The Irish Samurai

Some of you may have wandered over to my photostream on Flickr. Over there, I go by the moniker "The Irish Samurai". You may have wondered where that came from, so I thought I would explain.

It was a nickname I came up with for myself back in high school. My sister and I were having fun sending in personal ads to The Reader, a weekly newspaper in Chicago. Like most people we were sending in vague <25 word submissions on 3x5 index cards (this was before internet) that were anywhere from slightly philosophical to random thoughts. The Irish Samurai was one of the pseudonyms underwhich I sent some of my submissions. Seeing as how many people come up with pseudonyms for Flickr accounts (David the Pretender, Leonzerider) I thought I would resurrect that name.

Basically the name comes from my two lines of ancestry that are most prominent. I'm a redheaded kid with a Japanese last name. Since I am also a quarter Irish, the name seemed to fit. I look vaguely Irish and all the ID's in my wallet say I'm Japanese. So that's it. That's the story. Plain and simple. No illusions of being military nobility in County Kerry.

Chaotic Order

A shot I took early this summer of the Victoria Jubilee Bridge which connects Montreal to the South Shore (and vice versa). I was struck at how such an orderly and fairly simple structure could look so chaotic at certain angles.

Grand Service

There are some people you come across in life who make you believe in the human spirit. Jerry, our mechanic, is one of those people.
For over thirty years our family has been taking our cars for Jerry to repair and maintain. It was back when my father worked at the Zenith plant on the west side of Chicago. The Grand Service Center was within walking distance so he began taking our cars there to be worked on during the work day. And although my father's workplace changed over the years, we continued to take our cars there. Even though it was out of the way with no convenient access to expressways or public transportation. There was reason for that.
We had the pleasure/misfortune of needing to return to Grand Service during our last trip to Chicago. The car started making horrible noises less than half way to Chitown and we desperately needed to patch it up for the return trip. We needed it done right and as cost efficient as possible, so we took it to Jerry.

So who is Jerry? He's a Vietnam Vet who now runs his own car repair shop with his wife handling the front office. He gives you the straight story about your car. Complete with examples of other times he's seen that or a similar problem. Sometimes they were last week, sometimes years ago. He always gives you back the parts he replaces so he can show you why they needed to be replaced. He walks you through what he has done to determine what the problem is. He showed us how bad the fuel filter was. He drained it and showed us that since you could not blow through it, the filter was finished. He genuinely wants for you to have a correctly running vehicle. Heck, he would even give you stuff for free if his wife as not watching out so that they make what little profit they make. It is the kind of service you would easily pay double if he would accept it. And he's always looking out to get you the best parts for the price. If he relocated to a more convenient location or to a better neighborhood, he could easily make much more money.
But that's it. He's a fixture in the neighborhood. He could never leave. Even though the character of the neighborhood has not changed for the better, he is still there to look out for all his old customers and their now grown up kids. He checks on the elderly and watches out for them. He knows all the local policemen which can be a rarity in the city nowadays.

Jerry is a talkative fellow. No trip to his shop was a short one. He always had a story to tell. And at times it was the same story. We made three trips to his shop and he told us the same story twice. It's not fair to call them stories because they are recollections. He told us how he had convinced an old customer of his who is now elderly that the grocery store was giving away free food. In reality, him and his wife were getting items two for one and giving the second one to her. She's on a fixed income and barely uses her utilities. No TV, only radio with the heat down to 50 degrees in winter. But that is just an example of so many stories he has told us over the years. There is always the latest car story, the latest neighborhood news, or just reminicing about how it was to fix cars in the old days.

It makes you feel good to know that good-hearted people like that are out there and hope that you can someday be the same.

And More Thoughts on Dawson

I have written a post over a Metroblogging Montreal with even more of my thoughts on the recent shooting at Dawson College.

This is one of the best aspects of blogging. Sharing eyewitness accounts and thoughts on tramatic events such as this.

Knothole

This is some artwork that someone had done in a knothole along a major Montreal street. I pass by it when I walk to the local commercial strip during my lunch hour. The photo may be deceptive. It is about two feet tall. I thought it was a pretty clever idea.

More thoughts on Dawson.

So many thoughts... where to begin.

Since yesterday I've been listening to 940 News on the radio constantly while I'm in the car. I listened for over an hour this morning due to the all the traffic. I normally don't like talk or call-in shows, but there is good information and viewpoints to be heard after an event like this. Even if it means wading through so many other viewpoints that seem off subject or biased. Here are a couple examples.

