The last time I wrote about the Florida Gators men's basketball team, they had a chance to make the NCAA tournament, but only if they met certain conditions. It turns out they met NONE OF THEM and consequently didn't make the championship tournament. Instead they're back in the "runner-up" National Invitation Tournament this year. They started off well Wednesday night, winning their first game against Jacksonville 84-62. Tonight they play the University of Miami, a tough team from the very tough Atlantic Coast Conference. But the Gators will have the decided advantage of playing at home (and for the following game, should they win).
As for the main NCAA championship tournament, I'm still following it and rooting for various teams. I am unhappy at how unfairly UF's Southeastern Conference was treated, with only three teams selected for the tournament. So I'm rooting for those three teams to do well and prove the NCAA wrong (unfortunately, Mississippi State lost their first-round game last night, although LSU managed a win; Tennessee plays today). Also Florida State is having one of their best basketball seasons ever and stands to advance in the tournament. I traditionally root for North Carolina as well, and the Tarheels have a good shot at winning it all this year. Plus, I was impressed with Syracuse's tenacity in pulling out a recent six-overtime victory over impressive Connecticut a few days ago. So there's still plenty of interesting games for me to follow in the NCAA tournament even though the Gators aren't in it. Hopefully, they'll make it next year.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Writing Fiction From a Pedestal
I've recently been reading some of the late Michael Crichton's novels. Crichton, who rose to fame for his exciting science fiction novel The Andromeda Strain, wrote his stories with the idea of introducing the reader to specific trends in scientific and engineering research and then extrapolating those trends to usually calamitous results. Thus the fusing of computer technology with the human nervous system creates a homicidal monster, dinosaurs grown from DNA containing their genetic codes get loose and wreck havoc, nano-machines create their own swarms and plot to take over the world, and now, in State of Fear (the book I've just finished reading), the author reveals his skepticism about global warming. Crichton apparently believed that, regarding the environmental movement, the politics came first and the scientific research was then tailored to fit those political positions.
In the Michael Crichton novels that I've read so far (The Andromeda Strain, The Terminal Man, Timeline, Congo, and Prey), the author did extensive research on the topics and then cluttered the stories with intimidating technical details, apparently with the aim of enforcing his authority on the subject in the reader's mind. I am not very enthusiastic about this tactic of writing (a reason I don't feel like reading Jack Clancy novels, either). I instead prefer a relatively minimalist approach that emphasizes characters and the story. Sure, it's necessary to lay out some technical details in a story in order to create in the reader's imagination the "new world" that the author is using as the story's setting. For example, in the Harry Potter series, author J.K. Rowling naturally did her own research on magic and mythology in order to create an alternative, exotic world. But she didn't drown the reader in details either. And that's what I appreciate in a writer.
In the realm of science fiction, during the middle of the twentieth century, there were three writers who were generally considered to be the top three science fiction writers around: Robert Heinlein, Arthur C. Clarke, and Isaac Asimov. All three of these (especially Asimov) wrote their fiction with the aim of staying true to the principles of science in their writing (and often painfully making a major point about this to the reader). And then there was Ray Bradbury, a contemporary of the "big three" who enjoyed a higher level of respect as a general writer and who sometimes wrote science fiction. But when I read Bradbury, I don't get the feeling that I am some lowly student in an undergraduate science class, being talked down to by some professor (as is often the case with Crichton/Heinlein/Clarke/Asimov).
When I read a story, I want to feel that the author and I are communicating on the same general level, and that I am not expected to just take in whatever slop (s)he decides to shovel in, just because it is dressed with extensive technical jargon. Reading for me is almost an act of conspiracy between two kindred souls. If one of those souls insists on standing up on a high pedestal, then I'm not going to read with the same enthusiasm that I would have if that same writer had just written like an ordinary person with no pretensions of grandeur. An author has to reveal enough knowledge of the subject to make the story believable, but there's no point in being a complete smartass about it!
In the Michael Crichton novels that I've read so far (The Andromeda Strain, The Terminal Man, Timeline, Congo, and Prey), the author did extensive research on the topics and then cluttered the stories with intimidating technical details, apparently with the aim of enforcing his authority on the subject in the reader's mind. I am not very enthusiastic about this tactic of writing (a reason I don't feel like reading Jack Clancy novels, either). I instead prefer a relatively minimalist approach that emphasizes characters and the story. Sure, it's necessary to lay out some technical details in a story in order to create in the reader's imagination the "new world" that the author is using as the story's setting. For example, in the Harry Potter series, author J.K. Rowling naturally did her own research on magic and mythology in order to create an alternative, exotic world. But she didn't drown the reader in details either. And that's what I appreciate in a writer.
In the realm of science fiction, during the middle of the twentieth century, there were three writers who were generally considered to be the top three science fiction writers around: Robert Heinlein, Arthur C. Clarke, and Isaac Asimov. All three of these (especially Asimov) wrote their fiction with the aim of staying true to the principles of science in their writing (and often painfully making a major point about this to the reader). And then there was Ray Bradbury, a contemporary of the "big three" who enjoyed a higher level of respect as a general writer and who sometimes wrote science fiction. But when I read Bradbury, I don't get the feeling that I am some lowly student in an undergraduate science class, being talked down to by some professor (as is often the case with Crichton/Heinlein/Clarke/Asimov).
When I read a story, I want to feel that the author and I are communicating on the same general level, and that I am not expected to just take in whatever slop (s)he decides to shovel in, just because it is dressed with extensive technical jargon. Reading for me is almost an act of conspiracy between two kindred souls. If one of those souls insists on standing up on a high pedestal, then I'm not going to read with the same enthusiasm that I would have if that same writer had just written like an ordinary person with no pretensions of grandeur. An author has to reveal enough knowledge of the subject to make the story believable, but there's no point in being a complete smartass about it!
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Still Learning Piano
I am still practicing piano and taking weekly lessons. I am progressing with my playing skill, but I'm not satisfied at the rate of that progress. My goals are still pretty much the same: (1) to able to play melodies from memory as I have heard them and (2) seamlessly read and play music from the printed page. I think the main thing holding me back is that I don't put in enough time practicing, pure and simple. But I'm still plugging along, nevertheless.
One thing that I'm having a little fun with regarding music is the study of keys and chords. The chromatic scale consists of 12 notes, so a decimal system of modeling simply doesn't work. Neither does the traditional, convoluted "A through G" system of notation, with its flats and sharps. To me, it makes more sense to start with a "base 12" system and go from there. And that's not really such a difficult thing to do: we all are pretty comfortable with base 12, seeing that our clocks are based on it! As a matter of fact, to aid me in understand various chords, I am imagining them as combinations of numbers on a clock face, and then remember them by their shapes. Works for me, at least.
For the individual notes, I have assigned each a number:
0/12: C
1: C sharp/ D flat
2: D
3: D sharp/ E flat
4: E
5: F
6: F sharp/ G flat
7: G
8: G sharp/ A flat
9: A
10: A sharp/B flat
11: B
I realize that I still must deal with musical notation in the form that it is written, but it sometimes helps me to understand things better using this alternative system.
One thing that I'm having a little fun with regarding music is the study of keys and chords. The chromatic scale consists of 12 notes, so a decimal system of modeling simply doesn't work. Neither does the traditional, convoluted "A through G" system of notation, with its flats and sharps. To me, it makes more sense to start with a "base 12" system and go from there. And that's not really such a difficult thing to do: we all are pretty comfortable with base 12, seeing that our clocks are based on it! As a matter of fact, to aid me in understand various chords, I am imagining them as combinations of numbers on a clock face, and then remember them by their shapes. Works for me, at least.
