Four years

My love, you're electric
your vibe is kinetic, and it resonates like a tuning fork in me
I'm in love with your aesthetic
a taste so eclectic that you may be from another galaxy.

Maybe it's fate
or maybe you're my soul mate, but I know one thing's for sure
my state is elation when I tune in to your station
and I can't help but want more.

We'll swim in the fountain
we'll climb all the mountains, and we might turn down the wrong path
And the last time we did that, our legs they were shaking
but we still couldn't help but laugh.

You're the one that I'll stay with
one hundred years and a day with. You know that I'm going to try.
I'll be the boy you want to play with, go on your first and last date with,
and you'll never even have to question why.

So wake up and rub your kaleidoscope eyes
let's walk down to the beach, all we need's our bare feet
and we'll watch the sun rise on the rest of our lives.

September

The sweet scent of summer air
is wafting through my lover's hair.
I drink it in and hold it there
for Fall is drawing ever near.

The freckles on her face I see
will soon be lost in rustling leaves.
I kiss them sweetly in the sun
and feel the crispness of the air.

An apple resting on the ground
and in her hair a golden brown
She wears the season like a smile
Autumn you are finally here.

The life of Roger Brockelbank

Below is the eulogy for my grandfather, Roger Brockelbank, as written by my mother. After his recent passing, I started writing about him myself, but after hearing my mother's take on it, I realized that I could never paint the picture quite as well as she did...

     An engineers cap, a dungaree coat, a black truck and a German shepherd at his side; if I say these words to you and one person’s name doesn’t come to mind, then you never knew my father Roger Brockelbank. These words were the epitome of him but there was so much more to the man. Roger was a loving son, devoted husband, adoring father and grandfather and caring friend. He had a deep passion for animals especially dogs and cats and gave a warm loving home to many. He was an avid woodworker, sports enthusiast especially football ( go Patriots!) and a music lover particularly smooth jazz. He was the hardest working man I have ever known. My father led a simple, uncluttered and uncomplicated life. He gave a lot and asked very little in return.

     Roger was born August 9, 1930, at the height of the depression to a family of little means. His father was non-existent in his life and life wasn’t easy for his mother being a single parent. His mother did marry a wonderful man, Fred Sturtevant, when he was 11 years old, but sadly, he died at the young age of 53. As a young child my father quickly learned if he were to have any of his dreams come true, he would have to work to make it happen. This was the jumping off point of my father’s incredible work ethic. At the age of 11 Roger joined the work force delivering newspapers in his hometown of Ipswich. He had 75 customers during the week and on weekends he and his friend, Gump Stone, delivered the Sunday paper to 250 customers. They met the train in the early morning hours on Sunday, put the sections of the paper together at the Ipswich paper store, loaded the papers onto a huge wooded push cart and pushed that heavy cart house to house. The Sunday paper was 23 cents. He and Gump made a whopping 3 cents per paper. A constant companion as he worked…a German shepherd named Skipper. Skipper’s owner, Arthur Philpot, came to realize his dog had chosen a new master. Arthur showed up at my dad’s house one day with a leash, dish and food. “This dog loves you and I know you’ll take good care of him,” he said. When my dad came home from school Skipper would run to the door with the newspaper bag in his mouth ready for work. Skipper and dad were together for many years. Dad’s life was richer for the time spent with him.

     Dad met my mother, Jackie, when they were in their mid teens and on July 8, 1951 they were married. He was 20 and she was only 18. “They Tried to Tell Us We’re Too Young,” was their song because their parents did just that. After 59 years of marriage I guess they told them!

     Roger worked as a mechanic in his teens and twenties and through his service with the Marine Corps from 1952-54. The role he was born to play came between 1953 and 1958. My dad became a father to three children, my sister, Cheryl, my brother, Scott and myself. For a man who’s father was absent in his life he excelled as a dad. How lucky for the three of us that he was our dad!

     Our family resided in Ipswich until Nov.22, 1963. The saddest day for our country became the happiest for the Brockelbank family. Dad was offered a job as caretaker on a 60 acre estate in Wenham and the home of The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. Jim Scahill, the caretaker at the Ipswich novitiate recommended dad for the job. “Is he Catholic?” Sister Superior asked Jim. Jim replied, “No, but he the man for the job.” My father spent the next 27 years proving just that.

