I called my friend Tami recently, and when I asked how she was doing she replied, "Living the Dream!"
The slightly tongue-in-cheek reply is one we have been using for a while. I believe it originally came from a barista at Tami's normal coffee stop. To the innocuous question of "how are you doing" tossed back and forth without real meaning, the barista replied that she was "living the dream". And on that morning, she was entirely serious.
She went on to list the good things going on in her life (health, family, friends, etc) and reiterated that she had nothing to complain about. Life was good.
It reminded me of another barista from several years ago. As I have mentioned several times, I am not a morning person. I stumbled into this Seattle's Best Coffee looking for a cup of joe for the drive to work. Like now, our job sites were scattered around the area, so my morning route was always a little different. I had stopped into this particular SBC a few times before, and the same gal was always running the show.
She was a ball of enthusiasm and radiated energy. It was not forced or superficial. She was also "living the dream", focusing on the positive and appreciating all life had to offer. She had been up for hours by the time I stumbled in, including a stop at the gym before work. I may have said this elsewhere, but it is amazing the affect of a smiling face first thing in the morning. I think I got as much of a boost from her positive energy as I did from the morning shot of caffeine.
I am still not a morning person, but I getting a better appreciation for that time of day. I had always preferred to run in the evenings after work, and do my homework late into the night. But things have changed down here. During the summer, I have been running in the mornings to avoid the heat of the day, and I have also been trying to write first thing in the morning before the day gets started.
It is still a struggle to get out of bed, but it is a great feeling to accomplish your daily goals before the day has a chance to go sideways. I have been up early the last couple of days to take care of some things before heading off to work. I have been grabbing my breakfast on the run again, and my local Starbucks knows my name from all the visits. And I am starting the day with a smiling, friendly face.
I am trying to return the favor and smile and wave to the first people I see each day, knowing that it could make a small difference. I may not be morning person, but I am trying the fake it 'til you make it method in the meantime.
March 31, 2011
March 27, 2011
One athlete, 30 sports, 30 days, 30 cities
My buddy Ryan forwarded this on to me, very loosely based on my quest for 30 days of exercise last month.
This guy Sam is travelling around the country learning and playing 30 different sports in 30 days. He wakes up each day and unzips the duffel bag to find out what sport he will play that day. A few of them, like swimming, he knows already, but in that episode he had to swim two and a half miles across the Hudson River to the Statue of Liberty.
Others like speed skating and boxing, he first takes a quick lesson before being thrown into the ring. There are also some pretty obscure sports like Octopush (underwater hockey) and Sepak Takraw (basically hacky sack volleyball). The final episode, which I haven't seen yet, has him running a marathon.
It is sponsored by EAS, a manufacturer of sport's nutrition, so there is a short product placement in each episode. But it is interesting to watch this guy tackle all these different challenges on back to back days. Day 3 was rugby, and he dealt with bumps, bruises and back pain for much of the challenge. The episode is below.
You can find all the episodes here.
This guy Sam is travelling around the country learning and playing 30 different sports in 30 days. He wakes up each day and unzips the duffel bag to find out what sport he will play that day. A few of them, like swimming, he knows already, but in that episode he had to swim two and a half miles across the Hudson River to the Statue of Liberty.
Others like speed skating and boxing, he first takes a quick lesson before being thrown into the ring. There are also some pretty obscure sports like Octopush (underwater hockey) and Sepak Takraw (basically hacky sack volleyball). The final episode, which I haven't seen yet, has him running a marathon.
It is sponsored by EAS, a manufacturer of sport's nutrition, so there is a short product placement in each episode. But it is interesting to watch this guy tackle all these different challenges on back to back days. Day 3 was rugby, and he dealt with bumps, bruises and back pain for much of the challenge. The episode is below.
You can find all the episodes here.
March 25, 2011
Quote of the day
Everyone else is growing and changing all the time, and that's not really my jam. I'm more of a fast-blinking, stoic, removed, uncomfortably self-aware type.
~ Abed on "Community"
March 24, 2011
Messing with the future(s)
The price of gas has finally leveled off at $3.91 at the Arco by my house. It is the cheapest in town, and other stations are already over the $4 mark. Prices often fluctuate through the year, but it was surprising how stable the price was over the last year. It seemed to fluctuate between $2.97 and $3.03 forever. It has shot up over the past couple of months, and with my long commute, it puts a pretty big dent in the wallet.
There was a Seattle Times article a couple of weeks ago that tried to explain all that goes into gas prices. It does not follow strict supply and demand pressures, as most of the oil producing countries collude to set prices. The article mentions that the price of a barrel of oil is influenced not only by supply and demand, but geopolitics, the value of the dollar, and even weather.
It went on to say that the local gas station owner does not have much control over pricing. They are limited by the wholesale rack rate that can change every 24 hours, as well as what the station across the street is charging. Most live on margins of a few pennies a gallon. Like movie theaters, gas station operators make most of their money on the snacks we buy.
One major factor of pricing that was not mentioned in the article is the speculative market. Companies can buy oil futures to lock in pricing for large deliveries months down the line. This helps them smooth out pricing and allows for a little planning stability. Airlines are major buyers for example.
But I have read that up to 80% of the people who buy oil futures never have any intention of taking delivery. They are just speculators, gambling whether prices will go up or down. They not only fuel dramatic swings in the price of oil and gas, alternately creating and bursting bubbles, but they make an already unnatural market all that more insane. A butterfly farts halfway around the world, and the price of a gallon of gas goes up 30%.
