Life

I haven’t been here in a while, and I’m not sure when I’ll be back, but as this year and decade closes and I’ve been reading every press outlet in creation do a summary of the decade, I felt I should do the same.  Since I was born late in 1979, every decade has essentially been a chapter in my life.  Particularly since I am about to shift my career down a new path, this truly is the end of a chapter in my life.  So, here is my summary of the 2000s in my world, in no particular order of time or importance, but as thoughts and memories come to my mind.

• I got back into UF.
• I changed my major from journalism to political science.
• I graduated!
• I went to grad school at UCF.
• I am still finishing my thesis.
• I met the person I thought was my soul mate.
• I got married.
• I got divorced.
• I was obviously wrong about three lines above.
• I lost my mother tragically.
• I have thought about her every day since.
• I have watched my brother become a real mensch.
• I have watched my father enjoy life.
• I got the job of my dreams.
• I witnessed democracy in action.
• I participated in making this nation a better place for everyone.
• I walked the same halls as leaders, patriots, and heroes.
• Three years later, I am moving on to something new.
• I helped elect Barack Obama.
• I worked for Robert Wexler.
• I worked for Shelley Berkley.
• I worked for UCF Campus Life.
• I worked for SITEL/General Motors.
• I was editor-in-chief of a college newspaper.
• I witnessed my sports teams win 6 championships.
• I witnessed our world change forever on September 11, 2001.
• I made some of the most incredible friends I could ever hope for.
• I rekindled some friendships from the prior decade.
• I bought my first car, and still have it.
• I moved five times.
• I traveled to Germany and Russia.
• I flew all over the United States.
• I went on my first cruise.
• I went skiing for the first time, too.
• I gained 40 lbs.
• I also gained a tremendous amount of life experience.
• I believe 30 really is the new 20.
• I fought for what I believe is right.
• I will continue to do so.
• I have found my purpose in life.
• I am so excited about what the 2010s will bring.

Thank you for reading.  Happy New Year everyone.

Yankees fans, congratulations on your 27th world championship. I’m sure I’ll be hearing about it not only for the rest of the winter, but all through next year and until the next World Series is won, and if the Yankees don’t win that one, I’ll keep hearing about how they should have. Yadda yadda.

My issue is not that the Yankees won; it is how they won.  At the risk of taking this beyond sports, how the Yankees won and have won over the past two decades bridges to a great social divide about how success can be achieved in our society.

Obviously, if you have an unlimited source of funds, money can buy you anything. In a realm, such as sports, where a championship is the measure of success, having an unlimited source of money to achieve that success when the competition does not is inequitable at best.

If a professional league cannot provide an equal opportunity for achievement (aka salary caps), in my opinion, it should not be considered a professional league because a majority of the teams competing in that league fundamentally do not have the opportunity to achieve success.

I’m not saying it is only the Yankees creating this situation…it is other teams as well, but when comparing baseball to the other major professional sports, there is less parity in baseball than any other sport, and that is because of the lack of a salary cap.

I’m not saying this out of being a Yankee hater. I don’t like the Yankees, being that I grew up in Queens as a Mets fan and adopted the Marlins as my team when I moved to Florida, but my point is not to bash them because they are the Yankees…it is the greater social implication.

The point is, the way MLB as a league and baseball as a sport is run, it is a representation of the political views of some to win at all costs, even if winning means making the system unfair to those less fortunate. I don’t believe that is the right way in any situation…in sports, or in life in general.

We all go through times in our lives when we are forced to deal with significant change.  It is never easy, but it is especially difficult when the chapter in your life that is ending is one that is so positive, rewarding, and special.

My boss announced his resignation today, effective January 3, 2010.  He will be taking the position of President for the Center for Middle East Peace and Economic Cooperation, which is an incredible opportunity for him to work hands-on to achieve meaningful progress in the Middle East peace process.  He expressed to us directly his reasons for making this choice for himself and for his family, and I completely respect his choice and believe he is doing the right thing for them, as anyone would do for themselves and their family.

What this means for me, however, is that after that date, I do not have a secure job.  There are many possibilities out there, and I have been fortunate to build a lot of great relationships with people around DC who have already expressed an interest in helping me to find my next calling.  That may be on Capitol Hill.  It may not be.  I will know in the coming weeks as the situation evolves.

Either way, I want everyone to understand how much of an honor and privilege it truly has been to work for Robert Wexler.  Many of the issues I work on for him are not the most glamorous, nor are they at the top of his legislative agenda or personal interest.  Yet, he knew how hard I worked on them to both his benefit and to the benefit of the cause for which we were working, and he never failed to thank me for all of my efforts and for my dedication to him and to the office.

