If only I could report on something other than the mundane! I would so like to share some deep personal insight. Some profound philosophical thought. Some meaningful analysis of current affairs. Some evidence of critical thinking. Perhaps even something bizarrely irreverent and/or outrageously funny.

Ah, but I’m sorry: my life is mostly focused on an ambitious to-do list that seems to govern my existence.

Foremost on my mind is making this next major transition happen.

It was exactly a year ago that I posted an entry entitled The Cardboard Jungle. I was living in Portland and about to make a move from the house I’d inhabited for two years. My dwelling was a maze of moving boxes as I was preparing to depart the city. Even though it was mid-June, and I needed to be out of the house by the end of the month, I was still unsure, at the time, where I was going. As it turned out, I interviewed for and accepted a temporary position here in Roseburg , and this is where I’ve been for about 11 months now.

However, it’s time to move on. Again.

I’m needing to entirely change my life. Yet again.

As you know, I’m headed to the Bay Area of California. I’ve accepted a new job down there and given notice on my Roseburg place. I’ll be packing up the truck on June 29. However, it’s total déjà vu as I’m living, once more, in a sea of cardboard. I started the packing process this weekend by retrieving my healthy stockpile of flattened boxes from storage and distributing them strategically around my current abode. I know I’ll basically be living out of boxes and suitcases for a couple of months now. Which I really, really hate.

There’s just something about walking into an apartment that is in total disarray and smells of musty cardboard that is quite off-putting to me. Once the boxes appear, the living space ceases to offer any kind of sense of comfort. I feel like I’m homeless and camping out in a garage. Which I sorta am.

This whole situation creates a familiar sense of anxiety because even though I’ve made my moving plans, I really don’t know where I’m going: I don’t have a destination address yet! And I won’t be able to start apartment hunting until next week. My plans are to drive down to San Rafael this weekend and start looking around on Monday morning. Well, they physical part of looking anyway. I’ve made daily visits to Craigslist and, by now, am quite familiar with the virtual apartment-hunt. I’m very eager, though, to check out these places in person and put my money down on something. I want to be able to have a picture in my head of where, exactly, I’m next going to call home.

Now, speaking of driving there…

One of the things on my totally unmanageable to-do list, associated with accepting a new job and anticipating a move, was to get a new car. My trusty 1999 Subaru Forester, my entirely-reliable vehicle for the last 8 years, was showing, at 110,000 miles, some signs of aging. And I wanted a new one. Well, not necessarily a new Forester, but a new vehicle. (More than likely a new, small SUV.)

So, nine days ago, right after I finalized the job offer, I went car shopping. (Only after I took some time to do a little research, though: I signed up for access to the new- and used-car reports at ConsumerReports.org.) I had discovered that the Toyota RAV4 is currently the most highly-rated small SUV. The Honda CRV is also right up there. The Forester, my old and trusted friend, is still satisfactorily rated, but no longer quite at the top.

So I went shopping thinking that I might end up with a RAV4 this time. I wanted to drive one of the more-gutsy V6 models (with the same gas mileage as a four cylinder) but the Eugene dealership did not have one available when I was there. (I did drive a Prius for the first time and learned a little bit about hybrids, though.) Then I went down the street to drive a fairly-snazzy CRV. Finally, I took a spin in a 2007 L. L. Bean Edition Subaru Forester. And I was hooked all over again. I loved the leather interior, the power seats with lumbar support, and the familiar feel. So, I ended up making a deal for a new one. There wasn’t a red-colored one at my dealership, however, so I had to wait a couple of days while they had one shipped down from Olympia , WA . This particular car had a Sirius satellite radio already installed, and it only took me another day to decide to activate a subscription for myself. And, while thinking about navigating the unfamiliar territory of the North Bay region, it took just a couple more days after that to decide that I wanted a GPS as well. So, this last weekend, I went to Circuit City and purchased a Garmin nüvi 350 for the new vehicle, a portable “personal travel assistant” that tells me where I am, plots out my route, and tells me where to go. Literally. Constantly.

So, as of right now, I have three days left at my current place of employment. I go home to utter chaos every night. I am scheduled to drive down to the Bay Area this weekend. And I will continue, as best I can, to make steady progress on my overwhelming list of tasks as I face this next big transition.

My hope is a better life awaits me in California than the one Oregon has offered me in recent times. With a new job, new car, new car toys, and soon a new place to live…I’m ready!

(Keep breathing, TechnoMonk…)

Here is the email message I sent out today to my community-college-administrator colleagues in the state of Oregon…

Greetings, all…

I know many of you on this listserve will remember me from the seven and a half years I was a regular participant in your quarterly in-person CIA meetings. During that time, 1997-2004, I held the title of “Director of Community College Articulation” with the Oregon University System. I was honored to have been included in your circle even though I was from “the dark side.” Of course, I ceased attending your meetings when my employment with OUS ended three years ago as a result of the Chancellor’s Office reorganization.

