ontask

[ontask-blog]

Repetition in Music & Tai Chi

Random stuff I thought about watching Why we really really really like repetition in music - Earworm / Vox - YouTube:

What would my Yang style Tia Chi footprint diagrams look like if translated into the visualize repetition graphing Colin Morris created for music?

Several video commenters felt that the presentation did not answer the why question. How about a flippant: just because.

I'd like to read or listen to some essays exploring the why as related to:

mantras...

the purpose and use of

how, true or false, the mind craves repetition...

information overload causes experiences to pass too quickly...

importantance of repetition to creating long term memory...

...perhaps, true or false, recalling songs or music creates enjoyment... music easier to remember = more enjoyment and repetition invokes circles and circles are integral for joy [TED talk: Where joy hides and how to find it]

if Tai Chi is like music...

repetition is central to Tai Chi practice...

visulizing the repetitive flow of postures and form sequences would make for a cool graph

repeating small sequences of the form is... meditative

[ontask-blog]

Startled Awake

Sunday. 6am. Zaiden’s birthday. Guy wearing light blue plaid shorts and cloth slip ons with sox, slams bedroom door and flops on bed next to me, face turned away.

It was the action of his kicking at all all the clean laundry piled up on the foot of the bed that awakens me. I’m vaguely aware of the previous loud bang of the bedroom door shutting. I’m sleepy, eyes out of focus, I’m frozen. I’m just watching, waiting for cognition to kick in. I’m so out of it with sleep and unable to see well without my glasses, that I can’t be certain it is not the boy, crashing after a run or in need of a place to stay. Crew cut, lanky, slight tan, possible tattoos on far shoulder, couple days unshaven, mid twenties. Not 6′4″. No, he is not the boy. Uh, is it?

Firmly I tell him to get out. I push at him to get him out of bed. But he’s just rocking dead weight and won’t get up. Unaware of me, he attempts to continue to burrow into sleep. My shaking him causes him to briefly raise up to stare at me. I stare back unable to capture his features. I’m suddenly sure my CPap mask is paralyzing him with confusion. I throw off the mask and ignore the fact I can’t reach the power button. He shrugs dismissively, and settles. I crawl over/around him, pull his arm, and sternly instruct him to leave. He’s only with it enough now to finally realize he’s not where he is suppose to be. Yet, too, he’s not completely sure as he bends over to put on his shoes. He is a combination of mild annoyed and amused. I push him slowly out the bedroom door, careful not to push him into the wall. I tell him he needs to leave. Then, I decide to ask him where he lives, but his answer is unclear.

I ask a couple times again, where do you live, and he finally says he is from Narnia. He seems further amused with himself. Repeatedly, telling me it’s a joke. I get the impression he is worried that I believe him. But then he reverts back to insisting Narnia is his home. He’s docile and really just wants to pass out. Very slightly he makes me think of a fawn -- but without any thick rumpled hair and large ears. He’s stoned, inebriated, glassy eyed. I’m not afraid. I know I have enough weight and strength to physically, forcefully extract him. I have no idea if he lives in my building so I gently guide him to the patio door, as it was his way in. I’m ashamed and self critical that this is the consequence of too often leaving my back door unlocked.

He’s not a danger to me, rather more of a curiosity to observe. I’m in conflict that maybe he actually needs help and that just pushing him out the door isn’t the right thing to do. I’m worried about whether he will he be able to find his way home. I’m mildly bummed to make him leave. This is like the most interesting thing that has happened to me in several months.

His sox were crumpled in his hands. I continue his unsteady movement to the patio door; and, he assisted his own slip out. Bizarrely, with a sudden  single movement, he throws his sox downward and behind, sending one sock skidding across the apartment floor and lands the other near the threshold. He wanders further down the dead end access path, and then with great confusion, slowly climbs over the retainer wall to get back to the street.

And of course I’m still sleepy and having a severe déjà vu. Tossing the one sock outside is my evidence this all really happened. Nothing more to do but decide to return to bed or lazily begin my day. What, barely 6:03am? Yup, back to bed.