When Robert met with us to inform us of his decision, it was a very emotional moment.  I will remember his face, how difficult it was for him to keep his composure, and how much gratitude he expressed to all of us for our loyalty to him.  My three years with him pale in comparison to the many in our office who have been with him the entire 13 years he has spent in Washington.  In one case, 19 years dating back to his time in the Florida Senate.

Robert Wexler will be remembered in Congress for his legislative accomplishments, his work on so many critical issues, his drive to work on behalf of his constituents, and his dedication to progressive ideals.  I, too, will remember all of these, but as one of the few who was given the privilege of working with him, I will remember him for his kindness, sincerity, and collegiality.  He is a true role model, and I am a better person having spent my early years in politics working with him.

Good luck, Robert, and if you ever decide to run for office again, give me a call.

I grew up in the Reagan administration in a family full of liberals.  Yet my parents, both educators, never told me to stay home from school when President Reagan addressed the nation (and we watched on TV in class) about the Challenger Tragedy and the bravery of those Americans who died in the pursuit of achievement, or when Nancy Reagan spoke about the DARE program and the importance of staying off drugs.

For anyone to say that President Obama should not be speaking to our children about the importance of taking responsibility for their own education and their own success as individuals is purely ludicrous.  He is the President of the United States, and whether he is a Democrat of Republican, our children should respect him and the message he has, which has no motivation other than to motivate our children to strive for success.  If that isn’t American, I honestly don’t know what is.

If you still have doubts, here is the text of his speech.  There is nothing political about it, and as someone who has read and heard a very large number of his speeches, I actually think it is one of his best.  We all share the same goal of a better future for America.  That starts with our children and ensuring they have the right mindset as they advance in their education.  President Obama is leading that effort, and for that, he should be applauded.

Prepared Remarks of President Barack Obama
Back to School Event

Arlington, Virginia
September 8, 2009

The President: Hello everyone – how’s everybody doing today? I’m here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. And we’ve got students tuning in from all across America, kindergarten through twelfth grade. I’m glad you all could join us today.

I know that for many of you, today is the first day of school. And for those of you in kindergarten, or starting middle or high school, it’s your first day in a new school, so it’s understandable if you’re a little nervous. I imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right now, with just one more year to go. And no matter what grade you’re in, some of you are probably wishing it were still summer, and you could’ve stayed in bed just a little longer this morning.

I know that feeling. When I was young, my family lived in Indonesia for a few years, and my mother didn’t have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school. So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday – at 4:30 in the morning.
Now I wasn’t too happy about getting up that early. A lot of times, I’d fall asleep right there at the kitchen table. But whenever I’d complain, my mother would just give me one of those looks and say, “This is no picnic for me either, buster.”

So I know some of you are still adjusting to being back at school. But I’m here today because I have something important to discuss with you. I’m here because I want to talk with you about your education and what’s expected of all of you in this new school year.

Now I’ve given a lot of speeches about education. And I’ve talked a lot about responsibility.
I’ve talked about your teachers’ responsibility for inspiring you, and pushing you to learn.
I’ve talked about your parents’ responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and get your homework done, and don’t spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with that Xbox.
I’ve talked a lot about your government’s responsibility for setting high standards, supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that aren’t working where students aren’t getting the opportunities they deserve.

But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world – and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities. Unless you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed.

And that’s what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education. I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself.

Every single one of you has something you’re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That’s the opportunity an education can provide.

Maybe you could be a good writer – maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper – but you might not know it until you write a paper for your English class. Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor – maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or a new medicine or vaccine – but you might not know it until you do a project for your science class. Maybe you could be a mayor or a Senator or a Supreme Court Justice, but you might not know that until you join student government or the debate team.

And no matter what you want to do with your life – I guarantee that you’ll need an education to do it. You want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? You want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military? You’re going to need a good education for every single one of those careers. You can’t drop out of school and just drop into a good job. You’ve got to work for it and train for it and learn for it.

And this isn’t just important for your own life and your own future. What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country. What you’re learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future.

You’ll need the knowledge and problem-solving skills you learn in science and math to cure diseases like cancer and AIDS, and to develop new energy technologies and protect our environment. You’ll need the insights and critical thinking skills you gain in history and social studies to fight poverty and homelessness, crime and discrimination, and make our nation more fair and more free. You’ll need the creativity and ingenuity you develop in all your classes to build new companies that will create new jobs and boost our economy.

We need every single one of you to develop your talents, skills and intellect so you can help solve our most difficult problems. If you don’t do that – if you quit on school – you’re not just quitting on yourself, you’re quitting on your country.

