Three in a Row!!!

 The World Cup Final has just kicked off, and while I am mostly a neutral and mostly just hoping for a good game, I guess if I have to choose - I will prefer [2:55] Messi to win a 2nd with Argentina rather than Spain getting their 2nd.

Almost at every stage of this tournament (as per usual), I have been disappointed in the actual results.  Unlike "real" fans (or perhaps better tradFans) of the Beautiful Game, I tend to cheer for underdogs - and for that reason, I am unabashedly a USA Men's National Team fan.  But even outside of their sad and unworthy crashing out of the tourney [8:57] most rounds I have rooted for those routed.  I would much have loved a France - England final today (and while their wild 3rd place game yesterday was fun, it was, after all, a 3rd place match).  Despite mostly supporting England in most of their great run, the one time I decided to embrace the underdog storyline was their matchup versus Norway, and cheered for Braut Haaland and the Norse as they came up just a little bit short.

All that being said, this has (once again), been an AMAZING tournament and a delightfully good time.  At every stage, from the early days of tournament debutants getting their first ever WC goal (Curaçao equalizing against Germany [25:38 - Hydration Break!!] before giving up an additional 6), point (Haiti's amazing draw against Scotland, albeit in their 2nd WC), and advancing to the knockout round (Cape Verde and their exciting run), plus the joy that fans from all over the world were finding in the various host cities (Scotland fans drinking Boston dry, and fans from everywhere embracing the American greatness that is Ranch Dressing) as well as the phenomenon of non-Spanish speaking American fans watching the Telemundo broadcast rather than the English-language broadcast on Fox because there is so much more joy and less desperate "love our sport, please" energy in the Andrés Cantor broadcasts (and yes, this is still the same sentence [39:29]).

And yes, that is not to say that the tournament has been without some significant blemishes.  In fact, this is the 3rd World Cup in a row where it is difficult to say whether corruption in soccer's governing body (FIFA) or that of the host nation (Russia, Quatar, and now US*) is more extreme.  The treatment of Iran's national team this tournament is truly shameful.  Balogun-gate and The Orange One getting involved at all beyond, ok, attending the final, fine, but pretending like he cares at all is only slightly less embarrassing than the fact that FIFA invented a peace prize just for him.

[73:01]

But come on, a Half Time Show!!?? [currently on now] - that's so American, and this tournament has been awesomely and narratively and unabashedly American and cool not just in spite of it, but kinda sorta because of it.
The Biggest World Cup Ever! with the Most Matches and Most Host Countries and Extra Commercial Breaks (ok, that sucked, but, naja, capitalism, what are you gonna do, am i right?).
Plus Muppets and Madonna and little kids singing, come on... Pair that with more goals than ever, and some amazing underdog stories, plus the concurrence with the American Semi-quincentennial it all really adds up to an amazing, complicated, fraught but fun World Cup for the Ages... [57:00].

I am not holding my breath for a final to live up to 2022's absolute classic, but that one really didn't get off the ground either until about 20 minutes remaining, so we'll see, eh? [74:52]

Note: Thanks again, and as always (hopefully, from now on) to Brendan Hunt and Rebecca Lowe for their wonderful Watch-aLong podcast again this tournament: After The Whistle!

*Yes yes yes, I know the tournament was officially hosted by the USA, Mexico, and Canada, but as the host of the final match and majority of the matches, I think we can still take the brunt of the corruption criticism.

Bird Alert

 OK, America… it has become clear to me that you still need me. 

I am sorry for my long absence, but I have been toying with a transition to Substack (don’t worry, a Roman Numeral J premium subscription will never cost more than $.19 a month for longtime readers, just use the promo code {REDACTED*} to lock in a lifetime price). 

TODAY: 

A bird, a large bird, perhaps a falcon or some other monster invaded our back yard today and wrought this: 

At first we thought it was a bunny (of which we host many) but on closer examination it was “just” a gray bird - still awful but, well, ok  

We have been working, fairly intentionally at making a safe space, a “site” of sorts in our back yard. [Brooke has pointed out that since I have been collecting concrete sculptures, some of the visiting animals may fear that I am some sort of dark wizard who may turn them to stone as well…]

But we are really looking at some optimal space for all (no bugs tho, you guys suck) back here and this travesty - tearing apart some fine feathered friend… it’s just terrible, sorry my man  

Our yard will win out!

L’il fellas and birds and whomever - this is a place for you!

We have a newly established bird feeder -  a big ole concrete bird bath on the way (plus a rusty ole bird bath in our yard now). 