[ontask-blog]

First Answers

Answers to a long list of questions for self reflection.

Am I using my time wisely?

In general, no; at this moment, yes.

Am I taking anything for granted?

Yes

Am I employing a healthy perspective?

No

Am I living true to myself?

I don't think so, but I'm not sure exactly what this means.

Am I waking up in the morning ready to take on the day?

No

Am I thinking negative thoughts before I fall asleep?

Yes

Am I putting enough effort into my relationships?

No

Am I taking care of myself physically?

No

Am I letting matters that are out of control stress me out?

Yes

Am I achieving the goals that I’ve set for myself?

No

Who am I really?

I don't know

What worries me most about the future?

Finding lasting joy too late

Realizing that suicide at an early age would have been the better choice

Discovering I failed at my purpose for living

If this were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?

Yes and No

What am I really scared of?

My health will continue to decline rapidly

Am I holding on to something I need to let go of?

Yes

If not now, then when?

I don't know

What matters most in my life?

I don't know

What am I doing about the things that matter most in my life?

I don't know

What do I matter?

I don't know

Have I done anything lately worth remembering?

I don't know

Have I made someone smile today?

No

What have I given up on?

Photography

Drawing

Graphic Design

Blogging

Writing well crafted reviews for movies and audio books

Recording my critiques of user interfaces

Owning and training a puppy for obedience and agility trails

Improving my web publishing skills

Push hands

Rock climbing

Rugby

Finding a long term healthy intimate relationship

When did I last push the boundaries of my comfort zone?

Can't remember

If I had to instill one piece of advice in a newborn baby’s mind, what advice would I give?

Listen to your intuition

What small act of kindness was I once shown that I will never forget?

Can't remember

How shall I live, knowing I will die?

What do I need to change about myself?

Too much

Is it more important to love or be loved?

To love. Because there will be at least one person to be loved by.

How many of my friends would I trust with my life?

Not sure

Who has had the greatest impact on my life?

I don't know

Would I break the law to save a loved one?

Absolutely

Would I steal to feed a starving child?

Absolutely

What do I want most in life?

To fall in love with someone who loved me first

What is life calling of me?

Not sure. Most recent thought was about quitting my job and relocating somewhere to do something important.

Which is worse: failing or never trying?

I guess the right answer is never trying

If I try to fail, and succeed, what have I done?

Become an example of fate and destiny shaping events, regardless of my own actions

What’s the one thing I’d like others to remember about me at the end of my life?

I don't know

Does it really matter what others think about me?

Yes

To what degree have I actually controlled the course my life has taken?

Many impulsive decisions have had great ripple effects. There are numerous touch points of inaction or poor action caused missed opportunities

When it’s all said and done, what will I have said more than I’ve done?

I want to be happy

My favorite way to spend the day is…

I don't know. Watching movies.

If I could talk to my teenage self, the one thing I would say is…

Your intuition that something is wrong, is absolutely correct. You are being emotionally and physically abused. Seek help.

The two moments I’ll never forget in my life are… Describe them in great detail, and what makes them so unforgettable.

Can't think what they are

Make a list of 30 things that make you smile.

watching baby animals -- especially puppies and wild rabbits

Write about a moment experienced through your body. Making love, making breakfast, going to a party, having a fight, an experience you’ve had or you imagine for your character. Leave out thought and emotion, and let all information be conveyed through the body and senses.

Crossing the wood beam during the ropes course: totally in touch with heart beat, the feel of fear throughout my body, and the experiencing the process of tuning out all the verbal encouragements and instead mastered what I needed to do in order to balance and walk with confidence.

...

The words I’d like to live by are…

I don't know

I couldn’t imagine living without…

job, healthcare, apartment, truck

When I’m in pain — physical or emotional — the kindest thing I can do for myself is…

Stop thinking and wait for the -- worst of the -- funk to pass.

