Monday, August 11, 2003
Today's scales: 218.2 lbs, 26% body fat. My current goal is not to get back over 220 lbs again. My overall goal is about 180. I'm targetting a pound-and-a-half per week with our BalanceLog software, which means I should get down to 180 around Februrary. Hopefully I can get there faster than that and stay there. The primary concern will be to maintain exercise during the winter.
Opening week of the NFL preseason was this weekend and absolutely nothing remarkable happened apparently. The headlines include "Bengals continue to disappoint" and Emmitt and Stephen Davis beating their old teams, despite playing such limited time as having virtually no effect on the outcome. Week 1 of the preseason doesn't mean squat unless you lose a player to injury. Period.
Got comments? Email me.
Opening week of the NFL preseason was this weekend and absolutely nothing remarkable happened apparently. The headlines include "Bengals continue to disappoint" and Emmitt and Stephen Davis beating their old teams, despite playing such limited time as having virtually no effect on the outcome. Week 1 of the preseason doesn't mean squat unless you lose a player to injury. Period.
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Sunday, August 10, 2003
The papers have been filed. Now the Secretary of State has to verify each candidate. As of 4:30, there are 193 candidates who have filed, and 89 who are completely verified.
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Got comments? Email me.
A quick google search unearthed the following two online summaries of Chinese history:
Condensed China was apparently written in 1997, as that is the latest reference it contains. It is a fairly concise account of the major periods of Chinese history, as far as I can tell, but is littered with typos.
History of China seems to be a much more academic undertaking, going into more detailed examinations and including photographs and maps.
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Condensed China was apparently written in 1997, as that is the latest reference it contains. It is a fairly concise account of the major periods of Chinese history, as far as I can tell, but is littered with typos.
History of China seems to be a much more academic undertaking, going into more detailed examinations and including photographs and maps.
Got comments? Email me.
Scales: 217.4 lbs, 27.0% body fat. I know I didn't drink enough water yesterday -- that's likely why my body fat reading is so high today.
When we got our metabolisms checked Friday, we also bought some software called BalanceLog. You monitor your caloric and nutrient intake as well as your exercise regimen, by inputting various information. A wide variety of food and exercise data is already included and it's quite easy to add new foods and exercises. Wendy spent most of yesterday poring over everything.
Had my soccer game yesterday with Pixar. We lost about 4-1, or 5-1; I lost track. It was a very physical game, as ILM and Pixar really don't like each other; I have a piece of skin missing from my arm as a result of a knock I took defending a corner kick. The traffic to and from the game was a nightmare, as it usually is in the East Bay on Saturday afternoons. Seemed worse than usual, though.
Got home and stretched a bunch. I've realized just how poor my flexbility is now -- I can't keep my legs straight when I touch my toes because my hamstrings and calves are so tight. Finished reading Part I of "T'ai Chi According to the I Ching" that covers the history of both T'ai Chi and I Ching in broad strokes. I am continually amazed at Chinese history. I have to find a book that gives me a good introduction to the major points in Chinese history, as all of my schooling focused on Western History. I really want to learn to read and write Chinese, too.
Wendy and I went for a fairly brisk walk around our section in the afternoon and decided not to go to Game Night (yet again). With me gone most of the day for soccer, we decided to just stay home and spend time together. We wrapped up the night by watching some game shows and the brilliant "The Princess Bride." That Fred Savage sure was an adorable little kid. "This isn't one of those kissing books, is it?"
Got comments? Email me.
When we got our metabolisms checked Friday, we also bought some software called BalanceLog. You monitor your caloric and nutrient intake as well as your exercise regimen, by inputting various information. A wide variety of food and exercise data is already included and it's quite easy to add new foods and exercises. Wendy spent most of yesterday poring over everything.
Had my soccer game yesterday with Pixar. We lost about 4-1, or 5-1; I lost track. It was a very physical game, as ILM and Pixar really don't like each other; I have a piece of skin missing from my arm as a result of a knock I took defending a corner kick. The traffic to and from the game was a nightmare, as it usually is in the East Bay on Saturday afternoons. Seemed worse than usual, though.
Got home and stretched a bunch. I've realized just how poor my flexbility is now -- I can't keep my legs straight when I touch my toes because my hamstrings and calves are so tight. Finished reading Part I of "T'ai Chi According to the I Ching" that covers the history of both T'ai Chi and I Ching in broad strokes. I am continually amazed at Chinese history. I have to find a book that gives me a good introduction to the major points in Chinese history, as all of my schooling focused on Western History. I really want to learn to read and write Chinese, too.
Wendy and I went for a fairly brisk walk around our section in the afternoon and decided not to go to Game Night (yet again). With me gone most of the day for soccer, we decided to just stay home and spend time together. We wrapped up the night by watching some game shows and the brilliant "The Princess Bride." That Fred Savage sure was an adorable little kid. "This isn't one of those kissing books, is it?"
Got comments? Email me.
Saturday, August 09, 2003
Today's scales: 219.8 lbs, 24.5% body fat. No exercise last night -- had some friends from work over for dinner. It's almost scary how much we have in common with them.
Slept in this morning some. I really needed it, as I've been getting up at 5:00 almost all week and I was extremely tired. A friend is dropping off the tickets for the Steelers-49ers game this morning, then I've got a soccer game at 1, and Game Night at Chris and Susan's is tonight as well. So most of the day is already planned -- that soccer game at 1 just eats up most of my day. :-( Today's game is with Pixar, though, so I don't want to miss that!
Got comments? Email me.
