Author: Frank

Since childhood I’ve had a fondness for superheroes.  The live action choices were poor, mostly decades-old television shows or poorly constructed cartoons.  Still, I learned scattered pieces of superhero lore from these and the occasional comic book.  However, these were the days before internet or even VCRs, so any such programming I’d need to track down from meticulously scanning the TV Guide.

On days when I travel, I’ll often wear a Superman or Captain America shirt that I’ve earmarked for precisely this reason.  An occasional flight attendant will give a nod of recognition with a comment like, “Thank you for flying with us!”  I don’t remember quite when I started this tradition for traveling, but it makes me happy and doesn’t hurt anyone.

Naturally, having always worked in positions where I may dress casually, I’ve worn these superhero shirts to work.  On one particular day, as I walked through our building, a development manager looked at me quizzically, stopped me, and asked me to follow him.  Next, he led me to Reuben’s office, who turned around to greet us.  And there we both were, two of us wearing Green Lantern shirts.  We were all very amused.

Continue reading “Dress-like-a-superhero Day” →

I saw on the news that George Newall died.  For most people, including myself, this name is unfamiliar.  It wasn’t until I read the footnote when I was saddened by this event.  George was a composer for Schoolhouse Rock!  In my childhood, my Saturday mornings were filled with short clips from Schoolhouse Rock interspersed within the regular cartoons.  They were pockets of actual learning filled with smiles and committed to memory through a catchy tune.

On an otherwise ordinary trip to Target, I browse through the t-shirts and find a gem with the Schoolhouse Rock logo.  I simply had to have it, and it’s among my favorite shirts.  Though honestly, many times, I forget that I’m wearing it.  On those days, I get unexpected smiles and compliments on it.  People tell happy stories of their childhood, much like mine, filled with tunes that persist today in our memories.  We don’t dread getting those songs stuck in our heads; we treasure them.

Continue reading “We, the people…” →

My dad passed away shortly after I turned nine in Puerto Rico; my mom carried on without him.  The four of us, my mom, my two sisters, and myself would move to Florida less than a year after that.  My mom barely knew any Spanish and didn’t know any English.  We moved to the United States with no family here and a handful of friends.  We were poor.  My mom worked two jobs, and all us kids worked by early teen hood.  All us kids attended college.  My mom never remarried in the twenty-nine years after my father’s death.

Continue reading “Woke literally means enlightened” →

Years ago, I was very distinctly a night owl.  I stayed up into absurdly late hours doing nothing of particular importance.  Honestly, I could’ve easily moved my entire schedule to sensible hours that might’ve allowed me to leave work before stark darkness.  However, I enjoyed, nay abused, the ultra-flex time policy to my advantage.  Many ‘nights’ I stayed up until I saw the sun peek from the edges of my black-out blinds.

However, there were still a handful of times when stress legitimately kept me awake.  The nights spent next to my mom, who’d never wake after a blood clot, kept me awake.  Similarly, those especially important interviews disturbed my sleep.  Occasionally, you make the best decision with all the information you have, and it may still haunt you.

Continue reading “Losing sleep over mass shootings” →

A number of years ago, a friend and I got into a fascinating conversation.  We chatted about the highest points of natural elevation in different states.  Since we both lived in Washington, that point was the top of Mount Rainier at 14,400 feet.  I have not been the top of that peak, nor do I have any interest if I have to endure the climb.

My home state of Florida is notoriously flat, and its highest point of natural elevation peaks at a few hundred feet, comparatively unimpressive.  However, it’s still of interest to some people; we call the activity highpointing.  While I’m certainly perplexed by this fascination, I pass no judgment on this activity.  I collect and build Lego sets; who am I to judge?  As long you don’t break any laws or harm people, do what you want.

