I have lots of acquaintances, few friends. I think they should rename "friends" on Facebook to something more like Linked-In's "network connections" or whatever. To truly be friends with someone in real (not cyber-) life, I think one can only manage a few friends...at least that's my situation.
Back in the early 1990's (that sounds funny to say), I had no family, very few friends, and I was a workaholic. The best decision I ever made back then (and it took me 3 full years to reach this decision) was to become a big brother through Big Brothers and Sisters. I was matched with a witty young man, Kyle, and together we forged a great relationship that evolved into one of my most longstanding friendships. He survived my crazy job and a 100 service projects I did. He waded through my bad relationships, bad hair, bad moods--all with a smile. He was in my wedding. He helped me fix up my house. We worked some on his house, too. He was gone for too many years to California, to the Navy, and then (thankfully) returned to Kansas with his lovely wife. They continued to be a big part of our life, as we celebrated everyone's birthday and holiday. We carved pumpkins and hid Easter eggs. I've always looked forward to the day when they have children, so I can be a part of those moments with Kyle and his family. I'm easily old enough to be his dad, so in ways, I have a bit of the Big brother to Fatherly feel to our friendship, especially right now...
Kyle's about to be deployed.
Okay, that sounds more immediate than it exactly, technically may be. He is now closing up shop, cauterizing things, getting life reconfigured, moving his family (wife and pets) to California, making lots of life decisions like whether to sell his house...and he's going through all the red tape and poking/prodding/prepping of the military, too. He will take to the field, the theatre of war, whatever you call it, physically in August...in Afghanistan.
Okay, that sounds more ominous than I would like it to, but that's the problem. It is ominous. There is not another venue in which the US is engaged that is so volatile and deadly. And that right there is where I have to leave off on this public post and go burn some angst in my private journal. *sigh*
Friday, April 30, 2010
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Just one kid
Sometimes I wish I had just one kid.
If I'd read that 10 years ago, I'd be thinking, "Of course. If you must procreate, if you have to make another mouth to feed, stop at just replicating your self and filling your void. Don't go crazy breeding. After all, who wants to hassle and struggle and freak about a herd of kids?"
Now, however, the whole idea generally seems like blasphemy. If we only had one kid, we'd not have all the interest and intrigue magnified by the other three. If we only had one kid, then there would be too much down time. We'd be bored.
The reason I do, however, sometimes long for a single child is simple: any one of them could absorb as much love, attention and instruction as I could offer. Jax, our oldest, has a very fast working mind on overdrive, on crack or steroids! Like me, he has divergent, tangential musements that churn around his head 24/7. Like me, he cannot keep up with all the ideas that flash through. The difference between us is that I do not vocalize all mine. Jax shares his mile-a-minute idea stream freely, constantly. He would be diagnosed as ADHD in school, but we know he's just lively. I cannot listen to all of it. I don't respond fairly to all of it. I miss too much of it, when at work, eating, sleeping, etc. This is not really fair to him, for when he's not rambling, he's narrating his own stories w/characters he creates from toys or from his head. He has elaborate plots for plays and movies. He also has the ability to absorb movies--knowing more catch phrases and movie quotes than I do! I'm sure he's the same way with school and music. I am very full of remorse, for I don't give him enough attention. If he were the only child, like he was for nearly 3 years, even then he might not get enough attention!
Carson offers near-constant companionship. He is insatiable in his curiosity. He's always pointing out insects, mechanical devices, plants and animals--but unlike the annoying stereotype of kids just saying "Why?" a million times, Carson wants to know more. He is getting too smart, even at the age of 4, to settle for a pat answer like "Because the world's food chain depends on ants doing that." He dissects dead animals, studies decomposing mice, pulls bugs off the pickup grill... Carson is analytical, mechanical, and very, very tactile. He cannot be sated when it comes to how the world works or what it is made of. We have talked for hours about exactly that--the planet and what one would encounter if they were to dig it all up. Again, there are not enough hours in the day to satisfy his needs and interests, and when further divided by his siblings and my other obligations, I feel like a terrible parent who slights his children.