A prime example of this was the spike in oil prices in 2008. With no sudden geopolitical instabilities, and no major shifts in supply or demand (demand was actually off, which would reduce prices in a normal market), the price for a barrel of oil shot up over 60% to peak at $147 before crashing back down to $40 by the end of the year. And while speculators gambled up the value of oil, we paid for it at the pump.
Like the unnatural market of credit default swaps that nearly brought down our economy, the oil futures market is similarly out of hand. Credit default swaps are essentially insurance against loss on an investment. But as an extra perversion to give them something else to bet on, people are allowed to take out insurance on things they don't even own. It would be like me taking out insurance on your house, betting that you would fall asleep while smoking and burn it down. Actually it would be like a hundred people taking out insurance on your house.
The size of the credit default swap (or insurance) market far exceeded the value of what was being insured. At $50 trillion dollars, it was three times the size of everything produced in the U.S., and larger than all the U.S credit markets put together. When the bubble burst, it just about took down the world economy. By comparison, while the speculators were pumping up the oil bubble in 2008, the average trading volume in oil futures was about 15 times the daily world production of oil.
Wall Street continues to make up new ways to gamble like Vegas does with the Super Bowl (although at a better tax rate). It has long since perverted the purpose of gathering together investment capital to help companies grow, and allowing the investing public to share in that growth. They continue to make up things to gamble on, and the ramifications of these bubbles spread far and wide to we little people just trying to get by. While they pump up bubbles of imaginary value, the cost of doing business goes up, prices increase, and it is more expensive for us to drive to our jobs where our paychecks are not similarly increasing.
This is a form of trickle down economics that actually works, but what is trickling down to us near the bottom is not money, but something much more foul smelling.
There was a Seattle Times article a couple of weeks ago that tried to explain all that goes into gas prices. It does not follow strict supply and demand pressures, as most of the oil producing countries collude to set prices. The article mentions that the price of a barrel of oil is influenced not only by supply and demand, but geopolitics, the value of the dollar, and even weather.
It went on to say that the local gas station owner does not have much control over pricing. They are limited by the wholesale rack rate that can change every 24 hours, as well as what the station across the street is charging. Most live on margins of a few pennies a gallon. Like movie theaters, gas station operators make most of their money on the snacks we buy.
One major factor of pricing that was not mentioned in the article is the speculative market. Companies can buy oil futures to lock in pricing for large deliveries months down the line. This helps them smooth out pricing and allows for a little planning stability. Airlines are major buyers for example.
But I have read that up to 80% of the people who buy oil futures never have any intention of taking delivery. They are just speculators, gambling whether prices will go up or down. They not only fuel dramatic swings in the price of oil and gas, alternately creating and bursting bubbles, but they make an already unnatural market all that more insane. A butterfly farts halfway around the world, and the price of a gallon of gas goes up 30%.
A prime example of this was the spike in oil prices in 2008. With no sudden geopolitical instabilities, and no major shifts in supply or demand (demand was actually off, which would reduce prices in a normal market), the price for a barrel of oil shot up over 60% to peak at $147 before crashing back down to $40 by the end of the year. And while speculators gambled up the value of oil, we paid for it at the pump.
Like the unnatural market of credit default swaps that nearly brought down our economy, the oil futures market is similarly out of hand. Credit default swaps are essentially insurance against loss on an investment. But as an extra perversion to give them something else to bet on, people are allowed to take out insurance on things they don't even own. It would be like me taking out insurance on your house, betting that you would fall asleep while smoking and burn it down. Actually it would be like a hundred people taking out insurance on your house.
The size of the credit default swap (or insurance) market far exceeded the value of what was being insured. At $50 trillion dollars, it was three times the size of everything produced in the U.S., and larger than all the U.S credit markets put together. When the bubble burst, it just about took down the world economy. By comparison, while the speculators were pumping up the oil bubble in 2008, the average trading volume in oil futures was about 15 times the daily world production of oil.
Wall Street continues to make up new ways to gamble like Vegas does with the Super Bowl (although at a better tax rate). It has long since perverted the purpose of gathering together investment capital to help companies grow, and allowing the investing public to share in that growth. They continue to make up things to gamble on, and the ramifications of these bubbles spread far and wide to we little people just trying to get by. While they pump up bubbles of imaginary value, the cost of doing business goes up, prices increase, and it is more expensive for us to drive to our jobs where our paychecks are not similarly increasing.
This is a form of trickle down economics that actually works, but what is trickling down to us near the bottom is not money, but something much more foul smelling.
March 22, 2011
Quote of the day
The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The next best time is now.
~ Chinese proverb
See also:
Building light rail in Seattle.
Fixing the Viaduct.
Making adjustments to Social Security.
Quiting smoking.
Exercising/eating better.
Reducing emissions and pollution.
Global warming prevention.
Increasing fuel efficiency/reducing dependence on oil.
Saving for retirement.
March 21, 2011
Never rains but it pours
I no longer look at the weather report, even though I work outside most days. It just seems kind of pointless down here. There are rarely any big swings in temperature, and the occasional rain is nothing I haven't seen before. I have left the house under-dressed a couple of times, but apparently not often enough to change my behavior.
When I saw a friend post this on Facebook yesterday, I thought, "Really?"
