non-attaching

i think this is so cool, both in terms of the product itself, and the philosophy involved in creating something wonderful then destroying it - really a great lesson in non-attaching...i'd love to see this in person - so far have only seen it in photos and on video - it looks so painstaking...

tv show world

as much as i don't like morning dj banter, a local dj did raise an interesting question today: if you could live in any "tv show world", what would it be?

at first i thought i'd have to think long and hard, but fairly quickly "northern exposure" popped in my head and i think it'd be hard to beat. hey, they have great radio, the liberals seem to outnumber the conservatives about 1000 - 1. the city seems to have a goofy, artsy, funky vibe that seems to be right up my alley. the scenery is great and the only pitfall to avoid would be to resist the temptation to date maggie.

what's your pick?

cold

well, i'm on day 2 of the last cold of the old season (the next will be the first cold of the new season), so i'm a little grouchy. i asked a friend if when you're not feeling well, do peole sense it - like a lion goes after the antelope with a limp - and move in for the kill, or is it that just every little thing bother you. he answered (accurately) that both are prob true...

anyhow - nothing some rest and maybe a videogame or movie won't help....

it is the end of the semester, which in itself is a busy time.

this summer though, i should complete my masters in ed tech... i got some info about how i can make a portfolio instead of taking the comprehensive test... perhaps i can get a jump start...

blue monday

well, i gotta sore throat today - so i'm feeling yuck. the dalai lama says that we all have different potentials that may or may not be actuated depending on conditions. karma is the acknowledgement that we to a degree create those conditions - it's a matter of what seeds we water...

well, today, i am watering the seeds of misanthropy. got nailed with snow yesterday - shucks - it's nearly may...someone i correspond with in oslo has told me they are having a nice spring. who'd have thought to get nicer weather i needed to be *closer* to the arctic circle. i bought two movies yesterday and they forgot to remove the anti-theft device - mangled the cases extracting them...and everyone seems to be rubbing me the wrong way today - don't want to be specific...

and, oh yeah, hey a**holes, i ain't fallin' for the "click this link to update your paypal account" phishing bullsh*t any more than i' taking up mr halim gahdi's very generous offer of cutting me in on millions if i just furnish him my band account info - you folks deserve to rot in hell w/comment spammers...


this comes after a very nice weekend getaway - relaxing, but not boring - perhaps that's what's at work here - returning to the routine after a nice weekend causing adjustment issues...

wtf?

where's peta when you need them

there is a web site that is saying a pet rabbit will be killed and eaten if $50,000 isn't donated. i refuse to link to this loser. instead here's a link to peta

this is not funny...

please do not laugh. i am only posting this so you see how not funny this is...
;-)

pope or nope

this'll clear things up...

Food pyramid becomes 12 pyramids

um, i'll take the one with cheese pizza, potato chips and beer on or near the base....

jack johnson: surfer, musician, philosopher

And I got no time
That I got to get to
Where I dont need to be

words to live by, i think. i'd get them tattoo'ed on my chest if i was sure i understood what they meant - i'm pretty sure it's a very cool sentiment, but there are a lot of negatives (double? triple?? quadruple??? - lost count) - perhaps i parsed¹ it wrong...

¹parse is a word i use often in my ciss² classes that often gets a blank look - isn't it used anymore - is it archaic, like "methinks"? don't folks parse sentences anymore? don't other ciss teachers use it... for those who don't understand the word, here is a definition

²computer and information systems (wow, a nested footnote - a blog first, i'm guessing)

clothes...

i must precede this post with a disclaimer - don't worry folks - i am not going superficial on you - there is no risk of me turning gq...however....

i am really starting to get into clothes. nice clothes that fit and feel right make me feel good - there, i said it!... i'm always been a fairly dishelved person, but perhaps the result of watching one too many makeover shows is that i've become brainwashed - case in point - a new microfiber t-shirt - it fits nice, looks good and feels good - how can it not improve the mood...

there, i said it...i can only imagine what my loyal readers will think...i've gone to the dark side

flower

last night, as i walked out of the local girl galley to move my car (illegally parked) two teenaged punk girls gave me a flower as i walked by. for a split second i was wondering - uh, were the goofing on me or something - but they sure seemed sincere, they certainly did not seem to be mocking or (g*d forbid) flirtateous - so i guess it was their way of saying, have a nice day - a random act of kindness - who know, maybe it was be-kind-to-old-geeks day or something - anyhow, i was genuinely moved and it made me feel good

mr. dimbles

the local girl gallery had a benefit tonight for the lake erie nature and science center. part of the fundraiser was an auction of pet rocks made by local artists. while i am not an artist, i have taken some photographs which are displayed at local girl, and the pet rock sounded fun, so i made one.

