Maine

I've been hoping to take a trip to Maine for many years now but something always came up. Things finally came together this summer during my trip to New York. 

Started off by driving to Boston to see the Blue Man group. 

The show was amazing. It was surprising how small the theater was. Got a great up-close look. It was great fun!

Then it was up the coast to view some lighthouses. 

Cape Neddick was very nice even with the fog. And Cape Elizabeth was good too inspite of the coastal traffic. 

The campgrounds at Acadia were full so that meant pitching the tent at the Koa. But hey they had s'mores one night and I got to indulge family tradition by getting an ice cream sandwich. The first day there was spent exploring the park by bus, particularly Sand Beach and the coastal area.  

The second day was spent at Cadillac Mountain, Thunder Hole, and some more remote areas of the park. 

As rain clouds started to move in, I took the opportunity to give the famous Maine lobster a try. 

And capped it off with a viewing of Guardians of the Galaxy. 

An amazing, exhausting, wonderful trip. Definitely worth the wait. 

My Opinion on Their Opinion

A lot has been said about the SCOTUS Hobby Lobby decision. And I will add my own 2 cents here as well. But I really see this as part of a larger trend, so let me make that point first.

Whether you are liberal or conservative, politically active or indifferent, is not the point. I think we would all agree that many of the court's decisions are very frustrating. Whether I personally like the outcome or not, I find myself scratching my head going: "that makes absolutely no sense". As much as I prefer Obamacare to the alternative, the individual mandate is a penalty, not a tax. Halting the 2000 Florida recount due to violation of the Equal Protection clause, when the original counting of the ballots was just as unequal (if not more so) borders on the ridiculous.

Whenever a downright silly decision comes down, we are always told how there are complicated issues at play (precedent, competing issues, etc.). That's often true and I don't intend to make light of that. But if you need a contorted series of complex acrobatics to justify your point, then that is usually a sign that you don't have an argument. You have an opinion and are desperately trying to find any means to justify it. In fact, the decisions are called just that, legal opinions. There seems to be no real right or wrong, up or down, when it comes to them. We glorify the constitution when it suits us and ignore it when it does not (in some cases at the same time). People laugh when Bill Clinton said "it depends on what the meaning of the word 'is' is" but that's the kind of splitting hairs that SCOTUS seems to use all the time. Not to interpret the law, but bend it to their pre-conceived political views (both conservative and liberal). And that is sad.

So now to Hobby Lobby and why this decision is just plain wrong. And if you initially disagree before your knee-jerk reaction, it has nothing to do with what I believe about contraception or religion. Don't make the mistake of deciding what you feel about those and then finding a legal justification to support it.

I could make a list of several flaws in the decision, but let me just focus on the main one. The idea that Hobby Lobby is having its religious freedom violated. To understand why this is so misguided, we need to understand what Hobby Lobby is. Hobby Lobby is a corporation. Corporations are a legal construct created for one purpose. Limited Liability. Say I decide to make some money by selling hamburgers, but I realize that if I do a bad job I could loose a lot of money (perhaps everything I own). So instead, I create an artificial entity called DaleDonald's and invest *some* of my money in it. Now if the business goes down in flames, only the money I invested is at risk (or liable). The rest of my money is safe. This has been a very useful tool for society because it allows corporations to take financial risks that they otherwise would not. The whole point of incorporation is to create a separate legal entity that is independent from the owners. This is all Business 101 that you learn in high school, and yet the supreme court seems blissfully unaware of it. Making Hobby Lobby do something is not, by definition, making the owners do something. I can guarantee you that if Hobby Lobby goes belly up and owes money, the owners will be all "Who? Hobby Lobby? That's not me. I just work there." Can't have your cake and eat it too.

Unless you believe that the Hobby Lobby corporation has religious beliefs independent of the owners, there is essentially no case. And don't even get me started on the whole corporations are people bullshit. The idea that an artificial, legal construct has greater rights than real, breathing human employees ... Ugh, don't get me started.

Florida

Just visited Tova and Daniel and the grandkids Eliana and Josiah in Florida. It was an exciting, fun-filled week.

