Infinite Discontinuity

Lennon & Skylar

2008-04-26T00:13:00.003-05:00

Lennon

Skylar

Reactivation

2008-03-30T22:31:00.003-05:00

I think I'll start using this blog for pictures I'm taking. It's a little easier to use for that purpose, so look for new stuff here.

I'm Moving

2007-10-19T13:40:00.000-05:00

No, not relocating my person, I'm changing my blog to here.

Whew!

2007-10-18T11:35:00.000-05:00

I just finished the 4th exam in as many weeks. I'm ready to not have an exam on my horizon, but alas, there is another calculus exam next week. Then I actually get about 10 days before I have to take another exam! Dang!

USA 10-miler

2007-10-14T15:26:00.000-05:00

My time, 1:20:32, was an 8-min. improvement on last year--felt good. This poor woman tried to pass me in the last 30 yards of the course, and having been passed by about 2 others, I didn't let her. Sorry, lady.

The thing I really wanted to blog about, though, was the course took us passed a street called "Memory Lane." One one side of the tiny and overgrown, but paved pathway, was a sign bearing the street name, on the other was a sign boldly declaring, "No Outlet." I ran by thinking, "Isn't that the truth?"

Radiohead - In Rainbows

2007-10-10T16:16:00.000-05:00

The new Radiohead album, In Rainbows, is out today. It's excellent! It took me a few days to digest Hail to the Thief but IR is much more accessible, yet, still as entropic as any Radiohead album should be.

Cool iTunes feature

2007-10-04T13:00:00.000-05:00

I've never tried it before, but iTunes can fix scratched CDs. I found that out on accident because I have a copy of OK Computer by Radiohead that has been scratched since day 1. I was moving it over to my iPod and discovered that it fixed the scratched tracks. So now, I'm re-burning--having imported the tracks as .wav files, whereby, they are fixed. I'm now going to try it with some other discs. I'm sure it won't work for all, but if even a few are fixed, I'll be thrilled.

Calculus - Test 1

2007-09-29T17:57:00.000-05:00

I took my first calculus test today. I feel like I did everything okay. I couldn't have been more prepared, so I can safely say I did my best. Sometimes, I forget that is all we can ask of ourselves, and it's enough.

I know a portion of my grade, 54. I don't know how many points that is out of. There is a written portion and an online multiple choice potion that I can see the grade to right away.

Learnalilgivinanlovin

2007-09-23T18:36:00.001-05:00

Pronounced Gore-ti-yeah. Great band, too bad they don't have more exposure in the US. They are big in Australia, apparently. Enjoy!

Sunday Morning

2007-09-16T18:25:00.000-05:00

There was some beautiful weather this morning during my weekly long run. So beautiful, in fact, I literally went "the extra mile." I set out to run 11, but opted to run 12, because I was just enjoying the cool, dry conditions. Hopefully, we'll see some more weather like that. I've been grabbing breakfast at this small scale health food restaurant, which is cool because I can get "bad for you" taste but "good for you" food. Nice too, because I don't feel the stomach nastiness that usually comes with eating the bad for you stuff.

Last night, I saw a very touching wedding ceremony, two of my friends from the running group tied the knot. You could tell that these two love each other very much, and need to be together. It was one of those ceremonies that reaffirms your faith in that institution. Best wishes to the happy couple.

It's also been an exciting weekend on the football front. UT, UH and the Texans all won! Woo Hoo!

"Let n be an integer."

2007-09-07T10:39:00.000-05:00

I've been curious about this mathematician, Paul Erdos, who was the most productive math scholar since Leonhard Euler. Despite what someone might assume about mathematicians, Erdos was a humorist, too. He is incorrectly attributed as having said that a "mathematician is a machine for turning coffee into theorems," though he did drink a lot of coffee. While perusing his page on wikiquotes, I noticed this was attributed to him, "Let n be an integer."

That might not strike you as funny until you read that he always started his conversations by stating that. You might think that is pretty weird until you realize that many, if not most, math proofs start with that statement.

Happy Friday.

Non-smoking Anniversary

2007-09-06T00:14:00.000-05:00

September 2nd marks 4 years since I quit smoking. Feels good.

Limits

2007-08-24T19:42:00.001-05:00

Today, my understanding of the mathematical concept of limits approached a new point. A limit, for the uninitiated, is concept from calculus where you think about a function and all it's possiblities as it "approaches" an assumed point. At least, that's the way I understand them thus far, there is probably more to it that just that.

But, as I was leaving my study session at the library, contemplating my homework, the uniqueness of consciousness crept into my thoughts, drifting between Miles Davis' notes in my ears. It seems to me that our minds are mostly a point of view. You are who you are because you have seen this set of experiences, and they impress on you a certain, unique perspective on the world. That's nothing new, I think John Locke wrote about the tabula rosa, but what I considered for a second--with Miles' crooning trumpet as I strolled in the sun--is that in a way we are like limits. We have all these possibilities, and as we approach our point of view, we discard the other possibilities, an approximate a useful solution that tells us more about our function, which in this case is our identity.

I felt good to be in the sun, with Miles, contemplating infinity and philosophy, I'm looking forward to this school year.

Happy Friday, all!

Fall 2007 TR classes

2007-08-23T08:13:00.000-05:00

It's going to be an interesting semester academically. Economic Growth will be a discussion of what makes some countries rich, poor and how some countries grow economically at an accelerated pace to others. It gives economics a little more of a heart than one might see from just looking at numbers and listening to the news. My other Tues./Thurs class is Intro to Stats & Data Analysis, which is going to re-examine a lot of math that I learned last semester. I enjoyed that math class, so I think I'll enjoy the econ version. Overall, this semster really brings the picture of what economics is into a clearer focus. It'll complete the package of tools that someone needs to use econ. Next semester's classes whill be growing on these lessons and applying them. I think that's exciting.

Oh, yeah, and college football season is gearing up too! Go Coogs! Go Horns!

First Day of Classes - Fall 2007

2007-08-20T11:29:00.000-05:00

So far:

Calculus I and lab; I'm excited about this course. My instructor introduced the class by saying, "This semester we are going to be contemplating the concept of infinity." We represent it with this:

My Intermediate Microeconomics professor reminds me of that old joke about how you can tell if an economist, or representative from another nerdy profession, is an extrovert. This prof was definitely looking at some of the shoes on the people on the front row, so she was. During her description of the syllabus and course policies, the thought crept in, "Can she handle this? Should I find another IM class?" But, after she started into the economic portions of the intro lecture, I realized that she is brilliant. Her credintials are impeccable, after all, so she is actually the best prof for the class from an academic standpoint. The class itself, looks to be very helpful in tying together a lot of remaining questons in my mind about the connection between math and econ.

Last day / First day

2007-08-17T14:10:00.000-05:00

Last day at the firm, after nearly 5 years. It's a little hard to let go, but it's time to move on.

I met with an advisor for the masters of science in applied mathematics degree that I want to get. Overall it went well. My timeframe may be a little delayed, but he was very encouraging about getting there. He also offered his help in getting me in the program. I'm so excited I don't what to do.

It feels like being at some kind of crossroads today, not just for me, but for others. One of the girls from work came here with her newborn baby, another is leaving today too, another friend is starting work on his Ph.D. on Monday. I suppose everyday is a crossroads like that, but today, I noticed it. Eras end and begin.

New Journeys, a week & five years

2007-08-10T11:51:00.001-05:00

My last day on my job that I've held for the last 5 years is next friday. To be honest, I can't wait. It's the continuation of my journey to economist. I'm going to start studying for the GRE to get a master's of science in applied math, statistics, so that I can get a Ph.D. in economics. Quitting the job means I can focus fully on school and forget about being a paralegal, finally. Paralegalling was good for me, and I learned a lot of important skills, such as reasoning and writing. But, it's time to continue my journey to doing something else with my life, so I'm taking the old skills and heading down a new path that is exciting for me. Even though, I'm still sure most people would think all this math and economics is boring, it makes me happy. So it goes.

The Translator

2007-07-19T15:08:00.000-05:00

For Amy, the girl of my dreams.

In the dream, on a plain, a golden hour landscape of rolling hills, treed and speckled with stones arranged by the ancients, sunned in affirmative warmth, lies the altarpiece to the goddess' description, an obelisk painstakingly carved in the forgotten language.

Any dutiful translator, pursuing the masculine task--the Demiurge's challenge--of interpreting this awe-struck corporeal missive to the feminine ideal, fails in the thesis of his unrelenting ambition. Yet, the credentials of the failed, the magnitude of artisans beset in trial, the unyielding determination of the faithful, marking the blissful sacrifice for which the fallen set their timeless goal, acclaims the dissipated memory to this unnamed Astarte.

Despite the intractible inscription and the obscure myth of it's creation, a legend accompanying this chiseled alphabet of woman, claims that while sons of Prometheus have held the secret of the words in their minds, none could fully sustain that knowledge over a long course of life. That while attaining a moment to lie beside her offers merit to any life-pursuit, no physical container can hold the realization of the goddess-transciption. Yet the enumerated listless, toiling in failed attempts, honors her, as does the mythical fraction of the successfully expired.

The philosopher-poet, discoverer of the forbidden language, translated to the vernacular, the single sentence of the partial account of the altarpiece's appearance. Though embellished with the author's egoistic annotations, the precedent tome, in a small section on a mystery-cult's ritual, left this fragment on the origin:

In her melancholy, she passed from earthen body to a destination beyond the mirrors, leaving only the engraved promise to the mortals and the matron-deity.

This narrator, son of a translator's son, in a piteous attempt to grasp the message of the characters of the universal lady, has uncovered the simplest word in a comparison of the forbidden tongue cross-referenced to the undocumented: stars. That logotype, sculpted on the sixth line of the scribe's monolith, inhabiting a small grouping of characters near the upper left of the tablet's surface expanse belies neither itself, nor the juxtaposed knowledge of the earthen scrawl.

