When I was a child, I enjoyed watching various movies on television. There was the Wizard of Oz, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the Sound of Music, and of course Bugs Bunny. I note all of these for a very specific reason; as a child they are entertaining, but as an adult they are very different movies. Movies made to attract children have to have lots going on, very visually intensive, but dialog is not important. As an adult, the visual content of movies is nice, but dialog has to have some character or the movie is dismissed as an entertainment source for children. Each of the movies I list have both which to me suggests why they still have an attractive value.
For example, the Wizard of Oz as most know is about a teenaged farm girl that thinks no one understands her or appreciates her. So she goes looking for some adventure to fill that missing part in her life. She ends up with an incredible slam upside the head and has the hallucination of what we see is the land of Oz. We are taken through all sorts of ins and outs of her subconscious mind and ultimately find that the best adventure begins at home. As a child, the glamor of the colorful sets, the munchkin voices, the stories behind the Scarecrow, Tinman, and Lion weave an interesting story of looking for something that's missing. There's the occasional scary scene with a nasty witch and even the flying monkeys. Then there's the "Great and Powerful OZ" who comes out of fire and steam. It makes for a very interesting and captivating movie. But as an adult, I've begun to actually listen to the dialog. The munchkin ladies come from the "Lullaby League" performing On Point Ballet, and some guys represent the "Lollipop Guild" with their Celtic style of dance. Dance is so interesting because it adds a whole new experience to the already known visual context of the movie. Even the military march of the Witch's guards is of note, because I'm sure it was something that gave rise to Stripe's march. But if you list closely to the dialog, you'll find some really hilarious quotes. My favorite is from the Scarecrow, "Some people without brains do an awful lot of talking." First time I heard this, I nearly fell out of my chair laughing. It had been there all along, but I never noticed it.
Another example is Bugs Bunny. The content is cartoons where the characters commonly find themselves in unusual positions that cause pain and even death. Blowing each other to bits, shooting each other full of holes, and even skyrocketing because of a dragon that blows fire has a cold and sneezes into a room filled with explosives. It's hilarious as a child because it's the extreme on being ridiculous. But if you listen closely to the dialog, when Bugs is sick, he is usually told to take a teaspoon of medicine before bedtime, at which point he swallows the entire teaspoon. Everything is taken as literally as possible, which only extends the ridiculous, but as a child I was confused as to why he swallowed the utensil. Now I get it.
Finally, with Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, I had a recent revelation. I noticed several years ago that this novel was written by Ian Flemming, the same author of the James Bond series. Ian Flemming, according to Wikipedia wrote lots of novels, and only two that were different from the Bond series. Ian Flemming's content has always been beyond the current; they represented future possibilities in technology. Chitty was no different, for the context of its time, and even went beyond the 20th century in what was possible. But the movie version was most interesting to me. Over the last 2 years I've been working in a NASA group for creativity. One of the more important aspects of this group is the understanding that in order to come up with good ideas to solve a problem, you must fail. In the culture of NASA however, from Apollo 13, failure is not an option; we are risk adverse. So when I listened to "Roses of Success" I found lots of excellent quotes that really drives what we do today. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was produced in 1964, the year I was born, but today, 46 years later we are finally beginning to pursue the idea that "There's magic in the wake of a fiasco!" To succeed, you must fail and fail and fail. It simply teaches us how to move forward.
So as I get older, I'm learning not to dismiss the movies that entertained me as a child. For in them I find new meaning, and possibly, new ideas for the future.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Friday, November 19, 2010
Conditional Respect
I have always considered myself a realist, not a visionary. Visionaries to me have ideas and ideals that transcend the rest of us. I tend to think in terms of what is possible and more likely possible. As a child I had become deeply interested in airplanes, aeronautics, and rocketry. I was always looking for more stimulus in these areas, and quite frankly could never seem to get enough. A result of this was that I felt less respected or tolerated among my peers and family. Yet I persisted.
When Neil Armstrong landed on the moon, I remember it, but really could have cared less. I was so infatuated with aeronautics at the time, and the thought of being with NASA was more of a visionary thought than a realist. Some might consider this to be a lack of self esteem or insecurity. To me, I knew my limits and that was fine with me. But it did sit in the back of my mind as I developed into the adult I am today. It wasn't until I made it to The Ohio State University that the possibility of being a NASA employee ever entered the realm of my thoughts. Further strengthening this was the acceptance into the advanced design class at OSU which was a 3 quarter class, not the standard single quarter. During that class, we interfaced with NASA and I began to understand that it was possible to work for NASA.
