What's Going On

It's been utterly impossible to avoid the Olympics, as you might expect. I've been in so many situations where it's just on in the background, that I must admit I have seen some events. I've grown comfortable with it and feel that I have not violated the terms of my self imposed sabbatical in that I am still not following any sports. I have not yet turned on the TV in order to see anything in particular. In fact, I've really just joined family members who were already watching. So sue me!

Even if I hadn't seen a frame of real action, the news is crawling with spoilers and every show seems to be coming to us live from Sochi. Add to that the omniscience of social media, and I easily end up pretty aware of the major story lines of these winter games. It's been nice to simply catch whatever results happen across my plane of vision and not to get too caught up in any particular tournament. In fact, from a fans perspective, I think it's a good representation of the Olympic Creed, which is all about promoting participation over simply winning and losing.

The opening ceremonies found me at an international potluck party hosted by some good friends (everyone had to claim a country to bring a dish from). There were lots of kids there, and to my surprise they were all very focused on the event. I remember the Olympics being among my earliest first hand experiences with the larger world. It was fun to start to think about my country not just as the way things are, but as a single perspective in a global community. I had assumed that the internet had lessened the value the Olympics had in fostering that kind of world view, but it seems I was mistaken. I'm hardly ever glad to be wrong, but this time I really enjoyed it.

As a kid, I think the most remarkable lesson I took away from the ancient Olympics was the idea of the Olympic Truce. I couldn't get over the idea that armies would literally take a break from war during the games to allow athletes to compete, and citizens to attend. In 1994, the idea of the Olympic Truce was revived by the IOC and in the years since it has actually had an impact in several military conflicts. This is a big idea. 

Of course, despite the power of the Olympic ideal, familiar struggles have flared up in Kiev and Venezuela during these games. News reports are grim, especially from Kiev, where the violence has been intense and fierce. It's the kind of story that has been around at least as long as the Olympics, only with more frequency. It's hard to abide the attention paid to simple games when so much is at stake for so many people. Then again, a close look at the Olympic Creed, which dates back to 1908, shows it has a lot in common with the seeds of revolution. Here it is: 

"The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well."

If competition and revolution are so closely related, maybe it's not a great idea to ignore either one.

Bold As Love

Jimi Hendrix would have loved the internet. That's the thought I had coming away from an interview that has come to my attention recently. In the later sections of this interview he talks a lot about people being able to create new things, and combining audio and visual art to create something totally immersive. The internet, and digital art would have been a real playground for him. I'm sure I would have had his site bookmarked.

For a time in my life, all I listened to was Jimi. I felt his was all the music anyone needed. He was hugely important to me as a luminary talent and a cautionary tale. Hendrix's tunes spoke to me about things I didn't understand, but with a warmth and a joy that made me feel like it was ok. Feeling ok about things I didn't understand was a very valuable skill in my childhood. It gave me a sense of security in my own perspective that has served me well over the years. I can really tie that feeling back, in my mind, to all those hours of listening to this man who played an instrument I couldn't play and died before I was born.

It's amazing to have the chance to hear him speak so casually and so intimately in this conversation with a reporter just a week before his death. There are a few extraordinary moments, like hearing one of them light up a cigarette, or stir their tea. At one point, the classic sound of an English ambulance wobbles by, a blunt omen indeed.

It's heartbreaking to hear about his plans, and how optimistic he was about different directions he could take his music. He had ambitions of blending classical music with his own straight ahead rock sound to create "a whole 'nother thing". I would have loved to hear that. He even mentions one of my very favorite compositions, Bolero, as something he had already used as the basis for a song. I wish I could get a hold of that!

There's a picture that Hendrix's last girlfriend took of him the day before he died. She used it on the cover of a book she wrote about working with him. I haven't read the book, but I have seen the picture, and like many of the other iconic images of him I have taken time to gaze at it, looking for clues, trying to travel through time and warn him. The pictures are nice, but for me, to hear someone talking, just chatting, like on this interview, is a rare privilege. You gain so much insight into their personality by hearing them process and respond to questions. You can tell what excites them. You can tell what they are embarrassed by. You get to know them, if only a little.

Every time I hear him interviewed, and even sometimes in the recordings of his songs, the one thing that stands out about Jimi is the smile on his voice. As a VO artist, I am often directed to add more of a smile to the things I am saying. It's something you can hear very easily when you listen to commercials and radio announcers. Jimi had it in spades. I remember reading a quote from him that talked about all the music he had running around in his head. That he had trouble turning it off sometimes. If that's true, I am not at all surprised that he was smiling all the time. His music always brought a smile to my face.

Here's the interview: http://www.openculture.com/2013/05/jimi_hendrixs_final_interview_on_september_11_1970_listen_to_the_complete_audio.html

Listen close.

Easy On The Ears

Last week I launched a podcast for Emerson College, where I work. It's called the Emersonian and it will feature interviews and profiles of current faculty, students and alumni. I host the show, and act as an executive producer of sorts. I'm really excited to have another podcast running as it has been years since my first show went "off the net".

