I've followed the M's off and on since the late 70's when I was stationed in Bremerton and went to games in the Kingdome on a military discount. I could get good seats behind home plate or along the baseline back then - because attendance was so low. A fans biggest hope in those days was that the M's would have a plus 500 record. As someone wrote in Wikipedia "the Mariners teams of the late 1970s and the entirety of the 1980s were characterized by perennial non-achievement, gaining a reputation for poor performances, low attendance, and losing records." The M's first game was in 1977 and they didn't have a winning season until 1991.
As of today, the M's are 70% through the regular season with 48 games to go through August, September and then 4 games in October.
They've played 114 games and I've probably watched or listened to 100 including the 14 inning win against the White Sox last night. They are 60 and 54 which puts them 9 games back of the Angels in the West and 5.5 games from a wild card behind Boston, Texas and Tampa Bay. Their .526 winning percentage is good - they'd be in first place today in the Central division.
I liked playing baseball as a kid and like listening to the games or watching them on TV now. The game is a nice combination of individual and team effort, mental concentration and athleticism. The mental part is big - a batter is trying to concentrate on hitting a ball with a good swing like a golfer - except in golf there aren't 30,000 screaming fans, and the ball you are trying to hit is stationary, not coming at you at 90 miles an hour. It's a long 162 game regular season from April until October where a team is bound to lose some games and has to have the mental fortitude to shake off the losses and come back the next day.
Baseball has lots of traditions that surround the game - sunflower seeds, rally caps, organ music, beer, peanuts, hot dogs, cracker jacks, homer hankies...players chewing tobacco and spitting. Baseball has a long history with the first professional game being played in 1869, seven years before Custer's last stand at the Little Big Horn.
Mostly baseball is a nice diversion from whatever serious things are going on in the world.
Listening to a baseball game on the radio with a good announcer calling the game is one of the most pleasant parts of summer for me.
It's a great game.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Thursday, August 06, 2009
Just How Slippery is a Banana Peel?
You can find out from the Leonardo Centre at the University of Sheffield which specializes in research and development in Tribology and surface engineering.
Tribology is the science of interacting surfaces and covers all aspects of friction, lubrication and wear.
The study concludes that in regards to slip hazard - "A dry banana skin is probably ok, definitely don't step on any wet banana skins. But perhaps best of all deposit you banana skins in the rubbish bin."
I'd add that if you are a really bad housekeeper at least pick up the banana peels out of the tub or shower.
Tribology is the science of interacting surfaces and covers all aspects of friction, lubrication and wear.
The study concludes that in regards to slip hazard - "A dry banana skin is probably ok, definitely don't step on any wet banana skins. But perhaps best of all deposit you banana skins in the rubbish bin."
I'd add that if you are a really bad housekeeper at least pick up the banana peels out of the tub or shower.
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
Share Something About Yourself Most People Don't Know
Sharing something about yourself most people in a room don't know is an ice-breaker that is fairly common in seminars, training classes and team building exercises - where strangers are put together and need to complete some sort of task or engage in conversation.
This request usually comes after you've separated into smaller groups to complete some task - although occasionally it's something the whole group does if it's not too many people.
Most people say something fairly innocuous and self-congratulating. I was staying at a Hotel in Florida and wrestled an alligator into submission that was threatening guests around the pool - or something in that vein. What people decide to share may be funny, touching, sad, or really surprising - to the point where you may ask yourself what sort of context filter they have on sharing personal information with strangers. As a student of the human condition I find that any time I've participated in one of these exercises it's always pretty interesting.
You'll find some interesting answers to this type of question in online forums. One problem with these, same as for any online activity, is that there is no context - you can't see what the person looks like, hear their tone or observe their body language. So their message loses something. Saying "I love the Jonas Brothers", or "I used to be quite a party girl" would be unusual if I said it but for someone else you'd think - sure, now tell me something I don't know.
The whole idea of sharing something most people don't know reminds me of the way I used to go to confession when I was a young practicing Catholic. I'd give the priest a taste of what I'd been up to in general terms - stealing, lying, using the Lord's name in vain etc. etc. etc. but never any details. I was lying while confessing my many sins, but I never mentioned that to Father Kelley because I was an altar boy after all. I guess I could have told him I stole a beer out of the basement of the church during summer bible camp and drank it with my friend Tim during lunch when I was 8 years old - but that's probably too much detail.