here it is...


trouble is, between the time i made him and the time i took him to the gallery, the family got attached to him. well, my kids anyhow...my wife, not so much...we had a lot of fun with him making up stories...saying "mr. dimbles is very crossed" (in tribute to mr. flibble), or blaming him for the stray hairball...

he is, for the record, my favorite cat's face with my eyes and mouth - a bit of fake fuzzy fur and some wings - all painted gray. i took great care picking out just the right shaped rock...

turns out mr. dimbles was pretty popular, so bidding started at $25, which i bid. someone upped the bid to $30, and then i bid $35 and won him - we called the auction our reconnaisance mission... i don't know what i would have done if they went up to $40. i was suprised and honored that someone other than me bid on it. the other folks' rocks were generally more skillfully made, but mr. dimbles does have personality.

so now, he is back home where he belongs - he is part of the family lore now. the whole episode was so much fun!

why i like...

jack johnson.., on a new live ep, he introduces the song banana pancakes by saying something like "this song is called 'banana pancakes'. it's about making banana pancakes."

oh yeah, i like banana pancakes too...

this y that...

one advantage of getting older is that you become less easily shook - right now, with the end of the term and a project to do, i am starting to get overwhelmed, but deep down i know i'll get through, i always do...

so on to more important things...
when i was in best buy shopping for the lego star wars video game a week or so back and i asked the clerk if she had it and she handed it to me, i exclaimed "wow, i am a happy boy now" then quickly said "um, i mean my kids will be happy now" - brought big laughs among the surrounding employees and customers... well, i am a real happy boy now because: a. i unlocked yoda and b. i figured out how darth maul can smash up jar jar binks.... i realize this portion of the post totally undermines the first part where i am semi-griping about too much work...

anyhow, new link - a fellow NE ohioan - brewed fresh daily, stop in and say hi

barry schwartz

recently read two books by barry schwartz: the paradox of choice and the cost of living

to summarize his main points (probably very inadequately).the ideology of capitalism, the market, has infiltrated all aspects of our lives and we are worse off for it. it promotes an extreme form of individualism and consumerism. one aspect of this is we are overwhelmed with so many choices and options - from the trivial to the significant. he alleges, we might be better off relinquishing some control. individualism and a market economy has always been a part of the USA, but in the past there were counterbalancing forces - the church, stronger communities, etc...

what i find interesting is that the book would likely anger both conservatives and liberals. for conservatives, any criticism of capitalism makes one the equivalent of a communist. and for liberals, his notion of giving up some personal freedom, and the need for religious institutions to reinvent themselves, are things that don't go down easy.

i will say though, these books have had a strong influence on my thinking recently. moreso than any book since, i don't remember when. what i find interesting is how precarious he paints the balance of the needs of an individual and the needs of a community. there is much i agree with, though ultimately, i don't see religious institutions as the answer. for one thing, religious institutions today have many, many issues - something schwartz acknowledges and calls for reforms. however much as i agree for the need of institutions to bring back a sense of community responsibilty, what does one do when one simply does not believe in what the beliefs of the religious institutions. is there a way to build a community without dogma? a religious community needs to stand for something, as schwartz points out - and to be a member, one must give up some of one's individuality - one must have a level of commitment to the community, at the expense of personal preference. but how can one do this if one simply doesn't believe in the shared beliefs of the institution? does one turn one's brain off? does that move in the opposite direction - i.e. stifling the individual at the expense of the community?

all in all, my agreement with his premises, yet disagreement with his prescription does not leave me optimistic.

ok - cancel the search...

found something worth listening to...
the bad plus' new record, blunt object: live in tokyo is available on iTunes - which i downloaded - haven't bought much new music lately - except two old g. benson

the bad plus, is a much hyped avant garde jazz trio. while, frankly, the hype they receive¹ does them a disservice - setting up expectations nearly impossible to live up to, they do deliver the goods often enough to make them worth listening to, if nothing else, how can you not love an avant garde jazz trio that does covers of blondie (heart of glass), queen (we are the champions), and *gasp* perhaps the greatest group evuh, abba (knowing me, knowing you)<sup>2