     Dad hit the ground running. There was so much to do and so much to learn. A man was sent to tutor dad on the inner workings or heartbeat of the convent, the boiler and pumping system. Bill Murphy was the “go to guy” on the subject of boilers. Bill took my father under his wing and for weeks guided him through the complex heating and plumbing system. Dad and Bill became fast friends. They were cut from the same fabric. Their work ethic was impeccable. Bill was a true country gentleman. On the job he wore his old work clothes. When he popped in for a visit on a Sunday he wore a collared shirt, cashmere sweater, dress slacks and wing-tipped shoes. Dad liked that. He’d say, “Mr. Murphy is a classy guy. ”Bill and my dad would sit at the kitchen table sipping coffee on a Sunday and the conversation would go on for hours and hours. Both had an insatiable gift to gab. Bill was a role model, a mentor and a father figure to my dad. Sadly Bill passed away in his 60’s over 30 years ago. My dad cried over the loss of his dear friend but his life was richer having known him.

     My father took his job at Notre Dame as serious as a heart attack. The big black truck with Baron, his German shepherd, in the back was ever present around the property. Everyday he dove headfirst into work. Plowing and shoveling in winter, spring clean-up, mowing and raking in the summer, leaf blowing and more raking in the fall, as well as electrical and plumbing repairs, painting, car repairs and the list goes on. Dad became a workaholic. On occasion us kids would help out or the Sisters would lend a hand which was sometimes helpful…. sometimes not. A group of Sister’s and I helped dad with spring clean-up one year. The end result left my dad’s truck stuck in the mud up to the bumper on the road to the dump. When my dad arrived on the scene one sister was behind the wheel with the peddle to the metal, gunning the engine and three sisters and I were at the back of the truck, pushing, covered in mud from head to toe. My father just shook his head as he went to the garage to find something to extract his truck with. Another time, however, three sisters helped my dad carry a snow blower up two flights of stairs so he wouldn’t have to shovel off an entire flat roof. I guess it all balances out.

     My father would often recruit our help when doing a two-man job. He had no sanding truck on the estate. Instead he had to throw sand from the back of the truck with a shovel. He instructed me on the art of throwing sand so it would fan across the roadway. “O.K., I can do that,” I said. Dad inched the truck forward, I dug my shovel into the sand and let it fly. That sand landed like a nice big cow plop at the side of the road. It was absolutely pathetic. My father came to the back of the truck, lifted me to the ground and marched me to the cab of the truck. “Plan B,” he said. I quickly said a little prayer that my driving skills would far surpass my sanding skills. A little instruction from dad and away we went down the main driveway, dad throwing sand like the pro he was and me driving like I was born to do it. My father took a leap of faith that day. I’m so glad I didn’t disappoint.

      In 1965, my father nearly lost his life in an explosion on the estate. He sustained second and third degree burns over 40 percent of his body. The entire order of Sisters of Notre Dame prayed for his recovery. How blessed we were to have him in our lives for another 45 years.

      As for my dad’s happiest times, I can say without a doubt he was in his glory at home with us, his family. He was a “get down on the floor and play” kind of dad. Suppertime was most important to him. To sit around the table and connect through conversation, stories and the day’s events tied us together with a common thread. Our family was and still is close, and my father made sure every doctor and nurse at Burlington Lahey was aware of our bond. Sunday’s were a family day growing up. It was a day for being home with each other, a day for dad to stack his record albums on the stereo and fill the house with music. Did I tell you my father was a music lover? For a man with no musical talent he had great taste in music. We grew up on such jazz greats as Erroll Garner, Sergio Mendez, Sarah Vaughn and Dave Brubeck. Dad expanded his musical tastes as we grew older. We began to find James Taylor, Blood Sweat And Tears, Chicago and Steely Dan albums in his collection. My dad had become the “cool” dad. He knew all the big names and the band they were with. How many 80-year-olds do you know who know the names Steven Tyler, Keith Richards, Joe Perry, Pete Cetera, Roger Daultry  and  Pete Townsend. My father did.

      Weekends and evenings were also a time for dad to retreat to the basement to his workshop. The old talk show Sports Talk with Eddie Andleman played on the radio. He created so many beautiful pieces of furniture in our home and I took pride in them. I remember as a kid showing off my dad’s talents to friends who came to our house. Cheryl, Scott and I would have our one on one time with dad as he taught us the rules of carpentry; safety first, measure twice, cut once and remember to allow for the cut of the blade. He encouraged us to be “hands on,” to start up the radial arm saw and actually make the cut. He taught us as if we were to be the next Bob Villa. Dad loved sharing his knowledge and time with each one of us.

