Ab Origine

I Have a Battle Cry?

2010-03-05T21:57:54Z

About 16 years ago I was driving my tiny Honda civic [ like this one ebeaa.org/graphics/336bt.jpg ] at night on an interstate with my boyfriend and was hit from the rear by an 18 wheeler. As the inside of the car was flooded with bright light I knew that the truck was too close for me to make an evasive maneuver as a lane change at that speed while getting rear-ended in such a tiny car would have ended tragically. In this fraction of a second moment all I could think was ‘Ed and I are going to die and there is nothing I can do.’ But from my mouth came a scream not of fear, not high pitched like from a horror movie, but more like the one you hear in movies, coming from a person charging a line of many enemies. It wasn’t a conscious scream or I didn’t choose to, it just came out like someone else was at the helm of my vocal center. As the truck struck, I lost control of the car, but regained it quickly and narrowly avoided a guard rail.

I hadn’t heard that scream again until yesterday. Mom and I were on the last leg of our ride and we picked up the pace, trying to work in a sprint and doing a pretty good job of it. There was a hard left turn on the trail and we took the corner single file and well into our lane when from around the corner we see 2 bikes coming the other way with one idiot trying to pass a woman on the outside. Again, one of those split second moments wherein there is little to do. All I can think about is my 67 year old mother ahead of me going about 19 miles per hour who would take the brunt of this guy’s impact before he clipped me as well. While I am thinking that, my lizard brain takes over and I bark out a shout. “AAAAARRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!” Luckily the woman he was passing moved into the dirt, he hit the brakes and moved in and we all avoided a knotted whirlwind of bicycles and flesh.

Adrenaline pumping I unthinkingly say “What_a_jackass!” in front of mummy who I really try not to swear around out of respect. I felt bad about it, but it wasn’t me, I swear, it was the lizard. We both had the adrenaline pumping but had different reactions to it. I pinged mom to ensure that she was okay, then angrily changed gears to burn as much excess adrenaline as possible. I pushed hard the whole way. She had the wind knocked out of her sails and couldn’t get the pace up again. At the end of the ride she arrived out of breath and noting chest pain from the fright.

Oh yeah, I rode 24 miles yesterday.

Tue, June 3, 2008 - 7:09 AM — permalink - 8 comments - add a comment

Rode 32.7 today

2010-03-05T21:54:53Z

I've been recording my rides on Bikely.com so I can know exactly the distance of my ride. I've found a few new commutes to the park as well as I should be increasing my distance. The ride today took me by some very nice homes in great neighborhoods. One home was actually modeled after the Getty. It was great.

Here's the link to my ride list.
www.bikely.com/listpaths/by/Ganbatte

I rode Muldrow Bannister -> Sunrise to WBPRA -> WBP to Casa de Candi -> Club to Pond [but in reverse]

Thu, May 29, 2008 - 12:41 PM — permalink - 2 comments - add a comment

Kinesthetic Oblivion

2010-03-05T21:44:21Z

Keeping with the theme of oblivion, I’ll apply it to something I've observed over many years. It isn't a unique observation. In aikido a senior student or teacher might make an observation of a new student by saying that they aren't 'in their body'. A practitioner of Feldenkrais would discuss kinesthetic dystonia and a kinseiologist would discuss somatic amnesia. All of these things are about the detachment of a personality from their physical self. My belief is that this is not a ‘natural’ state but rather a state that is induced by external influences and psychological conditioning.

A being whose existence depends solely on their ability to feed and mate in nature would have only their body with which to use as a tool and would become very familiar with it as they develop and this development/familiarity would be an ongoing process through life. As we live farther from nature and closer to the modern way, we are more dependent on social construct, on what our brains can produce socially as opposed to motorically. We have gone from hunting and gathering, making shelter and clothing with our own hands, to purchasing much of the products we need and having a more sedentary lifestyle.

On top of this, there is a social aspect to our attachment to the physical. Both women and men are given paradigms on physicality by our peers and our family. Women are often given a beauty construct and men often a strength and athleticism construct. When we feel that we do not live up to such, we can take two tacks in this regard. One is to push ourselves to fit the paradigm, and one is to divest from it. Each has its flavor of Kinesthetic Oblivion, one more overt, the other covert.