So when I received a job offer to become a NASA employee in 1999, my dreams had come true. I was on cloud nine. And to be honest, it changed my life. Working for NASA has been and continues to be an experience of joy and at times sincere despair. Working with some of the brightest minds in the world is simply amazing. Usually, there is very little communication problems among engineers and scientists that share a common job. Expanding into other circles brings along a certain level of communication problems, but breaking into unknown territory brings along communication and intent issues. Some personalities are so strong that they dominate the course of research, which has it's advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that there is always support for that avenue. The disadvantage is lack of respect for alternate views. So the respect tends to be conditional; whether or not you support a particular direction in research. That's unfortunate because it is an indicator of an unwillingness to accept diversity in thought and divergent thinking; a type of thinking that tends to produce better solutions to tough problems.
But this is not the only exposure to conditional respect encountered as an employee of NASA. Everywhere I go, I am recognized as NASA if I have a NASA emblem on my shirt, my jacket, or even a hat. If I am introduced as NASA, it is clearly recognized. NASA continues to be held in the highest of reverence, both for creativity, ideas, innovation, breakthroughs and even a powerhouse of technology. But that's were the respect ends. As NASA it is fairly easy to get willing individuals and organizations to work with you, but money is commonly requested or expected. While staying at the Crown Plaza Astor in the French Quarter of New Orleans, I filed a form that exempts Federal Employees from having to pay an occupancy tax for the hotel stay. At the time of check out, the form was deemed invalid, and was not accepted; the hotel wanted its money even though it was not entitled to it. This type of behavior has also been observed at the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center. In an attempt to barter entry into a NASA course, NASA simply wanted to use their classroom facility and possibly a tour of the facility for a class on Creativity and Innovation. Through the entire visit, NASA was told of the cost to do business with the VAMSC. It is interesting to note that they expected NASA to provide both funding and free entry into a class that usually runs about $1500 per person. Again, conditional respect.
Finally, the type of respect I am discussing seems to occur in personal relationships. All too often I've been told, when I was married, my mother-in-law only loved me because I loved her daughter. Otherwise she had no respect or love for me at all. A clear result of the divorce is that my ex-wife's mother does not even accept that I even exist, let alone am in the same room if I am there. It seems hypocritical, but more importantly, it is simply conditional respect.
When Neil Armstrong landed on the moon, I remember it, but really could have cared less. I was so infatuated with aeronautics at the time, and the thought of being with NASA was more of a visionary thought than a realist. Some might consider this to be a lack of self esteem or insecurity. To me, I knew my limits and that was fine with me. But it did sit in the back of my mind as I developed into the adult I am today. It wasn't until I made it to The Ohio State University that the possibility of being a NASA employee ever entered the realm of my thoughts. Further strengthening this was the acceptance into the advanced design class at OSU which was a 3 quarter class, not the standard single quarter. During that class, we interfaced with NASA and I began to understand that it was possible to work for NASA.
So when I received a job offer to become a NASA employee in 1999, my dreams had come true. I was on cloud nine. And to be honest, it changed my life. Working for NASA has been and continues to be an experience of joy and at times sincere despair. Working with some of the brightest minds in the world is simply amazing. Usually, there is very little communication problems among engineers and scientists that share a common job. Expanding into other circles brings along a certain level of communication problems, but breaking into unknown territory brings along communication and intent issues. Some personalities are so strong that they dominate the course of research, which has it's advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that there is always support for that avenue. The disadvantage is lack of respect for alternate views. So the respect tends to be conditional; whether or not you support a particular direction in research. That's unfortunate because it is an indicator of an unwillingness to accept diversity in thought and divergent thinking; a type of thinking that tends to produce better solutions to tough problems.
But this is not the only exposure to conditional respect encountered as an employee of NASA. Everywhere I go, I am recognized as NASA if I have a NASA emblem on my shirt, my jacket, or even a hat. If I am introduced as NASA, it is clearly recognized. NASA continues to be held in the highest of reverence, both for creativity, ideas, innovation, breakthroughs and even a powerhouse of technology. But that's were the respect ends. As NASA it is fairly easy to get willing individuals and organizations to work with you, but money is commonly requested or expected. While staying at the Crown Plaza Astor in the French Quarter of New Orleans, I filed a form that exempts Federal Employees from having to pay an occupancy tax for the hotel stay. At the time of check out, the form was deemed invalid, and was not accepted; the hotel wanted its money even though it was not entitled to it. This type of behavior has also been observed at the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center. In an attempt to barter entry into a NASA course, NASA simply wanted to use their classroom facility and possibly a tour of the facility for a class on Creativity and Innovation. Through the entire visit, NASA was told of the cost to do business with the VAMSC. It is interesting to note that they expected NASA to provide both funding and free entry into a class that usually runs about $1500 per person. Again, conditional respect.
Finally, the type of respect I am discussing seems to occur in personal relationships. All too often I've been told, when I was married, my mother-in-law only loved me because I loved her daughter. Otherwise she had no respect or love for me at all. A clear result of the divorce is that my ex-wife's mother does not even accept that I even exist, let alone am in the same room if I am there. It seems hypocritical, but more importantly, it is simply conditional respect.
