A Few Things That Interest Me

The public, and even acquaintances and friends, generally identify me as an entomologist who writes about insects and spiders, but there are a few other subjects that interest me and that I hope to be able to pursue. Generating a living off any of them is probably unlikely, but you have to do what you are passionate about, too.

I am passionate about a fir number of things!Natural History

While insects are what I know most about, most aspects of the natural world captivate me. I could stand to learn a lot more about plants, for example. It will be harder for anyone to turn me into a maniac for geology or mycology, but I am happy to pick up knowledge here and there. Now that I am taking images of living things instead of collecting specimens, I am more apt to point my camera at birds, mammals, reptile, amphibians, and wildflowers and mushrooms. Thanks to social media, I can share what I find and learn from experts in those fields.

Comedy and Cartooning

My dream job would probably be a writer on Saturday Night Live. I love to make people laugh, especially as a way to get them to see a different point of view on the issues of our day. What is holding me back from pursuing comedy is a mystery to me. I took a stand-up comedy workshop in Tucson when I lived there, so I know that I can overcome any stage fright or other fears, though our final performance was before an invited audience of friends, family, co-workers, and others. Audiences can be mean, or at least unforgiving, but you have to try. Not every joke works with every audience. What is uproarious one night can bomb the next.

Weaver Finch Overachievers

Meanwhile, I would like to put pen to paper and generate more cartoons. Gary Larson unleashed a lot of us closet graphic humorists with The Far Side, and I continue to get ideas that I just have not executed yet. I have had some of my prior work published, but not ever paid for.

Producing Other Writers

I cannot think of another word besides "producer" that encompasses what I mean. I was once approached by a gentleman writing a book about the natural history of Virginia Beach, Virginia. Initially he wanted me to just fact-check and make suggestions on the chapter about insects. The more we worked together, the deeper that relationship grew. I ended up advising changes in style, and doing more regular editing to correct punctuation and grammar. I would love to do more of that. The only thing better than achieving success yourself is helping others achieve success through coaching, mentoring, whatever you want to call it.

Collaboration

Going back to both comedy and writing/editing, these are generally lonely pursuits. I would enjoy doing more collaborative projects with others, be they writers, artists, or photographers. A fair number of people in those professions are skittish of partnerships, fearing that their work will be compromised or upstaged by their partner. Instead, art can be enhanced by such teamwork. You just have to take the risk. I am inviting any writer or artist to take that risk with me. If you have a project that I am not passionate about, or where I lack expertise, or believe I am otherwise unqualified to undertake, I will let you know up front.

Activism

Note that I did not say "political" activism. Just the other night I attended a presentation about the conservation plans for the Greater Sage Grouse. Stakeholders of every constituency, from ranchers and farmers to energy companies, state and local governments, and wildlife biologists, to name only a few, came together to draft and implement plans that resulted in the Greater Sage Grouse not going on the federal Endangered Species List. This kind of activism and collaboration is what we need more of, on all pressing issues. Besides wildlife and habitat conservation, I am interested in being an advocate for public transit, only children, children of divorce, small businesses, and local agriculture. I would like to see weed ordinances relaxed and modified to allow gardening for food and wildlife; and I'd like to see noise and light pollution reduced considerably.

What Interests You?

I invite all of you to take stock, periodically, of what excites you, and take steps towards making things happen. We all have our strengths and weaknesses, but together we can achieve great things through collaboration and drive. Start the conversation right here if you want; or talk to your spouse, your children, your parents, your mentors and friends.

Tired of Apologizing

A not-so funny thing happened yesterday when I posted to Facebook a tongue-in-cheek desire to see irony come to life and have Hurricane Irma collide with Mar a Lago and leave everything else in Florida unscathed. Several people admonished me for wishing ill will on others, and one person insinuated a threat (since retracted, apparently). Well, I have the following to say to you: I am not always a nice guy; I was making a symbolic wish, not expressing real-life desire for destruction; and I am tired of apologizing for my contempt for this President and his policy decisions.

© CommonConstitutionalist.com

As I have said previously and repeatedly, this is not about politics, it is about policies that are impinging on human rights, undermining our economic stability, threatening international relations, and exacerbating our environmental woes. I am not a lamb of leftists blindly following a liberal agenda. My beliefs and philosophy are a product mostly of my own experiences; and as I age, material things mean less and less to me while intangible and vaguely definable qualities like happiness and creativity become increasingly important.

I do not wish to subtract anything from anyone, let alone wish for annihilation of any living being. Quite the opposite. I want those in power to stop doing those things: subtracting civil rights from certain categories of humanity; subtracting wealth from what was once the middle class (and is now the "debt class"); subtracting environmental, consumer, and labor protections from everyone and everything.

Trump has been his own brand of hurricane, dismantling everything holding this country together, from race relations to our standing in the international community, to freedom of the press, to the financial underpinnings of infrastructure, public education, and the scientific research that makes the U.S. a world leader. He is naturally unapologetic, and spews worse sentiments in Twitter tirades than I could ever come up with in a full-length blog post. His only area of consistency appears to be his contempt, even for his subordinates, one of which he seems to fire almost weekly. His only agenda is corporate profits, mostly for himself as reflected in his stubborn ignorance of the concept of conflict of interest.

The undoing of this President may be, ironically, a Congress that seems increasingly resentful his brand of my-way-or-the-highway "leadership" and unwillingness to compromise, or even work with, the legislative branch. The spectacular failure to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare" to those who fail to benefit financially from it) may signal something of a congressional backlash that is likely to worsen come midterm elections. It could worsen one way or the other, of course. We who are constituents of our Representatives and Senators could continue to be robbed of our rights, perhaps in a more subtle fashion that escapes media attention, be it "fake news" outlets or alternative channels.

I do have hopes for reconciliation. The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, as is the case with most natural disasters that are indiscriminate in their targets, illustrates that we as citizens still retain a sense of community, an instinct for compassion, and the strength and will to step up and meet the most difficult of challenges, paying no mind to the differences that, in our long stretches of tranquility and comfort, ordinarily divide us. No one asks the survivor stranded on his roof what his political or religious affiliation is, or his sexual orientation, or whether he is on welfare. Only his current welfare, defined by his physical and mental state, matters.

Meanwhile, I often find my own solace in comedic relief, be it politically correct or not, from my own mind or the minds of others. Some people won't forgive me for it, and I have to accept that. I refuse to be condescending to them and can only wish the same in return. You can, of course, just ignore me altogether, refuse to participate, like our President who fancies himself as the only person capable of making America great again.