Slept in this morning some. I really needed it, as I've been getting up at 5:00 almost all week and I was extremely tired. A friend is dropping off the tickets for the Steelers-49ers game this morning, then I've got a soccer game at 1, and Game Night at Chris and Susan's is tonight as well. So most of the day is already planned -- that soccer game at 1 just eats up most of my day. :-( Today's game is with Pixar, though, so I don't want to miss that!
Got comments? Email me.
Friday, August 08, 2003
Reading over my previous posts, I seem to begin comments with "OK" an awful lot. I'll have to work on that.
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Got comments? Email me.
Got a metabolic evaluation this morning. My Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) was 2170, and my Oxygen Consumption (VO2) was 313 ml/min. Here is a glossary of terms, including RMR and VO2, and here is a FAQ on metabolism. So, basically, if I did nothing all day, my body would burn up about 2170 calories to continue functioning normally. Interesting.
Got comments? Email me.
Got comments? Email me.
Today's scales: 222.2 lbs, 23% body fat. No exercise last night -- still too sore and tight from the step aerobics class. Played D&D instead, and the party killed two medium-sized white dragons.
Top story on the LucasArts press page: "Full Throttle: Hell on Wheels" has stopped production. Yes, it sucks mightily. I have no further comment on the matter at this time.
Curiously, I had no song whatsoever in my head this morning when I woke up. I wonder if the two are related?
Got comments? Email me.
Top story on the LucasArts press page: "Full Throttle: Hell on Wheels" has stopped production. Yes, it sucks mightily. I have no further comment on the matter at this time.
Curiously, I had no song whatsoever in my head this morning when I woke up. I wonder if the two are related?
Got comments? Email me.
Thursday, August 07, 2003
OK, so Tina Weymouth might not be the most skilled bassist on the planet, but she put together some fantastic bass lines for the Talking Heads. Why aren't there more sources of bass tabs for their songs?! Argh.
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Got comments? Email me.
Today's readings: 220.2 lbs, 24.0% body fat. Did a step aerobics class last night, and I liked it a lot, but OW OW OW! Got the first leg cramp in a long time overnight, and I nearly pulled a groin just rolling out of bed this morning. Am I really in this bad of shape? Yes. :-( Ouch.
This morning's "wake up song" was "Deadbeat Club" from the B-52's. I've been listening to "My Station" on MusicMatch, and it played on there yesterday. Incidentally, they ask you for your 3 favorite bands in order to create your My Station, so I chose Tool, The Cure, and Talking Heads, trying my best to name favorite bands that might be somewhat indicative of the music I prefer. These choices have resulted in a TON of Smiths and Morrissey tracks, which is not a problem, but considering that the Cure's output is much more numerous than the Smiths' it is a bit of a curiosity -- and no Banshees yet, although there have been a smattering of Depeche Mode tracks. I've also gotten more Deftones than Tool, and more David Bowie than Talking Heads. Oh, and more New Order than I can shake a stick at. One pleasant surprise has been a bunch of Elvis Costello album cuts, which have revealed to me why he's regarded as such an amazing artist. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy his singles, but I'd rather listen to "Spike" (an incredibly wonderful album in its musical complexity) in its entirety than his Greatest Hits album. I just might have to pick up a copy of "My Aim Is True" now.
One thing I don't particularly care for with MusicMatch is an apparent inability to tweak the musical selections on the fly. Yes, I know I'm using the free basic jukebox, but compared to, say, Yahoo!'s LAUNCH music service which allows you to do real-time rating of selections, bands, and albums, as well as tweak the list of "featured artists" I find MusicMatch's free service a little wanting. The drawback to LAUNCH is a limited number of play minutes per month before you start to get charged, whereas MusicMatch seems to offer less control, but completely free, unlimited access. I guess I'll take the free access for now; I can always swap out to my personal music collection if I need a change of pace. :-) Oh, and one more good thing about MusicMatch: they have stuff on their playlists that are not just singles -- album cuts, b-sides, box sets, etc. They actually played "Ocean," an excellent b-side from one of the Cure's "The 13th" CD singles (not quite as good as "Adonais" or "It Used to Be Me" but better than some of the stuff that actually made it onto "Wild Mood Swings").
Ok, I wanted to post this yesterday, but didn't find/make the time to do it justice. Yesterday was the anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima. The current Mayor of Hiroshima took the opportunity to reiterate his condemnation of the U.S.'s renewed pursuit of nuclear armament. He already sent President Bush a letter back in April about the matter. Now, I know I'm not a newshound, but I certainly don't recall hearing anything in mainstream media about this.
T'ai Chi and Chai Tea OK, so it's not really Chai Tea, but I just had to use that line! :-) A judge in Santa Fe has begun sentencing offenders to a choice of community service or a class on T'ai Chi, meditation, and Japanese Tea Service. This judge, Frances Gallegos, has already implemented an interesting twist to the community service sentence as well (apparently this is based on the Edward de Bono "Six Thinking Hats" technique -- note the "Frances Gallegos variant" at the bottom of the page). Offenders who choose the T'ai Chi class are responsible for footing the $180 class fee. This story popped up in few different places, but beliefnet.com had the most comprehensive treatment I could locate, including testimonials from participants. I can see some people getting in a snit about a judge handing out such unorthodox punishments -- and I usually abhor judges who see fit to step outside the boundaries of the system -- but these seem to be well-intentioned and very well-considered alternative punishments. It's refreshing to see a local court judge exercising such excellent judgement. Gallegos was also featured in a 2001 Albuquerque Journal feature on Women of "Ageless Beauty."
Got comments? Email me.