The identified word, taunts the logophilic scholar of the scrutinizing sun, reveling the berth of its phrasing, the deciphered dawning and frenetic embrace of the mirror-maiden's eternity. The son of promethian scribes, in diligent pursuit through sidereal shades and summered simulacra, emblazons an imperfect description, an atavistic fantasy of the goddess' composition, a satisfying repose to expend his mortal time.

At moonrise, in ignorance and frustation of puzzling her words, the protagonist-student dreams, nightly, that she--like her word--is made of stars; a luminous form, a calculating wit, a vengeful temper, a seraphic depth, an unintimdated spirit, an indomitable loveliness, an intoxicating voice, an infinite empathy, shimmering through eyes like the setting light from across the galactic vastness.

Summer Doldrums

2007-07-03T12:30:00.000-05:00

It may be flooding down in Texas, but the summer doldrums have been giving me the blues for a few weeks now. Several friends moved away, leaving me to make new ones, which I have. I could always use a few more. Living on a shoe-string budget makes makes trips a little bit more painful than they used to be, but I'm taking a big group of friends to the Ranch this weekend. That should be fun.

I did sense something change between myself and the girl of my dreams, who moonlights at the Harp on Friday and Saturdays. For so long, I've had the sense that she didn't really like me, but the other night I was kind of talking to her about bar business and it just seemed different. Maybe its a change in me, not her. I'm trying to write something inspired by her, to give to her, that might make her feel good. ("Her" shows up a lot in that sentence.)

Six weeks to school starts and I can't wait--yes, I'm such a nerd I'm dying to take calculus. Despite that, I'm actually fun to get drunk with. I keep going back and forth about whether or not to go for an MBA or a grad degree in Economics. But, I feel close to a decision. Two of my friends who have MBAs have encouraged the Econ degree and a third who is just a fellow academic, also thinks that is the right direction for me. Ah, but what do I think? Well, they all pretty much said the magic words for me, "you get to be happy with what you are doing." Agreed. The draw to the MBA is about money mostly.

So far the best album I've bought this summer is the new Wilco disc, Sky Blue Sky. It's a bit of a roots album for the band; opting for a stripped-down sound over the heavy production of the last two albums, they have created a work that references a lot of 60's and 70's era rock. It's mostly love songs, and can be--like many Wilco albums--a little bit on the slow side of the spectrum. You can hear several cuts in the current batch of VW commericals on TV.

Chevron Houston Marathon

2007-06-28T13:02:00.001-05:00

I registered early for the marathon, today. It begins again. This year, the goal will be to qualify for Boston. I'm on the cusp of being able to pull it off with short distance times of about 7:30 per mile. Here goes.

Memories of My Melancholy Whores

2007-06-03T22:12:00.000-05:00

Some favorite quotes from this book I just read.

Movies are not my genre. The obscene cult of Shirley Temple was the final straw.

My mother on her deathbed asked me to marry a fairskinned woman while I was young and have at least three children, one of them a girl with her name, which had been her mother's and grandmother's. I intended to comply with her request, but my notion of youth was so flexible I never thought it too late.

I remember I was reading La lozana andaluza--The Haughty Andalusian Girl--in the hammock in the hallway, when I happened to see her bending over in the laundry room wearing a skirt so short it bared her succulent curves. (There is more to this quote that I'm leaving off this blog, but the whole paragraph is great.)

From then on I had her in my memory with so much clarity that I could do what I wanted with her. I changed the color of her eyes according to my state of mind: the color of water when she woke, the color of syrup when she laughed, the color of light when she was annoyed.

Oh, yeah. The book is called Memories My Melancholy Whores by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Give it a read, if you have the chance.

Achoo

2007-05-15T14:28:00.000-05:00

I need to dust in here.

Can somebody spare me a can of lysol and a few paper towels?

With this...

2007-04-30T16:05:00.000-05:00

Kewl!...

2007-04-09T15:12:00.000-05:00

The Greeks say "Trigona metron."

2007-04-07T00:00:00.000-05:00

This is your brain.

This is your brain on trigonometry.

Ugh.

Spring Break and a hard-fought 92

2007-03-19T15:04:00.000-05:00

Last week was Spring Break, so I tried to get in some relaxation. Mostly, I worked at the paralegal job. I did have this one really great run at Memorial Park, 5.9 miles in 44:47. That's a PR.

Mid-terms were the Weds. before the break, though, and I was worried about the exam from my most difficult class: Intermediate Macroeconomics. At intial glance, I thought I had an 82 which was a little disappointing, but as we went over the test in class, I realized my professor made an error in computing the grade. So, I actually got a 92, which I'm very pleased with.

So, I'm feeling the good nerd-vibes right now.

Internet Radio

2007-03-05T09:17:00.000-06:00

This is a really important issue for me. Radioparadise has been an important source of new music for me. Before I found it, I thought that important new music just wasn't available. Within a year of listening to RP, my CD collection doubled in size.

Now, the US Copyright office has issued new rates on internet "broadcasts," or webcasting, that are so high that RP as well as many other internet radio stations could be shut down. The new rates are at the behest of the music industry, and the RIAA, who treat their customers like a criminals and can't figure out why their bottom lines aren't meeting their expectations. I can't help but see these people as shooting themselves in the foot, but what can you do with an industry that refuses to change with new technology.

Read this blog by Bill Goldsmith, DJ at RP for a much more comprehensive description of the issue.

EDIT: Here is a site where you can check to see if an album is released by a member of the RIAA. Be sure to avoid buying from them.

School etc. (Jeez, what a week!)

2007-03-02T12:00:00.000-06:00

I have not had much blog time lately due to being busy with school. However, so far, my hard work has paid off, an 89+ in Microecon, a 97 in Finite Math and all the multiple choice portion of my Pre-Cal test appears to be right.

Turns out, there is a free response portion to the math tests that takes a couple of weeks to grade. The multiple choice portion of each test is done on computer and the grade is available just after the test. So, I get a portion of the test grade immediately, and a portion later. The trick is guessing how much the multiple choice part is worth. For instance, when I got the first part of the Finite Math test grade it said, 69. That worried me, until my professor announced that the highest grade on that part was a 69. The only non-A, the Microecon exam, will probably be an A after the promised class curve of 2-3 points.

I had a number of time consuming assignments due in Intermediate Macroecon this week as well. As much as I have enjoyed the math classes, Macro shows more and more promise each day. Between both econ classes, I already think differently about many policy issues, but the more in-depth macro is really bearing fruit. I might be easily charged a developing free-marketeer, but I'm not sure that's a fact. I just feel that certain policy decisions are linked to certain consequences according to economics. I still have much to learn, but I feel so good about this work, which is a nice change from my last job, where I was so unhappy.

So school is going swimmingly. I suppose that is the short answer.

Other than that, I've been revisiting the Led Zeppelin albums I used to listen to so much in high school. I guess I wore myself out on them, then, and I can finally enjoy them anew, now. That comes, in part, because walking around campus in very conducive to listening to my iPod, and Led Zeppelin has been my listening choice there lately.

So what?

So, squeeze my lemon till the juice flows down my leg--that's what.

Enjoy the beautiful weather, everyone.

Plantar Fasciitis

2007-02-22T10:14:00.000-06:00

That second word is pronounced fash-eye-tis. And, if you've never heard of it, you're lucky. If you wish you never heard of it, go here. The exercises and stretches on this page cured me of it.

I'm putting a link to that site in my sidebar, too, should anyone want it later.

Joanna Newsom

2007-02-06T20:54:00.000-06:00

She's not for everyone, but this song does something for me.

Jake Shimabukuro - While My Ukulele Gently Weeps

2007-02-04T16:26:00.000-06:00

You learn something new everyday

2007-02-02T21:53:00.000-06:00

Today's something new---I never thought about this before, but your tax return isn't adjusted for inflation. In fact, not any part of our tax system is, it's all in what economists refer to as nominal figures. Nominal may sound important, but all it means is, yup, "not adjusted for inflation."

If you are just a wage-earner, what does it mean? Well, I'm afraid it doesn't affect you too much. In fact, it means, at worst, in today's U.S. economy, you pay the government in dollars worth less than when you made them, i.e. it's to your advantage.

A different story would be, if you have capital gains then it could be detrimental for you. For instance, if a "safe" stock that you bought, appreciated less than 2% this year, then it actually lost value since you bought it, because the inflation rate is currently +2% for the year--really not bad at all for inflation. However, to get the "real" capital gain, you would have to divide the value of the stock by the inflation rate. Real is a less important sounding word economists use to mean they adjusted for the change in the value of money, i.e. inflation. So, after you took a loss on that stock, you would have to pay taxes on that 2% capital gain that the IRS thinks you have, that would INCREASE your loss. With small numbers like we see in today's inflation rate, that may not seem like much, but I feel sorry for the people who owned stock during the 1970's and 1980's--they took a bath, so to speak.

Why don't we adjust our tax system for inflation? Are you kidding? Congress can't add anyway--after all, most of those guys are lawyers, and they are scared of math, anyway---don't try to confuse them with complicated-sounding words like "nominal." Sheesh!

Sorry for the nerdy-economist blog, but--you know--I'm going to school for this crap.

Bobbie needs a date!

2007-01-28T11:55:00.000-06:00

Pre-Cal Test 1

2007-01-27T13:53:00.000-06:00

Monday, I experienced a moment of overwhelming doubt about Pre-Cal. I was worried that I'd never be able to review an entire semester of college algebra material in 1 week. A pre-requisite test covering that material loomed in the future and I was struggling to remember a class I took 9 years ago, that included material I wrestled with even then. Time is a factor in this academic reload, as I attempt to prepare for a grad degree in oikos nomos. After the panic subsided, I realized, the best alternative was to just work to do my best, and see what happened.

So what happened? I got a 100 on the test. And, I'm enjoying math for the first time in my life. For the moment, I'm really excited that I chose math as a path for my life. Of course, next semester, I'm going to tackle calculus, so let's see if I'm singing the same tune then.