Edison is under development. We joke that he is obsessed with food and drink, but I think he's growing through that. He's into fitness, and he wants to compete with his brothers. He does push ups and lifts weights (everything is a weight, from pencils to fence posts). When he runs, his whole upper body twists comically, something I know he's going to outgrow too soon. As I have written previously, recently, Ed is someone I fear I don't know too well due to all of the above distractions, and again, if it were only Ed, then I might be able to give him enough.
Ellision, our almost-one-year-old, is just now becoming an individual on my radar. There's a stage in baby-ness that really starts to get my attention. From birth to about this age, they are just responding to stimuli like any other animal...but about this age, they all become intellectually interactive, making decisions and learning consequences of their choices. They become mobile and 'talkative.' Ella is just now getting there, and if everyone in the house wore a "mommy cam" I still think we'd miss things. This is all the more upsetting since she's the end of the line. No more babies. No more life from the perspective of such novelty and innocence. I am missing so much of it, and even if she were the one and only child, I don't think I could capture it all.
So, there you go....at least 4 reasons for an only child. Then again, in writing and reading over these, it's clear that they may compete for my attention, but I want to give them all my all.
If I'd read that 10 years ago, I'd be thinking, "Of course. If you must procreate, if you have to make another mouth to feed, stop at just replicating your self and filling your void. Don't go crazy breeding. After all, who wants to hassle and struggle and freak about a herd of kids?"
Now, however, the whole idea generally seems like blasphemy. If we only had one kid, we'd not have all the interest and intrigue magnified by the other three. If we only had one kid, then there would be too much down time. We'd be bored.
The reason I do, however, sometimes long for a single child is simple: any one of them could absorb as much love, attention and instruction as I could offer. Jax, our oldest, has a very fast working mind on overdrive, on crack or steroids! Like me, he has divergent, tangential musements that churn around his head 24/7. Like me, he cannot keep up with all the ideas that flash through. The difference between us is that I do not vocalize all mine. Jax shares his mile-a-minute idea stream freely, constantly. He would be diagnosed as ADHD in school, but we know he's just lively. I cannot listen to all of it. I don't respond fairly to all of it. I miss too much of it, when at work, eating, sleeping, etc. This is not really fair to him, for when he's not rambling, he's narrating his own stories w/characters he creates from toys or from his head. He has elaborate plots for plays and movies. He also has the ability to absorb movies--knowing more catch phrases and movie quotes than I do! I'm sure he's the same way with school and music. I am very full of remorse, for I don't give him enough attention. If he were the only child, like he was for nearly 3 years, even then he might not get enough attention!
Carson offers near-constant companionship. He is insatiable in his curiosity. He's always pointing out insects, mechanical devices, plants and animals--but unlike the annoying stereotype of kids just saying "Why?" a million times, Carson wants to know more. He is getting too smart, even at the age of 4, to settle for a pat answer like "Because the world's food chain depends on ants doing that." He dissects dead animals, studies decomposing mice, pulls bugs off the pickup grill... Carson is analytical, mechanical, and very, very tactile. He cannot be sated when it comes to how the world works or what it is made of. We have talked for hours about exactly that--the planet and what one would encounter if they were to dig it all up. Again, there are not enough hours in the day to satisfy his needs and interests, and when further divided by his siblings and my other obligations, I feel like a terrible parent who slights his children.
Edison is under development. We joke that he is obsessed with food and drink, but I think he's growing through that. He's into fitness, and he wants to compete with his brothers. He does push ups and lifts weights (everything is a weight, from pencils to fence posts). When he runs, his whole upper body twists comically, something I know he's going to outgrow too soon. As I have written previously, recently, Ed is someone I fear I don't know too well due to all of the above distractions, and again, if it were only Ed, then I might be able to give him enough.
Ellision, our almost-one-year-old, is just now becoming an individual on my radar. There's a stage in baby-ness that really starts to get my attention. From birth to about this age, they are just responding to stimuli like any other animal...but about this age, they all become intellectually interactive, making decisions and learning consequences of their choices. They become mobile and 'talkative.' Ella is just now getting there, and if everyone in the house wore a "mommy cam" I still think we'd miss things. This is all the more upsetting since she's the end of the line. No more babies. No more life from the perspective of such novelty and innocence. I am missing so much of it, and even if she were the one and only child, I don't think I could capture it all.