Monday, November 1, 2010
An Effect of Environment on Pregnancy
In 1994 our family lost a true mench, my father-in-law and as of now my ex-father-in-law. At the time he passed away, he was 59, worked hard in the yard that July 4th hot afternoon. He went inside, took a shower and was noting how tired and hot it was; blowing lots of air and telling his wife how good the shower felt. After his shower, he retired to the family room, sat down in his chair and told his wife (my now ex-mother-in-law) that he felt as if he was going to pass out. In less than 10 seconds he did just that, and never regained consciousness. He was gone in less than 10 minutes even as his wife, a skilled registered nurse, tried to keep him alive until paramedics arrived.
This one event has had more of an affect on my life than I ever realized. First, being on the outside somewhat, I was able to collect my wife (ex now), pack up her clothing, get a flight to Columbus, OH from Newport News, VA, and attend to her needs at a time of crisis. Second, this taught me that life indeed is short, and to live each day as if it is your last; be thankful that you get up in the morning. Third, it set into motion a series of events that would eventually have a sort of repeat performance that my fraternal grandfather endured when married to my grandmother Sadie. My ex-mother-in-law used to be tempered by my ex-father-in-law, and we had a very warm and comforting relationship. Without that balance, my ex-mother-in-law became a very mean person to me, one that would disrespect me constantly and one where my ex-wife expected me to simply accept it. The other more long lasting effect this event had on my life was the depression of my ex-wife.
Over the period of 3 years, until our daughter was born, my ex deteriorated into a serious depression. Even though I did all that I could to help the situation, and my ex sought professional help, it was insufficient to have the longer lasting affect on our marriage and even our daughter. The depression lead to serious weight gain that culminated in gastric bypass surgery as well as two reconstructive surgeries for the removal of excess flesh, and according to a recently published journal article, sleep problems with our daughter.
According to a recent article, infants born to mothers suffering from depression are more likely to have sleep problems. At the time my daughter was born, my ex was still suffering from depression. It became so severe that it eventually lead to a bi-polar disorder of sorts; not to the point of incapacitating her, but to the point that it destroyed our marriage from frivolous spending, questions of her fidelity, promiscuity, and continued sleep disruptions. The more detrimental effect was on our daughter, who for the first 9 years of her life, hardly slept. It was common for my daughter to get about 4 hours of sleep at night and be ready to play, cry, and just be all day long. Couple the activity of my daughter with her mother's depression, and the entire scenario gets nasty.
While all of this is happening, I am attempting to work on my Masters of Science from George Washington University's Joint Institute for the Advancement of Flight Sciences (GWU-JIAFS). My daughter was born in the beginning of my fourth semester (second year, second class). I'll never forget what happened, because it defined the remainder of my relationship with my ex-wife. Each time through our marriage, when my wife needed me, I was there. When her father passed away, when her grandmothers passed away, when her aunts and uncles passed on, when she was fighting for the survival of her legs due to diabetic lesions, when her mother needed her and I went without her for months on end; I was there for it all. But when I needed someone to step up to the plate to help give me a few hours a night to study, my ex simply suggested I should quit graduate school. I was crushed. But being raised not to give up, I pressed forward with excruciating strength.
The deal my ex made with me was that if I could not get our daughter to sleep by 3am, she would help me out. In order to take my classes for my coursework, one at a time, work full time, and find some time to study, I would get up each morning at 5am, and head to work. I worked from 6:30am to 4:00pm and returned home by 5:00pm. Our daughter suffered from colic, wherein she began screaming around 6pm and it lasted until 9pm. I walked our daughter each day in a carriage to get some outside air, then later to the neighborhood swing set to play. I made dinner during the crying time, while our daughter was slightly comforted by running water, the washing machine, a tape of falling water, the vacuum cleaner, and even an indoor swing. After feeding my daughter, eating, and cleaning up from dinner, our daughter would slowly come out of her colic and I headed to bathe her. Until she was 5 years old, I bathed her nightly; I bathed once she was in bed. After that, I would first bathe her then I had her play and stay with me dressed while I bathed because my ex did not want to be disturbed by my bathing later in the evening. Our daughter would eventually go to sleep by 11pm, when I had the chance to finish cleaning the house or starting/finishing the laundry, and some study until 1am when my daughter received her mid-sleep bottle. Eventually that went away, and she simply was up until midnight. Rarely did she stay awake beyond 3am, and rarely did I get more than 3 hours of sleep at night. Many a night were spent with my daughter, where I placed her in our guest bed with pillows to cradle her, and I slept next to her. For 3 years that was the best way to get her to sleep through the night. The weekends were fun too - entirely my responsibility.
