November 30, 2007

Final NaBloPoMo Post

I can't blog everyday, I don't have that much to say. Besides, when the apathy mood kicks, as it does every few weeks without fail, I don't care, and can't find any reason to blog. That is sure to hit me.

Silly me, I committed, thinking some days I could just get by posting a deep thought, silly rhyme, interesting picture, or maybe recycling posts that I believed had some merit. There are millions of ideas to fuel a daily blog post. Then why do we sometimes sit at blank edit window and can't come up with a single thought? It's not that I don't have anything to write about, it's that I have too many ideas, and making a choice has never been easy for me. Don't give me choices, tell me what to write about! NO, too easy. I have to decide. This is a portal into my voices which give me an eternity of endless entertainment and keep me from a peaceful nights sleep

I'm both elated and saddened by the last day of NaBloPoMo. It gave me a reason to blog, spray some WD-40 on the cogs in my mind and get them tuned up a bit, but I'll be glad that I don't have that commitment to write everyday, and can use the extra time to polish the thoughts, ideas and opinions presented here.

Tomorrow is December,
time for Christians proudly state "To Hell with our Idol's lessons, Lets party",
we still have traitors running this country,
the BAMA locals are still celebrating their ignorance,
biblical religions are still trying to destroy logic, reason and the pursuit of happiness,
humanity is still on an ego trip,
and there is still much injustice, abuse of power, and lack of critical thinking skills to fuel many posts to come.

" ...but what is RIGHT with world ..."

Sometimes your gut instinct, intuition, feelings are right on the money. Sometimes you have to stop and think about how your actions will effect others. No person is completely isolated, everything we do effects others in some way.

I will continue the When Is Lunch? story. Stay tuned.

A Joke for the last day of NaBloPoMo:
After the Christening of his baby brother in church, Jason sobbed all the way home in the back seat of the car. His father asked him three times what was wrong. Finally, the boy replied, "That preacher said he wanted us brought up in a Christian home, but I want to stay with you guys."


Double NaBloPoMo Music Post: Take the Long Way Home & Goodbye Stranger - Supertramp


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November 29, 2007

Ipso Factor - Ultimate Freak

The last of my daily routine posts Ipso Facto series detailing the freakishness of a nonconformist who is frightened by variety.

18:00 - MWF - Daily Walk, T-Th - Clean, Laundry.
18:30 - MWF - Still Walking, T-Th - Surf (TV, Internet), Shout obscenities at the idiots in power.
19:00 - Brush Teeth then Shower or bath. Some Tuesdays I watch Nova, one of the few series I still like, that and 60 Minutes (I can't believe Andy Rooney is still doing his commentary).
19:15 - Read blogs, or book. Sometimes I read while sitting in a chair, music in background, other times I read while soaking in a hot bathtub. The blogging has taken away from my time to read. I used to read at least one book a week, pulling a book from Modern Library's 100 Best Novels of the Twentieth Century (Reader's List). Over the last year, it has been only one book a month. I find blogging much more interesting, but I need to get back to reading those novels.
20:30 - Secret Relaxation Technique. I could go public, but it would put a serious dent in my free time, so I keep it to myself and maybe an intimate friend, once or twice a year.
21:00 - 21:30 - Bedtime. Hey, I have to be up by 5:00 AM. I will be up for an hour sometime during the night.

Weekends - If I'm racing, on Saturday morning I'm up at 3:00 AM to have my breakfast, and have it completely digested by race time. I don't sleep very well before a race, so getting up is no problem. The time between 3:00 AM and race time flies by so quickly, I barely have time to do all I need to do to prepare. I have to have things a certain way, or my mojo is out of whack. You know what I'm talking about!

If I'm not racing, I do the same thing, but go out on a long run in the neighborhoods. I enjoy these runs more, because I feel better after a long slow run, than a race, but I enjoy socializing with other runners at a race, so each has it's benefits.

The rest of the day: Lunch, Nap, Veg Out or get a cup of coffee and browse a bookstore.

On Sunday - Long Run, Grocery Store, Mall (except November and December, I will not go anywhere near a mall or other retail store), bookstore, lunch, nap, TV or Internet surf, another short fast run, then my usual routine before bedtime (see above).

Okay, now you can quit banging your head against the wall. To me this IS fun. Really, it is. Really, Really.

Music: The End Of The Line - Traveling Wilburys


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November 28, 2007

The Hood (repost)

(Previously Posted, recycled and renewed:)

Because I consider myself a temporary resident in this city , I live in an apartment. I never thought I'd be here this long, over four years now, but I still consider this arrangement temporary.

We have a great diversity of cultures in this neighborhood. Young and old, students, immigrants, factory workers, office workers, many different ethnicities, religions, many varied interests and lifestyles.

