http://4jdl.com/wp John's Words - looking for the best blend Thu, 02 Dec 2010 06:12:06 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 http://4jdl.com/wp/2010/04/23/soc-33/ http://4jdl.com/wp/2010/04/23/soc-33/#comments Fri, 23 Apr 2010 05:09:58 +0000 John http://4jdl.com/wp/?p=357 Pollen flies everywhere as the springtime ignites after a short burst of heat and rain those vital ingredients to usher in a new season of dull fogginess for me I don’t remember it being so bad, but I’ve let myself go a bit after a few seasons of running and other healthy habits but there [...]]]>

• Pollen flies everywhere as
• the springtime ignites after a short burst of heat and rain those
• vital ingredients to usher in a new season of dull fogginess for me
• I don’t remember it being so bad, but I’ve let myself go a bit after a few seasons
• of running and other healthy habits
• but there is a sing song-i-ness to life as we step 2 forward and 1 back
• reminded by the natural ratios
• the birds and insects that fly to and fro
• the markets that fluctuate all seemingly randomly to the uninitiated eye
• the harsh ups and downs of prices; the almost vindictive wantonness just
• after you enter a trade
• but alas there is a rhythm to the markets
• just like the rivers and oceans and even that birch tree pollen will subside
• and then I can enjoy long walks, happy strained runs, and breathless sprints outdoors
• its just a matter of patience and finding the spot to stand to witness the natural order
• to not fight natures time table and cycles
• to remind ourselves once again that nature holds a force so strong
• that unpronounceable  volcanoes will erupt to interrupt our overscheduled lives
• that  faith and patience are necessary ingredients along with
• the right dosages of fear and greed to create that beautiful blended life
• that once every few decades the Yanks will turn a triple play
• and a college player will leap over a catcher
• strange, unique, but they are part of the game and will occur
• how strange a feeling to sense a loss of control just before learning a new skill
• to remind oneself its OK
• to let go of the railing and skate into the center of the rink
• or let a few standard lots of currency trade off into an imagined line of support
• conjured by moving averages, oversold bands and fibonacci clusters.

]]> http://4jdl.com/wp/2010/04/23/soc-33/feed/ 0 http://4jdl.com/wp/2009/12/22/soc-32/ http://4jdl.com/wp/2009/12/22/soc-32/#comments Tue, 22 Dec 2009 07:26:53 +0000 John http://4jdl.com/wp/?p=352

Its seems such a long time since I’ve aimed my camera

besides the occasional social snap of a birthday or an out of towner visiting

I mean the more artistic, and less practical usage of the time freezing megabit logger

that is, my trusty Lumix

hoping its like the proverbial bike,  rusty but not forgotten

upgraded my google storage space

mostly to get the free Eye-fi card

but what to do with that 200 gigabytes of space now?

after the left brain logical thoughts of archiving, and facilitating wealth accumulation

I spent a few minutes exploring Picasa

and I’m back at the first thought, I really need to play with that camera more

bought some new gadgets, a HDTV for my mom and sis

(yeah they got it already and I don’t wrap presents or feel compelled to give them on the day)

another larger monitor for my charts and the sporadic movie

and the thing that I’ve been waiting the most for…

a ebook reader

decided on the Sony Touch, it has expandable memory via cards, a touchscreen, renders many formats including PDFs, CHMs, and will be able to download free content off NYPL

so no excuses for many more pleasurable reading hours in 2010

and importantly I can reuse a lot of shelf space at home, as I gradually manipulate paper books to digital formats

it will either be time consuming or costly

not much that I have thought of in terms of getting around that…

Oh good, Picasa allows different levels of content sharing

finished a hutch or shelf for my desk, so got another 42 inches of monitor and computer gadgets space

I actually timed that one well

the window seat /work bench/ spare bed project got fouled up

as I need more lumber, and the mattress arrived already

but its hard to get those 2x4s home in a snow storm

the 24 inch monitor should arrive in the next 48 hrs and I got the spot ready for it

got a good DK photography book out of the library but we’ll see if it lives up to its name

