Ask Gordon Anything - Roger Green Part Two

Since Roger was cool enough to ask a series of questions - and since I opted to answer part of them earlier this week....here are Roger's other two questions.

Roger first asks, Where are you on the God/religion journey?

You know, I consider myself something of a "cafeteria spiritual seeker" - I have an interest in more Eastern modes of thought (like Hinduism, Buddhism, Tao), which seems to inform my Catholic upbringing. I'm not quite sure how to answer this that doesn't seem either pretentious - or possibly putting down other people's beliefs - but here goes....

I believe that, yes, there is a God.

Do I believe the Bible is the exact word of God? No - it's man's experience of God through mortal filters at a particular time and place.

If anything (and yes, I'm going to be raked over the coals for this belief) - I believe God's presence permeates our existence. He's always there if we wish to see him....and He's there from the greatest to the smallest personal moments. I've "eliminated the middle man" in terms of dealing with God...and I also think that any God who chooses to live amongst us in mortal form - and die in the ugliest, nastiest way possible rather than escape - is the kind of God worth emulating.

And that part of the challenge of being a spiritual being is working hard to making sure I emulate those divine principles.

(And Roger - I hope that I didn't sound too pompous in that answer).

But for some plucky comic relief, Roger than asks, OK, is Donald Trump a comedic giant, the end of American civilization, or something else?

Warning - you wanted a political answer, you're going to get one.

Donald Trump is the Tea Party's ideal candidate - a "right talking" person who speaks his mind, and who offers bogus answers rather than solid policy suggestions.

Without denigrating any other Republican candidates - the fact that Trump is so vastly popular speaks less to substance and more to style. He's the kind of guy who believes that branding his name on everything is "building his brand"...and who can't tell the difference between thinking he's the smartest guy in his room and actually being the smartest guy in the room.

In short, he's a joke. And the fact that he's up in the polls say less about the potential weaknesses in any of the other Republican candidates....and more about Trump's ability to play up to the prejudices of some American voters.

In short, Roger - he's all of the above.

Ask Gordon Anything - Roger Green Part One

As part of the "Ask Gordon Anything" series of posts, today is part one of a two-part series featuring questions from pal/near-twin Roger, whose first two questions are

When you're prone to melancholy, what gets you out of it? What musician/singer I've never heard of should I be listening to? 

To answer both questions....I usually listen to the music of Joy Division.

Granted, the band has gained notoriety for Ian Curtis' suicide, but this is some of the most emotionally engaging - and challenging - music ever recorded.

Part of the myth is due to the limited amount of music - two full albums, two compilations, a great documentary and Control (the obligatory biopic). It's not an easy listen - very minimalist, very existential....but this music is a great soundtrack for facing one's demons. (Even the surviving members - who went on to form New Order - have some qualms about performing. Here's a great interview with Peter Hook, the bassist, about the band's legacy)

Trust me - listening to Closer can be brutal, but there's something transcendent about the experience. It's as much about the "I survived the gloom" as it is "it doesn't get any worse then this."

It's a bit of a challenge, but Joy Division's music is worth it.

And soon, Roger, I'll answer your other questions - honest!

What I'm Doing When I'm Not Blogging

It's Saturday afternoon, and I've been in the midst of writing and editing (and finishing up freelance work).

I've also been dating. On a frequent basis.

But since another month has come and gone, I thought I would do what I usually do - my semi-regular blogaround with a variety of posts, podcasts, and online mentions...all in the name of keeping my online reputation clean.

(As if my personal website, my consulting site, and my Amazon AuthorCentral site weren't enough....)

First, since you may have heard that Comic Related  is closing its doors, you might want to read my thoughts on the subject before the site vanishes....(and yes, I've copied all of my old posts....and I'm seriously considering assembling an ebook. Your thoughts in the comments below).

Speaking of all things Comic Related, Zone 4 is undergoing some changes as well....feel free to give it a view and listen on YouTube.

You know, I never thanked pal Roger for linking to my Christopher Lee tribute. Thanks, Roger!

Finally, via Chicago Now, a post that combines technology and nostalgia.....

Post Memorial Day Blogaround

It's the day after Memorial Day...and yes, I've been busy writing and doing actual paid work. (Which has meant that there's been little attention paid to the blog, but has done wonders for launching my marketing consultancy). However, think of things as starting to crank up for me....with potential grist for the mill for this very blog.

It's official - with the impending release of Dreamer's Syndrome: New World Navigation (now availble for pre-order!), I now have my own Amazon Author page. Anything I've written (and which is available for purchase) will be posted on the site. Please feel free to check it out....

...and if you read my Chicago Now blog, I've announced that I will be participating in Chicago Care's June 27th Serve-A-Thon. Between this and preparations for Chicago TARDIS, I will have a slightly more active next few months (but one without the stress of "where's the next job gonna come from"....even though my current gig's temporary, I've been laying the groundwork for more work).