The overt version has us divesting from our bodies, we unconsciously disappear, hoping to blend into the background in the hopes that a person will not notice the body. We either hide by reverting to introversion or by wearing clothing that will act as physical camouflage. We unconsciously create a psychological disconnect between body and brain. Our movements become less efficient, less purposeful, less graceful, headed down the path of the zombie. It seems to be a path as well for some in an attempt to escape this world for another. ‘Why be the me that I am here when I can be the me projected into a book, movie, television show or video game.’

The less recognized version of Kinesthetic Oblivion manifests in those who try to dominate their own bodies to the point of damage. Athletes who envision more than their body can take. They want not the body they have, but the body they design and push through the pain and injury by the power of will. Often without success and yet they keep pushing, nursing chronic injury over and over. Though these people may have somatic aptitude, they do not reside healthfully in their own bodies.

One of the cultural fallacies that reinforces this disconnect for both forms of kinesthetic oblivion is the Body/Mind paradigm. We have this idea that the body is merely a shell to encase us, or that our ~mind~ is not part of our body. Neurologists are making leaps and bounds with regard to erasing the thin line that separates mind and brain. The more we study the mind, the more we find the brain. What you must consider is that there is no system more integrated and one with ‘the body’ than the nervous system. The nerves that are so ubiquitous in the body are appendages of the cell bodies in the brain. Discussing the body/mind connection is like discussing the body/heart connection. Most of us see the heart as integral rather than something that we must work on to keep a connection.

My hope is to integrate this neglected aspect of health into the program I hope to design. In reality, there are a few fantastic ways to re-engage the body and remind the mover that their body is integral to their being. Among those activities are yoga, tai chi, chi gung, and dance. I want to have this element of a program in order to create a more long-term relationship with health. The challenge will be to deliver it in a manner that will seem nurturing and healthy rather than frightening and intimidating.

Again, I am totally open to suggestions and feedback. Tell me how you guys would feel it could be delivered effectively and I would be quite grateful.

Wed, May 28, 2008 - 6:59 PM — permalink - 2 comments - add a comment

Disarming Oblivion

2010-03-05T21:42:04Z

When I hear of serial killers and other violent criminals, I ponder the origin and motivation of what creates an individual as I do believe that violence is 98% nurture and only in some cases is it nature. This also does not excuse the violent and absolve them from their actions. I think though that in many cases of assaults, rapes, molestation, and murder that the perpetrator is run through a situation which sends them to a sort of oblivion. It not only happens to the assailant but to the assailed. I have known of rape and assault victims that have sent themselves to another place in order to survive the ordeal.

I think in some sense, in order to survive the insensitivities of any level of cruel culture we all send ourselves into oblivion. We put up walls and shut down emotions, we act out in order to root out the demon in the shadows or keep everyone at a distance. Once someone has sent themselves to oblivion it is tough to reach them. What is this oblivion?

I believe that this oblivion is an aspect of that ‘in-group parity / out-group hostility’ that we create in order to move through life. Our belonging and connection is so transient for so many of us. We send ourselves to oblivion when we reach a distressing time and want to keep other human beings at arm’s length or a greater distance. It is also easier to send ‘others’ to oblivion. It becomes easier to drink that coke, wear clothes bought at Banana Republic, or shop at Wal-Mart if we do not think of the individuals whose lives are wrapped in the unethical business practices of the aforementioned companies.

How do we disarm the oblivion so many create? Personalities are so dynamic it is nearly impossible to apply one sure formula. I’ve been exposed to two moments recently while watching television with my mother. She tends to enjoy it with dinner, and I join in on occasion. If you’ve read my blog posts about my mother before, you know that she tends to enjoy the true-crime genre. The first show that illustrated a great example of completely obliterating oblivion was of a murdered, pregnant single mom. Her murderer was the father of her son and unborn child. He was married, but not to this woman. Somehow he created a justification in his own oblivion that said it was better to murder this woman than to double child support and increase anger from his wife for his infidelity. Somehow he made it okay. This woman he had fathered a child with and created another potential child had now become an obstacle to eliminate, a member of the ‘outgroup’.

When he was convicted, the murdered woman’s best friend spoke at his sentencing and said something to the extent of ‘she was such a great person, this is the mother of your son, I hope you fry…’ and he was stone faced; unphased. Then the murdered woman’s mother stood up and said [at least as well as I can remember] ‘I will be raising your son. This child witnessed the murder of his mother by his father and will never forget that. I wish I could keep that from him but I can’t. I will still raise this child with love and affection and I must forgive you because I believe in a forgiving god and I want to live in the same light as that forgiveness…’ Now, I generally tune out Christian rants but I’ve heard this heartfelt cry to find a way to forgive those who have wronged the forgiver and it does touch me. It also touched the murderer. As much as people hurled hate and disgust at this man, he did not budge, showed no remorse, no emotion. The moment this woman talked about a tortured son and a want to emulate a forgiving god, a tear streamed down this man’s face and he seemed shaken. He had created his own oblivion, but this woman reached him for at least a moment.

