You

Busy schedule here today so here's a short contemplation.

The real you lies deep within.
Be sure to schedule quiet time in which to get to know yourself.
You might be surprised at who you meet.

Part Two

I have been reminded that I am remiss in following up on an earlier post titled From the Other Side.

In that post, I had commented on how Motivated Mom and I were desperately trying to keep from slipping into the worn out parent ultimatums such as you're grounded for life.

I promised a follow up on how we finally managed to keep such over reactionary statements out of our vocabulary.

We drafted a list of House Rules along with a list of Consequences if the rules are broken. Media Girl, Motivated Mom, and I all signed the document and it hangs on the refrigerator door.

Rules include such things as treating each other with love and respect, curfews, required chores, etc.

Consequences are listed in progressive order:
1st violation - loss of driving privileges for a week
2nd violation - loss of driving privileges for a week and loss of cell phone for a week
3rd violation - well, you get the idea

It works great. There's no angry outbursts, accusations, or reprisals.

We simply refer to the agreed upon document.

Fashion Watch

I had no idea that what the President of the United States wears while he's working was such a newsworthy item.

Apparently the fact that Obama is walking the the halls of the White House in only a shirt and tie (no jacket) has Washington watchers in a tither.

An "in the know" member of the White House staff let slip that Obama hates the cold and has the thermostats in the White House set for tropical, making jackets inappropriate attire. The in the know source reminded the media that Obama is from Hawaii after all.

Now, I have nothing but respect for a man who despises the cold, but isn't this the same guy who parked his car in Chicago a few weeks ago?

I do see a potential national agenda item here though.

I think that President Obama should issue an executive order declaring every Friday to be Hawaiian Shirt Friday and mandating that businesses across the country must set their thermostats to eighty-five degrees every Friday so that employess can be comfortable in the federally required Hawaiian dress.

Of course we'll all need a check from the government to go buy Hawaiian shirts - but I think that should easily fit in with the jump start the economy programs.

Edge of the World

I found the edge of the world this morning. Well, I could have.

Over night warmer air pushed into the area, mingled with the cold of the snow covered ground, and produced a fog that a cinema special effects team would have given their eye teeth to duplicate.

The fog was everything that a good Jack the Ripper movie requires. A constantly churning and swirling steel gray soup reduced visibility to nothing. The clip clopping of a horse pulling a carriage would have seemed so appropriate that I wouldn't have given the sound a second thought.

Horses were not to be found - but automobiles were. Cars and trucks materialized out of the fog with a suddenness that would have prohibited accident avoidance had the vehicles not been spaced properly.

I was driving one of those cars, and wondering where I had left my good sense. No one had any business driving in that fog. I felt like I was steering my car directly into a wall that kept moving back at the same speed as my approach.

I could have driven right off into nothingness and never known it - until I heard the voice of Rod Serling: Offered for your consideration, the edge of the world that Columbus failed to find.

Confectioners Snow

Okay, I'll admit it. A new fallen snow can look sort of pretty.

We had a light snow here today. For a while it looked like the snow might amount to something substantial. But in the end, the area ended up looking like the giant at the top of the beanstalk had dropped an enormous back of confectioners sugar.

The tips of evergreen branches are decorated with a dusting of white. Shrubbery sports a topcoat of snow while lower branches remain green and brown. The tips of taller blades of grass poke up through the dusty frosting and barren deciduous trees have a white layer resting on the topmost arch of their beefy arms.

It's a shame sunshine is not in the forecast for the morning, because beams of golden light would have the area sparkling like a treasure trove of jewels.

Instead, we are supposed to wake to freezing rain - and the snow will lose it's allure as people focus on getting to work unscathed.

A Short Interruption

I will be away from the internet for a few days.

Look for a new post on Wednesday next week.

In the mean time, keep your own Zen flowing by perusing the archives.

Animal Spirit

I thought that I had achieved ultimate enlightenment and was ready to share the company of Sioux Medicine Men, Maharishis from India, and Tibetan Monks when I saw an animal spirit this afternoon.

I was on my way back to work from lunch when I very clearly saw a large dog hovering above the enter of the river.

I was ecstatic! My daily practices of Transcendental Meditation, Tai Chi, and Chi Kung were paying off.

Then I wondered - why did the river itself look so different?

With that one thought my euphoria left as quickly as it had come. The river was frozen from shore to shore - and there really was a dog standing in the center of the ice.

Slow Cold

People drive slower in the cold weather. I've made that observation over the past few days.

I'm not talking about snowy or icy conditions when people drive just plain stupid. I'm referring to ordinary cold weather.