Now I know it’s not always easy to do well in school. I know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your schoolwork.

I get it. I know what that’s like. My father left my family when I was two years old, and I was raised by a single mother who struggled at times to pay the bills and wasn’t always able to give us things the other kids had. There were times when I missed having a father in my life. There were times when I was lonely and felt like I didn’t fit in.

So I wasn’t always as focused as I should have been. I did some things I’m not proud of, and got in more trouble than I should have. And my life could have easily taken a turn for the worse.

But I was fortunate. I got a lot of second chances and had the opportunity to go to college, and law school, and follow my dreams. My wife, our First Lady Michelle Obama, has a similar story. Neither of her parents had gone to college, and they didn’t have much. But they worked hard, and she worked hard, so that she could go to the best schools in this country.

Some of you might not have those advantages. Maybe you don’t have adults in your life who give you the support that you need. Maybe someone in your family has lost their job, and there’s not enough money to go around. Maybe you live in a neighborhood where you don’t feel safe, or have friends who are pressuring you to do things you know aren’t right.

But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life – what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you’ve got going on at home – that’s no excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude. That’s no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. That’s no excuse for not trying.

Where you are right now doesn’t have to determine where you’ll end up. No one’s written your destiny for you. Here in America, you write your own destiny. You make your own future.
That’s what young people like you are doing every day, all across America.

Young people like Jazmin Perez, from Roma, Texas. Jazmin didn’t speak English when she first started school. Hardly anyone in her hometown went to college, and neither of her parents had gone either. But she worked hard, earned good grades, got a scholarship to Brown University, and is now in graduate school, studying public health, on her way to being Dr. Jazmin Perez.

I’m thinking about Andoni Schultz, from Los Altos, California, who’s fought brain cancer since he was three. He’s endured all sorts of treatments and surgeries, one of which affected his memory, so it took him much longer – hundreds of extra hours – to do his schoolwork. But he never fell behind, and he’s headed to college this fall.

And then there’s Shantell Steve, from my hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Even when bouncing from foster home to foster home in the toughest neighborhoods, she managed to get a job at a local health center; start a program to keep young people out of gangs; and she’s on track to graduate high school with honors and go on to college.

Jazmin, Andoni and Shantell aren’t any different from any of you. They faced challenges in their lives just like you do. But they refused to give up. They chose to take responsibility for their education and set goals for themselves. And I expect all of you to do the same.

That’s why today, I’m calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education – and to do everything you can to meet them. Your goal can be something as simple as doing all your homework, paying attention in class, or spending time each day reading a book. Maybe you’ll decide to get involved in an extracurricular activity, or volunteer in your community. Maybe you’ll decide to stand up for kids who are being teased or bullied because of who they are or how they look, because you believe, like I do, that all kids deserve a safe environment to study and learn. Maybe you’ll decide to take better care of yourself so you can be more ready to learn.

And along those lines, I hope you’ll all wash your hands a lot, and stay home from school when you don’t feel well, so we can keep people from getting the flu this fall and winter.
Whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it. I want you to really work at it.
I know that sometimes, you get the sense from TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work — that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star, when chances are, you’re not going to be any of those things.

But the truth is, being successful is hard. You won’t love every subject you study. You won’t click with every teacher. Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right this minute. And you won’t necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try.

That’s OK. Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who’ve had the most failures. JK Rowling’s first Harry Potter book was rejected twelve times before it was finally published. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team, and he lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots during his career. But he once said, “I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

These people succeeded because they understand that you can’t let your failures define you – you have to let them teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently next time. If you get in trouble, that doesn’t mean you’re a troublemaker, it means you need to try harder to behave. If you get a bad grade, that doesn’t mean you’re stupid, it just means you need to spend more time studying.

No one’s born being good at things, you become good at things through hard work. You’re not a varsity athlete the first time you play a new sport. You don’t hit every note the first time you sing a song. You’ve got to practice. It’s the same with your schoolwork. You might have to do a math problem a few times before you get it right, or read something a few times before you understand it, or do a few drafts of a paper before it’s good enough to hand in.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to admit when you don’t know something, and to learn something new. So find an adult you trust – a parent, grandparent or teacher; a coach or counselor – and ask them to help you stay on track to meet your goals.

And even when you’re struggling, even when you’re discouraged, and you feel like other people have given up on you – don’t ever give up on yourself. Because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.

The story of America isn’t about people who quit when things got tough. It’s about people who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less than their best.