The second circumstance was in the spirit of memorial day. A story of a man who while in Vietnam during the war was face to face with an enemy soldier and only by luck was able to shoot first. After killing this man he discovered a photograph of this soldier with his young daughter. In a moment this ‘enemy’ this killer demon became a father a member of a family, someone who was likely loved. The soldier went from safe oblivion to cold reality. Urgency of course took him right back to oblivion as he was in the midst of a battle, but he kept the photo. He kept it for thirty years and since he was no longer surviving on the front lines oblivion was harder to reach. Thirty years later, after going through a process of trying to reach closure in his experience, the vet decided he had to return the photo to the dead soldier’s daughter. Through contacting first the consulate and then a newspaper in Vietnam, they found the daughter and he traveled to return the photo in person. They both sobbed once in the presence of one another. Neither person an obscure abstraction any longer, but a real emotional human being.

These cases are ones wherein a person chooses an extreme oblivion for an extreme act and yet someone or something still reaches them, their oblivion is disarmed. I think it is possible and have experienced that moment where I have successfully brought someone out of their oblivion and reached them. It tends to be a moment where the other person is ready for a fight and wants an enemy. When I approach them as a friendly, when I try to keep them in my ‘ingroup’ I am more often successful at reaching them. Not always. It seems that this is the new non-martial martial art that I attempt to master. I am in no way near mastery, but I’ve tasted enough success that I want to work toward greater success.

Sun, May 25, 2008 - 9:15 PM — permalink - 6 comments - add a comment

Memorial Day Testimony On the Hill

2010-03-05T21:39:30Z

www.democracynow.org/2008/5/...r_on_the

"War veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan came to Capitol Hill this month to testify before Congress and give an eyewitness account about the horrors of war. Like the Winter Soldier hearings in March, when more than 200 service members gathered for four days in Silver Spring, Maryland to give their eyewitness accounts of the injustices occurring in Iraq and Afghanistan, “Winter Soldier on the Hill” was designed to drive home the human cost of the war and occupation—this time, to the very people in charge of doing something about it.

The name, Winter Soldier, comes from a similar event in 1971, when hundreds of Vietnam veterans gathered in Detroit, and is derived from the opening line of Thomas Paine’s pamphlet, “The Crisis,” published in 1776: “These are the times that try men’s souls: The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.”

In a packed public hearing this month, the soldiers testified before a panel of lawmakers from the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Today we spend the hour hearing their testimony."

To stream it or download it click here:
www.democracynow.org/2008/5/26/stream

Mon, May 26, 2008 - 6:51 PM — permalink - 3 comments - add a comment

It Never Ends

2010-03-05T21:34:07Z

Earlier in the year, the CSU system decided to move their application deadline forward without warning in order to reduce the number of students able to attend. Yea.

This of course caused a flood of students entering the community college system, I would be one of them. There are very few prerequisites I can take for the physical therapy program at the community college level, but there I am. Quite a few people have asked about my progress in getting into PT school and my answer often causes a glazed over look. Why CC? Because at the moment, it is honestly all I can get, sadly.

So I fill out the application online, get my confirmation number and check the registration date for the lowest priority students, the 'incoming', and wait for weeks. In that time I go through the catalogues and look for classes to take. There's one pharmacology class that would qualify. The initial date was given for priority two and I checked my class availability. "Full" ~Crap.

I checked the Fall semester since the summer was full and there was none at Sac City, then 3 other colleges. I finally found another class and it was full but had waitlist openings. I go to register for the waitlist and get a pop-up telling me that my appointment time for registration isn't for another ten hours. Feh....I wait.

Ten hours later, guess what...waitlist full. I start thinking of any class that I would benefit by I know I need to recertify for first aid, CPR and the like -full. Maybe I can take a PT assistant class to get an idea of what's to come - full. What about a bio class, anything to get into a class.

Bupkis.

You know what I ended up with in a desperate attempt to qualify as a returning student for a community college?

Yoga.

I'm on the fast track.