Since building a new Korean car manufacturing plant here, there are many Koreans living in this community. Some speak English well, others not at all. When I'm out for my walks and runs around the neighborhood I see many Korean kids out playing, they are always very polite, courteous. I love to hear them speak their native tongue to each other, its so beautiful, and many times they will write with chalk on the sidewalk, writing the Korean symbols for their language, looks very artistic.

We have a lot of Indians living here also, along with Muslims, orthodox Jews, etc, etc. You know one thing I've noticed. These "immigrants" to Alabama, are much friendlier, more courteous, and more interesting to talk to than native Montgomerians. They get along with everybody and each other without any problems. People that are from here are not friendly, and don't want to get to know you, or just stop and talk for while.

Not all of Alabama is this way, Montgomery is an exception. I lived in Birmingham for three years, and the people there were full of that Southern Hospitality we've heard all heard of, so was Atlanta. I also visited Auburn many times, the people are so much nicer there. Why not here? One reason is this place still has racial tensions. Most schools and churches are still mostly segregated here, not completely, most mostly. Black public schools, and white "Christian" and private schools. Go into any restaurant or business, and the employees are mostly of one race. Let me tell anyone who ever thinks of coming here, Montgomery is not a nice place to live. I have lived in eight different places in the U.S. and Europe, and Montgomery is the worst, in my judgement, because the life-long residents here are so unfriendly.

Thanks to the "immigrants" that live here, I have found friendly people, who have noticed the same things about Montgomerians that I've point out here. The running club I belong to is mostly people who have moved here from other places, and military people. I can't figure that out why people are so snobbish here.

Maybe it can be explained by one of the questions someone from Montgomery asked me, when I first arrived in town? They asked "Where do you go to Church?"

They seemed upset when I laughed.

Song for the Day: Alabama - Neil Young


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November 27, 2007

When Is Lunch? - The Next Meal

Continued from: When Is Lunch?

He ran away from home.

He joined the military. They gave him more food then he had ever seen, a warm place to sleep, and a direction in life. Basic Training was like a pleasant vacation. The drill instructors, while stern and forceful, enforced fairness and teamwork that he had never known.

After basic training he was sent to schools, trained in the ways of the military and the modern world, and sent out to do those tasks. He received honors, awards, praise, promotions, and he felt a honest kinship with those he worked with.

He also met a girl and fell in love. He finally met someone that understood him and didn't want to run away away when he starting getting serious. They married, had two wonderful kids, and eventually a house in the suburbs and a golden retriever. He was living the dream.

His world was fantastic. For a long time he thought he was so lucky to have such a good life. A little too lucky. "You don't deserve this" said a voice in his head.

He turned around one day and the people who he thought supported him, were laughing at him behind his back, insulting him. The people who he thought understood him, were making jokes about him.

Then, after eighteen years of faithful service, the military told him he wasn't good enough to be in the military anymore.

"What happened?", he thought, "I did everything I'm supposed to do."

His mental health suffered a breakdown.......

..... to be continued .....

Story Soundtrack: I Alone - Live


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November 26, 2007

Missing Soul


Consumerism is making us sick with sadness.

Sounds Of The Season: Money - Pink Floyd

November 25, 2007

Blame

I was very busy today, so this is all I got for my daily post.

I have been around many teenagers this long weekend, and I noticed that I have more in common with them than people my own age. (I'm more comfortable around them than the oldsters.) Scary! When will I grow up?

Music Appreciation: Teenagers - My Chemical Romance



My Chemical Romance Lyrics
Teenagers Lyrics

November 24, 2007

When Is Lunch?

Once upon a time...

...there lived a boy who didn't understand this world.

He was always sad. His parents bought him toys, but that didn't make him happy. He wanted someone to play with, but the other kids would only break his toys or steal them. They'd laugh at him, beat him up, and make fun of him

So he would sit in the corner, imagining a better place . He would make up stories in his head about better places and better people. His parents and the other kids ridiculed him if he told them what he was thinking, so he stopped telling them. He learned people make themselves feel good by stepping on and taking advantage of other people. He didn't like that.

Then he grew up. He grew up too fast. He needed to find someone to trust, someone who was like himself. He ran away from home.

..... to be continued


Music: I'm Not Sick, But I'm Not Well - Lit


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November 23, 2007

LimerNick

There once was a blogger named niCk
His head voices said he was slick
Promised to blog every day
Then the voices went away
Now he only hears the clock tick





Daily Music Post: Questions 67 and 68 - Chicago

November 22, 2007

Gratitude

I thank the universe that I'm a whole person, and I can understand the blessings I been granted for this brief moment of consciousness.

I'm thankful to the people who have showed me that bigotry, hatred, blame, and vengeance, never heal wounds.

I'm thankful for those people who care about me, although I'm at a loss to understand why.

I'm thankful for the mistakes I have made. I am human.

I'm thankful for the crises that pass my way, to show that I can be defeated and still go on living.

I'm thankful for the low times in my life, to balance me.

I'm thankful for pleasure and pain, so I know I feel.

I'm thankful for passion, it is the life force of nature.

