I’m going to receive several piercing looks from my better half today as that moment in time when the guests begin to arrive grows near.

One of the finer things about Thanksgiving is the inevitable discussion on the “division of labor.” It is hard to imagine why this ever comes up. My spousal unit clearly fits the slot for “skilled” labor while the role of the “unskilled” is also necessary, it must be depreciated for its nature. It is a valid argument that someone must watch the pots simmer and make piercing glances at the lower tier of domestic society.

Last night we sought refuge from our kitchen at a local restaurant. After a day of standing over a cutting board, it seemed imperative that my spousal unit should be allowed some escape from the need to plan and prepare yet another meal – especially when the effort required for today loomed on the horizon.

 It was interesting to observe the large group of men that arrived to occupy a nearby table. No less than eight middle-aged men who were accompanied by one young girl (6-7 years old) and a teenaged boy. As two ice-filled buckets of beer bottles appeared, we wondered if these fellows had simply been kicked out of home, hearth, and kitchen while their 8 wives had pumped up the stove and oven. I don’t like to imagine what a kitchen of 8 women must be like. Who’s in charge? What is the division of labor?  How many of them are not in the kitchen or the restaurant the evening before Thanksgiving? Who cleans up? Yet, these fellows were not rookies or novices. They had a look of relaxed contentment. They were together, as were their wives. My suspicion is that those 8 women were the best of friends and loved having gotten those men out of the way. All of us are thankful for such scenarios.

I know that I’m going to receive several piercing looks from my better half today as that moment in time when the guests begin to arrive grows near. I will have done my best to have the table expanded and the chairs in place. There will be no dirty pots and pans piled up in the sink and the dishwasher will be emptied and ready to fill. The camera batteries will be charged, the bar set up, and kitchen garbage bags ready to fill with the remains to Tom Turkey and his uneaten vegetable sidekicks. Our guests and my talented spousal unit chef will be home and in bed long before the clean-up is complete.  Like any sport, this will be a team effort – a team that is made up of an all-star and a supporting player – neither of which could pull this off without the other.  We are thankful.

We have been at this sport for a long time. We have not been good at bringing our children along to their participatory roles. They arrive with families in tow and start pouring the wine. They drink and eat too much and when they leave we are happy to see them go. Alas, we are thankful!  On their behalf, they have become more helpful, although still not consistent. We have not trained them well – we have served them – they are our children after all. We are thankful.

Tonight at midnight, I suspect that there will be at least one guest that I will be boiling over about, but that is the nature of serving. People learn from what is done for them and what is done to them. At midnight, no doubt, the cleaning up will be nearly done. Chronic back pain will be killing me and exhaustion will dominate all thinking. There will not be a quiet moment to sit and reflect about what a wonderful day it has been – I wish that there could be – but, I’ll be damned if I will leave such a mess for tomorrow. In the morning, I will be thankful for that.

Next year we will be looking forward to doing this all over again. We will have missed that quiet moment after the guests have left and as the crumbs and dust settles. Our brains would not know what to do with that quiet moment – that is simply not who we are. But, little by little, we will have recovered and had the realization that we have brought value to our lives and the lives of our guests. We will have enjoyed the effort and so will our guests. We will have enjoyed our guests and felt their appreciation. We will all be thankful.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday!

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday – more than Christmas (I’d rather eat than have to shop); more than the 4^th of July (sometimes hot and buggy); and even better than birthdays. Nobody is the center of attention, nobody is obligated to live up to expectations, and nobody has to prepare, shop for, or do anything creative. Like all holidays, Thanksgiving is only as good as we make it – it’s easy enough to rattle off a thank you or two; you can usually find someone that will invite you to dinner; and watching football is the über statement that you just don’t give a damn. Did I mention dessert? So, the baseline is pretty good – building from such a simple starting point can only make for the best of holidays.

I come from a good-sized Irish-American family, growing up with two terrific parents, five acceptable siblings, and somewhere in the neighborhood of fifty first cousins. So, clearly there is a strong family tradition being passed along here. Thanksgiving was always basic food, nothing fancy or gourmet – just voluminous amounts of mashed potatoes, squash, turnip, stuffing, cranberries, and turkey. Still, there would always be room for dessert – apple pie and pumpkin pie mostly, with the occasional minced meat or cherry pie. Now, I’m beginning to get hungry!