This request usually comes after you've separated into smaller groups to complete some task - although occasionally it's something the whole group does if it's not too many people.
Most people say something fairly innocuous and self-congratulating. I was staying at a Hotel in Florida and wrestled an alligator into submission that was threatening guests around the pool - or something in that vein. What people decide to share may be funny, touching, sad, or really surprising - to the point where you may ask yourself what sort of context filter they have on sharing personal information with strangers. As a student of the human condition I find that any time I've participated in one of these exercises it's always pretty interesting.
You'll find some interesting answers to this type of question in online forums. One problem with these, same as for any online activity, is that there is no context - you can't see what the person looks like, hear their tone or observe their body language. So their message loses something. Saying "I love the Jonas Brothers", or "I used to be quite a party girl" would be unusual if I said it but for someone else you'd think - sure, now tell me something I don't know.
The whole idea of sharing something most people don't know reminds me of the way I used to go to confession when I was a young practicing Catholic. I'd give the priest a taste of what I'd been up to in general terms - stealing, lying, using the Lord's name in vain etc. etc. etc. but never any details. I was lying while confessing my many sins, but I never mentioned that to Father Kelley because I was an altar boy after all. I guess I could have told him I stole a beer out of the basement of the church during summer bible camp and drank it with my friend Tim during lunch when I was 8 years old - but that's probably too much detail.
Monday, August 03, 2009
We Need Fewer Experts
I recall 45 years ago or so that my mother was playing Bridge with a group of people and afterwards told me she found one of them a bit hard to take. He was an engineer of some sort and according to Mom he thought because he knew a lot about something he also thought he knew a lot about everything (or at least many other things). He was boring..and a bit of a jackass.
Knowing a lot about a little and then thinking we know a lot about everything is not uncommon in experts. Aside from making a person very boring it takes away their ability to grow, learn, solve new problems, take on new challenges or otherwise expand their horizons.
The expert mantle also takes a lot of the fun out of life if you can't do anything that might make you look foolish, silly or stupid. Experts take pride in their ability to master something and get paid for it, but then may be too fearful or self-conscious to ever look like a beginner again.
Thinking we know more than we do in the wrong circumstances can cause real problems. Just because I'm an expert in say Molecular Biology it doesn't mean I'm an expert in wiring a house, advising people on taxes, recommending investments, or installing a gas hot water heater. We have electricians, accountants, and plumbers who are expert in those things - but we all know someone who is expert in something who's perfectly happy to give out advice on house wiring, taxes, investments or installing gas hot water heaters. They may actually have something worth sharing if they are amateurs who have done these things, which they are unless they are Molecular Biologists who moonlight as paid electricians, accountants or plumbers - but we could all lighten up a little on the expert mode.
There's another issue at work here in that people who are Molecular Biologists (for example) sometimes give the impression that, because they have a degree and have studied and work in an academically challenging domain that makes them somehow "smarter" than a waitress, cook, electrician, plumber, farmer, etc. Not only is this a bad assumption it also makes it hard for them to learn much from others because they can't listen or they shut down other people with their attitude.
As long as we have some experts (people who know all they need to know in their specific area) but hopefully more beginners (people who are pretty sure there is a lot to learn) society will continue to evolve.
Life is always providing us with something new to learn - if we just look with a "beginners mind".
This is a quote from the August 10, 2009 Time Magazine article The Avenging Amateur by Kurt Anderson -
The specialist says - I learned more and more about less and less that I finally knew all there was to know about nothing. The generalist says - I learned less and less about more and more until I finally knew nothing about everything. Someone in between there's a happy medium.
Knowing a lot about a little and then thinking we know a lot about everything is not uncommon in experts. Aside from making a person very boring it takes away their ability to grow, learn, solve new problems, take on new challenges or otherwise expand their horizons.
The expert mantle also takes a lot of the fun out of life if you can't do anything that might make you look foolish, silly or stupid. Experts take pride in their ability to master something and get paid for it, but then may be too fearful or self-conscious to ever look like a beginner again.
Thinking we know more than we do in the wrong circumstances can cause real problems. Just because I'm an expert in say Molecular Biology it doesn't mean I'm an expert in wiring a house, advising people on taxes, recommending investments, or installing a gas hot water heater. We have electricians, accountants, and plumbers who are expert in those things - but we all know someone who is expert in something who's perfectly happy to give out advice on house wiring, taxes, investments or installing gas hot water heaters. They may actually have something worth sharing if they are amateurs who have done these things, which they are unless they are Molecular Biologists who moonlight as paid electricians, accountants or plumbers - but we could all lighten up a little on the expert mode.