I'm thankful for blue skies, stormy weather, the sun, clouds, the trees, the rocks, the stars, the earth, the cold, the heat, and all of the parts of the universe that have come together to create my life and the lives with whom I share this universe.



I'm thankful for Music: No Myth - Michael Penn


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November 21, 2007

Three Three Three


Aren't numbers great.

The number 333 is one of the greatest. Three three's.

Today is my three hundred thirty third post on this blog.

We can take any number in the infinity of numbers, and assign a meaning that has some cosmic, spiritual, astrological, historical, or other inconsequential relation, and that number can become a symbol of love, hate, evil, or other attribute that we will try to use to determine the meaning of life.

Every number has a meaning.

333 = 3^2·37, Mertens function returns 0, Harshad number. Meaning 'MUCH LOVE' (more 3's = more hearts)

In High School, room 333 is the room you went to make out.

Yep, I'm running out of random thoughts and the voices haven't been as loud as they were in the past, so you get a bunch of nonsense.

You all have a safe and wonderful trip/visit/feast. I'll be having dinner with friends from a different dimension. First, I'll be running a 10K for a Jewish Community Center in Birmingham. I give thanks that my legs have given my such a wonderful life.

Music for 333 post: Cry Baby - 333


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November 20, 2007

And I Ran...

















♫ ♫♪ ♪ ♪♫
"I Ran so far away, ay ay,
I just ran, I ran all night and day.
I couldn't get away "
♫ ♫♪ ♪ ♪♫

This business with Iran. Why?

(WARNING: Today's post is not well thought out, it is just a knee jerk reaction to current headlines about the downward direction of this nation)

I don't think The U.S. has the right to control who has whatever weapons they need to protect themselves, or how they generate energy for their infrastructure.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia, which is a haven for terrorists and Iraqi insurgents, and punishes victims of rape, continues to be an U.S. ally, because they control a major portion of our addiction. In their heads, if a women was raped, she must of caused the men to act that way. The world needs to stop dealing with these primitive cultures that rule in unwritten laws determined from mythical misogynistic writings of ego maniacal men.

The U.S. needs to go into oil consumption rehab, immediately, and stop supporting and rewarding countries that brutilizes it own citizens.

This is going to make me unpopular. I think the way to deal with these barbaric countries, to cut our consumption of foriegn oil, and to pay for the failures of our current executive administration, is to raise the taxes on a gas until the price is ten dollars a gallon. (GASP!) I can easily support this because I, unlike most U.S. citizens, am not dependent on my car. I can do all my shopping, activities, commuting to work, without needing my car. It is surprising the alternatives people can come up with when they are necessary.

I know it won't happen, we are too shallow in this country to support such a moral and ethical plan, the U.S. no longer has a soul. Wealth is more important than human rights.

I could move to Bhutan, and find happiness.

Music: I Ran - Flock of Seagulls


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November 19, 2007

Don't Buy It

Black Friday is coming.

I think this day is named appropriately. It is when the darkness of the holiday spending season begins. The holiday shopping season, that sounds so dreadful to me. It actually began before Halloween this year, and will soon be a year long enticement to get people to buy things for people who have enough resources to get these items themselves if they wanted them. I will not accept any material goods during the winter festivals, but I will accept pictures, poems, songs, alliterations, haiku, or any gift requiring creative ways not to enrich any corporation.

I will celebrate black Friday as I always do, by participating in Buy Nothing Day.

Like last year, I will extend this honor to the whole weekend, perhaps the whole season.

I would like to start a movement, for people to boycott this whole holiday season until our Iraqi occupation is brought to an end. Buy Nothing Chr-stm-s has already been thought of at the same site as the Buy Nothing Day. I support this, but for a different reason. Peaceful Inaction, remember that?

What happened to my Chr-stm-s spirit? It was destroyed by a culture where the rich give to the rich, while the poor get poorer and receive none of the bounties of our land of plenty. Why has name of Christ been subverted into such evil? If it were done Christ's way, the poor would be the only ones getting gifts and receiving feasts. Am I wrong? Why don't the followers of the Christian idol act like they know anything about that man or his teachings? That would be a cause to celebrate.




Did you know you could use your mind to create bowls of rice, a few grains at a time, to feed the hungry, and become more intelligent while you did it. Play Free Rice, and see if you don't become addicted to this word quiz. It's all good, an addiction to feed the hungry.

Song: 99 Luftballons - Nena


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November 18, 2007

More Recurring Dreams

Some nights, I have vivid dreams.

Sometimes I know I'm dreaming and can control the dream. It's called lucid dreaming. I usually end up flying in those dreams. I was able to do it more when I was younger, but I still have those dreams from time to time now. When I have them, I'm always in a elated mood. Is the mood the cause of the dream, or a symptom of it?

I think my dreams are more vivid and recallable after I have a stressful or eventful day. Yesterday was not stressful, but I didn't get much sleep the night before. I find it hard to sleep the night before a race, the excitement, or anxiousness, has me tossing and turning the night away.

