Just Don't Give Me Jar-Jar Binks, And I'll Be OK!

There has been a lot of handwringing this week over the newest Indiana Jones movie - the reviews have been decidedly mixed. One of my favorite sources, Entertainment Weekly, has weighed in by giving Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls a B-minus. Look - this movie is bulletproof. It's going to earn 160 million dollars this weekend, and clear 300 million by Labor day, and by any measure is going to be a phenomenal commercial success.

Let me tell you how great it is to have Indiana Jones back on the big screen after 20 years. This is proving to be a great family bonding experience. Both my sons saw a good amount of the original Indy trilogy over the weekend, and they were captivated by the rich action and settings... Younger son Spencer is dying to collect all of the Indiana Jones Lego crap, and older son Brad can't wait to see movie number four, which we will likely see together as a family. You know how frequently THAT happens? Never. Mom is not a movie-goer, but Indiana Jones transcends normal habits.

Today's teenagers have been spoon-fed computer-generated blue screen movies that have perhaps been big on "wow" factor, but small on impact... These films are enjoyed, then tossed in the collective cultural trash can, never to be remembered again. Just look at the disaster that is "Speed Racer", for example... Steven Spielberg has the big sets and the big drama and the big soundtrack... and an icon that will stand up to the test of time forever. We could watch Indiana Jones taking a crap, and people would still enjoy it!

Let's see... Big action scenes? check. Nasty villain (albeit a commie instead of a Nazi)? check. Rats and snakes? check. Big John Williams score? check. Whips and chains(oooh, kinky!)? check.

Bring it on!

What's Getting Better Reviews Than Indiana Jones?

A few days ago, I told you I was working on a new project - an alumni webpage for my college chapel choir. I worried that maybe I was just being sentimental - That perhaps my old classmates had better things to do than stroll down memory lane. My sister, Julie, who creates websites for a living, predicted the site would be a hit because people never think to do webpages like this. Well, I put the site online on Sunday, and I'm relieved to say the early reviews are quite positive. I put out an e-mail blast to as many former choir members as I could find. I've received several responses similar to this one, from a classmate whom I have not seen in more than 25 years:

Dear John,

Yes, you have found another HCC alum! Thanks for e-mailing me and letting me know about the web site. I visited, and the memories came flooding back. I wanted to send you a quick message to let you know how much I enjoyed the site and how much I appreciate all your hard work to put it together. What a great idea!

And this one from our choir director. Winston, who was around 30 when I was in the choir, reminded me with great clarity that even through our nostalgic haze, time does not stand still!

John,

You blew me away!! First, I was very surprised to hear from you and, second, the website gave me cold chills. Seeing those pix brought back surprisingly strong memories. Wow do I miss that whole scene...we really had it nice, didn't we? I'm still happily married to Shery, with 4 children and 2 grandsons. I weigh more, have less hair but still get to make music every day....I'm grateful.

Finally - lest you think being in a Chapel Choir made us all little choir boys and choir girls, remember - this was STILL college! From the one-and-only Diana:

Oh My God!
Yes. I am an HCC alum. 2nd Soprano, 1st Alto 79-82. Tenor when I drank too much on Saturday night.

LOL! Reflections like that one are the reason I built that website!

Spicoli Lives!

Sometimes, you read a news article, and no further embellishment is necessary - except for the occasional You Tube clip. Read on...

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) - A New Zealand man who offered to pay with marijuana when he did not have enough money for a snack was caught by a police officer who overheard his unusual proposal, a news report said Tuesday.

Wade Churchward, 28, went to a service station on March 22 in the capital, Wellington, where he picked up two packets of M&Ms candy and some potato chips, the Dominion Post newspaper reported.

Churchward, who had been drinking, began snacking on the goods while standing in line at the cash register.

But when he reached the cashier, he realized he did not have enough money, and instead offered a container with 0.042 ounces of marijuana and a pipe for smoking it.

Churchward failed to notice a patrol car parked outside and a police officer standing behind him in line—who promptly arrested him.

He pleaded guilty Monday in Masterton District Court to possessing marijuana and to several unrelated charges, the newspaper said.

Masterton police prosecutions section staff were unavailable Tuesday to confirm the details.

Churchward was released on bail and will be sentenced on July 3. Marijuana possession is usually punished by a minor fine in New Zealand.

What To Say To A Jobless Person.

My sister, Jill, sent me an excellent article from the New York Times discussing the conundrum of how to converse with the growing number of people who are being laid off from their jobs. You can read the entire article here, but here's an excerpt:

American companies have shed 240,000 jobs in the first three months of the year, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. Business-page headlines announce layoffs by the thousands at major American corporations: 2,000 at AOL, 5,000 at Morgan Stanley, 4,000 at Merrill Lynch.

Despite the pervasiveness of the cuts, many people contacted for this article were unwilling to speak for attribution, citing confidentiality agreements or, simply, embarrassment.
In general, middle-aged professionals seem more anxious and demoralized than younger ones; men tend to be more buttoned-up than women.

When Janette La Vigne, an insurance company executive from Clinton Township, N.J., was laid off 10 days ago, she immediately told fellow lacrosse moms. The women were empathetic and bracing, particularly those whose husbands had been through layoffs, said Ms. La Vigne, who had been with the same company for 21 years.