I've been trying to figure out the underlying cause for slow motoring when temperatures drop below the mid twenties. Perhaps the drivers are shivering so hard that they can't keep consistent pressure on the gas pedal. Or perhaps it is because the inside of the car is warm enough that drivers have finally stopped shivering and are in no hurry to reach their destination where they will have to get back out into the cold.

Then again maybe the cause is brain numbness. Goodness knows my brain functions decrease exponentially with every ten degree drop below sixty. At eighteen degrees the only thought I am able to hang onto is Nnnneeeeeedddd wwwwaaaaarrrrrmmmmm nnnnnoooowwwww.

I say let's bypass the totally electric car and go directly to thermonuclear engines. Seems to me that by the time the ignition key was turned and the transmission put in gear, the interior of the car could be approaching ninety degrees.

Ticker Tape Geese

It is great to once again have daylight lingering in the sky on the ride home after work. Not just because riding home in total darkness saps me of energy, but because there are so many things I miss seeing when I'm driving home through an endless tunnel.

Tonight for instance, there was enough light for me to see what looked like a blizzard of ticker tape falling from the sky.

The absence of tall buildings pretty much ruled out an unexpected parade. So what was falling from the sky?

Driving at fifty miles per hour, it didn't take long to get close enough to discern that hundreds, possibly thousands, of snow geese were descending on a nearby field. The field itself looked to be covered in a foot of snow, so tightly packed were the geese that had already landed.

Had it been warm enough to have the car windows open, I'm sure the cacophonous honking would have been deafening.

Witnessing such events are the little pleasures that make the ride home so much more relaxing.

From the Other Side

We've all been teenagers at one point in our lives.

And as teenagers, at least once we all stood dumbfounded while our parents ranted at us in a manner that we considered to be totally out or proportion to whatever offense we had committed.

(If you're going to tell me you were never violated a house rule as a teenager, then I contend you are an alien who recently hatched from a giant pea pod.)

Now, as a parent, I'm on the other side of the ranting fence. Suddenly I find the phrase you're grounded for life to be a completely logical response to something my child has done.

If you think for one minute that (fill in the blank) than you have another think coming
has also sounded completely logical sometimes.

Surely I am not seriously contemplating regurgitating these time honored words.

In point of fact (don't tell your kids this) these phrases tend to pop up when, as parents, we are so angry about something our minds cease to be able to form intelligent sentences.

Motivated Mom and I came up with a way to keep these phrases out of our vocabulary.

I'll tell you about that in a future posting.

Fire Comfort

Oh the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful

We associate the words of the song Let It Snow with the holiday season, but really the song is appropriate from November right through March.

A blazing fire in the fireplace is a welcome way to overcome frightful weather fatigue. There's something hypnotic about watching short blue flames flicker along the edges of burning logs while taller orange flames reach up toward the top of the fire box.

Glowing coals fall from logs and build into a bed of pulsing heat, the intensity radiating out into the room. The heat urges the room's occupants to move closer until the heat warms the skin of faces and outstretched hands.

Cooler air pressing against our backs reminds us of the cold on the other side of the patio door, but it is a distant concern. As long as flames captivate us with their dancing while heat lulls us into a near sleep, we are content in the fire's moment.

Shock Surprise

It is cold enough outside that the heater has been working overtime maintaining a comfortable temperature inside the house.

The result - dry air and static electricity waiting to issue a surprise shock at every turn.

Reach for a light switch and - zap- the startling surprise of a static shock. A shock that feels twenty times worse than it really is because of the element of surprise.

After that first surprise jolt, I spend the next few minutes making quick jabs or arching swings at metal objects - as though I might somehow sneak up on them unawares. In reality, all I accomplish is making a simple act take four times longer - and I still get zapped.

It doesn't take long before thoughts of possible danger are pushed to the back of my mind. I'm quickly re-focused on whatever chore is at hand. And then - zap - damn! - it strikes again.

Actually it's so dry in the house right now that just picking up a metal object from the carpet is good for a bonus zap.

Since I'm moving furniture around right now the dangers are everywhere.

Back into the doorknob - zap. Take a lamp off the end table - zap. Pick up a screwdriver - zap.

After an hour of furniture moving, my body temperature was rising and I removed the sweater I was wearing. Then, despite the warning rapid fire pops of a building static charge, I reached out to take something from Motivated Mom's hand. ZAPZAP!! - a megawatt double whammy that nearly sent both of us tripping backward.

I wonder if tying clothes dryer sheets around my feet will help.

Honor Thy Father

I received an e-mail the other day that I forwarded on to a few people. One of the people I forwarded it to was College Dude (for new readers - College Dude is my son).



It seems College Dude did not agree with the sentiments expressed in the e-mail. He replied with a scathing message dressing me down for having forwarded it.