Doesn't it make you proud?

2007-01-26T14:35:00.000-06:00

Bush: 'I'm the decision-maker' on Iraq troop levels

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush, on a collision course with Congress over Iraq, said Friday "I'm the decision-maker" about sending more troops to the war. He challenged skeptical lawmakers not to prematurely condemn his buildup.

Full Article

I mean, just a short year or so ago, he would have said, "decider," now, he knows that the way to say it, and sound like he's a President and not a 2nd grader, is to say, "decision-maker." It's like someday he'll grow up a be an ex-president able to use standard english. It warms my heart.

First Test

2007-01-24T11:08:00.000-06:00

I took my first test, Finite Math Exam 1, and aced it with a score of 100. It's pretty cool the way that you can get your test results instantly thanks to an electronic testing system.

Now, I'm must study much for Pre-Cal.

Kaki King

2007-01-21T15:40:00.000-06:00

How Thinking Can Change the Brain

2007-01-20T13:47:00.000-06:00

The following is an article from the WSJ that I find to be compelling evidence that we can all change ourselves into what we want to be. It's long, but worth it in my opinion. Especially if you ever say to yourself, "I can't do math, because I'm not a math type of person." or "I can't write, because I'm not good with words." or whatever.

** ** ** ** **

How Thinking Can Change the Brain
Dalai Lama Helps Scientists Show the Power of the Mind To Sculpt Our Gray Matter
By Sharon Begley
January 19, 2007 - Wall Street Journal

Although science and religion are often in conflict, the Dalai Lama takes a different approach. Every year or so the head of Tibetan Buddhism invites a group of scientists to his home in Dharamsala, in Northern India, to discuss their work and how Buddhism might contribute to it.

In 2004 the subject was neuroplasticity, the ability of the brain to change its structure and function in response to experience. The following are vignettes adapted from "Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain," which describes this emerging area of science:

The Dalai Lama, who had watched a brain operation during a visit to an American medical school over a decade earlier, asked the surgeons a startling question: Can the mind shape brain matter?

Over the years, he said, neuroscientists had explained to him that mental experiences reflect chemical and electrical changes in the brain. When electrical impulses zip through our visual cortex, for instance, we see; when neurochemicals course through the limbic system we feel.

But something had always bothered him about this explanation, the Dalai Lama said. Could it work the other way around? That is, in addition to the brain giving rise to thoughts and hopes and beliefs and emotions that add up to this thing we call the mind, maybe the mind also acts back on the brain to cause physical changes in the very matter that created it. If so, then pure thought would change the brain's activity, its circuits or even its structure.

One brain surgeon hardly paused. Physical states give rise to mental states, he asserted; "downward" causation from the mental to the physical is not possible. The Dalai Lama let the matter drop. This wasn't the first time a man of science had dismissed the possibility that the mind can change the brain. But "I thought then and still think that there is yet no scientific basis for such a categorical claim," he later explained. "I am interested in the extent to which the mind itself, and specific subtle thoughts, may have an influence upon the brain."

The Dalai Lama had put his finger on an emerging revolution in brain research. In the last decade of the 20th century, neuroscientists overthrew the dogma that the adult brain can't change. To the contrary, its structure and activity can morph in response to experience, an ability called neuroplasticity. The discovery has led to promising new treatments for children with dyslexia and for stroke patients, among others.

But the brain changes that were discovered in the first rounds of the neuroplasticity revolution reflected input from the outside world. For instance, certain synthesized speech can alter the auditory cortex of dyslexic kids in a way that lets their brains hear previously garbled syllables; intensely practiced movements can alter the motor cortex of stroke patients and allow them to move once paralyzed arms or legs.

The kind of change the Dalai Lama asked about was different. It would come from inside. Something as intangible and insubstantial as a thought would rewire the brain. To the mandarins of neuroscience, the very idea seemed as likely as the wings of a butterfly leaving a dent on an armored tank.

* * *

Neuroscientist Helen Mayberg had not endeared herself to the pharmaceutical industry by discovering, in 2002, that inert pills -- placebos -- work the same way on the brains of depressed people as antidepressants do. Activity in the frontal cortex, the seat of higher thought, increased; activity in limbic regions, which specialize in emotions, fell. She figured that cognitive-behavioral therapy, in which patients learn to think about their thoughts differently, would act by the same mechanism.

At the University of Toronto, Dr. Mayberg, Zindel Segal and their colleagues first used brain imaging to measure activity in the brains of depressed adults. Some of these volunteers then received paroxetine (the generic name of the antidepressant Paxil), while others underwent 15 to 20 sessions of cognitive-behavior therapy, learning not to catastrophize. That is, they were taught to break their habit of interpreting every little setback as a calamity, as when they conclude from a lousy date that no one will ever love them.

All the patients' depression lifted, regardless of whether their brains were infused with a powerful drug or with a different way of thinking. Yet the only "drugs" that the cognitive-therapy group received were their own thoughts.

The scientists scanned their patients' brains again, expecting that the changes would be the same no matter which treatment they received, as Dr. Mayberg had found in her placebo study. But no. "We were totally dead wrong," she says. Cognitive-behavior therapy muted overactivity in the frontal cortex, the seat of reasoning, logic, analysis and higher thought. The antidepressant raised activity there. Cognitive-behavior therapy raised activity in the limbic system, the brain's emotion center. The drug lowered activity there.

With cognitive therapy, says Dr. Mayberg, the brain is rewired "to adopt different thinking circuits."

* * *

Such discoveries of how the mind can change the brain have a spooky quality that makes you want to cue the "Twilight Zone" theme, but they rest on a solid foundation of animal studies. Attention, for instance, seems like one of those ephemeral things that comes and goes in the mind but has no real physical presence. Yet attention can alter the layout of the brain as powerfully as a sculptor's knife can alter a slab of stone.

That was shown dramatically in an experiment with monkeys in 1993. Scientists at the University of California, San Francisco, rigged up a device that tapped monkeys' fingers 100 minutes a day every day. As this bizarre dance was playing on their fingers, the monkeys heard sounds through headphones. Some of the monkeys were taught: Ignore the sounds and pay attention to what you feel on your fingers, because when you tell us it changes we'll reward you with a sip of juice. Other monkeys were taught: Pay attention to the sound, and if you indicate when it changes you'll get juice.

After six weeks, the scientists compared the monkeys' brains. Usually, when a spot on the skin receives unusual amounts of stimulation, the amount of cortex that processes touch expands. That was what the scientists found in the monkeys that paid attention to the taps: The somatosensory region that processes information from the fingers doubled or tripled. But when the monkeys paid attention to the sounds, there was no such expansion. Instead, the region of their auditory cortex that processes the frequency they heard increased.

Through attention, UCSF's Michael Merzenich and a colleague wrote, "We choose and sculpt how our ever-changing minds will work, we choose who we will be the next moment in a very real sense, and these choices are left embossed in physical form on our material selves."

The discovery that neuroplasticity cannot occur without attention has important implications. If a skill becomes so routine you can do it on autopilot, practicing it will no longer change the brain. And if you take up mental exercises to keep your brain young, they will not be as effective if you become able to do them without paying much attention.

* * *

Since the 1990s, the Dalai Lama had been lending monks and lamas to neuroscientists for studies of how meditation alters activity in the brain. The idea was not to document brain changes during meditation but to see whether such mental training produces enduring changes in the brain.

All the Buddhist "adepts" -- experienced meditators -- who lent their brains to science had practiced meditation for at least 10,000 hours. One by one, they made their way to the basement lab of Richard Davidson at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He and his colleagues wired them up like latter-day Medusas, a tangle of wires snaking from their scalps to the electroencephalograph that would record their brain waves.

Eight Buddhist adepts and 10 volunteers who had had a crash course in meditation engaged in the form of meditation called nonreferential compassion. In this state, the meditator focuses on unlimited compassion and loving kindness toward all living beings.

As the volunteers began meditating, one kind of brain wave grew exceptionally strong: gamma waves. These, scientists believe, are a signature of neuronal activity that knits together far-flung circuits -- consciousness, in a sense. Gamma waves appear when the brain brings together different features of an object, such as look, feel, sound and other attributes that lead the brain to its aha moment of, yup, that's an armadillo.

Some of the novices "showed a slight but significant increase in the gamma signal," Prof. Davidson explained to the Dalai Lama. But at the moment the monks switched on compassion meditation, the gamma signal began rising and kept rising. On its own, that is hardly astounding: Everything the mind does has a physical correlate, so the gamma waves (much more intense than in the novice meditators) might just have been the mark of compassion meditation.

Except for one thing. In between meditations, the gamma signal in the monks never died down. Even when they were not meditating, their brains were different from the novices' brains, marked by waves associated with perception, problem solving and consciousness. Moreover, the more hours of meditation training a monk had had, the stronger and more enduring the gamma signal.

It was something Prof. Davidson had been seeking since he trekked into the hills above Dharamsala to study lamas and monks: evidence that mental training can create an enduring brain trait.

Prof. Davidson then used fMRI imaging to detect which regions of the monks' and novices' brains became active during compassion meditation. The brains of all the subjects showed activity in regions that monitor one's emotions, plan movements, and generate positive feelings such as happiness. Regions that keep track of what is self and what is other became quieter, as if during compassion meditation the subjects opened their minds and hearts to others.

More interesting were the differences between the monks and the novices. The monks had much greater activation in brain regions called the right insula and caudate, a network that underlies empathy and maternal love. They also had stronger connections from the frontal regions to the emotion regions, which is the pathway by which higher thought can control emotions.

In each case, monks with the most hours of meditation showed the most dramatic brain changes. That was a strong hint that mental training makes it easier for the brain to turn on circuits that underlie compassion and empathy.

"This positive state is a skill that can be trained," Prof. Davidson says. "Our findings clearly indicate that meditation can change the function of the brain in an enduring way."

First Day of Classes

2007-01-16T22:48:00.000-06:00

Whoa. I feel really old.

