I loves me the l'il children.
Invariably there is always a little slice of time in which I can find myself thinking; "Are you sure these are your kids?" Oh, I know what you are thinking, "That guy must hate these kids". Truth be told, I love the potential and promise my children (nay, ALL children) exhibit. Children are a constant reminder to retain an optimistic perspective. They are a renewing source of hope and imagination.
Most adults I know have learned the characteristic of cynicism, which limits not only their potential but vision of possibility. At what point in time of our lives do we decide our "adult" appearance is more important than a broad perspective?
-nn
Monday, March 12, 2007
The selfish commute
Every work day, we are face with the typical routine. We can alter our get-ready routine: something different for breakfast, maybe brush our teeth after the shower, instead of before (dangerous living, that last bit). But once we get out of our house, we are forced into a proud tradition reserved for all of us living in an urban environment. The get-your-butt to work commute.
We are all conditioned to just accept this event as part of working. Sometimes we hear about it from our parents when we are children. It is possibly described as something traumatic; "Don't talk to your father right now, he's had a terrible commute home and a bit out of sorts". Comments like this always led me to believe a horrid commute is one of those horrible-yet-accepted facets of adult life. Like gaining weight or graying (or worse yet, receding) hair.
There are alternatives. There are some people who realize time spent in a vehicle is not a thing to be wasted, but can use the "downtime" to add extra hours of productivity to the day. You notice them all the time, chatting on a cell phone catching up with people in another timezone or applying make-up. Some of the more daring will actually leaf through a book or the daily paper. Finally, there are the high-adventure types who will tap out verses on their fully deployed, precariously balanced laptop in the passenger seat. It is very easy to spot them, as their cars are normally swaying within the confines of the lane they are occupying.
There is yet another set of individuals who seek an even more thoughtful use of the time normally used commuting. Not satisfied with performing feats of time-slicing on four wheels, this group has a completely different approach to making the required commute bearable. This group makes the commute shorter, saves fuel, and has a lower impact on streets and traffic. I speak of the highly misunderstood motorcycle rider.
California is the only state in which a motorcycle rider can "share" lanes. This allows anyone on a motorcycle to use the space between lanes of traffic, so long as the rider is exhibiting "safe & practical" behavior. The law is purposely left open to interpretation should a peace office deem your handling of the bike unsafe. In the seventy-three thousand miles logged on my current bike I have yet to receive a citation for unsafe behavior. Admittedly, I always tone down my speed a shade whenever I spy a patrol cruiser.
How about you? Would you like to get to your destination in about half the time it takes when traveling by car? Could you find a better use for the time saved by shaving off hours (literally) every week?
Sure, there are drawbacks: people who style their hair would need to have those sculpting gels and combs at work (I wear my hair short, so who cares), and id you are one to bring a lunch, you may have to get a backpack or saddlebags to ferry it to work. For me, knowing I can get home (and to work for that matter) on half the time make up for a bits of inconvenience encountered. All the while keeping an eye out for the person tapping out an email instead of paying attention to how well they keep the car in the lane.
Think about it.
We are all conditioned to just accept this event as part of working. Sometimes we hear about it from our parents when we are children. It is possibly described as something traumatic; "Don't talk to your father right now, he's had a terrible commute home and a bit out of sorts". Comments like this always led me to believe a horrid commute is one of those horrible-yet-accepted facets of adult life. Like gaining weight or graying (or worse yet, receding) hair.
There are alternatives. There are some people who realize time spent in a vehicle is not a thing to be wasted, but can use the "downtime" to add extra hours of productivity to the day. You notice them all the time, chatting on a cell phone catching up with people in another timezone or applying make-up. Some of the more daring will actually leaf through a book or the daily paper. Finally, there are the high-adventure types who will tap out verses on their fully deployed, precariously balanced laptop in the passenger seat. It is very easy to spot them, as their cars are normally swaying within the confines of the lane they are occupying.
There is yet another set of individuals who seek an even more thoughtful use of the time normally used commuting. Not satisfied with performing feats of time-slicing on four wheels, this group has a completely different approach to making the required commute bearable. This group makes the commute shorter, saves fuel, and has a lower impact on streets and traffic. I speak of the highly misunderstood motorcycle rider.
California is the only state in which a motorcycle rider can "share" lanes. This allows anyone on a motorcycle to use the space between lanes of traffic, so long as the rider is exhibiting "safe & practical" behavior. The law is purposely left open to interpretation should a peace office deem your handling of the bike unsafe. In the seventy-three thousand miles logged on my current bike I have yet to receive a citation for unsafe behavior. Admittedly, I always tone down my speed a shade whenever I spy a patrol cruiser.
How about you? Would you like to get to your destination in about half the time it takes when traveling by car? Could you find a better use for the time saved by shaving off hours (literally) every week?
Sure, there are drawbacks: people who style their hair would need to have those sculpting gels and combs at work (I wear my hair short, so who cares), and id you are one to bring a lunch, you may have to get a backpack or saddlebags to ferry it to work. For me, knowing I can get home (and to work for that matter) on half the time make up for a bits of inconvenience encountered. All the while keeping an eye out for the person tapping out an email instead of paying attention to how well they keep the car in the lane.
Think about it.
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Falling in love (again)
There are so many reasons to love the internet. This is just another.
I have a thing for pictures of all kinds. Landscapes, lightscapes, curious animals of every sort. But I find people's faces the most interesting. There is so much to be read from the face; promise, disappointment, potential, love, disappointment, the list is as endless as the variety of human emotion.
Having been around the internet since the boom has allowed me to witness the rise of dozens of photography sites that inspire and capture the spectrum of the humans and their endeavors. This site, with its singular focus on portraits, exceeds my ability to describe its contents.