For the individual notes, I have assigned each a number:
0/12: C
1: C sharp/ D flat
2: D
3: D sharp/ E flat
4: E
5: F
6: F sharp/ G flat
7: G
8: G sharp/ A flat
9: A
10: A sharp/B flat
11: B
I realize that I still must deal with musical notation in the form that it is written, but it sometimes helps me to understand things better using this alternative system.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Veterans Memorial Flagpole
Here are some shots of the gigantic Veterans Memorial Flagpole, located at the south end of the Santa Fe College campus next to the track.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Ominous Fire Season Signs
At this writing, a fire is raging, uncontained, in the Ocala National Forest about forty miles southeast of Gainesville. There are other fires beginning to break out in various spots in north and central Florida, portending a crisis situation in this extremely dry time of the year. We've received very little rain over the past few weeks. And if we don't begin to get some on a regular basis and in large quantities, I'm afraid that we in Florida will suffer a similar fate to that which we underwent in the disastrous 1998 "fire season".
You don't have to be directly threatened by a wildfire in order to suffer its effects. A fire can be hundreds of miles away. But if the wind is blowing its smoke in your direction, your air will become full of it (and even ashes), making it more difficult to breathe (and impossible for some).
Maybe I'm being unduly pessimistic. But you know you're in a bad situation when it does rain and, while discussing the weather with others, someone almost always chimes in with "yes, but we need the rain"!
Sometimes, during these fires, the smoke gets so bad that I get the urge to go dump a ring into a volcano (with a hobbit carrying me there and an eagle flying me back). And then I would wake up breathing fresh air, with a kindly old wizard grinning at me. Yes, it can get that bad. Mordor in Florida!
You don't have to be directly threatened by a wildfire in order to suffer its effects. A fire can be hundreds of miles away. But if the wind is blowing its smoke in your direction, your air will become full of it (and even ashes), making it more difficult to breathe (and impossible for some).
Maybe I'm being unduly pessimistic. But you know you're in a bad situation when it does rain and, while discussing the weather with others, someone almost always chimes in with "yes, but we need the rain"!
Sometimes, during these fires, the smoke gets so bad that I get the urge to go dump a ring into a volcano (with a hobbit carrying me there and an eagle flying me back). And then I would wake up breathing fresh air, with a kindly old wizard grinning at me. Yes, it can get that bad. Mordor in Florida!
Friday, March 13, 2009
Senator Byrd's Joke
I was watching the U.S. Senate on C-Span2 a few days ago. A vote was going on regarding an amendment submitted by Senator Wicker (R-Mississippi). It aimed to deny funding to any United Nations agency offering or promoting abortion services. Naturally, the pro-life senators supported the amendment while the pro-choice senators opposed it. There were, at my count, three "cross-over" votes from each party, canceling each other out and ensuring the amendment's defeat. But what I was most interested in was the voting process itself.
Apparently, senators can vote from their offices while the role call is going on for their vote. But afterwards, those yet to vote will go to the front desks in the Senate chamber and register their "ay" or "no" with one of the clerks there (who then will call out their names and how they voted).
As this vote was approaching its conclusion, I saw a woman pushing 91 year old Senator Robert Byrd (D-West Virginia) in a wheelchair up to the clerk's desk. Naturally, I expected Byrd to signal how he would vote to the clerk. But instead, the woman leaned over, said something to the clerk, and then proceeded to wheel the Senator away and off the screen, up the ramp to the area where the Senate body sat. I then forgot about this until about a minute later when the clerk called out "Senator Byrd", to which was heard a loud, thundering "NO-O-O-O!!!" coming from the rear of the chamber. Everyone stopped what they were doing for a second and then a few snickered. About another minute or two later, here comes Byrd back down in his wheelchair, grinning and once again closely passing by the clerk's desk (and then out of the chamber, presumably back to his office).
It will certainly be a sad day when Robert Byrd no longer graces the United Senate with his personality, rhetoric, and special sense of humor. But I thought the same of him eight years ago and here he still is, while many others have come and gone from this prestigious body.
Apparently, senators can vote from their offices while the role call is going on for their vote. But afterwards, those yet to vote will go to the front desks in the Senate chamber and register their "ay" or "no" with one of the clerks there (who then will call out their names and how they voted).
As this vote was approaching its conclusion, I saw a woman pushing 91 year old Senator Robert Byrd (D-West Virginia) in a wheelchair up to the clerk's desk. Naturally, I expected Byrd to signal how he would vote to the clerk. But instead, the woman leaned over, said something to the clerk, and then proceeded to wheel the Senator away and off the screen, up the ramp to the area where the Senate body sat. I then forgot about this until about a minute later when the clerk called out "Senator Byrd", to which was heard a loud, thundering "NO-O-O-O!!!" coming from the rear of the chamber. Everyone stopped what they were doing for a second and then a few snickered. About another minute or two later, here comes Byrd back down in his wheelchair, grinning and once again closely passing by the clerk's desk (and then out of the chamber, presumably back to his office).
It will certainly be a sad day when Robert Byrd no longer graces the United Senate with his personality, rhetoric, and special sense of humor. But I thought the same of him eight years ago and here he still is, while many others have come and gone from this prestigious body.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Gator Hoops Tourney Prospects
The University of Florida men's basketball team is in danger of being shut out of the NCAA Championship tournament for the second year in a row after finishing their regular season at 22-9 and Southeastern Conference play at 9-7. Not bad on the surface, but their overall record was enhanced by scheduling smaller colleges that they were relatively assured of beating. And the SEC as a conference doesn't do much better in the national rankings. Only two teams, LSU and Tennessee, are reasonably assured of a spot in the NCAA tournament. A third team from the conference will probably also be added, but a fourth is highly questionable this year. And South Carolina is widely regarded as the "third" team, Florida "fourth", and Auburn "fifth". The UF Gators still have a chance to pass ahead of South Carolina, though, because the SEC tournament is beginning today. And depending on the outcome of that tournament, Florida may either find itself back in the NCAA tournament in which it won the national championship in 2006 and 2007 or it may be relegated to playing in the "second fiddle" National Invitation Tournament, in which it did well last year.
Here is how I see Florida possibly making it to the NCAA tournament this year, based on the outcome of the SEC tournament:
(A) If Florida wins the conference tournament outright, they automatically qualify for the NCAA. And they can potentially do this, if they play up to the level that they have demonstrated at different times during the season.
(B) If Florida doesn't win the SEC tournament then three things have to happen:
[1] Either Tennessee or LSU must win the SEC tournament, keeping another conference team from becoming the third team to go to the NCAA tourney.
[2] Florida needs to outlast South Carolina in the tournament, preferably beating them head on.
[3] Florida needs to avoid being outlasted by Auburn.
Even if the Florida Gators fulfill the conditions for (B), that still doesn't guarantee that they'd be selected. But I think that it would put them ahead of other conference teams competing for that important "third" selection.
Well, the fun starts today. Win or lose, I've enjoyed following the Gators this year. They'd have nothing to be ashamed of if they went back to the NIT this year again instead of the NCAA Championship tournament. But of course, I would be very disappointed if that happened, nevertheless.