Does anyone remember FOIL?

Solve. (x + h)(x + h)

Graph. y = 2x - 5

That's Me (Journey to Marathon: Last in a Series)

2007-01-14T13:27:00.000-06:00

I am walking up the face of the mountain
Counting every step I climb
Remembering the names of the constellations
Forgotten is a long, long time
That's me
I'm in the valley of twilight
Now I'm on the continental shelf
That's me
I'm answering a question I am asking of myself

--Paul Simon

Garmin Time - 4:00
Gun Time - 4:12
Chip Time - 4:08:41 - Official Marathon Time

Chevron Houston Marathon Links

2007-01-11T16:34:00.000-06:00

This is a set of links for any spectators who want to go out to the marathon on Sunday.

Spectators FAQ
Course Map (pdf)
Race Day Street Closures
Chevron Houston Marathon Website
Pace Chart Creator

Find out where a runner is in realtime get Marathon Athlete Alerts!

Use the pace chart creator, above, to estimate when a runner will pass one of these places to watch the race:

Mile 2 - The Elysian Viaduct
Miles 3 & 4 - White Oak Drive
Mile 10 - Main Street
Mile 12 - University Boulevard in West University Place
Mile 13 - University and Wesleyan
Mile 16 - Post Oak and San Felipe
Mile 17 - Tanglewood RoadMiles 20 & 21 - Memorial Park
The start line, finish line and all water stations.

3 Days, 2 and 5.

2007-01-11T11:13:00.000-06:00

I'm 3 days away from my first marathon, 2 days away from the last full day at the law firm and 5 days away from my first day of classes for my second undergraduate degree. Believe it or not, I'm more anxious about school, but I'm excited about them all. I know I'm going to feel good when I finish the marathon, school still has a lot of challenges.

I've researched online, when possible, the assignments and syllabi of the upcoming classes, and I'm looking forward to the things I'll be studying, especially, in my precalculus class (MATH 1330). That one seems to hold a lot of fascination for me, which may be because I enjoyed it when I took it in high school. I bet nobody thinks this is fun. The title of this blog comes from a concept I learned in pre-cal. Here's a list of my other classes with links to their descriptions:

ECON 2304 Microeconomic Principles
ECON 3334 Intermediate Macroeconomic Theory
MATH 1313 Finite Mathematics with Applications
MATH 1330 Precalculus

Most normal people don't get excited about classes like that. I have nothing to say for myself, except I'm a nerd. So sue me.

Thought for the day

2007-01-05T14:13:00.000-06:00

Watch this, UFO Signthing at O'Hare airport video.

One thing you might never want to be quoted as saying on the evening news is, "Well, I'm hallucinatin' all the time, man, but you know you never know, right?"

The Fantastic Machine

2007-01-04T14:12:00.000-06:00

Happy January 2nd

2007-01-02T14:31:00.000-06:00

In honor of the first day of the work-year (and making good on a promise/resolution to put more videogame links on my blog) I offer you:

Dice Wars.

Betcha can't play just one.

It's 2007 -- Happy New Year!

2007-01-01T15:39:00.000-06:00

I want to wish everyone the best in the new year.

This year began with friends at the Harp. I got a hug from a stunningly beautiful woman---I saw something that resembled the above video. It was the perfect start to 2007.

I don't really have any resolutions, but I'm 2 weeks away from my first marathon and the start of school. Isn't that enough?

I take that back, I resolve to get more hugs from that woman.

Good Foot

2006-12-25T12:52:00.000-06:00

We'll miss you James. Hope everyone else gets off on a good foot, this Christmas.

Marathon Runner Tracking System

2006-12-23T22:14:00.000-06:00

Cool idea! The Chevron Houston Marathon and Aramco Half Marathon has setup a way to track runners, so that you can keep up with their progress. If you know someone running either race, you can find out where they will be to cheer them on. You can register to receive updates via email or text message here and here for each race, respectively.

Apparently, they will also be taking video footage of the runners as they cross the finish line.

21-miles and the Taper (Journey to Marathon: Sixth in A Series)

2006-12-17T19:34:00.000-06:00

John Phillips, a board member for BCRR set up a long training run of 21 miles for members, which I ran today. It was great. I'm not sure my time, because my watch messed up, but it was around 3 hours. I am asking for one of these for Christmas to, hopefully, avoid watch trouble in the future. After the run, John let us use his hot tub, which greatly minimized leg soreness for everyone. The after-run party included beers, an awesome breakfast and talk plus a hug from this girl from BCRR that I like. The hug was especially cool.

So, now, I run fewer miles, as part of the taper, which is a gradual decrease in mileage to rest leading up to the marathon. 16, 12 and 10 will be mine. I'm really looking forward to running fewer miles...and getting more hugs from that girl.

I'm also excited about being on vacation until the 2nd of January 2007.

Season's Greetings

2006-12-15T12:24:00.000-06:00

In light of this day marking the beginning of my holiday vacation, review at your convenience the following politically correct seasons greetings. Thanks.

Please accept, with no obligation, express or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all. I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the generally accepted calendar year 2007, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country, nor the only America in theWestern Hemisphere. And without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wishes. By accepting these greetings you are accepting these terms. This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for herself or himself or others, and is void where prohibited by law and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher. This wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one year or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wisher.

Jerome Murat

2006-12-12T12:18:00.000-06:00

jerome murat

Sugarland Methodist Hospital 30K (Journey to Marathon: Fifth in a Series)

2006-12-10T19:39:00.000-06:00

Final Time: 2:51:32. I'd heard some grumbling from some fellow runners about this race, but it was fun!

Next week, a 21-mile training run with BCRR and then the Taper. OH! I can't wait for the taper. But, more on that later.

Friday

2006-12-08T15:05:00.000-06:00

...the obvious bookend to Monday.

I'm finally back from the dead, more or less. Well, I'm at work anyway. I'm a little worried about being able to run the race I have scheduled for this weekend, but at this point I'm thinking I'm going to try it.

In other news, my Mother got a hair up her butt to buy me a new mattress which I slept on last night for the first time. WHOA! Mattresses have changed a lot since they made the one I've been sleeping on for the last 10 years or so. If you have an old mattress, the cash, and are thinking about a new one, you will be pleasantly surprised. Thanks, Mom!

Ok. Back to your regularly scheduled blog, already in progress. And have a good weekend!

Monday

2006-12-06T21:45:00.000-06:00

Monday was a strange day for me. During one of the stranger parts--while I was beginning to become physically ill--I was thinking that it would make a pretty good "You" series entry. But, once well, I realized I didn't want to fictionalize any of it. It was plenty tumultuous on its own.

It was to be the day I quit my job so that I could go back to school. But, it started with an email from this girl I've been dating, who I've actually never mentioned here before. Anyway, she sent me this email that made it pretty clear to me that it wasn't meant to be. So I told that, as politely as possible. Frankly, I liked her, but I don't really want to put effort into a serious relationship right now, and it seems that even if she doesn't want a serious relationship--as she claims--my aspiration in our endeavor is still anemic. I don't blame her for being upset. I just don't want to change. Anyway, she has apparently agreed to a friendship.

Of course, during the whole exchange with her, I'm getting increasingly nervous about telling my employer, "I'm leaving." I just wasn't sure how they would react. I wanted it to be an amicable exit, but I was mostly looking forward to starting school. They were not at all excited to hear I wanted to leave. They joked that they wished I was going to another firm because, "then they could negotiate." But, I want to go school, so they knew there was little room to talk, however, they finally convinced me to attempt a trial part-time job with them. I'd basically set my own hours! I was really flattered by their generosity, so I decided it couldn't hurt too much. We'll see.

After that I read through a response from the girl. And started to respond, and at the same time work on a project I'd been given. During that, I began to have trouble concentrating, and started feeling nauseous. I ended up going home a little early after an "episode" in the bathroom. What I find strange about all this is I haven't broken up with anyone, left a job or gotten sick in about 3 years...and they all hit the same day.

Nu Shooz

2006-11-24T19:20:00.000-06:00

Ba-ba-babee, I-I-I-I can't wait. Na-na-nah-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh. Neh-nuh neh-nuh Neh-nuh. Na-na-nah-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh. Neh-nuh neh-nuh Neh-nuh. Ba-ba-babee, I-I-I-I can't wait.

I'm referencing cheesy 80's music--and acting weird--because I'm excited about going running today. It's the first time since last Sunday. I felt good to get a run in and my knee seems to be not hurting anymore. I think that the new shoes are solving the problem. They look something like this picture--I'm sure you are all on pins on needles looking at them--but they have gel padding that makes it feel like running on top of those silicone stress balls, or maybe one of those ergonomic mouse pads that support your wrist.

Having run so little in the last few days, I've got a touch of erfult as I'm sipping on a nice bottle of cabernet.

I also registered for classes at University of Houston, today. I'm excited about starting them in January, even though, I'm not sure why anyone should be excited about Pre-calculus.

Turkey Day

2006-11-23T16:06:00.000-06:00

You arrive to work late, again, on this Friday before your weeklong vacation, timed to coincide with Thanksgiving. Your drive this morning included a blistering weave in your blue Civic Coupe through traffic to reach your destination. After a parallel trip through the Starbucks line, which, to your surprise, is not long enough to extend past the front doors of the closet-like tunnel-space in the downtown Houston labrinyths; you reach your desk, boot your computer and read this email message from a partner in the office:

As many of you already know, we have a couple of very large projects that need to be completed in the [omitted] case by Nov. 30th (per Court order). We are having a meeting today at 10 am in the front conference room today to discuss the various projects. For those of you who have already agreed to participate in the project, thank you. For those who have not, I would strongly encourage your participation as we will need everyone possible to complete these projects on time.

You suspected a more strongly worded invitation to participate in this project would await you and the rest of the office. The previous afternoon, your office received a similar email from an associate, who could only request availability, not cancel vacations. You responded to the associate by explaining you would be out of the office next week. You omitted the detail that scheduling this vacation time occurred 2 months ago. That Thursday eve, a friendly drink with another associate, included a resolution to not work on the project, or otherwise seek the ruination of your week off without a personal "engraved" invitation. The associate concurred.