Went to Sea World twice. Saw the amazing sea life. So many animals, and ofcourse had to see Shamu.

And went on some awesome rides.

Yes, that is a roller coaster where you ride facing down! Also visited Bok tower. Roamed the gardens and fed the fish. 

Had a day to myself and went to Tampa and saw a bunch of animals at Busch Gardens. 

And cooled off from the brutal heat at Adventure Island. 

But most of all, loved every minute of reading stories, putting together puzzles, and playing games with the kiddos. 

Resurrection

So it's no surprise that after my move to Virginia Beach this blog has gone neglected. My focus has been elsewhere, busy building a new life is a lot of work. With many good distractions keeping me away. 

I could go into several pages about how my life has been about reinventing myself over and over, but that's a blog for another day. 

Instead, I'm gonna keep this post simple and to the point. I've been inspired by a friend to start this up again with a slightly different focus. I will still be using it as a forum for talking about my trips and my life. But also my thoughts and feelings, which honestly is something I have never been good about sharing. Again, a post for another day. 

For now, I will simply declare my intentions to restart this blog. Let the adventure begin. 

Graduation Day

I've been to a lot of graduations in my life. Mine, Deb's, Tova's, Jesse's, family, friends, and ofcourse as a professor. Graduation is many things. All the typical cliches: an ending, a beginning, transition, growth, accomplishment, potential, ...

The most common question I've gotten since I started this whole process is 'Why?'. Why move? Why find a new job? Why leave your friends? I try to answer, but I never really seem to find the right words. You might as well ask a salmon why it is swimming upstream or a bee why it is making honey or a tornado why it is causing destruction. Because that's what it does. That's really the only answer.

Would you ask a high school graduate why they are leaving home to go to college? A college graduate why they are leaving to go work? A bride or groom why they are leaving to go start a family? A military enlistee why they are going to defend our country? Why? Because its time.

Would you ask them to stop? Won't you miss your friends! Don't go down that road! You don't know where it will lead! You will lose what you already have here! That misses the point entirely. I would never say to a student 'Why are you leaving MV? Don't you like us? Aren't you happy here?' It would be silly. Totally ridiculous.

And while my transition isn't as typical or as presumed, it is for just the same reasons. In many ways, I started down this path 5 years ago when Deb passed. And to a lesser extent, even farther back than that. Even if I didn't know I was on this path at the time. It's just taken me this long to get to this point. But now, the waiting is over. It is time to move on.

I've spent the past 6 years preparing my students for the next stage of their lives. Helping them grow and flourish. Encouraging them to think more broadly. To look forward and see the potential that lies in front of them. To seize the opportunity. Now its my turn.

It's graduation day.

Wait and Hurry Up

So I wait, and I wait, and I wait. So long I begin to wonder if I will ever get an answer. And then it happens, the answer is: Yes, I have a job. Hooray! What's that? Work starts in a month and a half ...

So I put the house up for sale and look over my list of apartments and start packing and put the bike on Craigslist and ... so much. So much I've done, and so much left to do. Its gonna be a crazy month for sure. Tired and stressed but dealing with it, I guess. And every so often I have enough time to actually get excited about moving. But most of the time, for now, is just spent working. Getting ready. Though I am starting to feel like I am starting to get a handle on things.

The waiting is over. Now hurry up, you don't have much time. It will be here before you know.

Act As If

Being in limbo with my job for such a long time can be frustrating. But honestly, it is the uncertainty that is the most difficult. My grill runs out of gas. Should I get it refilled? Spring comes. Should I plant the garden or leave it empty? And hundreds of other little things. Frankly, I am sick of it. I have been doing this for several months now. So I have decided upon the following: Act As If.

Act as if I have the job. Act as if I am moving in 2-3 months. Act as if I will be selling the house. So I am going to look at apartments in VA during my trip to NC and FL. I am going to fix up some stuff around the house. Trash, give away, and sell everything I don't plan to put in a moving van. Clean out my office at school. Talk to a realtor.

If I act like it's going to happen, then maybe it just might.