Here is how I see Florida possibly making it to the NCAA tournament this year, based on the outcome of the SEC tournament:
(A) If Florida wins the conference tournament outright, they automatically qualify for the NCAA. And they can potentially do this, if they play up to the level that they have demonstrated at different times during the season.
(B) If Florida doesn't win the SEC tournament then three things have to happen:
[1] Either Tennessee or LSU must win the SEC tournament, keeping another conference team from becoming the third team to go to the NCAA tourney.
[2] Florida needs to outlast South Carolina in the tournament, preferably beating them head on.
[3] Florida needs to avoid being outlasted by Auburn.
Even if the Florida Gators fulfill the conditions for (B), that still doesn't guarantee that they'd be selected. But I think that it would put them ahead of other conference teams competing for that important "third" selection.
Well, the fun starts today. Win or lose, I've enjoyed following the Gators this year. They'd have nothing to be ashamed of if they went back to the NIT this year again instead of the NCAA Championship tournament. But of course, I would be very disappointed if that happened, nevertheless.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Bulls and Cleods
Here's an idea for a fun, little no-expense, no-tech game that you can play with another, needing only paper and pen. It's a good game to play while stuck waiting in lines or in waiting rooms. When I learned it as a kid, it was called "bulls and cleods". [I'm not sure how to spell "cleods", having looked up the word in the dictionary and the Internet with no success.]
Each side in bulls and cleods imagines a four-digit string of non-repeating numbers (e.g. 2345, 6452). They then take turns submitting "guesses" to each other in order to finally determine the other's number. The first to do this wins the game.
The terms "bulls" and "cleods" come into play regarding the hints the "holder" of the number gives the "guesser" each time around. For example, suppose I have imagined the number "1234" and my worthy opponent guesses "2614". I see that "2614" contains three digits in my number of "1234". "4" is present in the exact correct position (a "bull") while "1" and "2" are also present, but in the wrong places ("cleods"). So my response to my opponent's guess of "2614" would be "one bull and two cleods". Using logical reasoning, eventually someone hits upon the exact number and wins.
This game can be played among most age groups. Naturally, little children may find it too challenging, but here it can be used as a teaching tool for logical reasoning.
Each side in bulls and cleods imagines a four-digit string of non-repeating numbers (e.g. 2345, 6452). They then take turns submitting "guesses" to each other in order to finally determine the other's number. The first to do this wins the game.
The terms "bulls" and "cleods" come into play regarding the hints the "holder" of the number gives the "guesser" each time around. For example, suppose I have imagined the number "1234" and my worthy opponent guesses "2614". I see that "2614" contains three digits in my number of "1234". "4" is present in the exact correct position (a "bull") while "1" and "2" are also present, but in the wrong places ("cleods"). So my response to my opponent's guess of "2614" would be "one bull and two cleods". Using logical reasoning, eventually someone hits upon the exact number and wins.
This game can be played among most age groups. Naturally, little children may find it too challenging, but here it can be used as a teaching tool for logical reasoning.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Some News Observations: 3/09
--I keep hearing conservatives wailing about how President Obama is hurting business by having the government take over the economy, transforming the United States into a socialist country. But I ask, wasn't it the banks, brokerage firms, insurance companies, and manufacturing corporations who have been going to Washington seeking out scandalously high bailouts from the government? In order to be able to remain "in business"? Seems to me that the CONservatives have this one backwards: the federal government is SAVING business and capitalism, not supplanting them.
--So news has been released (or leaked) that President Obama is interested in seeking out some sort of contact and potential agreement with more moderate and reasonable elements of the Taliban. Well, it's about time! I have been saying that for months.
--Hopefully, Illinois Senator Roland Burris will be able to stay in office until January 2011, when the winner of the 2010 election for that seat will be sworn in. Chicago Mayor Richard Daley seems to be interested in it as are several others. To me, the 2010 election is where opponents of Burris need to focus their attention on. The ironic thing about it is that whoever wins in 2010 will probably be much more beholden to the special interests that helped finance his/her campaign than Burris ever would (I am presuming that Burris won't win next year).
--Why, oh why, won't the judges in Minnesota get around to deciding the lawsuit surrounding the bitterly contested Senate seat from Minnesota between Republican Norm Coleman and Democratic Al Franken and let that state get its constitutionally-mandated second senator? It is scandalous how long this has been dragged out. The winner should have been sworn in two months ago!
--So news has been released (or leaked) that President Obama is interested in seeking out some sort of contact and potential agreement with more moderate and reasonable elements of the Taliban. Well, it's about time! I have been saying that for months.
--Hopefully, Illinois Senator Roland Burris will be able to stay in office until January 2011, when the winner of the 2010 election for that seat will be sworn in. Chicago Mayor Richard Daley seems to be interested in it as are several others. To me, the 2010 election is where opponents of Burris need to focus their attention on. The ironic thing about it is that whoever wins in 2010 will probably be much more beholden to the special interests that helped finance his/her campaign than Burris ever would (I am presuming that Burris won't win next year).
--Why, oh why, won't the judges in Minnesota get around to deciding the lawsuit surrounding the bitterly contested Senate seat from Minnesota between Republican Norm Coleman and Democratic Al Franken and let that state get its constitutionally-mandated second senator? It is scandalous how long this has been dragged out. The winner should have been sworn in two months ago!
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Down on Blog Right Now
I haven't been writing much in this blog lately. Part of the reason is that I have lost some interest. Part of the reason is that I wonder whether I am selecting my topics based on who I think is going to read it. And a huge part of the reason is that I am currently undergoing something in my life I call a "contraction" of sorts: a drawing in upon myself and reassessment of different things that I have been emphasising in my daily life.
Writing a blog is a good activity of self-expression and self-discipline. But there are other areas in my life that I feel, at least in this "season" of my life, a higher calling for me to concentrate on.
Writing a blog is a good activity of self-expression and self-discipline. But there are other areas in my life that I feel, at least in this "season" of my life, a higher calling for me to concentrate on.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Running Longer Distances
When I was a little kid growing up in the sixties (strange how so many of my articles start this way), I was super-scrawny and super-fast. I could out-sprint anyone. It wasn’t until I got into my mid-teens that my running skill began to fall behind others. Sadly, this was the very time that I could have actually gotten something useful from it (like high school athletic recognition and respect). I went out for track in my junior year and decided then that I would concentrate my efforts on distance running. This emphasis continued past high school, with me training by running several miles at a stretch. I never did get to the point of being what most people would call an “athlete”, but I did get to be a pretty doggone good runner anyway. And I discovered that running long distances can do something positive for one’s spirit.
Ever go to the beach and begin to wade out into the ocean? Often, the water gets deeper and deeper until you’re almost certain that you’ll have to soon turn back or else get completely immersed. And then, as you continue to wade out toward the sea, the water level begins to drop and before you know it, you’re standing knee-deep in water. Looking back to the shore, the people standing there are so far away that they look like ants. Now apply this analogy to running.
When I begin a long run, the first couple of miles are usually a struggle, with my body trying to adjust itself to this shocking activity. This is like the initial wading out into the ocean. At a certain point, though, I reach a “groove” and rhythm to my running and it begins to smoothen out, much like that sandbar I reach so far from the shore. But then, I keep running and the analogy fails. For in the ocean, the water begins to deepen again beyond the sandbar. However, with running, something commonly referred to as “second wind” kicks in and puts my mind and body in a completely different state. After about five or six miles, instead of feeling that I’m about to drop from exhaustion, I get the light (albeit not dizzy) feeling that I am “soaring” and could continue running like this from miles on end. This sensation is also called “runner’s high” by some. And is a big reason why so many seem to be “addicted” to running long distance. But if you have never “waded” that far from shore to experience it yourself, you wouldn’t really know what I’m talking about.