Now analyzing this email, your resentment for the feudal structure of legal industry pounds in you chest and your temple as your office politico rationale chides, a serf has no rights. The real possibility that you could be either jobless or in the office through next week's vacation, enters your rueful cranium. Between the lines, you acknowledge the regal legals' communication, stamped and sealed, ad electronica, demands you relinquish your life, droit de seigneur, to give to the larger needs of the firm, who will then leave you unthanked and unrewarded for your service.

But the scales have fallen from your eyes, since last year you spent six weeks of your life in indentured servitude. Relinquishing all free time, many hours of sleep and in some cases food, you worked sacrificially for this firm during a hellish arbitration hearing. You billed between 13 and 20 hours a day then, a statistic that you believe no audience ever fully grasped the reality of. Once back home, you woke up every morning for 10 days, after 8+ hours of sleep, still fully exhausted, from those 45 days of sleep deprivation. The oft-repeated factoid in those days was, "Sleep deprivation is considered a form of torture according to the United Nations." You've sworn to see that the US Ambassador--or possible the Norweigian--move for sactions against the firm should such a workload lie before you again.

So, you skip the meeting. As it progresses, you sit at your desk, indexing documents. A voice calls two associates over the paging system just 5 minutes after the purported start. You re-read the email, doubting your decision, but unsure how to alter course. You continue indexing. Then, in the otherwise silent floor, sounds of someone approaching your cubicle area plods toward you, a partner--a nasal-toned partner, who ever-displays his enamoured adoration for the sound of his voice, a withered minotaur of a man who thinks himself a king, if his percieved divinity, even supposes him a mortal--passes enroute to the break room for coffee. You half expect a pre-terminal interrogation, then, but instead get only a nominal sigh of emphysemic air in passing.

You continue indexing. Indexing as though your employment depends on it. The paging system sounds again, "You could have gone to the meeting and just explained your limited availability, you know." Why would you do that you wonder, wouldn't that be an admission that you were willing to work next week on the projects? Your heartrate rises again, you invent contigency plans for losing your job prior to the holidays, which you regard more as an inconveince than a threat. You pause.

"Who said that?"

As the floor begins to repopulate, your actions feels magnified, "Was your judgment is too harsh?" As fast as you can say, respondeat superior this email for another partner arrives in your inbox.

I forgot to mention at that meeting that we do not expect you to work on this project on Thanksgiving Day.

Thanks,

You awe at the merciful generosity of that statement.

You work quietly till lunch. You sign out, eat, and return to your desk. Indexing.

At 4:45, the email arrives. Your heart gallops as soon as you see who it's from--your supervisor--and read the subject line, "Document Review -- Your Availability." You open it to read, "Can we meet, now?"

Sitting down in the office, you notice every artery in your body, laced with adrenaline, constricting your muscles, your voice, and pressing against your skin. Your supervisor asks, "What are you working on now?"

"Indexing the documents from the July review."

"Can you assist on the document reviews, that's a priority."

You explain you are out next week.

"We are cancelling all vacations."

You feel your throat tying itself in a perfect square knot. You ask yourself if you are prepared to say this. You breath in. Open your mouth to speak.

The phone rings. Your supervisor answers. "Yes. Yes, we are looking for information on Hitler's missing testicle. We believe Napolean also had only one. "

You waver.

She continues, "We believe that the single testicle theory holds up, due to the rhyme."

"What rhyme?" you hear your voice ask?

At that moment, you notice moisture has gathered in the corner of your mouth. You try to wipe it with your hand, but your arm responds clumsily. You also become puzzled as to why "Jesus, Etc." by Wilco is playing on the paging system. You arm feels like jelly, and your back is aching. You hear someone calling your name.

Suddenly, you notice the formica texture of a surface against your temple. Your name again. You notice the warmness of saliva on an unseen surface. You feel light on your eyes. Your name, again. You raise your head from your desk.

"You better wake up. You don't want to get fired before your Thanksgiving break." You hear, as you recognize your cubicle neighbor standing before you. "Wake up. It's Friday, time to go home."

***

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Hope everyone has a safe, fun holiday!

HMSA 25K (Journey to Marathon: Fourth in a Series)

2006-11-20T18:07:00.000-06:00

That's the starting line of this Sunday's 25k race, which is 15.5 miles long. I ran it in 2:31:24. The Sunday before this race, I did and 18 mile training run, where I developed patellar tendonitis. That means every time I bend my knee, a line of my tendon running just under my kneecap hurts. I'm hoping the purchase of some new shoes help that heal. I was hurting by the time I finished...and I'm still hurting.

Also, noteworthy, the "shirts" from this race are nice red microfiber windbreaker pullovers with an embroidered HMSA 25k patch.

What accent do you have?

2006-11-17T16:08:00.000-06:00

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The West Your accent is the lowest common denominator of American speech. Unless you're a SoCal surfer, no one thinks you have an accent. And really, you may not even be from the West at all, you could easily be from Florida or one of those big Southern cities like Dallas or Atlanta.
The Midland
Boston
North Central
The South
The Inland North
Philadelphia
The Northeast
What American accent do you have? Take More Quizzes

The "You" series

2006-11-15T14:58:00.000-06:00

You want to clarify something. You've got this idea about a protagonist, "You" who is mostly a point of view, moreso than it is you. A collection of criticisms, commentaries and needless complications, based solely on your experiences to be fictionalized, functionalized and fractionalized for literary effect. You consider the Seeing Red post an example. The series is partially inspired by Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas, which you believe to be a hilarious book written entirely in the second person point of view. You think that is clever, but what do you know?

You want to point the idea out, because of your perception of the kind comments on the Seeing Red post. You realize, however, that post was as much inspired by the conjunction of Christmas decor and check card fraud as it was something that happened to you. If it hadn't happened to you on that particularly festive day at Starbucks though, you'd probably never have mentioned it. But, you liked the irony since 'tis the season to be spending, though, you acknowledge that jolliness never hurt anyone. However, you feel that you don't need a season for jolliness, but only a playmate.

Battle of the Album Covers

2006-11-14T10:19:00.000-06:00

Babel

2006-11-13T11:15:00.000-06:00

Alejandro González Iñárritu and Guillermo Arriaga complete their "Death trilogy" in this new film, Babel. Their previous work on Amorres Perros and 21 Grams gave them the budget to produce an ambitious work originally concieved as spanning 7 continents. Due to screen time and budgetary concerns, the film shows 3 parallel narratives on 3 continents, whose otherwise unrelated characters' lives interact due to a single occurence--an inciting incident that takes place on a mountain. Like the Biblical story referenced in the title, the film addresses the lingusitic and cultural barriers and commonalities of humanity, though reminding us that in our technological, terroristic and globalized world, we are increasingly brought together and separated by our choices.

This film is topical, compelling, circumspect and uncharacteristically unique. Technically, it is flawless with excellent performances by all the actors. Expect to read some subtitles and go to the bathroom beforehand, screen time clocks in at 2:20.

Seeing Red

2006-11-09T10:30:00.000-06:00

Running late again this morning, you pop into Starbucks for a quick pick-me-up. You notice for the first time this year the Christmas blend, which you enjoy drinking, sits festively on the kiosk beside the line to order beverages. You notice the poinsettia-colored cups stacked beside the register. You consider the deep ruby of the coffee paraphernalia displayed on the shelves lining the walls.

You order a coffee. Christmas Blend. You study the the shimmering rose of the coffee bags.

You hand your check card to the so-called barista, who swipes it. You take your coffee, your card and your belongings and turn to leave.

"Excuse me, sir."

You turn, "Yes?"

"Your card didn't go through."

You think, "That's strange." as you hand her a bill with some embarassment. You take your change and go.

You check your bank account online. You notice $900 in charges you didn't make. You swear silently, as you hear yourself pleading to the bank's representative at the other end of the line, "...but, I've never even been to Canada." You discover your check card has been cancelled.

You think, "Happy Holidays, everyone."

My Cat

2006-11-06T11:15:00.000-06:00

My oldest cat--the one I've had the longest--is not feeling well. It's probably nothing serious, but he's never been sick before so I'm worried. He is usually very active. He loves to go outside, but he has been in the same spot in our house for about 24 hours--not eating or using the facilities. I got him to drink a little water this morning, but that's it. He's at the vet now, but I haven't heard the diagnosis. I hope he's ok and I wish I would have stayed home from work to be with him at the vet.

UPDATE: He's going to be fine. The doctor says that it's just an infection. With medication, he'll be better in a few days.

Beck on SNL

2006-11-03T11:55:00.000-06:00

I caught this by accident last Saturday night. I was totally blown away. I've been a Beck fan since Odelay. When I saw this, I had to reconsider that his genius may be understated. Youtube may pull it for copyright reasons, so in the immortal words of Janis Joplin, "get while you can."

The School Conundrum

2006-11-02T10:35:00.000-06:00

Unfortunately, UT has decided not to accept my application for the Spring. So, I'm faced with the decision to go to University of Houston or UT-Dallas. The better school is probably UTD, but living expenses for UH will be considerably lower because I won't have to move. Since I'm interested in working in energy, Houston may be a better location for internships and jobs. Also, if I stay, then I won't have to leave my friends in Houston behind. Having a social life is important too.

I'm disappointed about getting to move to Austin, but it's a short 18 months to grad school, maybe then I'll get to go.

I have decided that I want to get a Chartered Financial Analyst certification, after I finish this "reload" on undergrad. I think that will help with grad school.

Halfway and The Triumph of Desire Over Reason (Journey to Marathon: Third in a Series)

2006-10-30T12:41:00.000-06:00

The halfway point on this journey, was the Koala/Luke's Locker Half Marathon, which I completed in 1:55:18 -- just under my unofficial 2-hour goal. I'll spare everyone the blow-by-blow, though one aspect of the race escapes that forbearance: pacing. My great victory at this race was pacing. It's the most important part of these endurance runs, and it's the skill of running--the rest is just being crazy enough to try. I managed a pace beginning at 8:45 min./mile and tapering down to 8:30 min./miles. Marathon day survival depends on how well I pace out.