Make a list of the people in your life who genuinely support you, and who you can genuinely trust. (Then make time to hang out with them.)

[skip]

What does unconditional love look like for you?

Something so powerful, that being able to feel it, stops fear, insecurity, and negative thoughts and feelings when they creep out.

What would you do if you loved yourself unconditionally? How can you act on these things whether you do or don’t?

Question is way too fluffy and optimistic ... just get irritated and angry thinking of a true answer.

I really wish others knew this about me…

Pretending to be ok is exhausting.

Name what is enough for you.

I don't know.

If my body could talk, it would say…

A shit load of negative realities truths

Name a compassionate way you’ve supported a friend recently. Then write down how you can do the same for yourself.

I don't know

What do you love about life?

I don't know

What always brings tears to your eyes?

Emotionally touching parts of movies and audio books

Write about a time when work felt real to you, necessary and satisfying. Paid or unpaid, professional or domestic, physical or mental.

I don't know. Maybe, Rescue: Trimming hooves for the dairy goat herd. Using the clippers to create milkers cleanliness.

Write about your first love — whether a person, place or thing.

Teddy Bear. Joel. Oak trees. My baby goats, especially Bo Peep when she helped me win first place in novice showmanship. Bottle feeding Apple Sauce, runt pig. Dusty. Rascal. Sam, the St. Bernard / Shepard mix puppy. David. Farrier's rounding hammer. The Carhart jacket I stole from Larry. Learning to code my first web page. Chase. South face of Devil's Lake. Philip. Jeff.

Using 10 words, describe yourself.

intense

bipolar

tenacious

What’s surprised you the most about your life or life in general?

I don't know

What can you learn from your biggest mistakes?

I feel most energized when…

doing meaningful work side by side with others

Write a list of questions to which you urgently need answers. (Abercrombie)

Is it ok to die now?

Have I accomplished my purpose?

Make a list of everything that inspires you — from books to websites to quotes to people to paintings to stores to the stars.

long ago, watching Swim Coach do the form

What’s one topic you need to learn more about to help you live a more fulfilling life? (Then learn about it.)

I don't know

I feel happiest in my skin when…

When having physically exhausted myself doing something meaningful, such that my mind is quiet and peaceful.

Make a list of everything you’d like to say no to.

I don't know

Make a list of everything you’d like to say yes to.

I don't know

Write the words you need to hear.

It was not your fault.

Just a first pass. The beginning, Self-Reflective Questions

[the-lifeof-a-borderline]

Self-Reflective Questions

Am I using my time wisely?

Am I taking anything for granted?

Am I employing a healthy perspective?

Am I living true to myself?

Am I waking up in the morning ready to take on the day?

Am I thinking negative thoughts before I fall asleep?

Am I putting enough effort into my relationships?

Am I taking care of myself physically?

Am I letting matters that are out of control stress me out?

Am I achieving the goals that I’ve set for myself?

Who am I really?

What worries me most about the future?

If this were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?

What am I really scared of?

Am I holding on to something I need to let go of?

If not now, then when?

What matters most in my life?

What am I doing about the things that matter most in my life?

What do I matter?

Have I done anything lately worth remembering?

Have I made someone smile today?

What have I given up on?

When did I last push the boundaries of my comfort zone?

If I had to instill one piece of advice in a newborn baby’s mind, what advice would I give?

What small act of kindness was I once shown that I will never forget?

How shall I live, knowing I will die?

What do I need to change about myself?

Is it more important to love or be loved?

How many of my friends would I trust with my life?

Who has had the greatest impact on my life?

Would I break the law to save a loved one?

Would I steal to feed a starving child?

What do I want most in life?

What is life calling of me?

Which is worse: failing or never trying?

If I try to fail, and succeed, what have I done?

What’s the one thing I’d like others to remember about me at the end of my life?

Does it really matter what others think about me?

To what degree have I actually controlled the course my life has taken?

When it’s all said and done, what will I have said more than I’ve done?