The term "podcast" dates back to early 2004. It was only a year later that my friends Brian, Peter, and I created the Boston Sports Massacre. We produced weekly episodes for a few months and it was a true blast. We had local news come in to Peter's bedroom to film us taping an episode, and we reached Boston Sports fans across the country and around the world. We even did a live episode at a Red Sox game that ended with a David Ortiz walk off home run that landed not far from us.

Though the show died out rather quickly, my love for podcasts has never waned. Today I listen to a nice array of informative and fun shows during my commute and occasionally on long road trips. My current stable of subscriptions includes 14 shows that vary in length from less than 5 minutes to over an hour. I think of them in four major categories;

INFORMATIVE: These are shows that I listen to in an effort to actually become smarter. They include tips or stories about things I know very little of. I don't listen to  each episode of these shows religiously, if time is tight they are the first to go. Still, they are always enjoyable when I do listen. Examples of these shows are: Grammar Girl, and Get-It-Done Guy

COMEDY: No mystery here, these shows are just funny as hell! It helps that several of them feature old friends, but even if I didn't know the people they would still be worth a listen. I grew up listening to comedy albums and they were great, but the fact that we live in an age where gobs of fresh comedy are available for free on a weekly basis is something to really be thankful for. My comedy shows are: Judge John Hodgman, I Seem Fun (Jen Kirkman), Uhh Yeah Dude

NPR: As a podcast purist, I don't actually consider these shows Podcasts. They are simply great NPR (or CBC) programs that are available via podcast format, which allows me to listen when I want as opposed to when they are actually broadcast. I mention this because I know lots of people who have their podcasts ranked against these kinds of NPR shows, which doesn't quite seem fair to me. It's a bit like bringing a moped to a bicycle race in y opinion. Anyway, the outstanding shows I listen to via podcast are: This American Life, Radiolab, The Moth Radio Hour and Spark from the CBC

THE GOOD STUFF: These are the shows that really get me excited when they pop up in my Podcast app. These are innovative, compelling shows with extremely high production values. These shows are really a kind of entertainment that you can't really get elsewhere. If you get in to any of these shows, I highly recommend starting at the beginning and catching up to where they are now. You will not be disappointed. They include: 99% Invisible, The Memory Palace, and Decode DC

What shows do you listen to? What am I missing? 

Enjoy the game tonight folks. I'll be watching Sherlock and dreading the wait for Season 4.

Shhhh: Go Seahawks!

Degree Of Difficulty

Well, it would seem things got a lot easier for me the other night. With the Patriots now out of the running for a title I can relax a bit. As I have said before, it's much easier to lose track of the basketball and hockey teams from day to day. Even when I was following them, I was never all that sure when they were playing. From a distance, I am proud of the effort for the Patriots this year. And, I am not entirely without relief that they aren't playing for a title in a few days. A title I would not be able to watch.

Meanwhile, it's time for an update on how I have been spending the time previously dedicated to paying attention to pro and college sports. As I said to a friend recently on Facebook, life feels very different without the constant stress of how teams are doing. My evenings are invariably spent with a little juggling, a good amount of guitar playing, and some fun reading. I also find myself at the gym more regularly than in most phases of my life. A good thing, since I am rapidly approaching a certain somewhat regrettable milestone. I'll let you guess which one.

What's interesting is that it's not just the evenings that have changed thanks to this shift in focus. All day long I used to have one eye on ESPN.com and other sports outlets to make sure that I knew if some rival had swiped a free agent, or some new injury had popped up at practice. Nowadays, I find myself seeking out more interesting sources of news. Because of that, I have some recommendations!

Lettersofnote.com is a great source for some distraction when you need it. Just about each day they provide a remarkable example of a letter. Sometimes they are between famous people, often just regular folks. Regardless, it's always compelling to read the transcription and then look at the phot of the actual letter. Enjoy!

Openculture.com has been another great source for me. Each day I get their email blast, which lists about 5 stories, and one or two always seems to catch my eye. The stuff they deal with is too wide in topic to even try to describe, so I'll just trust you to go check it out.

Finally, I have really been enjoying playing with the Lumosity app. That's the neuroplasticity site that helps you maintain and improve brain function. It seems like all the studies that have shown its value have been paid for by Lumosity itself, so it remains to be seen if it will actually do anything. Still, it's fun, and no one ever complained about snake oil if it was free.

Beyond that, the little forays into cooking and drink making continue, and more big ideas are brewing. So, maybe now that the degree of difficulty is a bit lower, I can hope to see even more results!

With Feelings Like These...

I saw about 10 minutes of a Celtic game the other day. It was, perhaps, the first true revelation of this whole experiment.

Don't be too disappointed in me, folks. It really wasn't my fault. I've been in other situations over the past few months where there was a sporting event on, and I have managed to look away, or simply leave the room. This time, there just wasn't anything I could do.