“absolutely everything” is pretty bold

and is an example of types of books that wouldn’t be as suitable for an eReader

since its grey scale and not color and a small screen

but very portable and battery lasts for 2 weeks at a time

next to search through the freely available content out there

and start making a list

as well as a virtual book budget as I have put off buying books for quite some time now

I’m starting to like the dark stain on the bench 2 projects ago

and yes I should note somewhere to not saturate the wood with the stain

like I did basically while in a rush to get it done

still wondering what to do with Wave, Voice is kinda cool but not utilizing it well yet

and I’m itching to get my hands on that Sony reader, and hoping it ships before the long weekend

so much to do, so little energy and free time and that shy sun isn’t helping my mood

but I’m feeling like we turn a corner here soon, and is it coincidence that the winter solstice is upon us

its late and I’m hungry and imagining smells of food

but breakfast is a few hours away.

]]> http://4jdl.com/wp/2009/12/22/soc-32/feed/ 0 http://4jdl.com/wp/2009/11/15/soc-31/ http://4jdl.com/wp/2009/11/15/soc-31/#comments Mon, 16 Nov 2009 02:14:24 +0000 John http://4jdl.com/wp/?p=347

As I ran aboard the last Ikea bus leaving NYC, just behind the driver and before he closed the door

another passenger proclaimed me “Lucky, I’ve been waiting 30 minutes!”

I smiled and shrugged my shoulders and looked for an empty seat

went back halfway and my subconscious heuristic chose the skinny asian woman

(there’d be more room for my wide shoulders)

I asked if it was free, as I pointed to the seat

didn’t hear her response but her face indicated approval

I sat and caught my breath as I texted my success at catching the last bus

as we got out of the tunnel the setting sun lit up her side of the bus and I noticed her outfit

typical fall knits and tights and boots, at least that seemed to be what every other woman in NYC was wearing

her attractive face with pulled back long hair completed each other well

but her posture said stay away, crossed arms and legs…

as I contemplated my best Mentalist skills, I weighed

the risks of exercising my social skills VS her apparent

desire not to be “socialized” with

later her demeanor stayed firmly knotted, yet there broke the semblances of a smile on her face as I glanced over

I took the mixed signals to mean she was ‘taken’

but didn’t see any rings on significant fingers

the lack of traffic brought us to Elizabeth  quickly

only punctuated by 4 texts and 2 phone calls

besides her phone was studded and I couldn’t figure out

whether she was much younger than I guessed, or why would

a woman have such blingy accouterments with otherwise earthy tones and sensible knits?

alas we disembarked before the perplexity allowed me a chance to break the silence

and I was in the hunt for wood

it reminded me of the reality show on Planet Green

I’ve been mildly addicted to

they were accumulating firewood for the season

4 groups of people from California to New Jersey

retired factory worker with his daughters

a computer tech, among others

in “Alaska Experiment”

a show about how these people will survive a winter in Alaska,

roughing it in some cabins and tents, certainly unplugged and in the wild

lumber turns out to be cheaper at Ikea than I can get at lumber stores in Manhattan

I cruised the aisles and activated memories of short cuts but

the Ikea was under renovation so at the second turn past pots and things I started looking at signs

I arrived at aisle 35 bin 36 and was surprised at the quality of the bed slats, it was labeled unfinished wood

but was much better than what I could pick up closer to home

and this was pretty much cut already to size

OK, I changed my plans a bit, but saved myself some noise and sawdust

now to figure out how much to get…

I decided on 3 bunches as well as a few other odds and ends

the skill of picking a fast line proved still with me

but there was only twine at the packing table

i was hoping to make a handle from tape

so it took a while to tie it up and fasten a handle

as I worked feverishly a woman and two small children walked by

she was somewhat out of it, but I didn’t really pause to observe

and instead continued to tie and hope to catch a quick bus back home

as her older child the daughter pulled a sign off the wall and it came crashing down loudly

an Ikea staffer came over quickly and asked her a question but she didn’t respond