My favorite way to spend the day is…

If I could talk to my teenage self, the one thing I would say is…

The two moments I’ll never forget in my life are… Describe them in great detail, and what makes them so unforgettable.

Make a list of 30 things that make you smile.

“Write about a moment experienced through your body. Making love, making breakfast, going to a party, having a fight, an experience you’ve had or you imagine for your character. Leave out thought and emotion, and let all information be conveyed through the body and senses.”

The words I’d like to live by are…

I couldn’t imagine living without…

When I’m in pain — physical or emotional — the kindest thing I can do for myself is…

Make a list of the people in your life who genuinely support you, and who you can genuinely trust. (Then make time to hang out with them.)

What does unconditional love look like for you?

What would you do if you loved yourself unconditionally? How can you act on these things whether you do or don’t?

I really wish others knew this about me…

Name what is enough for you.

If my body could talk, it would say…

Name a compassionate way you’ve supported a friend recently. Then write down how you can do the same for yourself.

What do you love about life?

What always brings tears to your eyes? (As Paulo Coelho has said, “Tears are words that need to be written.”)

“Write about a time when work felt real to you, necessary and satisfying. Paid or unpaid, professional or domestic, physical or mental.”

Write about your first love — whether a person, place or thing.

Using 10 words, describe yourself.

What’s surprised you the most about your life or life in general?

What can you learn from your biggest mistakes?

I feel most energized when…

“Write a list of questions to which you urgently need answers.” (This is probably my favorite prompt from Abercrombie’s book.)

Make a list of everything that inspires you — from books to websites to quotes to people to paintings to stores to the stars.

What’s one topic you need to learn more about to help you live a more fulfilling life? (Then learn about it.)

I feel happiest in my skin when…

Make a list of everything you’d like to say no to.

Make a list of everything you’d like to say yes to.

Write the words you need to hear.

[ontask-blog]

What would be cool is to take a quick run through of all the questions and put out the first thing that comes to mind. Then keep the list near by to routinely return to the enormous project to work through writing an answer to all the questions left blank or incomplete. Next, to have a blog or journaling tool to put date stamps on long term additions to certain questions. I suppose, like each question would be a hashtag, to filter a single question into a chronological report of everything on that subject.

Update: First Pass

Other citations:

30 Journaling Prompts for Self-Reflection and Self-Discovery

Weightless with Margarita Tartakovsky, MS

[xmoon-princess-deactivated20210]

Self Reflection: How to do it and why it’s important for mental health.

So I’ve done a lot of these, this was actually something i started doing from a fairly young age without realizing how beneficial it was, which made my therapist freak out when she saw it and say she was going to use this for her other clients.  With depression and anxiety, I’ve always described it as having a voice screaming in your head. It’s very loud, very persistent, and very persuasive. It makes doing anything extremely difficult and focusing seemingly near impossible. All those self deprecating thoughts, all those worries that you’re not doing good enough, all those thoughts of how sometimes you think you’d be better off dead, they can be so overwhelming that you find your head swimming without always knowing what EXACTLY is wrong, because there’s just so many things being shouted at once. 

So i developed a formula almost to help decode what exactly is wrong when I can’t find the words to explain it well. Being able to figure out what is wrong is the first step in either doing something about it yourself, or allowing others to help you. 

Keep reading

[ontask-blog]

Perfect message for me as rebuttal to my recent post, Punishment.

[ontask-blog]

Punishment

A train of thought begain by reflecting on a comment someone made to me about being too hard on myself. After several miles of free flow conversation in my head, I made a statement about the requirements of punishment. Suddenly I wondered why I believe that a perpetrator must understand the nature of their crime. Which lead to searching for definitions, looking to find any reference to if and how understanding relates to severe ruminations of self flaws and mistakes.

Starting point: punishment.

Purpose

Punishment has five recognized purposes: deterrence, incapacitation, rehabilitation, retribution, and restitution.

Aim

The six aims of punishment: protection, keeping the public from being harmed threatened or injured by criminals; retribution, to get your own back; deterrence, put people off committing crimes; reform; vindication, peparation.