L.A. Marathon: Thousands evaluated for hypothermia
The weather system reached San Diego at around 9:00pm last night, and it was impressive. High winds pushed the torrential rain sideways, and water cascaded off the gutterless roof like a waterfall. I stood under the cover of the front porch and watched the palm trees get knocked around in the roar of noise. It was cool, but I was glad to not be stuck out in it.
I had a friend who was going to try to qualify for Boston at the L.A. Marathon yesterday. I kept looking for his results online, but it just showed that he started around 7:45am and nothing else. Turns out it was a glitch, and he wasn't there at all. He opted to not run, knowing that the conditions would make it nearly impossible for him to qualify. And he said the decision not to run was, "one of the best decisions I have made in 2011!"
Rough start on the first day of spring.
When I saw a friend post this on Facebook yesterday, I thought, "Really?"
OK, so the weather will be a huge test of character today for all the LA Marathon runners...I'm thinking of you my friends!Weather in L.A. a test of character? "Wimps", I thought. And for the hundredth time this month, I didn't know what I was talking about.
L.A. Marathon: Thousands evaluated for hypothermia
The weather system reached San Diego at around 9:00pm last night, and it was impressive. High winds pushed the torrential rain sideways, and water cascaded off the gutterless roof like a waterfall. I stood under the cover of the front porch and watched the palm trees get knocked around in the roar of noise. It was cool, but I was glad to not be stuck out in it.
I had a friend who was going to try to qualify for Boston at the L.A. Marathon yesterday. I kept looking for his results online, but it just showed that he started around 7:45am and nothing else. Turns out it was a glitch, and he wasn't there at all. He opted to not run, knowing that the conditions would make it nearly impossible for him to qualify. And he said the decision not to run was, "one of the best decisions I have made in 2011!"
Rough start on the first day of spring.
March 20, 2011
Still in it together
One of the big advantages of running is that you can do it almost anywhere, and with a minimum of (necessary) equipment. Biking is much safer and efficient if you can find a route of quiet roads, but running isn't as dependent on location. You can just step out your door and start running. No need to head to the gym or plot out a map. As long as you have 30 minutes free, you can fit a run in to all but the busiest of schedules.
But until race day, running is a pretty solitary sport. Biking is much more social. It is easier to chat while riding, and differences in pace don't seem as pronounced as they are in running. Bike riding seems more like an event than a workout, and since it generally takes more time, people are more likely to set aside time to do it with friends.
I had a close knit running group back in Seattle, Team Drunken Promise. Although others have joined in for certain races, the core of the group is made up of four people - Cherie, Tami, Wendy and myself. We have run a few marathons, several half marathons and a 190 mile relay run together. At one point I was dubbed 'coach' since I had done the most research on training, but now I am 'Charlie' to my 'Angels'.
We are all planning on running the Seattle Rock n Roll Half Marathon at the end of June, hopefully with a few more friends joining in on the fun. A few people asked me to draw up a training schedule both for the half and full marathon, so though we aren't all running together, we are still sort of connected on the calendar. Cherie and Wendy have been sending me text messages to update me on their training, and those simple messages keep me further in the loop.
My running has been a little uninspired lately. I have been getting in the miles, but I don't feel as connected to the training as I have been. I haven't been eating as well either, so I am feeling a little fat and slow. My running pace is actually decent, but I can't shake the feeling of being out of shape. I will be running the Carlsbad 5000 in two weeks and it is anybody's guess how that will go.
After getting the text messages yesterday, I felt like I needed to get focused for the team. It felt like I should be taking the training schedule as seriously as they are, especially since I wrote it. I went on a six mile run this morning, and it felt pretty good. It was actually cool and blustery, so it felt a little like Seattle (though I did avoid the rain). I held a good pace throughout, and the final mile was the fastest.
Connections to other people chasing after the same goal can make all the difference. Even 160 characters at a time.
But until race day, running is a pretty solitary sport. Biking is much more social. It is easier to chat while riding, and differences in pace don't seem as pronounced as they are in running. Bike riding seems more like an event than a workout, and since it generally takes more time, people are more likely to set aside time to do it with friends.
I had a close knit running group back in Seattle, Team Drunken Promise. Although others have joined in for certain races, the core of the group is made up of four people - Cherie, Tami, Wendy and myself. We have run a few marathons, several half marathons and a 190 mile relay run together. At one point I was dubbed 'coach' since I had done the most research on training, but now I am 'Charlie' to my 'Angels'.
We are all planning on running the Seattle Rock n Roll Half Marathon at the end of June, hopefully with a few more friends joining in on the fun. A few people asked me to draw up a training schedule both for the half and full marathon, so though we aren't all running together, we are still sort of connected on the calendar. Cherie and Wendy have been sending me text messages to update me on their training, and those simple messages keep me further in the loop.
My running has been a little uninspired lately. I have been getting in the miles, but I don't feel as connected to the training as I have been. I haven't been eating as well either, so I am feeling a little fat and slow. My running pace is actually decent, but I can't shake the feeling of being out of shape. I will be running the Carlsbad 5000 in two weeks and it is anybody's guess how that will go.
After getting the text messages yesterday, I felt like I needed to get focused for the team. It felt like I should be taking the training schedule as seriously as they are, especially since I wrote it. I went on a six mile run this morning, and it felt pretty good. It was actually cool and blustery, so it felt a little like Seattle (though I did avoid the rain). I held a good pace throughout, and the final mile was the fastest.