I have been using the "refresh" feature which serves up a random mix of portraits each time. Maybe for a writing exercise I should write stories about the people I spy in the site?
Damn it, I hate it when I assign myself work....
-nn
I have a thing for pictures of all kinds. Landscapes, lightscapes, curious animals of every sort. But I find people's faces the most interesting. There is so much to be read from the face; promise, disappointment, potential, love, disappointment, the list is as endless as the variety of human emotion.
Having been around the internet since the boom has allowed me to witness the rise of dozens of photography sites that inspire and capture the spectrum of the humans and their endeavors. This site, with its singular focus on portraits, exceeds my ability to describe its contents.
I have been using the "refresh" feature which serves up a random mix of portraits each time. Maybe for a writing exercise I should write stories about the people I spy in the site?
Damn it, I hate it when I assign myself work....
-nn
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
my new best friend
There are two of them actually. The first of which led me to the second.
Let's talk about "Stumble Upon". SU installs a clever little tool bar into you browser (most majors are supported). You complete a little profile information and click on the "Stumble!" button and you are presented with a site that may or may not match your preferences. As you are presented with more sites you can narrow the focus of you profile by using the "I Like It!" button (indicated by a thumbs up). Alternatively, you can "vote down" a site by clicking the thumbs down button.
You can also elect to view nothing but sites of a particular category. Clicking the photo button then "stumble" will only present sites with photos on them. This has been the single best presenter of new internet sites I have found. Better then Digg, as the sites and stories appearing on the list are mostly things already in the view of mass media (with a few exceptions).
My newest love is most definitely WeFeelFine. A little heavy on the visuals (a downer for those with slow connections) WFF collects information culled from blogs based on the the words or descriptions following the phrase "I feel..." or "I am feeling...". WFF then sorts it all out into one of six interfaces that allows to further distilling of the text. I found the interface and the implications simply brilliant.
Give it a whirl.
-nn
Let's talk about "Stumble Upon". SU installs a clever little tool bar into you browser (most majors are supported). You complete a little profile information and click on the "Stumble!" button and you are presented with a site that may or may not match your preferences. As you are presented with more sites you can narrow the focus of you profile by using the "I Like It!" button (indicated by a thumbs up). Alternatively, you can "vote down" a site by clicking the thumbs down button.
You can also elect to view nothing but sites of a particular category. Clicking the photo button then "stumble" will only present sites with photos on them. This has been the single best presenter of new internet sites I have found. Better then Digg, as the sites and stories appearing on the list are mostly things already in the view of mass media (with a few exceptions).
My newest love is most definitely WeFeelFine. A little heavy on the visuals (a downer for those with slow connections) WFF collects information culled from blogs based on the the words or descriptions following the phrase "I feel..." or "I am feeling...". WFF then sorts it all out into one of six interfaces that allows to further distilling of the text. I found the interface and the implications simply brilliant.
Give it a whirl.
-nn
Monday, March 5, 2007
bling. blang. blong.
Everything was just fine this morning. I was buzzing into work in the "fast" lane. There was a not-too-annoying song in my head and this post was forming up.
I settled into the morning routine, thinking I would outline the post. I logged on, pulled open the window and:
POOF!
Like it never happened.
Now I sit here feeling old and forgetful, frustrated beyond belief.
Sometimes I feel like I am living two completely separate lives and they are both strangers.
-nn
I settled into the morning routine, thinking I would outline the post. I logged on, pulled open the window and:
POOF!
Like it never happened.
Now I sit here feeling old and forgetful, frustrated beyond belief.
Sometimes I feel like I am living two completely separate lives and they are both strangers.
-nn
Friday, March 2, 2007
Writing about compassion
I have been trying to pen my thoughts on compassion. Unfortunately, I am without a singular thread. I think scattershot would be the appropriate word, if it is a word at all. Muddle-headed also jumps to mind.
I found this blurb that seems to some it up nicely:
"When you give a shilling to a beggar - do you realize that you are giving it to yourself? When you help a lame dog over a stile - do you realize that you yourself are being helped? When you kick a man when he is down - do you realize that you are kicking yourself? Give him another kick - if you deserve it!"
- Why Lazurus Laughed by Wei Wu Wei
-nn
I found this blurb that seems to some it up nicely:
"When you give a shilling to a beggar - do you realize that you are giving it to yourself? When you help a lame dog over a stile - do you realize that you yourself are being helped? When you kick a man when he is down - do you realize that you are kicking yourself? Give him another kick - if you deserve it!"
- Why Lazurus Laughed by Wei Wu Wei
-nn
Thursday, March 1, 2007
There comes a time....
... in every young man's mind when all his thoughts turn to spring and all the promise of a young and budding future. Unfortunately for me, that time was a while back. Being on the cusp of 43 (gasp!) hardly makes me a candidate for anything considered youthful. Still, in my heart of hearts, I am a horribly confused mid-twenty guy searching for something.
The something takes on many forms: a reasonable balance of life and work, utter and uncontrollable joy (something we ALL should spend more time seeking out), and finally, a decaf coffee just as tasty as the real thing (I can dream, can't I?).
The search which led me to more youthful activities like working out. Little piece of advice for those still young enough to enjoy the latest pap served on MTV; learn a life of physical activity. Achieve this habit while you are young. It will serve you well.
You can thank me later.
I know you will.
-nn
The something takes on many forms: a reasonable balance of life and work, utter and uncontrollable joy (something we ALL should spend more time seeking out), and finally, a decaf coffee just as tasty as the real thing (I can dream, can't I?).
The search which led me to more youthful activities like working out. Little piece of advice for those still young enough to enjoy the latest pap served on MTV; learn a life of physical activity. Achieve this habit while you are young. It will serve you well.
You can thank me later.
I know you will.
-nn
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