It’s the story of students who sat where you sit 250 years ago, and went on to wage a revolution and found this nation. Students who sat where you sit 75 years ago who overcame a Depression and won a world war; who fought for civil rights and put a man on the moon. Students who sat where you sit 20 years ago who founded Google, Twitter and Facebook and changed the way we communicate with each other.

So today, I want to ask you, what’s your contribution going to be? What problems are you going to solve? What discoveries will you make? What will a president who comes here in twenty or fifty or one hundred years say about what all of you did for this country?

Your families, your teachers, and I are doing everything we can to make sure you have the education you need to answer these questions. I’m working hard to fix up your classrooms and get you the books, equipment and computers you need to learn. But you’ve got to do your part too. So I expect you to get serious this year. I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do. I expect great things from each of you. So don’t let us down – don’t let your family or your country or yourself down. Make us all proud. I know you can do it.
Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America.

Something about playing fantasy football really puts me at ease.

This fall bodes to be one of the busiest times of my life with quite a busy load at work, completing and defending my thesis, putting together the college course I’ll be teaching starting in January, travel of both the personal and professional nature, and, well…Saturdays taken up by watching my Gators defend their national title.

So the idea of playing fantasy football…well, not just playing, but having 11 teams…might sound crazy.  Anyone who has played knows that it can be difficult to keep up with two teams, let alone 11.  It is a serious challenge, both with myself (to be able to manage so many teams and players successfully) and with my friends, with whom I play in most of my leagues.  It probably sounds time consuming, and it is, but I enjoy it, and when you’ve got so much else going on around you of a stressful nature, you need that release.  Fantasy football is my release each fall.  That and Gator victories.

My goal is to get all 11 teams into the playoffs, with 4 of them winning championships. I feel pretty confident I can achieve that.  That, of course, means taking my friends down in the process, but they are probably used to that by now since I’ve had pretty good success over the past few years.  In one league, I’m so confident of my impending success following the draft, I’ve named my team “14-0 Like the Gators.”

*knocking on wood*

Ted Kennedy was one of us

by Dave Feinman

http://youthroll.com/ted-kennedy-was-one-of-us/

When Edward Moore Kennedy died on Wednesday, we did not just lose a great Senator.  We lost someone who, in my opinion, was a representation of every American.

Ted Kennedy was born into privilege, but found his calling in serving his nation, both in the Army and in the United States Senate, and in both capacities sought to preserve freedom, equality, and opportunity for all of us.  He was the third-longest serving Senator in the history of our nation and was personally involved in the passage of an incredible amount of critical legislation that impacts our daily lives.  The Civil Rights Act of 1965, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, Title IX, increases in the minimum wage, and the expansion of Medicare to children with disabilities are just a few of his accomplishments.

Senator Kennedy was also an incredible partisan and a proud liberal, and often earned the rancor of many on the right side of the political spectrum, but he was also among the best at reaching across the aisle to achieve compromise, and nearly every piece of legislation he introduced that became law was equally championed by a Republican, often a conservative.

He was also a very flawed human being who succumbed to vices that tarnished his image, led to the end of his first marriage, and often exposed him to unnecessary scandal and shame.  His involvement in the death of Mary Jo Kopechne at Chappaquiddick also haunted him both personally and professionally for the rest of his life and created a stigma of irresponsibility he could never shake.

Let us remember, however, the immense amount of personal tragedy he had to endure throughout his life.  Living through the assassinations of his brothers, John and Robert, and the tragic deaths of countless other members of the Kennedy family over his life, Ted Kennedy endured more personal tragedy than most of us could ever imagine.  Such losses undoubtedly impacted his life significantly.

Ted Kennedy was equally as great as he was flawed.  He was often brave, but at many times in his life cowardly.  He achieved incredible highs and suffered incomprehensible lows.  He positively impacted the lives of millions, but left indelible pain on the lives of a few.  He was a human being, like all of us.  He was larger than life in many ways due to his extensive service to our nation, but still much like all of us, and undoubtedly at the worst of times, he felt smaller than all of us, if only in his own mind.

When I look back on his life, I see all that I mentioned above, and believe that his extensive accomplishments and his desire to improve the lives of so many not as fortunate as him were rooted in his personal insecurities and his desire to make amends for his many flaws and errors in judgment.  Whether he actually achieved that is for each of us to decide individually, but his quest to do so is uniquely American because we live in a society where people get second chances.

Ted Kennedy sought his second chance for much of his life, and while some may have forgiven him for his indiscretions and others have not, he never stopped seeking that second chance, and believed the best way to make amends was to improve the lives of those who needed the most: the poor, the disabled, and those who sought equality under the law.  For that, I believe, he deserves praise and respect.