So, there you go....at least 4 reasons for an only child. Then again, in writing and reading over these, it's clear that they may compete for my attention, but I want to give them all my all.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Trust me!
SOURCE: A Life without Fear by Alix Spiegel, heard this morning on NPR's Morning Edition.
My students are now wrestling with a concept paper, based on the This I Believe essays. When defining what a belief might be, the word "trust" always enters the discussion. What has not been a part of that dialogue? that trust might perhaps have biological connections.
I have learned today of Williams Syndrome, "a genetic disorder with a number of symptoms. Children with Williams are often physically small and frequently have developmental delays. But also, kids and adults with Williams love people, and they are literally pathologically trusting. They have no social fear. Researchers theorize that this is probably because of a problem in their limbic system, the part of the brain that regulates emotion. There appears to be a disregulation in one of the chemicals (oxytocin) that signals when to trust and when to distrust."
The article sums this up by stating that those with this disorder are find it "biologically impossible" to distrust.
The comments from listeners were enlightening at the site, and I encourage anyone reading this post to stray over there, too. I'd entertained most-every angle before I delved into the commentary. Just to engage your interest, think about this:
For me, it's one of the better emotions. I am always trusting too much, and I'm always trying to engage the trust of others (something I am too good at). Of virtues, it seems one of the best, and yet one that is utterly dependent on interaction with others. I might be wise or strong or quick or handsome in a cave all by myself, but to trust or be trusted, well, I'd need a cave bear at any rate.
I am digressing. I know. I am dodging around the deeper emotions this whole story about 9 year old Jessica and her absolute trust (aka innocence) brings to bear. I've shared before how very much I am in awe of children and their purity, their unconditional love. This piece just is a different angle on that same idea, bringing it right down to biology.
Also, don't miss this, which features how one might use Oxytocin trust spray hormone on college students and how this chemical imbalance might affect trust in government: When The 'Trust Hormone' Is Out Of Balance April 22, 2010 (...which even ties in one of my favorite writings by Robert Putman, "Bowling Alone."
My students are now wrestling with a concept paper, based on the This I Believe essays. When defining what a belief might be, the word "trust" always enters the discussion. What has not been a part of that dialogue? that trust might perhaps have biological connections.
I have learned today of Williams Syndrome, "a genetic disorder with a number of symptoms. Children with Williams are often physically small and frequently have developmental delays. But also, kids and adults with Williams love people, and they are literally pathologically trusting. They have no social fear. Researchers theorize that this is probably because of a problem in their limbic system, the part of the brain that regulates emotion. There appears to be a disregulation in one of the chemicals (oxytocin) that signals when to trust and when to distrust."
The article sums this up by stating that those with this disorder are find it "biologically impossible" to distrust.
The comments from listeners were enlightening at the site, and I encourage anyone reading this post to stray over there, too. I'd entertained most-every angle before I delved into the commentary. Just to engage your interest, think about this:
- What if we were supposed to be that way and have morphed into the animal we are now?
- Regulating oxytocin can be done w/nose spray--should we be worried?
- It's sad we find people with Williams syndrome to be the anomalies.
- Kids are not even as trusting as those with Williams!
For me, it's one of the better emotions. I am always trusting too much, and I'm always trying to engage the trust of others (something I am too good at). Of virtues, it seems one of the best, and yet one that is utterly dependent on interaction with others. I might be wise or strong or quick or handsome in a cave all by myself, but to trust or be trusted, well, I'd need a cave bear at any rate.
I am digressing. I know. I am dodging around the deeper emotions this whole story about 9 year old Jessica and her absolute trust (aka innocence) brings to bear. I've shared before how very much I am in awe of children and their purity, their unconditional love. This piece just is a different angle on that same idea, bringing it right down to biology.
Also, don't miss this, which features how one might use Oxytocin trust spray hormone on college students and how this chemical imbalance might affect trust in government: When The 'Trust Hormone' Is Out Of Balance April 22, 2010 (...which even ties in one of my favorite writings by Robert Putman, "Bowling Alone."