Tue, May 20, 2008 - 4:55 PM — permalink - 9 comments - add a comment

Outdoor Cats

2010-03-05T21:32:16Z

Holy Mole'

Mom has been talking to a resident about her outdoor cats and how it would be better for everyone if they stuck to the CC and R's and kept their cats indoors. I am a good 30 feet away in another room and I can actually hear her voice coming from my mother's phone. She is very upset and insists that her cats would be very unhappy if they can't go outside.

So a bit of a background on cats in the neighborhood. We have unfriendly stray dogs that wander into the neighborhood on occasion as well as a -=very=- busy road that borders the community. The environment is not only not friendly to cats, but they are not friendly to the environment. We have birds that are succeptible to West Nile and their population has significantly reduced since the virus has been introduced. Cats are an additional strain on an already strained bird population.

Personally, I've had one friend who was called to claim her cat at an animal control center after it was hit by a car and killed. I can't imagine having to do that. How can this woman insist that her cats go outside when there is a 4 lane road with cars zipping by at 50 miles per hour literally_at_her_front_yard?

My mother is a saint for staying on the phone with her for thrity minutes trying to reason with her.

Mon, May 19, 2008 - 10:32 PM — permalink - 3 comments - add a comment

Nice Reference: Hopefully it will take off...

2010-03-05T21:29:04Z

dinegreen.com/twelvesteps.asp

Fri, May 16, 2008 - 11:40 AM — permalink - 1 comments - add a comment

Rode 30 miles today.

2010-03-05T21:27:55Z

Twelve on Monday, Last week I rode 12 miles thrusday and 1 on friday but after that not at all. There were too many things to do and I was harried. I've still got the umph, it still feels like recreation and not drudgery and I'd like to keep it that way, so if intuitively my body wants a break, I try to listen.

Heat was killing me though, it was tough on the last 5 miles, but I made sure I hydrated and at one point I stopped and cooled down with a splash of water all over. I am going to make sure I ride much earlier tomorrow, because I'm not used to riding in ninety degree weather.

Sunrise is at 5:50 am tomorrow, and around the same time today it wsa only 72 degrees. Sounds good to me.

Thu, May 15, 2008 - 5:28 PM — permalink - 2 comments - add a comment

Red Flag Day

2010-03-05T21:26:23Z

It's 11:20 at night and 85 degrees inside. The weather lady has predicted another 4 days of 100+ degree weather and CalFire has already declared a Red Flag Day. It's May. I can't remember when I ever experienced a red flag day in the earlier parts of May. I've actually not felt uncomfortably hot yet, but don't want to declare temperature dominance so soon. It's been a while since I'd endured several days of 110+ and I am guessing that will be on the plate.

We are fairly lucky here as we're sheltered from some sun by 3 rather large redwoods. So thzt 85 degrees isn't from a home baking in the sun all day, that's at night with all the windows open. Oooh I can't wait for the 100 degree midnights.
;-)

Wed, May 14, 2008 - 11:25 PM — permalink - 3 comments - add a comment

107 Miles Last Week, 18 Miles Today

2010-02-02T16:21:21Z

This morning was a ride from William B Pond to Gold River, and it was lousy with kamikaze squirrels. They're worse when they're in two's and you could hear other cyclists shouting as they run out onto the trail, then panic and zip back and forth not knowing which side to take. I must say the ones to watch out for the most are the ones with the tail stubs. They are clearly the most indecisive.

There was also a Black Shouldered Kite [ www.charliesbirdblog.com/~char...te.jpg ] hovering above prey just off the trail, eight tom turkeys in full flare with no female in sight. [maybe they were gay?] [ www.northernguideservices.com/ima....jpg ], and four turkey vultures on the banks of the river sunning themselves with wings stretched [ tbn0.google.com/images ]

The ride itself was shorter than I had hoped. I took a day off riding yesterday and swam and weight trained instead. The swim was good, but I guess there is a new law regarding a lane line that halves the distance [deep end / shallow] for unsupervised public pools, so swimming laps was tough. I was able to make it, but less able to get into a groove. There were also two girls there and one of them was asking me a lot of questions which I was happy to answer, even though it made staying in an aerobic zome difficult.

Tue, May 6, 2008 - 10:52 AM — permalink - 4 comments - add a comment

Fritzie is Really Enjoying his Yard

2010-02-02T16:19:33Z

He has gone from desperately wanting to get out and kill other cats, to relaxing and enjoying the sun, huuge bumble bees, crevices and furniture, birds, and lizards that inhabit his space. This is a good thing. He also generally demands that we come out to the patio as well.