I was at the gym, working on a 25 minute session on an elliptical machine. There was someone in front of me on a treadmill one machine to my right. Just perfectly in my natural gaze. The TV on my own machine was broken and I was listening to headphones. Still, I could see everything that was happening over at the Garden. It was early, but the Celtics had a nice lead on the Houston Rockets, a much more talented team (at the moment, anyway). I had a long way to go on my workout, and so there I was, caught. Unable to turn away, and forced to see the game.

At first, I was shocked and delighted to see that Boston was winning. I have seen the headlines about how this years scrappy, underdog team has been able to play with just about anyone from time to time. Still, Houston's talent is plain to see, so I certainly wasn't expecting to see the C's ahead. Of course, I was also just happy to be seeing the game played again. It really has been a long time for me. Like catching up with an old friend. Several actually. There was Pick and Roll. And over there was The Extra Pass. Oh, and look! It's Fast Break! He just showed up out of nowhere! How nice. 

Sadly, like many parties, before long it wasn't just old friends that we're showing up. It shouldn't have been a surprise to see Houston start to assert itself. All of a sudden, Extra Pass was hanging out with Rushed Shot. Someone must have let Slow Defensive Rotation in, and he was really starting to fuck with things. Goddammit, Telegraphed Crosscourt Pass is here? Seriously? AGAIN? The Celtics were blowing it.

Thats when I noticed it. It was right in the center of my chest. I'd gone so long without it, it was hard to recognize at first, but then it became starkly clear. The stress and tension of watching this lead dwindle was palpable in the center of my chest. Another bad pass and my teeth were clenched. As it happened, I was holding heart rate monitors, and I could see that I was up at over 140, when my goal had been to stay at 115 or so. In no time, I couldn't wait for my session to be over so that I could get out of the line of sight of this game. A big turnaround.

When and if I return to watch the teams I love, I am going to have to find a way to make sure that rooting for them does not manifest in me this way. It was never something I noticed while I was watching all the time, but being away from it for so long, I'm amazed at how tangible it was in its return.

Back to the Grind

I work in academia, so I tend to get pretty enviable amounts of time off (as opposed to great pay, of course). At no time is that more apparent than during the winter break. Shortly after the students pack up and head home, the college shuts down and the staff gets at least a week off without even asking. Depending on when the holidays fall, we could get even more. This year, what with the Wednesday holidays and the snowstorm that hit our region, I ended up with 16 days off at a cost of only about a day and a half of vacation time. I'm certainly not complaining.

Tomorrow though it all comes to an end and it's back to work, which will be nice. It's also a big moment for the Off-Season. I spent the majority of the break with family and friends who are not at all engaged in the sports world (or who were decent enough to discuss something else while I was in the room). At times, I was up in NH and not really in any kind of news cycle, so I feel as removed for the sports world right now as I have since before I started rooting for the Tar Heels back in the early 80's (pre-Jordan, thank you).

That will likely end once I get to work tomorrow, or possibly even on the commute. From Facebook I already know that the Patriots will be playing the Colts next weekend. It's going to be interesting to see how far out of the hype and excitement I can stay. It's also going to be hard. I hope Lori and I are able to make some good plans for whenever the game is taking place. Not paying attention to that game will be the biggest test I have faced so far. I am determined to avoid direct knowledge while it is happening!

Wish me luck...

I hope you all had wonderful and fun holiday seasons filled with peace and joy. May 2014 treat us all like dear friends.

Two Months In

Reflecting on two months of non-sports watching as we enter a new year altogether/all together.

It's clear to me at this point that my world was compressed by the amount of attention I paid to sports. I had fun with it, to be sure, but I'm not sure that I can claim balance the way things used to be. Maybe that's something I can find later on when and if I return to the games.

For now, the world seems more spacious and interesting without the constant concern of wins and losses. It's interesting to think of how this shift in my overall attention has manifested in my personality. I'm sure I'm the least qualified to assess things, but I would like to think that I am a calmer, more interesting version of my old self. 

If I'm being honest, this exercise has not been a perfect effort so far. On Sundays you can easily catch me accessing Boston.com by accident, where the score of the Patriots game is not hard to see. There isn't much A-Level sports news (at least insofar as Boston teams are concerned) that I have not been able to simply distill from a potent mixture of Facebook posts, Twitter declarations, and local news. It's not something I am proud of, and perhaps this time of resolutions will encourage me to redouble my efforts. 

It shouldn't be hard to do so thanks to one of the most special christmas gifts I have ever gotten. My wife Lori, knowing about the next challenge on my list, gave me a gorgeous classical guitar. It's got nylon strings, which I had been taking about for a long time. I've been strumming away on it for a week now, and am really looking forward to building on what I already know.

For now, fire, friends and food are calling, so I will leave you with one of the driving thoughts behind both The Off-Season and New Years Eve, long my favorite holiday;

It's never a great idea to take anything you cherish for granted. Try, instead, to present and aware of the moment you are in.

I wish you and yours a happy, healthy, and hearty 2014.