Sunday, April 25, 2010
High tech AND high touch
Courtesy of graphic artist Franz Stainer and his Personal Robot series http://www.blutsbrueder-design.com/
Yes, now this is how I perceive my job. (I'm the one on the right, the knight in shining armor.) Ideally, it would seem as if I were there, your writing coach, just over your shoulder. Unfortunately, the world of distance learning is still too distant. Though it's not as bad as "teaching through two cans tied to the ends of string" as a colleague once described it, there are times it is challenging.
I plan to make my new-improved online class content media rich and to use amusing and yet artful content like that above. I also plan to have more on-ground and online live time contact, more audio and video supplements, more links to supporting content...and the text we've moved to, the handbook, promises a strong online interface/presence...even an etext (finally).
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Masks
I have a long-standing fascination with masks.
One of my top ten spots to revisit would be the Museum of Masks in Zacatecas, Mexico. Not only does it have an awesome mask collection, it is also a reconfigured abbey, set carefully w/n ruins that are 100's of years old. (I've blogged about it before.)
One of my favorite school art projects ever was a mask I made in 7th grade art. It was a paper mache African mask featuring a hairpiece I constructed from broom bristles. (It's still in the attic in my hometown.)
One of my favorite holidays, second only to April Fool's, is Halloween. Not only have I had some swell costumes in general, I have made some masks that really wowed people.
Masks allow us to pretend with ease. They give us a simple way to role play. They offer a shelter in which to hide our true selves and let others make impressions. An artist came through Cowley 10-15 years ago and did some work with children and masks. I was amazed (back then, having no context of children) to see how they grooved on masks. Now, I would safely say my kids could punt about any toy except their costumes and masks.
Of course, I would be remiss if I did not wax on about the metaphor of masks. The flesh encasing us does little to express who we really are. Facial works cannot really convey deep seated sorrow or absolute bliss. These are not the stuff of skin.
Masks can be our faces, but they can also be our ethnicity, our demographics, our titles. Masks can be stripped from us, sometimes, like moments of astonishment and surprise. When some shocking tragedy slaps us all around, like the Oklahoma City bombing (recently remembered), then we drop our masks, if even for an instant.
What would it be like to live w/o masks? to be true to ourselves and transparently ourselves, always?
Friday, April 23, 2010
Stirred, but not shaken
So, I have had a bad morning, and it's only 7am.
HOWEVER, fates, let it be known that this is Friday, the invincible day we thank our gods for. This is the END of the work week for average mortals, and it's raining (which I love) and I'm introducing the best essay of the course...add to that it's my early day off and everyone will be gone from the house leaving me time for "me time" which I should spend grading but will probably waste shopping for lumber. So there, rotten day. Take that.
Song lyric on my internal iPod: "It's a great day to be alive"
- My daughter woke me up with terrifying screaming. She's a good backup alarm. Even though she let loose before 430, that was late for me today.
- I had to take an alternate vehicle, which I did remember to do, but in all the key switching, I left my keys at home...discovered when trying to get into the building just after 5. Had to drive home again and retrieve keys and return. (oh...and it's 25 miles one way)
- Somehow in all that, I lost more than an hour and my Quick Trip coffee.
- Now, I discover that somehow our campus email system is dysfunctional.
HOWEVER, fates, let it be known that this is Friday, the invincible day we thank our gods for. This is the END of the work week for average mortals, and it's raining (which I love) and I'm introducing the best essay of the course...add to that it's my early day off and everyone will be gone from the house leaving me time for "me time" which I should spend grading but will probably waste shopping for lumber. So there, rotten day. Take that.
Song lyric on my internal iPod: "It's a great day to be alive"
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Setzer Rocks My Desk
Brian Setzer Music Player
...takes you right to 3 of his streaming albums. Rockabilly/Swing. It's just what everyone needs to listen to on a rainy day (like today).
Not that anyone is still just "discovering" Brian Setzer and his Orchestra, but there's a great YouTube channel, Facebook and Myspace presence, all accessible from his home page.
