The End of Planning

On Saturday I will do something I haven't done in 2 1/2 years: Go on vacation without the thought that I might be called back to South Africa on a moments notice.

For the last two years, South Africa has been holding its breath.  Every time Madiba went to the hospital, the whole country readied itself for the inevitable.  Plans were dusted off, the rumors cranked up, and shrines would pop up all over  in some of the most strange places ever.  (My favorite was in the still undergoing renovation part of a local mall.  All the walls had been painted white, and tributes suddenly appeared all over the place.  One was hilarious: "Thank you Madiba.  If it wasn't for you I wouldn't be on a date with a white girl.")  I'd get a phone call from the Embassy requesting a large meeting to go over our plans which we never talked about in the open.  We'd review them, make recommendations, and then we'd wait to see what happened.

When he was in hospital for a few months earlier this year, we were sure it was time.  The President was visitng, and rumors abounded that the family was waiting for the President to come to say goodbye before letting Madiba go to his ancestors.  In fact, all during the visit that's what I kept hearing.  But, it didn't happen.  Soon, Madiba was moved to his home in Houghton, and things quited down.

Last week the press kicked up again overseas.  Mandela's daughter had said he was on his deathbed.  Strangely it didn't make much noise here in South Africa.  Everyone said that it was just awkward phrasing and that of course he was on his deathbed, but no one got worked up.

Then I got a call at 11:30 pm on Thursday night.  He'd died and I needed to activate the plan.  I called the people I needed to (one person actually) and didn't get any sleep the rest of the night.  Oh, and I was acting Consul General again, so I had more emails to answer.

A visit from the President is a carefully crafted thing.  It usually takes months to do, and people show up weeks in advance to ensure ever little detail is ready.  No such timing on this.  The Advance showed on Saturday night, everyone else came in on Sunday and Monday, and Tuesday was the day it all happened.  No time for hurt feelings, no time for running around crazy.  This was go time in the shortest amount of time possible.

Once again I was hotels, so my job was assembling the best team I could to work with the President's travel folks.  As I've said previously, I've got a GREAT team here, and the team started moving as if they'd been working together for years.  Rooms were assembled, people placed, offices set up, and everything just started clicking.  All the planning was falling into place, and even a few glitches would throw us off.  I did have to call and get the blue drapes set up in case an emergency happened and a press briefing was scheduled.  Oh, and I had to try to contract for the hot air balloon that is right across the street from the hotel.  The woman never returned my call, but it rained all day so the balloon stayed down, so she really lost out on a sale.

The day of the event, I arrived at the hotel at 6 am with Lovely English Lass.  We were each assigned a task.  Mine was to hold open a door in a stairwell and help point people to their rooms.  (It was a dump of bags, quick shower, dressed and back out kind of day for these people, and the more help given the better.)  Almost everyone walked past me.  LEL was in charge of moving the Bush's from their car to the elevators to go upstairs.  Meanwhile I was standing for two hours pointing Eric Holder to his room, and making sure the Clintons got to their proper place.  (Bill shook my hand on his way up and thanked me for what we were doing.)

Afterwards we had to move everyone going back down to the motorcade, and when it was time send them off.  While the President moved to the stadium, I bought lunch for my little crew,  took LEL back home to spend time with the kids (because their school was canceled for the day) and head back to the hotel to prepare for their arrival back from the memorial service, and departure from South Africa.  By this time most of us are on only two hours of sleep, but it's still moving and so are we.  Finally, we get word that the motorcade is heading out, and we wait to hear about wheels-up.  About 90 minutes later the email comes: They're off.

My staff heads home, with the ringers off on their phones.  One told me that he didn't even remember talking to me on the phone shortly before he got home.  I stayed to clear up some issues, had a drink with some of the remaining staff from Washington, and went home.  I was then awakened at 11:30 pm by a phone call that should have waited until morning.

Today I have to catch up on my actual job and get the rest of the travel team out of here.  Then I need to pack, and get ready for my R&R to England which begins on Saturday.

Two years of planning went by in less than 6 days.  From the day his death was announced, until the Memorial Service, it was 5 days.  When I got down or tired, I remembered that I was doing this to show proper respect to a hero.  Mandela is George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, FDR and Martin Luther King all rolled into one for South Africa.  People all over the world wanted to show their respect, and my team and I worked tirelessly so that the representative of my government, The President, could do that.  As the President said, Mandela was one of his heroes, so his being here was important to him.  My staff helped make that happen.

In closing on this experience, let me say I've thought a lot about Madiba during my adult life.  I remember seeing the photos and news from Johannesburg when I was growing up, but I very much remember going to GW and seeing "Free Mandela" written in the concrete.  When they re-did the area, they supposedly dug it up to preserve it, and it is displayed in a garden showing GW's commitment to protest.  (Truth: This isn't the same one.  It's different.  Trust me.)  Throughout my career in the Department, I've thought about him, and South Africa.  And now that I live here, he was always on the mind of everyone.  This is now a strange time for South Africa.  Where does it go from here?  Well, I'm here for 6 more months so we'll see, won't we?

Happy Birthday LLG!

I can't believe it's been 7 years.  Just seems like yesterday that she was a little baby girl learning to walk.  When we were in Luxembourg, I'd come in through the door from work, and she'd run up to me, wait for me to take off my hat and coat, and then give me a big hug.  It was something that I looked forward to everyday, especially as I worked for a, shall we say, difficult person at that time.  In fact, during that time I had her giggling as my ringtone, because I knew it would put me into a better mood prior to answering the phone, which I really needed a that time.

She's been through so much in her little life.  Three moves, three continents, entering into a mainstream school.  She goes about her day learning, complaining about having to go to therapy, and if I thought it would make her life more enjoyable I'd let her stop.  But she needs it, and through little things we get that it's helping.

LLG LOVES Hello Kitty, but it's a weird obsession.  I can't explain it, but you'd just have to see it.  Since it's a very normal obsession for children her age, we're not too worried.  (Heck, at least it's not unicorns.)  Plus, I know grown women who are just as obsessed, so it can't be that different, can it?

There are things I wish I could do differently for my little girl.  I wish she didn't have so much anxiety, but then again I'm her father so I understand it.  One of her therapists said it would probably help the anxiety a little if we could start talking about where we're going to live next year.  Lovely English Lass responded with, "Yeah, it'd help my anxiety too."

One of the largest issues we have is that she is just so darn tall.  She's the size of an 11 year old now, and will probably get taller.  It's difficult enough being different, but when you look like a tween and you're only 7, it's downright impossible sometimes.

She definitely has her quirks, my little girl.  Sometimes you can tell that she just puts up with me, but then there are times when she still definitely shows she's my little girl.  She also still tries so hard, that I'm amazed she has the strength to keep going some days.  Saturday we went to the park, and they have these obstacles set up.  Balancing things, and other stuff like that.  She was trying her best, even though her body sometimes doesn't cooperate.  Everytime she would complete one, she had to make sure we saw her.

You know, she's a fantastic little kid.  I'm so very happy to have her in my life, and I know that there is just a wild trip waiting to happen that she'll take us on.  Hopefully one day she'll read these and know that I always believed in her, and that I love her with all I do.

Happy Birthday Lovely Little Girl.  You've got a busy year ahead of you.

MILB: "You Will See Me" by Dan Le Sac Vs. Scroobius Pip

This video right here is why I haven't started to dispair of new music.  I previously did a Dan Le Sac Vs. Scroobius Pip song, which  I also loved.  However, after seeing the video and hearing the song again, I had to talk about this one.

This is the third release off their album, Repent, Replenish, Repeat.  Usually third releases off an album from an independant record company don't do much, which is a shame because there is good music out there.  This song comes at you from the gut.  "You Will See Me" is both empowering and a little creepy too.  However, that's what good music can do for you.  It can cause different reactions to the same piece of music.

Scoobius Pip has an insane flow in this song.  His words hit like a half-crazed beat poet.  I imagine Allen Ginsberg might actually like this.  The lyrics, as per usual for Pip, start off straight to the point:

"You are my new inspiration/ my muse/ and I mean that not as a compliment."

Whoa.  That's heavy stuff to use even before the beat kicks in, isn't it?  However, we've all been there before, right?  A boyfriend or girlfriend, a teacher or boss, a parent or someone else, that makes you feel less than you are.  You use that feeling to get ahead.  You may forget the plaudits, but you'll NEVER forget the put downs.  It's there, inside, driving you to do more.  Then there's more to come:

"I will take negativity and make it inspire me/ I was not a book from a Library/

As I stand here alone I declare I was not a loan/ to be picked up and dropped off

at a later date/

And you barely even made my own spine bend/ just skimmed through some of the interesting bits

and skipped to the end/"

That's some heavy symbolism there, right?  You can totally get how it feels, and exactly the way some people have treated you in the past.  I know from my past experience that I work as hard as I do because of the naysayers that I've encountered along the way.  I know that Lovely English Lass and I use the "no" that we've received from schools and teachers about Lovely Little Girl to push us harder.

The next bit of the song gets even better:

"The Notes you left in my margins turned from scribbles to scars/

But here's the best part: You didn't even realise you were reading the first draft of a best seller/

The manuscript of a future Nobel Prize winner/ The Book you discarded as a pamphlet will ignite shit."

