A new year is upon us and it seems appropriate to comment on how the past twelve months have sliced and shanked their way through the par of the course. From the dreary days of January, we learned of salacious details and conspicuous rumors out of the White House from Michael Wolffs book “Fire and Fury.” In March, my family and friends joined me on a Carnival cruise that we playfully refer to as a hoedown, a hootenanny, and the Fight for Fifteen. As April began, the federal government started a dubious policy of separating children from their parents at the southern border. President Trump rescinded that directive in late June, but that decision continues to cause distress and raise concerns. As Labor Day rounded the corner, America payed Her respects to a fallen soldier and senator, John McCain. This fall, midterm elections were in full force. Historic levels of incumbent retirements provided an opening for Democrats to snag more House seats and gain a majority, ending a 8 year losing streak. November also witnessed the most destructive wildfires in the history of California, leaving thousands of families shattered and whole communities tattered. Finally, after a volatile stock market responded to a benevolent president and a record number of cabinet-level turnovers, the month of December has been the worst on Wall Street since the Great Depression.

Coming up; the 116th Congress will begin its first session. The British Parliament is set to vote on the Brexit package on January 11th. And I will reside in the city of Flint, Michigan USA.

Cheers to the New Year,

Daniel J. Neebes

It’s now been a year since I left the university, diploma in hand, for the real world. I traveled away from my comfortable collegiate bubble to find my place. I’m still not sure why I was in such a hurry.

Since then, I’ve learned a few things about life. But don’t get me wrong: I’m still wandering around blindly with ditz. But I’d like to share a couple anecdotes in hopes they will help out the next batch of wide-eyed, starlit grads on their way to their heart-aching, entry-level jobs:

When you move to DC, don’t leave your cereal or sliced wheat bread out on the counter overnight. Even if you don’t have mice. You will.

Nothing is ever free. Not even advice. Everything comes with a price. Find the people whose price is friendship, love, and understanding.

Don’t ever venture out on Bourbon Street without a plan. Especially with your boss. And if you do, be sure to eat the fried chicken before drinking the jumbo strawberry daiquiri.

Have your friends over for a good meal every once in a while. We all miss the warmth of home and the kitchen-table conversations without glowing screens.

Learn that you will be paid less. Months out of college, accept the job with the lower salary and more passionate work. This season is for self-discovery and for adventure.

When you have the opportunity to move to Montana and live in the mountains, take it. Take it and do not look back to the urine-stained city with its glamourous steak and champagne dinners. Don’t worry too much about the distance or the uncertainty. The steak is better out west anyways.

Buy your tires from Costco. Buy your wine from Costco. Buy your toilet paper from Costco. Buy your hotdog dinner from Costco. But be sure it all fits in your tiny, one-bedroom apartment.

Call your grandparents. Ask for advice and wisdom. Listen intently to your family’s musings. You’ll thank yourself later.

Get a library card. Check out one book at a time and demolish it. Read fiction, fantasy, sexy, tragic, and exciting literature. Rekindle bedtime stories. Let literary worlds bleed into your own.

Never turn down an opportunity to play scrabble, go to drag shows, or find mountainous hot springs alongside friends – new and old. Friendships are won and drained by simple invitations.

When your boss tells you that you fucked up, hold back the tears and the self-pity. Find the strength to smile and nod. Know that you have a team rooting for you to succeed. Use “thank you,” as often as you can in difficult conversations.

Try everything at least once. But don’t be afraid to say no as often as needed.

Finally, greet each day with a grumble and then a strong cup of coffee. Let your morning commute feed light into your day. Don’t forget to acknowledge how far you’ve come and the sunrises that lie ahead.

 

All the best,

Zoe

Last week, America buried a president. This week, America seems to watch alongside as another digs his own grave.

The life and legacy of George H.W. Bush gave pause for reflection. Combat veteran, seasoned diplomat, and a bureaucrat of Swiss watch precision. An imperfect man, like his son, the 43rd president, who offered a eulogy filled with emotion and grief that nearly every person can relate to. He lost a father and we lost a president, and for an instant they were the same.

President Bush was remarkable for his intelligence, remembered for his trust, and praised for his leadership. The presidential aircraft brought the former navy pilot from Texas to Washington and back to Texas. He rode a train from Houston to College Station and was laid to rest with his daughter Robin and wife Barbara. The end of a long journey that spanned the greatest years of this country and shaped the global order.

