When I turn 80, I will be just hitting my stride. There will be no rocker for me.
I will be taking the kids of the country to the city and the city kids to the country.
I will have lobbied for legislation whereby for each hour a youth spends with a video game, they will be required to spend 2 in creative or athletic pursuits. I'll be monitoring the ballet classes, the sports games, reviewing the drawings, helping stage the plays that get written and finding rhymes for their poems.
I will be learning about the old and discovering the new.
I will be writing a book for the old fashioned and recording my dreams with the new technologies for the next generation.
With 50 years of yoga under my belt, my nose will finally reach my toes.
I will be teaching lessons in how to dream, big, better, brighter.
I will assure that the girl athletes know that their games are worthy of epic poems.
I will be finding new uses for lavender.
I will see the sunrise for what seems like the first time.
I will take time each day to enjoy my 5 senses.
I will invent new religions, and then become a heretic.
I will find all four corners of the world and marvel at how none of them are 90 degree angles.
I will be asking questions.
I will be spending long hours on projects.
I will be actively participating, enjoying and living.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Waterboard Cheney
Reading about Ashcroft's defense of waterboarding turned my stomach. How can a simulation of drowning not be considered torture? According to him, it is a valuable interrogation technique. Seeing as how the Cheney & Bush Co. are stubbornly refusing to provide congress & the nation with any answers regarding their reign of terror.
Maybe it would be good for Congress to follow Ashcroft's legal opinion regarding waterboarding. As Cheney refuses to come in to give testimony, I think that the people's representatives have the right to capture the enemy combattant and then use harsh extraction of detailed information system.
As long as I can be the one to dunk the guy in between questions:
Who leaked Valerie Blane's Identity?
Splash!
Which Big Oil Company Executives wrote out energy policy?
Splash!
What was the real reason we went to war - and don't even think of mentioning WMD's!
Splash!
It could work. But that's not very peaceful or zen of me.
Maybe it would be good for Congress to follow Ashcroft's legal opinion regarding waterboarding. As Cheney refuses to come in to give testimony, I think that the people's representatives have the right to capture the enemy combattant and then use harsh extraction of detailed information system.
As long as I can be the one to dunk the guy in between questions:
Who leaked Valerie Blane's Identity?
Splash!
Which Big Oil Company Executives wrote out energy policy?
Splash!
What was the real reason we went to war - and don't even think of mentioning WMD's!
Splash!
It could work. But that's not very peaceful or zen of me.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Victories Big & Small
First, victory over the recalcitrant Naturemill composter.
We had a little odor problem. Greg believes it is due to my adding meat remains combined with his adding coffee grounds. That we created an inhospitable, acidic environment bad for our microbes. It smelled. We burned a scented candle. I covered the unit with a dry cleaning bag to try to contain it. It had water coming out of it.
First I added some saw dust pellets and some baking soda. But it wasn't enough. I added more baking soda & saw dust pellets. I was frustrated. I told my friends the story in a humorous fashion over the weekend. Unfortunately laughing at the situation didn't help the lingering cloud of funk. By Monday night, I had had enough. I called Marci in desperation.
I drove across town to her & Aaron's house and got dirt. Tuesday morning I added the dirt. Today, it doesn't smell. I'm excited. The first time in a week, the unit seems to be happy. I'm not going to push it. I'm going to let it churn & digest and then I'll have the contents spewed out and pass them on to either Marci & Aaron, Mom or Dad.
A small battle won in the long war with my weight...
I was excited that I didn't gain any weight while on the trip to Minnesota. However, I was dismayed that it popped up a bit after my 1st week back. But I hopped on the scale this morning, 2 days later, and it was the lowest it has been since I got back on Weight Watchers. Not that I have illusions that a 2.5 lb weight loss in 2 days is real - I'll be impressed if I'm this weight or lower next week. How does my body do it? I can lose weight in my sleep - I think it is water loss.
At the same time, I'm encouraged that I'm heading in the right direction. More veggie products, less carbs & less fat. If I keep this up, I'll have a BMI of less than 25 in another few weeks.
I'm ready for more wins.
We had a little odor problem. Greg believes it is due to my adding meat remains combined with his adding coffee grounds. That we created an inhospitable, acidic environment bad for our microbes. It smelled. We burned a scented candle. I covered the unit with a dry cleaning bag to try to contain it. It had water coming out of it.
First I added some saw dust pellets and some baking soda. But it wasn't enough. I added more baking soda & saw dust pellets. I was frustrated. I told my friends the story in a humorous fashion over the weekend. Unfortunately laughing at the situation didn't help the lingering cloud of funk. By Monday night, I had had enough. I called Marci in desperation.
I drove across town to her & Aaron's house and got dirt. Tuesday morning I added the dirt. Today, it doesn't smell. I'm excited. The first time in a week, the unit seems to be happy. I'm not going to push it. I'm going to let it churn & digest and then I'll have the contents spewed out and pass them on to either Marci & Aaron, Mom or Dad.
