Do people accomplish more?

“A colleague of the great scientist James Watson remarked that Watson
was always “lounging around, arguing about problems instead of doing experiments.” He concluded that “There is more than one way of doing good science.” It was Watson’s form of idleness, the scientist went on to say, that allowed him to solve “the greatest of all biological problems:  the discovery of the structure of DNA.” It is a point worth remembering in a society overly concerned with efficiency.
Adapted from John C. Polanyi, “Understanding Discovery”

Do people accomplish more when they are allowed to do
things in their own way?”

—————-

The freedom to do things your own way and efficiency are certainly not
mutually exclusive.  The opportunity to explore and experiment during
the creative process is critical to the success of any endeavor.
However it is important to note that utilizing existing structures and
frameworks can be equally beneficial, and is a crucial part of the
process.  Personal process and existing frameworks should be used in
conjunction to maximize success.

In my eight years as a professional visual-effects artist, I have
dealt with countless projects demanding original, creative ideas as
well as adherence to the rigid scheduling requirements of a production
environment.  Each project requires its own organic application of a
creative direction and certain parts of that creative process are
inherently subjective, requiring people to do things their own way.
How can one possibly pre-define the process of something so organic as
choosing the color of an ominous sky, the sound of a lonely rain drop,
or the motion of a child’s bouncing ball?  These things demand the
artist take a subjective look using their own creative steps to
determine the outcome.

At the same time, it’s foolish to re-invent the wheel.  There are many
things in the visual-effects pipeline that can be abstracted and
reused on different projects.  Through trial and error, techniques can
be refined and eventually evolve into higher-level structures that can
be utilized to maximize efficiency. Gauging the length of a job,
estimating the number of hours necessary to accomplish a task, and
accurately calculating a schedule to fit a certain budget are all
things that demand some sort of existing framework to aid in their
completion.

Any task that requires critical thinking to achieve an outcome can
benefit from combining a persons own process with the guidelines of
those that have come before. The application of people “doing things
their own way” is exactly what gives variance to results and plants
the seed for progress and innovation.

Our first photo.

This is a photo from our first date.
It was pretty easy to tell even back then, wasn’t it?

El Vice Capitan

So tonight at training, the venerable and wildly shifty David Hughes was announced as our captain for the 2010 season, and I’m excited to play along side of him and hopefully play some great rugby under his leadership.

Also announced at training was the vice captain for the season (in the event of David not making a game or injury) and I’m very humbled to say that yours truly got the nod.   Although I definitely don’t feel I rank enough for the honor, I’ll do my best to lead if called upon and will undoubtedly learn a lot in the process.  Most of my rugby career has been spent with my head down running my ass off, and it will be good for me to use my conscious mind in the game a bit more.  If nothing else, the “title” will make me work harder and play smarter, as I feel so unqualified I will do everything in my power to play into the role.

It’s crazy to think that I’m now (I believe) the 4th most veteran active first-side player on the team.   It seems like just yesterday Adam Hahn came up to Mike Miller and me in the North Dodge weight room asking if we were interested in trying out rugby.   Rugby has given me a lot.   I’ve got a few seasons left in me, hopefully I can make them count.

Away game this Saturday in Vegas.  In the words of my good friend/semi-spiritual-leader/flying-yoga-aficionado Whakapiangia, “Rugby is a game for warriors, and if you’re not a true warrior you’re weeded out verrrry quickly.”   Hopefully I can come out on the right side of that equation again this year.

That’s an awfully bold statement.

So I’m watching some MMA, and some guy named Jake Rosholt is fighting.  Apparently Rosholt wrestled at Okie State, and was a 3x national champion.  That’s a pretty nice pedigree, but listen to this.

While talking him into the ring, the announcer was going on and on about his wrestling, and said “I’ve heard him say he’s the 3rd best wrestler EVER in the United States.”

What?   I’m going to put some names here real quick off the top of my head.