Objectives

Punishment is the infliction of an unpleasant or negative experience on an offender in response to an offense. In ancient times, the sole purpose of punishment was retribution. However, in more modern societies the objectives of punishment include deterrence, retribution, incapacitation, rehabilitation and reparation.

Function of Criminal Law

he law makes it possible to resolve conflicts and disputes between quarreling citizens. It provides a peaceful, orderly way to handle grievances. Protecting individuals and property. Criminal law protects citizens from criminals who would inflict physical harm on others or take their worldly goods.

[Citation: various text found on the first screen of the SERP for googling punishment.]

No conclusion(s) or original thoughts. Merely pausing at the site of derailment to quickly record my research... soaking in new words and looking for a way back to the ideas of what is being too hard on one's self? Too what degree am I too hard on myself? What change, or amount of change, is necessary? Of the things I criticize myself for, and the harshness, which are actually true and which are true only to me? Of the things -- flaws and mistakes -- that are actually true, how do I evaluate them to figure out the next steps... Is, what, any change needed? Where does any required actions for change fit into the priority of living life (ie of all the other tasks and desires on the long list of to do, deciding importance for follow through or the need for some mindful meditation to get clear my head)?

List of Crimes

Not taking all my meds, every day, at the same time

Not sticking to a regular bedtime

Remaining too sedentary during work hours

Lack of excersise

Inadequate food portion control

Over spending on eating out and excessive ordering delivery

Disinterest and neglect managing personal finances

Neglecting personal hygene

Ignoring household cleanliness

Fixation on the negative

Inability to find and appreciate joy

Inability to hold onto joy -- feelings of joy have a very short half life

Willingness to settle

Getting paralyzed by inability to take action, due to trouble prioritizing

Carelessness around apartment causing nicks, bumps, wear to structure and appliances

Decline in work ethics

Letting emotions interfere with quality and responsibility of work tasks and goals

Neglecting bike and truck maintainece to prevent premature decay

Feelings of being a useless eater -- belef that I don't have enough worth to be a canidate for the life boat or the bunker

Not keeping a consitent schedule for feeding and care of living space for pets

Consistantly letting easy take high priority over right

[ontask-blog]

Polite Avoidance

What does, "I need to get some air." mean? Is this the polite way to announce to others the need for avoidance?

[writingsforwinter]

For Unrequited Lovers Who Just Want to Be Loved in Return

Of course the term “unrequited lover” is misleading because “lover” implies half of a partnership, one side of a couple, but the real truth is something the universe has long been keeping secret: if you love unrequited, you love just the same as requited lovers do. You love deeply and without end; you love like a whisper that tries to stifle itself before turning into a scream.

So maybe you write letters that will never be sent, or you serenade the moon instead of singing to the one person whose window is always closed. Maybe your palm lines ache with suspense at the thought of joining the palm lines of someone else’s hand in secret. Or maybe you even pray for a meteor to crash into earth and automatically reverse each magnetic pole so that every single human being’s position on love is reversed as well, until the one person you care for with every fiber of your flesh and blood begins to love you back.

But you have to release certain people. You have to accept that this giant magnetic reversal will never happen, nor will a first date or even a first hand-holding. You have to let go of the parts of these people that you’re clenching with your fists. That doesn’t mean you have to destroy those parts, but you do have to let them go.

Start with playing catch. Throw the ball as far as you can and as hard as you can into the forest and wait for the forest to throw it back. When it doesn’t, retrieve the ball.

Throw it again and again until the forest finally lobs it back into your waiting arms.

Which it never will.

This is what you have to accept- that the person who has turned you into a tornado of wanting and messy feelings is never going to clean those feelings up. They’re never going to catch your feelings and then throw their own feelings back at you.