Are you still with me?  This is heavy people.  This is someone forming the strength inside after something terrible.  It's a rightous rage.  It's saying that the rejection you've gotten won't break you, but take you higher.  This should be printed on one of those motivational posters!

"I will not shout you from the rooftops/ I will tap your name out in morse code on my outer thigh/

As I casually accept plaudits from on high/ I will not try to win you back/ I do not want you back."

This is a man that is hurting on the inside but will use the hurt to bring himself higher than he thought possible. Sometimes, when bad things happen, this thought is the only thing to get you through the day.  I'm taking all these rejections for jobs as a sign that there is something better for me, and it's just waiting for me to come and get it.  I can definitely feel his thoughts.  If I ever make it to be a DCM or an Ambassador or whatever, I know part of the reason will be because of the shabby treatment I got from my first DCM and Management officer.  These are things that drive everyone.  Relationships at work or private.  Any girl that broke up with me just made me stronger.  It hurt like hell at the time, but it did in fact lead me to the love of my life and mother of my children.  So the negative sometimes makes you more focused.  I didn't meet LEL until I'd stopped trying to be everything to everyone and became just me.  Perfect, as they say.

The second half of the song does get very dark.  Discussions of destroying everything they hold dear, and about taking over the world just to break it.  To be honest, these are the flip side of the reactions to the above.  You can either use the negativity to lift yourself up, or just go nuts.  Sometimes it's a fine line, and you need to make sure that you don't slip over it.  

I've said a lot about Scroobius Pip's lyrics, which are brilliant, but I have to add that Dan Le Sac once again just knocks it out of the park with the music.  It's brilliant and dark and adds so much to a song.  Sometimes you have music that just fits perfectly with the theme of the song.  The Stones were very good at this, with "Paint it Black" and "Gimme Shelter" being two of the best.  Dan Le Sac takes this track, which would have been a brilliant spoken word album, and transforms it into something deeper.  It adds a menace to the song, and the unease puts you into the mind of the speaker.  For a minute you feel the anger and dispair, and how you too will rise above and better yourself further than anyone who's put you down.  For the run time of this song, you want to make a point that you're better than the expectations of others.

The video is dark and mind-blowing.  I won't spoil it, but go watch it.  (A little NSFW because of language.)  Then realize this is the exact same message as Katy Perry's "Roar", just told a little differently.

To all my American readers, Happy Thanksgiving.  I'm thankful for my family, all my friends, my job, and the fact that I'm in good enough health to enjoy it.  My you have safe travels if you're traveling, and enjoy the day off everyone.

Sometimes you just have to keep looking

Well, Bidding season is still upon us.  As you may have noticed, I haven't given out where we're headed yet. That's because I still don't know.

You see, while I still think my job is great, the way we change jobs kind of sucks.  It's not transparent at all, and it can leave you with a bad taste in your mouth.  It definitely becomes more of a who you know type of thing.  If you focus on lobbying for a job that you aren't going to get because of internal politics, you've basically screwed yourself.  That's exactly what happened to me this time.

I bid on a position in a place that had a lot of bidders.  However, I started early, got my name known at post, and also got to the bureau where this position was to let them know I wanted the job.  My boss called into the DCM to let him know I'd be perfect for the job.  I had an interview that went very well, and figured I was a shoo-in for the position.  The school accepted Lovely Little Girl, which is the big problem usually, so everything was lining up.

I did go after one other position as well with the same force, but it was London and I didn't think I'd get it.  Turns out I was at least on their list.  This post I'd spent a lot of time and energy on came back and I hadn't even made their top 3.  Amazing.  Especially when I found out that someone from the bureau back in Washington had gotten the job.  If I'd known they were bidding I wouldn't have worried and focused on somewhere else.  But since I didn't, by the time I found most of the jobs were taken.

So now I'm looking at the wreckage of my bid list, and trying to find a place overseas that will take LLG and now me as well.  It's all very bad for the self-esteem, you know.  I could go back to DC, but I joined the service to serve overseas.  I've done two tours in DC, and that's enough for now, Thankyouverymuch!

See, if I was single, or even just married, this would be easy.  I'd go to Afghanistan for a year with Lovely English Lass, and we'd then go someplace nice afterwards.  Now, I have a responsibility to my family as well to make sure they are taken care of too.

Sorry to dump this on you guys.  It's just frustrating.  I took a vacation last week, and still couldn't shake this.    I know something will come along, but it definitely hurts when you do a great job, but it's still not good enough.  I'll just keep looking, I suppose.  Not like I have any choice, right?

The Craziness of Children

My wife, Lovely English Lass, has written about my son and daughter and their idiosyncrasies.  I've found watching them to be a great study, but also one of the most puzzling things I've ever had to deal with.  (And that includes people whining about their housing for no reason.)  Here's some of the stuff we've had recently.

The other day, Crazy Little Man walked into the TV room while his mother and I were sitting together.  He immediately takes off his shirt and says, "Who am I?"  His mother responds with one of his classic witticisms, "A fighter who fights for sport!"  He replies, "NO!"  Immediately strips down to his underoos, flexes, and growls, "NOW I am a fighter who fights for sport!"

Lovely Little Girl had a wiggly tooth for about a week.  The other tooth had already grown in behind it, and so it was only a matter of time before this one came out.  (I told her mother this was just like LLG.  Not getting rid of something until the replacement has already arrived.)  Last night I looked at it, put my finger on it, and it came right out.  Now, tooth loss can be a bit perplexing for people on the spectrum.  LEL had read up on how to handle this, as it can be confusing.  However, when the tooth came out, LLG just kind of shrugged and got on with life.  All the planning and worrying down the drain.

CLM is quite the ham when it comes to groups.  At first he acts shy, and won't say anything, but then he needs to be the center of attention.  Much like Glen Close in "Fatal Attraction" he will not be ignored.  We went to Durban the other week for a weekend.  It was a lovely time, and we got to see our friends that live in the area.  LEL met Ms. Brightside through her work in Autism.  Her teenage son is on the spectrum, and is much more reserved around people he doesn't know than my kids are.  However, that didn't stop CLM.  After dinner, CLM went to watch cartoons with him while the rest of us sat and talked in the other room.  Suddenly, we hear this low-voiced sustained laugh coming from the other room.  When we went to see what was going on, we found CLM hitting this person he'd only met briefly twice with couch cushions, and piling them on top of him.  They were having the best time!  CLM just decided he wanted a reaction, and he wasn't going to stop until this stranger laughed with him.  

Both of my kids are super good at doing puzzles.  LLG does lenticular puzzles easily, which I could never do.  Although he's only 4, CLM has really started doing puzzles with a vengeance.  He does 48 piece puzzles in minutes, and is ready probably to move up to a new challenge.  The other day he did a Batman puzzle.  LEL told me that when he got to Batman's face, he got really close to the picture, scrunched up his eyes into a squint, and finally popped up to exclaim, "That looks like Daddy!"

Finally, CLM has decided that he loves space.  He has memorized the planets and how many moons they have.  He will also occasionally bust out with a factoid for you.  One of his favorites is to tell you who the first 4 men who walked on the moon were.  (For those of you keeping score, they are Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Pete Conrad and Alan Bean.)  Not many people can tell you that.

So after being married for 8 years and being a father for almost 7, I can safely say I still have no idea what I'm doing. But I'm happy to be along for the ride with these two.

MILB: "Summertime Sadness" by Lana Del Rey

Never really bought into the Lana Del Rey hype when she first came out.  She was supposedly found on a YouTube video, but that's not exactly true.  She really had a recording contract back in 2008 with a small company.  However, she bought herself out of the contract, re-branded herself, Lana Del Rey (she was born Lizzie Grant) and hit it big.

 Let's be honest here, though.  This song should owe royalties to Hope Sandoval from Mazzy Star, since Lana sounds JUST LIKE HER in this song.  Listen to "Fade Into You" and tell me Lana isn't biting her style.

That being said, it's still a good song.  Described as a Trip-hop romance song, it certainly hits that.  Right now in Johannesburg, "Summertime Sadness" is a huge hit, so I've been listening to it on the radio a lot.  The lyrics are repetitive, but also some very evocative ones as well.  The discussion about putting her "hair up real big beauty queen style" really paints a picture.  The bridge offers: "Oh, my god, I feel it in the air, telephone lines, above, and sizzling like a snare."  Hey, I've heard the power lines here buzzing, and it definitely sounds like a snare drum.  That's not too bad.

Then it hits the trip-hop portion of the song.  Lots of beats, synths and laser sounds.  Basically it tries to be a dance floor mover.  The staccato repeated lyrics, the changed voice, the echos.  It's a bit much.  You see, without it I think this song would end up like "Wicked Games" or "Boy of Summer".  One of those songs you keep hearing and really never sound dated.  But with the trip-hop, it'll sound just as bad in a few years as a 2 Unlimited song.

(Which reminds me of one of my favorite scenes from Never mind the Buzzcocks.  Sean Hughes had to act like he was playing a song without singing it.  His song was "There's no limit" from 2 Unlimited.  He hums the first part of the song and then busts out with, "There's no talent!"  guess you had to be there.  See if it's on YouTube.)

