morning stretch

November 16, 2013 9:31 AM , 1 Comment ,

My eyes open to darkness.  I’m laying on my stomach.  I don’t so much wake up as come back to life.  Psychologists and those that study the mind say that everyone dreams even if they don’t remember it.  I don’t believe this.  For the most part when my eyes close everything shuts down and it’s a major effort to reboot everything.

Regardless, it’s time to get up.  I turn to my left.  My right leg goes forward and up at a 45 degree angle.  I curl and uncurl my toes slowly.  I flex the leg at the knee.  A bit of a twinge.

I slowly turn over to the right with my upper torso going first and my lower torso holding.  Vertebrae pop and creak in response.  I lay on my right and stretch my left leg now.

Back to my left and I sit up.  Hold my arms straight out from my chest and interlace the fingers.  Pull them back to my body and hear pops as the joints bend.  Raise my arms up over my head stretching almost trying to pull them off my body.  Lower my left arm perpendicular to my body and push it with my right hand back behind me.  A multiple series of popping noises.  Do the same for my right.

Everything all stretched out properly.  Now I want to go back to bed.

Posted in: health, life in general

The Leibster Award

November 14, 2013 9:36 PM , 3 Comments ,

Leslie Farnsworth writes one of the best blogs on the web.  I have had the pleasure of reading her articles for the past year and she always comes up with interesting topics and never skimps on the writing no matter how rough her work week gets or if she’s not particularly motivated to write.  If you don’t read another blog on the web you should seriously read hers.

Anyways, a couple of days ago she received The Leibster Award for blogging.  This is a sort of informal award to encourage blog writing and blog reading.  It’s a wonderful concept.  As part of the award she had to give the award to five other blogs that she considers worthy of this honor and she decided to honor me with this award.

The other requirements of the award are:

  • Link the person that gave you the award
  • Answer the eleven questions she gives me
  • List eleven personal facts
  • Give the award to five other bloggers who have small blogs
  • Ask those five bloggers eleven questions.

So, here we go.  Firstly five bloggers I think should receive this award.  Honestly I would give this to Leslie as well but then we would be going round and round in a circle.  So with the understanding that I esteem her blog, in no particular order.

Shaun Terry
shaunterrywriter.wordpress.com

Terri Schlather
a girl in the south
www.agirlinthesouth.com

Bill Dollings
geomusings
http://blog.geomusings.com/

libertarian standard
http://libertarianstandard.com/

Danielle Eckhardt
http://deartworks.blogspot.com/

Leslie’s questions to me.

What was the last book you read? Would you recommend it?

“World’s End” by T.C. Boyle.  Very apt book as I was just in the Hudson Valley

Out of all current events, which most sparks your imagination or passion? Why?

The government shutdown that recently ended.  This angered me as it illustrated the total dysfunction of our government not just by the party in power but by all involved.

If you could recommend only one activity from your last vacation, which would you choose? Why?

Rock climbing.  This stretched me past my preconceived limits and reminded me that I can still achieve more than I have already.

Pick your weather poison: Bitingly cold or swelteringly muggy?

Neither particularly appeals to me or fills me with dread.  I figure that the weather is always too cold, too hot, too wet, too dry.  Best to pay no mind to it.

Finish this sentence: “She walked up to the information desk,”

“…and asked me to dance.  I asked her her name and in a dark brown voice she said Lola.”

What’s your favorite news source?

Reuters.  I find that it has the least bias and focuses on facts more than any other news service with the possible exception of the BBC.

What is the best advice your mother ever gave you?

“Don’t eat like the mules are waiting for you at the door”….  Her father was a muleskinner

If you were a cookie, what kind would you be?

Something chewy and fresh from the oven, Oh, and with icing!

Name the best place you’ve lived. Why do you consider it the best?

I complain about it (sometimes a lot) but despite it all I love Houston.  This is a city with a youthful vitality and energy yet it’s beginning to take on a well-worn patina that has a friendly warm glow.  I can’t wait to see what it will do in the future.

Share the recipe for the best dish you cook.