In this seemingly paradoxical state of mental/physical relaxation and bliss after running so many miles, I have in the past felt detached from the world in the sense that I was more an observer than a participant. That physical life itself was something completely independent from who I essentially was. Sure, I was bound to my body in time and space, but whatever I really was transcended it and would endure beyond its eventual demise.
When in this state, I have been completely “tuned in” to what was going on around me. So if a car looked as if it were about to plow into me or a vicious looking dog made its presence known, I would be completely aware and ready to properly react, if need be. But at the same time, I would feel freely in control of my thoughts and completely liberated from the stresses and anxieties normally plaguing me during everyday living. Freeing my imagination in the process as well.
I have to admit that, during my latest foray into running that I’ve been doing for the last two years, I have rarely reached this desired second wind/runner’s high state. But that’s because I have usually been running for too short of a distance. I think that getting it going past six miles should do the trick, though. I think it’s just about time for a little more “running spirituality”. And I have devised my own personal "dream course" (with plenty of hills) to do my distance running on. Today I just finished running 4.15 miles on it. I plan to gradually increase my distance to about 7-8 miles at a time. Others can have their five-kilometer races. I’m taking the “long road”!
Ever go to the beach and begin to wade out into the ocean? Often, the water gets deeper and deeper until you’re almost certain that you’ll have to soon turn back or else get completely immersed. And then, as you continue to wade out toward the sea, the water level begins to drop and before you know it, you’re standing knee-deep in water. Looking back to the shore, the people standing there are so far away that they look like ants. Now apply this analogy to running.
When I begin a long run, the first couple of miles are usually a struggle, with my body trying to adjust itself to this shocking activity. This is like the initial wading out into the ocean. At a certain point, though, I reach a “groove” and rhythm to my running and it begins to smoothen out, much like that sandbar I reach so far from the shore. But then, I keep running and the analogy fails. For in the ocean, the water begins to deepen again beyond the sandbar. However, with running, something commonly referred to as “second wind” kicks in and puts my mind and body in a completely different state. After about five or six miles, instead of feeling that I’m about to drop from exhaustion, I get the light (albeit not dizzy) feeling that I am “soaring” and could continue running like this from miles on end. This sensation is also called “runner’s high” by some. And is a big reason why so many seem to be “addicted” to running long distance. But if you have never “waded” that far from shore to experience it yourself, you wouldn’t really know what I’m talking about.
In this seemingly paradoxical state of mental/physical relaxation and bliss after running so many miles, I have in the past felt detached from the world in the sense that I was more an observer than a participant. That physical life itself was something completely independent from who I essentially was. Sure, I was bound to my body in time and space, but whatever I really was transcended it and would endure beyond its eventual demise.
When in this state, I have been completely “tuned in” to what was going on around me. So if a car looked as if it were about to plow into me or a vicious looking dog made its presence known, I would be completely aware and ready to properly react, if need be. But at the same time, I would feel freely in control of my thoughts and completely liberated from the stresses and anxieties normally plaguing me during everyday living. Freeing my imagination in the process as well.
I have to admit that, during my latest foray into running that I’ve been doing for the last two years, I have rarely reached this desired second wind/runner’s high state. But that’s because I have usually been running for too short of a distance. I think that getting it going past six miles should do the trick, though. I think it’s just about time for a little more “running spirituality”. And I have devised my own personal "dream course" (with plenty of hills) to do my distance running on. Today I just finished running 4.15 miles on it. I plan to gradually increase my distance to about 7-8 miles at a time. Others can have their five-kilometer races. I’m taking the “long road”!
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Ideological Drivel on the Senate Floor
I saw a Senate floor debate the other day concerning the Fairness Doctrine. No, it’s not being reinstated, nor is anyone pushing for its reinstatement. In fact, President Obama has repeatedly made the point that he is opposed to the Fairness Doctrine, which the assorted right wing radio talk show hosts keep insisting that he favors anyway, truth be damned.
The Senate exchange I witnessed was between extreme right wing conservative Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) and liberal Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL). DeMint, whose constituency is supposedly the state of South Carolina but which is in reality the one person of Rush Limbaugh, proposed an amendment (to another, completely unrelated bill) that prohibited the reinstatement of the Fairness Doctrine. For those of you unfamiliar with it, this was a federal regulation, in effect from 1949 to 1987, that required licensed broadcasting stations (using public radio frequencies) to reasonably present diverse sides to discussions, a well-informed public and electorate being the aim. There were also regulations promoting news, weather, religious and children’s programming on stations. When the Fairness Doctrine was rescinded, these other rules remained in effect. But the language of DeMint’s amendment hinted that these rules would also go by the wayside. So Senator Durbin submitted an amendment to DeMint’s amendment (both amendments passed) restating what was already in the law books concerning these other rules so as to avoid any future misinterpretation of DeMint's amendment. And then DeMint spoke out a flood of ideological invective in opposition to Durbin’s amendment, calling it socialist, communist, and a “back door” attempt to reinstate the Fairness Doctrine.
When I was a kid, I would often encounter communist ideological propaganda emanating from those totalitarian states behind the Iron Curtain or in the Far East. Those promulgating this stuff had their own specialized vocabulary as well as their own completely revised version of history that supported their propaganda. This was all coming from the left. On the right, there was also an ideology of racism in this country that decreed segregation and which accused those in favor of integration and civil rights of having loose morals and being pro-communist. Nowadays, I’m hearing ideological drivel as well, but it all seems to be coming from the right, and is found in talk shows hosted by the likes of Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Mark Levin. And some of our elected politicians (like Senator DeMint, but he’s not the only one) have decided to take this dead-end road and spout this garbage. Sad, so sad!
The Senate exchange I witnessed was between extreme right wing conservative Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) and liberal Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL). DeMint, whose constituency is supposedly the state of South Carolina but which is in reality the one person of Rush Limbaugh, proposed an amendment (to another, completely unrelated bill) that prohibited the reinstatement of the Fairness Doctrine. For those of you unfamiliar with it, this was a federal regulation, in effect from 1949 to 1987, that required licensed broadcasting stations (using public radio frequencies) to reasonably present diverse sides to discussions, a well-informed public and electorate being the aim. There were also regulations promoting news, weather, religious and children’s programming on stations. When the Fairness Doctrine was rescinded, these other rules remained in effect. But the language of DeMint’s amendment hinted that these rules would also go by the wayside. So Senator Durbin submitted an amendment to DeMint’s amendment (both amendments passed) restating what was already in the law books concerning these other rules so as to avoid any future misinterpretation of DeMint's amendment. And then DeMint spoke out a flood of ideological invective in opposition to Durbin’s amendment, calling it socialist, communist, and a “back door” attempt to reinstate the Fairness Doctrine.
