r|break: no fiber break weekend ...

... so fiber break yourself - in a good & healthy way (or maybe send me some fiber break content). perhaps you want to revisit past fiber breaks (just using search words), so you also can see the video clips that have been taken off (y'know - that violation bullsh** stuff - bastards!).

i have been in a bit of a pensive mood ... and have chosen to make sure i have my share of friends & family face time (and some fbook stuff). what does that mean? not a bunch of blogging (albeit the MANY (!) potential posts that sit as "draft"). watching (actively and passively) a bunch of recorded shows. (uh ... like BSG, thank you!) catching up on my magazine reading. weaving in & out of several books i've started. spending time cooking. taking care of my health - physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional.

and i've been re-ing ... (re)organizing. (re)decorating. (re)writing. (re)visiting. (re)connecting. (re)grouping. just a bunch of stuff that i do on & off. that said, gonna return to it all.

thanks for visiting.

r|psa: ... heard on Forum this morn

KQED Radio: The End of Solitude


i thought this morn's forum was kind of interesting ... particularly given that i also took the day off to spend my time on some personal matters, run errands, weave in/out of my day with a few milestone goals, and continue to reflect with some life planning.

if you give it a listen ... i'd be interested in what initial thoughts you have. and for me, a quote that came to mind ...

Solitude is painful when one is young,
but delightful when one is more mature.
~ albert einstein

(from KQED's website) The advent of new technologies like text messaging and online social networking makes it easier to connect with friends far and wide, but at what cost? We talk with literary critic William Deresiewicz about the repercussions of hyper-connectivity and a generation that, he argues, seems unable to tolerate solitude and quiet reflection.
Host: Dave Iverson
Guests:
• William Deresiewicz, contributing writer for The Nation magazine, former associate professor of English at Yale and author of the recent article, "The End of Solitude" in the Chronicle of Higher Educatio

as i listened to this ... i thought about my time spent on facebook connecting with friends - and even more so, how i spent time connecting with friends prior to facebook. several years ago, i learned that verizon had a 6,000 minute plan; granted i used my mobile mainly for work, but i'm sure many will agree that the word locquacious certainly describes me. (my mobile minutes are much less, however, likely more than many others. and of course, i have unlimited texting.) additionally, people consider me a connector - i tend to keep in contact with folks and connect folks with each other. i sometimes affectionately terms this my sociology experiments (and perhaps some were experiments), but for the most part, the efforts to have friends meet friends is just that - friends meeting friends. admittedly, i really do like the old school face-to-face and voice-to-voice (sans the voicemail phone tag).

back in the day ... i quickly thought about my college days - given that the forum guest spoke about his college days. in the early 80s when i was in college, a few folks carried pagers (like a friend of mine who used it to conveniently manage his side business), but mostly, we just figured out when and where to meet and used our watch or the clock tower on campus. i vaguely recollect whether i used a pay phone; i'm sure i did at some point. but again, it was all about just making plans. and even then, no pda or cell phones. i think i had a planner i carried around or some sort of calendar. so like the guest, i could relate on some level. and also, i wrote (real pen to paper) letters to friends and family. (and back then, i also had a pretty high phone bill, but oh well!)

i'm not sure where exactly i'm heading with this thought tonight ... i do know that this reminds me of a friend who, using conventional societal terms, is a loner. (and here i realize i'm feeding in to this moniker, and perhaps it's not all quite true or accurate.) he tends not to use his cell phone much; it's used "to do" stuff - not just to text or chit-chat with people. phone at home? no answering machine or voice mail. e-mail? mainly to fulfill his keeping in contact with other enthusiasts of his hobby. and yet he pretty much gets about. one thing, however, is i've not really asked what/how he spends his solitude. perhaps it doesn't matter, but this makes me wonder what his thoughts are about this.

i do know this about today ... it was nice to weave in/out of my own space and to spend some time meeting up with folks (personally and on telephony-wise). i did get a new phone (finally after losing mine in early sept '08 and using a back-up phone of many-many-ages ago) and immediately called a friend (or two or three), texted, made sure to get my bberry to access a couple of e-mail accounts, fix the ring tones, and just got busy on that phone! (crazy!) just had to get connected! and while doing so, the forum discussion stuck in my head. i believe that is why i choose not to get on my computer (where i'd for sure have fb'd, e/m'd, etc.). but still - i was feeling like i needed to connect (immediately).

feeding my soul ... however, a few things i did today for a bit more to feed my soul was to make sure i was up to date on my health - physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional. made appointments that have been a bit past due (and a few just on time), got a spiritual reading done (which i've not done for more than a year), and journaling (pen to paper). and before i go to sleep, my reiki treatment.

solitude. what does it mean to you?

r|break: ponder-post for your reading pleasure

posted as a comment over here ... do you have an opinion to share with shirlsd or KevDude? the following (with a few edits - grammar, typos, etc.) is from KevDude (anonymous, really), who was in DC during inauguration time ...