#post4birds

*just text me, but don’t pass along too far - this may be my retirement plan 🖖

"hork!-heimer"

I just learned that Jürgen Habermas has died - even though it was over a month ago, and I guess I was pretty sure that he had been dead lo these many years - it has come as quite a shock to me.   

Not the sort of shock that has all that much real work effect on me, more the sort that makes you briefly pause, and go, “...huh!” before returning to your previous thoughtfulless meanderings.

But as i was reading through his obituary, I was being reminded of his ideas about the vitality of public discourse and his centrality (whether acknowledged or not) in the need for ‘third space’.  In the description of his thought (to be clear, I have not read Habermas in a long time - and not really even that deeply, but…) I was struck how Habermas had failed to take into consideration the concept of performance (a la Erving Goffman) in relation to his desire for enlightened conversation.

Given my own nascent political ruminations (stay tuned…), and its particular connection to Conversation, I thought I should outline some basic thoughts in these directions - but thankfully, someone has already taken care of that part for me.  Thank you Italo!

Re-Revolution

There was a show on NBC (back when shows were on NBC) called Revolution in and around 2012 - just around the same time that I was teaching a course called "Theories of Revolution" at UW-M.

In 2012, I think it was a fun post-apocalyptic storyline that like most post-apocalyptic storylines didn't make a whole lotta sense in the actual world... Take zombies - like, ok, Max Brooks says its fun to figure out how we all figure it all out, but most of it seems a bit... speculative

Even in 2020, when I re-read The Stand and first read Station Eleven during the COVID-19 pandemic - neither story felt particularly prescient (although both are, very much so).

I think they c/should re-issue the same show right now and it would gain ground - but a re-boot, understanding how corrosive technology (particularly social media, but maybe AI and quantum computing, nanites - who knows what we don't know yet!) will be on our society - suddenly it makes a ton more sense.

[btw, NBC, you can have this idea for a very small figure - like literally 5 (or 4!) figures].*

I have long been a fan of near and far future stories, mostly haunting and harrowing, but the Star Trek Universe is probably my favorite of all future tales, so it's not all dire.

I am curious how history will view these times we are currently living through, but I think a new Revolution series may have some interesting guesses.

* this constitutes a legal contract

Newsie for life...

Starting in June 2025, I became a part of the "Journalism Focus Group" of the Intuit RPO Onsite Team.  Although I'm sure issues of "Beyond The Desk" may be retrievable, at least theoretically, but I'll track my contributions here for posterity.  Evidently, because of my choice of feature article for this first issue, I am now on the "Milwaukee Spots" beat for the rest of my run here... 

9.1.25

Once each year, Historic Milwaukee hosts Doors Open Milwaukee, a city-wide immersive experience of behind-the-scene tours and insider tales of more than 150 sites, buildings, and other locations all around the Milwaukee Metro.

In recent years, I have seen The Worlds Largest Theater Organ at a Carmex Warehouse in Franklin, the

view from the top of the Northwestern Mutual Tower, stories of the time the Pro Bowlers Association (PBA)

hosted a match at Holler House, and a walking tour of Forest Home Cemetery & Arboretum

(by far my favorite walkabout in Milwaukee!)

Doors Open is happening September 27th and 28th, and you can see all of the available locations this year starting

on September 1st at their website

Tours are free - you just need to secure tickets (starting September 10th {or 3rd if you sign up to be a Member!}) for some of the most popular locations, but there are a lot of locations all around the city where no tickets are required, so once the map goes live, check out what’s near you (or a bit of a drive - it’s usually worth it!), and get out exploring!

August 1, 2025

There’s nothing like the artificially cooled air of museum air conditioning to beat the summer heat.  And there’s no better price that you’ll find to enjoy that cool air (plus the loads of exceptional exhibits!) than FREE!  

So here’s your guide to some of the best that Milwaukee has to offer for the… frugal… visitor: 

The Milwaukee Public Museum (800 W Wells St.) - Free to visitors on the First Thursday of every month, thanks to Kohl’s. Enjoy some kitschy and classic exhibits of natural history and modern anthropology before the museum moves location in early 2027.

Milwaukee Art Museum (700 N Art Museum Dr.) - Every Thursday, museum admission is pay-what-you-wish from 4pm - 8pm. Classical and modern collections, I recommend the excellent collection of 20th Century Haitian Art, one of the best in the world.

Boerner Botanical Gardens (9400 Boerner Dr., Hales Corners) - Free admission on the last Thursday of the month through October 2025. Also enjoy the Wednesday Garden Walks for just $5, tours at 6pm led by a different local expert each week.