There's another issue at work here in that people who are Molecular Biologists (for example) sometimes give the impression that, because they have a degree and have studied and work in an academically challenging domain that makes them somehow "smarter" than a waitress, cook, electrician, plumber, farmer, etc. Not only is this a bad assumption it also makes it hard for them to learn much from others because they can't listen or they shut down other people with their attitude.
As long as we have some experts (people who know all they need to know in their specific area) but hopefully more beginners (people who are pretty sure there is a lot to learn) society will continue to evolve.
Life is always providing us with something new to learn - if we just look with a "beginners mind".
This is a quote from the August 10, 2009 Time Magazine article The Avenging Amateur by Kurt Anderson -
"...frankly admitting that we aren't absolutely certain how to proceed is liberating, and crucial. I like paradoxes, which is why, even though I'm not particularly religious, Zen Buddhism has always appealed to me. Take the paradoxical state that Buddhists seek to achieve, what they call sho-shin, or 'beginner's mind.' The 20th century Japanese Zen master Shunryu Suzuki, who spent the last dozen years of his life in America, famously wrote that 'in the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's mind there are few.' Which sounds to me very much like the core of Boorstin's amateur spirit. 'The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance,' Boorstin wrote, 'but the illusion of knowledge.'"
The specialist says - I learned more and more about less and less that I finally knew all there was to know about nothing. The generalist says - I learned less and less about more and more until I finally knew nothing about everything. Someone in between there's a happy medium.
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Sunday, August 02, 2009
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
By Thinking We Make it So
by Chris Prentiss. It's the kind of book that you would either really like or really dislike depending on your current circumstances, whether you think the world is generally a good or bad place, and your personal beliefs regarding a supreme being. In this book the Universe (with a capital U) replaces God in that the Universe wants what's best for you. If you can suspend disbelief and go with the flow the book has some valuable lessons.- Whatever happens is the best thing that could happen
- We choose to be happy (sad)
- We become addicted to anger, fear, sadness or happiness
- Zen is mindful living combined with recognition that our mind makes our reality
- Mindfulness allows for concentration, calmness, simplicity and ultimately happiness.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Who Cares About Operating Systems?
I just spent a fairly useless hour or so perusing the comments on the article "Windows 7 is the same as Ubuntu". The article appears fairly non-controversial since the author is making the point that for someone who uses a PC to access the web it doesn't really matter what the OS is.
It turns out the article is very controversial based on the 500 plus comments that range from fairly well thought out (but rarely new) ideas about Windows or Mac or Linux systems. It's entertaining to see the bait and hook techniques where someone says the equivalent of Linux (Windows) (Mac) sux and then the flames start to rise...but one comment struck me as pretty right-on.
The author says that while some geeky and sometimes fanatical types spend their time arguing (or trading insults regarding) the merits of an OS, applications, and the GUI - the world goes on and the average computer user could care less as long as their computer does what they want it to do. The author linked to this YouTube video to show how little people know (and need to know) about what's under the hood of their computer.
It's possible that the browser will be the only application resident on a computer in the not to distant future - but users don't care about that, unless it makes their computers faster or cheaper or capable of doing more. Companies that develop stand alone or enterprise applications and their competitors who want to provide applications in the cloud (think Google Docs), care about that - a lot. But users don't even need to know what a browser is - like the guy says in the video; to him the browser is that big e thing he clicks on to get to the web.
It turns out the article is very controversial based on the 500 plus comments that range from fairly well thought out (but rarely new) ideas about Windows or Mac or Linux systems. It's entertaining to see the bait and hook techniques where someone says the equivalent of Linux (Windows) (Mac) sux and then the flames start to rise...but one comment struck me as pretty right-on.
The author says that while some geeky and sometimes fanatical types spend their time arguing (or trading insults regarding) the merits of an OS, applications, and the GUI - the world goes on and the average computer user could care less as long as their computer does what they want it to do. The author linked to this YouTube video to show how little people know (and need to know) about what's under the hood of their computer.
