It should be bare...

Letting those early posts marinate these past couple of days, I've realized that this process really is meant to be a soul-baring one. I heard someone say that the best writing is the kind that exposes the reader to the raw emotion of the author, be that to the reader's benefit or abhorrence. Oh well, this may be the nature of things for this blog. I'm hesitant to strip away all my social protective gear, but in the coming weeks I'll attempt to be less self-conscious, at least in this realm.

Selling bootcamp and beyond...

At work today, I had a unique, fly-on-the-wall experience related to our nation's armed forces and the recruiting practices of one branch in particular - oorah! After finishing with a student, we were standing together on the threshold scheduling our next meeting when a pair of young guys strolled by followed closely by another pair, the second set in neatly pressed uniforms, belt buckles shining even under the institutional, fluorescent glow of the hallway.

The conversation, or rather interrogation, that ensued started off inquisitively enough, with a fair degree of politeness. The dapper, uniformed recruiter, no more than a few years older than the young men he was addressing, commenced with the typical line of questioning: "So, what's your major? Oh, you're not sure. What kind of stuff are you interested in? Leaving your options open...okay." All pretty much routine. Then things began to change and the tone became more aggressive and actually fairly insulting, from my perspective. The message to one of the young men in the serviceman's sights was that he would never make it in the Marines and that he shouldn't pursue enlistment. "Yeah, you're definitely not cut out for it. You don't know what you want to do in life? You couldn't handle it. Don't even try."

This tactless effort at intimidation through reverse psychology seemed at best hacky and at worst seriously pushy. Listening to the silence of the guys listening, I could tell the approach had backfired. One of the young men seemed to lose interest, rightly sensing that this was the type of crap, the type of condescension that he'd have to look forward to in his fledgling military career. The other of the two targets was less fortunate and maybe had given some signs of interest, although most likely he was just feigning early enthusiasm out of courtesy.

The persistent recruiter understood he was waging a losing battle and it was only a matter of time before his window of opportunity fell shut with finger-crushing force. So, his last salvo was to try to arrange another time when they could meet to "exchange information". This last attempt at closing was what led me to make my comments. The well-groomed, well-spoken young Marine was acting like any two-bit salesman pitching a faulty product to the wrong potential buyer. His obviously worn and tested schtick had come to a fruitless end. I was strangely proud of the kid who didn't know what he wanted to do with his life. Maybe he'd figure it out along the way, but even from my sidewards vantage point, one can quite safely assume that won't be happening after any species of masochistic, state-sponsored indoctrination.

Haruki Murakami...

Thanks in full again to DKT for yet another flawless suggestion. Haruki Murakami, heralded Japanese novelist, seems to hold a position of profound respect in the world of contemporary literature. Although I've yet to get into any of his many novels, I've made an effort to read up on his work, which has served only to oxygenate the flame of my interest. His short stories, as far as I've explored, seem to be tiny masterpieces of subtle character interaction set in evocative, sometimes very natural, environs. Take me there, please...

A fairly slick little site about Murakami even with some pages still under construction ~

http://www.murakami.ch/main_7.html

A lovely Murakami short story from an Emerson College source ~

http://www.pshares.org/issues/article.cfm?prmarticleID=7520

Credit to Steppin' In It

To be honest, I should amend my previous post about the reasons I've been getting back into music lately. The newest album by local Michigan favorites Steppin' In It was a gift from my folks and I've been loving it for months now. It's only the latest addition to a growing body of recordings from this yet to go national group of traditional musicians. It remains a mystery to me that they have not been "discovered" by some larger label with wider distribution. Although, maybe that's just the way these Michigan boys like it. Cheers to their newly-penned, old timey tunes and heartfelt ballads, all set amidst the subtle Michigamee landscape.

Hear why I'm hooked on Sharon Jones & the D.K's

Have a listen to one of the premier tunes by Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings. Maybe after hearing that horn line, you'll understand why I'm so smitten. Enjoy.

Short stories...

Thanks to Dennis, a.k.a. DKT , for his excellent recommendation, and subsequent lending of this phenomenally strange and entertaining compilation of short stories by T. Coraghessan Boyle. His most well-known mainstream work is The Road to Wellville, made popular by its film adaptation starring a youthful Matthew Broderick, Sir Anthony Hopkins, among other famous persons. The writing is a far better abdominal workout than any film could hope to be, although several of his other works currently being adapted for the screen. It took me a decent number of lunch hours to get through this volume, but that was mostly due to all the crumb brushing and re-reading of great turns-of-phrase in which I was engaged. Give it a try sometime if you're into the surreal, the demented, or simply in search of a more sublime trip than most of our work-a-day lives seem to afford.

Find out more at the author's site ~ http://www.tcboyle.com/index.html

Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings

After a recent trip to Michigan, I've fallen in love again. Prior to the trip, I had remarkably and inexplicably fallen out of love with most of my recorded music. Maybe we had just grown tired of one another, as can happen with long time sweetie tune! Yet, all it took was a good tip from a friend at Capitol Records (thanks, Lance!) and a gentle push from a friend and new daddy, the knowledge-wealthy music guru who got me back into the swing. Back in the groove would be more appropriate for what Sharon Jones and her undeniably tight backing band, the Dap Kings, have done for me and my tired ears. Seek out this diva and her fellas to have your muscial spirit renewed by the nouveau masters of the decades old soul trade. It was all spurred on down in Georgia by the Hardest Workin' Man in Show Business (r.i.p.J.B.) and the Dap Kings help the lovely Ms. Jones to carry on the funky tradition.

...so it begins...

Well, I've long resisted the urge to join the rest of my generation in the 'blogosphere'. Part of my hesitancy probably stems from terms like that. Does there yet exist a term like 'blogerati'? If not, maybe I should first coin it and then aspire to be a part of it. Stay in tune and tuned in for more.