Several runners at the race Sunday wore shirts which read, "Marathoning: the triumph of desire over reason."-- the most succint explanation of the mental process that one goes through in attempting this distance running obsession. Of course it's already a joke, but still--while running I kept thinking the logic doesn't really work, because--why would somebody desire to run for 3+ hours? Despite questioning it, I still want it, but the mystery remains.

Olbermann on Habeas Corpus

2006-10-19T15:04:00.000-05:00

A history on Habeas Corpus in US Law.

The Last King of Scotland

2006-10-17T11:41:00.000-05:00

This film, based on a book of the same title, tells the fictional account of an idealistic doctor, Nicholas Garrigan, who travels to Uganda to "do something different." He arrives in the midst of Idi Amin's coup to overthrow President Obote. After attending a rally for the new President, the good doctor Garrigan impresses Amin and is invited to become his personal doctor. For a time, Garrigan focuses on his work to help Uganda build it's medical resources, but he finds maintaining non-involvement in the political matters of the Amin regime, less and less plausible leading to the eventual realization, he is trapped in an increasingly delusional and deadly government.

This thriller not only keeps audiences on the edge of their seat, but also manages to remain true to the facts of Amin's reign. The title refers to Amin's penchant for the struggle of the Scottish against the British, which lead to the self-proclaimed title, "King of Scotland," and also Garrigan's nationality. The time period covered includes Amin's coup until the highjacking of Air France Flight 139, when Amin, a Muslim, invites the PLO to land in Uganda. Forest Whitaker in an Oscar-worthy role, portrays the horrors of the dictator who would kill 300,000 Ugandans as mercilessly as he reveals the human qualities of a man who believed passionately in empowerment of African people. James McAvoy also delivers a convincing performance as the fictional doctor who becomes Amin's "closest advisor."

This film is in limited release as of this writing, but take the opportunity, if you happen to find it playing at a nearby theater.

Audience Participation - An Ethical Issue

2006-10-13T15:07:00.000-05:00

I know there aren't any readers out there, but still I want to depress myself, so here is a chance for all of you (or, none of you) to participate.

Yesterday, a complete and utter stranger, asked to borrow my cellphone. Now, admittedly, I struggle with selfishness, a tendency to be overly private and pettiness when it comes to certain items, but I just didn't want to loan out my phone to this person who I didn't know.

Last year, I spent about a month in New York, staying just off of Times Square, and I was often asked for my cellphone by strangers. But, I refused to loan it out, in part, because the requestor never furnished a rationale as to why they needed mine. In fact, in a humorous incident, I received a verbal harangue from one such jilted borrower, who said, in a heavy asian accent, "Ah! Fine! F*ck you, motherf*cker-r-r!"

Yesterday, my battery was dead, so it ended a non-issue, but I noticed that this person, who only claimed to have lost his own viaduct to the world, found refusal from 10 or more people, before he finally obtaining the desperately sought communicator. Also, noticed, a tone of irritated response, in both others and myself, including the person who finally relented to the request. True, it could have been an emergency, but that was not stated in the request. And, a cultural barrier presented itself to further complicate the matter: english is an unlikely first language of the requestor.

So, my question(s)...would you loan out your cellphone to a stranger? How do you feel about being asked? Do you think it's rude? Or should we take mercy on the misfortunes of the cellphone-less creatures seeking our compassion? Do you have any humorous stories about being asked for your phone?

Have a good weekend, everyone! (or no one as the case may be.)

I effen did it!

2006-10-12T09:28:00.000-05:00

Wednesday, I run an 6.7 mile route with BCRR, before we go to Valhalla, a beerhall on the Rice University Campus, for 85-cent beers. I've had a goal of running that route in 52 mins. for awhile now, which seemed reasonable to me, because I can do 2 3-mile laps around Memorial Park in 47 or 48 minutes. Last night, I did the 6.7mi route in 52:30. It felt good.

Sunday Morning (Journey to Marathon: Second in a Series)

2006-10-08T23:42:00.000-05:00

Sunday morning, praise the dawning
It's just a restless feeling by my side
Early dawning, Sunday morning

Marathon training requires l.s.d., long, slow duration. Every Sunday morning at 6:30, begins the long run of 10+ miles. Today, it was 16. I don't talk about running often, because I'm not sure why any non-runner would care. It's just a personal, intimate, if rewarding experience. 10 years ago, if someone had told me, I would wake up early to do this, I would have scoffed "Why?" That is why I'm never surprised when I get that response now. And yet, Sunday is my weekend--no other day is a enjoyable.

Sunday morning and I'm falling
I've got a feeling I don't want to know
Early dawning, Sunday morning

Robert Pirsig described "chautauquas" in his Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. The chautauquas are Pirsig's essays on philosophy born out of the wanderings of his mind while motorcycling. A similar wandering occurs during running, however with medititave qualities Pirsig never mentions. With the body stressed by exertion; waking dreams emerge, thoughts refine themselves and moments of mental stillness occur. It can be transcendental. That's not a runner's high talking, either--those occur after the run, not during.

Watch out, the world's behind you
There's always someone around you who will call
It's nothing at all, Sunday morning

This morning was perfect for running. The temperature was chilly and the air dry--unusual for Houston. For the first time, I used gels or "fuel supplements" which help to restore glycogen levels. Without glycogen, runner's "hit the wall" or run out of energy. The gel experiment succeeded, so I felt better afterwards. I ran my route in 2:27:09, which is about the same time I ran 15 miles in last week. That's encouraging for the final race, because while finishing is the primary goal, secondarily, I'm seeking a time at or under 4-hours.

I can't believe I just said I was planning on running for 4 hours.

it makes no difference to me
how they cried all over overseas
when it's hot in the poor places tonight
I'm not going outside

I don't really run with an iPod, but music always is on my mind--especially when running. Last Sunday, the Velvet Underground song came to mind as the sun-hued clouds glowed yellow-pink in the blueness. Then Pete Yorn's song, Life on a Chain--it was just a free association. This week, Wilco's Poor Places crept in mind--though I was neither hot, nor was I in a poor place (River Oaks).

And I was waiting over here for life to begin
I was looking for the new thing
And you were the sunshine

After finishing out the run, dealing through some recent thoughts on the fairer sex, and imagining my life back in school, came one of the highlights, the shower. It was the best shower I remember in a long time, too. Next, breakfast: eggs benedict ala Florentine from Empire Cafe, cheese hash browns and fruit. After a nap, I started a new book, ran some errands and went to see the new Scorcese film, The Departed.

Go see The Departed--it's easily the best movie in the last 5 years.

Horns!

2006-10-07T18:48:00.000-05:00

28 to 10 against the Sooners. Hook em' Horns!

Admitted - UTD

2006-10-03T12:35:00.000-05:00

I think I got into the University of Texas at Dallas. I checked my application status today and noticed that it says, "Student admitted." It won't be official until I get a letter from them, but I think I can expect the letter. It's nice to know I got in!

EDIT: I got the letter on Oct. 5th. So now, I just have to wait on UT-Austin. Thanks, Header5 for your encouragement!

The Science of Sleep

2006-10-02T00:00:00.000-05:00

The Science of Sleep is more about sleep than science. This believable, yet dreamy, love story, from the director of Eternal Sunshine for the Spotless Mind, Michel Gondry, follows a young man who has troubles sorting his dreams out from reality. Comic, but without surrendering a dramatic edge, the film shifts between Stephane's dreams and the actuality of his relationship to Stephanie, who occupies the apartment across the hall.

The film is surreal in the child-like montages that illustrate Staphane's fantasies, yet real to spark the memory of my own would-be relationship with a girl, though my experience varied from the film's conclusion. Though Stephane and Stephanie know themselves well, they stumble when trying to get to know each other--then again, isn't that the best part? Definitely worth the price of admission.

Memory

2006-09-22T15:59:00.000-05:00

On my back,
the ceiling of my cell like the evening sky
glowing darkness, hues in lightness and varied intensity,
the floor tilts like I'm edging over.

Or, a breath,
infusing, ambient scents of habit;
cotton, conditioner and acrimonious coffee,
and tasting traces of polymer, Persephone and perspiration.

Or, my bloodless throat,
and chest-deflated rapture
in the discusive, consonant voicings
of her giddily tantalizing yet, unapproachable shoes.

Or, for love,
as unkempt compulsion,
balanced in unconditional surrender,
sedated in murky, exasperated encounters,
--a saturated, irretrievable convenant of moments.

Or, in crisis,
unaccountable, unachieved instances obsessing immutable objects,
reconciling the putative present with all potential
--infinite review of past participle: finished work.

Or, an apparition,
like archaic beliefs from abandoned languages
an ancestor worship of the horizon-sized oblivion,
reminiscing in temporal, meandering avatars.

Or, my eyes,
salting the astringent ancillary,
mediating my journey of oxidation,
in limbic, self-reflexive chimeras.

Or, -simply, -automatically,
as an infant's speculative finger,
pawing at available simulacra,
as if pushing a bubble back toward the custodial sky.

(c) 2006 Beeman

Here It Goes Again

2006-09-17T17:46:00.000-05:00

A new Ok GO Video. Enjoy!

Erfüllt (Fullness)

2006-09-15T09:27:00.000-05:00

I learned this German word from my friend, Danielle, who came to visit us from Germany. It means "to fill up."

Earlier this summer, on my first trip with the running group, we traveled to a beach-side community to run a marathon relay. That's a race where (in this case) 6 people divide the 26.2 mile distance as a team. D honorably represented the female persuasion on this otherwise all male team. As we say, what happens on these things, stays there. Still, it's probably safe to mention that after our early morning race, we proceeded to consume a moderate amount of Anheuser-Busch's finest offerings. So, by about 9pm that night a lot of people were permeated with a feeling of relaxation and artificial invincibility.

