| You Are 70% Weird |
 You're so weird, you think you're *totally* normal. Right? But you wig out even the biggest of circus freaks! |
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Woo Hoo! Extra medication for everyone!
Monday, August 29, 2005
From The Rabid Blond herself....
1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 123 (assuming you're at the reading level where books you read have both words AND a page 123).
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the sentence in your journal along with these instructions.
5. Don't search around and look for the coolest book you can find. Do what's actually next to you.
"According to legend, this is one of the oldest sacred sites of Buddhism, but it was raised to its present height in the 15th century."
(Talking about Shwedagon pagoda in Rangoon, Burma)
From "The World of Buddhism"
Well, at least it is an update of sorts.....
2. Open the book to page 123 (assuming you're at the reading level where books you read have both words AND a page 123).
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the sentence in your journal along with these instructions.
5. Don't search around and look for the coolest book you can find. Do what's actually next to you.
"According to legend, this is one of the oldest sacred sites of Buddhism, but it was raised to its present height in the 15th century."
(Talking about Shwedagon pagoda in Rangoon, Burma)
From "The World of Buddhism"
Well, at least it is an update of sorts.....
Wednesday, August 3, 2005
Where oh where have our updates gone?
Okay, so let me see if I can squeeze all this into a single update and somehow make it make sense.
So lets start with one of the biggies: I quit smoking. After 22 years, I finally did it. 5 weeks now. When people find out they seem to act like I had just somehow walked
on the moon. The Doctor says quit or die. What do you think I am going to do? So, I quit. Got a lot easier when it suddenly dawned on me “Hey, tough guy, you going to let your life be snuffed out by a plant?” It is easier to do when you put
it in perspective.
Other than that it has mostly been work except for the bike getting messed up. I can not post more about that here till the insurance company says I can. I can’t say the City of Athens gets the shoddiest work done by the lowest contractor to redo city streets. Nor can I mention how our upper echelon city people all drive overpriced gas sucking SUV’s, but our streets cannot support the weight of a motorcycle. I cannot say anything about being blown off by the city workers involved with the insurance, nor can I state that the insurance company, which my hard earned taxes pay for, employs talking infected rectums whose only concern is denying claims without using all the information nor having anything to do with an obscure concept we call –TRUTH-.
I would never comment on such things publicly. I will wait till later when I can express my own opinion more fully with the correct use of expletives.
Now, let me talk about last weekend. We (Judi and I) went with Dan to the Annie Oakley Days in Greenville, Ohio. There we hooked up with the Wild West Arts Club. This has to be one of the largest groups of miscreants and ne'er-do-wells I have ever seen assembled. They welcomed Judi and I with open arms. We fit right in. I have never been made to feel so welcome at any SCA event ever. I think some of the SCAdians with the giant sticks up their peegoos sideways could do well to come down off their high horses and learn from these people how to welcome newcomers. We cracked whips, threw knives and tomahawks, marched in parades, did showoff work for the audiences. It was awesome. The pushed us and they sometimes pushed us hard, but it was only to make us a little bit better than a few minutes before. It wasn’t all about hats, belts, or titles, it was about fun. And it was real fun for everyone. We will be doing this again next year. Lots learned, lots to practice. New friends made and stories to tell.
But those are for some other time. For now, this is all there is here.
Till next time,
Be mindfull and awake.
So lets start with one of the biggies: I quit smoking. After 22 years, I finally did it. 5 weeks now. When people find out they seem to act like I had just somehow walked
on the moon. The Doctor says quit or die. What do you think I am going to do? So, I quit. Got a lot easier when it suddenly dawned on me “Hey, tough guy, you going to let your life be snuffed out by a plant?” It is easier to do when you put
it in perspective.