Cranberry-raspberry chutney.  Boil a full bag of cranberries till soft.  Add a cup of sugar, half a box of raspberries and dissolved plain gelatin.  Boil again and add sweet muscatel wine.  Thoroughly mix and simmer for 15 minutes.  Cool in the fridge.

What was your last simple pleasure?

Sitting in an empty forest field and watching leaves fall for about an hour.

 

11 facts about me

  1. I am able to pick up objects with my toes and to some extent write with them.
  2. Every morning I go through an elaborate stretching routine and pop the bones in my arms.
  3. I have only broken one bone in my entire life.  A finger bone.
  4. Dogs used to terrify me.
  5. Omens and symbols hold special significance to me.
  6. I’m a movie snob.  I hate the new Star Wars and Star Trek films.
  7. I’m a jack of all trades.  I can do most anything but not particularly well.
  8. I was raised in a very conservative family but have become more and more libertarian over the years.
  9. I was very accident prone when I was younger.  I have nearly drowned (twice), had acid splashed on me, been poisoned (twice), had a horse roll over me, been electrocuted, been nearly stung by a scorpion as an infant, and nearly choked to death.
  10. I love sushi yet I hate cod-fish.
  11. I met my first “girlfriend” at age six.

My eleven questions for my honorees:

  • How often do you think about writing or blogging?
  • What is one thing that you wish that you could change everyone’s mind about?
  • If you have or had kids what would you like your kids to study or learn most of all?
  • Name your favorite TV series?
  • What is your most decadent guilty pleasure as far as foods go?
  • How do you think that your peers see you?
  • What is your favorite holiday or time of year?
  • Are you doing the thing that you love?  If not, why?
  • Who was the last person that you smiled at?
  • Are you optimistic about the future or pessimistic?
  • Where would you like to retire?

I hope that you enjoyed this post and that you take the time to answer these questions and pass them on to your favorite bloggers.

 

 

 

 

Posted in: blogs

Hectic holidays

November 12, 2013 9:16 PM , Leave a Comment ,

Remember when we were kids?  We just had to show up at a holiday and it all magically happened.

The turkey was on the table, the presents under the Christmas tree, the 4th of July barbecue ready.  The holidays season at the end of the year was a time which kids looked forward to with anticipation since early January.

When did this magic stop and the work begin?

Even though I don’t have kids the workload around the holidays seems to grow each year.  The normal work load at the office doesn’t let up.  If anything it seems to get worse.  On top of that we have our social obligations.  Functions to attend, presents to be acquired, cards to write, decorations to be chosen and put up and then taken down.

Can’t imagine how much more it is for parents but I can guess trying to wrangle one kid to do what he needs to do is bad enough.

How did my parents do it?  I doubt the holidays were easier for them back then than they are now.  At least I can be lazy and do some shopping online.

Some planning and pro active work can help minimize the stress of the holidays but every year some unexpected twist takes place at home or at work and all the planning goes out the window.

I guess the best I can do is to prepare for the worst and hope for the best.  I hope that one day I can get back some of the magical feeling that the holidays used to exude and enjoy this time of year.

Posted in: holidays

How to fall in 4 easy steps

November 10, 2013 7:38 PM , Leave a Comment ,

When we go through life we might hope that we will cruise through life without any injuries or scars but that’s rarely the case.  All of us have to be prepared to receive and deal with life’s injuries the best way possible.  I have compiled a list of  four ways that you can best come through the inevitable falls in life.

What inspired this post was a recent event.  My second day running in central park ended on a memorable note.  I fell, and I fell hard.  I was running south towards Columbus Circle and almost finished my run when I decided to cross the street.  All I had to do is hop over the curb and it would be a straight run out of the park.  A tiny piece of cobble stone peeked over its fellow cobbles.  Maybe a millimeter higher but just enough to catch the edge of my running shoe and send me falling forward.

I hit hard.  Having not totally lost my balance this much in at least a decade I was totally unprepared for it.  I could feel and hear my knee joints grind together.  My hands out in front of me crumpled and twisted in odd directions.

