return for hot August. Then the Fall Series is upon us again: sectionals, regionals, nationals. In fact, I'm considering taking on the role of Regional Coordinator for the South open division of the UPA. That would depend, like the Prague opportunity and the Fall Series, on how my job situation plays out...

Other things going on include team fundraising. We're hoping to host a big party, a big bar night, and a juniors (and maybe college players) clinic. But my anticipation of this year is huge, not only because expectations of Chain have skyrocketed, but also because I'm anxious to see how the year goes (personally, professionally, ultimately). I guess I'll just have to enjoy the whole thing unfolding.

Short aside: Terminus this past weekend was epic. Fun team pic below (official team name was Full Par - golf, drinking, and Tiger Woods were part of the theme). Thanks kate, lori, and mccargo for organizing the team and tourney. Everybody else, good job enjoying the weekend.

Blog round-up

Coming up on 11 months into the year, I often find it worth mentioning the Moleskine Journal Around the World project. Props to Angela for keeping the Project, and her friends, in the light lately. We're really excited about what could come back from across the six continents and seven seas.

Julia B has decided to pick up and move again. Cali was an experiment, Philly was the interim, and next is Hotlanta. I think Jermaine Dupri and Ludacris have a song waiting for you... it starts with "Welcome to..."

Warning.

Good for you, Lauren, for recognizing that you'd rather not be blogging when there's so much other Peace Corps, community, and personal stuff to do in Guatemala. Also, for those who have an itch to mail somebody something, a care-package wish list is on her page's right sidebar.

I'm thankful for y'all and our keeping in touch.

Baby and the cup

Here's part 2 of the story about how I've spent time with the UPA's open division national championship trophy. Click here for part 1 of this story and go here for the latest Chain Lightning bits.

Monday night every week I try to visit with my niece. My cousin and her husband are generous enough to invite me for the hour-long episode of Heroes. Last night was a real good time hanging out with the 9-month old girl, her parents, and the trophy. Here's Lily scoping out the shiny cup (and based on her line of vision in this picture she was reading the past winners).

Here's Lily pointing to where "Chain Lightning" and "Atlanta" should and soon will be.

And of course the night ends with a little drinking.

Inauguration Good Night

With all the drama and major legislation marking up the beginning of Obama's administration, its now a certainty that he's in office. So I should really close out the whole series of posts from Inauguration. I did the final picture purge yesterday; today's a little emotional additive.

Here's what I recorded the evening I got back to Atlanta after inauguration weekend. Setting is I'm in my rocking chair for the first time in a week, about to close my eyes for the night, and wanting to grasp the moment just a little longer. I'll let it speak for itself...

I'm resisting the temptation to get in bed and let the weekend slip into a memory. Now the inauguration,t he people and closeness of humanity, and the weary feeling of travel there/back... these sensations are still frseh in my heart and body.

The ten hour drive from dc today went well though I could feel the distance before I had even departed. Instead of visiting friends latel ast night I chose to retire early (if 1am is early). And my regret for things undone, people underconnected with, and... just rambling now.

The point is that this weekend made world history and surpassed most, if not all, weekends in personal history. My strong love for GW ultimate and the friends from there continues to give me strength when we're together. But when we're apart my pride mixes with sadness at the separation between us.

I believe I saw Obama's silhouette last night (in his pimp limo) and the motorcade of Joe Biden, both times only a few yards away. I'm looking forward to developing the pictures and framing some of the weekend's memorobilia. 

Inauguration Closing

Got some pictures I've decided to wrap up into one big post. Inauguration season on this blog is almost over...

On the way to DC, Mitch spilled coffee all over the back seat mat :)

After the 10.5 hour car ride up to DC, the four of us were still all smiles 

Saturday party preparation: the jello shot chef admiring his work 

Getting the job done out in the cold

Packing the car with two laundry baskets full of jello shots

Late night Sunday three of us get into some serious shenanigans 

Making we sure we returned all the cans of beer, just like we found them a couple hours earlier

Beer makes people do stupid things, like fight

(Dave's looking to tap out as) Ashley is rendered incapacitated with laughter

The car ride back - done completely in daylight on Wednesday - with this group of folk

Why I Travel Alot

Talking with hippo-friend, Christina, I had a kind of emotional moment this morning. She and I are emailing back and forth, and this thread is about favorite foods. I mentioned I plan to be home this weekend and may be able to cook some of those delicious things we were talking about (banana nut pancakes).