     My father was a lover of animals especially his German shepherds and his 22 year old kitty, Emmy Lou. He loved football, baseball, antique cars and auto shows, ice cream, coffee and cookies (ya, he had a real sugar Jones). He cherished his years in Wenham with the Sisters of Notre Dame, the trips to their home in North Conway and time away, alone with his best girl, Jackie.

     As for me, I’m grateful for the time spent. The family gatherings, the trips up north, painting at the Montessori School, countless visits and Sunday dinners at home and patronizing our favorite restaurants for dad’s favorite… seafood. I am ever grateful for our trip we took together to San Francisco two years ago. We had a ball!

     Today, my father is making new memories with his long missed friend, Bill Murphy. I’m sure Bill and dad are sharing their many long-winded stories that go on and on and on. Enjoy your old friend, Dad, until we’re together again… we love you.

Spring

I paddled out on the water yesterday and surfed what was left of the last storm that passed through. The clouds broke over me, and I knew that thousands of thirsty New Englanders would finally be getting a drink of the blue sky after far too many days of rain. Later that day I'd notice the trees in Cambridge starting to bud as they slowly open their ingenious photosynthesizing umbrellas. And the squirrels in the park were digging up their treasures, getting fatter and fluffier by the day.

This morning the marshes were glowing green at dawn. A layer of cool fog was quickly burning away from the warmth of trillions upon trillions of photons radiating from the peeking eye of the sun. Beach houses lined up on the horizon to watch the spectacle. They stood in the haze like cool gray paper cut-outs. A handful of sentinels clad in black neoprene were floating on the water and watched as the sun rose over an all-too-finite ocean. Meanwhile a 70+ year old woman jogged the length of Ocean Boulevard as she must have many, many times before.

Happy World Water Day!

Today is World Water Day and I thought I'd celebrate by sharing what I've been doing to try and join this movement to reclaim our planet.  It may sound a bit dramatic, I know, but every day new statistics show us how unsustainable our society has become.  For example, 200,000,000,000 (that's 200 BILLION) bottles of water are consumed globally every year.  Still, all it takes is a little thoughtfulness on the part of consumers to change this picture.  If we demand sustainable industry, we'll get it.

I started a twitter account (http://twitter.com/adam_n_fraser), some months ago and only recently noticed that 90% of my tweets were focused on conservation and sustainability.  Thanks to groups like EWG, The Surfrider Foundation, Credo Mobile, Food Democracy Now!, and The Zeitgeist Movement, I've found many new ways to take action on causes that really need support at the grassroots level.  So I made the decision to keep my tweets focused on these issues with hopes of spreading awareness so that other people who follow me will learn what I'm learning.  Hopefully some of you will be persuaded to take action in some small way – whether it be by signing a petition, boycotting bottled water, or participating in a beach cleanup – every little bit helps.

Here are a few links I've shared recently...

The Story of Bottled Water
In celebration of World Water Day, Annie Leonard brings us another informative video about the misconceptions about bottled water versus the tap.

The Story of Cap and Trade
Anyone ever heard of this proposed "solution" to global warming? Think it's a good idea? Watch this short video.

The Zeitgeist Movement: Envisioning A Sustainable Future
An excellent article by The Huffington Post, highlighting the primary argument of The Zeitgeist Movement.

Metropolis
This short film by Rob Carter, resonated deeply with me. We're just passing through.

Bracket Of Evil

I had a good laugh... make your votes count!

A New Approach to China
Google stood up to increased censorship and cyber attacks from China. A bold move in the name of freedom of information.

Protect the Clean Air Act
A petition to prevent pro-coal politicians from blackening our lungs.

Better School Lunches
Michelle Obama campaigned for better school lunches! Say thanks.

Stoked

Sunny with head high drops, the perfect morning.

Life is for the living

A friend of mine is almost finished with college and planning a 6 month trek from Western Europe through the Middle East and across the breadth of Asia.  Someone might say he's taking a big risk by not diving into the job market straight out of school.  I say that we need to grab every opportunity that allows us to truly enjoy life, and if such an opportunity does not present itself, then fucking make it happen.  The biggest risk is waiting a lifetime to truly live.

"First I was dying to finish high school and start college. And then I was dying to finish college and start working.
Then I was dying to marry and have children.
And then I was dying for my children to grow old enough so I could
go back to work.  But then I was dying to retire.
And now, I am dying... And suddenly I realized I forgot to live."
- unknown

"We live as if we are never going to die.
We die as if we have never lived."
-unknown

... I wasn't able to dig up an author for either quote, but the message is what is important here.