It was also about this time that I decided that the percentage of my lifetime I'd spent wandering down the beach was left wanting. So with a full moon to light my way, two swimsuit pockets full of beer and the beckon of the gulf breeze, I hit the open sand.

I drank way too much beer that night. In fact, I think it was a milestone on a recent trend to seriously curtail my alcohol absorption, but it wasn't all bad, either. Walking on the beach, I was as happy as I remember being for quite some time. I walked in and out of the surf, attempting to commit the aroma of the air to memory, watching the moon, wishing for love, but feeling that life was just-really-good. The complete realization of that moment of romantic rapture, personal revelation, existential exuberation, or maybe just drunken mania, could only really be shared with a soulmate or on the pages of a personal memoir. I can say that I remember being totally conscious of my senses; the smell of salt, the sound of the surf, the gritty sand and the singe of its airborne particles, the light reflecting on the crests of the life-saturated water, and the crunchy-salty flavor of the hazy atmosphere swished down with watery beer.

So who wouldn't be feeling a little enamored after such a journey?

D was the only one still up when I got back, and in my drunken stupor, I felt compelled to relate to her my experience on the shore. Of course, it came out like drunken babble and saccharine pontification--not that I need any help with those two endeavors.

One of my muddled musings, involved drinking a good bottle of dry, red wine after a really good run, which at the time I somehow connected to a then-recent line of conjecture about existentialism. Something about doing the running and wine, also makes me feel really good or as I described it to D, "[it makes] my heart feel full." D told me then--while exhibiting much patience--that in German full (in the appropriate context) was "erfüllt." I had a little trouble pronouncing it: err-FOO-lt. (I think that's right.)

I'm not sure what is happening when combining the running and the wine--I don't believe it's simply the alcohol--but its a moment of sensual revelry. My lungs feel clean and my body relaxed. I feel it at other times too, after a good workout at the gym, or even after a cup of green tea.

Maybe it's just a way of describing the enjoyment of the simple things, but I think it's the simple things you enjoy that tell a lot about who you are. So, in dedication to my friend, I wanted to define the idea, so I can expand on it later.

Have a great weekend everyone!

The War on War

2006-09-12T10:35:00.000-05:00

I've been thinking about the concept of ahimsa a lot since I first read about it yesterday. It's very difficult to live without violence and it's hard to be certain that your own intent doesn't come from out of anger.

I DO NOT want this to become a political blog, but I saw this today. It's from a few weeks ago, August 30th. There is an urgent tone to it. On Youtube.com where it's posted, there are a number of tags indicating that "Olbermann slams Rumsfeld" or "Olberman rips Rumsfeld."

I don't think it's a slam. It's a criticism, and a rational one that needs to be seriously considered.

I don't see myself as a partisan person, but i see a lot of things to criticize the Bush administration about...and here's one.

9/11

2006-09-11T10:01:00.000-05:00

On this 5th anniversary of a day of violence, I happened across another significance for this date in history. 100 years ago, today, Mohandas Gandhi proposed a philosophy, a force for social and political change, he referred to as Satyagraha, also sometimes called passive resistance.

Refering to it as passive resistance understates his intent. Satyagraha literally means "any effort to discover, discern, obtain or apply Truth." It was a philosophy pulled directly out of the Hindu religion, to allow an individual to live in the world without inflicting violence on others.

Satyagraha is formed from 3 principles of hinduism.

Satya - truth; implying openness, honesty, and fairness.
Ahimsa - advocating non-violence and a respect for all life.
Tapasya - willingness for self-sacrifice.

5 years ago, it was our ahimsa--respect for life--that was so offended.

Gandhi said:

In the application of Satyagraha, I discovered, in the earliest stages, that pursuit of Truth did not admit of violence being inflicted on one's opponent, but that he must be weaned from error by patience and sympathy. For, what appears to be truth to the one may appear to be error to the other. And patience means self-suffering. So the doctrine came to mean vindication of Truth, not by infliction of suffering on the opponent but one's own self.

It's ironic that the date of birth of Gandhi's vision of non-violence now also recalls so much violence for so many others. I wish you all peace on this day of reflection.

Bummer

2006-09-09T23:04:00.000-05:00

Sorry to see UT lost to Ohio State. I was hoping that would go different.

Tyler Durden

2006-09-08T10:11:00.000-05:00

Ok, I'm a Wikipedia addict. I can admit I have a problem. I start by checking a simple fact, and the next thing I know, I've lost an hour reading, linking article to article.

So, earlier this week I found myself reading about the movie, Magnolia. Well, it began harmlessly enough. Bill, the DJ on Radioparadise, played a Fiona Apple song, Extraordinary Machine, only it was the "leaked" version, not the album version. There were still a few holes in my understanding as to why that album's release, so I looked it up on Wiki. How does one get from Fiona to Magnolia?--well, P.T. Anderson, Magnolia's Director, and her dated.

Dood. You titled this entry, Tyler Durden, and the picture--WTF?

Hold on. I'm getting to it.

If you saw Magnolia, you may have had some emotional reaction to the Tom Cruise character, Frank T. J. Mackey. Remember "Seduce and Destroy," the seminar about how to sleep with a lot of women? Well, it's based on a real person, Ross Jefferies, who publishes books and holds seminars similar to what is shown in the movie.

Apparently, Jefferies* comprises a part of the "seduction community," a group of men selling books and advising on sleeping with a lot of women. One of those men is named Tyler Durden. In the book, Fight Club, that name corresponds to an emphatically masculine character. I tried to determine, which use of that unusual name came first, but Wiki has it's limits. It does mention that the seduction community's Tyler Durden changed it from another name.

So what's my point? Can I fit anymore nonsequiturs in this entry? My answer: banana popsicle.

Ok, actually, I want to throw out a Dylan lyric from Boots of Spanish Leather, and let readers, if any, draw their own conclusions. Though, I will offer this, I've been happiest since I learned to just be myself.

Oh, but if I had the stars from the darkest night
And the diamonds from the deepest ocean,
I'd forsake them all for your sweet kiss,
For that's all I'm wishin' to be ownin'.

* There are Wiki articles on this guy and the seduction community, but you'll have to find them yourself.

Banning Smoking in Houston-area bars

2006-08-25T09:18:00.000-05:00

September 2, 2006 will be the third anniversary of my last drag on a cigarette. It took me 7 attempts to finally quit. I haven't missed it. In fact, on occasion, I've been that bane in every smoker's ear, that tiny tear in the paper near the filter, that tireless wind that snuffs any attempt to bring fire to tobacco. Yes, I have been the annoying ex-smoker, whose words fouls the air like the stench of a cold ashtray, chiding fact after emphysemic fact about the perils and poisons of the pack-a-day puff.

Lately, I've worked to hold my tongue. Smoking is a personal choice, true. However, today, being this is my platform--since I don't have any readers anyway--and I'm not addressing anyone specifically, so as not make a lecture--I'm going off. Besides, the City of Houston has made it topical. So, maybe if I put this in here on the web, I won't repeat it to the those who don't want to hear it. I can direct people here if they want to know more.

Working in asbestos litigation, showed me what happens to people who spend a lifetime smoking. Specifically, one plaintiff, who developed peripheral occluded arterial disease, which meant that he couldn't walk more than 30 feet from his house. When he retired 12 years ago, he got in bed and stayed there. He has not been anywhere, other than the doctor's office, since then. He claimed to have smoked 3 packs a day for about 50 years and was still smoking. His doctors told him stopping smoking could improve his condition, but he wouldn't listen. He also has been diagnosed with emphysema and heart disease, both directly linked to his smoking. He's a typical story in the health care morass of asbestos litigation (asbestos symptoms and symptoms related to tobacco use are painfully similar under the x-ray inspection required by the courts).

Of course, you don't have to maintain the habit--buying cigarettes and lighters, obsessively--for your doctor to consider you a smoker. If you've ever spent time breathing in a smoky bar then you are a passive smoker. Studies show that 40,000+ people die each year from it. That aside, if you are a non-smoker wishing to remain one, then going out to a bar can be a difficult experience, maybe even as annoying as listening to someone lecture someone else on smoking. It can make you nauseous, gasping for air and leaves an unpleasant smell on your clothes. It's the part of smoking that, as a smoker, I never got, but it can be really bothersome for those who seek to avoid it. Since I'm still young and like to go out for a beer, I've long dreamed of a place to sit smokelessly and enjoy a cold one. When I've visited New York and Austin, I've always appreciated the ban.

And, it looks like Houston may follow in the footsteps of other major cities. I hope it happens.

Grigori Perelman and the Poincare Conjecture

2006-08-22T17:10:00.000-05:00

Seems, this is the buzz of the day. I know, it sounds like a Robert Ludlum book, but it's really something more important than a buzz on any day.

Apparently, Grigori Perelman solved a so-called geometrization conjecture, and by way of that, the Poincare Conjecture, which states, "Every simply connected closed (i.e. compact and without boundary) 3-manifold is homeomorphic to a 3-sphere."

So what does that mean? Well, I means that if you have a looped object in 3-dimensional space, it can be shrunk to a single point just as would a sphere. I think it's a confusing concept, because it's counter-counter-intuitive.

I'm still trying to wrap my mind around it honestly--and I'm not the only one--but I hope to have a better understanding of all things matematicas by this time next year.

Wanna feel old...

2006-08-19T00:25:00.000-05:00

...well, then, go--in your 31st year--to a college campus tour, as part of your over all attempt to make a significant career change. Watch, as people 1/2 your age; joke, lament, scorn, deplore, suffer and attempt to deceive, those who are twice your age, on the subject of on-campus, freshman apartment furnishing.

Then, taunt, the attractive, young, female tour guide as she inquires, "Graduate or undergraduate?" as to your status as a future student, with the remark,"all of the above!"--not just with enthusiasm--but, like you don't want to say, "Bitch."