Anyways, it's a very good song, but I hope Ms. Del Rey stops with the trip-hop portions of her song.  If she tries, she might be able to pull off a Dusty Springfield type vibe.  (Editor's note: I am in no way comparing Lana Del Rey to the sublime talent of Dusty Springfield.  I am just saying she could have a career with songs that last longer than 2 years without sounding dated.  Heck, "Fade into you" by Mazzy Star sounds just as good today as it did back in 1997.)

So the moral is, go listen to "Summertime Sadness", and then go listen to "Fade into you" by Mazzy Star.  Afterwards, just put on Dusty in Memphis.  Might as well finish on a VERY high note.

My Inner Lester Bangs: "Helter Skelter" by The Beatles

"This is a song Charles Manson stole from The Beatles.  We're stealing it back." - Bono, from "Rattle and Hum"

This quote is extremely pretentious, and one that even Bono admits was ill-advised.  However, the song that they played is just awesome.  In fact, I firmly believe it's one of the parents for hard rock.  This song rocked harder than any other Beatles song, and deservedly received praise for the rawness and emotion.  It's decidedly not as polished as the rest of the Beatles songs, and Paul basically wrote it because he was tired of people saying he only wrote love songs and ballads.  (By the way, Paul later recorded as The Fireman and did a song called "Nothing Too Much Just Out of Sight" which was similarly angry, and definitely not Paul McCartney like at all.)

Anyways, great song starts off with the guitar playing, and then adding the drums.  However, what really brings the nasty on this song is the bass line.  It's the main force for the song, which is unusual for a band with two guitars.  It's just fuzz and repetition.  It's what makes the song really.  The bass, loud drums, and then the guitar coming in on the chorus and the bridge.

The lyrics are almost inconsequential, but they still rock too.  A Helter Skelter in England was a high winding slide.  (Hence the line, "When you get to the bottom you go back to the top of the slide."  It meant an actual slide you know.  It's also a metaphor for the fall of the British Empire according to Paul, but I'm not so sure about that one.)

There is just so much good about this song.  The album version that starts to fade out only to kick back in, play for a little longer, fade back out, come back up to the ending where it all breaks down and you hear John say, "Was that all right?" and then the yell from Ringo, "I've got blisters on my fingers!"  Apparently that was the 18th take of the song, so he might have had blisters.

Paul says that the song came about because The Who said that their song, "I Can See for Miles" was the most rough, raw and hardest song they'd ever done.  McCartney says that when he listened to it that he didn't hear that at all, and decided to make something even harder.  Hence a song he'd had that was silly became the rocker it is today.

Gotta admit, I used to listen to this song before going out in London.  If you strip away the mental illness from Manson stuff, it's a song that really gets you pumped.  (Hey, my friend Socks from University used to listen to "Hunka Hunka Burnin Love" before he went out at night.)  Plus, I lived right next door to the place where the Beatles recorded the song, so it kind of made sense to listen to one of their songs, right?

Go listen to it. Preferably with the music turned up and the bass on loud.  It's a great song, and one that needs to be experienced again.

"Looks like I picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue!"

Lloyd Bridges was awesome in "Airplane!", wasn't he?

Well, this week (and the one before it, and the one before that) haven't been great, have they?  Especially not for US Government workers.  I tell you, it's stressful to say the least.

Combine a government shut down with a looming debt default, and then add on top of that bidding for a new job, and it's amazing that I haven't had a coronary or stroke. 

As I've said before, being a Management Officer is no picnic.  Hey, I could have done other things with my life, I know.  So please spare me the discussion of how I "Feed at the Government Trough" and "Need to get a real job."  (These are actual comments I've seen on Facebook and in newspapers.)  Yes, I chose to become a public employee. Basically for three main reasons:  1) I love to travel and wanted to experience all this world has to offer;  2) I get to serve my country and help my fellow citizens; and 3) Generally speaking, working for the government is considered a pretty safe job to have (compared to others in the economy, I mean).

Look, I'm still working and getting paid because the State Department is able to use funds over multiple fiscal years, and did a decent job of predicting that this would happen and was ready.  However, that won't last long, and many of the other agencies that work in an Embassy don't have that luxury.  Their employees are still working with no idea when their next paycheck will arrive.  That's not really cool, you know.  Plus, when they get their backpay, it'll come in one lump sum, which means more taxes will be taken out.

Oh, and I haven't even gotten into the other things I've had to deal with.  There was a workshop planned for Johannesburg at the end of the month.  Well, that's cancelled.  So tomorrow I have to go and try to make amends with a hotel so that we don't have to expend money on an event that isn't happening.  (And try to make sure we still have access to his hotel, as we'll need it if a major event does happen and we suddenly get a lot of visitors.)

Plus I'm the face of the furlough for many of the local staff members.  I'm the Management officer, so I get vented to about their difficulties and listening to questions about why my government is so disfunctional.  I don't have any answers for them.  I just know that a lot of them live hand to mouth, so this hurts.  People all over the US are hurting because of this.  Why punish the people who want to work and do their job?  Isn't that what people have been banging on about?  People should be paid for doing their job.  I just don't get it.

Anyways, back to Lloyd Bridges comment in the title.  Seriously, I sometimes feel like it would have just been better to not feel anything about all of this and not think about how it'll hurt.  But I can't do that.  Too much empathy I suppose.  It's a gift and a curse.  But it does make me want to sniff glue sometimes. (Disclaimer: I do not, and have never, sniffed glue.  Just say no kids!)

St. Pete the Elf

I'd like to talk to you today about something that happened in the past, around about the time of the last government shut-down.

(While I'd like to talk about THIS government shut down, I won't.  Just know that it is affecting a lot of people, and no good can come of this.)

Back in 1995, almost 18 years ago, The George Washington University Basketball team went to St. Petersburg, Florida for a basketball tournament.  A few lucky souls from the pep band also got to go with them to support the team.  I was one of the chosen few, and off we flew to Florida.  My parents drove down I-4 to meet us, brought me some home-made cookies, and we all had a great time.  There was one or two things though that stand out on this visit.

One was that we had one of the tallest, and one of the shortest, players in the Atlantic 10.  Alexander Koul was supposedly over 7 feet tall, and Shawnta Rogers supposedly stood 5 feet 4 inches.  (Actually I bet that was in his shoes, cause I stood next to him once in line to get a burger, and he was almost a foot shorter than I was.)  On the flight home the flight attendant kept yelling at someone to sit down in the back because we couldn't leave until everyone was seated.  Actually in was Alexander (nicknamed Sasha) she was yelling at, because he was so tall it looked like he was standing even while sitting down.

The second was the addition of what at the time became a legend in the band.  The freeing of St. Pete the Elf from his bondage to the city of St. Petersburg.  I should explain.

It was getting closer to Christmas, and St. Petersburg had some of their decorations out.  While walking to get something to eat one night, we saw that there was a little Christmas wonderland set up in a public park.  There, in the midst of all the decorations, was a wooden elf nailed to a stake and stuck into the ground.  He looked as if he'd been around for a long time, and wouldn't have stood out except for the colors he was wearing.  While all the other elves where wearing green or red, this one was wearing a blue tunic with gold tights.  Buff and Blue, if you will.  The exact colors of The George Washington University!  Obviously we had to free our alumnus, so we hatched a plan.

There were about 6 of us that night.  Strangely I only remember Jeff, myself and Kim Ethier, but I know there were others.  I believe the thought for having Kim with us was that she could distract someone if we got caught so we could escape.  Luckily, this wasn't necessary.  Jeff pulled him out of the ground and we beat it back to the hotel.

St. Pete was given to the Tuba section, and became a bit of a mascot for us.  We had him at every home game.  Then something strange happened: GW started winning.  I think we went undefeated at home that year, and finished with a 21-8 record.  It was awesome!  At every game we would designate the Elf bearer.  They would hold him solemnly throughout the game, only putting him down to play the next song during a timeout.

For the next few years, St. Pete would make an appearance at all games where the pep band played.  The bearer was passed down to any new tuba player, including our female tuba player, Shorty.  St. Pete made the trip with the band to South Carolina when the Women's Basketball team knocked off the top seeded North Carolina team went to the Elite Eight.  He also came with us when I got kicked out of Rupp Arena during the Duke basketball game because the guys sitting next to me made some rather rude comments about the Duke cheerleaders and the lack of meat on their bones.  (I actually think OUR cheerleaders were the ones that told security on those guys.  I swear I didn't say anything!)

At the end of my college band career, we decided it was time to retire St. Pete the elf.  He was hung on the wall of the band office.  To be honest, I'm not even sure what happened to him, as I know he wasn't there the last time I went by the office.  If anyone knows, please leave it in the comments.

Still, it was a great year for basketball in 1995-1996.  I'm not saying that some band geeks stealing a wooden elf from Florida helped make it happen.  But then again, I'm not NOT saying that either.

MILB: "Blue Veins" by The Raconteurs

Jack White is definitely one of the hardest working men in showbiz.  The man is in like three different bands, does solo work, and collaborates with some amazing people.  (Loretta Lynn being one of them.)  He also guest sang (secretly) on Electric 6's "Danger, High Voltage".  He got together with a bunch of other musicians to form The Raconteurs back in 2005.