When I was a kid, I would often encounter communist ideological propaganda emanating from those totalitarian states behind the Iron Curtain or in the Far East. Those promulgating this stuff had their own specialized vocabulary as well as their own completely revised version of history that supported their propaganda. This was all coming from the left. On the right, there was also an ideology of racism in this country that decreed segregation and which accused those in favor of integration and civil rights of having loose morals and being pro-communist. Nowadays, I’m hearing ideological drivel as well, but it all seems to be coming from the right, and is found in talk shows hosted by the likes of Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Mark Levin. And some of our elected politicians (like Senator DeMint, but he’s not the only one) have decided to take this dead-end road and spout this garbage. Sad, so sad!
Monday, March 2, 2009
Stephen King’s Christine
I just finished reading Christine, an old Steven King novel about an old car, a teenager’s obsession with it, and the usual supernatural goings-on, set in western Pennsylvania in 1978-79. Since King usually chose Maine to place his stories in, I was struck by the fact that a later novel of his about an unusual “car” (From a Buick 8) that I had already read was set in the same general location. Apparently, there’s something in the author’s mind connecting old cars with western Pennsylvania!
I have to admit to some difficulty in the beginning with motivating myself to read through Christine. For one, I never was into the old fifties/sixties pop tunes about cars (I did think Jan and Dean’s 1964 Dead Man’s Curve was a classic), various lyrics of which open each chapter. And I never was into cars themselves, as a few of my classmates throughout my elementary and high school years were. But my overriding problem for most of the novel was my difficulty in identifying or sympathizing with any of its characters. Christine, written in the first person from the viewpoint of Dennis, a star high school jock, is about how his best friend, who happens to be the school “nerd” with a special proclivity to auto mechanics, comes across an old, beat-up Plymouth (named “Christine”), buys it, and becomes increasingly possessed by it. And then, as in other Stephen King works, very inexplicable and very, very bad things begin to happen. At this point, for me at least, the novel became more interesting and more disturbing. For I had finally come across a character that I could identify with. And it wasn’t a very compelling character, either. This forced me to examine my own attitudes and personality, not always a pleasant task.
So my interest in reading Christine began to increase until I flew through to the finish. And, in a peculiar (and equally disturbing) way, it had a happy ending. Of sorts. If you want to call its ending an ending. Anyway, whatever you might call it, I thought the ending was stupendous.
Christine is a novel whose attraction for the reader depends greatly on his/her interests and personality. It would be interesting to see which characters different readers identified with the most. And why. I wouldn’t rank Christine among Stephen King’s best novels, but it certainly wasn’t one of his worst, either.
I understand a movie was made about Christine. For the most part, though, I have been disappointed with film enactments of King’s works (The Shining being the worst), although there have been some notable exceptions (such as It and Stand By Me). So I suggest that you would probably be better off either checking out Christine from the library or purchasing a cheap used paperback copy instead of watching the movie.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Me and My Blog, Again
One thing that you may have noticed with this blog is that it isn’t a detailed information source. There are good reasons for this. When I initially write out an entry, I am usually away from home and my desktop computer there. I don’t personally own a laptop and don’t currently see the need for one (if I go back to college, I’m sure that will change). Instead, I write out my blog articles either with pen and scratch paper or (like I’m doing now) using my handy-dandy ultra cheap, AA-battery powered AlphaSmart word processor. So no Internet access while I’m writing the body of my work. Later, I often use the Net (usually starting with Google or Wikipedia) to clear up factual questions I have about specific items. But the orientation here is to present a (usually) reasoned and relatively informed OPINION about whatever the topic happens to be.
A couple of years ago, I wanted to research the advantages and disadvantages of exclusively using a treadmill for my running training, without ever actually going outside and running on a hard, stationary surface. I searched my topic on Google and came up with a variety of sources about the merits and drawbacks of treadmill running. And I discovered something curious: many of my sources, claiming to be informative in nature, were repeating the exact same article on treadmills, word for word, and taking complete credit for it without any acknowledgement of where their article came from! It reminded me of gossip circles (a form of social feedback loop) where a small group of people keep repeating and reinforcing the same (often completely false) “news” item until it is accepted as truth without question. So I am just a little bit skeptical about using search engines as a primary information source, although I still do searches all the time.
But in writing this blog, I have already made the assumption that my esteemed readers can use Google or Wikipedia anytime they want to get more detailed information. I suspect that, in regard to my writings about songs, TV shows, or movies, some readers may be looking for a link to access the material they may want to listen to or watch. But then again, why hit on my blog for this when Google or Wikipedia can give quicker and more detailed results and choices? No, the value that I am pushing on this blog is more akin to a newspaper column. Sometimes it’s like an editorial article, sometimes it would fit better in the sports or entertainment section. And sometimes it would belong in the same part of the paper that folks like Dave Barry reside in.
If my facts do ever seem out of line with your understanding of them, please feel free to correct me on them. I’m not too deep on presenting facts, but judging from my experience in listening to callers on radio and television talk show, I don’t think I’m being too prideful in stating that that my expressed opinions in different matters carry more weight and validity than most of what I hear out there. And the bulk of what I write (and what you read) is coming from me, personally, and not lifted from other sources.
A couple of years ago, I wanted to research the advantages and disadvantages of exclusively using a treadmill for my running training, without ever actually going outside and running on a hard, stationary surface. I searched my topic on Google and came up with a variety of sources about the merits and drawbacks of treadmill running. And I discovered something curious: many of my sources, claiming to be informative in nature, were repeating the exact same article on treadmills, word for word, and taking complete credit for it without any acknowledgement of where their article came from! It reminded me of gossip circles (a form of social feedback loop) where a small group of people keep repeating and reinforcing the same (often completely false) “news” item until it is accepted as truth without question. So I am just a little bit skeptical about using search engines as a primary information source, although I still do searches all the time.
But in writing this blog, I have already made the assumption that my esteemed readers can use Google or Wikipedia anytime they want to get more detailed information. I suspect that, in regard to my writings about songs, TV shows, or movies, some readers may be looking for a link to access the material they may want to listen to or watch. But then again, why hit on my blog for this when Google or Wikipedia can give quicker and more detailed results and choices? No, the value that I am pushing on this blog is more akin to a newspaper column. Sometimes it’s like an editorial article, sometimes it would fit better in the sports or entertainment section. And sometimes it would belong in the same part of the paper that folks like Dave Barry reside in.
If my facts do ever seem out of line with your understanding of them, please feel free to correct me on them. I’m not too deep on presenting facts, but judging from my experience in listening to callers on radio and television talk show, I don’t think I’m being too prideful in stating that that my expressed opinions in different matters carry more weight and validity than most of what I hear out there. And the bulk of what I write (and what you read) is coming from me, personally, and not lifted from other sources.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Still Working on the Fiction Writing
Last year, I broke through my fiction writing block (a little) and wrote a number of short stories. I didn’t submit them for publication, although I wonder whether or not a couple of them might have been accepted in one of those short fiction magazines you sometimes come across in bookstores like Book-a-Million or Barnes & Nobles. My fiction writing didn’t take off to the degree that I wanted, but at least I produced some products. This year, I need to “up the ante” a bit and write longer pieces while working on areas that I know I need improvement on (such as descriptive writing). And get my writing feet wet by submitting SOMETHING to somebody for paid publication. Who know, maybe there’s an adequately large segment of the population out there who would lap up my material (and even pay for it)!
Positive feedback and momentum is important to me, and I need to position myself in a way that invites them in regard to my fiction writing. I don’t think that anything short of receiving a payment for any piece I do is really going to spur me on to a possible career in writing, though. I need to pull myself together and take the steps necessary to reach that level. Once I get some positive, paid feedback, I’ll be much more inclined to make the commitment to put in the “candy store hours” needed to make fiction writing a viable source of income and a fulfilling second career.