And I had this immediate, wrenching, sad sensation when I wrote that I plan to be home. I am going to be here in Atlanta this weekend, alone in the house, cooking brunch for myself -- before going to play goaltimate or something else Saturday afternoon. 

And my realization was that I want to be back in DC, where I was a couple weeks ago -- enjoying meals and parties with the best friends in the world. And I want to be hanging out with them some more, seeing them and sleeping on the same pull-out couch mattress-on-the-basement floor with them, etc.

If I can't hang out with these friends, then at least I want to be traveling -- not stuck at home without anybody, ya know. So that's Why I Travel      Alot.

Christmas Time

With Grandpa and Lelia in town, my family went Saturday night to our close friends' home for a holiday party. You'll notice holidays comes from two words combined, holy and day.

But the holiday party wasn't religious -- focused on faith. It was more culinarous, or focused on food. Baba ghanoush (which had a cameo in one of those new beer commercials), cous-cous, stuffed grape leaves, bruschetta, etc.

We passed around photos, commented on the Christmas tree decorations, drank wine, learned more about Channukah, ate plenty, talked. Above is a picture from the party last year, with grandpa and Lelia. (grandpa had fallen at the Y that day)

Then, at home, my family spent a little while last night decorating the Christmas tree, putting four strands of lights and not quite as many unique decorations on as usual.

Sayin Somethin Significant

I would like to use as a subject from which to preach this morning: "Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution." The text for the morning is found in the book of Revelation. There are two passages that I would like to quote, in the sixteenth chapter of that book: "Behold, I make all things new; former things are passed away."

On March 31, 1968, Dr Martin Luther King, Jr visited Washington, DC to spoke these words at the famous National Cathedral.

The first thing that strikes me about the above introduction is the similarity between the words revolution and revelation. Using this history of the latin revolvere and this etymology of the latin revelare, we understand that revolution means more re-birth or renewal and revelation denotes more disclosure and revealing. For Dr King, just like today's pronunciation, the two were intertwined.

Dr King is quite up front in "Remaining Awake" about the triple evils of his day:

• poverty
• racism
• militarism

And he talks about the challenges for people of good conscience in facing those threats. Mainly, time is on the side of the oppressor. And a narrow worldview will always limit the possibilities of an international brotherhood of the human race.

Failing to develop new attitudes and mental responses is a symptom of sleeping through a revolution. With poor people from across America, Dr King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference planned to "call attention to the gulf between promise and fulfillment; to make the invisible [i.e. poverty, the poor] visible."

In addition to making demands of the government, Dr King's campaign was carrying out strategic boycotts of products and companies across the south: for failure to hire Black workers, invest in Black communities, and offer the dignity that humans deserve.

Before ending this eloquent and direct sermon, Dr King reminded us that standing against war was not popular. The media, along with people within the civil rights movement, lobbied Dr King to silence his opposition to the War in Vietnam. But Dr King did not seek the consensus. From his days in the Montgomery bus boycott, Dr King and the people there aimed to move the consensus.

Though his positions were not always expedient, they came from his conscience. Dr King was fatally shot only five days after this 'Remaining Awake' speech, giving his words, spoken in the nation's capitol, even more weight.

In his truly anti-war speech, Dr King noted that "true compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar....it comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring." This, indeed, is a revolution worth remaining awake for.

Your day

Among my goals this week was getting plenty of rest ahead of the Labor Day Ultimate Championships in Santa Cruz. I'm excited about that and about recognizing today as very significant.

I stayed up for Hillary's great speech Tuesday; I didn't sleep through that revolution, to use Dr King's phrase from his speech at the National Cathedral. In addition to Tuesday night's less than hoped-for sleep, I went out last night to the Independent and Highlander... mediocre bars and great company and went to bed around 12:30.

Within the first hour here at work this morning, co-workers talked about a house break-in, Bill Clinton's and Joe Biden's speeches last night, and what's coming up at the Democratic National Convention- including Congressman John Lewis' remarks to commemmorate the '63 March on Washington and Dr King's 'I Have a Dream' speech. Also, someone passed me the link to this great lion-human reunion video that might make you cry.

Today marks the 53rd anniversary of Emmitt Till's murder. This also being mom's birthday gives the date alot of weight and import. Just thought I'd share and open up the chance for others to share about their day.