One person called in and blamed it on long waiting times for psychological care and the long waiting times for medical care in general. When the host pointed out that the shooter had no previous record of trouble and had not asked for psychological care, the caller suggested it was because the waiting times frighten people away from seeking care. The host politely moved on to the next caller.

Another caller stated that it was due to the internet and video games. He also stated that heavy metal music is getting a bad rapp. He's in his forties and has been listening to it all his life and he's a well adjusted person. I agree with him that a video game based on Columbine is a ridiculous idea and should banned. I also agree that point the finger at music is not the silver bullet. But I didn't see eye-to-eye on the internet. The host pressed him on this subject and he explained that he hates the internet and has only limited access to it. He said he didn't understand it. It's an interesting point because it always seems to be the things that are less understood that the general population points the finger at.

Another topic brought up was that someone should have seen it coming by reading his blog or looking at his photo page. They could have notified the authorities before. I'm not so sure about that. First, take a look at his photo page (if it is still available). In my eye, nothing screams that this is a violent person. It comes across as posturing. There is no shortage of people out there that do this, but should we investigate everytime somebody makes a threatening gesture in a photo or on the street. Yes, he has many pictures where he does this, but it does follow along with punk/goth subculture. And some of the captions are less than threatening. On a picture where he has his fist cocked to punch the camera, the caption says:"I'm gonna punch you... kidding, but I'll hug you (and poke you in your belly) hee hee" On another where he has his trench coat on and holding the rifle, the caption says "Where are my boots?" since he is in his socks. I'm only pointing this out because with my untrained eye the joking around takes away from the suggestion that he is about to go out and do what he did. There's not enough for me to notify the authoritied immediately. But again, I am not trained to recognize these things.

Ben at the Instigator brought up the topic of policing the blogosphere. The morning radio also asked if administrators or fellow readers could check their patrons to guard against it. But this was the case even before the internet. The internet is no different that the real world, it's just a new extension of society. People have missed the signs when they work alongside someone. It has always been, "Johnny always seemed a bit depressed and he had those satanic tattoos, but I never thought." That's the thing. At what point does characteristics like those suggest someone capable of something like this. And if we point out to authorities everyone with some of those characteristics, we would become a paranoid society.

I'm not suggesting these types of events are not preventable. Nor am I saying we can prevent all of them. But these knee-jerk silver bullets are not the answer. Vigilance, keeping our eyes open and informed would be the best route. We may all be a bit jumpy for a while like after 9-11, but common sense needs to be taken if any measures are taken to try to prevent something like this happening again.

Lastly, as far as fortifying our schools. I think this is the wrong approach. As an expert on the radio stated, it only provides a false sense of security. He suggested the best line of defense was for teachers and parents to get to know the children they interact with. Maybe those of us in the work world can heed the same advice. Get to know those around you. Talk to that quiet guy in the corner. Or even out in public. There are angry people out there, don't let them get to you and don't propogate that anger. It can be a vicious circle. Show courtesy and kindness in the face of aggression. If someone is less than polite, let them go. Water off a ducks back. Or even when you don't encounter anger or aggression. Everyone walks away feeling good about each other.

OK, enough rambling. Back to work.

Dawson College Shooting

For my readers who are not in Montreal and do not read Metroblogging Montreal, fellow author, Jay, has written his first hand account of the events. Quite an amazing recollection.

Personnally, I don't know what to say about the events. For some reason I feel quite empathetic to what he went through or the other witness recollections and I can't put my finger on why. Is it because they sounded so similar to those at Columbine? Or some other experience? I don't really know.

And I also have that yearning to know more about the shooter just to try to figure out Why?

Why We Fight

The other day I was in the video store and I came across a title that blork had recommended. Why We Fight is a documentary about the creation and propogation of the military-industrial complex, the American war machine.

I have to say it was a hard movie to watch. Why? I'm an American and the movie furthered my feeling that capitalism will and is destroying the country. It is happening too often that citizens are looking out for financial gain over social and moral values. And this applies to so many aspects, not just the military. One point was made that the machine of unilateral war by the US is nothing new. And that the removal of a few select people will not change something that has become so ingrained over the past half century. I find that thought disturbing since many of have been thinking the national outlook would change after the next presidential election. I love my country, but I worry it will go the route of the Romans.

I enjoy learning what is given by this and other works like (Fahrenheit 911, Fast Food Nation, Bowling for Columbine, or Supersize Me.) But it is disheartening to see people bypass concern for their fellow citizens to make a buck. And yes, I realize that no one piece of information should be trusted to be unbiased. But something says to me that much of what was said and suggested holds truth. I only hope that this tend toward materialistic concerns can be reversed.