Positive feedback and momentum is important to me, and I need to position myself in a way that invites them in regard to my fiction writing. I don’t think that anything short of receiving a payment for any piece I do is really going to spur me on to a possible career in writing, though. I need to pull myself together and take the steps necessary to reach that level. Once I get some positive, paid feedback, I’ll be much more inclined to make the commitment to put in the “candy store hours” needed to make fiction writing a viable source of income and a fulfilling second career.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Good and Bad Animals (And People)
When I was a little boy growing up in South Florida in the sixties, we had basically two types of ants to contend with: red ants and black ants. If I were to stumble upon an ant hill, I took care to notice which type of ants lived in it. For the red ants bit and the black ants didn’t. So I drew the moral conclusion that the black ants were the “good” ants and the red ants were the “bad” ants. Of course, in thinking this way I was being the immature little kid that I naturally was. But our society, while claiming maturity, does just the same thing with animals.
Chimpanzees have recently been in the news, due to the story of the chimp who seriously injured a woman out in California. Hearkening back to the days of Cheetah in the Tarzan flicks, chimpanzees have always enjoyed a positive image as being intelligent, fun-loving and social. But did you know that wild chimpanzees in Africa have been reported to eat people, especially little children? The hippopotamus, with its big eyes, cute little ears, and lumbering body is also the recipient of an undeserved popular press. But hippopotamus attacks account for more fatalities in Africa from wild animal attacks than from any other animal. Other animals that folks generally think are good but can surprise and injure with their aggression are dolphins and swans.
On the other end, snakes get abysmal popularity ratings, although attacks from them tend to be defensive in origin. Gorillas have been common horror/sci fi movie material, but in truth their behavior would generally match up much better with human “civilized” behavior than would their relatives, the chimpanzees.
It is peculiar how some animals are stereotyped as “good” or “bad”. Who can forget the assorted cartoon shorts from childhood (Pixie and Dixie and Mr. Jinks, Tom and Jerry, Mighty Mouse) that depict mice as the good guys, cats as the evil predators, and dogs as the benign (and brutish) allies of the mice. But isn’t this typecasting of animals just a reflection of how people treat each other?
The booming cosmetics, botox, and plastic surgery industries base themselves on the idea that people are obsessed with their appearances, and for good reason. Those regarded as attractive will receive much better respect and treatment from others throughout their lives. In our movies, aren’t the good-looking people the good guys and the ugly ones the villains? Just take Lord of the Rings with its hideous orcs and beautiful elves. Or the recent Batman movie The Dark Knight with Harvey Dent the District Attorney. This character is a “good guy” until he becomes disfigured by severe burning. Then, in his physical ugliness, he becomes evil and joins the bad guys (including Heath Ledger’s equally hideous Joker).
We need to overcome our stereotyped views of both people and animals. All of us are born into this one life of ours with a capacity to change, but much of what we are we have no real control over. And those things shouldn’t make a difference to others. But sadly, they often are the things that can determine to a great extent the degree of success or failure in our struggles for social acceptance and material prosperity.
Chimpanzees have recently been in the news, due to the story of the chimp who seriously injured a woman out in California. Hearkening back to the days of Cheetah in the Tarzan flicks, chimpanzees have always enjoyed a positive image as being intelligent, fun-loving and social. But did you know that wild chimpanzees in Africa have been reported to eat people, especially little children? The hippopotamus, with its big eyes, cute little ears, and lumbering body is also the recipient of an undeserved popular press. But hippopotamus attacks account for more fatalities in Africa from wild animal attacks than from any other animal. Other animals that folks generally think are good but can surprise and injure with their aggression are dolphins and swans.
On the other end, snakes get abysmal popularity ratings, although attacks from them tend to be defensive in origin. Gorillas have been common horror/sci fi movie material, but in truth their behavior would generally match up much better with human “civilized” behavior than would their relatives, the chimpanzees.
It is peculiar how some animals are stereotyped as “good” or “bad”. Who can forget the assorted cartoon shorts from childhood (Pixie and Dixie and Mr. Jinks, Tom and Jerry, Mighty Mouse) that depict mice as the good guys, cats as the evil predators, and dogs as the benign (and brutish) allies of the mice. But isn’t this typecasting of animals just a reflection of how people treat each other?
The booming cosmetics, botox, and plastic surgery industries base themselves on the idea that people are obsessed with their appearances, and for good reason. Those regarded as attractive will receive much better respect and treatment from others throughout their lives. In our movies, aren’t the good-looking people the good guys and the ugly ones the villains? Just take Lord of the Rings with its hideous orcs and beautiful elves. Or the recent Batman movie The Dark Knight with Harvey Dent the District Attorney. This character is a “good guy” until he becomes disfigured by severe burning. Then, in his physical ugliness, he becomes evil and joins the bad guys (including Heath Ledger’s equally hideous Joker).
We need to overcome our stereotyped views of both people and animals. All of us are born into this one life of ours with a capacity to change, but much of what we are we have no real control over. And those things shouldn’t make a difference to others. But sadly, they often are the things that can determine to a great extent the degree of success or failure in our struggles for social acceptance and material prosperity.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Nobody At the Register
Today I went to get a cup of coffee from a local establishment that provides self-service coffee (once the empty paper coffee cup is bought at the cash register). Only one problem: nobody is at the register. This place serves bagels and other breakfast items. Many people come here, and there is usually a long line in the morning of customers with their breakfast orders. And the workers are scurrying around, preparing food. Sometimes someone is at the register, sometimes a long period of time goes by before someone shows up. Not ordering any food, I just want a cup of coffee, so I walk past those waiting for their orders, to the empty register. But the person who should be there is helping with the food preparation, so it looks as if I am cutting in line ahead of everyone else! If I have to wait until everyone else has their breakfast prepared before I can shell out my buck and some change for an empty cup that I have to then go and fill myself, I’m going elsewhere (the elsewhere in this case being the customer service-oriented Starbucks on NW 16th Avenue and US 441).
This isn’t the only instance of an establishment where the cashier is forced by management to leave their post for the sake of “productivity”. A bookstore not far from here has a café that serves coffee. But I hardly ever go there anymore because the employee supposedly attending that café is usually far off in another part of the (large) store performing stock work. I have to leave my place in line to look for an employee to begrudgingly call someone to the café, as if I am some kind of irritant to their jobs there. A local bakery very close to my home prepares lunches for the many workers who stop by there in the morning. They sure do work hard there making those sandwiches! But this place also has a section with doughnuts and pastries, already prepared and ready for sale. I especially like their cream-filled doughnuts. But when I go there, no one mans the cash register. I must wait until every customer in front of me has their (sometimes lengthy) order taken, prepared, and paid for. Needless to say, I don’t frequent this place either (although they have the best doughnuts in town).
I don’t mind waiting in line one bit (I just waited in one here at Starbucks). But I am tired of the foolish notion that cashiers must be excessed out to do other duties when there is obviously a steady flow of customers passing through. Hey, I realize that cashiers can’t just stayed glued to the floor behind the register. Sometimes they have to do something that momentarily requires them to leave the area. But if a business has enough employees to have a division of labor, then the cashier position needs to have a high priority. After all, that’s the bottom line job where the business gets its revenue!