The album is quite good, and very different from The White Stripes or any of the other bands that are represented.  (The group includes members of Blanche, The Greenhornes and solo act Brendan Benson.)  Their first album, "Broken Boy Soldiers" was a big hit with "Steady as She Goes".  While it's a very good song, it's not my favorite song on the album.

"Blue Veins" is a bit of a throwback sound to the 30s and 40s.  It starts off with a sound like the music is being played backwards, which it probably is considering that White loves to experiment.  Lots of organ, and a distorted bass and guitar.  Then comes a quick motif from a piano, leading to an echo of the opening lines, "Your blue veins."  Then a roll in with a ringing guitar.  Great stuff.

The song is about one of two things: the singer's love interest that is extremely devoted, and is the only one that gets him, or it's about heroin.  I'm going to go with the first discussion, but not entirely letting go of the second.  (Heck, the exact thing can be said about the song "There she goes" by The La's.)

During the middle of the song comes a break, with a roll on the piano, and the song suddenly gets played backwards, including the singing.  I know this sounds weird, but it really works.  Trust me on this one.

I've always been a big fan of Jack White.  The White Stripes were just awesome, and I'm even a huge fan of The Dead Weather.  He likes experimenting with stuff, and that's good in music.  If there wasn't experimentation, we'd still be stuck listening to Pat Boone.  (Not that there's anything wrong with Pat's music, it just sucks.)  Music wouldn't have the same resonance if it never changed.  Think about it.  Classical music is considered one huge thing, but if you compare Beethoven with J.S. Bach, it's completely different.  There are many of the same things there, but it's completely different.  (What most people listen to on Classical Radio is actually from the Romantic era.  Beethoven, Berlioz, Schubert, Mendelssohn, etc.  Sorry, just showing off my IB Music knowledge.  It's been 20 years, and I still got it.)

Anyways, give it a listen.  You might fall in love with it.

Sports Nicknames and Racism

There is a large debate going on about racist team nicknames in the two countries I'm most closely affiliated with: England and the USA.

In the US, the football team from Washington, DC has been getting some press for their nickname: The Redskins.  Supporters say it's a tribute to the bravery of the Native American people, and shouldn't be stigmatized.  Dan Snyder, the toad that owns the team, has said he'll never change it.  (I say toad not because of this, but because of everything else he's done in ruining a once proud football team.)  The supporters of the club say they don't want it changed.  Rick Reilly even wrote an incredibly condescending article on the uproar for ESPN saying that it was White people telling Native Americans that they should be offended, and if they aren't we'll be offended for you.  (No links, as he really doesn't deserve it.  The man is truly the Mitch Albom of Sports Writing.  Except that Mitch used to write sports too.)

What Mr. Reilly, who points out in his article that there are high schools with majority Native American populations that have Redskins as their nickname, doesn't seem to understand is that there are numerous Native Americans that objected to the name previously over the past 40 years.  Heck, the only reason they're playing in Maryland right now instead of Washington, DC proper is because Ben Nighthorse-Campbell supposedly put in a rider on a bill stating that no national government funds could be used for a stadium until they changed the nickname.  The main problem Reilly has is assuming that all Native Americans feel the same way.  Of course they don't.  They aren't a homogenous group, they are different tribes.  The Seminole tribe in Oklahoma expressed their anger towards Florida State for being the Seminoles, and asked the NCAA to make them change their name.  The Florida tribe said they had no problem with the name.  Who do you go to on this one?  The head of the Oneida nation wants it changed, and has a challenge for anyone who believes it isn't a slur: Come to his house, look at his grandchildren and say, "What a cute couple of Redskins they are!"  If you can't do that, then it is not honorific.

In England, there is a similar uproar over the unofficial nickname for the team I support in the Premiership.  Tottenham Hotspur, the only team named after a character in a Shakespeare play, is unofficially known as the Yids.  Their supporters also say that this is a tribute, as the area surrounding White Hart Lane, their stadium, is majority Jewish.  They say that they've taken on that nickname as a badge, after having it used against them for so long by other clubs.  And this is true.  Supporters from clubs like West Ham United and Chelsea have long made hissing sounds to simulate the sound of the gas chambers.  In fact, last year during the Europa League, nine Spurs fans were attacked in Rome by Lazio fans, and it has been strongly suggested that it was due to anti-semitism.  So the point the supporters are making is, "Ok we've decided to take on the identity proudly that you want to place on us."  When a player on the field does something great, he's greeted with the chant, "Yiddo, Yiddo."  When Jergen Klinsmann joined Tottenham, he was serenaded with this ditty: "Chim Chimmery, Chim Chimmery, Chim Chim Cherooo, Jergen was a German, but now he's a Jew."

Then in 2012, Comedian David Badiel, who is Jewish, brought out that he was offended by the chant, and asked for it to stop.  This brought out statements of support from the Society of Black Lawyers in the UK, and a threat that if it continued then they would file a police complaint.  I completely agree with David on this one, and I think it's time to stop the chants.  However, Mr. Badiel probably was the wrong person to do it.  Daniel Levy, the chairman of Tottenham, should have been the one to broach the subject.  There probably would have been less push back from Mr. Levy because he sits through all the games.  Mr. Badiel, you see, is a Chelsea supporter.  So his concerns were automatically dismissed since some of the biggest complaints in the past about anti-semitism towards Tottenham fans came from Chelsea games.  Mr. Levy has started a dialogue with the fans to turn away from the chants, but with threats coming against them, I don't see that happening in the short-term.  (By the way, Ajax Amsterdam also have the same issue as Tottenham, and many of the same questions are being asked in Amsterdam as in London.)

So where does it stand now?  Well, the Washington football team will still be the Redskins, and Tottenham fans will continue to call themselves Yids.  Both say they are honoring, rather than disrespecting, the people that the nicknames refer to.  However, take the challenge offered by the Oneida Nation: If you can go up to a Native American and call him and his family Redskins, or to a Jewish family and call them Yids, then you can use the phrase.  If you can't, then you shouldn't call your team that either.

Watching Rugby When Lovely English Lass has an Idea

South Africa played New Zealand in Rugby this weekend.  For those of you that don't know, this is how the All Blacks (the New Zealand Rugby Team's nickname) start all of their matches.

Pretty cool, no?  During the most recent Rugby World Cup, they really got into it.  The other team just watches while they do this.  It's a war chant and ritual, and in fact one of the teams was fined for not standing there.  I suggested that maybe England should answer with Morris Dancing.  Lovely English Lass came up with a few, and I collected the 5 best from our talk.

Top 5 Answers a Rugby Team Should give in response to the Haka

5) Read a newspaper.
4) Stare them down like Wales did in the 2011 World Cup.
3) Slowly walk towards them, like Ireland did in 1989.
2) This:
and this one is straight from LEL:
1) The Slow Clap

I honestly think that last one would lead to a riot on the field.

(Editor's note: Every Kiwi I've ever met has been very lovely.  Especially our friend in Durban.)

MILB: "Paid in Full" by Eric B. and Rakim

When you're the best, you don't have to sound like the rest.  At a time when other MCs in the rap field (LL Cool J, Kool Mo Dee, Chuck D) were high energy, Rakim decided it was time to slow the flow.  It changed the face of rap, and made for one hell of a good song.

"Paid in Full" was one of the biggest songs ever for Eric B. and Rakim.  It came on their first studio album, and definitely was something new to the New York rap scene.

Understand, at this time, the majority of the rap world could be found within 100 square miles. The New York metro area was basically it.  The Beastie Boys hadn't yet decamped to LA to record Paul's Boutique, and NWA was at least a year away from turning rap on it's ear.  Ice-T was big with "6 in the morning" but it wasn't anywhere near as universal as the stuff still coming out of New York.  Basically, it was the 5 Boroughs and Long Island, with Philly thrown in as well.  At this time, Eric B. decided he needed an MC if he was going to be big.  The story goes that he was taken by a friend to one rapper's house, but the guy wasn't home.  So they went to Rakim's house, and that was that.

Rakim tackled rapping with a methodical means.  He wrote all his lyrics, and read them off the paper.  Meanwhile, with a booming voice and a slow flow, he captures your attention in a way the normal yelling wouldn't.  The dramatic difference between Chuck D and Rakim (both of whom are very political in their rhymes) is fantastic.  Both are heavy-weights in rap, but I think Rakim is the better MC. His cock-sure rhymes put me in the mood of a beat poet.  He definitely wasn't the first with the slow flow (I'd say that was more Slick Rick), but he was the best.  Considering all the people the man influenced, you could say that he was one of the most influential people in the history of Rap.  I mean, Tupac, Biggie, Snoop and Nas credit him as being an influence.  Snoop even covered this song in the movie "Old School."

With "Paid in Full" the song starts with a typical hip-hop beat of drums and cymbals.  Then strangely, the bass and a flute come in.  There aren't many instances when a flute is used in rap music, and this may have been one of the first.  Eric B. then starts asking Rakim questions, basically giving a shout-out to their team.  (Management, Agent and Record Company all are mentioned.)  Then Rakim goes into his flow:

"Thinkin of a master plan/cuz ain't nothin but sweat inside my hand/so I dig into my pocket all my money is spent/so I dig deeper but still comin up with lint" 

That's a pretty good opening right there.  Everyone's been there previously, when you just don't have any money.  The rap goes on to discuss how he can make money and the options he has.  He used to rob people, but he doesn't feel right doing that any more.  So he decides that he and Eric B. are going to make music so he can get paid without doing something illegal.  (Funnily, he says he just wants to record and eat fish, which is his favorite dish.)  The beat keeps going while Eric B. jumps back in to tell Rakim they need to visit their girlfriends because his girl is mad that they took too long to make the album.  This is probably meant as an inside joke, since it only took a week to record the entire album.