Other than that it has mostly been work except for the bike getting messed up. I can not post more about that here till the insurance company says I can. I can’t say the City of Athens gets the shoddiest work done by the lowest contractor to redo city streets. Nor can I mention how our upper echelon city people all drive overpriced gas sucking SUV’s, but our streets cannot support the weight of a motorcycle. I cannot say anything about being blown off by the city workers involved with the insurance, nor can I state that the insurance company, which my hard earned taxes pay for, employs talking infected rectums whose only concern is denying claims without using all the information nor having anything to do with an obscure concept we call –TRUTH-.
I would never comment on such things publicly. I will wait till later when I can express my own opinion more fully with the correct use of expletives.
Now, let me talk about last weekend. We (Judi and I) went with Dan to the Annie Oakley Days in Greenville, Ohio. There we hooked up with the Wild West Arts Club. This has to be one of the largest groups of miscreants and ne'er-do-wells I have ever seen assembled. They welcomed Judi and I with open arms. We fit right in. I have never been made to feel so welcome at any SCA event ever. I think some of the SCAdians with the giant sticks up their peegoos sideways could do well to come down off their high horses and learn from these people how to welcome newcomers. We cracked whips, threw knives and tomahawks, marched in parades, did showoff work for the audiences. It was awesome. The pushed us and they sometimes pushed us hard, but it was only to make us a little bit better than a few minutes before. It wasn’t all about hats, belts, or titles, it was about fun. And it was real fun for everyone. We will be doing this again next year. Lots learned, lots to practice. New friends made and stories to tell.
But those are for some other time. For now, this is all there is here.
Till next time,
Be mindfull and awake.
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
Just a quick update
I loved this!
Check out The Zen of Ben Comic for today.
I can so see myself as one of the incarnations of the Doctor!
Check out The Zen of Ben Comic for today.
I can so see myself as one of the incarnations of the Doctor!
Friday, June 10, 2005
I could not let this one slide.
Fair warning, this is a long rant.
Here is an email I received recently. I took out the name and the addy to protect the innocent...?well, stupid. Please remember these words in the quoted mail are not mine nor do I ascribe to them.
>Hello Cyclone Rangers,
>I am really excited about your work and what you do to
>protect the U.S. and its citizens from those rag
>heads, those moslem terrorists. We will never forget
>the September 11th and we must fight them in their
>lands instead of ours.
>I would like to become a Cyclone Ranger or a Rough
>Riders. So what do you recommend that I do? I live in
>Athens, Ohio and there are many bull shit moslems
>around. I wish I could kill all of them at once.
>Do you have Cyclone Rangers here in Athens, Ohio
>already? How can I contact them so that we can work
>together?
>
>I am waiting for your commands.
>
>Sincerely,
>
>Sxxxxx Cxxxx
And now my reply:
Dear S.C.
Terrorists come in many forms, their religious views not withstanding. There are even atheist terrorists. To judge an entire religion by a few misguided zealots is grounds for many problems you do not want. There are many followers of Islam who:
A) Do not condone the actions of these misguided few
B) Are very supportive and caring people who do their best to extol the virtues of kindness and charity, even to those who are not followers of Mohammed.
C) Are not any different than anyone else that you would say is "normal"
Let us for a moment examine a small example you might or might not be familiar with:
Consider a young man who is unemployed and sees his people being mistreated by what he considers an oppressive government. He gathers around him a tightly knit group who believes he is right and has all the answers. Then this person goes off and trashes a local religious edifice; let us say a temple. He then becomes a wanted fugitive for speaking out against the government. Would you call this person a terrorist? Some did.
Others called him Jesus.
Being a terrorist is all a matter of perspective. The founding fathers of the United States were terrorist of their time, if you asked the British. Where do you draw the lines between terrorist and freedom fighter? Is it after the struggle is over? Remember, the victors write history. Perspectives are fluid if they are well thought out and will alter, as more information is available.