I thought whats with these woman today who seem to not have a voice?

then her boy started to bang a cart into the wall and the table I was using, so I shot her a look of WTF?

she just took my stare and let it glance off her

not even making any attempt to corral her charges at all

I made my final knot and rushed out the door

just past the woman I sat next to

she was on her studded cell phone and she stared up off into the distance as our paths intersected

she towards the returns area

me out into the fresh air

and then I sprinted with cart towards the bus for the second time

and the driver indicated that he had to check if there was any seats left

luckily the woman in front of me was waiting for someone and I heaved the stack of lumber into a free spot and boarded the  bus

the purple colors were spectacular with the setting sun and the golden rays bouncing off downtown skyscrapers sandwiching the blue waters of the Hudson

I thought to myself how timely was my impromptu trip just as we hit tunnel traffic

enough time to review my To-Do list and send a couple texts

I carried the stuff across the long subway tunnel and my thoughts strayed towards that Alaska Show again

I was carrying 30 pounds of lumber to make some furniture

and they were logging and splitting firewood to the tune of 9,000 pounds to survive the winter

I sweated a new understanding of their predicament

just got snookered on a 4x trade, but it was only for dimes

and  I realize that 2 monitors are not enough for all that I want to do

so the new furniture I’m building which will be part custom bed, window seat, and large work surface with plenty of storage underneath

should allow me a spot closer to my multi monitor setup

and I did de clutter about 100 pounds this weekend

despite the 30 more I brought home.

]]> http://4jdl.com/wp/2009/11/15/soc-31/feed/ 0 http://4jdl.com/wp/2009/09/22/soc-27/ http://4jdl.com/wp/2009/09/22/soc-27/#comments Tue, 22 Sep 2009 11:23:35 +0000 John http://4jdl.com/wp/?p=331

its strange to wish for somethings and have them appear so regularly sometimes

it makes you think that you should have been more ambitious

I envisioned scrap wood and acrylic pieces and they appeared on my walks

that weekly metrocard that appeared when my legs got tired

the exact piece of plywood I’m using now as a base for a lightbox

perhaps I should be more selective in my visions

that white translucent # 2447 plexglass arrived a day early and I cut and assembled the

back and sides of the lightbox – I wish I could cut a straighter line

with the jigsaw, but given the limited woodworking projects so far

its not that bad, or the sander straightens what the jigsaw wrought

its fun to make something that involves LEDS, acrylic and wood working

which really is a foundation for future projects and

I don’t know if this something new and can’t be bought elsewhere

or if it will in the end prove to be something that just seemed a great idea

still as lightboxes go, this will be fairly cheap compared to pre mades

next steps are to check spacing and quantity of flat white LEDs and to figure

out how to assemble  them – either use PCBs or just connect them

directly to the plywood base somehow

picked up a shop vac that will connect somehow to the lightbox for vacuuming away

tiny glass and acrylic dust which is harmful if breathed

which reminds me I didn’t pick up masks

the Euro just woke up and in typical 6AM Greenwich fashion but there

appears to be resistance around 1.4730

which reminds me there are a few AHK projects I wanted to do on the computer

that got hip checked out of the way by the woodworking projects

and somehow I want to fit in some running and Yoga now

that I rearranged and have more floor space

but how to blend all this into a week and still get 7 hrs sleep a night?

oh, there she blows!  - Euro breaking out above resistance

bouncing off the 10 daily SMA today

FOMC is this week, I doubt there will be any changes for the next few months

but the tone could send a jittery market a flutter

falling back from 1.4745 now, but it looks like it will travel all the way up to the 4hr UBB

that is the Upper Bollinger Band around 1.4755

now to figure out how to fit in that running, so that the sleeping is better, so I have more energy

so that I can focus better, and trade more actively, so that I can have more time…

if it wasn’t so late I’d reach for the camera and snap a few shots of the unbuilt lightbox

figure out if the minute chart is resetting to bounce up here while the stochastics is running down below 20

but I think its enough for today.