A little country living, a little white trash, and a lot of love

It just occurred to me that I never wrote a word about what came of the home-buying process, so I'm going to do my best to sum up the experience. The long and the short of it is that everything worked out. The original underwriters ended up coming back and saying that they'd take the loan after we decided to seek out another one.

We closed the deal and moved in on Thursday, August 20th with the immense help of my family and friends. Over the next weeks my parents made us VERY happy that we moved to a place so close to them by coming over frequently and doing inordinate amounts of work around the house including garden work, lawn mowing, gutter cleaning, weed whacking, pressure washing, trash disposal, and countless other tasks.

The empty space inside the house quickly filled with our things and became our own. It took time for most of our boxes to become unpacked, and we've still got some painting and decorating to do here and there, but by-and-large we're moved in. So far I've succeeded in replacing some windows, and I learned a bit about maintaining the pool. I cleaned and reorganized the work bench in the cellar so we know where to go when we need a nail, or screw, or circular saw or blowtorch head. Which reminds me, we've managed to inherit a bajillion things leftover from the previous owner and her ex husband. So... since lists are fun:

• Somewhat expected: refrigerator, washer, dryer, dishwasher
  
• 1 snow blower
• 1 reversible leaf blower / mulcher
• 1 very nice patio set
• 2 auxilliary patio sets
  
• 1 big play structure with slide, climbing wall, and swingset
• 1 heavy duty 2-wheel barrow
• 1 treadmill
• 1 air-hockey table
• 1 trash barrel enclosure
• 2 trash barrels
• 1 extra long hose
• assorted pool supplies
• rakes, shovels and brooms
  
• 1 tree trimmer
  
• 2 ladders
• 1 circular saw
• 1 drill
• 1 electric sander
  
• 2 toolboxes chock full of tools
  
• ~8 box cutters
  
• tons of latex gloves
• 1 frozen turkey
• 2 air conditioners
• 1 tape recorder
• lots of cans of paint
• extra floor tiles and a tile cutter
• 1 christmas tree stand
  

...the list goes on.

From the date we moved in, we still had a solid 8 days of vacation to get settled. I'd highly recommend this to anyone else who moves into a new house in August. I was worried it would feel like a wasted vacation since we didn't go anywhere, but the newness of our home, and the fact that we had a pool and a beach nearby just made it perfect. We felt like we were staying in a vacation home, and since it was August a lot of friends were able to find time to come by and join our little fantasy.

Now it's safe to say that we are cozy with the idea of this being our permanent abode. Our thoughts are now turning to closing the pool, and putting out autumnal decor. I am also taking full advantage of our proximity to the beach by making frequent trips to Hampton for a little surf and peace of mind. Besides the beach, so many of our favorite places are within 10 minutes drive of us, like Cinnamon Rainbows surf shop, food at The Secret Spot, KBs, Tripoli or Dairy Queen, bluegrass music and apple picking at Applecrest Farm, downtown Newburyport and Amesbury, Maudslay park, and my parents and grandparents houses. And who can deny the importance of the other contrasting locales such as Kittens, Joe's Playland, Tens Club, and the good ol' Seabrook Market Basket! We're creamy coastal, country living, with a bits of white trash sprinkled on top for flavor. Come visit sometime!

VOTE for Me!

I've joined a photo competition on Brickfish to see if I can win $1000!

Please follow the link and click the VOTE button to show your support.
http://www.brickfish.com/GoToPage.aspx?qsi=19011649

Every vote is super appreciated and votes can be made once every 8 hours, so vote EVERY day!


It feels good to participate in competitions like this. I don't know why I don't do it more often. I used to spend so much time working on photos and sharing them online, hoping to get a good response out of people. While my days at deviantArt are far from over, my participation level has dropped off, and I've found myself overly critical of what I share. Maybe it's time to get back on the saddle, if only to create something beautiful again.

The Underwriters

Well, I've spent the better part of the morning explaining what's going on with the home-buying process to people. If I keep this up, I won't get anything done the rest of the day, so here's my attempt to quell the masses.

Sparing a lot of detail on what all the paperwork means, and how many times we've signed each form, revised form et cetera, it is sufficient to say that we have bled ourselves dry scanning, faxing, notarizing, and signing documents. We have now provided sufficient proof of financial capability and signed bajillions of forms, extensions, contracts, agreements and so on to please the many parties involved (including the sellers, the realtors, the loan officers, the attorneys, the underwriters, and so on).

