Just Mesa'n around…

For those of you who missed it, here's my brief report from yet another unique, life-changing Mesa event.

So, there I am, sitting in the front row for the fourth installment of the Salk Science & Music Lecture Series, yappin’ it up with the lovely Ellen Salk. It’s no secret the cosmos shifted the day I met Peter, but the more time I spend with Ellen these days, masterminding a STEAM project featuring her artwork and Jean Isaac’s dancers, the more I realize that she is a force to be reckon with. Ellen is warm, welcoming, and insightful. This couple, these two forces, came into my life for a reason. Poised, gracious, down to earth. Ellen and Peter are so goddamn inspiring, and a delight to hang with.

And who is my date for this concert? Why, none other than my six-year-old wonder boy who has recently taken up the cello. While talking with Ellen and Peter, I remind Leo to be an angel. He quickly retorts, “Nope. Devil.” Gulp. And without fail, in walk Irwin and Joan Jacobs. Irwin takes the seat right next to my Leo. Double gulp. “Please don’t fuck up. Please don’t fuck up.” Oh wait, I mean, “Please make me proud.”

Then two gorgeous women dressed in black walk onto the stage and all those worries melt away. The stunning young redhead sits, cello between her legs, and begins to pluck and bow. You could see the muscles in her arms working. The passion running through her instrument and into our souls. The pianist, graceful and refined, begins to pound on the keys. Olivier Messiaen’s piece from his Quatuor pour la fin du Temps—piercing, flawless. Up close, we get to take in every move and facial expression of these beautiful artists. We sit transfixed, lost in pure rapture.

To snap us back to reality there were cookies and tea at intermission. And then the infamous science talk. Dr. Beverly Emerson gave a quick and witty presentation, holding our attention with concise explanations about her cancer research. She and her team have made several breakthroughs. Turns out the very drug that they thought would only be useful in advanced stages can also help precancerous cells from turning into cancer! I also found it fascinating that breast tissue used for research is donated anonymously by women undergoing breast reductions.

There are only two more concerts left in this season’s series. March 20 features a soprano. I’m most excited about April 24, when producer and pianist Karen Davis takes the stage. Won’t you join me? I’ll save you a seat in the front.

Food for thought…

A few months ago, while introducing two amazing women, we got on the topic of swear words. The two women agreed that they hated the use of foul language. One went so far as to claim cuss words were a sign of laziness and that people who used them should challenge themselves to search for better vocabulary. Are you fucking kidding me? Did they know who they were sitting next to? But it made me pause. And it made me stop and think.

I really, really love to say bad words. I mean, really. Just wish I had a British accent. After listening to these two women whom I adore immensely share their opinion, I couldn’t help but begin to do some major, what they call… self-reflec-shon…. Some intro-spec-shon. Had my vocabulary become so depleted and elementary? Or was I just being lazy?

I began to ask myself, how did I get this way? Could I change? Most importantly, did I want to change? Recently I have been hosting several gatherings, attending meetings with high-level execs/officials, and am slated to MC some high-profile events next month. So I’ve decided it's time to clean up my act. First, I have to identify the root of my inappropriateness. I love breaking rules. Born a maverick, I do get a high from pushing people’s limits—and if you tell me “not” to do something? Well… Second, I am thinking about my vocabulary. I went to college. I have a credential. Hell, I taught business courses. And then it hit me. Business talk is like a second language. Since graduating college, I have been surrounded by ESL learners, have been married to a foreigner for eleven years, and spent a great deal of time slingin’ Swieners in our local tasting rooms. And let’s not forget I grew up in the Bay. This hip-hop wannabe A-town gangsta can speak hella good Ebonics. Throw in Spanish, Portuguese, a dash of French and Italian… I constantly find myself getting stuck, searching for English vocab that just doesn’t rise to the surface.

How could I tap into all that prior knowledge? Did I still possess an extensive vocabulary that just happened to be buried deep below four letter words? So I thought about second language acquisition. Isn’t business English really just like learning a new language? Like a new dialect or slang? After attending a few events on the Mesa, I realized they are all using the same buzzwords. “Innovation," "Disruptive Conversations," "Catalyze,” ooooh… “Ecosystem.” I got this. It’s not that I didn’t have the capacity to understand what they were talking about. It was simply that I needed to re-acquaint myself with “smart talk” and learn the latest jargon. For those of us small business owners who don’t spend our days reading academic papers, attending fancy talks and sending chaste corporate e-mails, but rather spend days working with employees or bullshitting with customers… When you’re not in that world, you lose it fast. And if you never entered the corporate work world to begin with, formal is foreign.

So… in order to make a concerted effort to change my swearing ways and upgrade my vocab, I’ve decided to approach it by taking my own advice when teaching second language learners.

Step 1. Read, read, read. Best way to improve one’s vocabulary is always reading, without a dictionary.

Step 2. Total immersion. Attend events on the Mesa in which all the MCs and guest speakers use this “smart talk.”

Step 3. Become addicted to NPR. When I taught business English I remember giving up pop music to listen to Marketplace or Fresh Air. It worked. I’d head to class sounding like I could host the next episode of Morning Edition.

Step 4. Watch TEDx talks instead of House of Cards, Scandal and The Good Wife. For the record, those series have given me invaluable insight and preparation for the politics up on this Mesa…

Step 5. Stop drinking. Drinking makes you lazy. Lazy = swearing. I will need to find new intensifiers and modifiers. My “go to” has always been some version of the F-word. I mean, there was an actual ESL book written about the importance of understanding the word in different contexts—intensifier vs. insult. Perhaps I can just use “hella” in the interim.

The biggest question I want answered: If I start speaking like all the rest of these business peeps, will I start to lose “me” or will people actually start to respect me more? And if they respect me more, is it because I am now more like them? Speaking “their language?” Wish me luck.

Upcoming events (I'll be at the fun table…)

• A night with Jose Antonio Vargas: Race, Privilege and Immigration in the US
  Okay, this event just sounds rad! Vargas, who came clean in an essay in the New York Times in 2011 about his status, will be hanging out at UC San Diego February 25th and 26th. At a time when immigration is such a hot button for our oh-so entertaining presidential candidates, it will be fascinating to listen to this Pulitzer prize-winning journalist, filmmaker and immigration rights activist share his experiences. And no, he’s not from Mexico or the Middle East.
  February 25, 5-7 p.m., Price Center, UC San Diego
• NCI SBIR & STRR: Advancing the Commercialization of New Cancer Innovations
  Biocom strikes again, bringing you a fantastic opportunity to meet with Dr. Christie Canaria, Program Staff from the SBIR Development Center of the National Cancer Institute. The center provides funding, mentoring and networking for small businesses on track to produce next-generation cancer cure technologies. Grant opportunities, eligibility and pointers on how to submit your competitive research proposals are a few of the topics she’ll tackle.
  March 1, 8 a.m.-12 p.m.
• Springboard Happy Hour
  Free booze over at CONNECT Wednesday night. When did they get a bar? Current members and alumni from their Springboard Program, along with active CONNECT EIRs and mentors will be mixin’ and mingling while sharing their latest feats in the world of innovation. If you haven’t checked out CONNECT’s new digs, you should. They’re chillin’ over on the East side.
  March 2, 5:30-7:30 p.m., CONNECT

Tags: Blogs, Life on the Mesa