You are right, the US will never forget the horrors of September 11th. Your suggestion of fighting terrorists in their land instead of ours is a sound tactic overall. But to carry out such a fight one should apply sound tactics. To quote Sun Tzu, the Chinese general, "?To know the enemy is to know yourself."? You need to understand why these people are terrorists to begin with to stop them. One way of defeating an enemy is to take away his most valuable supply, people. Many people join terrorist groups as a way to try and change the world to fit either more into their view or change their location in a social structure. Nothing recruits them faster then social inequity and poverty. So you want to fight them in their lands? Great! I suggest you start by trying to understand them as people and not as inhuman objects. Many terrorists have the view that the average American is overweight, frivolous, under educated and rich. I will assume you do not fit into such a mold. Again, global affirmatives are globally wrong. Think about it. Terrorists are people so frustrated with their lives that they are looking for someone to blame and then direct that anger at. It happens all the time. History proves me right on this point. Consider Germany post World War One. The economy was in shambles; the German mark was so worthless that people were papering their houses with it. They were starving in one of the most environmentally rich countries in Europe. So who'?s fault was it? Well, there were some who blame the Versailles Treaty and its demands for war reparations. Others blamed Kaiser Wilhelm and his government. Others blamed the Jews. So you can see how that turned out. The National Socialist Party was able to get people angry and then focus that anger on a specific group. Ever seen Nazis and The Talaban together? If you apply simple logic, you can see there is little difference. Evil, in all its forms, begets horrors on those least able to defend themselves.
You asked what you should do. Allow me to give you a few examples that may be of assistance. First, chill out. A calm mind is able to see fact from propaganda. Second, arm yourself with as much information as you can. Learn, read and ask questions. Use reliable sources, not "?he said that she said"?. When we do not ask questions about those things around us we follow blindly down a road to ruin. You need to talk to these people you are afraid of. Sit down with someone and really listen to what they have to say. Give them a fair chance, just like you would want. Almost everyone comes from immigrants in this country, remember that. Find a follower of Islam and ask politely if you could talk with them for a while, that you have some questions and need some answers. Learn not to confuse anger and outrage. The mix up of the two can be harmful not just to others but to you as well. You need to understand that we are all just passengers on this rock flying through space and no one is driving this thing. Placed in perspective such as this, you can begin to understand your place in the grand scheme of the universe.
You asked about Rangers and Rough Riders. Did you notice that there are no references to any of us following any religion? There is a reason for that. We all have our own beliefs and respect the beliefs of others. We are Christians, Pagans, Agnostics and Atheists as well as others. Myself, I am a Buddhist. One of our Rough Riders is a follower of Islam, and someone I am proud to call my friend. She embodies all the virtues one hopes to see in a follower of Mohammed. How we place ourselves in this big black void we call the universe is our own business. We should not judge others on how they believe, that is between them and whatever higher power they ascribe to.
You asked if there are Rangers in Athens, Ohio. The answer is yes as well as Rough Riders. You pass them on the street every day in almost every city in all walks of life. We do not wear a badge for all to see nor do we shout our names for everyone to hear. Many times, you will never hear of us doing anything. We are not publicity hounds and not a fraternity nor sorority. We let our good works stand as testament to our ideals. We do the right thing as best as we can and move on. Follow my suggestions and they will reveal themselves to you, it is almost impossible to track them down if they do not desire for you to find them.
I believe you have some soul searching to do as well as a lot of learning. I wish you the best of luck as you head down this road. It will not be easy nor always fun as changing ones views can be a painful experience but worth it in the long run. I know, I was there once myself.
Good luck and enjoy the trip,
Till next time,
Be mindful and awake...
Here is an email I received recently. I took out the name and the addy to protect the innocent...?well, stupid. Please remember these words in the quoted mail are not mine nor do I ascribe to them.
>Hello Cyclone Rangers,
>I am really excited about your work and what you do to
>protect the U.S. and its citizens from those rag
>heads, those moslem terrorists. We will never forget
>the September 11th and we must fight them in their
>lands instead of ours.
>I would like to become a Cyclone Ranger or a Rough
>Riders. So what do you recommend that I do? I live in
>Athens, Ohio and there are many bull shit moslems
>around. I wish I could kill all of them at once.