It's possible that the browser will be the only application resident on a computer in the not to distant future - but users don't care about that, unless it makes their computers faster or cheaper or capable of doing more. Companies that develop stand alone or enterprise applications and their competitors who want to provide applications in the cloud (think Google Docs), care about that - a lot. But users don't even need to know what a browser is - like the guy says in the video; to him the browser is that big e thing he clicks on to get to the web.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
How to Pronounce Linux
In case you were wondering how to pronounce Linux this article links to Linus Torvalds saying lee-nooks but lin-icks and lie-nuks is okay too.
Usually the long i sound has the magic e in the word, so we use the long i sound in fine, pine, mine and the short i sound in pink, ring, link - so saying lie-nuks sounds weird to me. On the other hand if someone pronounced linotype as lee-notype that wouldn't sound correct or be in accord with Websters pronunciation since it calls for the long i sound.
I guess it really doesn't matter as long as people understand what you are saying.
Usually the long i sound has the magic e in the word, so we use the long i sound in fine, pine, mine and the short i sound in pink, ring, link - so saying lie-nuks sounds weird to me. On the other hand if someone pronounced linotype as lee-notype that wouldn't sound correct or be in accord with Websters pronunciation since it calls for the long i sound.
I guess it really doesn't matter as long as people understand what you are saying.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Google Operating System Coming Next Year
This is fairly old news since it was announced July 7th, but I was on vacation and missed it. I'd read something about a Chrome Operating system but I thought someone was confusing Google's Chrome browser with an OS...turns out that's not the case and Google really is developing an OS for PC's.
Next year at this time you should be able to buy a netbook with the Google Chrome OS. Netbooks are just the start though since the open-source OS is being designed to work with computers from small netbooks to full-size desktop systems. The OS will run using the Linux kernel and promises to provide fast start-up/web access times, no viruses, and computers that always run as fast as when you bought them. The main app installed on the PC will be the browser and there's no slowing down your computer as apps are added since every app you need is on the web in this vision of computing.
Start up and shut down times have become more and more of an issue as Windows has gotten to the point where it can take minutes to boot up and get online or shut your computer down. I'm happy that this laptop with a 2.6.30 Linux kernel and ext4 file system takes 43.5 seconds to power-up and connect to the wireless router (actually a little less since I have to manually select which kernel to boot and enter my user name and password) and about 15 seconds to power down. The Google OS is supposed to be online in "a few seconds" - I assume that's with a solid state hard drive.
As a big fan of the Ubuntu Linux distribution, open-source software in general and someone who's been happy with anything Google I've tried - I'm looking forward to seeing how the free open-source Chrome OS works.
Next year at this time you should be able to buy a netbook with the Google Chrome OS. Netbooks are just the start though since the open-source OS is being designed to work with computers from small netbooks to full-size desktop systems. The OS will run using the Linux kernel and promises to provide fast start-up/web access times, no viruses, and computers that always run as fast as when you bought them. The main app installed on the PC will be the browser and there's no slowing down your computer as apps are added since every app you need is on the web in this vision of computing.
Start up and shut down times have become more and more of an issue as Windows has gotten to the point where it can take minutes to boot up and get online or shut your computer down. I'm happy that this laptop with a 2.6.30 Linux kernel and ext4 file system takes 43.5 seconds to power-up and connect to the wireless router (actually a little less since I have to manually select which kernel to boot and enter my user name and password) and about 15 seconds to power down. The Google OS is supposed to be online in "a few seconds" - I assume that's with a solid state hard drive.
As a big fan of the Ubuntu Linux distribution, open-source software in general and someone who's been happy with anything Google I've tried - I'm looking forward to seeing how the free open-source Chrome OS works.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Bemidji Cafe
Maybe I'm getting crotchety in my old age but I have to admit there's something about this that bugs me. I'm not sure if it's the suspicion that if you have to say your nice it might be because you aren't so nice to begin with or the idea that some place has a corner on "niceness".
I think what actually happens is that wherever you are - you create, what to you is, reality. If you find that wherever you go (or most places you go...or many places you go) the people aren't nice (or are nice) it says more about you than them.
I've been in this cafe and the people are nice - just like a lot of other places.
Heading West Tomorrow
I'm sitting in the Dunn Brothers Coffee on Paul Bunyan Drive across from Lake Bemidji using their free wireless. This is my last day in Minnesota for this summer. It's been fun as usual - the North country of Minnesota is a special place.