Why is this music meaningful for me? Well, it's got a good drive to it. Generally it has an upbeat message, if not a bit of leaning toward the Blues sometimes. Setzer is an awesome guitarist, and a fair vocalist, and one heck of a performer. He combines wild guitar, lots of horns--just unbelievable. One of my favorite sets of theirs (BSO's) is from the album Ultimate BSO, recorded in Japan. The songs include 007 theme, Hawaii 5-0 theme (the new movie would be crazy NOT to use this version of the theme song!) and a couple other great tunes I play over and over and over.
Lend him your ears. You will not be sorry.
Cat's on a Hot Tin Roof video
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Return of the Pickup!
Even today, as I am just getting my hands again on the wheel of the pickup, I am bringing home loads of stuff. This may cause those at home some consternation.
Yes, that's right, after an absence of over a year, I'm regaining the keys to my dad's old truck. It's not that old, really, by my standards...something like a '99 Silverado. All I care is that it runs and it has a bed suitable for hauling--stuff!
Today I'm on a mission to raid a house advertised on Craig'sList as one abandoned, full, by "tenets." (Terrible when truth escapes us!) I hope to score some lumber. Then I'm off to get some chicken wire for about 1/4 the retail cost. All of this costs chicken feed, and all of this is useful on the farm, so I do not feel badly.
Now, if I start bringing home large sets from musicals, dysfunctional refrigerators, over-sized yard art...then that might be cause for alarm. For now, the only hollering will be me, once again behind the wheel!
Friday, April 16, 2010
Missing children
When I had only one child, going on two, I was worried that I might not be a good-enough parent to divide my attention and love over two (2) kids. That ended up not being a problem. Both of the older kids seem to be close to me, well loved, adequately parented, etc.
However #3 is an enigma. He is now 3 and 3 months, and his eldest brother was reciting movie dialogue, telling 20 minute stories, etc. at this age. He had a vocabulary out of this world. His second-eldest brother was mum, but he was otherwise by my side, driving 16 penny nails through 2x4s, riding on the tractor with me, etc...all the time.
But #3, Edison, is aloof. I don't know his favorite characters on television. I don't know his favorite color or hobby. I don't even know if he likes pop. He has spent too much of his time in front of the TV and not out with us boys. He's getting better, but I just feel I do not know him.
I take the blame. I have had a hard time shuffling and juggling the other two around to make enough time for Ed. Lately I've really been making a concerted effort, and it's helping, but I don't know if I can ever recover the 3 Lost Years.
Makes me sad.
However #3 is an enigma. He is now 3 and 3 months, and his eldest brother was reciting movie dialogue, telling 20 minute stories, etc. at this age. He had a vocabulary out of this world. His second-eldest brother was mum, but he was otherwise by my side, driving 16 penny nails through 2x4s, riding on the tractor with me, etc...all the time.
But #3, Edison, is aloof. I don't know his favorite characters on television. I don't know his favorite color or hobby. I don't even know if he likes pop. He has spent too much of his time in front of the TV and not out with us boys. He's getting better, but I just feel I do not know him.
I take the blame. I have had a hard time shuffling and juggling the other two around to make enough time for Ed. Lately I've really been making a concerted effort, and it's helping, but I don't know if I can ever recover the 3 Lost Years.
Makes me sad.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Update on Apnea
This should make anyone zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz..
Oh...where was I? Yes...Apnea.
Recently I posted that I was to undergo a "sleep study" measuring my potential for sleep apnea. The results are now in! My specialist said I had 90 "incidents" in 180 minutes, meaning I would wake every two minutes, on average. Thus, according to science, I never slept, at least not in a restorative sleep. I've been severely sleep deprived, and I did not even realize it.
They're fitting me for some mechanism (see Rube Goldberg images in my head, something with a series of pulleys, knobs, ramps, dominoes...maybe a rubber chicken) to force air into my pipes.
I have some initial problems with this:
Oh...where was I? Yes...Apnea.
Recently I posted that I was to undergo a "sleep study" measuring my potential for sleep apnea. The results are now in! My specialist said I had 90 "incidents" in 180 minutes, meaning I would wake every two minutes, on average. Thus, according to science, I never slept, at least not in a restorative sleep. I've been severely sleep deprived, and I did not even realize it.