Last night, I had some more recurring situations that haunt me.

The first situation has me in a stairwell trying to go somewhere, but the destination cannot be reached because of locked doors, the stairwell going to the wrong place, or the stairs morphing into something that traps me or cannot be maneuvered.

The second situation is being abandoned by family and friends in various places.

In last night dreams these two situations converged. I was going to the mall with a past girlfriend, and she walks so fast that I lose her and can't catch up to her because of the crowd (I hate crowds). I go into stores looking for her, but can't find her anywhere. In one store I go up to the second floor, look around, then head to the escalator to go back down. When I get to the escalator, it is crowded with people and going up, so I go to the other side, but the escalator is blocked like it is undergoing maintenance. There is another lady there, and she says "How are we supposed to get downstairs". I point to a wall with an exit sign and say "we have to take the stairs". We open the door to the "fire escape" designed stairwell. The stairway is very narrow and we have to lay down to get down the stairs. When we get to the bottom, the door is locked, so we try to head back upstairs, but the stairs are falling apart as I try to go up. I end up climbing up the broken pieces, but I get stuck and come back down. There is a phone on the wall that has an emergency button on it. We use it, and soon a rescuer shows up. He is badly handicapped with a false leg, and many scars, but he climbs down to where we are. He goes to the window (the window wasn't there before), opens it and helps us out. Meanwhile, more people have arrived and are now playing card games in the place we were trapped.

In a second dream, I was with Angry Ballerina, and had been driving around, real fast. Somehow we end up in front of the church, standing around with a bunch of other people, and they are passing around a joint. One of my work supervisors come out of the church, and says "Hey, you can't smoke here", and then she smells the aroma of the burning grass and says "POT! Your smoking pot in front of a church!" Then runs inside. I turn around to see people exiting the church, like services were ending. As I turn back around I see the group I was with scatter for their cars. Angry Ballerina is with some other guy in a truck and getting ready to speed away, she points to the back of the truck and says "Jump in", but she is going fast and I cannot make it to the truck. She speeds away leaving me behind, I can hear her laughing. It begins to rain.

I hear she put a dent in that truck.

Music Post: Me and Bobby Mcgee - Janis Joplin

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November 17, 2007

Must Post on Blog

So, I'm doing this "post everyday thing" on NaBloPoMo.

I'm sitting at the PC and I'm thinking "I don't want to post, I want to surf and listen to music". The OCD won't let me do anything until I finish this thing I signed up for, DAMN, I hate commitments. This is why I don't ever sign-up for activities, because I obsess over it until it is done.

What do I write about today? I got nothing for you.

I could tell you about another racing Saturday I have planned. These races are always updated, with results, at my Race Blog. After the Race I'm going to talk to my running buddies and try to get someone to join me for an additional 5.5 mile run in memory of Ryan Shay. This will not be a race, but a run at a easy pace, to remember a fellow runner.

Then I'm coming home, hopefully having lunch already, and taking a nap. I really enjoy napping. I have been a napper ever since high school, I just feel so much better in the afternoon after a good siesta. Maybe I wouldn't be so tired in the afternoon if I didn't get up so early, but I love the morning, and I find it impossible to sleep in, I have never understood how people do that.

Exciting, isn't it. If anything blog worthy happens during the race, I'll update the this post, if not, this is all you get today.

Some days, I have no deep thoughts. Just living.

Saturday Running Song: Heart of the Sunrise - Yes

November 16, 2007

Crisp, Cool, Refreshed

On Tuesday and Wednesday I could feel the unwanted black dog trying to come in the back door. Fatigue and annoying pains were starting again. DAMN, I thought, the last two weeks were so great, why can't that mood stick around. DON'T LEAVE ME!

I noticed something, the temperatures on Tuesday and Wednesday were pushing 80 degrees, but on Thursday a cold front came through with some pleasant coolness. Yesterday was cool and breezy and this morning I had frost on my car. My mood, and pains have suddenly recovered.

Am I so old now that weather, and barometric pressure effect my moods and body? Could it be true? We are in "high" pressure now, and, well, I feel "high".

No, it can't be, I love rainy weather. Clouds and storms turn me on. I love running in the rain. This is the first time I've noticed, twice this month so far, that high pressure makes me feel good, also. Maybe it's just the cooler temps and crisp, dry air. I'm going to have to start keeping track of weather and my moods. This summer, this last, long, miserably hot summer, I was in a terrible mood most of the time, with aching tendinitis, and we had "high" pressure most of that time.

I went on a seven mile run last night and it felt great. The last half mile I always time myself to make sure my pace is good, and I was running faster than normal, and felt like I taking it slow. HUH?

Maybe someone is playing a joke on me and putting something extra in my "green" tea. Have you ever noticed that green tea smells like grass?

Serious Musical Mood: Question - Moody Blues

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November 15, 2007

Ipso Facto - Continued

More of the daily routine if a slightly OCD application developer in a production technical support position.......