Dan Gable

Cael Sanderson

Jim Zalesky

Tom Brands

Terry Brands

Lincoln Mcllravy

So.  This Rosholt guy is apparently better than all of those but two.  Maybe he could take a look at the list and let us know which of those he out-ranks.

A Great Self-Toast.

So I’m in Argentina, traveling solo-style, and my time here is coming to an end.   Tonight I had another tremazing spectastic fantabulous meal (Argentina has some of the best meat and wine in the world… yes it’s true).    I’ve met some really great people on this trip whom I’ve shared many great meals with, but tonight it was just me, myself, and I.   A little one on one, Chris Kelley vs. Chris Kelley, for the world championship.   I ate a huge steak the size of my head, perfectly cooked so it dissolved in my mouth like a piece of cotton candy.   I had some outlandishly good Malbec, some great sides, and finished the meal off with a delicious little cafe solo to round everything out.   Easily a $200 meal in L.A., came out to $78 pesos - about 20 bucks.

About halfway through the meal I decided that, as is usually customary on such an indulgent occasion, to make a toast.   A toast for myself and to myself, but a toast none-the-less.
I liked it, so I’m going to share it. (As a preface, I finished another great book today, second of the trip)

“To the right mix of courage and stupidity

To a wonderful literary finish

And to the privilege of feeling lonely.”

Traveling alone is amazing, but not quite the fun it used to be - I’ve got a travel buddy now, and it’s just not the same without her.

On that note, the form of currency in Egypt is the  جنيه مصرى, or the “Egyptian Pound”.   More info here.

Phase 2 Nostalgia

Edit:  This is really long. Sorry.

You know, it’s funny how life works.  My 27th year has brought me more than just a few gray hairs in my beard (and one on my head!), it has also brought me a higher level of objectivity on life.   I’ve heard this happens.  Like most people I’ve always assumed myself pretty clever, only to be proven wrong by experience and change.   It’s a bit of a paradox, the whole “do I really get it” thing.  On my death bed, I will think “now I really get it” - but, of course, if I lived another 10 minutes I would be proven wrong again.

I digress.

I found a picture tonight of myself and some of “the boys”.  Now these are “theeee boys”, mind you, those ones still live in Iowa and Denver.   These are the “Phase 2 Boys”, the ones that I thought I would never have.

My last really strong memory of “the way things were” back home is unfortunately not a very positive one.  We had some amazing moments between the time we graduated from Solon, and me moving to California.  (There was of course the brief period of 5 months or so after graduating from Orlando and moving back to Iowa, that was great fun too.)   But those aren’t the things I think of when I think about “how it was.”    I still think about Emmetsburg, I think about the championship that never was, I think about letting down our town, the fans,  Coach Hansen, and each other.    I think about being lonely out in Lane 8, getting housed in the state finals.  Of course I know I never “let down” my family, so I don’t really think about that, though I’m sure they were every bit as disappointed as we were.

I’m sure a lot of the guys feel like that, and that’s OK.   It’s not something I “hold on to”, it’s just what comes to mind.    But the biggest thing I think about when considering my “youth” is the friendships, the bonds.   It is/was such a tight brotherhood between all of us, it was something I was forever certain could never be matched or simulated.   As time goes by, (and again, I know many people go through this) you grow apart from some of those people.  I’ve been lucky enough to be gifted some of the most amazing people in the world as friends (looking at you Marshek, and others) and those relationships have morphed and molded over the years apart, but never faded.   Others, however, as happens with time, have naturally begun to dissipate and dissolve, which is a very sad thing.   There are many explanations for this which I won’t go into now (those are “beer conversations”), but the thing to remember is that it’s OK.   It doesn’t mean you don’t like each other now, and it doesn’t lessen the relationships that you had before - it’s just the natural cycle.

