Tuesday morning arrived early, but not as early as it would have had I been at home with the crazy dog! I got to sleep in to the absurdly late hour of 8am! We both woke up, showered and were able to catch the 9:30 shuttle to the parks (which was good since otherwise we wouldn’t know where to catch it to bring us home, and in light of later events, that would not have been good). Continue reading “Spring 2014: Day Two – Dragons and Squids and a Dangerous Rain Storm”
Category: Personal
Spring 2014: Day One – Flying High and Climbing Higher
Our trip started fairly easily. I was traveling with my friend Rasa, having decided I was going to go to Disneyland Paris (which is exactly the same as EuroDisney, but not allowed to be called that anymore) and she had decided she wanted to accompany me. It worked out nicely since going to Disneyland by yourself just sucks. So we did a little bit of planning and plotting and had decided that the three full days we were going to be in France (we flew in on Monday afternoon and flew out early in the morning on Friday) would be spent at the two Disney parks (Disneyland and Disney Studios) and so bought three for two day tickets and were ready to go. Of course, since this was going to be Rasa’s first time in France she asked if we could somehow see the Eiffel Tower, so we figured we’d do that on Monday, after we got to town. With all this in mind, we headed out early to catch a train to Vilnius, where our plane left from.
Continue reading “Spring 2014: Day One – Flying High and Climbing Higher”
Ownership of that Famous Selfie
A few months back, almost a year ago now, I wrote a piece for David Magazine called “Yours or Mine” about Intellectual Property copyright law and who owns what and how that gets determined.
Today, while researching another article for David, I came across this piece from The Wire: Paging Bradley Cooper’s Lawyers: He Might Own Ellen’s Famous Oscar Selfie. It’s a fascinating look at the legal and real world implications of what modern technological trends are doing to IP. Especially when the picture in question can carry a price tag of upwards of $1 Billion US.
The road to the Cup
This just makes me happy – Anaheim Ducks on their way to the Stanley Cup Playoffs as head of their division!
Thoughts of Lithuania and its place in the global culture
A week or two ago, I was talking to my friend AAron. We try to keep up on a semi-weekly basis and this time there other people with him and his family and one of these other people, upon finding out I lived in Lithuania, had a question for me.
“Do you know any left-handed, redhead dentists?” she asked. Puzzled, I asked her why. She said when she needs to explain something as rare, the phrase which has become second nature to her is “rare as a left handed, red haired Lithuanian dentist.” I acknowledged that I did not know anyone who fit that particular description and we chuckled, but it started me thinking.
Then, a couple of days ago, AAron sent me the above ad from a magazine and those thoughts came back. Continue reading “Thoughts of Lithuania and its place in the global culture”
Why we do it…
Last week, as class ended, a student came up to me and handed me a small box of chocolate, saying “this is for you.” I said thank you and asked why. “Just because.” was the answer.
Inside was this note.
This is why I do what I do – to try and keep the stories moving forward.
Banished Words and Unicorn Hunting!
The late W.T. (Bill) Rabe, known for his clever PR stunts from his days as a Detroit-area publicist, created the Unicorn Hunters in 1971, shortly after he was hired as LSSU’s Director of Public Relations. Bill, with the assistance of LSSU Professors of English Peter Thomas, John McCabe, John Stevens and others, came up with the Hunters as a way of garnering more publicity for LSSU, which had just established itself as an independent school after being a branch of what is now Michigan Technological University. The Unicorn Hunters made the news often for activities and events including: the annual List of Words Banished from the Queen’s English for Mis-Use, Over-Use and General Uselessness, burning a snowman on the first day of spring, World Sauntering Day, International Stone-Skipping Tournament held annually on Mackinac Island, Unicorn Questing Season and Teacher Thank You Week.
Like the Beloit Mindset list, this is an amazing example of the way a university zeitgeist can enter non-academic worlds and have a profound effect. Personally, I think we need more Unicorn Hunting! The regulations seem pretty fair and equitable to me and hey, the license itself is free.
Hello, I Love You. Won’t You Tell Me Your Name?
This is really a phenomenal piece. The awkwardness and passion, the downright humanity on display, is enough to make me really happy today.
There’s a part of me that wants to know the follow up story, did the pairings become couples, become friends, but I guess that’s the writer, the storyteller in me. I want to know the rest of their story. But then there’s another part which thinks this is perfect the way it is. We don’t need to know what happens because the only that matters, in this case, is the present.
The fact they all had a connection seems to me to be the most wonderful thing of all.
UPDATE: Turns out this is a clothing ad. Not sure how I feel about that. As a marketing bit, great. it gets everyone talking. And it’s certainly not the first time viral marketing has been used to sell a product. But then I guess this is what everything has become – there is no are anymore, it’s all commerce. I still like the piece for what it represents, but no longer for what it shows. They say the people (all of whom are “personalities” of some sort) really didn’t know each other and the reactions are genuine, but at the same time, as performers, there’s a certain amount of expectation they’re bringing to the project so I can no longer trust them.
Ah well… until the next time we’re all taken in by something which tugs at our heartstrings only to get at our wallets.
Happy Independence Day, Lietuva
24 years ago today, March 11, 1990, The country of Lithuania declared its independence from the Soviet Union with the Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania. It was the first of the satellite nations which had been occupied by Russia to stretch its wings and test the limits of Gorbachev’s glasnost policies.
This declaration was not immediately acknowledged and was even declared illegal by Gorbachev, who demanded the Act be rescinded. 10 months later came the “January Events,” when soviet forces invaded Vilnius’ TV Tower, killing 14 and injuring hundreds more.
Eventually, in February of 1991, Iceland became the first nation to recognize Lithuania’s independence. The United States followed September 2, 1991 and on September 6, 1991, Russia acknowledged it as well.
Lithuania served as a model for other nations and ultimately led to the collapse of the USSR.
A much more detailed, on the ground report can be found here, courtesy of 15min.lt
Happy Independence Day to my adopted home! In light of recent events, let’s keep this flag waving high and remember all who fought to get it there!
Calling August Everywhere…
How have I never seen this book before? I really need to write a new Skids Poppe adventure, huh?
Happy International Women’s Day!
Me and Him, Him and Me
For 35 years, the man on my right has been.. well, the man on my right. He has seen me through good time and bad times, he has supported me when I asked for it and kicked my ass when I needed it. We have shared adventures and conversations, happiness and sadness, we have survived his military experience and my marriage.
I am proud, honored and privileged to call him friend and brother. And today, to wish him a very happy birthday!
Here’s to spending at least another 35 with you in my life!
Happy Birthday AAron!
Practice Positivity
Can we stop now?
Please?
Can we stop with random negativity for the sake of just putting shit out into the world? I mean I’m all for public discourse and I certainly think we should call out evil and injustice where we see it, but that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about letting the world know you don’t like something for the simple sake of needing your voice to be heard. Continue reading “Practice Positivity”
Solving problems
Out for a late morning walk with Laika, lots on my mind. Some intense conversations with friends, trying to figure out lessons learned from past (passed?) mistakes. And in the middle of it all… I figure out how to solve at least one of the problems I was having with Pandora’s Box.
Where are you going? Where have you been?
Recently, I was thumbing through an old journal and came across an entry from many, many years ago. It seems I was on the horns of a decision, a crossroads between two conflicting paths. I had mused to myself, at the time, if only I could see the future, see where each path led and where I was supposed to end up. I figured this would help make my decision easier. Continue reading “Where are you going? Where have you been?”
Getting the Hang of Thursdays 