We're at the end of the line, and we're ready to close... we were SUPPOSED to be closing today. But after many back-and-forths we have extended the contract until next Tuesday because the underwriters are not satisfied with what they got back from the appraisers. Sadly this doesn't mean we'll definitely be closing by Tuesday. If there's anything I've learned from this process, it's that nothing is set in stone.

On another note, I recently realized that I never contemplated who the hell "the underwriters" actually were. Thinking about it a little, the name says it all: they sign the bottom line. So that would be our lender, Eastern Bank, right? Guess again. -- One thing I didn't know going into this was that Eastern Bank was going to sell our loan to Citi. They are the "underwriters." They're the ones who will foot the other 80% of the dough to buy this house, and in 30 years, we will have paid them nearly twice its value. It's pretty frustrating to realize that the most money that I've ever spent is going to go directly to a money-hungry mega-bank like Citi when I'd much rather be supporting a smaller local institution.

[ Note (from a soapbox): Some lenders will guarantee that they will not sell your loan to another institution. Keep that in mind when you decide to buy a home. You will be spending more money than you ever have in your life, but you have a choice on how to spend it. It's sad but true that, in this world, money is power, the power to show your values. Never forget that we have a choice. Every purchase made is a statement of our values as a society. Do we value quality products and services, or quantity and speed? Do we value sustainability and the environment or will we leave that to the next generation to worry about? I'm ashamed to be giving Citi bank hundreds of thousands of dollars when I know that their institution does not reflect my values in banking. Whatever your values are, don't let yourself make the same mistake. Don't forget you have a choice. ]

Off the soapbox.

So what's up with the underwriters. Well, they've gotten the appraisal of the house, which includes 6 "comps" or comparable homes. Three of the comps are a better deal than our house, two are a worse deal, and one is about the same. They've decided that they want to see one more comp before moving forward. Remember, the underwriters want to get a good deal (and so do we, admittedly) since they're investing in the house. If the 7th comp indicates that we're getting a good/fair deal on the house, then we move forward and close. However, if it indicates that we could get a better deal on the house, then they would expect us to pay less for it (revise the purchase amount). Alternately, we could try our luck with another underwriter.

We are at the mercy of the banks. "We", being Ashley, myself, and the sellers of the house, who are in an arguably even worse situation than we are since there's a chance that we could come around and say, "We love your house, but the banks think it's overvalued and they want us to pay $X less than the previously agreed price." If $X is $10,000, then they're either screwed out of $10K, or they have to go back to market with the house knowing full well that this could all happen again.

Ashley, myself, and the sellers have all spent MONTHS on this transaction. We've packed our lives up into boxes and prepared to move, and the sellers have probably moved already. So much emotional energy and money has been invested. It feels like we've been pulled back and forth by unyielding forces, and after so many compromises, commitments, phone calls and signatures, we've finally reached the end. And before us is a nameless, faceless automaton in a business suit sitting atop an impossibly tall podium with a stamp in his hand.

It's in your head
in your head
zombie, zombie, zombie

The Virgin Homeowner

So much for keeping up with my life on here. If I had been writing even once a month, I might have at least mentioned that Ashley and I put an offer on a house on True Road in Salisbury. I might have also talked about the insanely frustrating process of counteroffers. Then there was the ridiculously expensive and disappointing home inspection. But I haven't written a damn thing for months, so it looks like I've got a lot of catching up to do.

The house we found is a modest 1400 square foot ranch sitting on a not-so-modest 1.37 acre plot which is quite beautifully landscaped with gardens all around and a pond with ducks and frogs in the back. It has a large, sunny living room, a beautiful country kitchen with an island that opens into a dining room with a fireplace, 3 bedrooms and a bathroom. All the appliances in the kitchen are new, as are the washer and dryer in the big basement. To top it all off, a 2 level deck and patio are attached to the back of the house overlooking the amazingly peaceful backyard. We loved the place the first time we saw it, and couldn't help but fantasize about getting married in the back yard.

While the property appeared near-perfect, the location was even better: a 5 minute drive from my parents, and less than 10 minutes to the train station and the beach. So we got a pre-approval letter from the bank and made an offer. They countered, then we countered, and they countered again, and we agreed and rewrote contract... and then they decided they weren't going to sign it and were going to stick with their asking price. Apparently they weren't in a rush to sell and were confident they could get asking price in the fall if need be. Whatever, we caved and said yes.