So as we honor his life in the coming days, let us remember that he deserves praise and condemnation equally for various aspects of his life, but that he should be judged as fairly as any of us would want to be judged at the end of our lives.  We have all wanted a second chance at some point in our lives, and we all deserve it, including Senator Edward M. Kennedy.

Cheddar and chevre grilled cheese at Common Roots.

Whatever works.

Sailing on Lake Calhoun with new friends.

Club night with new friends.

Strawberry smoothie from Dunn Bros.

Breakfast at Seward.

Lake Harriet.

Lyndale Park.

Rose Garden.

Dinner at French Meadow.

Catch phrase.

Another club night with new friends.

Apples to apples.

Another strawberry smoothie from Dunn Bros.

Breakfast at Barbette.

Biking to St. Paul.

and biking.

and biking.

and biking.

Pizza delivered in an electric car by a spaceman.

Breakfast at French Meadow.

Minnesota Zoo.

Friendship.

Minneapolis.

Wonderful times.

Whatever works.

August is meant for relaxing.

I’m convinced that when Aloysius Lilius first proposed the Gregorian calendar and Pope Gregory XIII decreed it, August was designated as the month for relaxation.

Even the powers that be at the United States Congress believed so, at least back in the day.  Well, truth be told, until World War II, Congress was only in session on average about four months of the year.  But as far as I know, August has always been a month off because, as anyone who has ever lived here knows, DC generally turns into a sauna in August.  Imagine being here prior to the invention of air conditioning!  There’s a good reason one of Florida’s two statues in the Capitol is Dr. John Gorrie, the inventor of modern refrigeration and air conditioning.

As I’ve blogged about previously though, recess isn’t really recess.  At least this year.  Half of the office has been on vacation the past few weeks, and the ones remaining, myself included, have been plenty busy.  Well, now it’s my turn for a little relaxation.

Tomorrow, I zoom off to Minneapolis for some R&R with a good friend I haven’t seen in 24 years.  Yes, you read that correctly.  Big props to Facebook and cheap airline tickets for making that happen.  Looking forward to catching up and having a few days during which I need not think about health care reform, Chinese drywall, or the rest of the litany of things on my plate at work right now.

After this extended weekend, I have another four days in the office before I take an entire week off.  Including the weekends surrounding it, that’s nine days off.  Beautiful.  A few days on a beach somewhere sounds really good.  Will have to make that happen.

It’s August, and on Capitol Hill, that means recess.

To the public, who don’t really get how the congressional calendar works and don’t understand why we have a “recess,” they believe we all just take off and do nothing for five weeks while the troubles of the nation grow and grow.

In reality, the recess is the longest of what we call “district work periods” during which Members of Congress go home to their districts and hold town hall meetings and visit with constituent groups.  It is a crucial period, and the longest such period of the year at five weeks.  Aside from holiday periods around the calendar, rarely are there seriously extended periods during which Members can do this.  Everyone complains their Members of Congress aren’t back in the district enough, interacting with those who elected them.  Well, now you have them.

So yes, our bosses are out of DC.  What does that mean for a Hill staffer?  A little rest and relaxation, slightly shorter hours, and relaxed dress code? Check.  The possibility of a week or two of vacation? Check.  No more work to be done? (insert game show buzzer here)

Not…even…close.

I can’t speak for everyone in every congressional office, but in our office, there is no shortage of work to be done.  I’d venture to say this has been one of the busiest years in the history of the Congress, and as a staffer for a member of the majority who has been involved in a number of critical issues, there is always more to do because there are always things that can’t get your immediate attention.  The trick to being successful on the Hill is learning how to prioritize things quickly and correctly and manage your time well during the blur of a day during session.  I’ve mastered that, but with that prioritization, many things get left behind for recesses like now.

In my case, constituent letters.  Tons of them.  Everything from health care to animal rights to gas prices to Iran sanctions to Chinese drywall.  I went into the office today sporting jeans and a polo, thoroughly excited that I’d be getting out early for the next five weeks and figuring I’d be able to kick back and catch up on some reading that’s been waiting for my brain to absorb for countless months.  Nope, not a chance.  Stacks of letters to work on.  If I don’t get them done in the next five weeks, they won’t get done until December.  Not acceptable.

Yes, the office is a lot quieter.  A lot fewer calls, a lot of the staff is away, and no constant chatter from the House floor on the TV.  Just me, my fingers typing, and my brain clicking trying to get all of my circuits working during a time I feel I should be laying on a beach somewhere.

I know the American people think that’s what’s going on up here right now (or to some of the more pessimistic, that’s what goes on here all the time), but at the risk of sounding cliche, the work of the people never stops.  Not during session, and not during recess either.  At least for me.