“But the guys are speechless,” she said. “They don’t know how to handle it. Their body language says, ‘Eww, I’m so glad I’m not you right now.’ ”

Those on the sidelines are also uncomfortable, fumbling for a protocol, an etiquette to support their struggling neighbors, while also respecting their dignity. “As this has become more prolonged, friends are pulling away, probably because they think we can’t afford to go out with them,” said the wife of a former executive at a national apparel company, who asked for anonymity because the couple’s friendships have become strained. “They mean well. But I wish they would give us that option.”

Deborah Tannen, a linguistics professor at Georgetown, explained the inarticulateness of the well-intentioned. “People feel caught between two conflicting concerns,” said Dr. Tannen, the author of “You Just Don’t Understand: Women and Men in Conversation.” “You’re caught between the need to show you care and the fear of offending because you’re reminding them of something painful.”

I have to say that I was never embarrassed about losing my job. I told my wife on day one that I did nothing wrong, and that frankly, my bosses were more embarrassed about letting me go after 25 years than I was for being out of work. It's pretty clear from the tone of my blog that I have no problem discussing what happened.

That doesn't mean I WANT to discuss it with everyone. Last week, when I arrived at my son's daycare center to get him after school ( yes, we still have him in aftercare - it's a lifestyle choice to accomodate Spencer , and no, jobless people don't just go broke in a day!), one of my neighbors saw me and called out, "How's the job search going?"... This is in a parking lot with people walking by. "You know, I know a lot of people in my business... Maybe one of them can help you get a job!" I know the guy was just trying to be helpful, but I barely know the man. I have no idea how he even knew I am unemployed. I certainly didn't need him broadcasting my situation to the world, and I CERTAINLY didn't feel obligated to discuss it with him!

I have found that people DO want to be helpful, but by and large they have no idea HOW. The best advice I can give you to help me is to be DISCREET and CONCRETE. I greatly appreciate everyone's good thoughts and wishes, and I greatly appreciate any and all job tips. But please don't shout out your thoughts across a parking lot, and PLEASE don't ask me to call a friend of a friend who's not in the radio business about a job that may or may not exist.

When you lose your job, I'll be happy to do the same for you!

This Just In! The Washington Post Reads My Blog!

I opined last week that Montgomery County is nuts to give its employees what amounts to an eight percent pay raise at a time when its private-sector taxpayers (like me) are having to forgo pay increases or even losing their jobs (like me) during this recession. Well, the Washington Post editorial board, which obviously reads "Life On The Beach" nearly as devotedly as Randy Bernstein does, apparently agrees with me.

In one of the paper's top op-ed pieces today, the Post says the county council NOT only raised property taxes this week AND preserved the eight percent raises, it ALSO gave cops a 14 percent pension increase, gave firefighters a compounded three-year 28 percent pay raise, including an 11 percent hike in 2010 alone, and boosted retirement contributions for county workers as well.

The Post editorial speaks of a love affair between the county government and its labor unions. I believe the issue has more to do with the lack of political balance in Montgomery County. I have no great affection for Republicans over Democrats, but there are no checks and balances in my hometown... No yin and yang... No one politically capable of calling out their colleagues on the other side of the aisle because there IS NO other side of the aisle.

And now we're paying the price. Well, those of us who don't work for the county, anyway.

It Doesn't Beat Working, But It Beats LOOKING For Work!

For the past week or so, between beating my head against the wall and poring through endless job search engines, I took a couple of days to build a new website - one that I could have only imagined being able to have done just a couple of months ago, when I had neither the time nor the skills to do so. Unlike my original site, which was all business, this site is a welcome avocation - a search for college friends and for the choir music that at one time bound us together. Combining my recently acquired web skills and video editing skills, I have assembled a simple video trailer for the new site, hendrickschapelchoiralumni.com. The song you'll hear is "The Lord Bless You And Keep You" by Peter Lutkin, then and now the de facto anthem of the Syracuse University's Hendricks Chapel Choir. This version was recorded at the Washington Cathedral in May of 1981, and yes, I am in the recording. Enjoy!

The Federal Sick Leave Policy Is Making ME Sick!

Call me a hardass, but I'm not a big fan of sick leave in the workplace. I understand the NEED for it - I just happen to think that 75 percent of the time when someone calls in sick, they really COULD tough it out at the office if they wanted to, OR they're just taking the day off. Having said that, imagine my response when I read this in the Washington Post about how my tax dollars are being spent by "sick" federal workers.

At the Internal Revenue Service, one employee over a two-year period took sick leave on 13 of the 14 Tuesdays after a Monday holiday.

That's an extreme case of sick-leave abuse, but the IRS employee had plenty of co-workers who also liked to take Tuesdays off, a report by the Inspector General for Tax Administration found.
For weeks that had a holiday falling on a Monday, 27 percent of all sick leave at the IRS was taken on a Tuesday in 2005 and 2006, the report said. And 24 percent of all sick leave taken by IRS employees during non-holiday weeks was on a Monday.

You can read the entire article here, but it goes on to tell us that the federal government loses billions of dollars a year in lost productivity because of bogus sick leave. At the IRS alone, workers call in sick an AVERAGE of 11 days a year. So how does Congress plan to fix the problem? Bribe the workers to show up for their jobs! Virginia Rep. Jim Moran (perhaps my favorite interviewee of all time, by the way) is pushing a bill that would reward retiring federal workers who don't abuse their sick leave with a lump sum bonus of up to 10,000 dollars upon retirement. Moran says this will save the government millions, and I suppose he's right, but DAMN... If everyone in my (former) office called in sick 11 days a year, there'd have been a lot more people getting fired!

How do I get one of those federal jobs?