Frustrated with the first steps of the process, we set out to looking for an inspector. After talking to several different people, we landed on a guy from Gloucester with over 30 years of experience. Not only was he the most experienced inspector I talked to, but also the most available... and unfortunately the most expensive. Nevertheless, we met at the house last Wednesday along with our agent and the sellers agent, and started picking the house apart. We learned everything about every system in the house, from the oil tank, to the boiler, to the electrical service, plumbing, insulation, chimney, roof, siding... everything. We started inside and by the time we got outside, there weren't any major issues to speak of, just an aging oil tank, an outdated electrical service, and a bit of "damp house syndrome" which would mean we'd need to run a dehumidifier in the basement 3 seasons out of the year to help prevent mold and mildew in the basement and attic.

Unfortunately, once outside, our inspector noticed a window with some pretty nasty termite damage. The sellers statement mentioned installing a termite extermination system 6 years ago, but somehow this didn't strike us as a big problem. "So what?" we must have thought, "They're gone now, right?" Well, maybe, but even if they are that doesn't mean that didn't turn the house into swiss-cheese before they were eliminated. This was the worst news ever. It wasn't something that we could even put a price tag to, because the damage can't be assessed without tearing open the walls.

I was home sick the following day, so I made some phone calls to other experts, not the least of which was my uncle. His sister had contracted him to replace some damaged siding on her house some years back. He brought his tools and started tearing off the damaged parts starting at the a small visible spot on the outside, but as he took the siding off, he found the structure behind them was completely destroyed. It wasn't until he removed the entire front of the house that he could comprehend the extent of the damage. "I hate to tell ya this, but it sounds like a 'walk away' deal to me, Adam." It was hard to hear, but it was what I needed to hear for reality to really sink in.

Still, the seller's agent wasn't buying that it was actually termite damage even though the inspector seemed sure of it, and even though it was directly above a termite bait station. We ended up having a pest inspector come in the following day to confirm, yes, it was caused by termites, and state multiple times to us in front of the seller's agent "I would not, NOT buy the house because of termites." Thanks JACKOFF, I'll look forward to doing business with someone else if I do buy the house.

No surprise, in the end things fell through. We weren't willing to risk buying the house as-is, and they weren't willing to meet our requests. It was a learning experience. Next time around, I think we'll be much better prepared to start out asking the hard questions straight off before going through inspection. We've learned who to trust for advice, and what to expect from the different parties involved. I just hope we're able to find something better in the months to come.

I feel like I'm lacking focus lately. Or maybe I'm on the cusp. I try to do too many things at once.

webdesign

comp bio career

environmental interests

buying a house

making art

...busy enough that I shan't finish this entry.

Stem Cell Research

Some weeks ago, President Obama reversed the Bush administration order that stopped federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. My friend Jon asked me to make a statement on this landmark for the science since he was writing an article for the examiner.com. Anyway, I thought I'd post my response here...

I believe this will help to accelerate some very specific research that people have been doing. When Bush cut off funding to these projects it put some major obstacles on the path for some kinds of cutting edge biological research. Universities and research institutes working in these fields had to either stop working with these cell lines altogether, or to find private funding to pay for the research as well as new facilities and instruments since nothing purchased with government funds, no matter how big or small, could be used when working with embryonic stem cells.

Still, I think people should understand that these cell lines are only of interest to people doing some very specific research. And while some people's lives are hanging on the products of that research, this change in policy isn't necessarily going to produce the cures that are demanded. Nevertheless, despite former president Bush's tourniquet we have accomplished a lot in the past 8 years, and have nothing but high hopes for the years to come.

In the end the majority of the scientific community sees this as a positive thing. However, there are still some among us who have a moral dilemma with the source of these stem cells, and I think we'd be reckless to keep pushing science without keeping these moral conversations on the table.

Career day

Two or three weeks ago I found a voicemail from someone who worked at my old high school asking me if I would be interested in participating in career day. Evidently alumni were being invited back to participate in small panels of 2-4 people to represent a particular field such as nursing, law enforcement, and the arts. I was invited to join the science and technology panel with two other people. Excited at the chance to give back in this small way to my alma mater, I said yes.

I hadn't really worked out what I'd say until yesterday when the nerves started to kick in. My public speaking experience is limited at best, and as far as audiences go, I figured high school students could be rough. I tried to stay optimistic that I'd be able to present to them as I did to my peers in my oral communications class about 4 years ago.