>Do you have Cyclone Rangers here in Athens, Ohio
>already? How can I contact them so that we can work
>together?
>
>I am waiting for your commands.
>
>Sincerely,
>
>Sxxxxx Cxxxx
And now my reply:
Dear S.C.
Terrorists come in many forms, their religious views not withstanding. There are even atheist terrorists. To judge an entire religion by a few misguided zealots is grounds for many problems you do not want. There are many followers of Islam who:
A) Do not condone the actions of these misguided few
B) Are very supportive and caring people who do their best to extol the virtues of kindness and charity, even to those who are not followers of Mohammed.
C) Are not any different than anyone else that you would say is "normal"
Let us for a moment examine a small example you might or might not be familiar with:
Consider a young man who is unemployed and sees his people being mistreated by what he considers an oppressive government. He gathers around him a tightly knit group who believes he is right and has all the answers. Then this person goes off and trashes a local religious edifice; let us say a temple. He then becomes a wanted fugitive for speaking out against the government. Would you call this person a terrorist? Some did.
Others called him Jesus.
Being a terrorist is all a matter of perspective. The founding fathers of the United States were terrorist of their time, if you asked the British. Where do you draw the lines between terrorist and freedom fighter? Is it after the struggle is over? Remember, the victors write history. Perspectives are fluid if they are well thought out and will alter, as more information is available.
You are right, the US will never forget the horrors of September 11th. Your suggestion of fighting terrorists in their land instead of ours is a sound tactic overall. But to carry out such a fight one should apply sound tactics. To quote Sun Tzu, the Chinese general, "?To know the enemy is to know yourself."? You need to understand why these people are terrorists to begin with to stop them. One way of defeating an enemy is to take away his most valuable supply, people. Many people join terrorist groups as a way to try and change the world to fit either more into their view or change their location in a social structure. Nothing recruits them faster then social inequity and poverty. So you want to fight them in their lands? Great! I suggest you start by trying to understand them as people and not as inhuman objects. Many terrorists have the view that the average American is overweight, frivolous, under educated and rich. I will assume you do not fit into such a mold. Again, global affirmatives are globally wrong. Think about it. Terrorists are people so frustrated with their lives that they are looking for someone to blame and then direct that anger at. It happens all the time. History proves me right on this point. Consider Germany post World War One. The economy was in shambles; the German mark was so worthless that people were papering their houses with it. They were starving in one of the most environmentally rich countries in Europe. So who'?s fault was it? Well, there were some who blame the Versailles Treaty and its demands for war reparations. Others blamed Kaiser Wilhelm and his government. Others blamed the Jews. So you can see how that turned out. The National Socialist Party was able to get people angry and then focus that anger on a specific group. Ever seen Nazis and The Talaban together? If you apply simple logic, you can see there is little difference. Evil, in all its forms, begets horrors on those least able to defend themselves.
You asked what you should do. Allow me to give you a few examples that may be of assistance. First, chill out. A calm mind is able to see fact from propaganda. Second, arm yourself with as much information as you can. Learn, read and ask questions. Use reliable sources, not "?he said that she said"?. When we do not ask questions about those things around us we follow blindly down a road to ruin. You need to talk to these people you are afraid of. Sit down with someone and really listen to what they have to say. Give them a fair chance, just like you would want. Almost everyone comes from immigrants in this country, remember that. Find a follower of Islam and ask politely if you could talk with them for a while, that you have some questions and need some answers. Learn not to confuse anger and outrage. The mix up of the two can be harmful not just to others but to you as well. You need to understand that we are all just passengers on this rock flying through space and no one is driving this thing. Placed in perspective such as this, you can begin to understand your place in the grand scheme of the universe.