When my sisters, brothers, and I started our own families, Thanksgiving grew tremendously. It is the holiday that we liked to host. There were only good times, no fights or disagreements – well maybe we did have some conflict now and then when the football game was actually well contested and the call to dinner would come at the most crucial point in the game. But, for the most part, it is a laid back holiday and, therefore, a time that is enjoyable to share with families and friends.

The reason thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, however, is because with effort it can become truly special. We work hard to prepare the best food – nothing off-the-wall or out-of-the-ordinary, nothing over or under cooked, nothing over or under seasoned, no compromises on quality or quantity. We work hard for days getting it all ready, invite any family that we can, and invite whatever friends are orphaned or without a plan for whatever reason. Finally, we give thanks – we don’t just say “thank you” for this and that – but, we mention only what we are truly sincere about. Mostly, we give thanks that we are together in a comfortable home with each other on a day that is easy to enjoy. How can you beat that on any other holiday?

We are mostly not "heroes", but we are "veterans"!

Did you enjoy all the noise spewing out of our politicians during the past few months? The freedom to do that, get elected, and send our young into battle regardless of "why" lies on the backs of veterans who have survived the folly of power. Veterans did the dirty work, got killed or messed up mentally and physically because of "duty". While serving our country, we helped to fix the errors of our political leaders. We are mostly not "heroes", and certainly not "victims", but we are "veterans"! 

You don't need to buy our meals or ask us about the "heroism" of just doing our duty on Veterans Day. But, please acknowledge the fact that we served. We did not serve for the idiots in politics, but for everyone. We served for the interests of the poor, as well as the rich. We served for the Democrats, as well as the Republicans. We served for the underprivileged; we served for the immigrants; we served for workers; we served for the arts; we served for the poorly educated; we served for the handicapped; we served for the obese; we served for the drug addicted; we served for our public servants; we served for the dreamers; we served for the hungry; we served for the homeless; we served for you!

So, how can you thank us? There certainly are those who will appreciate your "thank you", the nice "gestures", the "pat on the back". We often laughed about the official letters of recognition that were placed in our personnel files while we served in the military. We laughed because these "attaboys" did not change anything. All the faults of the military, all the imperfection, the career idiots all the way up the chain of command to our political leaders did not change because of some note that was lost in our personnel records. For the moment, these things are nice, but do you think that those actions actually change anything? Do you truly believe these to be the appropriate "thank you" and let's move on? 

You can, and should, thank a veteran on Veterans Day as well as everyday. The best way to thank a veteran, however, is to be a part of the same world that they are. Make your contribution to society without complaining about the downside. Volunteer your skill and energy towards the betterment of the society that you are a part of. Do something positive that doesn't involve just enriching yourself and telling everyone else that they should thank you because of the "trickle down" of some pittance that overflowed from your success. Society is not improved because of what any of us do for ourselves, it is improved by what we do for others. In the military, the individual is sacrificed for the benefit of team force. The key to that force is the term, "team." Individuals might become heroes, but not before sacrificing their personal interests for the good of others. In order to thank us, you need to understand us. In order to understand us, you need to let go of yourself and you personal interests. In order to thank a veteran, you need to recognize their sacrifice by making one of your own. In order to thank a veteran, you need to be selfless in your appreciation for their participation in the society that you benefit from. 

Glad it's over! Really?

Glad it’s over! Really? Is it over? I'm not too proud of American politics or those who support our the type of leadership that our society is currently following. We have sacrificed ideals for a "what's in it for me" sense of values. Fundamentally, egocentric ideas may be the root of all progress, but it shouldn't be at the expense of the society that we live in. Human beings are social animals. We function best with interdependence. We create markets, we produce for our markets, and we can have a pretty nice life.

