Saturday, May 11, 2002
listening to LONG TIME by boston on bbc6 - funny how one tune (well, two, if you count the long-ass instrumental which precedes it) can transport you to 1976!
went to our college's spring festival - fun, albeit chilly. the potato pancakes rocked...
even more fun was taking the troops to a coffee shop nearby to warm up - good coffee/hot cocoa abounded and there were fun games to play - which goes to show, often things that spontaneously pop up are way more fun than things you plan for...
even more fun was taking the troops to a coffee shop nearby to warm up - good coffee/hot cocoa abounded and there were fun games to play - which goes to show, often things that spontaneously pop up are way more fun than things you plan for...
on my never ending quest for cool desktop wallpaper, i found this page, purportedly the first devoted to one of my favorite olympians, cute-as-bugs-ears gold medalist in the skeleton and former home depot employee, tristan gale (who also has an official site)
oh yeah, and that b*stard george clooney didn't even attend his friend, dr. mark green's funeral
hehe
btw - who'd a thought that george clooney would turn out to be a good actor. he was good in THREE KINGS and GREAT in O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU? which i may rent again tonite...
great music - now i'm not a big fan of country music, but bluegrass is cool - i like alison krauss who performs on the soundtrack
hehe
btw - who'd a thought that george clooney would turn out to be a good actor. he was good in THREE KINGS and GREAT in O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU? which i may rent again tonite...
great music - now i'm not a big fan of country music, but bluegrass is cool - i like alison krauss who performs on the soundtrack
Joey's Pizza: Which ALIAS character are you?
i KNEW there had to be an alias quiz out there! i'm sure i would have been happy with any result (though this IS a good one, cuz sydney likes vaughn). btw - my brother knows bradley cooper (who plays good-hearted, albeit, slightly dim-witted reporter will tippin).bradley graduated from the actor's studio last year (yeah, the one the bravo show comes from (parodied on snl, (i am told(haven't watched snl too much since belushi(rip)(going for record for most parenthetical comments)))) and my brother is a few weeks away from graduating. (congratulations, jerry!!!))
oooohhh - season finale of ALIAS tomorrow... i haven't been this excited since, since, last week before the next-to-season finale of ALIAS
if anyone has emailed me and i haven't responded, i have been having a problem w/my hotmail acct and may be missing emails, so please resend. someone sent me a HUGE attachment, which put me over my acct limit - so they may have blocked messages
in other news, i went to my wives bowling banquet yesterday and followed vegetarian strategy #1 for this kinds of affairs - i.e. have a small meal before, so if there isn't much to eat you won't starve. almost all of these kinds of things offer salad, potatoes, desserts etc - i.e. enough for a small meal. for me, eating smaller, more frequent meals makes me feel the best anyhow. will adopt the same strategy tomorrow when we take our mom's out for brunch! bowling banquet was kinda fun, though at a certain point the cigarette smoke got to be overwhelming. if i'm in a room where a couple of folks are smoking, it's no big deal - i can handle it. but geesh - after a certain point, i couldn't breathe - my throat, chest and eyes burned all the rest of the night!
in other news, i went to my wives bowling banquet yesterday and followed vegetarian strategy #1 for this kinds of affairs - i.e. have a small meal before, so if there isn't much to eat you won't starve. almost all of these kinds of things offer salad, potatoes, desserts etc - i.e. enough for a small meal. for me, eating smaller, more frequent meals makes me feel the best anyhow. will adopt the same strategy tomorrow when we take our mom's out for brunch! bowling banquet was kinda fun, though at a certain point the cigarette smoke got to be overwhelming. if i'm in a room where a couple of folks are smoking, it's no big deal - i can handle it. but geesh - after a certain point, i couldn't breathe - my throat, chest and eyes burned all the rest of the night!
Friday, May 10, 2002
well, got out for a quick skate around campus...too smeggin' windy to do much though - so it was more of a "get the boy out of his office for 15 min of natural light and fresh air" than a serious workout...still hit the spot - and besides with a class coming up in an hour or so, don't want to be too malodorous...
anyhow, i think the craig charles show is coming up soon on bbc6
anyhow, i think the craig charles show is coming up soon on bbc6
Thursday, May 09, 2002
from bad to worse...
tonight is anthony edwards last episode of er. almost makes me wish nell was on again. please gentle reader - know that despite my rants against nell and er, i am not a cynical and jaded, twisted little misanthrope. i am a nice guy. really i am. but when tv shows or movies are so blatantly designed to be heart-wrenching - i can't take it. i find it manipulative - the end result being self-exile to the basement for some quality time on the computer.
tonight is anthony edwards last episode of er. almost makes me wish nell was on again. please gentle reader - know that despite my rants against nell and er, i am not a cynical and jaded, twisted little misanthrope. i am a nice guy. really i am. but when tv shows or movies are so blatantly designed to be heart-wrenching - i can't take it. i find it manipulative - the end result being self-exile to the basement for some quality time on the computer.
spoke to a group of high school kids today. contrary to the prevailing opinion of folks my age, high school kids today are more or less the same as we were. it genuinely makes me feel optimistic for the future to meet them and speak with them.
hmmm - i always thought these quizzes were just silly fun, but maybe they are on to something...
