Suicide Prevention is More than Just a Hotline

Wednesday, September 26, 2018 | 0 Comment(s)

(Trigger warning: This post deals almost exclusively with the topic of suicide. Knowledge is power.
If you are in crisis, call the toll-free National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The service is available to anyone. All calls are confidential. http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org )

Suicide is once again in the news. Between Robin Williams, Chris Cornell, and Kate Spade (and since I started writing this piece Anthony Bourdain) -- the public is reminded that no one can buy out of depression. Fame doesn't protect people from loneliness or helplessness. A number of weeks ago Boston "shock-jock" sport radio host Kirk Minihane shared, publicly, his recent brush with suicidal ideation, and the help which he luckily received. It was a burst of raw humanity from a man who often spends his hours on the radio waves spewing sewage, which aims to tear others' humanity away. Nobody is all one thing.

The greater truth is that suicide is a major problem in the USA. For Americans aged 10-34, suicide is the second leading cause of death after unintentional injury. For those 35-54, suicide is the fourth leading cause of death after unintentional injury, cancer, and heart disease. In 2016, there were more than twice the number of suicides (44,965) than there were homicides (19,362, NIMH). More than twice.

You've Got to Fight for the Right, to be on the Right, and be Right

Wednesday, February 3, 2016 | 0 Comment(s)

A few days ago I received an email containing an organized file of my students' reviews from last semester. For each class I was given two zip files. One file was the result of the students' 1-9 rankings of both my teaching and the class itself, in a variety of areas. The second file for each class contained the students' open response prompts about what they felt were the strengths and weaknesses of the course.

Overall, I was tremendously pleased with both my scores and the feedback, which was almost entirely positive. And I love that. I do. I can't front. I work hard to put together an entertaining and informative class, so I'm proud when my message hits its mark. I'm human and therefore subject to flattery as much as the next person.

What concerns me even more, however, is the constructive criticism. I have a particular, and sometimes peculiar, teaching style. I most certainly use humor to keep the classroom energy high and hold interest. I recognize that this style will not suit every student. It can't. No teaching style can. Therefore, it isn't surprising that a few students find my antics immature and distracting. While I lament this, even I am forced to forgive myself for 2 or 3 misses out of 300. Not much I can do there.

That said, there is another segment of my student population that both thoroughly enjoyed my class, and simultaneously has constructive criticism. They have feedback. Some of it is procedural stuff -- put your slides online, put your lectures online, put yourself online -- but other critiques are more substantive.

Taking Pause: Love in a Time of Impatience

Wednesday, May 27, 2015 | 0 Comment(s)

Today is my wife and my 3rd anniversary, which is pretty amazing. I can feel myself entering that chunk of life that older people constantly tell you flies by. Like college. Or childhood.

"Nowadays, I can hardly remember my 30's," my made up senior citizen says to no one and everyone. "Those days just flew by like the breeze across a meadow."

Poetic old man.

It's a metaphor

In true "us" fashion, my wife and I have a night together both planned and unplanned at the same time. Wednesday is not a great date night. We've already learned that often your anniversary doesn't get celebrated on time. And that's ok. But regardless of tonights festivities, I am taking a chunk of today to just revel in the small but important accomplishment of our anniversary.

Tomorrow, another concept that both arrives to soon and seemingly never arrives, will be here in the morning, and E and I will never have another 3rd anniversary. So I'm purposefully concentrating on being in the specialness of the moment.

Johnson & Johnson's Baby Onions

Friday, February 13, 2015 | 0 Comment(s)

I have strong opinions regarding onions and most other vegetables as well. I just do. While onions may be my favorite vegetable to dice, and delicious to eat, I'm not so into plant matter that defends itself. Except Venus flytraps, cause they obviously rule so fucking hard. But layers of cry-inducing skin? Pass. If I wanted that, I'd just chop a live chicken or something. At least I'd end up with a main course instead of just one ingredient to compose a side dish. Hell, after onions reduce, they practically disappear altogether. Pussies.

With that established, you would think that this report in The Telegraph left me clicking me heals mid-air.

photo credit: softpedia.com

It did not.

That is way over the line Smokey. Mark it zero.

When you read the report, it doesn't mention the words "genetically modified organisms" anywhere because the very whisper of the GMO acronym sets off a debate that drowns out all other information trying to be conveyed. But these British farmers didn't one day go into their fields and lo and behold, "Hey we've got magic onions!" No. It wasn't like that at all.

Not Guilty Ya'll Got to Feel Me: How I'm Innocent but All of Black America is Guilty

Friday, December 5, 2014 | 0 Comment(s)

Today was my day in court.

If you recall, in late October I had a number of unpleasant run-in's with the Pō-Pō regarding my car's inspection sticker. In particular they took umbrage at its expired nature. If you'd like to refamiliarize yourself with the case that they gave me, those pieces are here and here.

Court was scheduled for 9:30am, so I woke up early to reread my blog posts (after all, what's the point of writing recaps of life events if not to remind you of exactly what happened when you've forgotten over a month later). Next, I went upstairs to craft the perfect court outfit -- I am soooo Elle Woods.

The choices I made in my dressing room this morning resonated inside me. Every other morning I throw on a t-shirt, dark jeans, and a hoodie. Maybe a vest on top. No hoodie in my ensemble today, however. Collared shirt, khakis, and a tie. It should be mentioned that when I finally made it to court, I was amused to see three other guys waiting along with me who were ALL wearing the exact same semi-formal combination (down to the blue shirts). The only difference between us was our individual tie choices, which it was clear was the product of a dearth of options all around.

Fuck the Police--Part VI: The One Where They Give Me a Ticket and I Get Legitimately Pissed Off

Tuesday, October 28, 2014 | 3 Comment(s)

I had just finished writing Fuck the Police Part V. Just. After getting my verbal warning on Sunday, on late Wednesday afternoon I was driving home to post my recent police encounter on the blog and then be done with it. You know, cause, fuck the police.

When the now ubiquitous blue and white lights began flashing behind me, I was on the same road on was on the last time I got pulled over. I was going 30 mph, just like the last time I was pulled over. Three days ago.

When the short stocky police office sauntered over to my driver side window, I figured, "Yay, this again. What a waste of time. At least I can just explain to the guy what happened and this experience might not even be worthy of a blog entry." As you are reading this, you understand that this is not how things went down.