Still a Smoker

This one may take a bit of explanation. I met my wife at a PT group. She took my class and naturally fell for the instructor. It happens. I'm freaking dreamy and charming, especially when I workout. Don't blame her for falling for me. She's only human.

Regardless, despite the fact that we met out doing workouts, we NEVER workout together. We used to run some together, we have done a couple of races, but that was when we were dating. For the most part, especially now that we're older, we keep to our own workouts. 

FUTR

I had a friend a while back who when we first met warned me that they liked to "fly under the radar." When I heard this I thought that they were just saying that as a part of the personality, but when we talked, wrote, or met, there was no flying under the radar, for either of us.

I say for either of us because although I might not use that idiom, it certainly applies to me. I am very much someone who has to be forced into the limelight, I do not naturally seek that attention out.  

Phillipa Foote

The other day I was talking to my brother when he was in town with his family. We were discussing his new car, a Tesla, and his dislike for Elon Musk. Prior to Elon's buying of Twitter David was a huge fan of Elon and Tesla. he saw the value of entrepreneurs like him, he thought Tesla was a revolution, which in many ways it is. 

Suddenly, after Elon bought Twitter, David allowed his politics to come into play. I pointed this out to him and he was adamant that he had always held these views. I found it somewhat funny. It showed the difference, it seems to me, between the socialized mind and the self-authored mind. 

Airport Fashionisto

I am traveling a lot again. It’s fun to get back to travel after Covid. Prior to the pandemic, I think I was traveling 25%-45% of the time. Before that, when I worked at HydrochemPSC and PSC I was easily traveling 50%. When I traveled before, with PSC, it was all for fun. If I wanted to go somewhere and train I went. Sure, I always found myself near a refinery, but I went to the Bay Area a ton, LA, Chicago, New Jersey, Tennessee, just about anywhere we had a branch and I could go. 

With HASC, I traveled less and for different reasons. I didn’t travel as much for training, but much more for conferences, and sales. Now, I think training is about 30% of my travel time. But, I found that I missed travel during Covid. It’s good to have it back. 

Trust and Competence

I saw a quick article in our little newsletter that focused on Trust. It discussed Drivers of Trust and went forward to say that there are three drivers of trust: 1) Perceived Ability/Competence, 2) Benevolence/Care Not Driven by Ego, and 3) Integrity. 

I've seen that in many ways, . . . the way that trust can erode or elevate organizations, relationships, and communities. I've seen it and been a part of both erosion and elevation. It's this first one, the first driver, the one that discusses competence that I'm going to focus on here. 

Another Pod Cast . . . This One with Kerry

 A couple of weeks ago I mentioned getting to record a podcast with Kerry that was all about training in our industry. So, it came out today (see HERE). Geez I sound like a dope!

The Dominant Lens

We had a question in class . . . Goodman discusses how people in dominant classes discuss social justice definitions differently than how someone in the minority might. A common example is that white people would say racism is "individual acts of meanness" while black people would see racism as systemic. In what areas have you seen similar disparities between dominant and minority groups and how might seeing the disparity through a different lens might help you understand social justice challenges better?

This is a good discussion point. There is something to be said for selecting the appropriate lens, but I think it's more difficult than JUST selecting the appropriate lens . . . there's the need to understand that a different lens is needed . . . being able to adjust your own eyes to that new lens and make sense of what you see through the new lens. My classmate felt this was enough, and brought up a great point about using social justice language to help define, identify, and acknowledged moments of microaggression,  . . . that is a good starting point for helping people understand new lenses might be needed. 

Updated Concept Map

Now that I'm in the throes (or is it throws . . . no . . . it's throes) of writing my dissertation proposal writing, I've had to update my concept map with several new concepts that are starting to take hold of my thoughts. 

It's interesting to see the evolution of this paper as I write this. It may be hard to see in this image, but you'll see that I've got three major themes, Virtual Reality, Safety Training and Durable Memories. 

My Cultural Story

This paper was written through a lens of social justice and privilidge. I just finished one of my last classes and it was critical theory and social justice in education. Tough slog. Truth? Although I got alot out of it . . .in terms of my PhD work, it was a bit of a waste of time. There is so much of this in our culure now, it feels like we are all well versed in it, and the class seemed a few years dated. But, we had to look at our lives through this lens as a final project. 

In order to describe my cultural story, it is best to divide up my life in segments based not on how different cultural issues and forces played on my life, but rather through a timeline.

Tough Times

Having read Upton Sinclair's The Jungle, having read any book by Charles Dickens, . . . Hell one of my favorite all-time books (other than Lonesome Dove) is Les Miserables! So, when I say that I'm having tough times, please know that I still know my place in the grand scheme of things. 

I have an amazing house and family. I have an amazingly stable job where they NEVER fire or let anyone go. I could stay there for 30 more years and no one will say boo. I have a terrific doggo and gato. I have my health (for the most part) and I'm quite privileged. . . inordinately so. Heck, just the other day I was explaining to Charlie about what a blessing it is to be born in America. It's like winning a "life lottery ticket."