Since July of 2004 I have still been among you, only less visibly. During 2004-06 I was the Interim Dean of Science & Technology at Mt. Hood Community College and this last academic year, 2006-07, I have been at Umpqua Community College as the Interim Division Director for Math, Science & Liberal Arts.

I was inspired by Reine Thomas’ recent “departure decision” message to let you know what’s going on with me. (Oh, by the way Reine, your decision sounds exceptionally healthy and wise. Like everyone else, I wish you Godspeed!)

So, my news: I have recently accepted a position with the College of Marin (just north of San Fran) as their new Dean of Math and Sciences. You’ll note the absence of the word “interim” in my title this time. Yes, after a three-years-long transition period from Chancellor’s Office policy wonk to community college dean, the metamorphosis seems to be complete. My last day here at UCC is June 15th and I begin work at COM next month.

After 37 years of calling myself an Oregonian, I’m sure it will feel mighty strange to take on the identity of a Golden Stater. And, of course, it will be agonizing to leave behind all my friends in Oregon higher education. But, the opportunity is too golden, and the location too amazing, to pass up.

As I leave, I wish you economic prosperity and an enlightened Governor, legislature, and electorate that will support your endeavors here to serve Oregon’s postsecondary students. I wish you individual health and happiness. I wish you, all, only the best.

Sincerely,

-jim

Precisely forty summers after the Summer of Love, here I go: I’m moving to San Francisco!

The short version: The job hunt is over! I have accepted the position of Dean of Math and Sciences at the College of Marin! I will be moving down to the Bay Area very soon.

The slightly longer version: On April 27th I traveled to the Bay Area to interview for the position of Dean of Math and Sciences at the College of Marin in Kentfield, CA…a short distance from San Francisco, a small town up in Marin County, a little bit north of the Golden Gate Bridge. Given the proximity to San Fran, former home of the Grateful Dead, and feeling extraordinarily good that day, I wore one of my many colorful Jerry Garcia ties for the occasion. During the process, one of my interviewers asked me about my attire and I admitted the neckwear was, indeed, a J. Garcia, adding that “well, you know, I was thinking ‘San Francisco’ when I got dressed this morning…” We all chuckled a little bit over my comment.

The whole time on campus that day had quite a comfortable feel to it, and I spent the afternoon in two long interviews which, at the time, I believed, went quite well. But the days, and then eventually weeks, went by and I heard nothing…so I was starting to put this job possibility out of my mind when, a week ago Friday (May 18th), I received a call from them seeking permission to contact my references. Well, yeah, please do!

So, during the following week, they made their calls until, finally last Friday, I received a call offering me the job. Ohmygod, I thought, this is really happening! The job search is over!

Today we came to agreement on the terms of employment and, so now, having the deal in writing, I will be packing up my stuff here in Oregon (where I’ve spent virtually my entire adult life) very shortly and moving down to the land of earthquakes and extremely (obscenely?) high real-estate prices.

I feel very fortunate that I have been offered this position, one of the most attractive I applied for this (or any other) year, and in a location that, I believe, will suit me just fine. I can’t wait to be a Golden Stater, actually…and to live so close to the city that I’ve been drawn to ever since my first visit there in 1971.

It’s been three long years now since my departure from the Oregon University System and the beginning of my quest to re-make my life as a community college administrator. It’s looking like things have worked out after all!

For those who have been there to support me through the thin and thick of this, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

[Oh, and by the way…here’s a suggestion for where to be on September 2nd: http://www.2b1records.com/summeroflove40th/]

If you’re going to San FranciscoBe sure to wear some flowers in your hair
If you’re going to San Francisco
You’re gonna meet some gentle people there…

[San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Some Flowers in Your Hair) – Scott McKenzie]

What better topic for a Memorial Day entry than the U.S.’s current foreign-policy debacle?

In late March, having participated in a peace demonstration in downtown San Francisco earlier that month, I wrote “Peace Now!” In that entry, I lamented the utter lack of passion evident in the peace movement these days and hypothesized that a big difference of then (Vietnam) vs. now (Iraq) is the absence of a draft.

What explanations are there regarding the American public’s apathetic stance toward this war? For although we’re showing an approval rating of our president at the 30% level (according to the latest CBS News/New York Times polling data), and an approval rating of W’s handling of the war in Iraq at 23%, this fiasco continues to go on and on and on. How can this possibly be? This week, the prez signed a bill authorizing more expenditures for the war after the gutless Democrats caved in and, basically, gave him what he wanted in terms of financing. The insanity continues!

Why can’t we just admit that we’re in another Vietnam and why can’t the American public, obviously and massively against our involvement in Iraq, insist that we be quickly extricated from it? The difference in military conscription policies notwithstanding, I believe that the comparisons are striking between the wars in Vietnam and in Iraq. And that we need to leave this ugly, costly and deadly mistake behind us. Now.