Connections to other people chasing after the same goal can make all the difference. Even 160 characters at a time.
March 19, 2011
March 16, 2011
The Patriot Guard has arrived
In an 8-1 decision, the Supreme Court held that the Westboro Baptist "Church" is within its rights of free speech to spew anti-gay venom outside military funerals. I put quote marks around church because the congregation seems to be made up almost entirely of relatives of Fred Phelps.
I hesitate to give them any more notice than the media seeking idiots deserve, but a friend passed along a great video today. Of course we do not have to sit and listen to the hate-speech they shout, but if even a whisper reaches the ears of the grieving family in their moment of pain, it is more than enough. They are simply trying to bury their loved one, who gave his or her life in service of their country.
With the help of some veteran supporters, the grieving family doesn't have to tune the "protesters" out. They are blocked and drowned out by men and women who have served our country and know what that sacrifice means.
The video
I hesitate to give them any more notice than the media seeking idiots deserve, but a friend passed along a great video today. Of course we do not have to sit and listen to the hate-speech they shout, but if even a whisper reaches the ears of the grieving family in their moment of pain, it is more than enough. They are simply trying to bury their loved one, who gave his or her life in service of their country.
With the help of some veteran supporters, the grieving family doesn't have to tune the "protesters" out. They are blocked and drowned out by men and women who have served our country and know what that sacrifice means.
The video
March 14, 2011
Manual focus
It looked like everyone in San Diego was getting new carpet last week.
Several days in a row, I drove behind pickup trucks filled with rolls of carpeting. Most looked like they were hauling away old stuff, but there were a few trucks with shiny new stuff as well. Maybe there was a sale at Penny's!
About a year ago, Sean and I were working for about a month up in the Huntington Beach area. It was a really long commute from San Diego, so there was plenty of time to "sight see". One morning, I mentioned how odd it was to see a truck delivering Audis every day. Sean looked at me like I was crazy. But once I pointed it out, we saw a truck with shrink-wrapped Audis heading north nearly every day for a month.
It was just so odd to see so many Audis being shipped when it seemed that few people were buying any cars at that point (much less luxury models). We started imagining they were shipping something else in the trunks of the cars.
Of course, there are probably as many carpet trucks out every other week, and maybe we were just traveling at the same time as the daily shipment of Audis. But once you start noticing something, your mind keys in on it and you start seeing it everywhere.
Our minds have to filter out most everything we see (or at least push it down to the subconscious), otherwise we would be constantly overloaded with information. It tends to let the expected stuff fall to the background and key in on the unusual or out of place. But with some practice, we can still register the ordinary, yet beautiful things that cross our path.
Beyond the monthly resolutions, one of the things I wanted to do this year was take a picture every day. I wanted to start tuning into my surroundings and see some of the things I had been missing. I did great through January and February, but lost the habit the past couple weeks. I need to get refocused so I start noticing the beauty again, and not the delivery trucks.
Several days in a row, I drove behind pickup trucks filled with rolls of carpeting. Most looked like they were hauling away old stuff, but there were a few trucks with shiny new stuff as well. Maybe there was a sale at Penny's!
About a year ago, Sean and I were working for about a month up in the Huntington Beach area. It was a really long commute from San Diego, so there was plenty of time to "sight see". One morning, I mentioned how odd it was to see a truck delivering Audis every day. Sean looked at me like I was crazy. But once I pointed it out, we saw a truck with shrink-wrapped Audis heading north nearly every day for a month.
It was just so odd to see so many Audis being shipped when it seemed that few people were buying any cars at that point (much less luxury models). We started imagining they were shipping something else in the trunks of the cars.
Of course, there are probably as many carpet trucks out every other week, and maybe we were just traveling at the same time as the daily shipment of Audis. But once you start noticing something, your mind keys in on it and you start seeing it everywhere.
Our minds have to filter out most everything we see (or at least push it down to the subconscious), otherwise we would be constantly overloaded with information. It tends to let the expected stuff fall to the background and key in on the unusual or out of place. But with some practice, we can still register the ordinary, yet beautiful things that cross our path.
Beyond the monthly resolutions, one of the things I wanted to do this year was take a picture every day. I wanted to start tuning into my surroundings and see some of the things I had been missing. I did great through January and February, but lost the habit the past couple weeks. I need to get refocused so I start noticing the beauty again, and not the delivery trucks.
March 13, 2011
Quote of the day
I am ready to meet my maker, but whether my maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter.
~Winston Churchill
March 11, 2011
Surreal
I get my news almost solely from newspapers. I prefer its static nature over the rolling headlines of online news, and I gave up on televised news long before it became a shouting match of hyperbole. But it does keep me a day behind on most things, and for certain stories, there is nothing like seeing video coverage.
With my newspaper tendencies, and the online world being what it is, I found out about the earthquake and tsunami in Japan on Facebook. A friend posted this video of the wave of destruction, and there are simply no words to describe the scale of the water's damage. You just have to see it to believe it.
Our thoughts and prayers to everyone caught in the path of destruction.
With my newspaper tendencies, and the online world being what it is, I found out about the earthquake and tsunami in Japan on Facebook. A friend posted this video of the wave of destruction, and there are simply no words to describe the scale of the water's damage. You just have to see it to believe it.
Our thoughts and prayers to everyone caught in the path of destruction.