This morning's "wake up song" was "Deadbeat Club" from the B-52's. I've been listening to "My Station" on MusicMatch, and it played on there yesterday. Incidentally, they ask you for your 3 favorite bands in order to create your My Station, so I chose Tool, The Cure, and Talking Heads, trying my best to name favorite bands that might be somewhat indicative of the music I prefer. These choices have resulted in a TON of Smiths and Morrissey tracks, which is not a problem, but considering that the Cure's output is much more numerous than the Smiths' it is a bit of a curiosity -- and no Banshees yet, although there have been a smattering of Depeche Mode tracks. I've also gotten more Deftones than Tool, and more David Bowie than Talking Heads. Oh, and more New Order than I can shake a stick at. One pleasant surprise has been a bunch of Elvis Costello album cuts, which have revealed to me why he's regarded as such an amazing artist. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy his singles, but I'd rather listen to "Spike" (an incredibly wonderful album in its musical complexity) in its entirety than his Greatest Hits album. I just might have to pick up a copy of "My Aim Is True" now.
One thing I don't particularly care for with MusicMatch is an apparent inability to tweak the musical selections on the fly. Yes, I know I'm using the free basic jukebox, but compared to, say, Yahoo!'s LAUNCH music service which allows you to do real-time rating of selections, bands, and albums, as well as tweak the list of "featured artists" I find MusicMatch's free service a little wanting. The drawback to LAUNCH is a limited number of play minutes per month before you start to get charged, whereas MusicMatch seems to offer less control, but completely free, unlimited access. I guess I'll take the free access for now; I can always swap out to my personal music collection if I need a change of pace. :-) Oh, and one more good thing about MusicMatch: they have stuff on their playlists that are not just singles -- album cuts, b-sides, box sets, etc. They actually played "Ocean," an excellent b-side from one of the Cure's "The 13th" CD singles (not quite as good as "Adonais" or "It Used to Be Me" but better than some of the stuff that actually made it onto "Wild Mood Swings").
Ok, I wanted to post this yesterday, but didn't find/make the time to do it justice. Yesterday was the anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima. The current Mayor of Hiroshima took the opportunity to reiterate his condemnation of the U.S.'s renewed pursuit of nuclear armament. He already sent President Bush a letter back in April about the matter. Now, I know I'm not a newshound, but I certainly don't recall hearing anything in mainstream media about this.
T'ai Chi and Chai Tea OK, so it's not really Chai Tea, but I just had to use that line! :-) A judge in Santa Fe has begun sentencing offenders to a choice of community service or a class on T'ai Chi, meditation, and Japanese Tea Service. This judge, Frances Gallegos, has already implemented an interesting twist to the community service sentence as well (apparently this is based on the Edward de Bono "Six Thinking Hats" technique -- note the "Frances Gallegos variant" at the bottom of the page). Offenders who choose the T'ai Chi class are responsible for footing the $180 class fee. This story popped up in few different places, but beliefnet.com had the most comprehensive treatment I could locate, including testimonials from participants. I can see some people getting in a snit about a judge handing out such unorthodox punishments -- and I usually abhor judges who see fit to step outside the boundaries of the system -- but these seem to be well-intentioned and very well-considered alternative punishments. It's refreshing to see a local court judge exercising such excellent judgement. Gallegos was also featured in a 2001 Albuquerque Journal feature on Women of "Ageless Beauty."
Got comments? Email me.
Ok, more recall links. Schwarzenegger is in. Huffington is in. Gallagher is in. Gary Coleman is in. Yes, that Gary Coleman (his campaign website, linked above, is a riot -- there's profanity sprinkled throughout, though). Keep an eye on this page at the Mercury News for all your recall information needs. It appears to be thorough, unbiased, and up-to-date. And, yes, I said Gallagher is in.
Got comments? Email me.
Got comments? Email me.
Web site brings new meaning to the phrase "code monkeys"! Check out the Primate Programming Institute for all your higher primate coding needs. Be sure to check out the Talent link while you're there. Unfortunately, the Iowa Primate Learning Sanctuary apparently has no sense of humor.
Planning to visit NYC sometime soon? You might want to call Big Apple Greeters, a "not-for-profit organization whose mission is to enhance New York City's worldwide image and to enrich the New York experience by connecting Business and leisure travelers with knowledgeable and enthusiastic Volunteers." CNN.com's Travel section just did a feature on them, and it looks like it has the potential to create a memorable, rewarding experience for the traveller. This is a great idea that I support wholeheartedly! I would love to see the "greeter" experience turn into a national phenomenon.
Got comments? Email me.
Planning to visit NYC sometime soon? You might want to call Big Apple Greeters, a "not-for-profit organization whose mission is to enhance New York City's worldwide image and to enrich the New York experience by connecting Business and leisure travelers with knowledgeable and enthusiastic Volunteers." CNN.com's Travel section just did a feature on them, and it looks like it has the potential to create a memorable, rewarding experience for the traveller. This is a great idea that I support wholeheartedly! I would love to see the "greeter" experience turn into a national phenomenon.
Got comments? Email me.
Wednesday, August 06, 2003
Today would have been Andy Warhol's 75th birthday. To celebrate, the Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh is offering free cake and 75 cent admission today. Here is a related article from CNN.
Got comments? Email me.
Got comments? Email me.
Here are the results of a stream of consciousness poetry exercise I tried. I call it "Consciousness I"
One
Bun in the oven
Muffin
Blueberry English
Parliamentary
Monarch ministry
Minister hawk falcon
Millenium Falcon
Star Wars
Han Solo
Solitary lonely
Alone
One
Got comments? Email me.
One
Bun in the oven
Muffin
Blueberry English
Parliamentary
Monarch ministry
Minister hawk falcon
Millenium Falcon
Star Wars
Han Solo
Solitary lonely
Alone
One
Got comments? Email me.