They're fitting me for some mechanism (see Rube Goldberg images in my head, something with a series of pulleys, knobs, ramps, dominoes...maybe a rubber chicken) to force air into my pipes.
I have some initial problems with this:
- Breathing--it's natural. So if 1/3rd of my life is forced air, what if I get lazy lungs? What if I have them now, and they get more lazy? The doc explained some kind of thermostat for blood oxygen that is wacky in me. The waking hours of my life, these times when I see spots and suddenly, consciously say, "Gee, I need to breathe," are not going to be helped any by forced air at night.
- Frightening others--I will sound and look more like Darth Vader. That may terrify my youngest, but my oldest son will probably want a CPAP of his own.
- What about when The System, the grid, civilization as we know it, goes crashing down. I was never that addicted to electricity, but if I depend upon it to sleep...what then?
- Flatulence is caused by swallowing air more than anything else, from gulping when eating to talking too breathy. (This fact makes me wonder about my dog hanging his head out the car window--does that make him gassy?) People claim I am windy enough, so how is forcing lots more air into me going to be a good thing?
Saturday, April 10, 2010
The Zoo
At one time in my life, I would not go to the zoo. I was at a stage when I was developing my stand on things, and taking a stand on freed wild animals seemed as good as any. My position developed from attending poorly maintained, tiny zoos, witnessing pathetic old animals that were bored to death. In later years my opinion on Animals in Captivity has waffled. I went so far as arguing we should "Free the Feedlots" in the early 1990's. Today I am a member of our local zoo.
I've read websites offering scathing exposes of zookeepers mistreating animals. I've thought a lot about what it would be like if I were on the other side of the bars. I've also read up on animals in the wild vs. captivity and for the most part, I think our local residents have it better than they would if they were preyed upon by their peers.
The local zoo, the Sedgwick County Zoo, is a medium-sized zoo. I've visited about a dozen zoos, including the San Diego Zoo. I guess I have a fair basis of comparison. Our zoo is a great place for kids, and like most zoos, a great place to learn a little about animals we don't encounter every day. Like most zoos, it's divided into zones representative of continents, special lifestyles, or parts of the world.
I like our zoo because of a few things that are inconsistent with animal care. Here are a few that I find quirky:
My kids always ask me what my favorite animal is. I usually reply with their favorite of the day. This is often some primate that they have interacted with. I have also voted for giant lizards, penguins, tigers, etc. and they never seem to care that my Favorite is ever-changing.
What they don't know is that my favorite animal at the zoo has never been revealed to them. In 7 years of zoo-going (there should be a word for that), I've not once confessed to them what animal I truly most admire at the zoo. This animal might seem neglected, for it is not given berth in any region of the zoo, in particular. It has no sign or story. Nothing about the animal seems remarkable, so far as the zoo might note.
My favorite animal at the zoo: the common sparrow. Worthy of an entirely new entry, I will simply say here that sparrows have the run of the place. Like us, they may marvel at any animal behind bars...but they can also dart inside the habitat and snatch a peanut or peck at a grub worm. They can sit on the back of the big animals and taunt others. The sparrow can come and go as desired, and there is no required pass, permit, hours of operation to which the bird is bound.
This raises the sparrow to an entirely higher plain.
I've read websites offering scathing exposes of zookeepers mistreating animals. I've thought a lot about what it would be like if I were on the other side of the bars. I've also read up on animals in the wild vs. captivity and for the most part, I think our local residents have it better than they would if they were preyed upon by their peers.
The local zoo, the Sedgwick County Zoo, is a medium-sized zoo. I've visited about a dozen zoos, including the San Diego Zoo. I guess I have a fair basis of comparison. Our zoo is a great place for kids, and like most zoos, a great place to learn a little about animals we don't encounter every day. Like most zoos, it's divided into zones representative of continents, special lifestyles, or parts of the world.
I like our zoo because of a few things that are inconsistent with animal care. Here are a few that I find quirky:
- It is in the flight path of a major airport
- A concert series is hosted at the zoo
- Night of the Living Zoo (for Halloween) is a madhouse
My kids always ask me what my favorite animal is. I usually reply with their favorite of the day. This is often some primate that they have interacted with. I have also voted for giant lizards, penguins, tigers, etc. and they never seem to care that my Favorite is ever-changing.
