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Tuesday, June 7, 2016

Miscellany: 6/07/16

Quote of the Day
These are the times that try men's souls. 
The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from 
the service of his country; 
but he that stands it now, 
deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.
Thomas Paine

Tweet of the Day
A Different Type of Commencement Address: Realism

Oddly enough, I never really sought to emulate my Dad's mechanical skills. One of the few times my folks dropped us off at day care, I remember I got a blank sheet of copy paper, and I thought it was the greatest thing ever: the things I could do with a blank piece of paper. Little did my folks realize that a ream of paper was my dream gift. I have a gift for writing, and the excitement has never left. Not to write the great American novel or become an American Shakespeare, but maybe one day you'll know.

I think like most kids, I probably had dreams of being a sports or pop music star.  But I didn't have the size or talent for college sports, never mind the pros, and I didn't have the vocal range of a Mariah Carey or Eric Clapton's genius with a guitar.

I developed a new passion in college: I went to the office of a beloved philosophy professor, Fr. James Lonergan. His aromatic pipe smoke filled the office, he had Bernstein playing on his record player and his walls were lined with Great Classics. I instantly wanted that (no, I've never smoked a pipe or even own a Bernstein album). But teaching and the atmosphere of his cozy office: I wanted that. The respect of being a university professor.

About 11-12 years later I achieved that dream--or thought I did. But I was in hell for 5 years; I would have been better suited for residential, private colleges like OLL, but in fact 4 Catholic colleges didn't offer me a position for which I had been short-listed. I might still return to academia under the right circumstances but no serious offer in over 10 years. But I'm very, very good at what I do in IT consulting, and I am passionate about my work.



 Muhammad Ali



Sweetheart Hearing



And a different sense


Political Cartoon

Courtesy of Steve Kelley via Townhall

 Musical Interlude: My Favorite Vocalists

Whitney Houston, "One Moment in Time". This was one of my 2 favorite tracks from the 1988 Olympics compilation (Four Tops, "Indestructible") and her tenth consecutive Top 10 hit. Her string came to an end in 1989, but she would come back to score 2 #1 hits in 1990, including my all-time favorite Houston hit.

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