March 8, 2011
Incredible journeys
I just saw the end of a couple of epic journeys last night.
I finished up the book, Without a Paddle: Racing Twelve Hundred Miles Around Florida by Sea Kayak
by Warren Richey. From GoodReads.com:
The author does a nice job describing the challenges he faced racing around the clock, covering 1200 miles in a kayak. The race is a free-for-all of fatigue and sleep deprivation. Along the way, he looks back on his past failures, but spends as much time planning for his future. It sounds like a pretty incredible race and the book does a good job of taking you there.
Then tonight we watched a movie called 10mph
. Two friends drop out of the corporate, cubicle life, move to Denver and start a production company. Then they come up with the movie concept - they would ride a Segway
across America, from Seattle to Boston.
They run into plenty of obstacles and have to constantly scrounge for cash to pull off the 100 day trip. The movie is an entertaining look at the not only crazy way they decide to cover the 4,000 miles, but the characters and places they see along the way. They end up meeting many great people who support them and take them in. I thought it was great.
I finished up the book, Without a Paddle: Racing Twelve Hundred Miles Around Florida by Sea Kayak
by Warren Richey. From GoodReads.com:As far as Warren Richey knew, his life was on course. A reporter with a beautiful wife and talented son, Richey couldn’t imagine how it could be any better....Then his marriage falls apart and he can’t imagine how it could be any worse.
The divorce leaves Richey questioning everything, while struggling to find a way forward. To get his bearings, he enters the first Ultimate Florida Challenge, an all-out twelve-hundred-mile kayak race around Florida.The race is literally around Florida in any a boat without a engine. Ten participants start out in Tampa, travel south around the Keys, then head north along the east coast. Of course Florida is peninsula not an island. The racers have to paddle upstream on a winding river toward the center of the state, carry their boats overland for 40 miles, and then head downstream on another river to reach the Gulf of Mexico once more.
The author does a nice job describing the challenges he faced racing around the clock, covering 1200 miles in a kayak. The race is a free-for-all of fatigue and sleep deprivation. Along the way, he looks back on his past failures, but spends as much time planning for his future. It sounds like a pretty incredible race and the book does a good job of taking you there.
Then tonight we watched a movie called 10mph
. Two friends drop out of the corporate, cubicle life, move to Denver and start a production company. Then they come up with the movie concept - they would ride a Segway across America, from Seattle to Boston.They run into plenty of obstacles and have to constantly scrounge for cash to pull off the 100 day trip. The movie is an entertaining look at the not only crazy way they decide to cover the 4,000 miles, but the characters and places they see along the way. They end up meeting many great people who support them and take them in. I thought it was great.
"If I had the chance now, I would ask him: Where did you find the strength and courage to keep moving? In many ways it is the obstacles that define the man. How far you walked is not nearly as revealing as how far you crawled." ~ From Without a Paddle.
"...why not live it up, take the risk and do the thing that you're supposed to do." ~ Hunter and Josh from 10mph
March 7, 2011
Listening, learning and loving it
If there is one thing I am thankful to Apple for in their quest for magical-device world domination, it is podcasts. No, they didn't invent them any more than they invented music, but their device and store have made listening to them about as easy as possible.
I have been listening to podcasts for a couple of years now. During marathon training months, I burn through podcast episodes, and now with a one-hour commute, I was running out of podcasts and subscribed to more. Then work slowed down and the podcasts began to pile up. Somehow, this thing I enjoyed so much became this looming obligation or chore to get through. Something had to give, and it was the podcasts. I whittled down the list to only ones I really look forward to hearing. I still listen to about 20 of them regularly, but many are short and only post once a week or so.
One of the ones I am enjoying the most is a recent find. It is called Writing Excuses. Three published authors get together about once a week to discuss a variety of topics. The topics are interesting and helpful, and they don't take themselves too seriously. The tagline is "Writing Excuses: Fifteen minutes long, because you're in a hurry, and we're not that smart" if that gives you some idea. The latest year is on iTunes, but I have been downloading the earlier seasons from their website.
The episode I listened to today was season 2, episode 19 "Do Creative Writing Classes Help?". Toward the end, one of the authors was speaking about his college experience. He only took a few credits during his last quarter, and regrets not doing what his friend did. The friend took 18 credits his last quarter, even though he needed only four to graduate. He filled up the other hours with a machine shop class, a pottery class, and others that had nothing to do with his major.
When asked why, he said that he had an opportunity to take classes worth thousands of dollars in the private world, for much less on campus. The authors went on to recommend pursuing many interests in order to bring a wealth of experience to your writing. But the story made me think of something different.
I did the same sort of thing during my last quarter in college. I was pursuing a business degree and focusing in on accounting. By taking the accounting route, my courses were pretty much determined for the last two years. During my last quarter, I had to take about 18 credits in order to graduate. Three of the classes had to be in accounting, but I finally had some leeway to chose two elective classes. I ended up taking an American Indian Studies writing class and a poetry class. They were great, and boy did I look forward to them after the 400 level accounting classes.
And then I thought about the discussion a friend had last year on gifts vs talents, the pursuit of bliss and what might be holding us back. You can follow the link to the discussion, but he made the distinction between talents and gifts by saying something like, "talents are something you are good at, where having a 'gift' means you are both good at it and it brings you fulfillment".