Continue reading “Ownership is ten tenths of the law” →

Many years ago, I got a Wacom drawing tablet.  Friends allege that I draw well, being a computer geek, I gravitated towards drawing digitally.  However, I found that I moved back and forth between my drawing tablet and mouse.  It became a bit of an irritant needing to move my mouse pad back and forth while I alternated between tasks on that computer.  I chose to address the problem in an unconventional way; I would start to do one such task with my non-dominant hand.

Given the two tasks, navigating a mouse or drawing, it made sense to do the former with my non-dominant hand.  I normally operate the mouse with my right hand, so I moved it to my left side.  In order to build the muscle memory, I’d need to do it consistently.  However, I used over half a dozen computers regularly at the time, so I needed to switch them all.  We intuitively click on the mouse button with our index finger; in order to continue to do this symmetrically, I’d need to reverse the mouse buttons.  The first week was a practice in frustration and futility; everything was awkward.

Continue reading “Diversity is not ‘woke’” →

I learned to drive in my teens and have always owned a car since.  As such, I have had my share of flat tires.  Most of those flat tires were due to road debris puncturing my tire.  Once, it was due to a malfunctioning valve stem.  Though the most embarrassing instance was when I misjudged a turn and hit a median.  All, save that last one, were ones that I could not anticipate.

That said, flat tires are generally pretty rare.  Naturally, we won’t be able to avoid all flat tires, but we should not be getting them regularly.  If you are getting them routinely, then there’s something wrong.  You may be driving on surfaces that have a disproportionately high number of debris, like construction sites.  Vandals may be targeting your car and tampering with your tires.  You may have colossally poor driving habits.  Or you may routinely ignore those pesky “Danger extreme tire damage” signs.

Continue reading “The NBA and racial diversity” →

I first discovered The Princess Bride while I attended college.  I channel surfed during an evening or weekend and ran into the very beginning of the movie.  The dialogue between the boy and grandfather intrigued me.  It has been a genuine pleasure to continue to watch it and quote it over the years; they released the film in 1987.  In fact, I’ll even poke fun at friends who claim that it is overrated.

A few years ago, a friend and I attended an afternoon showing at the theater.  We sat next to a young couple, a little too young.  Overwhelmed by curiosity, I turned to them and asked, “Were you even alive when this movie was released?”  They grinned and responded with, “No, but we were each introduced to the movie by our parents.”  Yes, it is that kind of movie.

Continue reading “Deconstructing the word ‘again’” →

I have a love/hate relationship with movies and shows about the zombie apocalypse.  On one hand, as an engineer the scenarios and situations that the survivors need to overcome fascinate me.  On the other hand, the idea that zombies can continue to function indefinitely is a violation of conservation of energy.  However, there are still a number of the storylines that resonate, so I continue to watch, fully understanding that there’s only so much logic and reasoning that I may use before it all breaks down.  I will give you some advance warning, I will make some references to plotlines in The Walking Dead, though from years past.  Beware of spoilers.

Continue reading “Wisdom from the zombie apocalypse” →

I first learned about the Holocaust in school.  The Japanese invasion of China more deeply impacted my parents, and they held a deep animosity towards Japan; they never mentioned the Holocaust though I’m sure that they were aware of it.  Hearing the details with both scale and severity of the Holocaust remains something that I can scarcely wrap my head around.  However, the callous treatment of the victims amplified the sheer scale of the devastation.  You see pictures of bones piled up to the ceiling of those rooms.  I heard stories of soldiers pulling gold fillings off the skulls in order to pocket a little money.  Similarly, they ransacked the luggage of the dead for any valuables.  The heartless way by which they treated human life, without any iota of dignity, was horrifying.

Of course, these horrific crimes weren’t limited to the Jews in Germany.  They included many other groups that did not align with the Nazi Germany ideology.  Soldiers used badges like pink triangles to distinguish between groups.  Every single detail sends me into despair.  Including the fact that they conducted science experiments on these people.  I have a friend whose mother survived the Holocaust; the idea that either he or his family may simply not exist because they’re part of the wrong group is one that I can’t comprehend.

Continue reading “The genocide movement in the United States” →