You Can't Take It With You

I struggle with the daily grind. Ever since I was a kid I always yearned for something more extraordinary than everyday life. I think that is one of the reasons I joined the Army. It is also one of the reasons I want to travel.
In preparing for my Europe trip I have read a lot of travel blogs. Most of them are by long term travelers; people who go months or years living out of a backpack. A lot of these writers advocate travel as an escape from the daily grind. It is a tempting concept to throw off all responsibility and just drift. However this drifting would be too much like laziness to my Puritan ethic.
Enter You Can't Take It With You . A Frank Capra movie from 1938 that explores the dangers of taking work or life too seriously. The story focuses on two families. One rich and intent on making deals and owning monopolies. The other completely content to do whatever brings them joy. The venerable patriarch of the family rejected the business life 35 years ago when he realized he wasn't having any fun. He then fosters that sentiment in others.
I enjoyed the story because for them escaping the daily grind didn't mean traveling far from home or giving up on traditional society. Rather it emphasized the need to find happiness in work and to value friends and family; to find joy where you are and in everyday life.
I think the secret to escaping the daily grind is to do something everyday that strengthens your relationships with yourself, family, friends, or God. That if you look life is full of fun and excitement.

(FYI this isn't the best clip but there isn't a lot of old movies on the Internet)

Swine Flu Really?

Because lets face it this whole thing is getting a bit ridiculous.

It almost feels like people want us to focus on this made up issue instead of focusing on our real issues.
For good info on the Swine Flu see here:
CDC

The Trouble with Computers

I love technology; except when I don't. I had a rough draft for a stellar post. It was all about the documentary "Maxed Out". My thoughts and frustrations. However when I left my laptop it self-restarted because it self-updated and my entry didn't self-save.

The computer while a great invention can be frustrating and annoying. Maybe I get disappointed because I expect to much from them. If I lowered expectations I would probably be better off.

Since I am going to re-write my "Maxed Out" review later. I will just leave you with some great commentary on the foibles of technology.



Maybe I should get a Mac?
Course this one makes a good point...

Happy Easter

I hope your Easter is peaceful and reflective. To help with that see the video below.

Leading A More Productive Life

Wanted to share this blog post. It is from a blog I read regularly and it has some great observations about accomplishing goals. I see it as an explanation for why we always make the same New Years Resolutions or why some things are always on the "to-do" list. It is long but is well worth the time.

International vs Local

This video is a short lecture on international news coverage. I found it interesting as a geographer and it brought up some interesting questions. See below for my commentary.


Initially I was excited about the presenters use of maps. As a geography major I am keenly aware of how maps impact our perceptions. The news map did an excellent and powerful job of conveying her initial point. As she delved deeper into her topic I found myself agreeing with her. When I did a regional news study on the South Asian region I had a very hard time getting anything detailed. This despite the then new eruption of civil war in Sri Lanka and Nepal. But as she talked about local news coverage a thought began to pound at my brain.

"Is it really that important to be informed on world news?"

In college I would have emphatically said yes. Now I wonder. For thousands of years humans across the planet lived and died knowing very little about the wider world. Even with our increased communications and transportation most people confine their daily life to a small geographic area. An earthquake in Italy might be interesting but it doesn't really impact those living in Utah. However an Amber alert or news of road construction is important and useful information.

So what is the role of news? What is fit to print? These are questions I could probably answer if I had ever taken a journalism class. But for now I will just have to think on it.

A Change in Style

It was brought to my attention that to have a blog and to be a blogger are two very different things. Currently I have a blog but I am not a blogger. Mostly this is because I haven't figured out what kind of blogger I want to be. I do know that I don't want to be the type that seldom updates. I also don't want the blog to be all about my personal life. I do want it to be informative and interesting. A place where my friends can learn something.
So in my quest for a blogger birth I am going to start experimenting with different types of entries. Feel free to tell me what you like and what falls flat.