But allow yourself one last day of love. Love as complicated and intensely as you are able. Howl it from the rooftops like a wolf at the moon, stare at their photograph until your eyeballs burn, walk mile upon mile to their house and memorize every rafter and shingle, every splinter of wood; write out every word you’ve ever wanted to say to them until your hands cramp and blister. Love. Love without worry and love without embarrassment. Love like the universe loved the Big Bang that birthed it and mothered it. Love like silence loves the space it occupies.

Then release that love the next morning. Punch the wall until your fists are bloody, throw plates against the ceiling, run through the very forest you played catch in, (or rather throw and never come back), until your lungs feel lit with flame. Go to an abandoned parking lot and stomp on all the leftover boards and two-by-fours; tear out chunks of crumbling siding with your bare hands.

And do it all with this person’s name and face running through your mind, until every act of destruction becomes linked with them. Because they have been slowly destroying you too, from the inside out.

Then sleep. Sleep. Sleep fully and restfully in a bed that will never house the person you once loved.

And when you awake in the morning, welcome the new you, who has more room in their heart than ever before. Room for another occupant who will, in turn, allow you to live inside their own.

[ontask-blog]

My greatest wish: I want to fall in love with someone who loved me first.

[psych-facts]

It is terrifying to think that one day you will trust somebody enough to let them see you naked. You will undress and remind them that you’ve stretch marks and birth marks and scars from having chicken pox when you were little and scars from all of the other things now. You will blush thousands of shades of red, painting yourself as a rose losing its petals. And that person - that person will take it all in. And I wonder if they will reassure you. But mostly, I wonder if they will even see anything worth reassuring you about. I hope they see each freckle on your back as if it’s a star and you are the whole universe to them.

(via psych-facts)

[ontask-blog]

Wanting to Blog

Tonight, I wasn’t able to update my WordPress blog. I guess I can't completely expect to be able to jump right back in without any technology glitches.

I merely wanted a place to throw a few thoughts I've had because I’ve watched 2 series and 2 movies in the last couple of weeks. Stories that cause me deep grief and loss of hope for mankind.

Beyond Borders

Watching Clive Owen's character makes me wish there was some place I could go to do something important. Yet, the combination of debt, obesity, poor physical endurance doesn't make me a viable candidate to travel somewhere with harsh conditions.

The Man in the High Castle

I think the best part of watching season 1 & 2 of Man in the High Castle, was the 10 bonus clips of season 2, summarizing the arcs over the season. Being human apparently means perpetual hate and racism -- in all the parallel universes.

Arrvial

I had to google Noguchi sculptures; definately an apt discription of the aliens' vessels.

From an awesome movie reveiw for Arrvial, "...and that despite knowing what is going to happen in the future, it’s still worth it to carry on, because while there’s pain, there is still joy along the way." So close to just being a platitude. Too often I feel like the amount and kind of joy isn't enough to be willing to endure the pain.

“There are days that define your story beyond your life,” Louise reflects, acknowledging the wide, richly textured world that lies beyond our own perspectives. Be more than the hero in your own life, this movie says. Understand what being a hero means to others.

"Louise is able to use the aliens’ philosophy to cope with loss." -- not sure I know what their philosophy is. Is it because time is not linear for them, and therefore the pain is spread evenly across all events?

"If you could see your whole life from the start to finish, would you change things?" Yes, I would. There must have been radical touch points in my past which if acted on differently, could cause a time split for me to create and reach a better me and a now.

Apparently being human means the people in power can bring war on anyone without cause.

sense8

A few days ago I watched the final episode of sense8. Yet another story of persecution.

[ontask-blog]

Unexpected Bliss; Dysfunctional Stubbornness

Currently exhausted. Today, getting my way (being set loose to work on one of my favorite tasks), creates unexpected surge of industrial concentration, and ok, I’ll admit: happiness. But I must explain. It’s not really happiness, rather it is the absence of the awareness of unhappiness. Anyway. Juxtapose that against arriving home in the middle of the night and having the situation of not getting what I want spurring me into angry dysfunctional stubbornness. I should go directly to bed. But, my routine is to mellow out with my computer on my lap. But I can’t. When the cat is away, the mice will play. Which actually means: MacBook Pro went into upgrade mode earlier tonight while I was away from home, and now I am prevented from any fun beyond zoning out watching the progress bar and waiting for the minutes remaining number to count down. Yeah, like I said. Dysfunctional stubbornness. Instead of zoning out, I am so set on wanting to maintain my OCD-like need for routine, I dug out my old computer, and blah, tackled the minuscule obligation of organizing the power cord... which that further delays vegging with my computer.