Now.   In the blink of an eye, I’ve been gone from Iowa for 9 years, and have lived in Los Angeles for over 7 years.   Yeah,  you read that right, almost a decade.    I’ve almost been gone from Iowa longer then I was in the Solon school system.   LOTS has happened in that time.   I have a successful, lucrative career that (although nobody ever said it) I know lots of people probably thought was a fool’s errand.  I have traveled to 14 countries on 4 continents.  I have won (with my team) two National Championships, the first of which had a huge impact on me psychologically, which is something for another post.   I have met and fallen madly, madly in love with the most beautiful, intelligent, courageous, caring, athletic woman - and I have (much like a warlock) duped her into falling in love with me.   Physically I have gotten to a place I never though I could get (@220 I’m not as fast as I was at 185, but boy do I hit harder).

And I’ve made friends.   Good friends.   Lifelong, step in front of a bullet, tell them I love them, friends.  Who would have thought?

For the longest time after I left Iowa, I was convinced that couldn’t be done.   I thought my group of ~15 brothers was the first and last time that could ever happen.  People always said “oh you meet your REAL friends in college”.   College came and went with some GREAT friends, but unfortunately never really that “brotherhood” that I had in Iowa.  (I would like to point out, Nate and Blake are not included in that equation, they are part of “Phase 2″, which I am getting to)

When I first came to the Santa Monica Rugby Club, I knew everyone was cool.   Right away I met some incredible, friendly, down to earth people.   We became friends.  We bled together.  We partied together.   They introduced me to the woman of my dreams.   Many of them continue to amaze me every day with how caring they are, and I find myself attempting to model my actions towards friends and family to be more like them.

I found this picture tonight when I was digging through a box looking for computer parts.  It’s from Halloween (duh) about five years ago.   Two of these guys (The cow, and Elton John) I don’t see much anymore (moved, retired - respectively).   The Rabbi I’m lucky enough to still see often.   When I saw this photo, I got a feeling of nostalgia that I have never really felt with anything except for pictures and memories from Iowa, and the way things once were back there.

It turns out, while I wasn’t looking — while I was building my career, and lifting weights, and going on weekenders with Carol, and running sprints, and eating Cobb Salads at O’briens, and living life, I’ve managed to make some of the dearest, most wonderful friends that I never thought I would have the pleasure of finding more of.  I’ve got Phase 2 Nostalgia for my Phase 2 Brotherhood.

Phase 1:  I love you guys.

Phase 2:  I love you guys.

That’s all.   If you really read this whole thing, I will give you a gold star next time I see you.

c

(Kevin Bennett, Me, Paul Chung, Charlie Courtenay)

Edit: p.s. - I would also like to point out how large Charlie is.  I’m 6′2″. Look at him - slouched for the photo and still towering over me like I’m a wee babe.  Imagine him coming at you full speed on the field… yeah.

I’m not on fire.

Here is where we live:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=2637+3rd+St,+Santa+Monica,+CA+90405&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=38.092988,69.521484&ie=UTF8&ll=34.002059,-118.481026&spn=0.001219,0.002122&t=h&z=19

Zoom out and you’ll see the milllions of tons of concrete between us and the hills.   The only thing that could affect us is the air quality, but I haven’t noticed it yet.   You can certainly see the giant plumes of smoke rising over the hills, which is a bit ominous, but other than that we are fine.

Just an update, because I know someone out there might care :).

I have an iPhone Palm Pre

After over a year of constant kvetching about my iphone, I’ve finally kicked one of the top 50 frustrations in my life to the curb.   I went ahead and ate the $175 cancellation fee today and got myself a Palm Pre.   Before my iphone, I had a Palm Treo that was completely awesome.   Palm does it again with the Pre.   Right out of the gate the Pre is leaps and bounds better than the iphone so far in all categories: usability, speed, interface, call quality, applications.   What’s that?  You say, Chris, what about the app store - the Pre doesn’t have the "App Store"!  Afraid to tell you that Farting applications and video games are not exactly what I consider a value add.  Besides, Palm does have their version of the app store, and guess what.   The apps I used on my iphone?  The palm store has them too.   Pandora, Where, etc.   Natively, the Pre also has turn by turn directions, live TV, background app support, and the list goes on.  Also, for $15 bones extra a month, I can tether to my laptop and use the Pre as a modem - no more shelling out $$ every time I want to work at the airport or starbucks.