You asked about Rangers and Rough Riders. Did you notice that there are no references to any of us following any religion? There is a reason for that. We all have our own beliefs and respect the beliefs of others. We are Christians, Pagans, Agnostics and Atheists as well as others. Myself, I am a Buddhist. One of our Rough Riders is a follower of Islam, and someone I am proud to call my friend. She embodies all the virtues one hopes to see in a follower of Mohammed. How we place ourselves in this big black void we call the universe is our own business. We should not judge others on how they believe, that is between them and whatever higher power they ascribe to.
You asked if there are Rangers in Athens, Ohio. The answer is yes as well as Rough Riders. You pass them on the street every day in almost every city in all walks of life. We do not wear a badge for all to see nor do we shout our names for everyone to hear. Many times, you will never hear of us doing anything. We are not publicity hounds and not a fraternity nor sorority. We let our good works stand as testament to our ideals. We do the right thing as best as we can and move on. Follow my suggestions and they will reveal themselves to you, it is almost impossible to track them down if they do not desire for you to find them.
I believe you have some soul searching to do as well as a lot of learning. I wish you the best of luck as you head down this road. It will not be easy nor always fun as changing ones views can be a painful experience but worth it in the long run. I know, I was there once myself.
Good luck and enjoy the trip,
Till next time,
Be mindful and awake...
Saturday, June 4, 2005
Um, sorry?
Has it been that long since my last update? Well, here it is. Let us set the “way back” machine a little into the past and I’ll try to bring you up to speed.
My back did recover, as much as it will. Sore for a while but that is nothing new. I have been doing a little ridding, but never as much as I would like to. The first weekend for Robbins’s Crossing has come and gone. We spent a good bit of the weekend recovering from the floods in January. The water by all accounts was about 4.5 feet (that’s 1.37 meters for you metric types) inside the shop. Judi spent a lot of time just cleaning tools, as the water was high enough to get into our toolboxes. There was a “pow wow” that weekend as well. Nothing all that great, but we do like having people around. The trains ran as normal and we got to say hello with some friends we have not seen for a while and meet some new ones as well. It is good to be back in the shop working again. I think it helps recharge my mental batteries a bit. The walls for the shop extension are up and all the shingles are stripped off the existing shop waiting for the new roof to go up. Word is they will start on it some time in July. I’ll not hold my breath.
Spent some time working with Dan “The Fish” on improving with my bullwhip. We have successfully infected others with the enjoyment of playing with them. Remember kids: “Crack kills, but when it is a whip, Crack is fun!” Whip is fun; I need another bigger one. I must have more toys!
Oh, something else. I have now lost all faith in chiropractors. I had one I was going to and I asked him how much longer I had to keep doing the crack and crunch thing for my back. He said “For the rest of your life…” Hrrmm, something fishy here. So, I had him yet again reset the “dislocated rib” I have had so many problems with. He said I could keep having it reset, but I should go see a thoracic surgeon about having it screwed in place or removed. I was not pleased with the idea of the removal of body parts. So, since I do not like doctors for the most part, I held off going to see one. Judi did get me to promise I would go see one so eventually I did. More on that trip to the doctors office in a moment, but a small aside that you will see how it links in with all this.
I like Penn and Teller. Always have. And interestingly enough, they like me or at least my writing. They sent me an autographed picture and even spelled my name right! Anyway, they have a show on the cable network “Showtime” called B.S. Great program, nothing is sacred and they call it like it is. If they make a claim that something is crap or a lie they back it up with evidence and experts. I do not have cable, but I do have seasons 1 and 2 on DVD. Got to love truth as a weapon. So, they did one episode on “Alternative Medicine.” One of the things they covered is chiropractic medicine. My “doctor” did not tell me all the things he should have such as the “adjustments” can cause paralysis, heart attacks and that ever famous side effect: DEATH. Yea, he twists you wrong and blamo, dead. They then went on to show how totally flawed the whole concept really is and that there is little to no science to back it up. It is kind of spooky. I will still say hi to him if I see him, but he will not lay a hand on me ever again. For this, I have an even better reason. Keep reading on from here.