I had the presence of mind afterwards to not move around too quickly and do an inventory of what might or might not be broken.  I scared a couple of kids who witnessed it and they graciously helped me back up.  I was fine but it could have been worse.

So first lesson.  Avoid the obvious perils.  In this case I should have waited for a handicap ramp or a bike lane or something rather than hopping over the curb like some kid.  In life I can do many stupidly perilous things or I can play it safe in most things possible.  It won’t make me totally safe but I can minimize the damage that I might otherwise take for no good reason.

Second lesson.  learn how to fall.  I pretty much just let this fall do what it wanted.  I didn’t try stabilize myself or guard my body.  You can trip and fall in ways that the damage is minimized to almost nothing.  But, if you do nothing you are almost asking to get hurt badly.

Third lesson.  Take stock of the damage.  This, I did do.  A disaster in your life is never as bad as you think it is.  Try and see things for what they really are.  Calm down, think, prioritize, and move forward.

Last lesson.  Thank those that try to help you.  In this case it was a pair of teenage kids that I doubt put together weighed as much as I did but they put their hearts into helping up an old man.  Be mindful to note those that helped you when you were down.  They could have walked on after all.

 

 

 

Posted in: life in general, running

cinema vs live theater vs reading

November 8, 2013 6:19 PM , Leave a Comment ,

I’m more visual than most.  I tend to favor things such as cinema and live theater.  It’s not just a matter of the content, although it is important to enjoy good quality content, however things like cinema or theater add an actors, or playwrights, or director’s viewpoint of a piece.  It’s a kind of discussion with those other human beings not just the writer.

But I don’t go for just the average shoot’em up as I once did in my youth.  I’m after pieces with something worth saying.  How many times can you go to an action flick before you get tired?

Live theater is something I have recently added.  I don’t do too many of these because I want  to be picky as to what I attend.  The performances I attend have been excellent.  They have been thought-provoking, well acted, and presented in a way to make an impact on the audience.

My book reading has evolved over time.  From a diet of mostly pulp and few quality reads to one of mostly quality reads and little pulp.  I can feel the vascular pressure in my brain relax as I take in less garbage and a more mentally nutritious diet.

Posted in: entertainment

despising the old

November 6, 2013 7:52 PM , Leave a Comment ,

Houston is a city that is supposedly over 175 years old but that’s not really the truth.  For a long time it lingered stuck as a small town.  The humidity, the heat, the mosquitoes didn’t encourage people to come and settle here.  That is until the advent of the air conditioner, the interstate highway system and the space program.  All these gave Houston the impetus to grow.

Consequently we don’t really have the layers upon layers of history and old architecture that most cities do.  Take Chicago for example.  Founded only 4 years earlier than Houston but it grew at a steady pace since its start.  Building up layers and layers of history and memorable architecture.  It now boasts great architecture and a larger population than Houston.

We have little history to spare.  So you’ll pardon me when I get a little hot under the collar when some people decide not to save one of the few landmarks that this town has to offer.

Of course I’m talking about the Astrodome.  The so-called 8th wonder of the world.  Not the prettiest of buildings, specially now that it’s been allowed to decay, but certainly iconic of the city.  The first of the domed stadiums, it was copied and recopied around the world.

I remember for a long time that Houstonians have complained that they aren’t taken seriously as a big city.  We have a slight inferiority complex sometimes when compared to our more suave neighbors like LA. or Chicago, or New York.  We have none of the memorable landmarks that these cities have.  All we have are strip malls, parking lots, and miles and miles of cookie cutter suburbs.

The thing is that you don’t build up a reputation by bulldozing the old.  You care for the old, the damaged, you celebrate it.  I remember last year that opponents of the Dome pointed out how even the New York Yankees stadium had been bulldozed.  The thing is though that New York still has literally dozens of other landmarks to brag about.  We don’t.

So now the Dome will be bulldozed and in its place will probably be added more parking for the stadium next door.  Perhaps this then is our legacy to the future.  The city of parking lots, strip malls, and nondescript prefab housing.  We will be the model for the future cities of the world.  Bland, dull, interchangeable.