This song is 3 minutes and 49 seconds, but the rapping makes up maybe half of the song.  However, it's still very influential to the history of the genre.  Rakim usually rapped about how great his rhymes were, or his religion (Islam), so he didn't get into the whole gangster rap idea.  This album has been rated as one of the 500 best albums of all time.  It's certainly one that will give you an appreciation for the work put into it.  Eric B. had a great ear for beats and especially what would go well with Rakim's flow.  Shortly after this album came out, NWA dropped "Straight Outta Compton" and the Rap scene changed forever.  What would rap sound like now if it was Eric B. and Rakim that made the huge splash that NWA did?  It's an interesting thought.  Personally I think it was a media hype that made the difference.  Why listen to a sweet flow when you can be completely horrified by gangster images.  Still, "Paid in Full" is a great song, and one you should listen to.  Listen to it as an artifact of what could have been in the rap world, and then listen to it because it's a great song.

Anger and Resentment

As I've said previously, sometimes it is difficult to be a Management Officer and not be angry and resentful of your co-workers.  Most people I work with are very nice and lovely people.  And then there are some that treat me like the help.

You see, Management officers of all stripes walk a tight-rope.  We are not only a service provider, but also a co-worker.  Many times people can't see the difference.  And hey, I get it!  It's hard to be angry at someone because they've refused your travel or told you something you want to do can't be done, and then act like nothing is wrong when you see them at a party later on.  It's human nature to carry that professional anger into your personal life.  It's ruined friendships, and caused many of scene at an Embassy event.

(I have Management friends worldwide that don't go to Mission events because of how often they will be cornered with issues someone has with their house or with not getting something they've requested.  I don't recommend that... but I understand!)

The way I see it is that you have two ways you can go as a Management Officer.  1) You shrug off the professional issues and keep as separate a line as you can with your professional and private lives, or 2) You become bitter and angry and resent people for what they do.

Trust me when I say that number 2 is sadly the easiest to do.  How dare they come into your office and tell you that they can do your job better?  You've busted your butt trying to get their housing right, their office correct, and help them the best you can with limited resources, but they come in and act like you're just in from orientation classes.  Everyone appears to be an expert on your job, and they think it's so easy to do!  They never see you answering phone calls at 2 am from someone complaining that their toilet is clogged (even though they have 3 other bathrooms in the house) or having to come into the office on Saturday and Sunday to ensure that the end of year procurements have gone through.

The problem with that one is you quickly start to hate everything.  Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, etc. etc. etc.  To paraphrase another movie, It's not personal, it's just business.  Management officers must learn to section off their private life from professional, or else you need to find something else to do.

I'm writing this because I was on the verge of number 2 recently.  I was grumpy, and not being very helpful.  Thankfully I have a lovely wife that let me know I was being a pill, and I took a good look at myself and thought I needed a change.  Working out more has helped as well, I gotta say.  Still, it's hard to walk that tight-rope.  I'm just glad I have a net for when I fall off so I can get back up there again.

MILB: "We Used To Be Friends" by The Dandy Warhols

(Editor's Note: This blog is not aimed at anyone.  Well, anyone that actually reads my blog posts.)

You might have heard this as the theme tune for "Veronica Mars" or on the radio.  Maybe you saw the video.  However, this song really does deserve to stand on its own.

The Dandy Warhols made it huge with "Bohemian Like You", with a sound like "Jumpin' Jack Flash" and a great beat.  Their next album brought out "We Used To Be Friends."

Growing older has given me a unique perspective on life, as it usually does.  This song is obviously about growing up and the lessons you learn as you get older and that sometimes friends just fade away.  The main theme of the song deals with remembering someone with whom you used to be close, but something happened and you aren't any more.  The opening lines of the song pretty much sum it up:

A Long Time Ago/We used to be friends, but I/ Haven't thought of you lately at all./  If ever again, a greeting I send to you/ short and sweet to the soul I intend.

This is growing up right there.  The difference between when this song was released and now is that with email, Facebook, twitter, etc, it's becoming less and less common to lose touch with people from your past.  Heck, I even found a friend on Facebook that I hadn't heard from since I was 8 and moved from Arkansas to Florida.  Sometimes, though, people you've been very close to seem to drift away.  Many times there isn't even a reason for it to happen.  The song puts it like this:

It's something I said, or someone I know/or you called me up maybe I wasn't home

You see, sometimes there isn't a reason for growing apart.  You just do it.  I know there are friends that I'll always be close to in life.  We don't talk for a bit, but then we chat and it's like nothing happened.  But then there are people I hardly ever hear from.  I'll go years without hearing from them, and then one day they'll contact me and I'll be, "Wow, has it really been two years since I spoke to them?"  It's nothing personal, but life does get in the way you know?  The good news is that if you are really interested in maintaining relationships, you can do it now, no matter where in the world you are.  Heck, here I sit in Johannesburg and thanks to social media I can watch my nephews and niece grow up.  Or I can chat with one of my former college roommates online while he sits in a cafe in Brussels and I sit in my house in South Africa, which happened last month.

However, sometimes that's not enough.  The Dandy Warhols made a great song which perfectly fits in with growing up.  Sadly I know one day I'll run into someone with my family, and after introducing everyone, and a brief chat, I'm sure Lovely English Lass will ask me, "Where did you know them from?"  My response will probably be, "Well, we used to be friends."

"Hi and thank you for your interest in Johannesburg as a post."

(this may or may not be the letter I send out to prospective bidders on my job in Johannesburg.)

Hi, and thank you for your interest in the Management Officer position in Johannesburg.  I've written this letter so I don't have to personally respond to 25 people asking the same questions over and over again.  I hope that's ok, and even if it isn't, too bad.

Working here in Johannesburg is a great experience.  Yeah, there is crime in the city.  And yes, the lights do go out because the country hasn't upgraded its power supply for a while.  Oh and occasionally we lose water for days and have no explanation why.  And yes there are strikes going on right now in the mining sector which is causing the Rand to drop against the dollar, but that's ok.  Oh, and in some places the put up signs telling you there are potholes instead of fixing the potholes.  But that's ok.  And many of the traffic lights go out for days turning the roads into a parking lot.  But that's ok.  The weather is fantastic: Not too hot or too cold.  Except that one time when Secretary Clinton visited and it snowed.  How weird was that!?!?!

Oh, and you might get hit by a van loaded to bursting point driven by someone that doesn't use a turn signal and weaves through traffic and stops very suddenly without warning.  They call them taxis here.  Also, you might get hit by the following as well crossing a street in Sandton, where the Consulate is located: A BMW, a Mercedes, a McLaren (I didn't even know they MADE street cars), a Lotus (but you might do more damage to the Lotus than it does to you), a Ferrari or a Mazda.  Hey, not everyone around here has money.  (Oh yeah, they pump your gas here, just like in New Jersey.  Proper tip is about R10.  However, they're going on strike next week.  I'll keep you posted.)

As for Security, it is an issue, and one that we rightly worry about, but that's something that happens in big cities.  I mean, there are places in Orlando, Florida you don't walk around at night, amirite?  Just make sure you keep your head on a swivel.  (Oh, the City Service workers just went on strike.  I'll keep you posted.)

Housing is on a compound.  Don't worry, as you're a Management Officer you'll probably be ok with whatever house you get.  (BTW, the airline employees just went on strike too.  I'll keep you posted.)

Safaris are a good way to pass the time here.  Go to Kruger of course, but there are other places as well in the area to go to see animals.  You'll pass by a lot of informal settlements on your way to these places.  Please don't take photos, as this kind of makes some people angry.  Just saying.  Also, Sun City is not far away, and it's a great place to play golf, take the kids to the water park, or even go to Pilanesburg for a game drive.  Remember, Impala have what look like an "M" on their backsides.  Also, do you remember the song, "Sun City" from the 1980s?  Little Stephen from the E Street Band wrote it.  Good song.  Definitely check it out.

South Africans love sport.  Soccer is very big here, and so is Rugby Union.  (Which is different from Rugby League.  Big difference.  Make sure you know the difference.)  Cricket as well is popular, and the SA team is the number 1 test team in the world.  Many people don't get Cricket, but I do.  Basically, get very ill and then watch a match.  It'll suddenly make sense.  (Update, it appears that the cleaning sector is going on strike now too.  I'll keep you posted.)

Anyways, I hope this provided you with a good snapshot of work and life in Johannesburg.  Truly a great city, and it's been a great tour.  Hopefully you'll remain interested in the numerous months we have ahead for bidding.  Please don't contact me all the time.  I'm busy bothering other people about their jobs and doing my own so I really don't have time to deal with questions like: "What's the housing look like?"  Go read Real Post reports online for questions like that.  Anyways, good luck with your bidding!