And why bother presenting a Completing Installation announcement with a non changing status bar with the message, Less than a minute remaining. Stupid computers. Is it hung up or is it actually, secretively doing something?

I might as well commence a much needed brain dump.

Observation 1: pleasant Spring weather results in increasing one bike pannier to two. Turns out that on a work day, wearing warm weather biking attire translates into needing to carry a larger quantity of clothing, needed for changing into suitable work style. In the winter, I seem to adequately pack the spare bad weather stuff into a single pannier. And in my case, suitable merely means switching from bike shorts to my staple carpenter pants

Observation 2: don’t understand how sitting for an extraordinarily long, unhealthy length of time at my office desk, without any stretching breaks, doesn’t result in knee pain walking on the flat or doing the stairs. What’s up with going from bed to wake up and instantly start hobbling around due to both knees hurting. 

Observation 3: being greeted by the cat’s confusing, combined behavior of simultaneously purring and meow cry whining stimulates additional pre bedtime stress.

Curiosity 1: watching multiple stand up comedy shows on Netflix over the last couple of weeks leads to the dreaming mind to compose the scenario of me being part of a stand up comedy training session. In the dream, the guy in charge took the group of participants to several comedy clubs during the time frame of late afternoon to late into the night for the purpose of auditing some local professional comedians. At each venue of our tour, our group quietly found places to sit at the back or corner of the room. The assignment was to privately evaluated the performers delivery, subject matter, flow (timing), and well executed hooks (or whatever that story telling technique is called that involves having a somewhat unrelated story or multiple stories containing a repeated punchline in an unexpected way).

The best comedy show in recent years: Gabriel Iglesias; The Fluffy Movie, I’m Not Fat… I’m Fluffy (2014) 1h 42m. Absolutely, this is what to watch when you’re depressed. This guy is sincere, a talented impersonator, and great story teller.

Meanwhile. Yawn. Stupidity identified (inability to master quieting the mind at the critical times). Need to sleep. The obvious.

Let’s increase the simplicity of the task: as quickly as possible find the right balance of taking off the minimal amount of clothing while insuring no resulting discomfort. And don’t forget to set the alarm.

“Don't look at the dogs, work the lock....You looked at the dogs!.”

Blah. The other MacBook Pro is still hung on less than a minute remaining message. Ignore. Go to bed.

[ontask-blog]

Robin Williams (1951–2014)

The parts of the Filmography of Robin Williams (1951–2014) that I like best.

The Night Listener (2006)

Night at the Museum (2006)  

Insomnia (2002)

One Hour Photo (2002)

A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)

Bicentennial Man (1999)

Good Will Hunting (1997)

Flubber (1997)

Jack (1996)

Nine Months (1995)

Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)

Awakenings (1990)

Dead Poets Society (1989)

Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)

The World According to Garp (1982)

Mork & Mindy (1978–1982)

Eight Is Enough (1977–1981)

[ontask-blog]

The Need for Freeze

Hauled in a case of Aquafina® from the back of the truck to stock the fridge. In honor of Bill's first day teaching math for the Fall semester, I think I need my own personal math/science problem.

"Lena is very thirsty and wants some cold water. She has a bottle of hot water. How long should she set the timer for in order to place the bottle in the freezer to make the temperature of the water just right. The plastic bottle is 16.9oz. The forgetfulness factor is 99.5% chance the bottle will exceed optimal chill time."

Oh, and it so doesn't help if you first drop the bottle on the tenderness of the top of the foot.