11:00 - Eat Lunch at Desk while completing tasks, or surfing the Internet
12:30 - Make sure there's coffee for the Afternoon Coffee Break, if not, make it
13:00 - Afternoon coffee break: Coffee, Apple, 2 Mile walk (if weather is nice, and tasks are completed)
14:00 - Complete tasks or send out status.
15:00 - Drive Home. I hate traffic, I hate drivers who don't know what going on around them, I loath people talking on cell phones while driving. This is the worst time of my day, and the traffic isn't even bad here, but many idiots are on the road, anyway. On days I have to drive home in rush hour, I feel like suicide or causing massive destruction to anything within reach. (Believe it or not, I used to drive in D.C. traffic, Northern Virginia, I-95 from Dale City to the Pentagon. It didn't take long before I was using the slug lines, buses, and trains)
15:30 - 16:00 - Check personal email, blog, news, weather
16:00 - Tuesday and Thursday, afternoon run. Other days, Veg out, cook dinner, take a walk, or sit in park and watch neighbors fish while catching up on the local gossip.
17:00 - Dinner. I'm rarely late. Sometimes I can't wait and start early. I'm always hungry, and it's a struggle to wait for dinner on some days. I usually start dinner by watching the news, get bored and channel surf or watch part of a movie.
17:30 - Clean up, wash dishes (by hand, it's only me and I don't use that many dishes)

If you think that's the ultimate in boring dorkiness, just wait until I tell you about my hypo-exciting evening and non-stop weekend monotony, next week.

"Get Crazy with the Cheese-Whiz": Loser - Beck


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November 14, 2007

Choices

The choices we make in life determine who we are, or will be.

Does it? Really?

Are we the product of wise or poor decisions? Do we really have a choice of who we are or will become?

Free will is a popular topic on the Dilbert Blog. He contends that we really don't have free will, just the illusion of free will and in the end the the choices we make have no effect on who we are, or on the evolution of the human race or the planet. It is who we are that effect our choices.

I have to agree with his theory. There are many views I have over the years that effect who I am, and there is no way I can change this just be willing it.

I wish I was an extrovert, they seem to be much happier than introverts like myself.

If I could, I would have faith in a supreme being and an eternal place for our salvation, then I could have better peace of mind. (Most religionists don't have faith, or peace of mind either, so I'm not talking about conforming to some religion.)

Do we choose to love someone, or is that connection or preference for another person pre-wired into us?

I could go on about how certain people would choose to be someone else, or have a different lifestyle than the one have, to make their life easier. Pretending to be something you are not, ruins lives, and causes internal mental and emotional damage. However, accepting and being who you are can create much hardship and turmoil from external groups and the society you have to interact with on a daily basis.

You could say that I used free will to create today's post. Well, if I didn't, would my view on the subject be any different?

Song Post: A Murder Of One - Counting crows

November 13, 2007

Recurring Dreams

I have recurring dreams.

It's not the same dream, but the situations in the dreams that are recurring.

Many of my dreams take place in High School. I'm guessing because we develop and expand much of brain capacity during these years, many of our dreams use these memories. I have many dreams from this time in life, not only is school the subject, but family, and relationships of this time.

The two situations that are recurring are: I cannot find my classroom, and I've forgotten my locker combination and can't get to my books or homework.

I believe dreams are just the result of how the brain works to store, recover, and use long term memories, and doesn't reveal some kind of mental state of the dreamer. However, the more traumatic the memory, the more vivid the dream. I still have dreams about my abusive step-mother, and having those dreams still make me rage against the way she treated me. I rarely have dreams about my birth mother, who I lived with until I was eleven.

There is another oddity about my dreams. I have been divorced for over seven years, but in my dreams, I'm almost always still with my ex-wife, and my kids are still teens.

I don't even know where to start to interpret what these are supposed to mean, if anything.

Music Post: Dreams - Van Halen


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November 12, 2007

This and That


Too many voices just make a steady hum, humming leads to songs, to singing and next thing you know there is a song in my head to replace the voices. I think my own natural chemicals are keeping me high, and songs in my head. I can't focus on anything to write about, the music keeps getting in the way. Soooooooo, I'll just go give myself another jolt of endorphins while I got the music in me. My legs just can't keep still.

Later, got to run. Have you seen my running shoes?



"We gotta get out while were young
`cause tramps like us, baby we were born to run"


Song of the Day: One Time One Night By Los Lobos


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November 11, 2007

Exclusivity

Happy Sunday! The weather is great, and I have a the whole day to celebrate life. The universe has granted us a precious gift.

"I want to run
I want to hide
I want to tear down the walls
That hold me inside...."

"we can't go 'round measuring our goodness by what we don't do, by what we deny ourselves, what we resist and who we exclude... we've got to measure goodness by what we embrace, what we create, and who we include."