This is a picture looking towards Lake Bemidji from inside Dunn Bros -
Usually we make the trip from Washington to Minnesota on I-90/I-94 but I'm looking forward to a trip west on highway 2 this summer. I haven't been along the Montana highline for years and it will be nice to see that big sky unimpeded by mountains or trees. Highway 2 turns into Glacier Park's Going-to-the-Sun Road which gets up to 6646 feet so it isn't all flat land.
This is a picture looking towards Lake Bemidji from inside Dunn Bros -
Usually we make the trip from Washington to Minnesota on I-90/I-94 but I'm looking forward to a trip west on highway 2 this summer. I haven't been along the Montana highline for years and it will be nice to see that big sky unimpeded by mountains or trees. Highway 2 turns into Glacier Park's Going-to-the-Sun Road which gets up to 6646 feet so it isn't all flat land.
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Heart of Summer
Swimming pools are open, families are on vacation trips, kids are at camps, rivers are clear waiting for skilled fishermen, lakes and oceans sparkle beckoning boaters, libraries are cool waiting for summertime readers, lemonade stands appear staffed by young entrepreneurs, sounds of firecrackers pop up in the distance, twilight lingers filled with sounds of play, the days are long and warm. When you are young and out of school summer is a long book full of possibilities - now it's a footnote to days, weeks and months filled with other things.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Has Anybody Seen My Torque Wrench?
I'm putting new spark plugs in a 2002 Infiniti G20 for the first time. It's got just about 70,000 miles on it. Like the old joke goes - usually I just tighten stuff until the threads strip and then back off a quarter turn - but I want to do this in a more professional manner.I figured out from the Autolite website that these plugs should be tightened to 15-22 ft-lbs in an aluminum head engine. I have a torque wrench somewhere but it's been so long since I used it I can't locate it. I think I saw it hanging somewhere but my memory might be playing tricks on me and I might have seen it hanging in an old house 30 years ago. I know I had a torque wrench.
The link above from Autolite says for a 14 mm gasket type plug you can tighten it 1/2 turn past finger tight and that works. Actually I've changed spark plugs and done various other shade-tree type mechanic stuff for a long time and I like to think I have a "feel" for how tight stuff has to be. It's worked fine so far - except this car has an aluminum head and I've never done anything to it. That's a pretty good car if you think about it....70,000 miles and all it's ever had is the oil, oil filter and air filter changed. The OEM plugs are good for 60,000 miles so I'm a little late on that. My almost 25 year old Chevy S10 is easy to work on but this Japanese car kind of scares me.
I got the Double Platinum plugs which as the box says provide "NASCAR Performance" - that'll be interesting because the engine in that car has always had more like sewing machine performance. I've gone back and forth from expensive plugs to middle of the road plugs (generally I don't buy the cheapest). These plugs are 3 bucks a piece and you can get a $1.50 rebate per plug so they end up being the same price as the cheapies. High end plugs use a coating of iridium nowadays. For this car the NGK IX iridium plugs are $13 a piece and the NGK Laser iridium are $20 a piece.
Usually I don't care what brand I get. I sort of like NGK and Bosch - but I'll buy Champion, ACDelco or Autolite - because I never really thought it mattered. Just yesterday B told me she happened to encounter a mechanic from the far Northwoods of Minnesota who was cursing about Champion plugs. I just thought it was a joke, but I don't know - this is a guy who works on a lot of different cars and boats out of his house so maybe he knows something. When I bought these plugs today I asked the manager of the auto-parts store, who's been there for as long as I can remember, what his favorite plugs are? He said it's a matter of personal preference for the most part - but he thinks Champion spark plugs are no good. The insulator is made out of talcum powder or something...I didn't quite follow it but apparently he sees more returns than any other brand. That's weird because I've used Champion plugs in small gas engines, cars, pickups and never had a problem. What's even weirder is that I'm sitting here on Friday night typing about spark plugs...
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I got the new plugs in and put in a new distributor rotor, the distributor cap looked fine but the rotor contact was significantly burned and pitted (surprisingly the car ran fine..but I imagine the new rotor will make it run a little smoother and give it a little better gas mileage). The old plugs actually looked okay - they weren't pitted or burnt and the gap was still .043, but I figured 70,000 miles was enough for one set of plugs.