Posted in: Astrodome, Houston

Halloween costume dos and don’ts

November 4, 2013 5:23 PM , Leave a Comment ,

Whether it’s a small gathering or a party for 5000 there are some basic rules of costuming that you need to follow in order to pull off a successful costume for a Halloween celebration.

1. KISS – yes, keep it simple stupid can apply to costumes.  Specially if you’re not a cosplayer or someone who loves costuming.  Extra added parts, tails, tentacles, etc should be avoided as they are likely to fail and or fall off at the worst possible time.  Besides that, simple is elegant, it’s neat, it’s what you should be aiming for.

2. make up.  If you’re going to be in air conditioning and not running round all the time it’s fine.  On the other hand if you know you’re going to be somewhere hot and humid or walking back and forth then think of another costume or go light on the make up.  Nothing worse than a zombie with runny mascara.

3. Don’t be esoteric.  You may know the scariest movie out there and have the best costume idea, but if you have to explain it to everyone you meet then it drains out most of the fun of the costume.  Take it from someone who’s committed this sin.

4.  Remember you’re there to have fun.  Don’t get all serious and psychotic about your costume.  Remember that the point of this is to get together with friends and celebrate not to show off

Posted in: halloween

mental writing exercises

November 2, 2013 9:55 PM , Leave a Comment ,

Try this if you haven’t already.

Go somewhere crowded but open.  It can’t be some ill lit restaurant with barely any light or some cafe with intimate nooks and crannies.

Find an open floor space with lots of people in it where people come and go all the time.  Shopping mall food courts are good, so are hotel lobbies, or maybe plazas and parks.

Now just sit and watch.  Note the detail of the people coming and going.  How do they walk?  what are they wearing?  are they carrying something?  who are they with?

Take in all of these details, and come up with reasons for them.  That man pushing a stroller with a limp.  How did he get that?  Is that really his kid in the stroller or is he an uncle or maybe grandfather?  The well dressed woman with the Macy’s bag.  What did she buy?  What’s her home life like?  What’s she driving that’s in the shopping mall parking lot right now?

Try to stay conventional at first and come up with “reasonable” explanations but later on as you get more practiced try to branch out.  Make up more and more outrageous things.  Let these people live and breathe in your imagination.  Clothe them in details that your mind provides.

 

Posted in: writing

psychometric tests or why I’m none of these things

October 31, 2013 8:28 PM , Leave a Comment ,

I first heard of personality tests back in college.  I probably took one of the first online tests.  My results have always been pretty consistent.

I knew that I was introverted even before I knew the word, so that was no great shock.  The rest though…

ISTJ – Sometimes known as “the inspector”.  A short little description from Wikipedia:

“ISTJs are faithful, logical, organized, sensible, and earnest traditionalists who enjoy keeping their lives and environments well-regulated. Typically reserved and serious individuals, they earn success through their thoroughness and extraordinary dependability.

Although they often focus on their internal world, ISTJs prefer dealing with the present and the factual. They are detail-oriented and weigh various options when making decisions, although they generally stick to the conventional. ISTJs are well-prepared for eventualities and have a good understanding of most situations. They believe in practical objectives, and they value traditions and loyalty.”

This is where I began to have my doubts.  Well regulated, organized, sensible?  me?!?!

However much I disagreed, the type kept coming back.  Whether from online tests or tests done on paper and proctored by professionals, the results were the same and in time I came to accept it.  I was an ISTJ and I would have to accept it.

A couple of weeks ago, just on a whim I took an online test and the result was startling.  Startling enough for me to pay for a professional retest and the results were confirmed.  My personality type had migrated.

I have never heard of this happening before.

I am now an INFJ.

“INFJs are conscientious and value-driven. They seek meaning in relationships, ideas, and events, with an eye toward better understanding of themselves and others. Using their intuitive skills, they develop a clear and confident vision, which they then set out to execute, aiming to better the lives of others. Like their INTJ counterparts, INFJs regard problems as opportunities to design and implement creative solutions.