Mon, May 5, 2008 - 10:49 AM — permalink - 12 comments - add a comment

Girls

2010-01-10T07:03:40Z

I understand that it is a hot button issue, this idea that ‘girl’ is either innocuous or significant. In general I know that most of the guys I know who unconsciously use the word have no diminishing intent. I get that it is merely a carryover from childhood jargon, but many of them don’t know that women often subtly take note. An example. The guy who coveted the Seven bike that I mentioned in a blog entry, when he was done he said “You girls have a nice ride today.” Which on the outset is a nice gesture of a good ride. But these two women I was with were in their late sixties. Does that not seem silly?

I have had guy friends who unconsciously use the word ‘girl’ and if I think it does not reflect their view of women I generally say “You and I both know that you aren’t sexist, and you don’t diminish women and relegate them to grade-school level, but the women out there who have worked their butts off in a male dominated field, or who have pushed to set themselves outside a stereotype may not know that you recognize them as equal human beings if they don’t know you as well as I do. They take note if you say girl all of the time.”

Sadly, I do have male friends [or acquaintances] who still relegate women to sexual property. I guess it would be more accurate to say, if they find a woman attractive, they would relegate them to such. I am generally desexualized by men, put in the category of ‘one of the guys’ which is fine in some ways, but sometimes it reveals the creepy part of guys. Not the objectification part which IMHO everyone does to some extent, but that part where they talk about how they do not want a woman with too much sexual experience, yet they also would think less of a guy who had little sexual experience. Then there are those guys who seem like they have a good head on their shoulders, but they begin to dance a dance with their girlfriends that is reminiscent of their parent’s relationship or some bad sit-com wherein the mantra is men and women will never understand one another.

The thing is though, the guy friends that I know who do not relegate women to sexual property, that do not play the ‘men and women are different species’ so much but they seem to still have their vocabulary in grade school. If I say something to those guys, they generally take offense like I am saying that they are sexist. I don’t think they are sexist so much as unconscious. Like their understanding of their own words in that regard isn’t there.

So if I say anything, I am put in the category of ‘fist shaking feminist’ but you know, on occasion even I will say girl, but my vocabulary isn’t limited to that. I can say lots of things to describe men women and anything in between. I am a ‘fist shaking feminist’ but not a man hating one, not an overly sensitive one. I am actually the type to defend men to those women who are misandrous, in that same inexorable way that I defend people who don’t fit our tiny weight paradigm, or people who are culturally different than what is thought of as the norm.

What is the best way to say it though?
‘C’mon you’re not in grade school anymore and neither are they.’
‘What? You’re attracted to that ~girl~? Dude, I think you should see a therapist…’
Maybe I should give them the long paragraph about how women who are smart and exist in a world where many men are sexist, shouldn’t mistake you for being sexist by your vocabulary talk?

What do you think?

Mon, May 5, 2008 - 8:06 AM — permalink - 18 comments - add a comment

Okay that was lame of me...sorry

2010-01-10T07:00:57Z

Both Grr and heather posted great words of encouragement on my last blog post and in my head I replied but I was too dull to reply in blog. : /

Instead I just kept going on and on about me me me. Geh.

Thanks guys for the great words of encouragement. Heather, I would be stoked if you could join me on a ride, that would be cool. Grrr, I'm sure the boot camp will whip you into shape and you'll be able to beat me in a sprint.

((((((hugs))))))

Sun, May 4, 2008 - 7:16 AM — permalink - 2 comments - add a comment

Rode 21 miles today....

2010-01-10T06:59:28Z

We rode this morning toward downtown and passed the university. We tried to keep a faster cadence...at some points maintaining 19 miles per hour. On the trail we passed a rattle snake sunning itself, swans in the river and plenty of kamikaze squirrels. It was a very nice morning for a ride and we got it in just in time as the heat has been turned up.

Last week I had two days with no ride, which was one more day than planned, but the flat tire and the bad news about the bike held me back a bit. No matter, I've got plenty of time to train and have yet don't feel very sore at all, so I can still ramp it up.

I've got more to type and will update later, but I've got to jet.

The above picture is from our turn around point. There was a plackard nearby that said 'to the South is the remains of what used to be the largest stand of black walnut trees in the United States.