(This was satirical in nature and not meant to represent what I've actually sent to people.  Many of these sectors mentioned are not on strike at the moment, although it is strike season so that could change.  I'll keep you posted.)

MILB: The thriving South African Music Scene

Not something I would have thought about when I first arrived here.  South Africa music scene?  The only South African music I'd heard back in the States was off Paul Simon's "Graceland" and of course Dave Matthew, who was born here.  But an organic music scene?  Didn't seem possible.

However, that's certainly changed in my mind.  There are a TON of South African musicians that deserve to be heard worldwide.  The music ranges from almost Industrial Dance music to Country to Afrikaans Rap.  It's hopping right now, and something other places need to take notice.

The impetus for this blog is the upcoming "Joburg Day" sponsored by one of the local radio stations.  They put South African musicians on in a large concert festival.  It's huge.  I know tons of people that want to go but can't because the tickets are taken.  Over 30,000 people will come out.  Let me tell you about some of the bands, and check them out.  You might actually like them.

Elvis Blue learned to play guitar by watching youtube videos.  He started busking on the streets of Johannesburg, and started collaborating with other South African artists.  He then won the South African Idols show, and recorded some pretty darn good music.  He even set up a music academy to help under-privileged children.  He's also pretty cool when he does interviews.

I've spoken of Goldfish previously, but they are doing some great things with dance music.  They hardly ever perform, so this would be a treat.  However, give their latest album a listen, as I think you'll like it.

Locnville is a group made up of twin brothers, Andrew and Brian Chaplin.  (Their grandfather was the first cousin of Charlie.)  They make electronic music, and have become pretty big in Europe.  They started their own record company to ensure that they got the profits, not some label.  (As they put it, "We did the work.")  They're favorites here, and should be a good set.

When I first heard Blackbyrd's "I feel good today" I seriously thought it was an American Country band.  (At first I thought it might be Lady Antebellum, but was mistaken.  Since  I usually don't listen to Country music, I think I can be forgiven.)  Turns out that Blackbyrd are in fact a trio of South African women who love country music.  Not too bad, and I really like "I feel good today."

The biggest name this year is probably The Parlotones.  They have a song, "Stand Like Giants", where they are asking for a choir to join them on stage and perform.  Pretty cool, I got to admit.  The Parlotones decided earlier this year that they were moving, en masse, to Los Angeles.  Kind of like the Monkees, actually.  However, to show their appreciation, they had a going away party that was open to everyone.  they then got on a truck and played through the streets of Johannesburg.  Pretty cool, actually.  Give them a listen, you might like them.  (Personally I think they're trying to be like Muse, but I mean that in a good way.)

Anyways, there's a lot going on here.  I didn't even mention Jack Parrow, an Afrikaans rapper, or Die Antwoord, an Afrikaans industrial rap group that just courts controversy.  (Seriously, they're so strange that they were asked by Lady Gaga to open for them, and instead of only saying no, they made a music video mocking her.)  Kongos I've spoken about, and still dig "Hey I don't Know".  Plus, they've got a drummer who's a singer.  Nice.

Seriously, give some of these groups a listen.  You might find something you like.

Never Give Up

Last night, when I should have been upstairs trying to sleep, I was instead watching one of the oldest international football (soccer) rivalries in the world: England v. Scotland.  I was also tracking the Bosnia v. USA game on my iPad, as it wasn't on TV.  The US came back from 2-0 down to win 4-3.  I was ecstatic. However, the England - Scotland game was even at 2 all, and I wasn't going to leave before the end of that game.  The threat of a fight between players is always a possibility when the Auld Enemies take the pitch.  Happily, there wasn't any.  But there was a bit of magic that really was inspiring.  Real "Roy of the Rovers" stuff.

I'd only heard of Rickie Lambert previously because he played for Southampton, and last season they played beautiful football.  Rickie was one of the reasons for that.  Turns out, Rickie is one of the few players to have scored in all four divisions of the professional football league in England.  He's played at the lowest professional level, where if you're relegated you're semi-pro, and then moved to one of the biggest stages in the Premiership.  It's amazing really, and he's a hard worker with the ability to pop up at the right place and time for a goal.  The thing is, Rickie Lambert is 31, and had never been selected for the England National squad.  Good rule of thumb: If you've not been selected before you're 26, there's a pretty good chance you won't be ever.  Heck, Southampton deity Matt Le Tissier was only capped 8 times in his career and you have to mention his name in a hush if you're in St. Mary's ground, the home of Southampton.  So the chances of him getting a game, or even a call up, were almost nil.

Roy Hodgson decided to call him up anyway for the friendly.  I mean, he'd done quite well with the Saints, so why not?  Not like he was going to get into the game, right?  Not with people on the bench like Alex Oxlade-Chamberlin, Jermaine Defoe or Wilfried Zaha.  But, Hodgson gave him a run out.  And so, in the 67th minute, Rickie Lambert, at the age of 31, came on for Wayne Rooney to earn his first international cap for England.

In the 70th minute, off a corner kick, Rickie lost his man, jumped above everyone else and, with his very first touch of the ball in an international game, nodded it into the right corner of the goal.  Let me tell you, it was awesome to see the joy on his face, and on those of his teammates, as he celebrated the storybook finish.  (He did miss an open goal shortly before the end of the game hitting the right post with a bullet shot, but that'll be airbrushed out when he tells the grandkids about it later in life.)  Rickie Lambert was at one time in the lowest position in Professional football.  He could have resigned himeself to never going further, playing in lower divisions for the rest of his career, calling it a day, and lived a very happy life.  Many players do that.  However, he kept trying. Playing for Rochdale he kept trying.  Playing for Stockport County he kept trying.  Heck, playing for Macclesfield Town he kept trying.  Finally he got to ride with Southampton from League One, through the Championship to the Premiership and ending with a trip to represent his country on the turf of Wembley.  Doesn't get much better than that, does it?

You know, watching that, and thinking of all the stuff that we all go through each day, it goes to show that you can always try and you won't succeed if you don't even try.  My Lovely Little Girl does this every day.  She tries her best, and is doing well considering all the difficulty she has just sitting still.  ADHD and Autism Spectrum are not things that are easy to conquer, but I know she'll keep trying.  Maybe I can tell her one day about Rickie Lambert, or Temple Grandin, or even Einstein who didn't talk until he was 4, and let her know she can do whatever she sets out to do, even when the odds are against you.

Thanks, Rickie.  You're an inspiration.

How Lovely Little Girl Has Been Doing...

As you may know, LLG was in the hospital last Wednesday to have her tonsils and adenoids removed.  I think she handled it with more grace then her mummy or her daddy, considering the issues she has, and the complete lack of knowledge about ADHD or Autism from the staff at the hospital.

We got up early last Wednesday so that LLG could be at the hospital in time.  I dropped Crazy Little Man off at Pre-School, and off I went to the hospital myself.  (However first I had a talk with CLM.  Since his sister was getting a big Hello Kitty for being a good girl at the hospital, if he could be a good boy for 10 days, the length she was recuperating, then I'd buy him a gift.  So far so good!)

Got to the room and LLG and LEL were waiting for the doctor and the nurses to come in.  The anesthetist (which I just spelled correctly without spellcheck!) came in, explained what was going to happen, and left.  Next a nurse came in, took her temperature, and then put a thing on her finger to measure heart rate and other things.  But LLG didn't like having it on her finger, and it wasn't getting a good reading because she kept moving.  The nurse started to get cross and kept telling LLG not to move.  I explained that she had ADHD and Autism, but the nurse answered, "It doesn't matter, she needs to stay still!"  Nice, really.  Finally she stayed still long enough to get the readings, and off she went.

Oh, and we were in a room with two other children.  One was a girl that was probably 12, and the other was a boy that was about CLMs age, and in fact wearing the same pjs that he likes to wear.  LEL was listening when the nurse was asking the little boy's mother about allergies, and she listed cats.  The boy piped up with, "We've got two cats at home, don't we mummy?"  The mother answered, "Two LOVELY cats, yes."

The time came when the doctors and nurses came to roll LLG out of the room.  LEL went with her, and I stayed with the stuff.  After about 15 minutes I went to the waiting area to give LEL some food, since she hadn't eaten yet.  Finally, 10 minutes later, they came for LEL.  However, they didn't let her into the room where LLG was waiting immediately, and after hearing LLG crying, LEL went in.  Two nurses were forcibly holding LLG down as she struggled and cried.  LEL told them to let her go, which they replied they were trying to protect her head.  LEL told them then to protect her head, but by forcibly holding her down they were making it worse.  After letting her go, she calmed down quickly.  After a bit, they rolled her back into her room, where she went to sleep.

While she was sleeping, a weird thing happened.  The nurse brought in a can of coke and a grilled cheese sandwich.  That's not how I remember my friends back home talking about their tonsillectomy.  Turns out, this is what they do in SA.  (It's a holdover as they want to make sure they can chew.  Not sure on the coke, though.)  One of my workers told me that when he had his tonsils out, they gave him a can of coke, a packet of chips (crisps for those of you outside the US) and biltong.  (If you don't know what that is, it's very strong and tough beef jerky.)  LLG doesn't eat cheese, and has never had a coke, so we refused.  The nurse was adamant that she had to eat it.  We compromised and she had juice and toast.