Sunday Song: Where The Streets Have No Name - U2


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November 10, 2007

Blah, Blah, Blah


The past two weeks I have had so much energy I could barely contain myself.

I've been on a ten day high, not being able to sit still, having no problem putting words in blog posts, getting up and running two, three times a day. At work I can only sit at my workstation for two hours tops before needing to expend some energy.

The transition from the warm weather to the pleasant coolness of autumn is the best time of the year for me. Nagging pains and fatigue disappear. Runs feel wonderful.

The one problem with this is that I can't sleep at night. The hyperactivity is constant, even though I'm "tired", I'm not drowsy. I can fall asleep, but I wake up after only an hour or two, and ready to do something, when there's nothing to do.

Yeah, I have little to blog about today, so you get some freakish jabbering of a hyper dork.

Song for today: Hook - Blue's Traveler

November 9, 2007

Happiness?

If they attacked us because they hated us, will war make them love us?

This essay was written by Barbara Kingsolver in the days after Sept 11, 2001:
A Pure, High Note of Anguish

I cannot believe we are still trying to avenge this act, with no end in sight, without someone trying to initiate some kind of dialogue of consolation or forgiveness.

Is it possible make them agree with our way of life, by destroying theirs?

Is there still a chance to bring any of those souls back to life?

Music Post: Give Peace a Chance - John Lennon


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November 8, 2007

Ipso Facto

My Morning: (Today's mediocre attempt to come up with daily posts for NaBloPoMo)

4:45: Awake - Lay there for a 15 Minutes stretching trying to think myself into getting out of bed, bed is warm and comfy
5:00: Get out of bed, Turn on lights, wake up PC, Take vitamins, ginko biloba, ginseng, iron supplement with half a glass of water
5:02: pee
5:05: Check E-mail, News, Blog Comments, Comic strips SinFest and Dilbert.
5:15: Eat Breakfast, Cold cereal. oatmeal, or muesli. Have Orange or Cranberry Juice (usually while reading or watching news)
5:25: Brush Teeth, Shower, Dress
5:35: In car heading for work
5:50: At work, Wake up Workstation, Check E-mails, respond to alerts, do daily system health checks, put out any fires
6:15: Write Blog Entry (depends on; if I have time and how loud the voices are screaming)
6:30: Make Coffee, give a apathetic attempt to say "G'Mornin" to a few other early souls and third shift crew
6:45: Coffee Ready. GET OUT OF MY WAY.

-- Be right back, I need to make and consume my daily wake up elixir. Can you guess what time it is?

7:00: First gulps of coffee are in me, I can feel the effects.
7:00 - 9:30: Daily work tasks. (I fix databases, application software, and application access problems)
9:30 - 11:00: Head to the gym for morning run (time varies based on time of year)

If everything goes according to plan, projectiles will remain still, and no one will be victimizied by my "This isn't what I planned" rage.

Coming Next Thursday: More of my daily routine (unless I find something more exciting to blog about)

Daily Music Dose - Something To Talk About by Badly Drawn Boy from the Soundtrack of the movie About A Boy


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November 7, 2007

Prolificity

Where does the time go?

It's been one week since I "pledged" to write a post for everyday of November at NaBloPoMo.

I have found that two things happen when I try to write a blog post:


  1. Time moves very quick. I look up at the clock, do some blogging, then back a few moments later and an hour has passed.
  2. The time I get to spend surfing blogs, getting news, reading books, and socializing with other humans is dramatically reduced.
Every afternoon I go for a run after work. I can come up with dozens of great ideas for posts. Then, I sit down to put thoughts to blog the next morning, and my blankity-blank mind is blank.

I really wish I could send mental notes to my PC.

I will return to this after I feed the brain some caffeine.

Ok, I'm back after one cup.

So, I pledged write everyday this month, and November and December last year were the most productive of my blogging history. Should be easy. Many voices start nagging me as I walk through stores blaring happy holiday music while homes, work, and markets become over-adorned in pagan winter decorations. Marketing schemers claim that this puts shoppers in a buying mood. Does it? What is wrong with me? It makes me run away in a cold sweat wanting to bash my head against a brick wall. That stuff makes my blood pressure rise and makes me rage. Why? I'm guessing; it is because of so many unhappy childhood memories from that time of year.

Thanksgiving, on the other hand, is one of my favorite holidays. I love the food, and having a day to give thanks for your blessings. My memories of childhood Thanksgiving are of spending that day with other families, or relatives, away from the daily hostile home life I experienced. Those are good memories, away from home. Is it a wonder I shut them out of my life?

I'm always harping about forgiving others who have done misdeeds against you or your loved ones, but I cannot find the strength to forgive them.

Music Post - Pearl Jam's Yellow Ledbetter

November 6, 2007

The Hole Truth

Remember the hole in the ozone layer?

When I was in my teens and twenty's, the big environmental news was how the hole in the ozone layer is growing, letting in too much of the sun's radiation, which was going to increase humans problems associated with solar radiation.