]]> http://4jdl.com/wp/2009/09/22/soc-27/feed/ 0 http://4jdl.com/wp/2009/09/17/soc-26/ http://4jdl.com/wp/2009/09/17/soc-26/#comments Thu, 17 Sep 2009 11:56:25 +0000 John http://4jdl.com/wp/?p=328

the twilight run in Central Park tested my focus which was not that sharp today

like a dull ache longing for crisper times

of a mental edge that cut through crap so well

but I was mildly amazed at my ability to hold a serene thought and

allow my body to work out its kinks and let

the motor go on for a while longer than

some days when my mind (or ego) can’t sustain the pace and it yells louder or just loud enough

so that my legs slow down to a walk

however tonight fueled by many runners and 64F weather and that

fun run coming up in 36 hours was just enough to get me

down by the lake in good time and just a couple pauses

soon after my legs propelled me automatically and minutes later

my left thigh seized like an engine that lost valve oil

but just for a moment as a couple stretches and yoga like deep breathes

flowed some necessary body ingredients to sore areas

playing with my new toys

I don’t doubt that neighbors are wondering if a dentist has moved in their midsts

so I need to think about soundproofing a bit

or relegate my craft activities to the locked bathroom until

I do figure out something

“easy glass etching” seems an oxymoron but it isn’t the first such title I’ve gotten out of the library

I wonder if that cheap Ikea glass stuff is worth testing some etching on

and I remind myself I need to order facemasks

before I read about glass dust dangers and scare myself out of that side of the hobby

but that light box/table I’m gonna make should ameliorate dust enough

so that I won’t obsess about it

still I need to read and educate myself some more and practice on cheaper and less toxic acrylic first

the forex chart shows a nice trade I missed while showering

and the LED I implanted into a yellow ping pong ball makes a nice light

no glare, bright enough and it looks like a bulb albeit

with two little thin wire legs coming out of it

maybe I should take a marker and anthropomorphisize it somehow

or maybe I’m just a bit lightheaded after running about 6-7 miles tonight

my Cstream wanders into a neat short Kafka-esque story of an inventor with lots of LEDs and ping pong balls

but perhaps with a happy ending

and I wonder if there is such a thing as childrens pop up book with LEDs used in an imaginative way to “hi-lite” the story

or in some other way educate and involve the reader enough

to have them interact so that they finish the circuit

in order to complete the multi-ending story

that last idea has enough ‘oomph’ to think about more

but alas we do live in such a virtual society already and would

such a blended concept take hold?

maybe there is some magic in taking the old and new and creating something just a little different

that Euro is taking off into 1.47xx land

as the daily chart looks like its about to climb K2

with a short stint at base 1

the 4 hour charts show hesitation at 1.4730 ish but

as usual 6am greenwich time has some early Euro bull risers

will it linger in the 1.48 area and come back down with the upcoming US stock market pullback?

go with the trend, go with the trend

I need to make that mantra into a song

is there a word that means “song-ify”?

the active voice is so much more well active

me thinks I have drained that last bit of caffeinated adrenaline out of me

but a quick glance at the etching book before ping pong out.

]]> http://4jdl.com/wp/2009/09/17/soc-26/feed/ 0 http://4jdl.com/wp/2009/09/16/soc-25/ http://4jdl.com/wp/2009/09/16/soc-25/#comments Wed, 16 Sep 2009 06:18:40 +0000 John http://4jdl.com/wp/?p=325

it bugs me that I haven’t been adding photos here as much as I imagined

but I am pleased about the pace of many other hobbies

and the confluence of some

excited about a light box I’m designed in my head

and should really capture more ideas onto paper or in the computer

before some ideas fall off the ends of my mind

white plexiglass #2447 is what is used for lightboxes or X-Ray viewers

or light installations which is funny how I found out

as I wondered about what the best way to search that was

as I ‘gestured’ by accidnet on my laptop’s touch panel and it jumped to the bottom of an Ebay listing and there it was

