What is my purpose?

The HyWy and I recently had an interesting conversation about one's purpose.  Among the questions that we considered was does an individual only have one purpose in life?  Or does their purpose in life evolve?  Or is it possible to have multiple purposes?  Perhaps multiple smaller purposes as opposed to one big overarching purpose?  I have never felt I know my purpose in life at a bigger level.  However, I do feel that at various moments I do know my purpose or that when looking back on particular periods in my life I know the purpose of various people (myself included). 

Lessons from the Point #2

While helping the young mother mentioned above I also had the opportunity to teach her a bit about computer usage.  I am filing these as separate posts, because each lesson is independent.  Most people of my generation are computer savvy to say the least.  I'm not sure what generation this mother was from, but I learned a great deal about what I take for granted when helping people on a computer.  I don't have a lot of experience with teaching computer skills, but occasionally I will help friends or coworkers with particular problems.  I am used to people knowing what I take to be "simple" things: right click, the address bar, links, etc.  I know it is very presumptive of me to assume that many people have computers or web access at home and this experience showed me that that is far from the case.  It also taught me to slow down and step back a little so that someone can do things for themselves.  I am grateful to this young mother for teaching me how to teach better even if she didn't know. 

Lessons from the Point #1

I have been volunteering at a nonprofit as a tutor since October.  The organization is based on Alameda Point hence the title of this post and any future posts about things I learn about myself (or society) as a result of it. 

Yesterday I was helping a young mother (she was likely my age or slightly older) try to navigate the Social Security website.  She was looking for specific information on her eligibility and what could effect her eligibility.  I'm not even sure if we found the right information, but it was an ordeal to say the least.  Luckily for me I have not to date had the opportunity to navigate the Social Security website, but after my first experience I am left in no doubt as to why people might give up on trying to get benefits.  I don't think I have had a harder time finding my way around a website and the fun didn't end there.  Once I thought we were in the right place and had some information that might be relevant it was another trick to understand what it was saying.  My deepest admiration for anyone who successfully applies for and receives Social Security benefits, because they have achieved something I don't think I would be able to.  I have heard that there is a job market for people who get paid to put Ikea furniture together and if that is true then perhaps people who understand these government websites and programs could also get jobs (I'm sure they already do). 

the Slumdog controversy

I know I'm lagging on the timeline of this post, but who cares.  So no doubt we've all heard the controversy about Slumdog Millionaire using the term "slumdog" in the title and in the movie.  Slumdwellers were upset at the use of the term and felt they were being degraded by the reference.  Perhaps they didn't see the movie, because as I recall the reference to the slumdog in the movie was not intended to be complimentary.  I don't agree with terming people who live in the slums as "dogs", but I'm pretty certain there is a large percentage of the population in India who feels otherwise.  You don't even have to go to India to understand the view the upperclass has towards the lowerclass.  Here at home in the US you can see how so many people view homeless people as second class citizens.  I completely agree with the use of the term and I'm glad to see that it has sparked outrage amongst the slumdwellers.  It's a pity that that outrage has not carried over to the people whom it should be directed at. 

Repping Oakland

I read this post a while ago that repped Oakland and I was inspired to write a post of my own.  Obviously everyone knows San Francisco.  It is a world renowned city for many good reason.  However, I think Oakland doesn't get the love it deserves and this is my attempt to show some love for my town.

-Oakland Port - I could go sit and stare at the cranes and the ships for hours.  I love the port.  I'm sure there are many reasons why I shouldn't love ports, but at the same time I'm a guy that likes big machines.  We have gone to a park in the middle of the port area and the coolest times are when the cranes are running and just watching them.  Recently I found myself at the Alameda Ferry Terminal and I could see the port up close at night.  Watching the cranes operate is fascinating and you can even take a tour of the port, which we haven't done yet. 

-Chabot Observatory - We went here a few weeks ago after trying for a number of years.  If it's clear out on a Fri or Sat after about 7pm you can go view through their telescopes for free!  We were able to see Saturn with the rings.  Sure the Observatory's telescopes are cool, but even cooler is what you can see with the naked eye up there.  There were a good number of amateur astronomers who were willing to let us view through their scopes and even would often point them at stuff we wanted to see.  I did think I saw a shooting star and got very excited, pointing it out to the HyWy, and then someone burst my bubble telling me that it was a laser to point at stars.  Doh!

-Children's Fairyland - I haven't been there, but I think it's pretty tight just to be able to say that Disneyland copped the idea from Children's Fairyland. 

-Ethopian food - I have never seen such a concentration of Ethopian food.  Before I moved to Oakland I had Ethopian food once and didn't like it.  Then I experienced Cafe Collucci.  There are tons of other places to go to, but I can't escape the clutches of Collucci.  It is likely in Berkeley, but since it is on the border I'm claiming it for Oakland. 

-Genova Deli - Holy god.  The best Italian sandwiches I have ever had.  I haven't had many, but I'm willing to put anyone up against Genova.  I dream about their sandwiches.  Funny thing is that their veggie sandwiches are so good I have a hard time even wanting a meat sandwich. 

-The Fox, The Paramount, and The Grand Lake - Three wonderful venues for music, movies, and the arts.  They are all from another era of going out for the arts and exude a very grand majestic feeling of going out (and I haven't even been to the Fox).  Going to see a movie at the Paramount is almost like being transported back in time with the newsreels, cartoons, and organ player. 

-The Trappist - Definitely one of my favorite places to go out in Oakland if not in the entire Bay Area.  I love the lack of pretension and the mellow atmosphere. 

-Jack London Square Farmer's Market - I have already written a post about how going here is one of my favorite things to do on a nice Sunday morning.  I can't think of a more enjoyable way to spend a morning then ambling along the water perusing quality AFFORDABLE produce. 

-Farmer Joe's - Quality produce at affordable prices...sounds like another wonderful grocery store we used to frequent.  However, it doesn't make me want to jab my eyes out with asparagus spears because of the crowds. 

-Oakland Coliseum (aka MacAfee Stadium) - I have a soft spot for this stadium even though it was ruined by Mt. Davis a few years ago.  I saw my first concert here in 1992 and will always love it. 

This list could go on for quite a while as I haven't included Zachary's, Fenton's, Rockridge, Temescal, or Lake Merritt.