What Beatles' song are you?
What Beatles' song are you?
Wednesday, May 08, 2002
i am sure this will reveal me as an insensitive clod, but my wife is watching NELL upstairs and i just can't take it, for everyone's happiness, i've banished myself to the basement to blog and surf...
i told my daughter her shirt was on backwards (it was) - she told me she didn't care - now where do you 'spose she got an attitude like that (hehe - that's my girl!!!)
one of the best quotes i have heard about a yoga practice is it will never be perfect and it is already perfect.
my yoga teacher last night playfully asked while i was in trikonasana "is that front leg straight?" of course i "thought" it was, but, it clearly was not, as i then - by focusing, made it straighter. (of course, she knew it wasn't straight all along - either wanted me to figure it out by myself, or was giving me the benefit of the doubt because of my knee troubles) she joked "i'm glad when i can catch you once in a while..." which i took it as a compliment - i.e. it must be that i'm on the mark most of the time. it was also a reminder to stay focused and aware
now those of you who don't practice yoga may wonder - what's the difference if your leg is not exactly straight - in some cases there ARE physical implications - i.e. improper alignment can cause injury, but that wasn't necessarily the case here - in this instance it was a matter of focus. the point is that yoga is all about being present and aware - i.e. my leg was not straight because i had let my awareness slip and got a little sloppy in the pose, not because of any physical limitation. by gently reminding me of this, my teacher brought me back into awareness. awareness cultivated in yoga can be beneficial in all other aspects of life. that for me is why yoga is called a practice - i.e. you are not practicing for some kind of competition, as an athlete practices, you are practicing awareness and focus - using your body and the precise alignment of the pose as the instrument of focus, so you can become more aware. as you become more aware, wonderful things can happen.
this also to me points out the importance of a teacher. without someone there to keep you honest, it would be easy to let your awareness/practice slip. with a good teacher to keep you honest - esp. a long time teacher that KNOWS the BEST way to keep YOU honest, you can keep the awareness going even into your home practice.
now those of you who don't practice yoga may wonder - what's the difference if your leg is not exactly straight - in some cases there ARE physical implications - i.e. improper alignment can cause injury, but that wasn't necessarily the case here - in this instance it was a matter of focus. the point is that yoga is all about being present and aware - i.e. my leg was not straight because i had let my awareness slip and got a little sloppy in the pose, not because of any physical limitation. by gently reminding me of this, my teacher brought me back into awareness. awareness cultivated in yoga can be beneficial in all other aspects of life. that for me is why yoga is called a practice - i.e. you are not practicing for some kind of competition, as an athlete practices, you are practicing awareness and focus - using your body and the precise alignment of the pose as the instrument of focus, so you can become more aware. as you become more aware, wonderful things can happen.
this also to me points out the importance of a teacher. without someone there to keep you honest, it would be easy to let your awareness/practice slip. with a good teacher to keep you honest - esp. a long time teacher that KNOWS the BEST way to keep YOU honest, you can keep the awareness going even into your home practice.
Tuesday, May 07, 2002
the question i would ask, both to confirmed atheists and cofirmed believers in god is "how would you live differently if you found out you were wrong about god?" to me there is not, nor can there be, any indisputable evidence one way or another - i frankly think anyone who claims they know for sure is kidding themselves. for me, the question of whether or not god exists is almost irrelevant. if i were to definitively find out ther was no god, would i quit my job, rob banks, be mean to the people in my life ? no... i would get up in the morning, go to my job, try to be the best husband and dad i can be, try to be helpful to those who's path i cross - in short, i would try and live the same way i would if i found out definitively there was a god. so, for me, if there is a deep philosophical question, whose answer would have no bearing on how you would live your life, then it's pretty much irrelevant. i feel the same way about the afterlife. the point is, i am alive now - it is my aim to live as good of a life as possible - a good life is to be pursued for it's own benefits...
for some reason, i find this kind of sad. on the other hand given he died in his sleep after he lived to a relatively old age, accomplished the pinnacle of success in his chosen field and was "one of racing's greatest sires" perhaps there is nothing to feel bad about.
today is a "reading day". finals start thursday. yesterday was last day of classes - students have 2 days to study, get extra help, etc...so i am to be on call in my office should anyone show up requestiong help...if no one does, i am free to address my mound of papers to grade, finish preparing the finals, hang out, chill, read, blog, etc....
i AM excited. since today is not a normal class day, i don't have my tues eve class, which means i get to go to my tues pm eve yoga class and see all my friends from there again!
i AM excited. since today is not a normal class day, i don't have my tues eve class, which means i get to go to my tues pm eve yoga class and see all my friends from there again!