You see it seems that the chiropractor was resetting the rib quite a distance when he popped it back into place. Not surprising considering you could see it when it was popped wrong. But here is the kicker: the problem was not a “subluxation” like they try to say everything from the common cold to Autism is caused by. No, it was a torn muscle and torn ligament in my back near the shoulder blade. My doctor spotted it in seconds. “Oh…”he said, “Here is your problem. It can’t heal at all if you set the rib all they way back in. You have to do it a little at a time over a couple of weeks so it will heal up and stretch.” Seems the chiropractor was setting up a nice little nest egg, perhaps being generous and giving him the benefit of the doubt, unknowingly. So now, I am in a lot less pain and it is healing. I can tell, as it does not hurt as bad as it did nor is distance driving painful. It was before to the point that a 15-mile (equal to 24.14 kilometers) drive would start it throbbing and hurting. I drove on Thursday 120 miles (equal to 193.12 kilometers) and not even a twinge. Things are looking up! Doctor said no fencing for at least a week, but oh well. I would rather heal then deal with this any longer. It is a small price to pay really.
So, if you are going to a chiropractor, be careful. I won’t say stop going, but run everything past your doctor and see what they have to say as well before submitting to the bone crackers ways.
Till next time,
Be mindful and awake.
My back did recover, as much as it will. Sore for a while but that is nothing new. I have been doing a little ridding, but never as much as I would like to. The first weekend for Robbins’s Crossing has come and gone. We spent a good bit of the weekend recovering from the floods in January. The water by all accounts was about 4.5 feet (that’s 1.37 meters for you metric types) inside the shop. Judi spent a lot of time just cleaning tools, as the water was high enough to get into our toolboxes. There was a “pow wow” that weekend as well. Nothing all that great, but we do like having people around. The trains ran as normal and we got to say hello with some friends we have not seen for a while and meet some new ones as well. It is good to be back in the shop working again. I think it helps recharge my mental batteries a bit. The walls for the shop extension are up and all the shingles are stripped off the existing shop waiting for the new roof to go up. Word is they will start on it some time in July. I’ll not hold my breath.
Spent some time working with Dan “The Fish” on improving with my bullwhip. We have successfully infected others with the enjoyment of playing with them. Remember kids: “Crack kills, but when it is a whip, Crack is fun!” Whip is fun; I need another bigger one. I must have more toys!
Oh, something else. I have now lost all faith in chiropractors. I had one I was going to and I asked him how much longer I had to keep doing the crack and crunch thing for my back. He said “For the rest of your life…” Hrrmm, something fishy here. So, I had him yet again reset the “dislocated rib” I have had so many problems with. He said I could keep having it reset, but I should go see a thoracic surgeon about having it screwed in place or removed. I was not pleased with the idea of the removal of body parts. So, since I do not like doctors for the most part, I held off going to see one. Judi did get me to promise I would go see one so eventually I did. More on that trip to the doctors office in a moment, but a small aside that you will see how it links in with all this.
I like Penn and Teller. Always have. And interestingly enough, they like me or at least my writing. They sent me an autographed picture and even spelled my name right! Anyway, they have a show on the cable network “Showtime” called B.S. Great program, nothing is sacred and they call it like it is. If they make a claim that something is crap or a lie they back it up with evidence and experts. I do not have cable, but I do have seasons 1 and 2 on DVD. Got to love truth as a weapon. So, they did one episode on “Alternative Medicine.” One of the things they covered is chiropractic medicine. My “doctor” did not tell me all the things he should have such as the “adjustments” can cause paralysis, heart attacks and that ever famous side effect: DEATH. Yea, he twists you wrong and blamo, dead. They then went on to show how totally flawed the whole concept really is and that there is little to no science to back it up. It is kind of spooky. I will still say hi to him if I see him, but he will not lay a hand on me ever again. For this, I have an even better reason. Keep reading on from here.