This morning's scale readings: 219.6 lbs, 23.5% body fat. I did some treadmill work last night at the gym.
Song running thru my head when I woke up: Tuscadero's "Lovesick" from their "Pink Album" debut. What an underappreciated album and band. I first heard the CD in the WRCT studios when I was working there in '96. Very simple rock compositions, delivered with childlike innocence despite some of the subject matter. It has an almost whimsical quality to it.
Got comments? Email me.
Song running thru my head when I woke up: Tuscadero's "Lovesick" from their "Pink Album" debut. What an underappreciated album and band. I first heard the CD in the WRCT studios when I was working there in '96. Very simple rock compositions, delivered with childlike innocence despite some of the subject matter. It has an almost whimsical quality to it.
Got comments? Email me.
Tuesday, August 05, 2003
Checked out the new Jane's Addiction album "Strays" today at work. Had it on repeat for a few hours. I enjoyed it more every time I listened to it. If you want to check it out for yourself, you can hear the entire album for free, as part of a limited time promotion, on MusicMatch. Click on the "Download MusicMatch Jukebox" button. Then choose the "basic - free" option. On the next screen that appears you need to once again choose "basic - free" but be careful! They swap the position of the basic and non-basic buttons from the previous screen! Once you've downloaded the jukebox, open it up, and click on "Online Music" on the left sidebar. In the center panel you should now see a panel that features "CD Party" links; one of these will be Jane's Addiction.
Ever wonder how the U.S. military whips flabby Americans into shape? Well, wonder no more! They use the F.I.T.T. principles, and now you can too. Read all about it here.
Speaking of fitness, MSN has a list of 11 ways you can help your partner lose weight. They are mostly common sense, but having them all laid out in one place makes a handy checklist for you to focus on.
Here's an editorial about how people who work with the public should behave in front of customers. This list should be printed out and posted on the bulletin board of the employee lounge in every fast food joint and mall shop in the U.S. His fifth item is mostly just a personal pet peeve, but the rest are all solid advice.
August 6, 1945. America drops the bomb on Hiroshima. This op-ed piece from the NY Times does a great job of presenting the facts objectively, placing them in historical context, summarizing the opposing Western viewpoints of whether or not the act was "necessary," and then using Japanese viewpoints to make his own case. Interesting, enlightening, and persuasive. What more could you ask for?
Do you live in CA? Are you registered to vote? If not, go here and request a registration form.
Got comments? Email me.
Ever wonder how the U.S. military whips flabby Americans into shape? Well, wonder no more! They use the F.I.T.T. principles, and now you can too. Read all about it here.
Speaking of fitness, MSN has a list of 11 ways you can help your partner lose weight. They are mostly common sense, but having them all laid out in one place makes a handy checklist for you to focus on.
Here's an editorial about how people who work with the public should behave in front of customers. This list should be printed out and posted on the bulletin board of the employee lounge in every fast food joint and mall shop in the U.S. His fifth item is mostly just a personal pet peeve, but the rest are all solid advice.
August 6, 1945. America drops the bomb on Hiroshima. This op-ed piece from the NY Times does a great job of presenting the facts objectively, placing them in historical context, summarizing the opposing Western viewpoints of whether or not the act was "necessary," and then using Japanese viewpoints to make his own case. Interesting, enlightening, and persuasive. What more could you ask for?
Do you live in CA? Are you registered to vote? If not, go here and request a registration form.
Got comments? Email me.
More links:
Great googly-moogly! Larry Flynt is throwing his hat into the ring in the recall election. Check out his personal site for his views, and the link to the Washington Post article he chose to link to regarding his announcement. From the Post article: "California is the most progressive state in the Union... I don't think anyone here will have a problem with a smut peddler as governor." :-) Personally, I like this article from CNN a little better, as it actually hits on some of his agenda.
Speaking of civil liberties... The Guyanese government has launched an anti-rudeness campaign in order to bolster tourism and "the quality of life." College students majoring in tourism will be accompanied around the country by police as they "counsel" people who are being rude. If they're really targeting quality of life, though, why wouldn't they also use sociology majors? Now wouldn't this be interesting to try in America? This could be the next big reality TV show! It could be called "The Golden Rule" and it would feature a group of people traveling around the country with a camera crew and calling out folks who are being disrespectful to their fellow citizens. I was going to suggest that it be a hidden camera affair so people wouldn't behave differently just because there's a camera in their face, but I've seen enough reality TV now to realize that if people are going to be jerks, they'll do it even if it will be televised.
So apparently the Stanley Cup isn't constantly under the watchful eye of the NHL, as the ESPN commercials would have us believe. While in transport, it goes into the hold with everything else, and it can miss its flight just like your luggage!
The new Harry Potter flick is in development. The new director is Alfonso Cuaron, he of "Y Tu Mama Tambien" fame. Chris Columbus is producing, but I'm still slightly afraid. Read this to see why. Dumbledore as an aging hippie!? *shiver*
While poking around looking to expand my news exposure, I did a little surfing on the BBC site and came across this little nugget. It's got most everything you could want to know about the E.U. and then some. Quite handy!
Interested in what Prince has been up to lately? Well, he's got a new release called "n.e.w.s." that you can download here for $7. The thing is, it's downloadable only in Windows Media format! Ugh. If you're interested in actually having a CD, you can buy it for $14.99 from Prince himself at the NPG music store. It's apparently more jazz-oriented than it is funky, but if you picked up "The Rainbow Children" then you know he can do jazz as brilliantly as he does everything else. 4 tracks: "North", "East", "West", and "South".
Got comments? Email me.