Monday, May 06, 2002
most music fans, even those with the most eclectic taste and the largest cd collections KNOW that somewhere out there, there are a bunch of great artists which they have not yet discovered...even the biggest cd collection just scratches the surface...that's waht keeps us going and buying cd's on hunches and scanning music magazines and the internet and internet/college radio. over the weekend i picked up STARS by lori carson i plan on posting a full review after i've given the cd a chance to sink in (i know i think i've promised full reviews on SANDINISTA, this and prob ALL THINGS MUST PASS) but she is definitely worth checking out - a unique artist!
got mentioned on bbc6. the dj (or presenter as the brits call them) was discussing how he was afraid of clowns as a kid and still wasn't too crazy about them. he asked for listeners opinions - to which i replied via email "anyone in their right mind is terrified of clowns" - the presenter read my email and heartily agreed. it's great to have the opportunity to spread my own brand of wisdom beyond the readers of this web log to the listeners of bbc6!
Sunday, May 05, 2002
in a weird mood - here are the lyrics to MY SWEET LORD
My sweet lord
Hm, my lord
Hm, my lord
I really want to see you
Really want to be with you
Really want to see you lord
But it takes so long, my lord
My sweet lord
Hm, my lord
Hm, my lord
I really want to know you
Really want to go with you
Really want to show you lord
That it won't take long, my lord (hallelujah)
My sweet lord (hallelujah)
Hm, my lord (hallelujah)
My sweet lord (hallelujah)
I really want to see you
Really want to see you
Really want to see you, lord
Really want to see you, lord
But it takes so long, my lord (hallelujah)
My sweet lord (hallelujah)
Hm, my lord (hallelujah)
My, my, my lord (hallelujah)
I really want to know you (hallelujah)
Really want to go with you (hallelujah)
Really want to show you lord (aaah)
That it won't take long, my lord (hallelujah)
Hmm (hallelujah)
My sweet lord (hallelujah)
My, my, lord (hallelujah)
Hm, my lord (hare krishna)
My, my, my lord (hare krishna)
Oh hm, my sweet lord (krishna, krishna)
Oh-uuh-uh (hare hare)
Now, I really want to see you (hare rama)
Really want to be with you (hare rama)
Really want to see you lord (aaah)
But it takes so long, my lord (hallelujah)
Hm, my lord (hallelujah)
My, my, my lord (hare krishna)
My sweet lord (hare krishna)
My sweet lord (krishna krishna)
My lord (hare hare)
Hm, hm (Gurur Brahma)
Hm, hm (Gurur Vishnu)
Hm, hm (Gurur Devo)
Hm, hm (Maheshwara)
My sweet lord (Gurur Sakshaat)
My sweet lord (Parabrahma)
My, my, my lord (Tasmayi Shree)
My, my, my, my lord (Guruve Namah)
My sweet lord (Hare Rama)
[fade:]
(hare krishna)
My sweet lord (hare krishna)
My sweet lord (krishna krishna)
My lord (hare hare)
My sweet lord
Hm, my lord
Hm, my lord
I really want to see you
Really want to be with you
Really want to see you lord
But it takes so long, my lord
My sweet lord
Hm, my lord
Hm, my lord
I really want to know you
Really want to go with you
Really want to show you lord
That it won't take long, my lord (hallelujah)
My sweet lord (hallelujah)
Hm, my lord (hallelujah)
My sweet lord (hallelujah)
I really want to see you
Really want to see you
Really want to see you, lord
Really want to see you, lord
But it takes so long, my lord (hallelujah)
My sweet lord (hallelujah)
Hm, my lord (hallelujah)
My, my, my lord (hallelujah)
I really want to know you (hallelujah)
Really want to go with you (hallelujah)
Really want to show you lord (aaah)
That it won't take long, my lord (hallelujah)
Hmm (hallelujah)
My sweet lord (hallelujah)
My, my, lord (hallelujah)
Hm, my lord (hare krishna)
My, my, my lord (hare krishna)
Oh hm, my sweet lord (krishna, krishna)
Oh-uuh-uh (hare hare)
Now, I really want to see you (hare rama)
Really want to be with you (hare rama)
Really want to see you lord (aaah)
But it takes so long, my lord (hallelujah)
Hm, my lord (hallelujah)
My, my, my lord (hare krishna)
My sweet lord (hare krishna)
My sweet lord (krishna krishna)
My lord (hare hare)
Hm, hm (Gurur Brahma)
Hm, hm (Gurur Vishnu)
Hm, hm (Gurur Devo)
Hm, hm (Maheshwara)
My sweet lord (Gurur Sakshaat)
My sweet lord (Parabrahma)
My, my, my lord (Tasmayi Shree)
My, my, my, my lord (Guruve Namah)
My sweet lord (Hare Rama)
[fade:]
(hare krishna)
My sweet lord (hare krishna)
My sweet lord (krishna krishna)
My lord (hare hare)
i found a good book i read many years ago when i first contemplated becoming a vegetarian - and which i lost track of, we moved, etc,,,and only today found again. it is called THE GRADUAL VEGETARIAN - it may be out of print, couldn't find a link on amazon for it - anyhow, it gives great advice re:making the transition from a meat-based diet to a plant-based one. although i read the book (many years earlier), i didn't follow it's advice when i actually changed a couple years back and had a few rough weeks before i got everything sorted out - don't make the same mistake i did!
leisurely skate yesterday - you know - some days the legs simply don't want to work! perhaps haven't recovered from last evening's skate 'round the 'hood