Mon, April 28, 2008 - 12:01 PM — permalink - 8 comments - add a comment

"This is the 3rd celebration since hurricaine Katrina ravished New Orleans..."

2010-01-10T06:58:11Z

Ravished....I kid you not...the newscaster said ravished. : T Watch for the horsemen....cause things are falling apart in this world.....

Sat, April 26, 2008 - 11:11 PM — permalink - 5 comments - add a comment

Saying goodbye to an old friend...

2010-01-10T06:56:44Z

The bike in the foreground has finally gotten to the point of needing to go to pasture. I've put over a thousand miles on that bike. It's been stored and resurrected more than once, but this time it's too far gone. Bent frame, fairly rusted, fused derailleur, rusted spokes all make it more expensive to rebuild than to buy a new bike.

The bike in the background was my first purchase, it's actually older and more a road/touring bike. It's also been treated more kindly, not relegated to the patio by the ex. So I am currently back to the touring bike and hope to save up for a better bike in the future. I'm thinking about donating the Nishiki to a local 'Bike Kitchen' so that someone can keep it alive and be able to get some transportation out of it.

Fri, April 25, 2008 - 8:15 AM — permalink - 3 comments - add a comment

Park Name Change...Anyone Want to Guess Why?

2010-01-10T06:55:29Z

So the citizens of Sacramento had finally noticed that a local park was actually named after someone who wouldn't be very popular today. There's been a vote, but the struggle is whether or not to name it after a local beurocrat, or maybe a man who was intrugal to ensuring that California joined the Union rather than the Confederacy, owned the land where the actual park now resides, the steamboat that shows on the official seal of California, and is completely unheard of to the citizens of Sacramento mostly because he belongs to an enthnicity thought undesirable until recently.

Hmmmm....beaurocrat alive now.....or founding member of this state, philanthropist, statesman, and example of a hidden history.

www.sacbee.com/history/story/746023.html

Thu, April 24, 2008 - 8:54 PM — permalink - 11 comments - add a comment

I Started My Periodization ;-P

2010-01-10T06:53:51Z

Sunday mom and I rode 12 miles on the American River Parkway. It was crowded and there were lots of kids with clueless wonky trajectories, but all in all it was really enjoyable. We rode again on Tuesday, another 12 miles, this time with her friend Candi who met us on the trail. While we were waiting for her, we were looking out at the critters in the park. I was lucky enough to witness a bird of prey swoop down on a squirrel who barely made it to safety. I imagine he was saying to his buddies “I -=told=- you they came out of the sky!” Later on Tuesday I started more detailed work on the periodization program meant to have me in shape for a metric century in the beginning of September. I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me. I am in the Prep phase and it has me training 7 hours this week, with only one day off. I will need to be sure that I get between 8 and 10 hours of sleep per night in order to ensure that whole rest and repair. Wednesday was a new drill for me. I had to ride in just about the easiest gear and pedal as fast as I could without bouncing in my seat. I was also supposed to have my heart rate in a certain zone. I discovered that my heart is healthier than my muscles coordinated for this type of activity because I couldn't get myself up in that zone, but my muscles were tiring out. Thankfully I was supposed to phase in and out of it, so I could change up the cardio when I was out of the 'pedal like a spaz' stage.

The nice thing is that the American River Parkway is lousy with wildlife and I am entertained every time I ride. This last time I saw plenty of colorful tweety birds and quite a few turkeys. At one turn, there was about 7 toms, one of which was fighting off the other 6 for the one hen in the field. I also saw my first pheasant since coming back to Sac. It was nice to see it, as I think they are getting pushed out by the turkeys who have now moved into town.

Anyway, I awoke this morning to a flat tire, which means I may have to train in the later day sun because I will have to buy a new tire/tube before riding again.

Thu, April 24, 2008 - 8:51 AM — permalink - 1 comments - add a comment

Okay so uh...when did this happen in the movies?

2010-01-05T16:55:52Z

Star Wars Transformers Action Figure, Darth Vader Death Star

www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do

That would either be a freaking_HUGE Darth, or a teeny tiny Death Star....like it could be called an Irritant Star or maybe a Nuisance Star.

Tue, April 22, 2008 - 6:29 AM — permalink - 13 comments - add a comment

I think many of us could have guessed.