The finger tight and then 1/2 turn didn't work for me. The plugs are recessed about 6 inches into the head so I used a socket extension and tightened them to what felt like finger tight - but it was then anywhere from a 1/4 turn to a turn and a half before I felt the gasket compress and they felt as tight as the ones I removed. I used anti-seize compound on the plug threads so they don't freeze into the head over the next 70,000 miles and was very careful to not cross-thread the new plugs in that soft aluminum head.
A couple of things to know about this distributor (a) it's mounted horizontally and the cap is held by non-captive screws that can only be removed with an angled screwdriver or a small socket and (b) the rotor is not keyed to only fit in one direction, this one has a triangular shaped recess so you can install it three possible directions (only one is right) so be sure and note which way it was pointing when you take it off so you can install the new one in the same direction.
I dropped one of the screws off the distributor into the engine compartment and couldn't find it or an exact replacement. I found a screw that was slightly longer which I cut to fit and then ground down the end at an angle like the old one. Looking for the old screw and finding/fabricating a new one added a couple of hours to the job.
Here's a picture of the distributor, the old rotor and that anti-seize compound.
The finger tight and then 1/2 turn didn't work for me. The plugs are recessed about 6 inches into the head so I used a socket extension and tightened them to what felt like finger tight - but it was then anywhere from a 1/4 turn to a turn and a half before I felt the gasket compress and they felt as tight as the ones I removed. I used anti-seize compound on the plug threads so they don't freeze into the head over the next 70,000 miles and was very careful to not cross-thread the new plugs in that soft aluminum head.
A couple of things to know about this distributor (a) it's mounted horizontally and the cap is held by non-captive screws that can only be removed with an angled screwdriver or a small socket and (b) the rotor is not keyed to only fit in one direction, this one has a triangular shaped recess so you can install it three possible directions (only one is right) so be sure and note which way it was pointing when you take it off so you can install the new one in the same direction.
I dropped one of the screws off the distributor into the engine compartment and couldn't find it or an exact replacement. I found a screw that was slightly longer which I cut to fit and then ground down the end at an angle like the old one. Looking for the old screw and finding/fabricating a new one added a couple of hours to the job.
Here's a picture of the distributor, the old rotor and that anti-seize compound.
To summarize - Changing plugs, the distributor cap and rotor is a fairly simple task. When you are working on an ignition system it helps to to have a basic knowledge of what these parts do. High voltage electricity from the ignition coil passes to the contact on the top of the rotor, through the rotor to the contact on it's side and then as the rotor rotates, to the contacts inside the distributor cap which provide a circuit to each spark plug to provide a spark when the piston compresses the fuel/air mixture.
Plugs come gapped correctly for almost all cars - although you can check them to be sure the gap is correct with a gauge/gapper that costs a couple of bucks. You have to be careful not to cross thread the plugs and know that counter-clockwise loosens things and clockwise tightens things. Hold your hand out in front of you and turn it right saying "righty tighty' and then turn it left and say "lefty loosey" if you forget. Usually you remove spark plug wires by pulling on the boot on the plug (rather than tugging on the wire since that can break it). Before you remove spark plug wires from the spark plugs or distributor make sure you note which wire goes where so you can reinstall them correctly.
The distributor cap is held on by a couple of screws and has contacts inside it for each cylinder - if the contacts are worn/pitted or the cap is cracked you should replace it. Try not to drop the screws that hold the cap in place into the engine compartment. Once you get the distributor cap off you'll see the rotor. The rotor is press fit on the distributor shaft - you pull the rotor off using even pressure on all sides. Take note which way the rotor was pointing when you remove the old one so you can install the new rotor pointing in the same direction.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
We Have Enough
Inward/outward is a good place for inspirational ideas and interesting comments. You can sign up to get their thought of the day in an email if you like this sort of thing. I liked the post from yesterday titled "We Have Enough" by Cecile Andrews -
They carry on the theme of taking time in today's post with the poem Invitation by Mary Oliver which starts out -
"Being mindful is hard for us because we are always anxious about time…. Learning that we have enough—money, time, love—may be our most important lesson. Even when we eliminate the apparent obstacles of working and consuming too much, we still have trouble relaxing and enjoying the present moment. So the problem is not just the scarcity of time, it’s our attitude toward time. That little voice always creeps in: You’d better hurry, you’ve got a lot to do, you’re not getting enough done, time is running out. What does this mean in terms of feeling alive? Surely, if things keep on this way, when we come to die, we will discover that we have not lived."