A small battle won in the long war with my weight...
I was excited that I didn't gain any weight while on the trip to Minnesota. However, I was dismayed that it popped up a bit after my 1st week back. But I hopped on the scale this morning, 2 days later, and it was the lowest it has been since I got back on Weight Watchers. Not that I have illusions that a 2.5 lb weight loss in 2 days is real - I'll be impressed if I'm this weight or lower next week. How does my body do it? I can lose weight in my sleep - I think it is water loss.
At the same time, I'm encouraged that I'm heading in the right direction. More veggie products, less carbs & less fat. If I keep this up, I'll have a BMI of less than 25 in another few weeks.
I'm ready for more wins.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Minnesota Photos
Deanna, Kendall & Me
Lower Bottle Lake at Sunset
Paul Bunyan, Zen & Me
Dave, Cigar & Little Owen AKA Omar the Terrorist
Kids at newly developed lake beach.Tsunami with Flower
Ok, so I'm in love with my puppy. I hope you enjoy the photo shoot from a few weeks ago. Thanks to Marci & Aaron for helping out with these.
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Landmark Changes
I know, I didn't finish up the tale of CAJ, but I saw this on the SF Chron's front page and it really bugged me.
The Headline:
Judging the bridge's 5 suicide barrier designs
What strikes me is that this bridge has be there for more than 70 years and we've had more than two thousand people jump from it. Unfortunately most died. The tragedy lies in the cause of the problem - that those committing suicide are sad, lost and desperate.
I don't see the need for us to revamp our bridge and its design to make it harder to jump off. I suspect that those wishing to jump will find a way to hurl themselves off of the bridge regardless of the impediments we put in place. Nor am I convinced that putting the impediment in place will cause someone to stop and think, "hmm, they put a higher fence up, maybe I should reconsider..."
We shouldn't dumb down the entire world, from bottles to bridges to in a futile attempt to prevent suicide. Our time & money would be better spent on social work than on destroying our bridge.
The Headline:
Judging the bridge's 5 suicide barrier designs
What strikes me is that this bridge has be there for more than 70 years and we've had more than two thousand people jump from it. Unfortunately most died. The tragedy lies in the cause of the problem - that those committing suicide are sad, lost and desperate.
I don't see the need for us to revamp our bridge and its design to make it harder to jump off. I suspect that those wishing to jump will find a way to hurl themselves off of the bridge regardless of the impediments we put in place. Nor am I convinced that putting the impediment in place will cause someone to stop and think, "hmm, they put a higher fence up, maybe I should reconsider..."
We shouldn't dumb down the entire world, from bottles to bridges to in a futile attempt to prevent suicide. Our time & money would be better spent on social work than on destroying our bridge.
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Minnesota
So just got back from a 5 day trip to Minnesota to hang with Mom's family.
Wednesday I flew in and was promptly deposited with my mother at Cousin Deanna's house. Nice place. Her 3000 sq foot house on an acre of land was a delight. Later I learned that her mortgage payment is about the same as my sub-1000 sq ft loft in SF. Wow.
We got up and got coffee before Crazy Aunt Judy (CAJ) came to get us. CAJ can be quite amusing - she declares that she Always, Always, Always gets up at 9:30 AM. However, I never saw her wake up at that time at any point in this trip.
Thursday was spent driving out to Lower Bottle Lake where Cousins Deanna and Dave have a cabin. It was left to them by their father, Tom, who passed this year. Tom & CAJ broke up years ago, but Judy's memories were of having terrible problems up there. She went into detail about those problems over lunch while we were driving up. Thanks Aunt Judy, way to get us psyched up!
We stayed at the Super 8 in Park Rapids, the Cousins, their spouses and the gaggle of kids were at the cabin.
More later.
Wednesday I flew in and was promptly deposited with my mother at Cousin Deanna's house. Nice place. Her 3000 sq foot house on an acre of land was a delight. Later I learned that her mortgage payment is about the same as my sub-1000 sq ft loft in SF. Wow.
We got up and got coffee before Crazy Aunt Judy (CAJ) came to get us. CAJ can be quite amusing - she declares that she Always, Always, Always gets up at 9:30 AM. However, I never saw her wake up at that time at any point in this trip.
Thursday was spent driving out to Lower Bottle Lake where Cousins Deanna and Dave have a cabin. It was left to them by their father, Tom, who passed this year. Tom & CAJ broke up years ago, but Judy's memories were of having terrible problems up there. She went into detail about those problems over lunch while we were driving up. Thanks Aunt Judy, way to get us psyched up!
We stayed at the Super 8 in Park Rapids, the Cousins, their spouses and the gaggle of kids were at the cabin.
More later.
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