Of course, not everybody out there agrees with me. In response to my aforementioned “Peace Now!” entry, a reader wrote in to criticize my views and take me to task for making any such comparisons. Now, since this respondent chose to send an email rather than post a comment here on the blog, I’ll respect the implicit request for anonymity. However, here is a little bit of what this individual wrote:

Iraq and Vietnam are not the same. Not even close. We could leave Vietnam and not worry about the “enemy” coming to our shores. We leave Iraq ...? And don’t give me that crap about Iraq is not the enemy, or Bush Lied, or any other anti-war slogan. We want to hear a Plan B that we can get behind and support, not mere finger pointing and blaming. This is NOT Bush’s war. This is our war. Backed by majority vote in both Houses, and 14 UN Resolutions. The fact we (and everyone else) had bad intelligence dating back to Clinton’s term does not make Bush a liar. We remember how this war started. It didn’t happen the way some are trying to re-write history…

So, we leave Iraq, do we move those troops back to trying to find bin Laden? Do we bring them home and put them on our borders and at our ports? Or is the plan to do nothing? Just wait to see where they are going to hit us next, and then wing it? We’re not criticizing any of these options right now, we just want to know what is Plan B, if we don’t like Plan A.

Well, dear reader, simply put: you have your head up your butt on this one. It’s not only me but many others out there in the world, most much smarter than I, who are comparing our current involvement in Iraq to the quagmire we found ourselves in during Vietnam.

According to what they’re saying, here are some (a sampling only) of the most obvious similarities…

• The lies. The Gulf of Tonkin incident and the subsequent resolution. The certainty about and dangers of WMDs. Both wars started (and continue on) under false pretenses.

• The legality. Both wars were/are illegal acts, undertaken absent declarations of war by Congress and unsupported by international law or world opinion.

• The locations. We did not understand the cultures (including, and especially, the religion factions in Iraq) — and we neither spoke/speak the languages nor knew/know the lay of the land.

• Democracy. Supposedly we fought, and are fighting, to “preserve democracy.” In truth, Vietnam’s elections were staged and controlled by Americans. Iraq has had one election, reportedly casting ballots in order to get the U.S. to leave.

• The noble goals. In Vietnam, we had the crusade against communism and, in Iraq, we have the front for the global war on terrorism. Questionable justifications, both.

• Prisoner abuse and murder. The torture of Vietnamese prisoners in “tiger cages.” Mi Lai. Abu Graib.

• The absence of a front line. In both wars, the “enemy” attacked/attacks anywhere at anytime.

• The goal of “-ization.” In Vietnam, we were assured of the ultimate success of Vietnamization: that we could/would leave when the South Vietnamese troops had been sufficiently trained. These days, we’re told that we’ll be able to withdraw when Iraqi troops are able to fight for their own freedom.

• Expansion. Although Nixon had a secret plan to end the war, by the spring of 1970 the war had expanded into Laos and Cambodia. Today, we have the troop surge.

• The toll on civilians. “These things happen during war”: Here’s a well-known photo from Vietnam. And another (lesser known) one from Iraq.

Of course, there have been many more, and more elegant, comparisons between the two wars. (I’ve included a few references at the end of this article in case you want to do some more reading on this issue.) My point is: we ultimately needed to abandon our involvement in Southeast Asia as our policies had failed miserably and it’s about time we do the same thing with respect to our situation in Iraq.

So, exactly what am I proposing? My one and only Plan A: get the hell out. For example, Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards has put forth a plan that calls for complete withdrawal (with a timetable of 12-18 months). While I believe that even Edwards’ proposal lacks a certain degree of ambitiousness, I support his specific plan for removing us from this terrible, terrible mistake. Let’s declare peace and leave. Immediately.

Yoko Ono and John Lennon. Photograph by Frank Barratt - Getty Images.

A very Merry Christmas And a happy New Year
Let’s hope it’s a good one
Without any fear
War is over, if you want it
War is over now.

[Happy Christmas (War Is Over) – John Lennon, 1971] 

Suggested reading:

http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0501-32.htm

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6933739

http://www.progress.org/2004/fpif48.htm

http://www.counterpunch.org/lindorff07112003.html

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15821138/

http://cunningrealist.blogspot.com/2005/06/historys-rhyme.html

If you’ve been checking in here and wondering what’s up, it’s pretty much the same ol’ same ol’…I’m still spending an incredible amount of time and energy devoted to the job search (…and I don’t have nearly enough of those commodities to devote to photography, writing & blogging!). There is a little time to wander around during my travels, though, and I took this photo (I like the curve) while up in Portland last Monday. Even though Mt. Tabor was not exactly in the neighborhood of my hotel or interview, I still made some space on a balmy Monday evening to take a stroll around one of my favorite Portland parks.

One of the “time-out” activities I did this weekend was to watch the DVD entitled “The Secret.” In case you haven’t heard of this production, it’s one of the latest vehicles for promoting the new-agey kind of belief system (the “law of attraction”) that “like attracts like” or “thoughts become things.”

Now, if I can just manifest that perfect job…(!)