Great googly-moogly! Larry Flynt is throwing his hat into the ring in the recall election. Check out his personal site for his views, and the link to the Washington Post article he chose to link to regarding his announcement. From the Post article: "California is the most progressive state in the Union... I don't think anyone here will have a problem with a smut peddler as governor." :-) Personally, I like this article from CNN a little better, as it actually hits on some of his agenda.
Speaking of civil liberties... The Guyanese government has launched an anti-rudeness campaign in order to bolster tourism and "the quality of life." College students majoring in tourism will be accompanied around the country by police as they "counsel" people who are being rude. If they're really targeting quality of life, though, why wouldn't they also use sociology majors? Now wouldn't this be interesting to try in America? This could be the next big reality TV show! It could be called "The Golden Rule" and it would feature a group of people traveling around the country with a camera crew and calling out folks who are being disrespectful to their fellow citizens. I was going to suggest that it be a hidden camera affair so people wouldn't behave differently just because there's a camera in their face, but I've seen enough reality TV now to realize that if people are going to be jerks, they'll do it even if it will be televised.
So apparently the Stanley Cup isn't constantly under the watchful eye of the NHL, as the ESPN commercials would have us believe. While in transport, it goes into the hold with everything else, and it can miss its flight just like your luggage!
The new Harry Potter flick is in development. The new director is Alfonso Cuaron, he of "Y Tu Mama Tambien" fame. Chris Columbus is producing, but I'm still slightly afraid. Read this to see why. Dumbledore as an aging hippie!? *shiver*
While poking around looking to expand my news exposure, I did a little surfing on the BBC site and came across this little nugget. It's got most everything you could want to know about the E.U. and then some. Quite handy!
Interested in what Prince has been up to lately? Well, he's got a new release called "n.e.w.s." that you can download here for $7. The thing is, it's downloadable only in Windows Media format! Ugh. If you're interested in actually having a CD, you can buy it for $14.99 from Prince himself at the NPG music store. It's apparently more jazz-oriented than it is funky, but if you picked up "The Rainbow Children" then you know he can do jazz as brilliantly as he does everything else. 4 tracks: "North", "East", "West", and "South".
Got comments? Email me.
Oh, yeah. For what it's worth, this morning the song running through my head when I woke up was "Savoy Truffle" from the Beatles. Specifically the line "What is sweet now, turns so sour" and the recurrent curiosity about whether or not that was intended to apply to the Beatles themselves. In the interest of getting the Beatles out of my head and finally double-checking the bass line on "Money" I pulled out "Dark Side of the Moon" for this morning's commute.
Got comments? Email me.
Got comments? Email me.
We got a new scale over the weekend that measures body fat percentage. In an effort to motivate myself to be more conscious of my weight, I'm going to start logging it here. This morning's tally: 218.8 lbs, 24.5% body fat. Man, I'm a porker. :-(
I did Pilates for the first time last night at the gym with Wendy. I enjoyed the balance work, but the flexibility work was just way too hard for me. But I know I need to work on that. Overall I think I prefer T'ai Chi, though. I kept having problems with my back and shoulders locking up on me last night. I really need to get rid of this tension that builds up from typing all day.
Links left over from yesterday:
Can you tell the programmers from the serial killers? For such a silly little test, it's quite attractively put together. Try it here.
Lost in the fuss of the upcoming recall election is the upcoming vote on California Proposition 54. I need to look into this proposition further as the sources I've seen differ as to what it constitutes. Anyone have a definitive text?
Argh! I had two rather interesting links yesterday to a site for the magazine business2.com. Today, however, you can only get to the first page of each article unless you get a paid subscription. Blah. Well, the articles were about Ninentendo's business decisions and Match.com's "Love Algorithm." I found the articles to be interesting reads, but probably not worth paying for the subscription.
Got comments? Email me.
I did Pilates for the first time last night at the gym with Wendy. I enjoyed the balance work, but the flexibility work was just way too hard for me. But I know I need to work on that. Overall I think I prefer T'ai Chi, though. I kept having problems with my back and shoulders locking up on me last night. I really need to get rid of this tension that builds up from typing all day.
Links left over from yesterday:
Can you tell the programmers from the serial killers? For such a silly little test, it's quite attractively put together. Try it here.
Lost in the fuss of the upcoming recall election is the upcoming vote on California Proposition 54. I need to look into this proposition further as the sources I've seen differ as to what it constitutes. Anyone have a definitive text?
Argh! I had two rather interesting links yesterday to a site for the magazine business2.com. Today, however, you can only get to the first page of each article unless you get a paid subscription. Blah. Well, the articles were about Ninentendo's business decisions and Match.com's "Love Algorithm." I found the articles to be interesting reads, but probably not worth paying for the subscription.
Got comments? Email me.
Monday, August 04, 2003
Things on my mind today:
1. New reading material from a Borders visit on Friday: "The Weblog Handbook" by Rebecca Blood, Bass Guitar magazine (Summer 2003 "Pounding Premier Issue!"), Bass Player magazine (August 2003), and "T'ai Chi According to the I Ching: Embodying the Principles of the Book of Changes" by Stuart Alve Olson. Apparently Olson lives here in the Bay Area. Cool.
2. On CD: "Sunburn" by Blake Babies, Juliana Hatfield's old band. My friend Kevin brought it in today out of the blue. He said he remembered that I liked Juliana's solo stuff -- I do. I checked the credits and discovered that she played bass on the album. Hmm. Maybe that's why I like her stuff so much! Overall, really good college radio music, although the guy in the band can't sing very well (he plays some nice jangly guitar, though!). I've had it on constant repeat all morning.
3. Lunch today: Marie Callender's Chicken and Mashed Potatoes with Gravy. It's a bit of pain to make, but boy is it good. Yumm!