"So I was in the Washington DC area this week. I was there on business and I think that perhaps I was the one and only person in Maryland that was there working as opposed to celebrating the dawning of a new era.

There was much fanfare, excitement by people that it appeared had never been out of their home town, let alone the nation's capital. They lady in front of me, when I checked in, asked the clerk if she was going to be able to park at the Lincoln Memorial to see the event. He tried to explain that she would probably not be able to drive within 20 miles of the event, and she proceeded to lecture him that she indeed could as she had this here silver ticket.

She was better than the person in front of her though that didn't actually know where Washington DC was and didn't understand concepts like the Mall, viewing stands, reflecting pond, etc. I actually did feel a bit sorry for her as it was going to be about 30 degreed the next day, and I was certain that she was going to get lost.

The interesting thing though was to listen to why they all were at the Hampton Inn paying a ridiculous rate to join others to go to an event where they would not be able to see or really participate other than to join as they would at a rock concert.

Their reasoning, or at least for most of them, Obama was going to finally take away money from the "rich" folks and send it their way. I listening with interest as one group explained how Obama was going to ensure that they got high paying jobs but wouldn't have to really pay taxes because the rich people would, how Obama was going to shut down the big oil companies, etc. At this point, I began to feel sorry for President Obama, even before he was president, as there is no way that he is going to be able to meet expectations that are so out of the bounds of reality.

Then I read a bit of the newspaper, and it was going on about how we all need to stand up and take responsibility and contribute to a new period in the US. I looked around me and thought, perhaps unfairly, that I didn't think this is what people were looking for. Responsibility is work. They are looking for "their" issues to be the ones addressed, whoever "they" are and whatever their "issues" are.

One man cannot change this country, and although the person currently in the oval office deserves the opportunity to try and will be a welcome relief to that past poor excuse for a leader, I realize that in reality, little changes.

So I went back up to my room where the air conditioning was clanking like a US made automobile without putting out much heat."

so ... i thank KevDude for sharing ... and i am pondering his comment of "one man cannot change this country...". it is similar to a friend's friend who said - after a bit of a night out in sta barbara - that he "... don't believe one person could make a difference". i remember being surprised (disbelief) at his statement. understandably, it's not the same as KevDude's comment, but i believe the ultimate intent of the comment is comparable. so i ponder ...

can one person make a difference
and change this country?

yhd: week 1

last week (over here), i started my weekly yhd posts ... how i'm doing with my 2009 yhd, as well as whatever else is popping up. and given the "short week" (jan 1-4), i learned that 45-minutes can result in an awesome conversation, i can minimize my shoulds by unshould-ing (and tapping notes into my blackberry to make sure i've unshould-ed). i learned for the 1st 4 days that i stepped up on other yhd activities that were NOT in my initial near-term & long-term

for this week, on the whatever-else-popped-up ... well, it was a nifty reconnecting & revisiting with friends. magz was in town; lunch was fun with her, and after just a quick yip-yap with one of her former classmates, i learned about how an egg-timer can be used in an office setting. had breakfast with someone from back in the college days - been more than 20 years. a traffic jam (crawling less than two miles in an hour) gave me a chance to catch-up with folks, but i missed a fabu home-cooked meal. training on combustion sources reminded me how much i REALLY miss technology and pollution control. got to spend some fun time with several sacto friends - keith, matt, floyd, eric, and dot ... and the coincidence of running into earl, with whom i worked back in '88-'90, was awesome! also, i was texting a friend in SD just as he was calling (and it's been quite a while!). i had a 1-hr r|cat conference call and THAT was very exciting and re-energizing! i learned that a friend's boyfriend yaps with one of the guitarists of a band that i had just seen last week friday. my mom got into a l'il car accident; she's okay.

333 ... this is the time i often wake-up for a quick blip of time (y'know, before the 4:45 to 5:15 AM clip of time for workdays!). so here's what googling got me from numerology - "this sign indicated that your spirit guides agree with your thoughts and feelings and could be interpreted as a cosmic 'yes!' to questions you have asked or ideas you may have." hmmm - go figure, i have spirit guides.

on the yhd activities ... i've revised how i keep track of where i am on my near-term choices so i don't have to revisit my original '09 yhd & i can include a few notes about my thoughts of where i'm at. also, i'm contemplating if i should just go biweekly (rather than weekly). nevertheless ...

• spiritual/health & body - re-establish reiki-practice for self - started re-reading my reiki info to "retrain" myself.
  
• creative expression - blog about apprentern (over here) - yikes! nothing yet.
  
• finance - completing taxes - for past taxes (long story, now better & short), 99% there! accountant + bookkeeper have told me that they have all the info needed. (will update this near-term next to specify '08 taxes!)
  

