And the 44th President of the USA is????

That seems to be the million dollar question. Recently, I got a chance to see and listen to Sen. Barack Obama when he visited the University of WI-Oshkosh shortly before the Wisconsin primaries. I feel, of the three viable candidates remaining (Obama, Clinton & McCain), Obama would be my choice for the next president. Particularly, I like his positions on foreign policy. When the hell did it become a bad idea to sit down and discuss the differences with an opposing nation?? Why is negotation a bad word? Nobody said we have to appease the radicals. However, unless you at least attempt to see the other side's point of view, you can never truly understand them, and, consequently, the entire machine breaks down. I really find his ideas of diplomacy to be something both refreshing and sorely needed in Washington.

Fame

I really enjoy movies, so it comes as no suprise that I find myself sitting in my home this evening watching the 80th Academy Awards. It's also gotten me to thinking about the value people place on fame, wealth, and being important. The drive to be the best, be loved, well-known and wealthy must be a universal feeling. I know these feelings often pass over me. I have yet to meet someone who wants to be anonymous, living an average life, in an average home, with an average job who is just waiting to die. But when, if ever, does a person sit back and say, "My life isn't so bad. I love my family, enjoy my work and have made the world a better place because I've lived here" ? Is there a magic age? Is it on one's deathbed? And is it necessarily bad to seek to maximize our potential?

I guess it all stems from the desire to be unique. Although, it seems to me that sometimes a lot of the world's problems come from people seeking to be the same and an intolerance towards those who don't follow. When I was a kid, I wanted to be a professional football player, with big paychecks, highlight reels and kids lining up for my autograph. Later, in college, I thought it would be glamorous to be a politician. I wish I could be content with a desire to only be important to the people who matter most, my son and wife.

Name change and favorite lyrics

In case you didn't notice, I changed the name of my blog already. I thought that it was too wordy. Don't worry though, for all of you who had "favorited" my blog, the address it self has remained the same. I don't have any particular reason for the new name, other than I heard Neil Diamond's song of the same name and thought that would be a nice name for a blog.

Speaking of Neil Diamond, I thought I'd just share with my readers some of my favorite lyrics mentioned in songs, as well as who wrote them.

1) "I was hiding in Honduras, I'm a desperate man. Send lawyers, guns and money, the shit has hit the fan."--Warren Zevon (by the way, watch out for his "Best Of album"...these lyrics are conveniently left out and it ruins the entire song. Why in the hell is Zevon being sensored anyway?)

2) "First, they'll tell you you can't sleep alone in a strange place, then they'll tell you you can't sleep with somebody else. Oh, but sooner or later you sleep in your own space, either way it's ok you wake up with yourself."--Billy Joel (This reminds me of my mother for some reason, always telling me what I should and shouldn't be doing.)

3) "Chicken in the bread pan pickin' out dough, Granny does your dog bite, no child no"--Charlie Daniels (Now what the hell does that mean? Maybe you gotta be from the South to understand)

4) "Damn that television, what a bad picture. Don't get upset, it's not a major disaster."--David Byrne (These lines were performed by the Talking Heads in "Got a Job." I'd like to quote this entire song)

5) "I'm not sick but I'm not well"--performed by Harvey Danger (I love that line. The next time someone asks me how I'm doing, I'll respond "Well, I'm not sick...but I'm not well either.")

6) "Question....Why is it, when I go out to the club, only the ugly girls step to me. What, like I'm ugly or something?" --performed by Sadat X (This was from an early 90's tune named "Funk Dat" The entire song is a trip, but that line in particulary always cracks me up.)

There will definitely be a part two to this post, as I've got many more favorites where those came from.

Caught in the past

My friends say that I dwell too much on the past. They say that I revel in the glory days. Well, today I had breakfast with an older gentleman who got misty-eyed over the mere mention that the restaurant we were eating in used to be a grocery store. This guy is in his mid 60's. I guess my question is, were times really that good? Or do we just seem to remember being faster, stronger, and having more fun than we really had? I guess it would be fun to visit the past, just allow me to pick and choose the dates.

College....a path to success or a setup for disappointment

I've been kicking the notion of "higher education" around lately. Is it truly all that it's cracked up to be? It seems to me that many a professor has painted a picture of post-college life through rose colored glasses. For those four or five years of your life, anything seems possible. The criminal justice major is going to work for the FBI, the poli-sci major is going to be the next president and the English major is going to be the next Jack Kerouac. What they fail to tell you is that for the first 10-15 years after college (and grad school, if you go that route), you'll most likely have to wade through an awful lot of crap....and with a less-than -glamourous salary. I know many lawyers coming out of law school right now who are starting at $30-35,000 a year. Hardly the "Boston legal" job you thought it was going to be, heh?

I know I shouldn't complain. I could be working on an assembly line or out plowing the fields like my grandparents did. It's just that I think our society is too fixated on college, particularly high school guidance counselors. Here's a thought.....rather than encouraging someone to plop down $50,000 for a college degree, how about first determining what your interested in and then taking the most logical route to reaching that point (i.e. apprenticeship, tech school, military, mission work).

February

I've always enjoyed February, as it brings with it what most high school wrestling fans in Wisconsin refer to as the tournament series: that being conference, regional, sectional, state individual and finally state team tournaments. This time of the year also gets me reflecting on my own experiences in the sport. It (wrestling) really does get a bad rap. Just about everybody has probably heard the "gay-comments" associated with the sport. But I've gotta tell ya, in all the matches I competed in, I don't recall ever wanting to spend anymore time out on the mat than was absolutely necessary.

I'm only now, for the first time, seeing how the lessons I learned 10, 11, & 12 years ago are applicable in my life right now. It does teach a person lessons about discipline, resiliency, and the benefits of hard work. After you've wrestled in front of thousands of spectators at a state tournament, many of the challenges met later in life seem manageable.

Unfortunately, I can't say that those times in high school wrestling were the best of my life, because they weren't. In fact, between the constant drive to be at or maintain a certain weight (and one which probably wasn't all that healthy), the bouts of asthma & dealing with a coach who probably suffered from undiagnosed bi-polar disorder, I spent most of my time feeling depressed and as though I were on an island.

However, I've been spending the last decade since trying to find a feeling as good as winning a match and still haven't found it.

Oh boy, oh boy, this is gonna be great!!!!

Hi, my name is Jeff and welcome to my blog. I don't know how many people will actually visit this, but if you do, feel free to say hello. I'm 28, married and have a son. I work as a criminal defense lawyer in northeastern Wisconsin. The job is ok and most people are surprised when I tell them that I get along with most of my clients. However, there's always a few that leave me scratching my head and wondering why I didn't go into a different line of work. Someday, I wouldn't mind writing for a living. I don't know about a famous novelist, playwrite, or anything else fancy like that. But I've always enjoyed watching the expressions on peoples' faces when they're reading my writing. So I guess you could say this blog is somewhat of an experiment. If you like what I have to say, please drop me a line telling me so. If you think I suck, you can tell me that too.