Actually, distribution would more likely look like this, but we're still looking at  15.1% 

Statistically, if we examine the  Bell curve that maps our productivity, we see that there are 25 percent of any population that will be above the normal range. The downside is that there will also be 25 percent of the population that is dragging productivity down. So, what should the 75 percent of the population do about those who are not helping with overall productivity? If you remove them from the work force, the Bell curve changes and redefines the lower end of productivity. If you subsidize the  lower end to keep the population whole, what does that do to productivity in the long term? 

Is there a “correct” formula for defining productivity in a society? Are we productive in just one dimension? Are teachers, social workers, service sector employees, etc. as productive as workers in manufacturing? What about economists, media pundants, and politicians? Are they productive members of our society? If all the elements of a society are analyzed and included in a productivity curve, which among them produce the most useful product?

This is an old problem that economists and politicians have not been able to resolve. Our social philosophers, academics, and intellectuals have not been successful either. So, what is a society to do?

After listening to our social and political commentary during the past months, I wonder what contribution has been made to our American society. Has any of it been “productive”? Are these commentators in the lower portion of productivity? 

Today, we move on. Hopefully, with some understanding that this nonsense will give us some perspective on life. Our idiot neighbors, who see things differently, are looking at us with the same thought. Let’s call this a day of mourning. Our political alienation through this time has certainly not been productive. So, let’s say goodbye to it today, mourn it, and let it go. Tomorrow, let’s figure out how we can pull together and make use of all our strengths and weaknesses in a social whole. We are members of one society and political enemies are just those who, like us, haven’t got it all figured out yet.

“Sandy”, is really a whimpy name for such a storm!

Today my concern is about the aftermath of the storm called “Sandy”.

Flooded NYC Subway Station

Although this storm did not set a record for the lowest barometric pressure for a storm of this nature north of Cape Hatteras, there is no denying that this was one hell of a storm. Hurricane Gladys in 1975 is the record holder for that category (27.73 inches vs. 27.92 inches for Sandy). 

There was a wind gust of 140 mph on top of Mt Washington when the storm passed through that state (nowhere near a record for that area) and had sustained winds of about 110 mph just off the coast on Thursday, November 1^st.  Sandy was nearly 1,000 miles wide at times and caused severe damage along a nearly 300 mile stretch of our Atlantic coast.

Atlantic City Boardwalk, Tuesday, Oct. 30

The devastating thing is that it hit our most densely populated urban corridor, knocking out power to about 8 million homes and businesses. That is a lot of downed power lines, flooded and damaged transformers, and catastrophic damage to the power grid. The downed power lines are the most superficial and easiest to repair. Testing, repairing, and replacing transformers to both high and low voltage circuits is more complicated and challenging.

Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, Tuesday, Oct. 30

Five days after the storm hit, there are families with no heat and nighttime temperatures near freezing. People are helping each other out, giving shelter to strangers, and making all manner of sacrifice. But, as with Katrina in 2005, there are just so many people who have lost shelter and resources, and never enough kind strangers. Unlike Katrina, there is not the widespread flooding and heat, but freezing temperatures can pose a similar threat in the sense of a hostile environment. Unlike Katrina, there is functioning plumbing. Like Katrina, there have been challenges to the supporting infrastructure.

Ground Zero Construction Site, Monday, Oct. 29

Sandy was no Katrina and damages are far less costly. Physical damages are estimated to be about half what they were from Katrina, but the cost to business is estimated to reach nearly $30 billion. Metropolitan New York City produces about 10 percent of the U.S. economic output. Small businesses are the most vulnerable and the longer that power is out, the more they will be hurt. Sandy will most likely be in the top 10 most expensive hurricanes in U.S. history at $50-60 billion. The overall cost for Katrina is estimated to have been around $108 billion.

Taxi parking lot, Hoboken, NJ, Tuesday, Oct.30

Finally, I’d like to say that the name, “Sandy”, is really a whimpy name for such a storm. How does such a name even get into the mix? Sandy is a nickname – the kind of a name that you give to a friend or a family member. It is a name that indicates some affection. What the f#&% is that about? Who is responsible for such a whishy-washy storm name? I say that we reconsider the purpose that these names have. These storms may be looked at fondly by meteorologists, but they are real threats to real people in real life. This storm should have been called “Sandra,” “Sanford,” or “Thor”!!!