4. Today's the day the Chargers get the Training Camp treatment on ESPN.com. I'm curious to see what nuggets they have, if any.
5. Yes, my news resources are primarily limited to CNN.com, but I invariably find something interesting on there. Here are the links I found interesting today:
Gov. Davis looks ever more concerned for himself than for the state.
Regarding state housing for parolees in Oregon: "This is an issue of county philosophy," Silbernagel said. "Our county commissioners strongly believe the taxpayers should not pay money to house convicted felons." Um, don't the taxpayers already pay money to house the convicted felons in jail?!
Will there be a Gay Bishop in the Episcopalian church? I still don't understand the exclusionary forces that most religions muster up. Regardless of the religion's specific tenets, more followers is always a good thing, isn't it?
Bush considers an amendment to ban same-sex marriages. Why are Americans preoccupied with preventing the happiness of others? Is it a feeling of superiority?
Kobe and his wife attended the "Teen Choice Awards." I'm not quite sure how I feel about this, but I can't imagine how this could in any way be a wise decision. It seems like a lose-lose situation.
Cherie Blair, wife of the UK Prime Minister, sang to some Chinese students. It was recorded and now it's been remixed into a dance club hit. I've exhausted my extremely limited web-searching abilities and have been unable to find a recording of either the original performance or the remix. If someone could point me to these, I'd be very grateful.
Should educators be subject to minimum aptitude tests? This guy has been having some trouble with them.
Any story on fat kids grabs my attention. Color me cynical but do you think the increase in obesity is related to the decrease in teenage parenthood?
An open-source Encylopedia? Check out Wikipedia for yourself!
This misguided chap thinks "Seabiscuit" is about re-popularizing horse racing. Of course it won't affect the "sport's" popularity -- the only thing interesting about it is the gambling aspect. But he's missing the point anyway. The movie is about overcoming adversity -- stick-to-it-iveness, as John Madden would say -- and how this horse's story captured the imagination and spirit of a nation at a time when it is was sorely needed.
They've extensively explored the depths of Loch Ness and guess what? No monster. Can we just accept the whole thing was a fake now and move on?
Got comments? Email me.
1. New reading material from a Borders visit on Friday: "The Weblog Handbook" by Rebecca Blood, Bass Guitar magazine (Summer 2003 "Pounding Premier Issue!"), Bass Player magazine (August 2003), and "T'ai Chi According to the I Ching: Embodying the Principles of the Book of Changes" by Stuart Alve Olson. Apparently Olson lives here in the Bay Area. Cool.
2. On CD: "Sunburn" by Blake Babies, Juliana Hatfield's old band. My friend Kevin brought it in today out of the blue. He said he remembered that I liked Juliana's solo stuff -- I do. I checked the credits and discovered that she played bass on the album. Hmm. Maybe that's why I like her stuff so much! Overall, really good college radio music, although the guy in the band can't sing very well (he plays some nice jangly guitar, though!). I've had it on constant repeat all morning.
3. Lunch today: Marie Callender's Chicken and Mashed Potatoes with Gravy. It's a bit of pain to make, but boy is it good. Yumm!
4. Today's the day the Chargers get the Training Camp treatment on ESPN.com. I'm curious to see what nuggets they have, if any.
5. Yes, my news resources are primarily limited to CNN.com, but I invariably find something interesting on there. Here are the links I found interesting today:
Gov. Davis looks ever more concerned for himself than for the state.
Regarding state housing for parolees in Oregon: "This is an issue of county philosophy," Silbernagel said. "Our county commissioners strongly believe the taxpayers should not pay money to house convicted felons." Um, don't the taxpayers already pay money to house the convicted felons in jail?!
Will there be a Gay Bishop in the Episcopalian church? I still don't understand the exclusionary forces that most religions muster up. Regardless of the religion's specific tenets, more followers is always a good thing, isn't it?
Bush considers an amendment to ban same-sex marriages. Why are Americans preoccupied with preventing the happiness of others? Is it a feeling of superiority?
Kobe and his wife attended the "Teen Choice Awards." I'm not quite sure how I feel about this, but I can't imagine how this could in any way be a wise decision. It seems like a lose-lose situation.
Cherie Blair, wife of the UK Prime Minister, sang to some Chinese students. It was recorded and now it's been remixed into a dance club hit. I've exhausted my extremely limited web-searching abilities and have been unable to find a recording of either the original performance or the remix. If someone could point me to these, I'd be very grateful.
Should educators be subject to minimum aptitude tests? This guy has been having some trouble with them.
Any story on fat kids grabs my attention. Color me cynical but do you think the increase in obesity is related to the decrease in teenage parenthood?
An open-source Encylopedia? Check out Wikipedia for yourself!
This misguided chap thinks "Seabiscuit" is about re-popularizing horse racing. Of course it won't affect the "sport's" popularity -- the only thing interesting about it is the gambling aspect. But he's missing the point anyway. The movie is about overcoming adversity -- stick-to-it-iveness, as John Madden would say -- and how this horse's story captured the imagination and spirit of a nation at a time when it is was sorely needed.
They've extensively explored the depths of Loch Ness and guess what? No monster. Can we just accept the whole thing was a fake now and move on?
Got comments? Email me.
It's almost 6 AM. I woke up around 5 AM from another strange dream. I have to go to work today so I got up and shaved, but I tried to remember as many details of the dream as I could. While I was shaving, I remembered that I have to take some clothes to the dry cleaner this morning, so I can't leave for work until 7:00 when they open. I took a shower, concentrating on retaining details about the dream. The following songs kept running thru my head, vying for attention: "Sexy Sadie" and "Honey Pie" from the Beatles' White Album (2nd Disc) which I was listening to yesterday. I always seem to wake up with some song repeating over and over in my head. This morning it was the line "Sexy Sadie, you'll get yours yet."