... and actually, very close and on the heels of these are ...

• work - being supportive and engaged in colleagues' goals and objectives - had training over this past week; exchanging knowledge. very fun stuff!
  
• health & body - continue with "serpentine" walk/jog/run training - only got 2 days in (rather than 4 days).
  
• travel/adventures - re-establish day hiking - hmmm? may regroup on where this is in the pecking order.
  

on the long-term choices ... have continued/started various spiritual related activities to beef up my intuitive awareness.

here are a few other activities i've touched upon in the 1st full week of jan '09 (and actually, if you want details, feel free to ask) ...

1_finances '09 ... completing taxes, suze orman-ing, revise/update financial planning objectives, being more mindful of better financial management, learning about environmental-related investment options, increasing savings toward retirement, re-establish philanthropic practices
2_health & body ... continuing to lower blood pressure and cholesterol, continuing healthier eating habits including balanced-meal home cooking, increasing healthy-heart type activities, re-establishing more regular yoga practice, re-establishing reiki practice, re-establish kickboxing practice, continue with "serpentine" walk/jog/run training, continue chiropractic health care, learning more about healthier/alternative food choices, make time to engage in mind & body exercise-related activities
3_relationships ... continuing to invest in friendships that are mutually supportive and unconditional, being constructive in letting go, increasing spending quality time with brother's family and mom, being mindful of and act accordingly toward relationships that are not spiritually and emotionally fulfilling, welcoming and becoming involved in a long-term/committed relationship with a man, being more mindful of creating time/space for out & about spontaneity, re-establishing building and sustaining relationships that contribute to mission/vision/values
4_work ... continuing to work on environmental & energy-related issues, fulfilling work's professional development and training goals & objectives, repositioning r|cat, integrating environmental professional development as part of goals & objectives, improving time/project management, re-establishing recognition as valuable resource for energy & enviro issues, continuing to enjoy and have fun at work, being supportive and engaged in colleagues' goals and objectives, creating professional and personal "bridges" among variety of colleagues
5_home ... creating and maintaining a home that is inviting for entertaining friends & family, establishing and maintaining an uncluttered home, re-establish gardening practice, creating a personal space for meditating and reiki practice, revisit and finish apartment therapy (over here)
6_creative expression ... blog about apprentern (in spirit of jengyee), write shorts about ba dating and like-kind IJAM stories, write about environmental professional development, make time to engage in creative expression activities, learn about and use digital photography techniques, re-establish drawing (pen/pencil) and painting (watercolor), re-establish connection and implement '94 epiphany (over here - and if you really wanna know the epiphany stuff, let me know & i'll forward), re-establish piano playing
7_travel & adventures ... travel where i'll use my my passport, visit spain, (re)visit friends in the u.s., travel at least once a quarter to see friends, take trip/vacation with man with whom i'm in a relationship, visit california nature locales, re-establish day hiking, make time for local weekend get-a-ways, travel with friends, take up a new recreational activity, start the zagat-like air district journal
8_spiritual ... re-establish reiki practice for self and for others, re-learn about angels for guidance, re-establish intuitive awareness practices as part of decisionmaking for betterment of self and communities, continue meditating, acknowledge and be mindful of signs, continue to make time to journal to increase/enhance spiritual awareness, continue to heal loss of friends, attend events related to spiritual development
9_possessions ... maintain possessions that support desires/goals/objectives (esp. health & body, relationships, work, creative expression, spiritual), read/finish at least one book per month among books already in possession, increase use of subscription magazine-related information, better use of journals, continue timely car maintainence
10_special intentions ... be directly involved in activities for influencing regional & national enviro-energy issues, be resource recognized and sought after as bridge for the enviro-energy issues where my spiritual & environmental professional development interests can be expressed as part of repositioned r|cat, be at ease with writing that is shared publicly, be at ease with managing and balancing my time

[RECAP/REPOST from last week] moniker-heave - and interestingly enough, on a moniker for someone ... i am acknowledging that it's time for me to put to rest a particular moniker (which i shall not go in to detail here). it is not helpful toward my personal efforts to invest in a particular friendship that is evolving in a positive direction. so it's going to be put to rest & archived in moniker-heaven. BUT i will continue my monikering - no mistaking that!

bring on week #2 of jan 2009!

yhd: wk 1-ish ending

each sunday, i'll make a point to drop even a l'il post about how my 2009 yhd is coming along, as well as whatever else is popping up. at this point, it's not really been quite one week, given jan 1 was just 3 days ago. regardless, my first drop-by post of many more. and i'd say it has been a good 4 days so far!

on the whatever else popped-up ... interesting and very cool conversation with my chiro after my weekly saturday morn appointment. without going into details ('cuz that is what my hand-written journal is all about), i'm going to practice turning my should statements & actions into unshoulds and see/experience what unfolds.