When I pulled into the parking lot, I found I was about 40 minutes early: Plenty of time to build up my nerves before taking the floor. Still, as people trickled in and conversations sprouted, I started to relax. I caught up with old teachers and classmates, and then went on an expedition to find a video adapter for my laptop. Five minutes before A period, it was evident that I'd be skipping the audio-visual portion of my talk -- fortunately I only had 4 slides, 3 of which were stolen from colleagues.

That nostalgic *bong* sound came over the intercom signalling the sound of A period, and Chris, Steve and I found ourselves standing in front of a class of about 20 kids between the ages of 13 and 18. We had 20 minutes each. Chris, the mechanical engineer would go first; then me; then Steve, a genetic epidemiologist would go last. Chris' talk was short and sweet, but he did manage some interaction with the classroom which was promising. I did my best to stick to the outline I had made, and used the whiteboard when necessary. I taught them the basics of high throughput microscopy screens, and then went on to explain how my group helps scientists analyze the images from these experiments. I told them a bit about the work environment, ups and downs. Lastly I wrapped up with the best advice I could give anyone interested in entering this or any field of study:

1. Do what you feel passionate about. If you can't, find a way.
   
2. When someone asks "what do you do" talk about your interests and goals. The best career opportunities come out of networking. Having good character is just as important as talent.

The talk couldn't have gone smoother! I left Steve exactly 20 minutes without feeling rushed or like I was trying to fill time. I didn't even get snagged in a tangent as I tend to do when I'm excited about something. Best of all, I was getting some good eye contact, even nods, and questions during and after the presentation.

Part of the reason the A period class was so un-intimidating was because the majority of the students were on the younger end of the spectrum; B period, on the other hand, consisted of about 25 students, most of which were juniors and seniors. Nevertheless, the presentations went off without a hitch: More good eye contact, and honest questions. After the bell rang, a couple of the guys sitting towards the front right were still hanging around so I gave them a look and they came over. Both were interested in engineering, but seemed a little apprehensive about the math required. This was a common theme for both periods. I explained to them that when I was a senior, I had only taken elementary functions, an "advanced" class, but still way behind the honors curriculum. When I got into college, it just meant I had to start a semester behind for math and physics. NOT the end of the world. They seemed relieved and thanked me before shaking my hand and heading off to their next class. Those two students made my day.

Green links

Driving While Taxed (Thomas Keown)
http://www.metro.us/us/article/2009/03/04/04/0446-82/index.xml

I finally watched An Inconvenient Truth.
http://www.climatecrisis.net

The Lazy Environmentalist
http://www.lazyenvironmentalist.com/pages/2005/06/the_book.php

Non-toxic household cleaners:
http://www.greenworkscleaners.com/

...aaand one more:
https://www.recyclebank.com/

The Green Post

Over the past few months I've been steadily increasing my weekly intake of sustainable lifestyle and design knowledge. To those who are interested, here are some of the highlights...

Cradle to Cradle [link]
Of all of the books I've read this year, this may be the best. The authors argue that any system that requires regulation to do less harm, is a system in distress and in need of redesign. Simply put, they are pioneering the next industrial revolution, one where the very concept of waste is eliminated. Here's the copy & paste from mcdonough.com:

William McDonough's book, written with his colleague, the German chemist Michael Braungart, is a manifesto calling for the transformation of human industry through ecologically intelligent design. Through historical sketches on the roots of the industrial revolution; commentary on science, nature and society; descriptions of key design principles; and compelling examples of innovative products and business strategies already reshaping the marketplace, McDonough and Braungart make the case that an industrial system that "takes, makes and wastes" can become a creator of goods and services that generate ecological, social and economic value.

The Story of Stuff [www.storyofstuff.com]
When we throw something "away", where exactly is "away"? How is it possible to buy a cute little green radio for $4.99 at Radio Shack, when the materials and labor to create and sell that radio should cost way more than $5? This short video provides some perspective on the lifespan of products. Again, here's a blurb:

From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It'll teach you something, it'll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.

Time: The Clean Energy Scam [link]
I read this article in Time magazine published a year ago, and hope that views on ethanol and biodeisel as "green" fuels have started to change since then. The big picture is much dirtier than the emissions would indicate.

"People don't want to believe renewable fuels could be bad," says the lead author, Tim Searchinger, a Princeton scholar and former Environmental Defense attorney. "But when you realize we're tearing down rain forests that store loads of carbon to grow crops that store much less carbon, it becomes obvious."

Promising news:
Here are a few links to things that will make you feel better about the future of sustainable industry.