What they don't know is that my favorite animal at the zoo has never been revealed to them. In 7 years of zoo-going (there should be a word for that), I've not once confessed to them what animal I truly most admire at the zoo. This animal might seem neglected, for it is not given berth in any region of the zoo, in particular. It has no sign or story. Nothing about the animal seems remarkable, so far as the zoo might note.
My favorite animal at the zoo: the common sparrow. Worthy of an entirely new entry, I will simply say here that sparrows have the run of the place. Like us, they may marvel at any animal behind bars...but they can also dart inside the habitat and snatch a peanut or peck at a grub worm. They can sit on the back of the big animals and taunt others. The sparrow can come and go as desired, and there is no required pass, permit, hours of operation to which the bird is bound.
This raises the sparrow to an entirely higher plain.
Friday, April 09, 2010
Atomic Cabbage Retrocatcher
If ever I am at a loss for creativity, I go to online generators. I know, it's simple-minded and in some ways, outright cheating...but when I'm brain dead, bits and bytes save the day.
I'm a big science fiction fan, and I like the humor of Doug Adams...my boys and I are always making up inventions on Saturday mornings, and some of the names on this list reminded me of our creations:
I'm a big science fiction fan, and I like the humor of Doug Adams...my boys and I are always making up inventions on Saturday mornings, and some of the names on this list reminded me of our creations:
- Atom-powered Volt Cake
- Atomic Tripperanoid
- Candy-coated Fusion-powered Calculator-o-mat
- Chip Infuriatorazer
- Dimension Flurojoker
- Expresso Targeter
- Extra-dimensional Jazz Holder
- Flatulent Nucleocalculator
- Gyroscopic Chemical Infuriator-o-meter
- Knitting Ultrasonic Aerocubicle
- Nuclear Broccoli Retrosimulator
- Nuclear-powered Dancer
- Refittable Nailclipper
- Spastic Dimension Thermos
- Spastic Electronic Socks
- Supersonic Awesome Elevator
- Supersonic Dimension Rapper
- Supersonic Mascara Concealer
- Tripod-mounted Flatulent Missile
- Variable Yarn Bullet
Wednesday, April 07, 2010
Intention
Conscientious
Steward
Intentional
Attentive
Frugal
Purposeful
I want to live this way. I mean to live this way. Unfortunately, too often I am amazed to look back at my day or my semester or year--and frown. What the--? Where did it go? How was it frittered away?
I know I've written on this numerous times, but I think I'll just keep writing on it until I get some momentum behind myself and act differently.
I have done time studies and found them to be among the most effective deterrents of wasted time. I also need to finish that vision statement, hang it all on a word, and then get that word tattooed on my forehead or something!
It all comes down to goal tending, to actively working purposefully toward prioritized objectives. I find myself too easily weighted down with imaginary burdens, bloated from miasma of angst...there's a heady couple phrases. What I mean is, looking back, the problems are almost always laughably simple. The heavy load almost always is minor in retrospect.
Above all, then, I need to keep things in perspective.
Alas, right now I am feeling there's no hope, utterly no hope whatsoever, to get caught up.
*sigh*
Monday, April 05, 2010
Security Theatre
This phrase has origins in discussions of post-9/11 airport security, largely being a negative term for pseudo-secure environments. The shorter word for this is simply "bluff." Security theatre is a noun phrase used to damn or mock a shoddy security effort: "Why, that's little more than security theatre; there's little there we could not penetrate."
From what I heard this morning, much of what we consider to be security software on our computers is also little more than security theatre. For the most part, the software we employ for originality verification (ie cheat checker) is likewise little more than security theatre.
Many claim that by at least posturing a defensive position, a secure stance, it might deter some terrorists and hackers and cheaters from even making an attempt. Others feel no true criminal mind would be intimidated by such things as signage, gated communities, surveillance cameras, etc.
Personally, I think "Security Theatre" would be a good band name.