These three aforementioned establishments have lost my business. I had money to give them and they already had the product prepared to sell me. But they wouldn’t put an employee behind the register to complete the transaction. How foolish can management get?!
By contrast, Starbucks understands the need to make quick contact with the customer and complete the transaction with as little fuss as possible. That’s why I keep coming back here. If some local businesses are so concerned about Starbucks coming into town and driving them off, they may just want to consider the option of COPYING their attitude toward customers. And putting and KEEPING someone at the register, especially during busy times, for crying out loud! Duhhh!
This isn’t the only instance of an establishment where the cashier is forced by management to leave their post for the sake of “productivity”. A bookstore not far from here has a café that serves coffee. But I hardly ever go there anymore because the employee supposedly attending that café is usually far off in another part of the (large) store performing stock work. I have to leave my place in line to look for an employee to begrudgingly call someone to the café, as if I am some kind of irritant to their jobs there. A local bakery very close to my home prepares lunches for the many workers who stop by there in the morning. They sure do work hard there making those sandwiches! But this place also has a section with doughnuts and pastries, already prepared and ready for sale. I especially like their cream-filled doughnuts. But when I go there, no one mans the cash register. I must wait until every customer in front of me has their (sometimes lengthy) order taken, prepared, and paid for. Needless to say, I don’t frequent this place either (although they have the best doughnuts in town).
I don’t mind waiting in line one bit (I just waited in one here at Starbucks). But I am tired of the foolish notion that cashiers must be excessed out to do other duties when there is obviously a steady flow of customers passing through. Hey, I realize that cashiers can’t just stayed glued to the floor behind the register. Sometimes they have to do something that momentarily requires them to leave the area. But if a business has enough employees to have a division of labor, then the cashier position needs to have a high priority. After all, that’s the bottom line job where the business gets its revenue!
These three aforementioned establishments have lost my business. I had money to give them and they already had the product prepared to sell me. But they wouldn’t put an employee behind the register to complete the transaction. How foolish can management get?!
By contrast, Starbucks understands the need to make quick contact with the customer and complete the transaction with as little fuss as possible. That’s why I keep coming back here. If some local businesses are so concerned about Starbucks coming into town and driving them off, they may just want to consider the option of COPYING their attitude toward customers. And putting and KEEPING someone at the register, especially during busy times, for crying out loud! Duhhh!
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Mental Perpetual Calendar
I wish, as do many people, that our calendar system were more regular. It is ridiculous how complicated it is to reconcile dates with the days of the week that they fall on. So I devised my own system of being able to determine dates, with their days of the week, from memory using numbers assigned to each year and each month of the year.
Note in the table below that there is a cycle of 28 years between years of the same assigned “number”. So even if I wanted a date within a more distant year, say--1945 or 2058, I could extrapolate by adding or subtracting multiples of 28 until the number coincided with a featured year (e.g. 1945 + 28 = 1973, so 1945 is a “3”). So all that’s necessary is to memorize a sequence of 28 years with their assigned numbers (I suggest 2001-2028) and the months with their assigned numbers.
Also, days of the weeks have their own assigned numbers as well:
Sunday: 0
Monday: 1
Tuesday: 2
Wednesday: 3
Thursday: 4
Friday: 5
Saturday: 6
And here are the tables of assigned numbers by year and month:
****BY YEAR****
1956,1984,2012...3
1957,1985,2013...4
1958,1986,2014...5
1959,1987,2015...6
1960,1988,2016...1
1961,1989,2017...2
1962,1990,2018...3
1963,1991,2019...4
1964,1992,2020...6
1965,1993,2021...0
1966,1994,2022...1
1967,1995,2023...2
1968,1996,2024...4
1969,1997,2025...5
1970,1998,2026...6
1971,1999,2027...0
1972,2000,2028...2
1973,2001,2029...3
1974,2002,2030...4
1975,2003,2031...5
1976,2004,2032...0
1977,2005,2033...1
1978,2006,2034...2
1979,2007,2035...3
1980,2008,2036...5
1981,2009,2037...6
1982,2010,2038...0
1983,2011,2039...1
***BY MONTH***
Jan (leap year):3
Jan (non-leap):4
Feb (leap year):6
Feb (non-leap):0
March: 0
April: 3
May: 5
June: 1
July: 3
August: 6
September: 2
October: 4
November: 0
December : 2
Now how does this all work? First, let’s take a date in the past we all know about: September 11, 2001. 2001 is a “3” year. September is a “2” month. The date is “11”. Now 3+2+11=16. Divide by multiples of seven and get the eventual remainder of 2, denoting Tuesday.
Now another example: I know it’s Wednesday near the end of February, 2009. But I don’t know the exact date. 2009 is “6”, February (non-leap year) is “0”. Since Wednesday is “3” and I know I'm sometime near the end of the month, then the starting number is “31” (since 28, a multiple of 7 used for the end of the month,+3=31). Subtract the year-month sum of “6” and I get “25”, the actual date I’m looking for.
Sound too intricate? Once you memorize the necessary numbers and do some practice runs, you may find it to be pretty simple. I’m sure that there are plenty of other ways to determined dates and days in this ridiculous calendar system of ours. I had a lot of fun figuring out my system. Why don’t you try your own hand at it, or perhaps share an alternative (and hopefully simpler) method if you already know one?
Note in the table below that there is a cycle of 28 years between years of the same assigned “number”. So even if I wanted a date within a more distant year, say--1945 or 2058, I could extrapolate by adding or subtracting multiples of 28 until the number coincided with a featured year (e.g. 1945 + 28 = 1973, so 1945 is a “3”). So all that’s necessary is to memorize a sequence of 28 years with their assigned numbers (I suggest 2001-2028) and the months with their assigned numbers.
Also, days of the weeks have their own assigned numbers as well:
Sunday: 0
Monday: 1
Tuesday: 2
Wednesday: 3
Thursday: 4
Friday: 5
Saturday: 6
And here are the tables of assigned numbers by year and month:
****BY YEAR****
1956,1984,2012...3
1957,1985,2013...4
1958,1986,2014...5
1959,1987,2015...6
1960,1988,2016...1
1961,1989,2017...2
1962,1990,2018...3
1963,1991,2019...4
1964,1992,2020...6
1965,1993,2021...0
1966,1994,2022...1
1967,1995,2023...2
1968,1996,2024...4
1969,1997,2025...5
1970,1998,2026...6
1971,1999,2027...0
1972,2000,2028...2
1973,2001,2029...3
1974,2002,2030...4
1975,2003,2031...5
1976,2004,2032...0
1977,2005,2033...1
1978,2006,2034...2
1979,2007,2035...3
1980,2008,2036...5
1981,2009,2037...6
1982,2010,2038...0
1983,2011,2039...1
***BY MONTH***
Jan (leap year):3
Jan (non-leap):4
Feb (leap year):6
Feb (non-leap):0
March: 0
April: 3
May: 5
June: 1
July: 3
August: 6
September: 2
October: 4
November: 0
December : 2
Now how does this all work? First, let’s take a date in the past we all know about: September 11, 2001. 2001 is a “3” year. September is a “2” month. The date is “11”. Now 3+2+11=16. Divide by multiples of seven and get the eventual remainder of 2, denoting Tuesday.