Wehr Nature Center (9701 W College Ave, Franklin) - No admission, but parking (normally $5) is free on the last Thursday of each month.

Admittedly, the AC at these last two is not great, but just a few ideas to get you started on some summer fun that won’t break the bank.

July 1, 2025

Hello, I’m Joel! I began working with the Intuit team about a year ago, but my connection with Manpower Group goes back a bit longer. I was placed in a temporary position by Manpower in 2007, and ended up spending over a decade with the boutique private staffing firm in downtown Milwaukee. I’m originally from a small town in Southern Wisconsin, and have lived mainly around the Midwest since then: Minneapolis, Omaha, Chicago, and now here! I’m a fan of horror genre everything (especially zombies!), games of all sorts, and Nottingham Forest. I’ll cover Team Building Efforts for the newsletter.

The Team Building Focus Group is organizing a PrideLuck Potluck on July 3rd at noon in the Connection Point to celebrate the culmination of Pride Month and the Fourth of July holiday! Sign-ups for dishes were distributed via email, and everyone is encouraged to to wear either your favorite (work appropriate) All-American or Pride Colors gear for the day. In other news, Roselyn Colon has taken over running the Intuit Movie Club. For July, they are currently taking suggestions for a “Summer Themed Movie”, so feel free to send your suggestions in for their meet up later in July.

Sanger House Gardens

Just a short eleven minute walk out the front door of MPG HQ sits Sanger House Gardens, a delightful summer afternoon walk break destination for anyone seeking a new spot to spend some time amongst beautifully curated flower and plant gardens. Across the Schlitz Park lot, and a block north of the Lonchera El Tapatio Taco Truck, at 1823 N. Palmer Street, the Sanger House Gardens are open to the public every day between 8:30am until 6:00pm, except when they are hosting a special event (which is rare on weekdays!). The gardens were designed and built by Steve Bialk and Angela Duckert over the past 25 years, and the property itself has a rich Milwaukee history, as the former home of a Milwaukee County Sheriff and a Milwaukee Mayor! In recent years, Sanger Gardens has also offered up their Carriage House as a unique airBnB, so if you are hosting out of town guests, they’ll be close to work! I highly recommend a visit - well worth the walk up Brewer’s Hill (besides, it’s downhill on the way back to HQ!)

reply to ninguem

 I was delighted to find a post from the past few years that had started thinking in the direction I was going.  Here was my "original"* comment:

I have been thinking of this since reading Adam Becker's What is Real?

My thought is this: What if it is the exact same specific flaw (or oddity) in Human Consciousness that doesn't allow us to perceive time as 'just another dimension' (as the math of General Relativity demands) as a very similar [or related] flaw in Human Consciousness that doesn't allow us to perceive the multiverse as a similar [fifth] dimension?

what if human consciousness is limited by sense of time (NOW) one spot on the timeline, always moving steadily in one direction (the fourth dimension)

same with (HERE) in multiverse (not to be confused with (here) in our regular space, which is just where you are now) where it's one point on a line, but we are perpetually stuck in place (unlike time, where we are perpetually moving)

(that's the end of the comment... i was going to cut & paste it here and continue expanding it... but then i realized i'd LOST IT!!!! @*#&^@*&#^%*& when I cut & paste my own blog address into the comment questionnaire and tried to recreate it above with I think moderate success... ((@#%(&@%*(#^&)

Lesson Learned: "Don't Be Greedy!  Share your Thoughts"

[some more thoughts SOME MORE THOUGHTS some more thoughts]

- one directional) 

a smattering

 

soooooo..... this is is short list of some ideas I had been working on from the last post (in March 2025) until around late May 2025.

It is now just the end of June 2025, and I KNOW that I will not be coming back to this post and "gettin' UR done" as it were, so i think i'll just let it fly as is.  (as a bonus, for regular readers, if you'd like me to actually expand on any of the ideas here, I'll accept as poll voting any comments to this post and let me know what you want to hear about, and I'll do a full post about it in July 2025!)
also - keep an eye out for ANOTHER BIGGER POLL!!! coming to Roman Numeral J in July, upon which may hang the fate of the very universe itself...

abundance - the need for government to seed progress in areas that are inherently non-capitalist / anti-capitalist at a certain moment in time (Moon Shot / Operation Warp Speed / penicillin)

grit v. 80/20 - smart & hardworking vs. smart & lazy... 

Bill Maher's White House visit - radical grace (plus acknowledgement of performative politics)