Did I mention I’m saving $90 DOLLARS PER MONTH by switching to the Pre?

Only place that the iphone seems better so far is browser rendering - but the Sprint 3G network is way faster than AT&T’s, so it’s pretty much a moot point.

Back on American soil.

Here we are, back in beautiful Santa Monica.

I’ve wrapped both of my summertime trips, first being to Belize (Katy’s flickr gallery here) and to Ireland (Carol’s flickr gallery here).  Both of those galleries will have to substitute for mine for the time being, as I’ve yet to post any photos from either trip.

Both trips were fantastic, Belize was jam packed but I still felt like we got a pretty good taste for the country without making the trip feel over scheduled.  My mom seemed to really enjoy herself and we had an amazing experience out on the reef, sharks galore and sting rays all over our bodies.  The guy that took us to the reef (on his hand-built sailboat) is a character to always be remembered.   He is no doubt the flesh and blood expression of Old Man and the Sea.

Ireland was brilliant, the entire trip was executed flawlessly thanks to the perfect planning of my beautiful girlfriend.   We saw much of the country and a lot of its history.   The most important thing I gained from the trip was a perspective about how extreme conditions must have been when my family left and how large the leap of faith must have been to leave the island.  Also, how lucky I am to be from a family that has prospered in such a way that now I can return to Ireland and have the opportunity to gain that very perspective.

However, it’s always good to be home and not much has changed here in Santa Monica while we were away.   Still 70 and sunny, and I walked down to the ocean the other day and it’s still cold as the devil.  I’m currently completely incapacitated due to back problems, but this too shall pass and I’m sure I’ll be back on my feet (standing up straight) in no time.

That is all.   Hope everyone is well!

Finally a visit, finally a break

My Dad and Maria visited!  Hold the presses!   I think they had a great time, I took a few days off of work and gave them the “West-of-Lincoln-in-Santa-Monica” special, there were a couple of aligned events such as our club banquet, an amazing tour of a mansion-in-progress from Nathan, and my ever-brilliant cousin Mike delivering another new pilot (which not surprisingly got picked up) which gave us plenty to do and see.   Now that they know I don’t live in south central they can rest easy.

In work news, we just wrapped a huge project for the E3 conference - we did the entire EA booth for the conference.   The setup is ridiculous, the main screen is something like 25′ wide and 15′ tall or something.   Heading down there tomorrow as a guest of EA so I’ll take some photos if I can and post them up here.

With the finishing of that project comes a long awaited break for me, I’ve been working like crazy and am so happy to have some time off to finishing unboxing things at our place, run the usual neglected errands, and work on some personal projects.   Our new couch FINALLY CAME and it is AMAZING.   Most comfortable couch I’ve ever sat in, which is both a blessing and a curse :).    Got a stand for my plasma up on the mantle (can’t mount it because of the “historical protection” on the house) and setup our Roku box, so even though we’re happily without cable we can still watch the shows we love (CSI, 30-Rock) and movies to our hearts content.   I highly recommend a Roku box to everyone.

Also of course, I will be travelling!    First destination is next week, but will have to remain secret as it’s a surprise from my sister and I to our mother for her 30th birthday.  Suffice it to say we’ll need our passports.

Second trip is to Ireland with my beautiful girlfriend and her Mom and step-dad - we’re really really excited about it, and I’m stoked to finally be headed back to the motherland.

Third trip is in the works but will also be epic, more info to follow.

Last but certainly not least, everyones favorite Columbian Bobsledder celebrated his 30th birthday the other day!   This one’s dedicated to you old man.

Juuuust kidding, he’s 27.   Love ya none-the-less Lucas.

llllllllllater

ck