I am good at math, have an interest in business, and am skilled in the organizational structure reflected in accounting. But I think during that last quarter of college I knew that I would find bliss elsewhere. I don't know that I have a gift at writing, but I'm excited to learn more, and I do find fulfillment in it. I would love to get paid for my bliss, but I need to pursue it no matter what.
I have been listening to podcasts for a couple of years now. During marathon training months, I burn through podcast episodes, and now with a one-hour commute, I was running out of podcasts and subscribed to more. Then work slowed down and the podcasts began to pile up. Somehow, this thing I enjoyed so much became this looming obligation or chore to get through. Something had to give, and it was the podcasts. I whittled down the list to only ones I really look forward to hearing. I still listen to about 20 of them regularly, but many are short and only post once a week or so.
One of the ones I am enjoying the most is a recent find. It is called Writing Excuses. Three published authors get together about once a week to discuss a variety of topics. The topics are interesting and helpful, and they don't take themselves too seriously. The tagline is "Writing Excuses: Fifteen minutes long, because you're in a hurry, and we're not that smart" if that gives you some idea. The latest year is on iTunes, but I have been downloading the earlier seasons from their website.
The episode I listened to today was season 2, episode 19 "Do Creative Writing Classes Help?". Toward the end, one of the authors was speaking about his college experience. He only took a few credits during his last quarter, and regrets not doing what his friend did. The friend took 18 credits his last quarter, even though he needed only four to graduate. He filled up the other hours with a machine shop class, a pottery class, and others that had nothing to do with his major.
When asked why, he said that he had an opportunity to take classes worth thousands of dollars in the private world, for much less on campus. The authors went on to recommend pursuing many interests in order to bring a wealth of experience to your writing. But the story made me think of something different.
I did the same sort of thing during my last quarter in college. I was pursuing a business degree and focusing in on accounting. By taking the accounting route, my courses were pretty much determined for the last two years. During my last quarter, I had to take about 18 credits in order to graduate. Three of the classes had to be in accounting, but I finally had some leeway to chose two elective classes. I ended up taking an American Indian Studies writing class and a poetry class. They were great, and boy did I look forward to them after the 400 level accounting classes.
And then I thought about the discussion a friend had last year on gifts vs talents, the pursuit of bliss and what might be holding us back. You can follow the link to the discussion, but he made the distinction between talents and gifts by saying something like, "talents are something you are good at, where having a 'gift' means you are both good at it and it brings you fulfillment".
I am good at math, have an interest in business, and am skilled in the organizational structure reflected in accounting. But I think during that last quarter of college I knew that I would find bliss elsewhere. I don't know that I have a gift at writing, but I'm excited to learn more, and I do find fulfillment in it. I would love to get paid for my bliss, but I need to pursue it no matter what.
March 5, 2011
the3six5posterous
Today was my day to post over at the3six5posterous.com. 365 different authors throughout the year, 365 words or less. You can check it out here.
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Now re-posted here
Woke up out of breath again. I don’t get enough out of sleep, and sometimes wake gasping like I’m surfacing after being underwater too long.
I find my early-rising roomie has been busy for hours, tearing apart rooms to clean. My dog is a morning pup as well, and I wake up to the sound of her nails tap-dancing on the hardwood floors in anticipation of breakfast. I am not a morning person. I am still half asleep, surrounded by activity. I need coffee. And a shave. And a haircut.
I’ve been down in San Diego for about a year now. After 40-odd years in the rainy northwest, I now wake to sunny winter mornings and good running weather year round. The move south was both to help a friend and for my own recovery. A period of rest after a couple of hard years. The sun has been a tonic, and I have found renewal that I don’t find in my daily sleep.
My mind is still scattered -- I had to go buy shaving gel before showering this morning -- but there is a base of clarity that I haven’t had in some time. I look less at the mistakes of the past, and more toward the promise of the future.
I had to leave behind the security of family and friends I have known most of my life, but I still think the move was the right thing to do. Sometimes just breaking a routine allows you to see the world in a whole new way. But I have tried to take advantage of this time away as much as possible. I have fostered and deepened newer relationships, and even wrote a novel, (available for sale nowhere).
Yesterday I spent the afternoon in the sun with my close friend and coworker, and today we gather to toast his birthday. Even though we work together, it is in these times away from the routine of our lives that we delve deeper into the mystery of life. It is these moments of rest and reflection that frame the relative chaos of our lives, and give us the strength to grow.
If I could just get some sleep.
____________________
About the author: Sean Day lives in the best climate on earth, but still misses the rain sometimes. He tries to write his way out of corners a ViewsFromTwoWheels.
* And of course, that novel is now available for sale here. And here.
---
Now re-posted here
Woke up out of breath again. I don’t get enough out of sleep, and sometimes wake gasping like I’m surfacing after being underwater too long.
I find my early-rising roomie has been busy for hours, tearing apart rooms to clean. My dog is a morning pup as well, and I wake up to the sound of her nails tap-dancing on the hardwood floors in anticipation of breakfast. I am not a morning person. I am still half asleep, surrounded by activity. I need coffee. And a shave. And a haircut.
I’ve been down in San Diego for about a year now. After 40-odd years in the rainy northwest, I now wake to sunny winter mornings and good running weather year round. The move south was both to help a friend and for my own recovery. A period of rest after a couple of hard years. The sun has been a tonic, and I have found renewal that I don’t find in my daily sleep.