a few clicks later ordering a piece of #2447 sized to the plywood I picked up earlier last week

and hoping that a 16 x 19 inch lightbox is sufficient for my needs and that

1/8th inch plexiglass will be thick enough

and calculating whether I’ll need to glue it down

or allow it to float there

and how many bright white LEDs and what spacing will be best to illuminate the box

yet not have hot and cold spots

and trying to figure out how to attach some kind of netting or plastic to keep dust from flying out when etching, or other dremel like activities

and sizing shop vacs

and thinking about angles for other lights but not introduce glare onto clear arylic

then the Cstream thinks about other projects made do-able by the perfect lightbox with

a debris vacuum, and under and over lighting, and raised edges, and some kind of plastic netting to keep dust down.

]]> http://4jdl.com/wp/2009/09/16/soc-25/feed/ 0 http://4jdl.com/wp/2009/08/04/soc-22/ http://4jdl.com/wp/2009/08/04/soc-22/#comments Tue, 04 Aug 2009 05:46:15 +0000 John http://4jdl.com/wp/?p=313

Been working out a lot and hard which

produced the best night of sleep I’ve had in a short while

as pleasant as it was, it wasn’t anything compared to that morning when

my older child stopped her colic-y period

and I slept thru the night- a full night of sleep after months

which reminds me the next time she asked what I’ve done for her lately, I might

pull that one out of the chest

but midnight runs in Central Park are so peaceful, alone

in my discipline, without anyone (almost) to observe my breathlessness at

the tail ends of sprints and the click click click

of my yellow stopwatch

even the raccoons were no where to be seen, they

took the rainy night off, I guess, but today

as I walked some plants back to their owners, the expression

“Too many brooms, and too few dustpans”

sprung forth in my mind, unaware if I parrot or coined

a new expression that describes a frustrating episode of my life

but somehow pleased to bring something new and creative out

of the darkness of limbo-land

a recent grad sues her college for her not finding a job after a 3 month search

seems too comical yet reveals the present unemployment frustrations,

yet digging just slightly past the surface the article

mentions her 2.7 GPA and solid attendance record and if that doesn’t cement

an attitude of entitlement- I’m not sure what does

maybe the publicity will land her a job, but watch out

at her next review…

yet something comes to mind from a late night infomercial

about unreasonable people…

but somehow that isn’t exemplified well in this case

still the thought lingers from that Buddha saying:

“you become what you do now”

numbers and codes come to mind to outline a running regimen

but some more spit and polish and testing is forthcomoing

just to say that it seems to fit me well.

]]> http://4jdl.com/wp/2009/08/04/soc-22/feed/ 0 http://4jdl.com/wp/2009/06/17/soc-19/ http://4jdl.com/wp/2009/06/17/soc-19/#comments Wed, 17 Jun 2009 05:15:02 +0000 John http://4jdl.com/wp/?p=294

I turn to some DVD videos in contrast to all the reading I’ve done lately

amazingly I got Pelham 123 from the NYPL despite my 3 digit placement on the waiting list

not sure how that happened but I wanted to see the old movie before going to see the latest edition

perhaps mosquito season has ended so I can get a few good nights sleep  in a row

as I have also given up daily coffee

again

such attempts in the past were very effective

in allowing me to get enough sleep, rest and provide clarity

to face this life’s challenges but

I guess there are times where we don’t want such clarity

and want to just muddle through the days

however give me a clean lens and

I’ll find the beauty if I have to cast new players, change the props and scenery and aim the camera in different directions

I’m persistent to the point of stubborn sometimes

but when the vision of beauty is so clear and rich often

I can get carried away

but enough Quixotian windmills, distant memories, and fantastical illusions

It’s time to paint this life’s reality with a new brush and vigor.