Then, observe, as an 18-year-old kid, hiding behind fadish sunglass, smokes cigarettes, sporting a Goodwill-flannel fashion sense, lingers at the far back of the tour group, while his mother interrogates the guide at the opposite end of the tour.

Then, smirk, as the gratuitously-positive guide, interrupts his off-the-cuff, yet over-practiced monologue, to address each alleged acquaintance in the passing corridors.

Then, pause, as concerned parents rationalize--before an admissions officer--their agitated-yet-apologetic prototype's high school class ranking, while the beaming patron, trumpets his own occupation as his progeny's predestination.

Then, depart, with the determination of the school's overall academic-thematic focus, your own relative admission status, an exhaltation at the dating and signing of your resignation letter, and the chide that your determination to realize these academic aspirations withstands the temptations of convenient credit and youthful, receptive co-eds.

OK Go

2006-08-17T16:26:00.000-05:00

An additional post today, because I haven't offered much lately.

I really dig this band, OK Go. I think the video for their song, "A Million Ways" is hilarious. Enjoy!

The Journey to Marathon (First in a Series)

2006-08-17T10:18:00.000-05:00

I'm training to run the Houston Marathon in Janaury--my first. Since April, I've been involved in the Bayou City Road Runners, a Houston-area running club. Basically, we do training runs and races, together--which helps you stay focused--and happy hours--which helps you maintain an appropriate BAC. The photo on the right shows several of us at Valhalla after our 6.7 mile Wednesday run. The decision to run a marathon is somewhat influenced by virtue of being in the group.

A marathon takes it's name from a Greek myth, that a Athenian soldier, Pheidippides, ran 26 miles from Athens to Marathon to announce the defeat of the Persian Army. He died shortly after delivering the message. (Don't freak out, Mom, the guy just didn't train right.)

The International Amateur Athletic Federation fixed the length of a marathon at 42.195 km or 26 miles 385 yards. That is the same distance as used by the 1908 London Olympics, which extended the length of the race to afford the Royal Family a better view of the race.

I wonder how many Royals have run a marathon?

Since I've started down this path, I've felt better and happier than ever before in my life. Regular cardiovascular exercise releases atleast two kinds of naturally-occurring chemicals into your body. One chemical causes physical relaxation, the other produces an anti-depressant-like substance.
I can't stress enough, the value of a red wine--with a velvety finish--after a rigorous run. (This vineyard's cabernet is a good example.) It's probably my favorite training incentive.

Legalspeak - A Rant

2006-08-03T14:03:00.000-05:00

A friend of mine recently asked me to direct any "Funny Legal Notices" to them, for their preparation of an article, presumably addressing the ridiculous, self-aggrandizing nature of legal writing. At first, I wondered if I could uncover a missive emailed, by a colleague or fellow legal-conscript, in a moment of shared levity, on the extremes to which this industry goes to re-define it's sense of necessity.

Then my mouth emitted a watery "ribbit," as my tongue attempted to flit forward from my mouth. I blinked my eyes and thought, "Gee, it's warm in here."

From a financial eon ago, a banal memory mashed forward from the TV-laden morass, of standing in my apartment staring, blankly, at Citigroup Mastercard's legal notice in imperceptibly-sized print. Though written in English, the author's words read as though never meant for the then-present juxtaposition, with thriced-defined APRs, quadruple-assigned liabilities, and quintuple-conditioned fees. About as quick as you can utter,"Reply on defendant's motion for summary judgment, or in the alternative, compel and continue," another memory upended from the haze. This one, of a group of people laughing at the pretentious, impractical nature of the following legal notice, recently adopted by their company to attach to all outgoing emails.

The information in this e-mail, and any files transmitted with it, is intended for the exclusive use of the recipient(s) to which it is addressed and may contain confidential, proprietary or privileged information. If you are not an intended recipient, you have received this transmission in error and any use, review, dissemination, distribution, printing or copying of this information is strictly prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender immediately of the erroneous transmission by reply e-mail, immediately delete this e-mail and all electronic copies of it from your system and destroy any hard copies of it that you may have made. Thank you.

That group's, recalled my own guffaw, initially ruminating the metaphysics of such a statement. The punchline: Who would author such a thing, and, in the name of all things, why bother?

But, don't ask me, now. I'll probably give some legal rationale on the necessity. Ribbit. Slurp-smack.

Happy Birthday, Keri!

2006-08-02T10:12:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday to my sister, Keri. That's her on the right in the pic, along with our cousin, Max, and myself.

When I emailed her I starting a blog, she responded,"Good, I'll have something to read when I want to go to sleep." I guess, you can tell from that statement that she has a pretty good sense of humor. Well, from that and her haircut.

Of course, I'm just kidding. In fact, if there is anyone with fashion sense in our family, it's probably my sister. I wouldn't be at all surprised if she made a career of it someday.

Keri: I think I speak for your whole family when I say, we are all proud of you for your foray into the Chicagoan underground, for the changes in yourself you have worked for recently and for being someone steeped in the "Keri-ness" (that's your name + "ness," in case you haven't seen You, Me & Dupree, yet.) I hope you have an incredible birthday!

Only 152 days left in the year!

2006-08-01T09:56:00.000-05:00

Okay, so 152 is not a few. Here are a few interesting facts about August 1.

527 - Justinian I became Byzantine Emperor. That's a picture of him on the right.

1774 - The element oxygen was discovered by Joseph Priestly and Carl Wilhelm Scheele.

I wonder what we did before oxygen?

1941 - The first Jeep is produced. Does anyone know why they call it a "Jeep?"

1942 - A year later, the first Jerry Garcia was produced. I'm not sure when the first Cherry Garcia was produced.

1957 - NORAD is formed.

1961 - Six Flags Over Texas opens.

1973 - Tempestt Bledsoe was born. I wonder what we did before the Cosby Show?

A Scanner, Darkly

2006-07-31T09:52:00.000-05:00

Sunday is movie night. This week's selection, A Scanner, Darkly.

It's based on a novel by Philip K. Dick about his own experiences with drug and amphetamine abuse. The movie utilizes a computerized animation technique that transforms live-action video images into an enhanced reality.

Dick's other Hollywood-ized works include, Blade Runner, Minority Report, Total Recall, and Paycheck.

Ursula K. Le Guin, another noted writer, called Dick, "our own home-grown Borges."

Click Here to view the trailer.

Surprise!

2006-07-28T16:51:00.000-05:00

Paul Simon's new album is aptly named, though--unless you are familiar with Brian Eno's work--you might not immediately understand why. Thirty years ago, while Paul Simon was slip, slip, sliding away, Brian Eno (and David Bowie) were laying the foundations for several developing musical genres, including punk, glam rock and electronic music. On the surface, Simon and Eno, couldn't appear more different. But, that is exactly what is misleading, here, hence the Surprise. While Eno takes an offhanded billing on a Paul Simon album, the title is a reference to the two of them together.

The surprises don't stop with the collaboration. Almost every song has a surprise to go with it, whether it be lyrically or musically. In Everything About It Is A Love Song, Simon surprises us with the revelation of the title, which is, otherwise, a song about love of life and not a person. Eno's atmospheric additions exemplify the reasons why albums must be heard, transitioning from gentle textures to heady beats, then back again. Once Upon a Time There Was An Ocean, begins with a lick typical to any one of Simon's songs, but is answered by a beat that could easily have showed up on a Chemical Bros. album. Lyrically, Simon examines the passage of time, as if recalling the shock of a mid-life crisis, chiding, "It's a dead end job, and you get tired of sittin'. And it's like a nicotine habit you're always thinkin' about quittin'." On That's Me, a song co-credited to Eno, where the playful mood, with funky, see-saw rhythm shifts, unexpectedly, building to a crescendo where Simon exclaims the memory, "Oh-my-God. First love opens like a flower," then transforms back to the prior mood.

Despite the thoughtfulness of these sentiments, it's the offhanded nature of the work that's really compelling. Eno's textures make these songs musically. Simon's lyrics, show a master poet, in a spontaneous conversation with the listener, notably lacking the typical verse/chorus/verse structure of a pop song. On this collaboration, it's easy to find yourself as entranced by the sounds as you are engrossed in the sentiment of the words--an unusual balance in recent music.

All in all, the album is accessible, fun, unexpected and mature, which may be it's downfall. While--to a mysterious degree, if you are intrigued by the album cover, you may enjoy the album--it's not for the youthful heart. (Though you may check out Spoon's latest offering for that) The unifying theme--a celebration of life's journey, though simulatenously dark, exalting, and overwhelming--as told by Simon and Eno reveals a sense of wonder consistent with a newborn's gaze. A parental notion, that may require a lifetime's experience to fully grasp, but drawn here with vigor remarkable for two pioneers at this stage of their careers.

The Infinity (Creation)

2006-07-28T09:57:00.000-05:00

Infinity has no beginning, but this blog does.

Infinite Discontinuity occurs when a function approaches the same value, but the value approached is positive or negative infinity.
Most people have no idea what that means. However, a graph of such a function shows a set of points that do not touch each other extending infinitely along an x, y-axis.

The apparent, literal paradox of something that goes on forever, but in an interrupted manner struck me as a metaphor for the way life unfolds. It's an assumption to imagine that we are somehow infinite beings---but, a hopeful one. The universe is infinite. And, though our relationship to the universe remains a mystery, I believe an infinite relationship exists. Exploring the mystery is the challenge of life. In mine, I find that a series of random coincidences and unconnected events, punctuate the gathering of wisdom and meaning, found the bonds of relationships, astound the senses, defy the limits of imagination and consciousness, confound rationality, and inform the soul.

That's a potentially over-serious beginning to what I hope will not always be a serious endeavor, but you have to start somewhere. This will be a place for me to share stories, jokes, anecdotes, philosophical over-seriousness and random coincidences with others in an attempt to forge stronger relationships to other sets of discontinuous points in our x, y-axis mystery in space-time.