I'm also quite glad to get a mention to pal Roger, who celebrated his 10th blogiversary earlier this month. Although I admire a guy who can blog once a day - every day - I'm glad that I can take pride in my own writing efforts, which have expanded for the better.

So all in all, pretty good stuff. Now, I just have to remember to write here about it once in awhile....

My Online and Offline Road Trips

As many of you know, I'll be kicking off my "2015 Rocketing into Spring Road Tour" this weekend with Windy City Pulp on Friday and Sunday and Columbia College on Saturday. But as I'm busy, here are a few items for you to consider...mostly, various appearances and mentions around the net for your entertainment - and my search optimization.

• Thanks to pal Roger, I now have greater appreciation for the work of librarians and realize why libraries are important.
• Right now, I'm on the hunt for new marketing clients, so consider making a referral to One Cause Consulting, as well as joining us on Facebook
• Recently, I participated in an online roundtable about writing to word counts. Yes, these things matter!
• In other writing news, here's a review for I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere.....
• ....and yet another episode of the Zone 4 Podcast
• Coming in May: I head to Oak Lawn Public Library for their first ever Fan Fest....+
• ...and join several fans for Leverage 101

Obligatory Shout-Out to Roger Green

who, like me, is a big Rod Serling fan:






(videos courtesy iO9 - hey, if I can do shout-outs to Rich, I can do them for Roger, deal?)

My Award for Reaching Post #1285

Leave it to Roger to post something that gets me out of a slump.

He had very kindly bestowed upon me the "Creative Blogger" award, not realizing that most of my blog posts are actually translations of the "epic poet's commentary" for Homer's Odyssey...but I digress. It's an honor to be nominated, to have the challenge of posting seven things you may not know about me...and to nominate seven more bloggers.

(By the way, if nominated, you don't have to post. Won't require you. It's like the really annoying friend who still sends you an e-mail about Microsoft paying you to forward an e-mail, with a clause that says, "Please forward this e-mail; an attorney says it will happen!"

Anyway, here are seven facts you may not know about me:

1. My name, when translated from Polish, means "smoker of meats." This makes me grateful that it does not translate to "cautionary tale." And it makes me especially grateful I'm not the colleague whose last name translates as "Please card me."

2. The big reason I rarely, if ever, talk about myself or get personal on the blog? Quite personally, some other comics-related bloggers....let a little too much hang out. I think people can appreciate what I feel, but quite frankly, I wear my heart on my sleeve in real life. I'm not sure I have to go online.
3. For a year and a half, I attended classes at the University of Chicago. However, increasing tuition, two dying grandparents, and several grades at the wrong end of the alphabet later, I found myself transferring to Loyola, which was a much easier time. (Yes, both were challenging schools, but the University of Chicago takes itself way too seriously, in my opinion).
4. One of my goals for this year....and this is, well, quite embarrassing....is to actually begin dating on a semi-regular basis. That's right - actually spend some time with a "significant other." To that end, I've begun....oh gosh, this is leaving me red-faced...
5. My grandmother once had attempted to convince my mother and me that we were related to Steve Allen. Yes, that Steve Allen. (Her maiden name was the same as Mr. Allen's birth name). However, after doing some basic pre-Google research, we found that there is no relation whatsoever. There goes my chance at immortality or even major league talking points.
6. Believe it or not, I'm the admin for the reunion page for my high school graduating class. (It's a known fact that I went to the same high school as Bob Newhart). If you are a former classmate or want to check out the page for yourself, well, here you go. I'm probably one of the most electronically connected of all my friends...and I still ignore them. Go figure.
7. I once saw Jenna Fischer live at the St Louis Film Festival. She is even more striking in person, and much like Roger, is my near-twin.

As far as my seven nominees (who are under no obligation to reciprocate), I offer the following:

• One of my first favorite (and still favorite) blogs is Bill Sherman's Pop Culture Gadabout. He writes in a style that flows easily, and he writes about a ton of really cool stuff.
• Mike Sterling is still one of my favorites, and if I ever met him in person, I would give him a great big, burly man hug. Honest.
• On the local Chicago scene, I really dig pal Scott's blog, Wednesday's Haul. It's one of those blogs I find myself continually reading because there's some great insight and some good writing.
• Possibly the only "social media" blog I read is Beth Kanter's blog about non-profits and social media, appropriately titled Beth's Blog. There's possibly more information in this blog than in so much of the "guru" blogs (in my opinion, I must reiterate)
• And in a two-way tie for last are Andy Martello and Golfwidow, but only because I don't want to be forced to choose between them. God, I miss Podcrapular.

As always, thanks for reading...and hopefully, Roger's not regretting his decision.

