Blended Living

SoC #36

John — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 06:12:06 +0000

ahh what a dreary day…
the kind that just saps the energy out of you
so I went for a quick run after the rain stopped
but time only permitted a short quickie and
I combined some grocery shopping along with the endorphins which
didn’t come by way of my short run but in the recognition
of a young actress at the grocery store…
she slipped onto the line behind me but noticed earlier somewhere in my subconscious as I passed her twice in the bread aisle and by the juices but
thought it was just another student that I may have had some contact with at first and
I was in that rushed mode where I pinpointed my purchases and calculated the shortest line whipping past things like a car chase scene
but when she appeared as I paid I couldn’t help but not
focus on her face and she looked down a bit
and I said, “You look like an actress”
realizing the silliness of my wording as she withdrew from me
and weakly said, “Yes…?”
but something in my demeanor got her to talk as I said
“I’m trying to place you…” and then said “part of me wants to say movie, but another wants to say TV show…”
she responded with, “Well, both…”
and then I pleaded, “Give me a clue?”
and she pondered between chatting with her pals a bit
I mentioned this is going to bother me all night now,
as she gave me her name, “Sarah Steele. You can look me up, this way…”
I smiled, trying to connect those necessary synapses in vain then
I bid her “Good Night”
as I hit the corner, it hit me
I ran back the half block, got her attention and said, “I remember, Spanglish.”
as I ran towards home, I thought I wouldn’t have done that if she hadn’t given me her name
and thought how much I liked that movie.

Drawspace free stuff expanded

John — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 11:17:19 +0000

I came across this site a while back, but its gotten even better with them putting up more content in a creative commons license now. All the lessons are now viewable online and downloadable as PDFs. Enjoy!

drawspace

SoC #35

John — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 05:03:00 +0000

rediscovered tennis
and after overindulging for about 9 straight days
and some shoulder soreness
the game is pretty much back
looking forward to the next court time after a short vacation and hiatus from smacking that little yellow ball around
finally bought and tried that nikeplus device on my Nano
its bizarrely fun to hear that female voice tell me my distance or calories burned
so despite the humidity I’m looking forward to some miles in the near future
which should also help my tennis game
assuming I don’t over do all of this and go stale or get injured
as I’m trying to locate old CD’s
and rip them to the little Nano
ain’t technology fun?
as I wonder what Apple’s “Genius” will come up with as it digests my eclectic playlist
and I throw in some of my kids’ music too just to make it interesting
altho the Netflix algorithm does a nice job between my mysteries and their disney choices
think the nike site will update via my syncs, so that will be interesting to see
both in how they present my runs and data, and in how it may motivate me
to reach for new running personal bests, or “PBs”
tho I do try to resist such ego fulfillment and rather be fueled by ‘inner motivations’
still its nice to commit to these ‘lifetime’ type endeavors, running, tennis, and walking
as they feed into each other well
teased myself a bit with yoga, but its not caught on in any serious way yet
however I feel it will complement well my other activities
“bing bong” another CD is done
sleep has been more sporadic than I’d like but maybe this running will improve that too
too many wants and hobbies, not enough time in each day
but enthusiasm and passion isn’t lacking so its OK.

SoC #34

John — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 04:52:11 +0000

Only my third post and half the year is almost over!
This is my stream of Consciousness writing in case you wander over here
and wonder what these jumbles of words are
it came about one late night when I thought what would be the easiest way to let words flow onto these virtual pages
and the first SoC was born
I think its more important to let the ideas out and into the wild to
perhaps enlighten another, or bring about a smile or even dare I
say cause another sentient being to spark some words of their own
finding beauty in all its definitions and on occasion, to create some here maybe
running is such a joy again, I read the last post and all that pollen came back in my memory
that was not fun at all
and the post before that was months earlier
but as I recreate the timeline I remember what I was fixated on those first few months of the year
those little pips that bob and weave up and down 24 x 7 (well actually 5)
it astounds me that I become so enraptured by its beauty and complexity
and yet my innermost goal is not to become “rich” but yet to be the best trader I can be
it rings somewhat hollow to trade currencies and not want to become filthy rich
but that is the passion that grips me wholeheartedly, despite that ultimate irony
still there is something to it, to see its beauty that way, and in that angle and at that lighting
the complexity sheds, and reveals an even more beautiful sight to behold
a natural naked simplicity
one that requires one to be so honest with oneself, to trust that instinct
like a surfer rides a wave until a new one forms, but in that moment they are all one
the rider, the board, the wave, the sun, everything is all one
for a moment
I so do want to put a photo at the top of each post, and I’ve threatened that before
but I have been inspired lately
and I’m asking permission to put a special photo up, but its not mine, so need to ask first
which reminds me that this city is still so fascinating to me
I never know what I will come across, or when I’ll meet someone new and have a conversation
that is different and fresh because they hail from another part of the world.

SoC #33

John — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 05:09:58 +0000

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.

The Artists Maze

John — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 04:59:51 +0000

Flutter and the fall

What words lie dormant today?

Three Mo(u)rning pages

SoC #32

John — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 07:26:53 +0000

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.

SoC #31

John — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 02:14:24 +0000

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.

SoC #30

John — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:58:03 +0000

How strange to hunger for some pure fiction reading as
I usually devour anything but that
yet nothing yields true in my quest to sate my mental appetite
even some of the Young Adult books borrowed for others
and ebooks is similarly lacking despite the many titles that come up
downloading Karmic Koala now, just 17 more minutes
but its too late to burn and reboot now
weekend you can’t come soon enough!
just one more day for the man
then two for me and mine
found a couple things cleaning, and thought of two things I can’t find
with all the titles in my home, not finding something to read for a few minutes before turning in is well
very unsatisfying to say the least
I go through the motions but don’t put enough of myself into those present moments so
some workouts and other exercises seem hollow
but better than not doing them
and certainly better than putting thoughts energy and time into negatives
one thing to slide trying to hold fast quite another to just run in the wrong direction
trying to build some momentum to slingshot around
the dark winter months
and emerge in the spring ready
rather than have to gather strength then and start from scratch
but running in winter is its own special discipline
dark and cold, dark and cold, step by step but what a way to start the days
with sunrises and serotonin storms in the brain, and those late afternoon lulls are weakening as my body and spirit grows stronger
but such noble habits are fragile and have to maintain the string
Seinfeldian chains and such
Run on S’s and T’s, short of that at least 3 days a week weather permitting mornings
that download meter lies as its still saying 17 minutes now
but maybe I’m in the dark territory of my home WiFi
and those packets keep colliding
an old game appeared in the mail from an ebay auction that thoroughly
entertained us a few years ago (and promptly the disk hid itself thereafter)
hoping its still fun, but not as addicting as it was those 100+ hrs the two last weeks of 2004
maybe I hook up the projector and we can play it on the large screen with the speakers cranked
for the full effect but patience for the right time
it would hardly fit into the schedule now with HW and world series but
there isn’t a game tomorrow night…
it could even be an inventive incentive to get HW done early for some gaming fun
I’d trade game time for TV time but
that Nova episode on Darwin teeters precariously on the edge of extinction on my DVR
and it behaves much better when its only 80% gorged with my TV programs
not much more frustrating than a weeks worth of shows recorded missing the last few minutes of each
so there will be blood, a disgorging of shows
and I finally found something interesting to browse
a book at ebook.nypl about influential characters that never lived
or fictional people that have influenced us like
the Marlboro Man to mickey mouse to Spock, now
morphing those guys together surely would make for a fun dance partner.

Lucidity

John — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:04:22 +0000

Beautiful idea

Momentous clarity astounds

The bloom whithers