From what I heard this morning, much of what we consider to be security software on our computers is also little more than security theatre. For the most part, the software we employ for originality verification (ie cheat checker) is likewise little more than security theatre.
Many claim that by at least posturing a defensive position, a secure stance, it might deter some terrorists and hackers and cheaters from even making an attempt. Others feel no true criminal mind would be intimidated by such things as signage, gated communities, surveillance cameras, etc.
Personally, I think "Security Theatre" would be a good band name.
What ever did I do?
...before getting married? Then I married into a very family-oriented clan that meets monthly for birthdays and/or holidays. There are many in the family, and the family is growing. Our home is the hub of the family, for my in-laws (even sister in-law) live in the same house we do. I like this hub-business, for it is the opposite of what I grew up with, where hardly anyone from our family tree ever went out on a limb and visited my parents' farm. My current home is home to all manner of merriment, festivity, celebration.
As families grow, so has my own immediate, nuclear family. We have four kids, and that means 4 times the laundry, clutter, etc. It also means 4 times the joy, the learning potential, the chance to live through their innocent eyes for a moment. We could write books over their antics, their witticisms, their trials and tribulations. Having 4 kids means being extra attentive, super engaged, uber involved.
Then there's the acreage. I did not have 11 acres to maintain before. I did not have a garden, out buildings, equipment, etc. to concern myself with. Oh, and being a homeowner adds to the load, with pesky maintenance chores, additions to design and budget for, etc.
Making a list like this really makes me wonder, just what did I do before?
As families grow, so has my own immediate, nuclear family. We have four kids, and that means 4 times the laundry, clutter, etc. It also means 4 times the joy, the learning potential, the chance to live through their innocent eyes for a moment. We could write books over their antics, their witticisms, their trials and tribulations. Having 4 kids means being extra attentive, super engaged, uber involved.
Then there's the acreage. I did not have 11 acres to maintain before. I did not have a garden, out buildings, equipment, etc. to concern myself with. Oh, and being a homeowner adds to the load, with pesky maintenance chores, additions to design and budget for, etc.
Making a list like this really makes me wonder, just what did I do before?
Sunday, April 04, 2010
Bunny sighting!
I was up last night, about 3am, putting out some stuff for Easter (you know, for the kids). I personally have very bad feelings about perpetuating the myth of you-know-who, but I am compelled by my wife.
I always (and I mean, about hourly or more often) look out the back windows toward the pirate ship I'm building. It helps me think of what is to be next engineered, etc. Anyway, last night I spotted three (3) rabbits! Never before in all my window gazing have I seen 3 rabbits in the yard so close to the house.
I can only reach one conclusion. We have all been duped. There is no (one, single) Easter Bunny. No. There must be some consortium or consensus, some instinct triggered perhaps in all rabbits--on Easter, they all become the Easter Bunnies!
Now you know.
I always (and I mean, about hourly or more often) look out the back windows toward the pirate ship I'm building. It helps me think of what is to be next engineered, etc. Anyway, last night I spotted three (3) rabbits! Never before in all my window gazing have I seen 3 rabbits in the yard so close to the house.
I can only reach one conclusion. We have all been duped. There is no (one, single) Easter Bunny. No. There must be some consortium or consensus, some instinct triggered perhaps in all rabbits--on Easter, they all become the Easter Bunnies!
Now you know.
Thursday, April 01, 2010
April Fools
*sigh*
I've not been so lame on this holiday in years. It's funny, for everyone is expecting so much from me--it's kind of a backwards way of pranking people to not prank them, for they are expecting it from every quarter. He he he.
This year, I had lots of opportunity, being just released from the hospital this morning, off the leash all day, out of phone contact--the things I could have done!
I can't wait to get home and get pranked by my kids, for I'm sure they've been cooking up something alllllll day long.
I've not been so lame on this holiday in years. It's funny, for everyone is expecting so much from me--it's kind of a backwards way of pranking people to not prank them, for they are expecting it from every quarter. He he he.
This year, I had lots of opportunity, being just released from the hospital this morning, off the leash all day, out of phone contact--the things I could have done!
I can't wait to get home and get pranked by my kids, for I'm sure they've been cooking up something alllllll day long.
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