Most scientists agreed, few were skeptical, about the cause. Humans were causing it.

The main cause of the hole is CFCs, chlorofluorocarbons, a result of human activity. Governments around the world got together to change manufacturing and distribution of products that contain this ozone destroying pollutant.

Now the hole is shrinking. I'd like to think this solution was a direct result of human action to stop ozone depletion, but that hasn't been determined yet.

Now the big environmental headline is Global Warming. I have also been hearing about the Greenhouse effect since I was very young, and understood it. The more we pollute the planet, the sicker our planet will become.

The Earth is alive. Either the earth will become sicker and sicker, or something will happen to eliminate the cause of this illness. I think, for the sake of our species, we need to do all we can to preserve the earth's health, or many species of animals, including humans, will suffer. Maybe not today, or the next generation, or even in the next hundreds of years, but it will come too soon for those who will bear the suffering.

Continued economic and population growth is unsustainable. We must put controls on this growth, before it destroys us.

Most scientists agree that Global Warming is caused by human activity on our planet. There are a few government paid skeptics, but even some of those have moved away denying the obvious. Skeptical scientists usually change their mind when they've studied the problem themselves.

In the latter part of the last century, countries around the earth have been moving to reverse the causes of Global Warming. Our current U.S. leaders have made bad decisions that have reversed these positive actions of environmental issues.

We all need to do what we can to reduce our "carbon footprint" on this planet. It begins with the little things you do everyday. In my honest opinion, and what common sense tells me, this is the right thing to do. It doesn't matter if others join me in my effort, I need to set the example. It is the only ethical way to live.

There are some great essays about the environment and human causes of our planets problems at Earth Meanders.


Added to Playlist - Would by Alice in Chains
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November 5, 2007

Unmitigated Temerity

One of my favorite books of all time is To Kill A Mockingbird. It was Harper's Lee only novel.

Harper Lee to receive Medal of Freedom in a ceremony at the White House today.

I don't know why the U.S. media sources buried this news story, while it made headlines in the United Kingdom. This is important news, and it's good news.

It's too bad she is receiving this award from a man I do not respect. Maybe I shouldn't be so quick to judge him, after all I haven't walked in his shoes.

Harper's tale of racism and prejudice in the south, through the eyes of a young girl, was the first book to leave a lasting impression on me. I've read this book many times, and it always feels fresh, and I always find something new that didn't notice before.

When I was in the sixth grade, we had to choose a book, from a teacher's list, to read and do a book report on. When I saw this book on the list, I selected it right away, because I had seen and loved the movie many times. I knew the story and thought I could be lazy and write the report from the story I'd seen in the movie. Although the basics of the plot were well portrayed in the moving picture, compared to the book, it is only two dimensions of a three dimensional story.

When I got up and presented my report, the teacher quizzed me about aspects and characters of the novel not shown in movie. I remember one of the things she asked was about "....Dolphus Raymond, how was he different than town judged him, and why did he live like that?"

Not only was I very disturbed and humiliated for not knowing that part of the story, it fueled my curiosity enough to make me read the book and find out the answers. I started it and couldn't put it down, I think I read it in two days. I learned two life lessons; movies never even come close to telling the stories from novels and always do research yourself, never trust other sources.

This novel should be required reading for all.

Song of the Day - Jewel's Pieces of You

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November 4, 2007

Promise of Heaven

If you knew your death was certain, but all you had to do to keep living was as simple as pressing a button, wouldn't you press that button?

If you had to make that choice everyday, would you continue to press that button?

Some people have faith in an afterlife. Some people pretend to have faith in an afterlife, just in case it's true. Most religious people I've ever met fit in the latter case. They say they have faith, but they aren't "pushing the buttons" that their faith teaches in order to reach the afterlife.

Pretending to have faith, in order to fit into your culture, is pointless. I respect people who can live the life of true faith. Problem is, I've only heard rumors of such people, I've never met one.

From Scott Adam's book God's Debris:

“They say that they believe because pretending to
believe is necessary to get the benefits of religion. They tell
other people that they believe and they do believer-like
things, like praying and reading holy books. But they don’t
do the things that a true believer would do, the things a true
believer would have to do.

“If you believe a truck is coming toward you, you will
jump out of the way. That is belief in the reality of the truck.
If you tell people you fear the truck but do nothing to get
out of the way, that is not belief in the truck. Likewise, it is
not belief to say God exists and then continue sinning and
hoarding your wealth while innocent people die of starvation.
When belief does not control your most important
decisions, it is not belief in the underlying reality, it is belief
in the usefulness of believing.”


Do you need the promise of rewards, or the threat of punishments, in order to make the daily decisions of your life and those you influence?

Today's Music - Devils and Dust - Bruce Springsteen

November 3, 2007

Saturday Routine

Today I'm heading out for a race.

On almost every other Saturday, I do a race. I do this to keep me focused on improving my running and to socialize with other running addicts like me.