INFJs have been mistaken for extroverts, as they tend to possess multiple personalities due to their complex inner life; however, they are true introverts. INFJs are private individuals who prefer to exercise their influence behind the scenes. Though they are very independent, INFJs are intensely interested in the well-being of others. INFJs prefer one-on-one relationships to large groups. Sensitive and complex, they are adept at understanding complicated issues and driven to resolve differences in a cooperative and creative manner.”

It feels a little closer to the truth of my personality.  I don’t however think any of these types really define who I am.  The types are so broad and so vague that they could really describe anyone.  It reminds me a bit of fortune-telling tricks used to encourage people to pay more money to hear more about themselves.

I feel that I have evolved some in the last 5 years but I am still in transition and have not arrived at my final form yet.  I think however that this is getting closer to that final form.  With a little bit of tweaking I may be able to get comfortable in this new personality type.

Posted in: personality, psychology

nerd equality

October 29, 2013 8:30 PM , Leave a Comment ,

A couple of weeks ago I sat in on a panel about upcoming sci-fi books for the Fall and Winter seasons.  The line to get into the panel began forming about an hour ahead of time and by the time they let us in we easily had over 200 people trying to get into a room that would only hold 100 at most.

The crowd was thoroughly a heterogeneous lot.  All ages, all races, all manner of people and at least 50% female.  Now the reason I mention the last is that this is a thoroughly different situation than those that I encountered when I went to my first sci-fi convention back in the 80’s.

Back in those days the female nerd was almost unheard of.  Nerd culture was very much an old boys club in more ways than one.  Nerds always complained about being excluded and picked on by the cool kids and society in general but here they were doing the same to other fans.  Nerds did not exclude female fans outright but neither did they make them feel very welcome.

I noticed this type of behavior into college.  The gaming and sci-fi club admitted female members but usually the member was “the girlfriend” of this guy or “the sister” the other guy and the male members never went out of their way to invite female members to participate in gaming nights, and only included them when they were short a player.  Which is a really bizarre reaction as nerds typically want to meet women, and here they were shunning them.

After college my gaming activity dropped to nothing.  My only interaction with this world was through conventions.  I noted that the bad behavior continued unabated.  The worst incident I recall was at a panel for a TV show featuring a lead actress that had been invited to speak.  The talk was marred by jerks in the back of the room making constant catcalls until they were asked to leave.  At the end of the session as we were all filing out I heard a pair of guys talking.  One told the other how bored he was and how she “should have flashed the audience”.

But something was quietly happening in front of everyone’s eyes.  A small trickle of female fans was slowly growing into a mighty stream.  Not only were they attending the conventions in greater numbers but they were taking up positions of importance in the fan groups that organized these.

Those early pioneers that suffered through the “second class citizen” treatment in the 70s and 80s had grown up and transmitted their love of sci-fi and nerd culture to their kids and a new generation of female fans thoroughly inculcated in nerd culture was growing up.

Another thing happened separate to all of this.  Nerd culture had come into the limelight in the 90s.  With greater exposure came a wider fan base.  Female fans from the mainstream that refused to be marginalized entered the equation and forever changed things in the nerd world.

These new fans demanded to be heard.  Writers, artists, and those creating content began to take notice and slowly began to provide content aimed specifically at this new market.

A few remnants of the bad old days still remained however.  The “booth babes” phenomenon of the early 00’s drew in male fans by having models wear skimpy outfits.  This was quashed by those that pointed out how women were being objectified by these displays.  In the late 00s came a call to action from several prominent female gamers to stop the cyber bullying ways of certain male gamers online.

Is it a perfect world now?  By no means.  Old attitudes take time to die out.  Harassment of female fans still happens at conventions from time to time.   Now however this is dealt with as a crime and not ignored.  Those caught harassing others are at the very least ejected from the convention if not turned over to local authorities.

The younger generations coming into this culture seem to come into it with a more open mind.  I wander along the milling crowds of fans at this convention going from display to display.  Everyone happily mingling together.  The thing about nerd culture is that (for the most part) it has always been more open and accepting of different cultures, points of view, and different ideas.

We never discriminated along racial or religious or other socioeconomic divides.  Why did we discriminate along gender lines?

Posted in: feminism, life in general