My mind is still scattered -- I had to go buy shaving gel before showering this morning -- but there is a base of clarity that I haven’t had in some time. I look less at the mistakes of the past, and more toward the promise of the future.
I had to leave behind the security of family and friends I have known most of my life, but I still think the move was the right thing to do. Sometimes just breaking a routine allows you to see the world in a whole new way. But I have tried to take advantage of this time away as much as possible. I have fostered and deepened newer relationships, and even wrote a novel, (available for sale nowhere).
Yesterday I spent the afternoon in the sun with my close friend and coworker, and today we gather to toast his birthday. Even though we work together, it is in these times away from the routine of our lives that we delve deeper into the mystery of life. It is these moments of rest and reflection that frame the relative chaos of our lives, and give us the strength to grow.
If I could just get some sleep.
____________________
About the author: Sean Day lives in the best climate on earth, but still misses the rain sometimes. He tries to write his way out of corners a ViewsFromTwoWheels.
* And of course, that novel is now available for sale here. And here.
A novel approach
I found myself in a novel. Or rather in writing one.
As I have mentioned, I started with little more than an opening scene, and wrote my way into the story. This flying by the seat of your pants technique is often called 'discovery writing'. Without an outline, you simply discover the story as it comes to you. Hopefully along the meandering path, you find a good story and satisfying ending.
And it appears that this is the way I have lived my life on some level. I do not have a five year plan, and rarely think much farther out than the coming year. There are several people in my life that knew what they wanted, and have spent considerable time and effort to reach their goal. They are the river carving their path through the landscape, where I am generally the piece of driftwood finding my path by bouncing off obstacles along the way.
It is not for lack of caring or an absence of core beliefs. I feel rooted in who I am, if not where I am headed. It is probably over-thinking all the possible implications that has kept me from forging ahead. I have talked myself out of many things, seeking the slower waters to ponder the rapids. The time crunch of the novel writing contest left little time to over-think.
In discovery writing, you follow inspiration along a twisting path and hope that it leads somewhere promising. You have the freedom to explore, always knowing that you will go back and edit it later. But of course there are no rewrites in life to take out the wrong turns, no matter how badly you want to erase them. So today, I am trying to develop an outline of my future, while at the same time, forging ahead on a new adventure unsure of where it is headed.
But this drifting path has led me to interesting places and introduced me to some wonderful people. And if my one plan for the future had worked out, I would not be on this current adventure, and I would not be sharing a home-brewed beer with a friend on his birthday.
So cheers to our futures, however you chose to write them.
As I have mentioned, I started with little more than an opening scene, and wrote my way into the story. This flying by the seat of your pants technique is often called 'discovery writing'. Without an outline, you simply discover the story as it comes to you. Hopefully along the meandering path, you find a good story and satisfying ending.
And it appears that this is the way I have lived my life on some level. I do not have a five year plan, and rarely think much farther out than the coming year. There are several people in my life that knew what they wanted, and have spent considerable time and effort to reach their goal. They are the river carving their path through the landscape, where I am generally the piece of driftwood finding my path by bouncing off obstacles along the way.
It is not for lack of caring or an absence of core beliefs. I feel rooted in who I am, if not where I am headed. It is probably over-thinking all the possible implications that has kept me from forging ahead. I have talked myself out of many things, seeking the slower waters to ponder the rapids. The time crunch of the novel writing contest left little time to over-think.
In discovery writing, you follow inspiration along a twisting path and hope that it leads somewhere promising. You have the freedom to explore, always knowing that you will go back and edit it later. But of course there are no rewrites in life to take out the wrong turns, no matter how badly you want to erase them. So today, I am trying to develop an outline of my future, while at the same time, forging ahead on a new adventure unsure of where it is headed.
But this drifting path has led me to interesting places and introduced me to some wonderful people. And if my one plan for the future had worked out, I would not be on this current adventure, and I would not be sharing a home-brewed beer with a friend on his birthday.
So cheers to our futures, however you chose to write them.
March 4, 2011
Potential vs Kinetic
In science, 'work' has a whole different meaning. The equation is:
Then there are two different types of energy - Kinetic and Potential. The kinetic energy of an object is the energy which it possesses due to its motion. Relating it back to 'work', it is the amount of energy it takes to move an object from rest to the desired velocity.
Potential energy is essentially stored energy. For example, when you pull back on a bow string, you are storing energy to shoot an arrow forward later (rather than just immediately throwing it).
Where am I going with all this. I don't know, and that is sort of the problem.
We all have these ideas and plans floating around in our head, but in a sense, they are not real until there is some forward motion. In the end, it is not really the thought that counts, but what we do to act on it. In a scientific sense, the energy we expend on the ideas before moving forward should manifest when we are ready, but of course we humans are fallible, leaky systems.
Some of us (me) think a little too long before acting, and energy is wasted in the delay. Others act impulsively, losing no energy I suppose. But while the results may be technically 'work', in a human sense, without thought and direction, it is probably wasted energy.
Back to the things floating around in my head (focus!). While working, running or driving, ideas percolate in the background. Occasionally, I think I've come upon a brilliant insight or some new way of thinking about a problem. Wheels are turning, synapses are firing, and I can't wait to explore it further.
Sometimes though, when I get around to putting pen to paper, it turns out the idea that was flying through my head wasn't really going anywhere. Just going in circles like a car doing donuts in a parking lot - foot down on the accelerator and burning rubber, but getting nowhere. The arrow doesn't fly to the target, but just falls weakly to the ground.