1</sup>realize that this is "jazz music level hype", which is orders of magnitude smaller than "pop music level hype". this explains why i can describe them as being overhyped and you have never heard of them. believe me, many of the dozen or so people that follow jazz music are sick of reading about them

²perhaps one of the most hurning questions of my life, is which of abba's two singers i feel is better looking...i think i lean towards frida, but then i see a photo of agnetha that makes me waver in my resolve...any opinions?

new link

erie effusion

musical rut,,,

ok folks, i've been listening to the same stuff over and over - so give me your suggestions of what i ought to listen to today. most of you know me on some level, so have at least some idea of what i like. i have real rhapsody, so i can stream almost anything...

in the meantime, i think i am going to go w/jack johnson's latest or queen - night at the opera

reborn

while i am not a christian, there is something powerful about the easter story that resonates with springtime. the world does indeed seem to have come back to life - and even i feel reborn (uh, not in the jerry falwell/pat robertson way..., uh, you know what i mean)....

did some skating yesterday and had two bike rides today - one in the beloved trails of my local metropark (stuck to the well maintained ones...the crushed stones, the more basic trails were a quagmire) then a functional ride to the pharmacy...i am going to try and pick up where i left off last fall - riding my bike for errands and even to work...it's a win-win - great workout - good for the environment and at $2+ per gallon, every little bit helps...i was kinda wiped out - not sure if it was a case of too much too soon - or perhaps my recovery is effect4ed by being a vegetarian, or what.... the few hours after cycling i feel as relaxed as i ever have...

had a nice dinner with some friends last night - maybe i'm *not* a social misfit - well, not a total one...

remind me to write about some great books i've read by barry schwartz - oh yeah - and still diggin' star wars lego!!!

rot in hell, comment spammers...

when i switched my blog from mt to blogger because of comment spam, i always intended to block all comments. never got around to it - and it came back to bite me. i was not able to post today, because i had used my disk allocation...350 meg! 225+ meg was comments on the old mt blog. so i deleted all the mt comments and blocked any comments on it...

b*st*rds!!!

new link: gina

stop by and say hi to my friend gina on her new blog

long time readers may recall she is the maker of awesome noodle bowls, which have been known for making food taste better. you need one (or more)

blogdrought...

this is probably the longest i've gone between posts since i've started blogging. no real reason....

anyhow, here's what i've been up to...

spring seems to be here - finally, we had a few nice days then got nailed by a mini-blizzard last week - but that seems finished. it was so windy - my daughter was scared - so i sleft on the floor next to her bed. i am not sure how that made it any better - i mean, i didn't stop the wind, but it seemed to help her out, so i'm not gonna press the issue...

i spoke to two groups of 10th graders this week - forget the pope (rip), if you are a high school techer, you are a saint. it went ok...but was very stressful...

been playing the lego star wars video game. it reeks of awesomeness - and the lego queen amidala is the hottest lego i've ever seen...

i hope this didn't sound *that* pathetic...
oh, and i was just kidding about lego amidala being hot - uh, kinda kidding ;-)

in other news...
mountain biker extraordinaire - and all around fascinating person marla streb has a blog - loved her book...a great account of someone finding their own path instead of just doing what is expected of them - something i can relate to - given my own career change

i have vowed to get into better shape...started back yoga and tai chi - but then again - after two exhausting and long days it's hard...

musically - been digging on old george benson - the other side of abbey rd (the orig being my fave fab 4 record) and the beyond the blue horizon (a classic)

thought of the day from kerouac - vest made for flea won't fit elephant

lastly - questions from jen...

1) For whom would you risk your life to save theirs?
there are a number of ways i could answer this. since there is no way to prove it, i could give a very beautiful and noble answer. on the other hand, one really doesn't know until one faces the situation....so here's my guess - kids, wife, brothers, sisters - in no real order

2) The 24 hour Pope watch by cable news channels: done out of
respect or done not to be "out-scooped"?
who knows - out scooped, most likely - OBJECTION: counsel is leading the witness

3) Do you have a living will?
no

4) Which are you more likely to go see? X Men 3, Star Wars 3 or
Spiderman 3?
xmen is out - then prob a toss up between the other two - hmmm, is kirsten dunst in spiderman 3? that would tip the scales...

5) Will you be purchasing the DVD of Elektra tomorrow (4/5)?
believe it or not, no. i do, however, reserve the right to: a. rent it, b. buy it when it hits the used rack....

if anyone is still out there, thanks for reading