I had to get back to work, so LLG paid for the bill, got her meds, instructions on how to handle her, and off she went.  So far she's ok as far as we know.  Her voice is higher, but we understand that'll change back after a bit.  Sadly she can't tell us she's in pain, so we just keep up with her pain meds to make sure that she's ok.  She has to not be active for 10 days to ensure that she's ok, which is quite difficult to do with a child with ADHD.  I had to stay home with her on Friday and Monday, and I can tell you she's about to lose her mind not being able to jump or go outside.  We're slowly introducing her to going out, but we have to be careful.  Still, she actually has been sleeping better.  (Not in her bed, of course, but yesterday she slept until almost 7, so not bad.)

At least we won't have to deal with tonsilitis any more.  5 times in less than a year is not fun.  The doctor said he was glad we removed them because, and this is a direct quote, "They were huge, scarred and disgusting." Sadly, he didn't bring them in so we could see them.  I mean, you can't say something like that and not show us!  Oh well.  I just know I'm glad this ordeal is over.  Hopefully LLG will be a happier person because of this.  Plus, she starts school again on Monday, so I know she'll be back to her giggly, happy self soon enough.

MILB: "STUNNER" by Dan le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip

Sometimes you stumble across a group that is so random that you have to love them.  I feel that way about Dan le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip.  I first heard one of their songs back in 2007, I think, on a British TV Show called "Soccer AM".  (Weird that they call it Soccer AM, and not Football AM.  I digress.)  Their song was "Thou Shalt Always Kill" and I thought it was awesome.  Pip is a poet, not a rapper.  Dan le Sac puts beats to the thing and create a mash of goodness that can't be pigeonholed as rap or spoken word.

Anyways, this week the finally released another song.  "STUNNER" is much darker than "Thou Shalt Always Kill" and "Beat that my Heart skipped", their other song that I adore.  This one is just full a on assault.  The fantastic "chorus" of "The World Don't revolve around you but it should/ not saying you're perfect but you're really really good."

The beginning of the song is Scroob rapping a capella, "I know it sounds weird/ I do want you to look back on this and smile, but/ I kind of want that smile to be through tears."  Dark, but also an interesting take.  Everyone wants to be remembered happily, but also kind of want the person who's left you to be sad that it ended.

The lyrics are just on another level.  "That light at the end of the tunnel was a fire."  "Don't need the world to love me, I just need you to."  "If Romance is dead/ blame the hopeless romantics."  Or my favorite one: "I wore my heart on my sleeve and you stole my (expletive) shirt."  This is just a verbal assault for 3 minutes and 59 seconds.  The only time it lets up is during the break, but even then the tension still remains as Dan le Sac's beat and music continue the attack on your senses.

It could be considered a love song, I suppose, if Stephen King wrote love songs.  The music is hard, and there are quite a few curse words in it, so don't listen to it around kids.  It very much reminds me of the first time I heard industrial music back in the early 90s.  It's jarring, and unsettling, but that's one of the things that music can, and should do.  It shouldn't be bubblegum pop, with no meaning or depth to it.  There needs to be something visceral in the music to make you feel one thing or another.   If you heard this song on the radio (which you won't) then you'd definitely remember it.  It's not something that you can listen to passively.  Songs that I think are like that are NIN "Head Like a Hole", Filter's "Hey Man Nice Shot" and to a lesser extent all of Minor Threat's songs.

It may not be to your liking, though.  If you don't like it, that's ok.  However, give Dan le Sac and Scroobius Pip a listen to on some of their other songs.  "Beat that my heart skipped" might be more to your style, or even "Thou Shalt Always Kill."  All I know is that I've listened to "STUNNER" probably 40 times since I downloaded it last weekend, and I will probably listen to it even move this weekend.  Not because it speaks directly to me, but because I dig the song.

MILB: "Round Here" by Counting Crows

You know, sometimes there is a band that releases an album that they really had no business releasing.  Nothing they do afterwards lives up to how good the first album is, and while some of their past songs are great, it never reaches as high as the first one.  Bush have this with "16 Stone".  Counting Crows, while releasing some great music in the past, never once have reached the total awesomeness of August and Everything After, released 20 years ago this September.

"Round Here" is probably one of my favorite, and most maddening, Counting Crows songs.  It has some fantastic lyrics, and some really lazy ones as well.  The music is very simple and quiet, with the beginning like an organ that slowly grows in sound.  Then a guitar enters playing a broken chord that plays as the backbone of the song.  It's very powerful.

The lyrics, as I said previously, can be quite amazing.  The frontman, Adam Duritz, explained that the song is about a guy leaving a woman, and everything behind, and realizing that he's just losing himself as well.  Then comes the greatest line in the song:

"Round here we talk just like lions, but we sacrifice like lambs."

The imagery of that is amazing.  He then of course follows up later in the song with the laziest lyric in the song:

"Round here we stay up very very very very late."

Wow.

Anyways, the rest of the song is brilliant, and you can hear the emotion Duritz' voice as he sings it.  This song meant a lot to me in 1993-1994, as did this entire album.  I was just about to graduate from High School and move 879 miles away to Washington, DC.  It definitely spoke to me, and it's something that's always stayed with me.

Even now I listen to it and it has meaning.  August 2, 2013 will be our 2nd year anniversary in South Africa.  Listening to it makes me think back to everything that's happened over the past two years and realizing that lots has happened and that we don't always have time.  Listen to the song, and then the rest of August and Everything After.  "Anna Begins" is fantastic, and "Mr. Jones" is a classic as well.  But also listen to "Time and Time Again" and "Sullivan Street."  Duritz was trying to be Bob Dylan, and it's not a bad effort.

In praise of hipsters

I know, they annoy me most times too, but recently I've decided that there is a good thing to having hipsters around being ironic.  Because of their ironic detachment, they've allowed me at least some good things.  Here are a few for you.

1) Their ironic wearing of logo t-shirts.  Because of hipsters, I can go outside now wearing my Batman t-shirts and not feel out of place at all.  I love that.  I can walk around wearing my Captain America shield t-shirt and people just think I'm being ironic.
2) They've made being a nerd ok.  You can be a nerd, interested in things that normally would make you an outsider, and turned it around.  Reading comic books is ok, as is keeping a blog.  (From "Phineas and Ferb":  "Yeah, I blog about blogs I read, and blogs I don't like and other blogs as well.")
3) They listen to music ironically that I actually like from back in the day.  Great example of this happened on Saturday.  LEL went to TopShop here to look around.  While inside, the music playing was obviously meant to be ironic, but I loved it.  "Ice Ice Baby" came on.  Now, Vanilla Ice gets a lot of stick, deservedly, for his body of work.  However, remember back to when that song actually came out.  It was the joint.  One of the radio stations played ABCs "The Look of Love" which is yet another great song.  I can also like Death Cab for Cutie and be ok with it.  And listen to Billy Joel.
4) Coffee Joints.  What can I say?  I like coffee joints. They don't have Starbucks here, but they do have some great coffee spots, which we can thank hipsters for continuing to frequent.
5) The ability to look bored.  Sometimes you just don't want to look interested because you aren't.  If you're wearing a Batman t-shirt and look bored, people just think you're a hipster and it's ok.  I like that.

Anyways, there's my praise for hipsters.  I know they can be a pain (especially the guys from Fun.) but they've made it ok for a man in his mid-thirties to not look like a total moron, and for that I thank them.

MILB: "Freak of the Week" by Marvelous 3

Once again, I'm delving into a lost song that deserved better.  (To be honest, there are two songs I've been searching for, one since the early 90s is a song called "Believe" by DiG.  Found it on YouTube, but not on iTunes.  The other was a heavy rock cover of "You're the One that I Want" from Grease.  The video had two guys in a pickup doing donuts.  It was awesome!  But, impossible to find.  If anyone knows where I can find them to purchase, please put it in the comments.)

I digress, this song is from a group called Marvelous 3 from Atlanta, Georgia.  They release three albums, and basically split up in 2001 after a farewell show in Olympic Park.  However, in the fall of 1998 they released an album called Hey! Album which included the lead single "Freak of the Week."

"Freak of the Week" sounded a bit like a Cars song, and had a bit of simplicity to it.  Moving bass line, horn licks on the guitar during the verse, loud sing-a-long chorus.  It's a song that was basic enough to enjoy, but also good enough that you didn't feel like an idiot liking it.  (A good example of that is "Complicated" by Avril Lavigne.  Simple song, but good enough that you won't get mocked too much for liking it.)

The girl I dated at around that time thought the song sounded like a shoe commercial, and she wasn't too far off on it.  It's a song about being an outsider or being famous in a rock band.  The first verse is: 

"I spend a lot on all the clothes that I've got/ because all the geeks that I meet/ they all look cooler than me./ But what to do when they're all looking at you/ because you're the freak of the week/ cause you're on the TV."

Pretty decent opening.  The second verse talks about his shrink who thinks he's Elvis and wears suede shoes to work.  That's pretty descriptive there.  The break is fantastic, and definitely sounds like the Cars.  repetitive guitar lick, while a falsetto over the top says:

"Tell me I've sold out/ Tell me I've sold out, go ahead./ Tell me I've sold out./  Tell me I've sold out, go ahead."