• Car-Free Suburb Planned for Melbourne, Australia
• Greenest Eco Resort in the World Coming to California? ...this looks like it could be incredible! Check out the overview pdf.
• TED Talk: Willie Smits: A 20-year tale of hope: How we re-grew a rainforest

Places to Start

Try this:

1. Create a bookmark folder in your web-browser called "Save the Planet"
2. Check out "21 links to save the planet" on PlanetGreen, and put all those links in your new bookmark folder.
3. Once a day, maybe when you get to work, right-click on the your "Save the Planet" bookmark folder, and select "open all bookmarks in tabs."

Bam! You just planted trees, funded education, protected oceans, saved baby seals, saved several square feet of rainforest, removed some CO2 from the air, gave children free books, gave free food to the hungry, helped to provide free child healthcare, and helped fight breast cancer... all by opening and closing a few tabs in your browser, and maybe clicking a few buttons! And if you're feeling especially kind, you might even take a look at some of the sponsors on those sites. I've been doing this for almost 2 months now, and even added some links of my own. Suppose each each site only planted a single tree for every visit I made, I still would have helped to plant about 1500 trees over the past 2 months!


Of course, clicking links only goes so far, so here are some other resources to broaden your view and give you ideas for how to me more resourceful and less wasteful:

• http://www.treehugger.com/
  
• http://planetgreen.discovery.com/
  
• http://www.ecofabulous.com/
  
• http://www.ecogeek.org/
• http://www.inferknow.com/green (firefox extension that offsets CO2 output)

You might try using Google Reader to organize all these for you as well as other blogs that you like reading (like mine!) Check out the quick tour here.

Design is Fun!

So I recently caught wind of a little design fun going around facebook. It goes like this

1. Go to "wikipedia." Hit “random” or click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random The first random wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.
2. Go to "Random quotations" or click http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3 The last four or five words of the very last quote of the page is the title of your first album.
3. Go to flickr and click on “explore the last seven days” or click http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days Third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.
4. Use photoshop or similar to put it all together.
5. Post it to FB with this text in the caption and tag the friends you want to join in.

I was tagged in one and it made me think about how long it's been since I've done ANY design for fun. So my clicks resulted in the following:

So today I was rummaging through some old art and found this little logo I designed for a site that has since disappeared. It makes me kind of want to use it for something. *shrug*

Creativity and Results

For the creative people who, like me, are astounded by the work and genius of those successful in our respective fields. Who want to start creating something meaningful, even if they don't know exactly what.

I recently watched Merlin Mann's talk entitled "Towards Patterns in Creativity" [link]. I'm not going to explain who Merlin Mann is, because I don't really know. I found the talk through yet another blogger that goes by Greyscalegorilla who recently got caught up in idea of input and output as actions in our lives. Point being that we, the creative people, are constantly saturated with input. We're all reading, and watching and sometimes even taking notes, hoping to find that something that will inspire us into doing something really amazing. Greyscalegorilla's assignment to we-the-viewers, was to do some creative output today. Just assume that you already have all the tools you need to do what you want to, and go and do it.

In Merlin's talk he showed a slide with the following, "Creative work, summarized: In the time you set aside each day to work your ass off, ignore anything that makes you consider stopping."

Here are some of the things I've been thinking about.

• Creative professionals have no shortage of inspiration, the hard part is turning it into something awesome.
• Those of us stuck in between spend too much time reading books about how to do things. It's not about tips and tricks, it's about focus.
• "Scratching" (per Twyla Tharp). Get a box. Set time aside to go and find stuff to put in it. Have a high tolerance for ambiguity, and trust that you will find a way to interpret what you've collected. The point here is that you have a place to collect your inspiration.
• Be willing to make sacrifices along the way. Again, "...ignore anything that makes you consider stopping."

I'll end this here, knowing that anything else I write will likely be a vacuous effort to end with a profoundly inspiring and witty message. Forget the wit. Forget the how-to books. Make something.

How heavy is this glass of water?

My uncle in Kansas (Hey Uncle Dave! if you're reading this) regularly forwards emails to me and the rest of the family.  Some are funny, some are amazing, some aren't worth the time it takes to delete them, but still others are really inspiring.  I thought I'd share one here, because the wisdom in these words can't be oversold.

A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, "How heavy is this glass of water? "

Answers called out ranged from 8oz. to 20oz. 

The lecturer replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it." 

"If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance." 

"In each case it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes." 

He continued, "And that's the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on." 

"As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden. " 

"So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work/life down. Don't carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow." 

"Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can. Relax; pick them up later after you've rested. Life is short. Enjoy!"