I keep a blog of these races at niCk's Race Blog.

Today is the Vulcan Run, the RRCA National 10K Championship up in Birmingham, one of the most popular road races in Alabama. 10K is my favorite distance for running, because it usually incorporates an hour and a half to two hours of activity, from warm-ups, stretching to the race, which I can complete in about 50 minutes.

I won't be doing the Vulcan Run.

Normally, this is the run I would choose. I like to go to these championships just to mingle among the top runners in the United States. Some well-known Olympic athletes show up at these events, also.

The thing I don't like about the "big" races is the number of people. I don't enjoy being in crowds, or all the festivities after the race. I'm not a "party" person.

Instead, today I will be traveling to Beulah, Alabama to do two races to help raise money for the local High School Band. Beulah is a small back country community near the Georgia border, between Valley, Alabama and Columbus, Georgia. This will be my third visit to this High School to race. I have written about the wonderful people of this town before, in a post called Band Aid, when I did these same races last year

The race will be small, probably about 50-70 runners will participate, but the overwhelming welcome visitors get from these people will have me coming back for every race they hold. They demonstrate the sort of hospitality which is famous in the South, but lacking here in Montgomery.

Between the two races I will do in Beualh, and the driving. I will be busy all day. When I come home I will be tired and ready to veg out.

Today's music is Running One and Running Two
- from the Lola rennt (Run Lola Run) soundtrack.

November 2, 2007

Eat Your Meat........

How can you have any pudding if you don't eat your meat!

My whole life has been a fight against parents and "friends" trying to force me to eat meat. Yes, I eat meat, but in very small amounts, only a couple of days a week. Even then, it is usually poultry or fish, I cannot stomach the taste of red meat, and the smell of red meat cooking, especially grilling or barbecue, make me nauseous. On Thanksgiving, I have some traditional turkey with my dinner, turkey is one of my favorite meats.

I have tried to go vegetarian, but it is hard for someone has active as I am to get all their nutrition from vegetables, alone. I become severely anemic when I don't eat meat. It is a genetic defect, I blame my mother, who also struggled with anemia.

The place I work announced yesterday that they are replacing the traditional Thanksgiving Luncheon in favor of barbecue. Here in Alabama, as in much of the south, that means pork. I asked, and that is the only thing they will be serving, along with other barbecue sides, like PORK and beans, macaroni and cheese, and other high-fat unhealthy foods. PORK. It even sounds vulgar.

I grew up with a Jewish mother, so pork has always had a bad reputation with me. Then, after I went to go live with a evil Catholic step-mother, I practically had very fatty pork products shoved down my throat, daily. It's no wonder I was sick (asthmatic) all the time.

I have not eaten any pork in more than seven years. I don't plan on changing that, because I'm much healthier now than seven years ago.

So, I respond to the message about our luncheon .......

/* SARCASM on */

BBQ for a Thanksgiving Luncheon. Sounds crazy, no?

But here, in our little village of corporate slaves, you might say every one of us is a humble servant just wanting some turkey on Thanksgiving and trying to scratch out a pleasant, simple life without getting in trouble. It isn't easy. You may ask 'Why do we always eat turkey if there is BBQ?' Well, We eat turkey because its better than BBQ on Thanksgiving.

We need to keep our balance. How do we do that? That I can tell you in one word: TRADITION!

/* SARCASM off */

Not to mention it's much more healthy than BBQ, which in the south is usually PORK --There are good reasons why many cultures avoid pork.

For every additional 1.7 ounces of red meat consumed per day, the risk for cancer rises by 15%.

The recommendation concerning the consumption of processed meats is even more stringent. Processed meats, such as bacon, ham, sausage, and lunch meat, should be avoided entirely; There isn't a level at which the consumption of these products can be reliably considered completely safe. For every 1.7 ounces of processed meat consumed per day, the risk for colorectal cancer rises by 21%.

Read More......

There are good reasons why many cultures avoid pork. It cannot become clean enough to eat.

I will be skipping the luncheon this year - They can go PORK themselves.

I moved the Music Player to the side bar.

Song of the Day - "Patience" - Guns & Roses



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November 1, 2007

Friendless

I joined a club.

Well, I'm a member of other clubs, but that is a symptom of my addiction.

I joined another club to commiserate with other blog addicts: NaBloPoMo

I will try to write a post every day this month. So expect some shallow thoughts. I usually don't have any problems writing about my frustrations with the upcoming season (I Love Thanksgiving, I loath Loud Proud Pagan Winter Festivals wrongly aligned with christian religious idols).

My link at NaBloPoMo proclaims: niCk doesn't have any friends on this social network yet.

Yeah, So what? What's your point.

I will also be posting one song to my NaBloPoMo playlist everyday, so if you don't come to hear what the voices are screaming in my head, come to play one of the songs that are always stuck inside this freaks mind. I wish the voices would be quiet and let me listen to the music.

When is NaBloPoMeMo?

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