Interesting, because that's the worst thing you can call a band.  A sell-out.  Maybe this was written because prior to being in Marvelous 3, the band members were part of a glam outfit.  Perhaps in the writing of the song, the singer thought he'd sold out to make commercially viable music, hence "Freak of the Week" and the sold out lines.

Even though they broke up in 2001, the band members still seem to be on good speaking terms.  The lead singer is a guy named Butch Walker, who had a decent solo career and has been a writer and producer of some renowned for other artists.  When he tours as a solo act, he occasionally has the other members from Marvelous 3 come on stage to do some of their songs.  I think that's pretty darn cool.

Anyways, it's a good song, I like it, and listen to it when I feel a bit down.  It peps me up and makes me think that I'll be ok.  Give it a listen, see if you like it, and let me know if there are other songs out there that I haven't talked about that I should give a listen.

MILB: "Hell" by the Squirrel Nut Zippers

There are times when you hear a song that is obviously tongue in cheek, but realize it would fit in very well in an old fashioned Fire and Brimstone Baptist tent revival in Alabama.  You can almost feel the heat and humidity coming off this song.  I like it a lot.

The first time I heard about The Squirrel Nut Zippers I was in College.  They were lumped into the nascent "Swing" revival happening in the mid-to-late 1990s, but this group was more than Big Band Swing.  They had a bit of everything.  Harlem Hot Music, Klezmer, Delta Blues, Swing of course, and a bit of calypso.  It was an amazing blend, and one that should have gotten more traction.  If I'm honest, they didn't do too badly.  They played President Clinton's inaugural, had a stint on the Tonight Show and a platinum album, so that's not too bad.  Still, they should be played more often then during Halloween in the States.  Plus, the name of the band comes from a headline about a guy that got drunk on moonshine, climbed a tree and wouldn't come down.  (The type of moonshine is apparently called Nut Zipper.)

Now, onto the song.  "Hell" is supposed to sound like a street corner preacher trying to reach out to the lost souls about what happens when people die.  The dramatic telling of how things will be in hell definitely takes me back to Revival! time in the South.  You'll hear them talk about how horrible hell is, and how everyone that goes there is tormented forever and ever.  Also you won't be able to hide anything in eternity, because everyone will know.  The lyrics are very demonstrative:

"This is a place where eternally/fire is applied to the body/ teeth are extruded and bones are ground/ and baked into cakes which are passed around."

or:

"Beauty, talent, fame, money, refinement, top skill and brain/ but all the things you try to hide/ will be revealed on the other side."

You can almost picture a man with a magnificently coiffed head of hair, a sharp suit, and an organ playing in the background, saying these things, right?

Moving on from the message, the use of live musicians, and a throwback sound to the early 20th century, gave this song a real "new" feel.  That sounds strange, but it was comfortable but different.  I personally liked it.  But then again I liked bands like Cherry Poppin' Daddies and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, so take that what you will.

Go listen to the song if you haven't heard it.  If you have, listen to it again.  The musicianship is great, the singing definitely sounds like something from the 20s or 30s, and it even has the call and response which gives it a Cab Calloway sense.  Love it.  (And listen for the very ending where you hear someone say, "I broke the chandelier."  Random, but funny.)

Give it a try everyone.  You might surprise yourself and find your toe tapping.

"Hey Baby! You looking for a Management Officer?"

Ok, so it's not that bad when it comes to bidding in the Foreign Service, but it seems that way.  Every two to three years I have to sit down, write my letter explaining that I'm interested in a certain job, and that I'd very much like to introduce myself and give my cv.  There are many rules when it comes to bidding, and it's a delicate dance between being the right person for the right job and being an overwhelming jerk who constantly pesters people and have now talked themselves out of a job.

It's so much easier as an Entry-level officer.  They give you a list of what's available.  You rank order them, and they assign you to a post.  How simple is that?  I miss those days.  Now a days I feel like Rod Roddy when he was on The Price Is Right giving the details about the item up for bid.  "This 37-year old Management Coned Officer survived three years as the Management Officer in Luxembourg before doing a tour as Post Management officer for Afghanistan, where he bought airplanes and helicopters, and was responsible for procuring armored vehicles for those brave souls serving in a war zone.  He loves spending time with his family, movies, and hopes to one day become Batman."

(Well, not that last sentence.  Usually they don't ask about your interests outside of work.)

Here's what you'll need to know if you are a Foreign Service Officer and bidding on your first non-directed job:

1) Do your research: Know basic information about the post.  If you're a Management Officer, research the issues prior to writing.  If you're a Political or Econ officer, ensure you have a basic idea of the political and economic climate of the country.  (It also helps if you know the President or Prime Minister.  Just sayin'...)
2) Don't be long winded:  This one is hard.  The welcome email should only be the screen size.  They shouldn't have to scroll down to get to the end.  Make it short, concise, and to the point.  They're very busy, they get tons of these, and they want to know the facts and get it over with.  If it's too long, you've just disqualified yourself from the job.
3) Ask them questions about the job:  If you really are interested in the job, ask questions about it.  Don't start off asking questions about nightlife, or fun things to do in the country.  That's not their job.  You should have contacted the CLO about that prior to emailing the POC.  If you have kids, do the research on that first before talking to the POC.  This will stop you from wasting someones time when you can't bid there anyways.
4) Don't ask about housing:  I know it's important, and I know the family will want to know more about housing, but stop yourself.  I beg of you, just stop.  If the first thing you ask about is housing, it kind of singles you out as a possible problem child.  It's important, but just hold out for a bit.  There will be time later to ask that.
5) Ask the incumbent if you can chat: Not a bad way to get yourself known, they can always say no, and you don't force yourself on someone by cold-calling them.  It's an easy thing to do.
6) If you do get a phone call, follow up with an email: This is an easy thing to do.  Thank them for taking the time to talk to you, and tell them you look forward to hearing from them again if they have any other questions for you.  It puts you in their mind that you're a good person.  Plus, it's polite.
7) Don't bother someone more than once every 10-14 days:  POCs have jobs themselves that they need to do.  If you pester them, you'll fall off their charts faster than that crooked detective fell from the roof in Batman Begins.  (Did you see that part?  It was awesome.)
8) ABC:  To quote Glenngary Glen Ross "Always Be Closing".  Make sure that when a certain job is brought up, your name is associated with it.  Make it your job.
9) Sell yourself, but don't oversell yourself:  There is a difference between selling yourself, and overselling yourself.  It is a fine line.  Talking about what you've done is great.  Talking about how you saved the day all by yourself and not giving your team the credit is overselling.  If something can be verified, then yes.  If you take too much credit, you'll get a horrible corridor rep and you won't get that job.

and finally...
10) Have the backup ready just in case:  I can't tell you how many times I thought I was going somewhere, and the job just dropped.  The last time I bid, I was in the top 3 twice, and lost out on both jobs.  When I was in DC in 2005, I lost my entire bid list. Twice.  It wasn't a great feeling, let me tell you.  Both times I got a job offer before getting the job I ended up with.  I had a backup, just in case.

If you're in the FS, this might help.  If not, welcome to my madness for the next few months.  I probably won't even know where I'm going until December, so I'm going to be crazy busy doing interviews for my next assignment, but also answering questions about this job from people bidding.  This is the life I chose to lead, so I can't complain.  Still it goes against my Calvinist upbringing.  I guess I'll just go feel guilty for a while after the interviews.

Take the Yes.

One of the major problems I have being a Management Officer is when people can't take the yes.  What does that mean?  I'll explain.

Someone comes into your office to ask for something.  They start it off explaining what it is they need, and then go into a long explanation of why it is the want it.  However, you've already decided that it's ok, and say yes before they get to the explanation.  Even after hearing that it's ok, they continue on with the reasoning behind why they need it.  Even after you tell them that it's ok, you've already said yes, they continue on with their explanation.

For goodness sake, just take the yes.  The good thing about being a human is the ability to stop our speech whenever we want to do so.  We're not clockwork men.  We don't have to continue on until our key stops.  When someone says yes, just stop there, thank them, and go on with your day.  It's not a hard thing to do!

Another pet peeve of mine is overly long meetings.  I hate meetings, as they can be a large time suck.  Everyone probably has something better to do, and no one likes being in a meeting.  However, they are important to the smooth running of an organization, so I accept them for the necessary evil that they are.  I do, though, place a time limit on the meetings that I hold.  One hour.  That's the longest I will sit for one of my meetings.  When I first arrive at a post, I call together everyone I supervise for a meeting and lay down the ground rules.  If after 1 hour the meeting is still going, I will get up and leave.  (This rule can be broken if there is an emergency, like a natural disaster, a large visit, or something like that.)  It doesn't matter if someone is in the midst of talking, I will leave.  This keeps the meetings short and to the point.

I had to institute this rule during my first time as a Management Officer.  I had an employee that would always go into long drawn out stories before getting to his point.  I finally instituted the rule, and actually walked out during one of his stories.  This made him very angry, but I explained that we didn't need the full background, just the point he was trying to make.  If I wanted background, I told him, I would ask him for it.  While on occasion he needed to be reminded to move forward, it worked perfectly, and meetings became much more productive.

The point of this post is: Get to the point immediately, and then take the yes.  It'll make everyone happier in the long run.