You see it seems that the chiropractor was resetting the rib quite a distance when he popped it back into place. Not surprising considering you could see it when it was popped wrong. But here is the kicker: the problem was not a “subluxation” like they try to say everything from the common cold to Autism is caused by. No, it was a torn muscle and torn ligament in my back near the shoulder blade. My doctor spotted it in seconds. “Oh…”he said, “Here is your problem. It can’t heal at all if you set the rib all they way back in. You have to do it a little at a time over a couple of weeks so it will heal up and stretch.” Seems the chiropractor was setting up a nice little nest egg, perhaps being generous and giving him the benefit of the doubt, unknowingly. So now, I am in a lot less pain and it is healing. I can tell, as it does not hurt as bad as it did nor is distance driving painful. It was before to the point that a 15-mile (equal to 24.14 kilometers) drive would start it throbbing and hurting. I drove on Thursday 120 miles (equal to 193.12 kilometers) and not even a twinge. Things are looking up! Doctor said no fencing for at least a week, but oh well. I would rather heal then deal with this any longer. It is a small price to pay really.
So, if you are going to a chiropractor, be careful. I won’t say stop going, but run everything past your doctor and see what they have to say as well before submitting to the bone crackers ways.
Till next time,
Be mindful and awake.
Monday, May 2, 2005
Arrrrgh…
So, Sunday was shaping up to be another fairly decent day. Went to the store with Karyl and then back to the house. Plan was a little yard work and then a nice ride before fencing practice. Notice I said the plan was. It changed, real quickly. After one project got out of hand (3 trips to Lowe’s) and the death of not one, but two chainsaws, I slipped in the mud beside the house. Now normally this is not a big deal, normally. IT became a big deal. Seems I wrenched my back quite severely. It hurt in one of those the whole world goes white kind of pains then settled down to just be horrific. Took my shower and was still sore, so I grabbed a few aspirin type things, something I normally do not do, and settled down for a quick nap. When Judi woke me up is when I realized something was severely wrong. I could barely move. Walking of any type was an adventure in new forms of pain and numbness. So, no ride, no fencing, no joy to be had. I played couch potato for the evening and went on the wild drug ride just to keep comfortable. I now also believe I need access to much better drugs.
Today, on the other hand, is a little better. I am walking and moving, although not at full pace. So, I plan another evening of rest and we shall see. I hope my doctor gets moved into his new offices here fairly soon. He, unlike many doctors, actually listens to me, so we shall have to see. I really do not want surgery but it may be darkly looming on the horizon for one reason or the other. I am not afraid of the idea of the surgery, but I do have a hesitancy whenever I have anyone take a knife to my person when I am asleep. Perhaps it is a fear of not waking up, or the even more frightening “OOPS”. I’ll make sure that he understand (or the surgeon) that if there is an oops involved, he should not worry about his malpractice insurance being up to date, but he may wish to look to his life insurance. I think that is fair. Warning in advance, cripple me and I will blow your head off. No malice, no meanness, just simple fact. If you do this then you are fully aware of the repercussions. Best get a full nights rest before you ever thing of putting a blade to my spine. If you cannot deal with this, then I will go somewhere else. I do not want any doctor who feels he cannot abide by my rules. If he questions his own ability even a little, I do not want him.