Now another example: I know it’s Wednesday near the end of February, 2009. But I don’t know the exact date. 2009 is “6”, February (non-leap year) is “0”. Since Wednesday is “3” and I know I'm sometime near the end of the month, then the starting number is “31” (since 28, a multiple of 7 used for the end of the month,+3=31). Subtract the year-month sum of “6” and I get “25”, the actual date I’m looking for.
Sound too intricate? Once you memorize the necessary numbers and do some practice runs, you may find it to be pretty simple. I’m sure that there are plenty of other ways to determined dates and days in this ridiculous calendar system of ours. I had a lot of fun figuring out my system. Why don’t you try your own hand at it, or perhaps share an alternative (and hopefully simpler) method if you already know one?
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Epcot Visit
My wife, daughter, and I recently took a day-trip down to Disney’s Epcot Center near Orlando. We had all been there before and enjoyed this park. One of the big attractions there is the new ride Soarin’, which mimics the effect that one gets while hang-gliding. Although the three-to-four minute ride was fun, I didn’t think it was worth the nearly two-hour wait in line for it. We did experience something interesting while waiting in that line, though. All along the walls facing us in line were large screens on which interactive games with the waiting audience would be played. The audience would attempt to manipulate the action on the screen (depending on which game it was) by waving arms, clapping, or leaning to one side or another. So that part of the wait was pretty fun. But I don’t think I’d want to repeat the experience, just the same.
The Energy (with Ellen Degeneres) ride was shut down and Mission: Space and Test Track also had prohibitively long lines (we arrived too late in the day to make Fast Pass appointments to avoid the long waits). We did ride on Spaceship Earth (under Ray Bradbury’s famous “golf ball”), Nemo (a new ride) in the Sea building, Land, and Imagination (with Figment). I found it amusing, while walking by the large fish tank in the Sea, to notice visitors taking pictures and videos, not of the exotic aquatic life swimming around, but rather of scuba divers waving at them in the tank!
Later, we wandered over to the “nations” section of the park. We bought our dinner at a bakery in the French section and ate it outside on a bench (the weather was pleasant). Then we strolled around the nations. An extremely talented musical band from Morocco was giving an electrifying performance. It made me wonder whether or not there are some Internet radio channels that I could pick up this type of music on. I loved it!
We ended our visit to Epcot spending a little time shopping around the China zone. I noticed that there were plenty of eastern religious and traditional items for sale, including books on Buddhism and goods displaying Chinese astrological symbols. I saw nothing in any store that even remotely hinted of Mao Zedong or the Communist system that the People’s Republic of China is still nominally governed under.
We left the park before the nightly fireworks in order to avoid the heavy exiting traffic. All in all, we enjoyed our visit. It was a pleasant departure from the stresses and routine of our usual daily lives, and gave me a more positive outlook about the world and life in general. And, looking back on it, I was impressed at how friendly, helpful, and professional ALL of the employees there were to us. Here are a few photos we captured on the trip:
The Energy (with Ellen Degeneres) ride was shut down and Mission: Space and Test Track also had prohibitively long lines (we arrived too late in the day to make Fast Pass appointments to avoid the long waits). We did ride on Spaceship Earth (under Ray Bradbury’s famous “golf ball”), Nemo (a new ride) in the Sea building, Land, and Imagination (with Figment). I found it amusing, while walking by the large fish tank in the Sea, to notice visitors taking pictures and videos, not of the exotic aquatic life swimming around, but rather of scuba divers waving at them in the tank!
Later, we wandered over to the “nations” section of the park. We bought our dinner at a bakery in the French section and ate it outside on a bench (the weather was pleasant). Then we strolled around the nations. An extremely talented musical band from Morocco was giving an electrifying performance. It made me wonder whether or not there are some Internet radio channels that I could pick up this type of music on. I loved it!
We ended our visit to Epcot spending a little time shopping around the China zone. I noticed that there were plenty of eastern religious and traditional items for sale, including books on Buddhism and goods displaying Chinese astrological symbols. I saw nothing in any store that even remotely hinted of Mao Zedong or the Communist system that the People’s Republic of China is still nominally governed under.
We left the park before the nightly fireworks in order to avoid the heavy exiting traffic. All in all, we enjoyed our visit. It was a pleasant departure from the stresses and routine of our usual daily lives, and gave me a more positive outlook about the world and life in general. And, looking back on it, I was impressed at how friendly, helpful, and professional ALL of the employees there were to us. Here are a few photos we captured on the trip:
Monday, February 23, 2009
Recent Running Stuff
Yesterday morning, the Five Points of Life Marathon and Half-Marathon races were (simultaneously) held here in Gainesville. I had been considering entering the half-marathon (13.1 miles), but a number of personal factors weighed in against it. I let it go by, but by all accounts the race was a big success. The weather was perfect, and there were more than 1000 runners (most of them just running the half-marathon distance). I saw in today’s local newspaper The Gainesville Sun that they had filled an entire page in the sports section giving the individual results for the races, even broken down by gender and age categories. Only one problem: they completely left out the half-marathon results for men ages 40 and up! Which would have excluded me had I run! Let’s see if they make the correction tomorrow and print the rest of the results. I suppose that I should be happy that the Sun at least partially published the results of this race. They NEVER publish local running race results the entire rest of the year, regardless who is sponsoring it or for what charity the race is promoting. {Addition on 2/24: The Gainesville Sun did print the rest of the results the following day.}
The longest distance that I have run since 1975 was the eight miles I ran last October on a training session. But I could probably have endured through the half-marathon had I not cut back on my running recently due to health concerns. After those concerns were completely alleviated through exhaustive medical tests, I was given a resounding green light (how’s that for mixed metaphors) to resume running. And I am running, although I am a bit disappointed that I ended up passing by two longer distance races this year.
I have found something resembling the nearly 3-mile “block” that I used to run around during the 1970s in Davie, Florida. My current training block, which is also nearly three miles in length, takes me down four streets: NW 31 Drive, NW 16 Avenue, NW 22 Street, and NW 8 Avenue. I still have to contend with a little traffic, and I am almost always running on a hard surface (unlike with the Davie block). But I don’t ever have to stand around waiting to cross any big intersection, either. And sometimes that grassy surface can conceal small holes that could twist my ankle should I land in one of them.
Anyway, I’m still plugging away at my running and hope to enter a few five-kilometer races this spring. And if my training progresses the way I want it to, I may enter some longer races should the opportunity arise. Not that my local newspaper could care less (about my running or anyone else’s).
The longest distance that I have run since 1975 was the eight miles I ran last October on a training session. But I could probably have endured through the half-marathon had I not cut back on my running recently due to health concerns. After those concerns were completely alleviated through exhaustive medical tests, I was given a resounding green light (how’s that for mixed metaphors) to resume running. And I am running, although I am a bit disappointed that I ended up passing by two longer distance races this year.
I have found something resembling the nearly 3-mile “block” that I used to run around during the 1970s in Davie, Florida. My current training block, which is also nearly three miles in length, takes me down four streets: NW 31 Drive, NW 16 Avenue, NW 22 Street, and NW 8 Avenue. I still have to contend with a little traffic, and I am almost always running on a hard surface (unlike with the Davie block). But I don’t ever have to stand around waiting to cross any big intersection, either. And sometimes that grassy surface can conceal small holes that could twist my ankle should I land in one of them.
Anyway, I’m still plugging away at my running and hope to enter a few five-kilometer races this spring. And if my training progresses the way I want it to, I may enter some longer races should the opportunity arise. Not that my local newspaper could care less (about my running or anyone else’s).
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