Anyway, the dream. It occurred in 2 distinct parts. The first part involved me directly; the second part involved the ghost of a young, blonde girl. Perhaps they were separate dreams and the subconscious fog of sleep merged them in my memory.
The first part is kind of sketchy -- I didn't even remember it until it came back in bits and pieces while I was shaving. I recall observing some kind of performance, I may have even been involved somehow. Then I remember attending some kind of play with a group of people. I never saw the people who accompanied me, nor myself. It was like a first-person camera and all of my friends' voices (which were not identifiable) came from off-screen. Anyway, at this play, we were seated at a table on stage, the far right of the stage as you look at it. On the left side of the stage there were some performers or perhaps an MC who was soliciting volunteers from the audience. Apparently this was some kind of participatory theatre where volunteers would be taught their lines and roles and perform as part of the show. My companions urged me to volunteer because I had done such a good job at playing one of the roles in the story previously -- I got the distinct impression that this was the first performance in my dream, and it had been almost like a role-playing game. I recall at this point in the dream fixating on the MC and having a bizarre internal monologue about whether or not I should do it, as if some kind of fantasy I had about acting could somehow be played out here. That's all I can remember of this part.
The next part (with the ghost) unfolded like a movie, with camera cuts, special effects, and en eerie soundtrack. I can no longer remember the beginning of the dream. What I remember most vividly is a scene in an old house -- pretty much nothing is left but the outer shell. It's an unusual location, on a hillside in a suburban-like area, and the house is at least 2 stories. The upper story is where the front door is located. I remember a mailbox and a small driveway outside the house. Inside the house there are no floors, only the dirt under the house. There are also pieces of wood and objects laying around. There is something like a slide -- I can't tell what it was -- that goes from the front, upper floor down to the lower back floor. There is a young blonde girl in a white dress playing at the site in the upper area. While she's playing she is laughing and she slides down the "slide." She is looking over her shoulder at the top of the slide as she slides. She turns around and gasps. There is another young blonde girl in a white dress, younger than her but who looks very similar, standing right in front of her at the bottom of the slide, unmoving, unblinking. The two girls are almost face-to-face.
Now I recall a strange shot of someone -- a policeman? a letter carrier? -- reaching into the scene, thru the one girl and grabbing the other girl, pulling her out of the frame. I think he was there to help. Then I recall some kind of conversation between this man and a woman, I think she was the younger girl's mother. This entire conversation occurred in voiceover -- I never saw these people. He said something about a young girl who had been playing and said she met a girl that fit the description of the woman's missing daughter. There was also some mention of a letter carrier recalling the past delivery of some strange scientific or medical devices to the house where the girl was playing.
I recall panning out over a city street map, with a small dot moving on it, as though it were marking my position. It went straight north until it came to a T-intersection -- it might have been a waterfront of some sort. The name Wellington sticks in my head. Then it turned east for 2 blocks, and then right again. This was Maris Ave. The dot went across some railroad tracks -- it might have been a metro or something -- and about 3 blocks further, then stopped just short of a major intersection. I got the distinct impression there was something important here, something related to the dead girl. And then I woke up.
My analysis:
Here are the associations I can make. It's possible this dream means nothing except in its form and the contents are free-associated items from my subconscious. It's also possible that the random combination of these subconscious items somehow triggered something that allowed my unconscious mind to connect to something. I can't know for sure, but I can't shake the creepy feeling like this is somehow real and there's some dead girl's ghost somewhere trying to be discovered. If anyone knows of a city where there are two streets named Wellington and Maris that run parallel to each other only a few blocks apart, please let me know.
Anyway, the associations. Maris is probably linked to the TV guide I saw in the grocery store the other day, where they discuss who would make a good Maris on the show "Frasier." Wellington seems to be associated with Maris -- Wellington Mara was the owner of the NY Giants, and the NFL has been on my mind a lot lately. I recently saw "Signs" by M. Night Shyamalan, which could have pulled up memories of his "Sixth Sense," explaining the dead girl. The house reminds me of a house across the street from my best friend's old house. His dad is actually a letter-carrier, explaining the letter carrier and mailbox fixations. And in a puff of realization it just dawned on me that yesterday was his birthday. The overhead city map reminded me very much of Pittsburgh. The only connection I can make there is that I've been thinking a lot about calling my friends Craig and Laura in Pittsburgh -- I feel guilty that I haven't talked to them in a while, and I'm unjustifiably worried this might jeopardize our friendship. This bothers me because they are 2 of my favorite people in the world. Oh, I also just saw "American Psycho" which might explain the reference to bizarre medical instruments.
As for the first part, I think it has to do with an online quiz I took just before bed last night. It was about career planning, and it suggested that I might be good at drama, something that I have coveted as a secret dream for a long time, but have always been too afraid to pursue. The only persons I know who are involved in acting are Frank and Gina, 2 more friends from Pittsburgh whom I think about often. I associate them with improv, as they are part of the improv troupe Amish Monkeys. This explains the participatory theme at the theatre. I think the other "role-playing" experience is linked to last night's D&D session -- the first in over a week -- where we got back into role-playing our characters.
Right before bed, I also took an online Myers-Briggs personality test that revealed me to be an ENFJ -- extroverted, intuitive, feeling, judging. Free-association of these phrases could have also created some of the elements of my dreams -- the extroversion triggered a desire to perform, the intuition triggered the feeling that my dream was some kind of psychic revelation.