Anyway, on to some more things not quite as depressing or potentially violent. So I was thinking about something as I drove about yesterday. When did we loose our ability as people to “hang out”? Remember getting a group of friends together and just walking around, talking about life and the universe? Maybe a cup of coffee or something, no actual plan of anywhere to be and no schedule other than a curfew? Seems to me, as we get older we begin to isolate ourselves. The first step I can think of is one may people may never consider, learning to drive. When in a group the first one who learns to drive and has access to an automobile the group becomes a little smaller and now more mobile. The car will only carry so many. So as more learn to drive, the quantity of people begins to drop until there is usually just the driver and one other person. Makes for some interesting discussions many times but over a period, even that person goes away. So now you have us isolated in our little rolling cubes, with our music, our preferred temperature and our air fresheners, the ultimate in self contained environmental control. This usually takes place at a point in life where we have very little control of our environs, so it does make sense. Soon, jobs and extended family life begin to take the toll even further. We have meetings and seminars to take up our time. We have to hurry since we do not want to be late, heaven forbid! If we are very lucky we find someone who we can share our lives with in a very intimate manner, but even then, time keeps us isolated for one reason or another. We strive for “Quality Time” with our other half or our family or children. Point of fact, there is no quality time, there is only time. What we do with is determines quality. Perhaps we should look into de-isolation more. Maybe this is a purely American phenomenon as we are so auto-centric. I treasure the time I get to spend with Judi and my friends, perhaps more so than I should. Being one who gets affected by quality logic I think much of this has to do with a simple statement: Live every day as if it is your last, as it just may be.
Consider for a moment, if your life ended at the end of this day how many things you might list as “I wish I would have taken the time to…” Frightening list, isn’t it? So I leave you with my usual signature line, but after reading this missive you may think about it a little more than normal:
Till next time,
Be mindful and awake.
Today, on the other hand, is a little better. I am walking and moving, although not at full pace. So, I plan another evening of rest and we shall see. I hope my doctor gets moved into his new offices here fairly soon. He, unlike many doctors, actually listens to me, so we shall have to see. I really do not want surgery but it may be darkly looming on the horizon for one reason or the other. I am not afraid of the idea of the surgery, but I do have a hesitancy whenever I have anyone take a knife to my person when I am asleep. Perhaps it is a fear of not waking up, or the even more frightening “OOPS”. I’ll make sure that he understand (or the surgeon) that if there is an oops involved, he should not worry about his malpractice insurance being up to date, but he may wish to look to his life insurance. I think that is fair. Warning in advance, cripple me and I will blow your head off. No malice, no meanness, just simple fact. If you do this then you are fully aware of the repercussions. Best get a full nights rest before you ever thing of putting a blade to my spine. If you cannot deal with this, then I will go somewhere else. I do not want any doctor who feels he cannot abide by my rules. If he questions his own ability even a little, I do not want him.
Anyway, on to some more things not quite as depressing or potentially violent. So I was thinking about something as I drove about yesterday. When did we loose our ability as people to “hang out”? Remember getting a group of friends together and just walking around, talking about life and the universe? Maybe a cup of coffee or something, no actual plan of anywhere to be and no schedule other than a curfew? Seems to me, as we get older we begin to isolate ourselves. The first step I can think of is one may people may never consider, learning to drive. When in a group the first one who learns to drive and has access to an automobile the group becomes a little smaller and now more mobile. The car will only carry so many. So as more learn to drive, the quantity of people begins to drop until there is usually just the driver and one other person. Makes for some interesting discussions many times but over a period, even that person goes away. So now you have us isolated in our little rolling cubes, with our music, our preferred temperature and our air fresheners, the ultimate in self contained environmental control. This usually takes place at a point in life where we have very little control of our environs, so it does make sense. Soon, jobs and extended family life begin to take the toll even further. We have meetings and seminars to take up our time. We have to hurry since we do not want to be late, heaven forbid! If we are very lucky we find someone who we can share our lives with in a very intimate manner, but even then, time keeps us isolated for one reason or another. We strive for “Quality Time” with our other half or our family or children. Point of fact, there is no quality time, there is only time. What we do with is determines quality. Perhaps we should look into de-isolation more. Maybe this is a purely American phenomenon as we are so auto-centric. I treasure the time I get to spend with Judi and my friends, perhaps more so than I should. Being one who gets affected by quality logic I think much of this has to do with a simple statement: Live every day as if it is your last, as it just may be.
Consider for a moment, if your life ended at the end of this day how many things you might list as “I wish I would have taken the time to…” Frightening list, isn’t it? So I leave you with my usual signature line, but after reading this missive you may think about it a little more than normal:
Till next time,
Be mindful and awake.
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