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Lost in Programming Speak

I attended a talk on system diagramming today. I was completely lost. I started a list of all the words the speaker said that I did not know what he was taking about. I've heard all these words before. But my definition, as it applies to HTML and CSS, is not exactly the same as his use regarding higher level programing: JavaScript, PHP, C something, and others that he mentioned.

alteration

application

array

aspect

break

calls

class

clean code

code

comment

data storage

dedicated

delegate

delivery mechanism

demonstrate

deployment

design

developer

diagram

domain

error

feature

free beer

fully featured & cross platform

function

global

hide

human narrative prose

implement

inheritance

instance

library

line

live

load

log files

module

namespace

object

parameter

pattern

private

process diagram

public

replicates

run

same stuff

server

string

system

this stuff

tool

use case

variables

workflow

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Hitting Balls the Tai Chi Way

I'm completely soaked with sweat and at the moment truly happy. This is the best I've felt since camp concluded. For a mere $10, receive 11 tokens, with 10 swings per token in the batting cages can result in peace. (or this calm could be the result of drug dosage adjustment). Anyway, I got a piece of 85-90% of the pitches. Hearing that crack is fulfilling. Even if in a game it would be a foul and useless to the team, I did connect bat & ball in the cage. In all those pitches there was some incredible hits! Simply exhilarating. Using a combo of elements from the different styles of tai chi, I batted better than I predicted. The best hits included: turn the waist, body upright, separate the weight (well, sorta; just not double weighted), sink the tail bone, bend the knees & let the quads support the trunk, lift the bat up and back (staying near the coronal plane), make the body swing the bat in an integrated movement, with power in the turn of the waist. :::sigh::: That was fun. Why don't I do this more often? After cooling down and chugging G2, I realize I'm starving and need to move onto my next appointment. Peace in ball cracking only lasts so long.

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Day 4

hit the snooze button four times (perhaps in honor of vacation day 4). Therefore, arrived late to Saturday Tai Chi; but all was well, becuase the few attending pushers were quiet. The act of skipping breakfast resulted in a state of no energy and being non enthused. My Larabar mid morning snack wasn't as tasty as desired. I think the treat had sat in the truck too many days in the hot and started to ferment.

ate lunch at Gino's. My favorite sub. Sat at the table outside. While eating, I entered the Fall semester Tai Chi class schedule into my iPhone.

withdrew my spending cash from the ATM

picked up snacks to put in the kitchen for the cat sitter

thought about napping. But I'm down to the six hour count down of needing to pack my luggage. I was told today that 9:00pm is the cut off. Which I guess makes sense if one wants to receive a full night of sleep.

discovered my never used Camelbak. Hiking I shall go!

stripped the bed and started more laundry. I will enjoy coming home to clean sheets and a freshly made bed.

began folding 3-4 baskets of clean clothes. For my t-shirts, I'm making stacks and piles: pack, maybe pack, definitely don't pack.

took a break for a refreshing shower

loaded onto my iPhone, book 6 in the The Black Dagger Brotherhood series

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Day 3

continued photo project

searched apartment for spare key

cleaned the litter box

partially unloaded the back of the truck

cut a spare house key for the cat sitter

dropped off some stuff to the kid

dropped off laundry and comforter at the dry cleaner

shopped for shirts and sox at REI

found a beaner clip to carry water bottles

picked up some treatment spray to extend the life of my Keen sandals

bought a pair of new bras

shopped for shorts at Dick's

asked drug store to print off a list of all my medications

stopped at ATM to grab some cash

filled truck with gas and ordered a bacon cheese burger

put the garbage to the curb

washed another load of laundry

logged into work network to fill out time report and clean up newest email

continued photo project while watching Netflix

ate huge bowl of ice cream

finished photo project? All 110 images have been cleaned up. Flattened, cropped, and saved for web

realized that the web ready images I made are too small; need to redo

randomly continued to clean up images that need more work

downloaded book 6 in the The Black Dagger Brotherhood series

downloaded the Crestock Free Image of the Day