So why articulate all this? Depression is an outside factor to pregnancy. After learning today what lead to my suffering, it all made sense. For years I was blamed for having been the reason for my daughter's nocturnal problems. It was theorized that my active lifestyle was the reason my daughter did not want to sleep. This was compounded by the fact that my ex's family never saw this before; so it had to be me. I just wished I had known then what effect my ex's depression would have had on all of us. Would it have deterred me from pursuing the birth of my daughter? Never. But at least I would have known why I went through hell.
This one event has had more of an affect on my life than I ever realized. First, being on the outside somewhat, I was able to collect my wife (ex now), pack up her clothing, get a flight to Columbus, OH from Newport News, VA, and attend to her needs at a time of crisis. Second, this taught me that life indeed is short, and to live each day as if it is your last; be thankful that you get up in the morning. Third, it set into motion a series of events that would eventually have a sort of repeat performance that my fraternal grandfather endured when married to my grandmother Sadie. My ex-mother-in-law used to be tempered by my ex-father-in-law, and we had a very warm and comforting relationship. Without that balance, my ex-mother-in-law became a very mean person to me, one that would disrespect me constantly and one where my ex-wife expected me to simply accept it. The other more long lasting effect this event had on my life was the depression of my ex-wife.
Over the period of 3 years, until our daughter was born, my ex deteriorated into a serious depression. Even though I did all that I could to help the situation, and my ex sought professional help, it was insufficient to have the longer lasting affect on our marriage and even our daughter. The depression lead to serious weight gain that culminated in gastric bypass surgery as well as two reconstructive surgeries for the removal of excess flesh, and according to a recently published journal article, sleep problems with our daughter.
According to a recent article, infants born to mothers suffering from depression are more likely to have sleep problems. At the time my daughter was born, my ex was still suffering from depression. It became so severe that it eventually lead to a bi-polar disorder of sorts; not to the point of incapacitating her, but to the point that it destroyed our marriage from frivolous spending, questions of her fidelity, promiscuity, and continued sleep disruptions. The more detrimental effect was on our daughter, who for the first 9 years of her life, hardly slept. It was common for my daughter to get about 4 hours of sleep at night and be ready to play, cry, and just be all day long. Couple the activity of my daughter with her mother's depression, and the entire scenario gets nasty.
While all of this is happening, I am attempting to work on my Masters of Science from George Washington University's Joint Institute for the Advancement of Flight Sciences (GWU-JIAFS). My daughter was born in the beginning of my fourth semester (second year, second class). I'll never forget what happened, because it defined the remainder of my relationship with my ex-wife. Each time through our marriage, when my wife needed me, I was there. When her father passed away, when her grandmothers passed away, when her aunts and uncles passed on, when she was fighting for the survival of her legs due to diabetic lesions, when her mother needed her and I went without her for months on end; I was there for it all. But when I needed someone to step up to the plate to help give me a few hours a night to study, my ex simply suggested I should quit graduate school. I was crushed. But being raised not to give up, I pressed forward with excruciating strength.
The deal my ex made with me was that if I could not get our daughter to sleep by 3am, she would help me out. In order to take my classes for my coursework, one at a time, work full time, and find some time to study, I would get up each morning at 5am, and head to work. I worked from 6:30am to 4:00pm and returned home by 5:00pm. Our daughter suffered from colic, wherein she began screaming around 6pm and it lasted until 9pm. I walked our daughter each day in a carriage to get some outside air, then later to the neighborhood swing set to play. I made dinner during the crying time, while our daughter was slightly comforted by running water, the washing machine, a tape of falling water, the vacuum cleaner, and even an indoor swing. After feeding my daughter, eating, and cleaning up from dinner, our daughter would slowly come out of her colic and I headed to bathe her. Until she was 5 years old, I bathed her nightly; I bathed once she was in bed. After that, I would first bathe her then I had her play and stay with me dressed while I bathed because my ex did not want to be disturbed by my bathing later in the evening. Our daughter would eventually go to sleep by 11pm, when I had the chance to finish cleaning the house or starting/finishing the laundry, and some study until 1am when my daughter received her mid-sleep bottle. Eventually that went away, and she simply was up until midnight. Rarely did she stay awake beyond 3am, and rarely did I get more than 3 hours of sleep at night. Many a night were spent with my daughter, where I placed her in our guest bed with pillows to cradle her, and I slept next to her. For 3 years that was the best way to get her to sleep through the night. The weekends were fun too - entirely my responsibility.
So why articulate all this? Depression is an outside factor to pregnancy. After learning today what lead to my suffering, it all made sense. For years I was blamed for having been the reason for my daughter's nocturnal problems. It was theorized that my active lifestyle was the reason my daughter did not want to sleep. This was compounded by the fact that my ex's family never saw this before; so it had to be me. I just wished I had known then what effect my ex's depression would have had on all of us. Would it have deterred me from pursuing the birth of my daughter? Never. But at least I would have known why I went through hell.
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