Perhaps I need to get a small tape recorder so I can more accurately and quickly record my dreams.
Got comments? Email me.
Anyway, the dream. It occurred in 2 distinct parts. The first part involved me directly; the second part involved the ghost of a young, blonde girl. Perhaps they were separate dreams and the subconscious fog of sleep merged them in my memory.
The first part is kind of sketchy -- I didn't even remember it until it came back in bits and pieces while I was shaving. I recall observing some kind of performance, I may have even been involved somehow. Then I remember attending some kind of play with a group of people. I never saw the people who accompanied me, nor myself. It was like a first-person camera and all of my friends' voices (which were not identifiable) came from off-screen. Anyway, at this play, we were seated at a table on stage, the far right of the stage as you look at it. On the left side of the stage there were some performers or perhaps an MC who was soliciting volunteers from the audience. Apparently this was some kind of participatory theatre where volunteers would be taught their lines and roles and perform as part of the show. My companions urged me to volunteer because I had done such a good job at playing one of the roles in the story previously -- I got the distinct impression that this was the first performance in my dream, and it had been almost like a role-playing game. I recall at this point in the dream fixating on the MC and having a bizarre internal monologue about whether or not I should do it, as if some kind of fantasy I had about acting could somehow be played out here. That's all I can remember of this part.
The next part (with the ghost) unfolded like a movie, with camera cuts, special effects, and en eerie soundtrack. I can no longer remember the beginning of the dream. What I remember most vividly is a scene in an old house -- pretty much nothing is left but the outer shell. It's an unusual location, on a hillside in a suburban-like area, and the house is at least 2 stories. The upper story is where the front door is located. I remember a mailbox and a small driveway outside the house. Inside the house there are no floors, only the dirt under the house. There are also pieces of wood and objects laying around. There is something like a slide -- I can't tell what it was -- that goes from the front, upper floor down to the lower back floor. There is a young blonde girl in a white dress playing at the site in the upper area. While she's playing she is laughing and she slides down the "slide." She is looking over her shoulder at the top of the slide as she slides. She turns around and gasps. There is another young blonde girl in a white dress, younger than her but who looks very similar, standing right in front of her at the bottom of the slide, unmoving, unblinking. The two girls are almost face-to-face.
Now I recall a strange shot of someone -- a policeman? a letter carrier? -- reaching into the scene, thru the one girl and grabbing the other girl, pulling her out of the frame. I think he was there to help. Then I recall some kind of conversation between this man and a woman, I think she was the younger girl's mother. This entire conversation occurred in voiceover -- I never saw these people. He said something about a young girl who had been playing and said she met a girl that fit the description of the woman's missing daughter. There was also some mention of a letter carrier recalling the past delivery of some strange scientific or medical devices to the house where the girl was playing.
I recall panning out over a city street map, with a small dot moving on it, as though it were marking my position. It went straight north until it came to a T-intersection -- it might have been a waterfront of some sort. The name Wellington sticks in my head. Then it turned east for 2 blocks, and then right again. This was Maris Ave. The dot went across some railroad tracks -- it might have been a metro or something -- and about 3 blocks further, then stopped just short of a major intersection. I got the distinct impression there was something important here, something related to the dead girl. And then I woke up.
My analysis:
Here are the associations I can make. It's possible this dream means nothing except in its form and the contents are free-associated items from my subconscious. It's also possible that the random combination of these subconscious items somehow triggered something that allowed my unconscious mind to connect to something. I can't know for sure, but I can't shake the creepy feeling like this is somehow real and there's some dead girl's ghost somewhere trying to be discovered. If anyone knows of a city where there are two streets named Wellington and Maris that run parallel to each other only a few blocks apart, please let me know.
Anyway, the associations. Maris is probably linked to the TV guide I saw in the grocery store the other day, where they discuss who would make a good Maris on the show "Frasier." Wellington seems to be associated with Maris -- Wellington Mara was the owner of the NY Giants, and the NFL has been on my mind a lot lately. I recently saw "Signs" by M. Night Shyamalan, which could have pulled up memories of his "Sixth Sense," explaining the dead girl. The house reminds me of a house across the street from my best friend's old house. His dad is actually a letter-carrier, explaining the letter carrier and mailbox fixations. And in a puff of realization it just dawned on me that yesterday was his birthday. The overhead city map reminded me very much of Pittsburgh. The only connection I can make there is that I've been thinking a lot about calling my friends Craig and Laura in Pittsburgh -- I feel guilty that I haven't talked to them in a while, and I'm unjustifiably worried this might jeopardize our friendship. This bothers me because they are 2 of my favorite people in the world. Oh, I also just saw "American Psycho" which might explain the reference to bizarre medical instruments.
As for the first part, I think it has to do with an online quiz I took just before bed last night. It was about career planning, and it suggested that I might be good at drama, something that I have coveted as a secret dream for a long time, but have always been too afraid to pursue. The only persons I know who are involved in acting are Frank and Gina, 2 more friends from Pittsburgh whom I think about often. I associate them with improv, as they are part of the improv troupe Amish Monkeys. This explains the participatory theme at the theatre. I think the other "role-playing" experience is linked to last night's D&D session -- the first in over a week -- where we got back into role-playing our characters.
Right before bed, I also took an online Myers-Briggs personality test that revealed me to be an ENFJ -- extroverted, intuitive, feeling, judging. Free-association of these phrases could have also created some of the elements of my dreams -- the extroversion triggered a desire to perform, the intuition triggered the feeling that my dream was some kind of psychic revelation.
Perhaps I need to get a small tape recorder so I can more accurately and quickly record my dreams.
Got comments? Email me.