on the yhd activities ... on the near-term choices, have the health & body serpentine going on (walk phase still); on the long-term choices, have continued/started various spiritual related activities to beef up my intuitive awareness. and i might add that the chiro conversation CERTAINLY contributed to the spiritual side.

here are a few other activities i've touched upon just in the past several days:

• health & body ... continuing healthier eating habits including balanced-meal home cooking, increasing healthy-heart type activities, learning more about healthier/alternative food choices
• relationships ... continuing to invest in friendships that are mutually supportive and unconditional, being constructive in letting go, being mindful of and act accordingly toward relationships that are not spiritually and emotionally fulfilling, being more mindful of creating time/space for out & about spontaneity
• home ... revisit and finish apartment therapy (over here)
• creative expression ... write shorts about ba dating and like-kind IJAM stories
• spiritual ... continue to make time to journal to increase/enhance spiritual awareness, continue to heal loss of friends
• possessions ... increase use of subscription magazine-related information, better use of journals

moniker-heave -and interestingly enough, on a moniker for someone ... i am acknowledging that it's time for me to put to rest a particular moniker (which i shall not go in to detail here). it is not helpful toward my personal efforts to invest in a particular friendship that is evolving in a positive direction. so it's going to be put to rest & archived in moniker-heaven. BUT i will continue my monikering - not mistaking that!

revisiting the popped-up ... i will say that i am amazed at how very motivating and timely yester-morning's conversation with doc chiro was. it was like a total coincidence to be engaged in such a discussion amidst several things swirling around in my head. the conversation not only validated for me what i've been pursuing in my personal life but also reminded me of some previous activities i had engaged - activities i am reinstating in my life as far as life planning/woo-woo stuff. and i'm now adding ontology to my little "learn more" stuff associated with epistemology of ignorance that i've had quite a bit of interest. nevertheless - great, great popped-up stuff!

i welcome the 1st full week of jan 2009!
very excited to see what pops up
and how i yhd through the week!

happy 1 year?

on this date last year i was filling out forms and stuff ...

i have spent a year in cubeopolis.

and now, i ponder ... as i always seem to do.

oh yeah! and then i get side-tracked

... as i always seem to do.

[from mina lee studio]

back on track (sort of-ish) with a l'il help from sactofloyd ...

i told sactofloyd (thanks!) i would post, so i'm going to keep my word ... post the l'il thingy he sent me saturday.

this is the l'il avatar gift that sactofloyd (aka (affectionately) stupidicus, as i am his moronicus) made after poaching from here, for which his (and my) virtual stalking will continue through ddust's project runway recaps ('cuz ya gotta love his top chef recaps!).

other avatar thingy's that sactofloyd has thrown my way ...? some previous blog posts from the simpson stuff here and here. and that's been it so far (i think), at least for what i've memorialized.

and as for getting back on track (sort of-ish) ... i wanted to wait until ms. iris got back on-line so she would see the results of my iris-google-stalking. she's back on-line (hi iris!).

so yes, admittedly, i slumped on m'6 steps that i posted - recap of 6 steps here:

• step 1 - frakin' post to m'blog!
• step 2 - read my friends' blogs and others i miss!
• step 3 - energy and exercise!
• step 4 - prepare and cook food!
• step 5 - reconnect with moi!
• step 6 - reconnect with r|alex!

and now i intend to get back on track. what went off track? well, i did keep up with steps 2, 4, and 5 for sure ... and so-so on step 3 (until a bit of a recent bout with some funky, yet-to-be-figured out dizziness ... wassup with that?! crazy sh** still to be figured out.) and so-so on step 6 (i did get some r|alex in here and there). step 1 ... ugh, not-so-much. not. so. much.

still - what has happened? hmmm .... perhaps it's just the change in seasons? it's a bit of a little of this and a little of that - resulting in not regularly posting ...

• i'm thinking it's my partially pondering the now ~9 months at cubeopolis with my angst. actually, have been pondering a bit intensely since ~april. (is there such a thing as the 7-month itch?) now it's time to get thoughts down, eh?
  
• and i'm thinking it's partially my newly found cookin' bug-up-my-bum with new pots/pans + knives (these knives!). on most weekends, i make a point to get out to a farmers market and then play test kitchen.
  
• and perhaps it is that SF has not been graced by the threat of billn, and in fact such a visit may be in slight jeopardy. (bummer)
  
• and partially digging into the pages of many unread books and magazines that sit on my shelves, nightstand, tabletops, under my car seat, etc. - so far over the past couple+ months, books have included: (currently finishing up) moore's lamb: ... and have finished up seidman's how: ..., mcewan's on chesil beach, stephenson's zodiac, and sedaris's when you are engulfed in flames.

and who knows what else? regardless, getting back on track-ish. so let's give this another try!

thanks sactofloyd!