2010-01-05T16:53:12Z

2008 Presidential Candidates’ Climate Report Card

Introduction and Overview
Presidential candidates are talking about climate change, including global warming, and ways to address this defining challenge of our time. Comparing their statements is like the proverbial apples and oranges. In many cases, proposals are offered with few measurements for success. In some cases, goals are expressed but the individual measures described don’t add up to the goals.

This Report Card is designed to objectively analyze each candidate's stated positions on climate change (or the energy policy that is a crucial part thereof). Click on any candidate below for details on his or her positions. Also, a Summary of Grades is available to easily compare candidates across the grading categories.

www.terrytamminen.com/reportc...ault.asp

McCain:
www.terrytamminen.com/reportc...cain.asp

Clinton:
www.terrytamminen.com/reportc...nton.asp

Obama:
www.terrytamminen.com/reportc...bama.asp

Fri, April 18, 2008 - 9:13 PM — permalink - 2 comments - add a comment

A Tiny Eco House

2010-01-05T16:51:24Z

I think Bag End is going to my head because I really want a house like this.

tinyhouseblog.com/earthcob/simonshouse/

Fri, April 18, 2008 - 10:10 AM — permalink - 13 comments - add a comment

Americans prefer energy fix to cancer cure: poll

2010-01-05T16:50:08Z

I think I might not be an outlier in this poll..

"Thu Apr 3, 2008 5:32am EDT
By Rebekah Kebede

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A nationwide survey of nearly 700 people suggests that Americans would prefer more money be invested in technology to solve the nation's energy ailments than to cure cancer or other diseases.

Some 37 percent of respondents to the poll, conducted by the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority in Virginia, said they would rank spending to raise energy efficiency and develop alternative fuel technology a top priority for future investment. That compares with 30 percent who ranked more cash for medical breakthroughs as most important.

"I think it's a combination of things like high gas prices and the need for alternative fuels, but also things that are emotional like greenhouse effects, global warming and the need for reducing carbon emissions," said Gerald Gordon, chief executive of the FCEDA.

The survey results come as U.S. gasoline prices continue to rocket to new highs, with average retail prices hitting a record $3.29 a gallon on Monday, according to the federal Energy Information Administration."

more...
www.reuters.com/article/to...15320080403

Wed, April 9, 2008 - 6:22 PM — permalink - 3 comments - add a comment

Grace

2010-01-05T16:48:20Z

Okay...so I have to confess I told Grrr that I wouldn't be watching TV while I was cat sitting, but I did. I told myself that I had to exercise if I did, and I've been pretty good about that. So that's not the reason I'm blogging. Instead it is about a singular individual. Jock Soto was featured on a program on KQED called Independent Lens and it was facsinating.

This man started in the New York City Ballet at the age of 16, he's known nothing else and the documentary was about his decision to retire at age 40. The documentary interviews principal ballerinas he had danced with, choreographers, and family members. It weaves through his life and paints a picture of his dedication and humanity.

If you happen to see this scheduled, I would check it out.

The documentary is called Water Flowing Together
www.pbs.org/independentl...wingtogether/

Wed, April 9, 2008 - 2:13 PM — permalink - 0 comments - add a comment

Ego Depletion

2009-12-31T18:44:43Z

This concept of Ego Depletion came up over the radio the other day and I didn’t get to hear the whole report, but it seems that the report asserts a finite capability to ‘spend’ willpower. It asserts that if a person is trying to change their diet *and*…say defend their dissertation, they may not be successful. They said that willpower is like a limited resource, once spent, the person is no longer able to will their way into the disciplinary track they envision for themselves. The author of the study added that this finite set of will is measurable and different for different people. It seemed that he also alluded to the capability to increase such a resource but didn’t say how.

This of course piqued my curiosity, so I did a small search. The following are some articles related to Ego Depletion.

Self-Control as Limited Resource: Regulatory Depletion Patterns
www.psy.fsu.edu/~baumeiste...ter1998.pdf

Ego Depletion: Is the Active Self a Limited Resource?
www.psy.fsu.edu/~baumeiste...tal1998.pdf

Social Exclusion Impairs Self-Regulation
www.psy.fsu.edu/~baumeiste...tal2005.pdf

Ego depletion & Executive functioning
behaviouralscience.wordpress.com/2...g/

Can implementation intentions help to overcome ego-depletion? (abstract only)
www.sciencedirect.com/science

Social Exclusion Decreases Prosocial Behavior
bluehawk.monmouth.edu/~nciaro...cial.pdf

Tue, April 8, 2008 - 5:07 PM — permalink - 3 comments - add a comment