For those of us that have yet to enjoy the good fortune of going to be with Jesus, we find an administration in chaos and a West Wing in disarray. On a recent talk show, I heard a panelist wonder if the word “extraordinary” can possibly be overused to describe the Trump presidency. Plea deals upon indictments that compel grand juries to issue subpoenas for witness testimony from conversations had with some prick named Individual 1. Hot Damn!

The funeral of Poppy Bush gave us all a moment – One Fucking Moment – that was not about the executive Twitter or second rate gossip. A sense of normalcy returned for approximately two hours while the chief grease ball was sequestered from doing anything too stupid. He sat in defiance and discomfort as mourners championed the attributes of #41, no doubt contemplating the crowd size for his own memorial service.

Hearing of true love and honest politics made my heart warm, made me think of a steaming bowl of savory Beef Stew. The soul of the nation lives in men like that. Good fathers and mothers, good sailors and civil servants; people for whom good is not good enough. “Kinder and gentler,” as one epitaph said, were the politics of George H.W. Bush.

President Trump is on a near certain path to criminal prosecution and he can’t even summon enough energy to utter a self-satisfied whoop. His stew is thick and he keeps adding cornstarch and molasses and I think some peanut butter. I wish I could tell the man to stop digging; six feet is plenty!

Good Grief,

Daniel J. Neebes

A letter from an aging man to anybody who will listen:  Life is not a race but a journey….yes most people are impatient.  God knows I was when I was younger, but as one gains experience you tend to look back and become reflective.  Well here is my reflection.  Everything I have done in my life and yes that includes twirling dough to make pizzas has increased my knowledge base.  So for those just starting out in the 9-5 take pride in whatever you do! Learn from it, attack it with the same gusto as any difficult problem you would in your life.  Because it is in the mundane that true character shows up.  I had the opportunity to work with some great people and one that I remember is a woman who was a Colonel in the Marine Corp and head of HR. I am going to refer to her as Bad Ass Marine (BAM). One day when I got my nerve up, did I mention she was a BAM, I asked her a question and this is how the conversation went:

Me: “Why is it that you only hire college graduates and start them off on the lowest possible spot on the totem pole?”

BAM:  “We like to promote from within and if we give you a simple task and if you totally mess it up how are we going to trust you with more difficult problems. Plus if you mess it up and don’t take ownership it reflects on leadership ability and character.  Everyone makes mistakes it is how they are handled and resolved that matters most.”

Me:  ”But you have all these intelligent people fresh out of college that want to do the hard stuff right away”

BAM:   “Are you willing to do the dirty, mundane, simple work and do it well to get where you want to go?  It goes directly to character!”

Me:  ”gotcha!”

That was 30 years ago….I think it still holds true today.

Signed,

Borg King of the Universe

 

Not to be redundant seeing as the title says it all, but fuck it: “Hey, hi, how are ya?” How have you been, its been a long time. No really, how have you been? We haven’t caught up in some time, what has this past year had in store for you? Oh please, don’t give me some platitude, or a smile saying: “I’m doing well,” when deep down you really just want to scream about that thing Richard did at work the other day. I want to know about what Richard did, that piece of shit.  Tell me, truthfully, unequivocally, HOW ARE YOU?

Okay fine, I’ll go first. Recently I’ve been fantastic, been hitting the gym and eating right for the most part-the Taco Bell down the street from my apartment is really testing me. I’m in the waning days of my college career, about a week and a half left at the time of this writing, and I’m filled with a feeling that I can’t really describe. It is definitely not elation-which is odd you would think I would be happy to be done. It isn’t sadness, nor confusion, maybe its me being awed by the unknown. For about 16 years I’ve had a straight path and goal in mind: go to college and graduate. Now the track is coming to an end, and I now need to provide more rails in order to keep going, oh and I have to determine the direction of track too-which surely will have all kinds of twists and turns because I love being topsy turvy.

Yet, I don’t walk this road alone (Hey Alexa play Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day). I get to share this adventure with my friends, family, and the WILBlog community. I’m excited for the trials, laughter, joy, anguish, dread, happiness, sadness, elation and turmoil to come. In short: I’m excited for life-which is something I couldn’t have said with 100% confidence a year ago. I’m excited, because I get to share it with all of you.

So, if you would like to share something about your corner of the world on this blog, or just want to let me know how you’re doing, write something up and send it to officialwilbblog@gmail.com. I would love to learn and catch up with those that I’ve gotten to know but haven’t talked to in a while. Always look on the bright side of life, everyone.

Signed,

Mitch