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On vacation and catching up on some much needed sleep and rest

its nice to eat, sleep and rest when you want (mostly)

there are still some chores and responsibilities that don’t go away

but can’t complain really when I took a couple naps today

between some minor chores and a run

amazingly with all the rest and sleep and walking I seem to have lost some weight

despite walking less than May’s 10 miles a day

on my travels I was asked by a woman to take a photo of her friend and a dalmatian

in front of a firehouse

and if I was not certain earlier, her thick Australian accent came back, “Perfect!”

as I asked if the photo came out OK

my plants suffered during my last extended vacation, so I made it a point to remember to wander by regularly

to water them

and that strict mistress, the local librarian caused me to go into my office anyway

to retrieve an overdue book

this “staycation” isn’t so bad as I’m diving thru my reading, and may just get

to the bottom of my reading list before I pay for that extra wing at the local branch of the NYPL

Survivors Club was an interesting read

as was Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven, which was a nice interlude back into the 80′s

albeit in the backdrop of China and thru the eyes of an old schoolmate

who probably doesn’t remember me from a hole in the wall

and that expression doesn’t quite make sense having typed it

but maybe someday I’ll look it up

as I lay on the grass in Central Park and read to my heart’s delight

I wondered how having a kindle would have made the experience better

mostly it would have been lighter than the physical hardcover book

and I would be able to do some annotation but not in the library book

but taking a digital photo has been a good way to keep track of things

yet not perfect enough yet

didn’t do a full day of trading

but might simulate tomorrow

still the results are pretty good so far.

]]> http://4jdl.com/wp/2009/06/09/soc18/feed/ 0 http://4jdl.com/wp/2009/05/28/soc-17/ http://4jdl.com/wp/2009/05/28/soc-17/#comments Fri, 29 May 2009 04:33:31 +0000 John http://4jdl.com/wp/?p=282

I’m tired

that’s good since  I need to go to sleep soon

haven’t slept well in a few days

and its starting to show in my focus and dreamy days

but that fartlek tonight did the trick

not liquor or pills but miles

or rather 10 kilometers in Central Park in

a drizzle that started out slowly up Heartbreak hill

and passed a female cyclist who was doing some maneuver that

I didn’t quite understand in my gasps for air

as she looped around again and

I shot her a look of “what are you doing” and

just as she passed me, she didn’t provide any clues,

microexpressions, or any other form of leakage

and just as I was about to put her out of my mind I heard

a clatter behind me as she fell over…

I yelled back asking “Are you OK?” and she

said softly “I’m OK” in a tone that implied to me

that she hurt something else besides her tush and

she let out a sigh and then

remarked, “I guess that’s why I’m out practicing…”, and I said

“Yeah, whatever doesn’t kill you…?” but I was too far away as she

yelled over, “What?” as I repeated myself and said the longer version

this time she replied, “Yeah, that’s what my mother tells me.”, and

I was thinking, “Tough Mom”, and I bid her adieu as she was

standing now brushing off her tush and I was close enough to see she was indeed

alright enough for me to continue on my journey

of intermittent pain labeled ‘fartlek’

the drizzle continued as I passed the familiar parts heading south amazed

by the sight of my breath as I finished each leg of speedwork

and as I caught my invisible breath back I was able to notice the stray dog walker here and there

and tried to identify the type of bike that approached from the rear or

the kind of runner that was about to pass me whether

they were heavy or tall or short or male or female or expert or novice

which was enough of a distraction for me to get my heart rate back down

enough to sprint the next 400 meters or so as I

passed the Lake and came up the little hill to see the huge red billboard displaying

the time and temperature startled to hear

another runner breathing harder than me as she finished her speedwork

and she gave me the motivation to do another few sprints as I turned the corner near Columbus Circle and ran until the light

and circled back and raced back up the hill north

just as she completed her sprint south and

she passed me another time when I had to tease out a knot in my left foot against a pole

as she turned ahead of me and did this curious bounce up and down the curb as she passed me the last time for the night

I mentally thanked her for the spirited last three sprints and headed home.

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