Uncle Billy

He's a bit old to be called "Billy the Kidd". Taken at the Granby Zoo in July 2006. I like the depth of field, but I could have done a better job with the background. Maybe if I had moved to the right and used the trees as a backdrop.

Europe Revisited

Last winter I started another blog called European Memoirs. So far, I have spent a total of 19 months in Europe between living there and a couple trips. So I thought it would be best to document those times before more of it slips from memory. The blog laid largely untouched for the last 8 months so I thought of something that would help me finish at least part of it by next summer.

My first stay abroad was when I went to study there from Sept 1991 to May 1992. Of my time spent over there, those nine months were the most memorable. Probably because it was the first time. Seeing as it was almost exactly 15 years ago, I thought it would be great to blog the stay in real time over the next nine months. I had written journals during that time, but they were fairly dry and didn't elaborate on many observations. They tended to be "did this" - "saw that". In addition, I still can't find the journals from two of the big trips. Must have lost them during the moves over the years. It's something I'm still kicking myself over. So, much of what I write will be from what is left in my memory.

Posting to the other blog will take time away from this blog. I will post links, but there will be fewer posts here . Just over the past week, I have kept coming up with topics I'd like to cover. So there is a possibility that it may become a nine-month vacation from this blog. But I will try not to let that happen. Also, I hope it will be of interest to you, but for the most part that blog is written as a personal record for myself. Kind of like rewriting a trip journal though it will inevitably be blog-like. Heck, thats what a blog is. An online journal.

Since coming up with this idea a week or two ago, my mind has been filled with memories and recalled observations. Then there are all the slides from the trip that I have been sorting through. And the other night I read sideways through my old journal. It has been amazing how my memories are swirling through my head. It is also surprising how my memory of the cadence of time is different. Whereas I thought it was weeks before I ventured into the big city, it turns out it was only days. Or how I thought I took weekend trips only once a month and then only in the second half of the stay. Turns out there were trips every other weekend with many in the fall. Looking back now, it really surprises me how much was packed into those nine short months. Not to mention how much time it will take to blog it. But I will enjoy every minute of it, so that's what matters. What better way to spend your winter free time.

So there it is. Another blog. Four posts are already written. I am in the process of embellishing those posts a bit. There should be a flurry of posts in early October when we went on our first trip.

Navy Pier Carousel

It's funny that I never posted this picture on the blog. It is my most "interesting" photo on Flickr. The next few Fridays I'll post the best ones that haven't made it to these pages. Tuesday will remain the more recent ones. I've also changed my blog photo posting practice so that photos are vetted on Flickr first. In other words, I'll only post the best photos after I see how well they are received over there. Yes, it's all very complicated and anal, but that's how I am and I only want the best for you, the non-paying public.

Champions, Part Deux

Well last Wednesday night we won the finals to be the best of "Associates" C-League. So I guess we were once again the best of the worst. As our reward for winning two years in a row, we will be bumped up to the next league so everyone else can beat up on us.

As for our performance over the year as a team, we did well. We were not far and above the best team in the league. We were second in the standings by one point. And except for the bottom two teams, we usually didn't win (or lose) by a large margin. We did do much better than the three years before last. During those first three seasons we finished in the bottom three (out of six to eight teams).

For myself, my heart wasn't in it as much. I played as well as last year and I tried as hard, but I didn't get the satisfaction like last year. Part of it was a bit of guilt that I should have been home with the kids during the summer. Part of it was due to bad organization by the league president. More than once our game time was switched without notifying anyone on the team. That's a MAJOR pain the ass when you've planned your day, your evening, and made special arrangements for you kids so you can go. And lastly, it was partly because we had won last year and didn't have as much to prove.

As far as how well I did, my batting average was above the team average. I was third in the league for runs scored. That was in large part due to being the leadoff hitter with good hitters behind me. As long as I got on base, I would usually be able to score. I did have one inside-the-park home run. Basically a double with aggressive baserunning and bad fielding. On the field, I was only hit twice, though I only caught two or three balls. My position is closest to the batter so I have more chances of getting hit since I'm only 40 feet away. Last year I caught three line drives coming right at my head. This year I just got hit. This being my third year as pitcher, I have really gotten the hang of it. It is slow pitch underhand pitching so it is really about arc, distance, and aim. I have much better control so I can locate it where I want. It means more strikeouts and less walks. Though I can't say there was a noticable difference in the other teams total runs. Anyhow, it feels good to be able to put it where you want it.

So that means summer is over. Back to having my evenings free to spend time at home or pull some overtime. Maybe I'll even take a French class.