Source - inward/outward
They carry on the theme of taking time in today's post with the poem Invitation by Mary Oliver which starts out -
"Oh do you have time, to linger, for just a little while..."
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Can Someone Play Rope With Me?
Edgar the TFT loves to catch his rope. I have to put it up on top of the refrigerator sometimes so I can do something else. Usually he's okay with putting the rope up for a rest but sometimes if he isn't ready to stop playing catch he stages a sort of food riot where he kicks his water or food bowl around spilling water or dry dog food around in the kitchen.
He loves catching/chasing balls too but we had to stop that in the house because he also loves to "bury" balls under furniture and pillows and then try to dig them out which tends to cause a lot of scratches on furniture and feathers flying from pillows. With the rope he can't push it under stuff as easily.
Toy Fox Terriers are small but sturdy and love to play. Edgar can jump a couple of feet in the air and run and dart around really quick (really really quick). He thinks he owns this neighborhood and can be a bit of a diablo, particularly around other people or dogs he doesn't know. He's still a pup and will learn to be sociable and play nice. I've been watching The Dog Whisperer trying to get tips on how to take care of a very active little dog and we are working on walking with a leash.
I'd highly recommend a Toy Fox Terrier to anyone who wants a small dog that can live in a city environment. They like to go for walks of course but they get a lot of exercise just running around the house, up and down stairs and jumping from one piece of furniture to another.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
I Should Have Invested in a Dragon Tooth
A comment from thundergoraq166 on the Pets & pet parts price list at Last Chaos - Guides & Information at wetpaint.com -
That's a good question - a dragon tooth is going for 12,500,000 now.
I know nothing about the MMORPG game Last Chaos but it looks interesting.
The Last Chaos wiki is nominated for the 2009 - Wetpaint Golden Paint Can Awards along with a lot of other cool wikis like Oh Snap Science is Cool! - Ms. Genta's Science Website. Be sure and check out the Science Song - Science Science Baby.
Random Note - The acronym MMORPG reminded me of the hilarious Emmy Award Winning South Park episode "Make Love not Warcraft." Here's a link to a clip, but you have to watch the whole episode to get the full effect - it's available here.
"dude the last time i got a dragon tooth i sold it for 5.000 and that was 2 years ago.... what happened?"
That's a good question - a dragon tooth is going for 12,500,000 now.
I know nothing about the MMORPG game Last Chaos but it looks interesting.
The Last Chaos wiki is nominated for the 2009 - Wetpaint Golden Paint Can Awards along with a lot of other cool wikis like Oh Snap Science is Cool! - Ms. Genta's Science Website. Be sure and check out the Science Song - Science Science Baby.
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Random Note - The acronym MMORPG reminded me of the hilarious Emmy Award Winning South Park episode "Make Love not Warcraft." Here's a link to a clip, but you have to watch the whole episode to get the full effect - it's available here.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Who's Your Guru?
This meditation from interluderetreat.com sounds like something worth thinking about as we start the week.
From the meditation -
As Bob Dylan sang you Gotta Serve Somebody, you might as well make it somebody who helps you on your path to joy, peace and enlightenment.
One of the nice things about the Interlude site is that it isn't centered on any single spiritual tradition - if you read through the prayers and meditations you'll see Buddhist, Hindu, Christian, Jewish and Islamic traditions incorporated in the writings.
From the meditation -
"The guru, meaning spiritual teacher, and more literally translated as one who brings light into darkness (Sanskrit: GU (darkness) RU (light))—the one who reveals and embodies the light, can show us the way, correct our errors, and very importantly, acts as a role model...
A proper guru does not come out of nowhere. It is recommended that the guru be part of an established lineage. They should be learned in the scriptures of their tradition. Their life should be exemplary in its virtue. The true guru does not exploit followers financially, sexually or any other way.
Different traditions have different perspectives on the nature of the guru. He or she could be seen simply as a spiritual teacher. To some the guru is an enlightened being. Guru may mean the function of Self Revelation; so that the person who is a guru represents the nature of enlightenment—God-Realization, or a related idea."
As Bob Dylan sang you Gotta Serve Somebody, you might as well make it somebody who helps you on your path to joy, peace and enlightenment.
One of the nice things about the Interlude site is that it isn't centered on any single spiritual tradition - if you read through the prayers and meditations you'll see Buddhist, Hindu, Christian, Jewish and Islamic traditions incorporated in the writings.
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