Gettin' Ready to Rumble

It was 19 degrees when I woke up this morning.  I wore my most warm coat to work, a Columbia ski jacket with a zip-in inner jacket.  Thankfully I don't get an opportunity to wear it all that often, but it did the trick today.  Nice and toasty.

I mentioned that "Work It" was debuting last night.  Imade the observation that everything about it looked horrible - not simply because it was disgusting but because it seemed to lack anything worthwhile whatsoever.  Including humor.  Early reviews are now kind.  One review is headlined "Work It Is Officially the Worst Show on Television".  If it didn't suck it might survive more than a handful of episodes but it does so it won't.  I'd be surprised if more than 10 of these ever see light of day.   Buh-bye....And good riddance.

Another thing that was on TV last night that would be seriously funny if it weren't so serious: the Iowa Republican Caucus.  The most vile of an upleasant group - Rick Santorum - was a co-winner.  Watching this gang fall all over each other has certainly been entertaining but the thought that any of them being in a position to lead this country is scary.  As far as I'm concerned, every fair-minded person needs to re-double their commitment to making sure President Obama has the opportunity to continue in that capacity.  I certainly can't speak for anyone else, but I'm already getting involved and I look forward to the opportunity at hand.

A couple of things...

I became a Spotify Premium member recently and between that, Pandora, and Apple's new music service I may never buy another song again.  Spotify has a huge collection of albums so I can listen to whatever I want without having to own it or get tired of it.  I can cache songs or entire albums/playlists locally to listen to while I'm on a plane or something.  Anyway - it's worth $10/month to me.  I listen to it every day so I certainly get my money's worth.  They've got a free trial going on but be forwarned that once you start you may find yourself getting hooked like I did.

Tonight I'm working with a wrestling coach at a local Academy that until relatively recently didn't even admit women.  In my list of "firsts" it probably won't be at the top of the list, but it's certainly not something that's passing unnoticed by yours truly.  The best part of doing "stuff" is the door it often opens to do other things.  That has been true in my activism, in my athletics, in my career, in my photograph, in ways too numerous to count.  Anyway - it's pretty cool.

In a very sad situation - it was announced today that Kodak is facing Chapter 11 (details here).  For those of us who spent a long time in Rochester it's like watching a friend pass away.  Kodak has been an institution in Rochester for a hundred years, and workers there had been able to count on their annual bonus and a regular paycheck year in and year out - from generation to generation to generation. Kodak is part of the fabric of the city, and watching how it has declined in recent years to this almost inevitable reality has been difficult.

I've worked on contracts at Kodak so I've been part of that family.  The buildings that comprise Kodak Part are truly landmarks, and the little internal city that was Kodak Park included a bus route, a fire department, and all the other services you'd find in a small town.  The Kodak building downtown is a key jewel in the Rochester skyline.

When I worked there Kodak had their hands in lots of things.  Chemicals.  Medical Devices.  Motion Pictures.  Copiers.  And, of course, cameras and film.  As others have supplanted them from their leadership position they've gradually sold off one business after another in order to curb expenses and focus on their core business.  And now - there's nothing more to sell except their patents.

This is as much about change as anything, and realization that things that were great can eventually die.  Who knows what the future holds for the company, but it means change for Rochester - and not simply the 7,000 local employees. I lived in Rochester for 15 years.  So despite the fact that it's almost a thousand miles away - I feel it.
Gotta go get ready to rumble.