I think that letting ideas percolate for some time before acting on them usually produces better results. But ideas locked away in our heads do little good until they are acted upon. And most aren't fully formed until we share and explain them to others, so we don't know what we have until they're expressed.
I need to stop letting so many thoughts bounce around in my head for so long. After a certain point, they aren't getting any better, and if they are junk, I need to figure that out as well. And if there were fewer competing for attention, they might be better formed, and I would almost certainly get more sleep.
They don't have to be perfect, they don't have to be profound, but they need to be either expressed or forgotten. Move away from just having potential, and into forward motion. And get some actual work done.
Work = (Force applied) x (Displacement in the direction of the force)Looking at the above formula, it appears there has to be movement for work to occur. Bad news for those with desk jobs.
Then there are two different types of energy - Kinetic and Potential. The kinetic energy of an object is the energy which it possesses due to its motion. Relating it back to 'work', it is the amount of energy it takes to move an object from rest to the desired velocity.
Potential energy is essentially stored energy. For example, when you pull back on a bow string, you are storing energy to shoot an arrow forward later (rather than just immediately throwing it).
Where am I going with all this. I don't know, and that is sort of the problem.
We all have these ideas and plans floating around in our head, but in a sense, they are not real until there is some forward motion. In the end, it is not really the thought that counts, but what we do to act on it. In a scientific sense, the energy we expend on the ideas before moving forward should manifest when we are ready, but of course we humans are fallible, leaky systems.
Some of us (me) think a little too long before acting, and energy is wasted in the delay. Others act impulsively, losing no energy I suppose. But while the results may be technically 'work', in a human sense, without thought and direction, it is probably wasted energy.
Back to the things floating around in my head (focus!). While working, running or driving, ideas percolate in the background. Occasionally, I think I've come upon a brilliant insight or some new way of thinking about a problem. Wheels are turning, synapses are firing, and I can't wait to explore it further.
Sometimes though, when I get around to putting pen to paper, it turns out the idea that was flying through my head wasn't really going anywhere. Just going in circles like a car doing donuts in a parking lot - foot down on the accelerator and burning rubber, but getting nowhere. The arrow doesn't fly to the target, but just falls weakly to the ground.
I think that letting ideas percolate for some time before acting on them usually produces better results. But ideas locked away in our heads do little good until they are acted upon. And most aren't fully formed until we share and explain them to others, so we don't know what we have until they're expressed.
I need to stop letting so many thoughts bounce around in my head for so long. After a certain point, they aren't getting any better, and if they are junk, I need to figure that out as well. And if there were fewer competing for attention, they might be better formed, and I would almost certainly get more sleep.
They don't have to be perfect, they don't have to be profound, but they need to be either expressed or forgotten. Move away from just having potential, and into forward motion. And get some actual work done.
You can't build a reputation on what you are going to do.
~ Henry Ford
March 3, 2011
Quote of the day
I like living. I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable, racked with sorrow, but through it all I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing.
~ Agatha Christie
March 2, 2011
Resolution check in
click to enlarge
Carrying on with the resolution a month theme, February's was to work out every day. As mentioned earlier, I went 27 for 28 days, which is just fine.
Part of the reason for choosing this resolution was in the hopes of developing a habit of working out, even without an event on the horizon to force the issue. To stay in shape for the sake of staying in shape. There was some success, but of course the resolution itself sort of forced the issue. And at times it became a tally of minutes and miles.
What I did find was that without days off, the daily soreness slowly built upon itself. By the end of the month, there were small aches and pains each morning, and a couple of lingering muscle strains to deal with. When training for marathons, I have typically run only three days a week, fearing that if I did more, that I risked injury.
In better months a threw in a bike and a swim, but almost never went out more than five days a week, and I think I will stick with the five day limit going forward. I do plan to add in some weight work to strengthen my core and protect my back. Apparently doing only cardio makes Sean a fragile man. Did lose another pound though.
Next up for March - writing for an hour each day. I started on my second pass through of the novel yesterday morning. I plan to work on other projects as well, but I hope to have the second revision done by the end of the month.
March 1, 2011
DailyOM
You may feel blissful today, even if events in your life are not unfolding as planned. Thoughts of the many blessings you have received over the course of your existence can inspire you to adopt a more upbeat attitude toward your circumstances. This attitude will then likely manifest itself in your experience as a sense of unflappable hope that sustains your spirits. This optimism can become the anchor that stabilizes you and allows you to immerse yourself in your ambitions. However, you will also likely accept today that outer world circumstances will not necessarily increase your happiness. You may thus gain a new perspective on the true source of joy.
When we harbor hope in our hearts, we can retain a sense of bliss no matter how troublesome or dire our circumstances. We understand that life will get better soon and that the challenges we are facing in the present are temporary in nature. Consequently, we can focus on life's brighter side without succumbing to the trivial objections that might otherwise cause us to feel a sense of disheartening disillusionment.
Our solace comes from our belief in the inevitability of change and the knowledge that we are well-equipped to cope with the troubles that are a expected part of being human. Since the happiness we feel comes from within, our circumstances no longer have the power to negatively impact our moods. The positivity you feel today will seldom falter as your mood is a result of your upbeat outlook rather than situational in nature.Reposted by a friend on Facebook. Granted, it was from a horoscope, but it is a great way to look at things.