Blogging With Myers-Briggs

Due to my schedule being kind of wonky for the past few weeks, the deadline for the Social Media A-Go-Go contest has been extended until Wednesday, November 26th, at 5:00 pm CST. Now, back to the blog.

I just love it when my social service/mental health geekiness, my online geekiness, and my comics-loving geekiness all collide.

This morning, while reading my various feeds, I came across Roger's recent post, which featured a web site that used Myers-Briggs personality typing on blogs. Being a rather curious guy, I decided to do so, and lo and behold - I'm share many things in common with Roger.

Now, one could posit that perhaps it's because Roger and I celebrate March birthdays within 24 hours of each other...but that's astrology, and Myers Briggs is so much more. It's not based on the stars, but on tendencies within personality (although admittedly, some of the science behind it is lacking). So I, an INFJ, was surprised to write a blog which was typed ESTP (for further explanation, head here, and I apologize for the incomplete nature of the screenshot).

Maybe it's a rather geeky thing for me to do (and we geeks love our Myers-Briggs), but it got me wondering about other bloggers - is there a correlation between personality and blogging? (In terms of Myers-Briggs; after all, text can be quite misleading - someone who is pleasant online, for example, could be the total opposite in real life). I also wonder about the personality styles of my fellow Junk Fewd collaborators (although, for one or two of them, the less I know, the better)

So, if you're interested (and have a little free time this weekend), please feel free to take the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, which is a Myers-Briggs-oriented test that has a little bit more scientific backing behind it. But anyway, if there's one thing I would strongly suggest you do, it's to get your geek on.

In Lieu of Original Content

Since Roger tagged me in a meme (and since, well, I'm basically killing time until my 1,000th post - this is 994 in a series), I'm going to do the lazy blogger thing of ...well, responding to Roger's meme. Here goes nothin'.

1. Where was I 10 years ago?
   
   Living in Eugene, Oregon, recovering from a very devastating romantic breakup. (I was engaged at the time, and would rather not share the details online. She deserves her privacy, and I'm not really interested in rehashing old matters online). Working at a local treatment center doing research, and basically wanting to leave. Fortunately, within three months I would move to St. Louis.
   
   
2. What was on my to-do list today?
   
   At work:catch up on some phone calls for one client, work on executive visibility for another client, prepped to do some online work for a third, and went to the bank to close of some of my dad's old business accounts.
   
   (Granted, my dad's been dead for two years, but these bank lawyers - especially in these troubled economic times - are rather persnickety about their money. Go figure).
   
   At home: begin planning for next few days, including work for eDemocracy, did tons of laundry tonight, and watched the series premiere of House.
   
   
3. What would I do if I were a billionaire?
   
   I would probably invest much of my money in savings - most preferably interest bearing accounts (thanks to blogs like Get Rich Slowly and Life and Debt in Chicago, I've learned to move from frugal to cheapskate in a few easy steps), pay off some long standing bills (mostly Mom's medical bills), and buy a decent condo.
   
   
4. Five places I've lived
   
   Chicago, Illinois; Eugene, Oregon; Brentwood, Missouri; St. Louis, Missouri; and back to Chicago, Illinois.
   
   
5. Bad Habits
   Procrastination (if I'm not careful), worrying...and well, I can't think of anything else

Nope, not tagging anyone. Please feel free to tag yourself.

Baseball, Hot Dogs, Roger Green & Superman

I have to admit, I really enjoy meeting my blogging brethren. Every once in awhile, it's good to get out from behind the keyboard and get some fresh air.

Fortunately, I've not only met a few of my fellow bloggers (like Scott, Redhead Fangirl, and Chuck), but also have had old friends like Andy and fellow tough guy Brian as blogging aficionados. So when the mighty Roger Green asked if I would be willing to join him for a Cubs game, I heartily agreed. Given our mutual admiration for Fred Hembeck and Rod Serling, it only seemed natural.

(Of course, I also had my doctor prescribe some ulcer medication. One set of grandparents were Cubs fans, and the other were White Sox fans. Living in St. Louis helped me develop a love for the Cardinals. Some relatives still will not talk to me because of this.)

Of course, events conspired to keep us from meeting - part of it was Roger taking the wrong color train line (which - let's face it, CTA - you might want to have clearer information for tourists in time for the Olympics), and part of it was misinterpreting a coworker's directions. (The Harry Caray statue is at Addision & Sheffield; claiming it's the "southwest corner" of Addison & Clark isn't quite accurate). So I made my way past the ticket scalpers, the peanut vendors, and the merchants selling t-shirts with such enlightened slogans as "Horry Cow" and "Green Gay Fudge Packers", and made my way to the statue, hoping to catch a glimpse of Roger.

(Of course, my camera's batteries were low, but not low enough to prevent me from taking some video. Wish I had filmed/snapped the vendors, though).

But soon, Roger and I (and several of his coworkers) all sat and watched the Cubs get defeated by the Houston Astros. All in all, it wasn't a bad game - the windy weather meant plenty of fly balls, and Roger and I engaged in some playful banter. (Enough that I think he and I should take it on the road - after all, it's only been done once before). But he and I discussed many issues - the joys of blogging, the frustrations of dealing with local government, the proper length of a podcast (which we both decided was 45 minutes), and most importantly, how we missed a mutual friend because he spent so much time with his gaming friends.

But all in all, it was a very fun time - we even caught the Red Line heading back into the Loop. And I'm sure that he will have plenty of fun this weekend, deleting e-mails, although there was one item I wish I could have talked to him about:

Recently, through Written World, I read about the attempts to rehab and preserve the house of Jerry Siegel, co-creator of Superman. As someone who enjoys architecture and older buildings, I think this is a really cool idea. (Both Roger and I discussed the appreciation - or lack thereof - of local history). And if anyone involved in the effort is reading - I'm more than willing to provide free ad space on the blog, because I think it's worth it.

And now, since you've been good - shaky footage from outside Wrigley Field!

Your Saturday Cheap Laugh of the Day

avatar
Originally uploaded by Gordon D

Hey, if Roger can head to the Simpsons movie web site and make an avatar, so can I.

(You can also head on over and "Simpsonize" one of your photos)

Hey, if you want to consider this a meme, please feel free.

----------------
Now playing: Sound Opinions - Sound Opinions with the Arcade Fire
via FoxyTunes

Blogging Down in Blogger Town

I have to admit, I've been quite busy these past few days - in fact, I managed to get my drink on with Andy Sunday night, before he headed out to Vegas. I only hope that I didn't do anything too embarrassing, like, I don't know, bump and grind in a go-go cage to a klezmer band.

Other than that, I'll be OK.

Anyway, Roger tagged me for a meme, and since the directions on these are more confusing than trying to drive in Los Angeles, please bear with me.

INSTRUCTIONS: Remove the blog in the top spot from the following list and bump everyone up one place. Then add your blog to the bottom slot, like so.

1. Electronic Cerebrectomy
2. Byzantium's Shores
3. Tosy and Cosh
4. Ramblin' with Roger
5. Blog THIS, Pal!

Next, select five people to tag.
I don't like tagging people, but...oh, well...

1. Brian
2. Rab
3. Rosie O'Donnell
4. Church of Klugman
5. Zombie Tom

What were you doing ten years ago?
I was finishing up my master's practicum, involved in a long-distance relationship (in fact, I think it was 10 years ago this month when my then-girlfriend came to visit), and living large in Rogers Park. I was also doing stand up comedy at the No Exit Cafe...and I sucked. I sucked harder than Lindsey Lohan after a few lines of coke.

(I'm sorry, that was in poor taste, but at least it will get me a PG Rating)

What were you doing one year ago?
Working as a Program Director, gearing up for a massive community night out...and worrying about my father's health. Within four weeks, the night out was a success (no thanks to my staff and director, but more on that in another post), my father had a triple bypass, and things were...shaky, at best.

Five snacks you enjoy.

1. Oreos
2. Green seedless grapes
3. Bananas
4. Cool Ranch Doritos
5. Caramel and cheese popcorn mixed together

Five songs to which you know all the lyrics.

1. My Generation by the Who - I listened to this first album endlessly in high school.
2. Help! by the Beatles - of course, I also watched this movie (and A Hard Day's Night) repeatedly as a child. Curse you, 3:30 pm movie on Channel 7!)
3. Satisfaction by the Rolling Stones
4. I Walk the Line by Johnny Cash - curse you, Mae, who was my mom's best friend who was obsessed with Johnny Cash so much she had a life-sized cardboard replica in her apartment!
5. Tears on My Pillow by Little Anthony & The Imperials

Five things you like doing

1. Movies - I hate going to multiplexes, but even still, there's something magical about seeing a movie on the big screen
2. Finding new, hip places to hang out - yes, for a brief time, I was a club rat, but my tastes have expanded to coffee shops, bistros, etc
3. Dining Out - in fact, my new favorite show here in Chicago features Chicago restaurants
4. Watching basketball - I used to play religiously when I was younger, despite my size; however, my knees prevent me from doing more than cheering on the Bulls
5. Reading

And finally...

Five things you would never wear again.

1. A green parka with orange lining, or a parka/anorak
2. Muscle shirts
3. Socks with shorts
4. My Kids in the Hall t-shirt (it's a collector's item)
5. Knit hats

First Sulu As Hiro's Father

...and now this? If this is true, I'm definitely warming up the ol' VCR.

And, on an unrelated note, a little something borrowed from Roger:

Your Lust Quotient: 66%

You are a very lustful person - and it sometimes gets the better of you! You know how to hold back, but you hardly ever do.

How Much Lust Do You Have?

And I'm still single. What does that say about me?