Hmmm, obviously I didn't spend enough time on the Honor Thy Father concept during College Dude's formative years.



Because obviously the correct response from College Dude should have been....



Most Honorable Father:

It is with regret that I must inform you that I do not share your views on this subject. Though it grieves me to do so, I must humbly request that you refrain from sending any further messages expressing similar views. Please accept my heartfelt apologies for this most unfortunate turn of events.

Your Humble Servant,

College Dude



That has a suitable tone to it, don't you think?

Crumple Ice

The local ponds are beginning to freeze again.

Overall our geographic area has been fortunate weather wise. We've had a few days recently where temperatures have spiked into the fifties.

So the ice on the ponds is not that thick, gray, opaque stuff that forms during extended weeks of freezing temperatures.

It's not even that semi-transparent stuff. You know, the seemingly solid ice that develops spider web cracks when you step onto it. The ice that has barely enough strength to support you as it cracks and pops beneath your weight - making you wonder if you should risk one more step forward or slowly edge back toward shore.

The ice that's forming now is that stuff you can see right through. The ice has just enough substance to it that the surface of the pond seems covered in permanent, unmoving ripples. Sort of like someone crumpled up a gigantic ball of cellophane and then tried to stretch it back out.

Family Organism

With the recent changes in my immediate and extended family, I've been musing on how life mirrors itself on different levels.



On the microscopic level, organisms such as amoeba and cells meet, merge, and create a new single unit. - Men and women meet, marry, and form the nucleus of a family.

Microorganisms grow and stretch, altering in appearance as they do. - Children are conceived and the family unit grows and changes in appearance.

Cells grow in size until they subdivide. The new, smaller life forms moving on to merge with other cells and the cycle begins anew. - The family unit reaches critical mass as children grow older, eventually split off, meet a prospective mate and the cycle begins anew.

I cannot imagine that the mirroring stops there. The universe is simply too large.

So now I turn my musings in a new direction.

If a cell or amoeba were to look outwards at a human body, it would appear the body went on and on infinitely.

When we look up into the sky at night, it appears to go on and on infinitely.

Which makes me wonder. - When we look into the sky, are we actually looking at an entity as much larger than us as we are larger than an amoeba?

And does that larger or supreme entity represent the enlightenment we all search for? And do we have so much trouble finding enlightenment because we are looking elsewhere for something we are already part of?

Dogs and Coats

The temperature here is rapidly dropping tonight and a damp haze is settling in.

Driving home, as I turned onto my street I passed a boy walking his dog.

The boy was wearing a winter parka with the strings of the hood pulled so tight that only his eyes and nose were visible deep in the fur trimmed covering.

A boy after my own heart, I thought.

Then I did a double take - the dog had no fur. The dog was not much larger than a cat so from the quick look I got, I could not tell if the canine was a hairless breed or it had recently been subjected to the attentions of a groomer.

Regardless, that dog needed a coat!

No wonder the dog was obviously straining at its leash. Doubtless the poor animal was shivering uncontrollably while his owner basked in recirculated body heat. The bulging eyes I had noticed on the dog's face probably did not normally bulge at all. The protruding eyeballs were probably the result of the facial skin having contracted in the cold.

I was tempted to turn around and berate the boy - but that would have meant lowering the window of my car and getting cold.

SFGTD

No, I haven't gone dyslexic. Though things ARE a little hectic this evening.

I thought I'd quickly share a great concept that I received via an e-mail forwarded by a friend.

Create a mental file folder in your brain and label it SFGTD which stands for Something For God To Do.

When your are faced with a problem or concern that is so large as to be beyond your ability to resolve it, slip the problem into the SFGTD folder.

Then focus on the things that you CAN control in your life, knowing that what is in the SFGTD folder will be resolved when and as it ought to be.

Peace.

Except the One I Need

We are in the process of moving furniture around in our house. My mother will be moving in with us in a few weeks. Oh, I guess I'll need to come up with a character name for her in my blogs.

Some of the furniture we're rearranging is modular office furniture. I'm having to make a few customizations to one particularly large piece of furniture in order to make it fit into its new space.

I headed to my workshop where I have a pretty good assortment of tools.

Except - it turns out - the one I need.

In disbelief, I stood in front of my workbench staring at forty different drill bits. How could I not have the one size I needed?

Have you ever noticed how this frequently seems to happen? You can have the best stocked kitchen, the best supplied workshop, the best equipped studio; but when a big project is under way a key component is missing.

Not to worry. I intentionally started this project well in advance (I'm learning in my old age) in anticipation of a few snags.

Tomorrow I'll make my first of what I'm sure will become several trips to the hardware store.

Quiet Before the Storm

I was doing some yard work today. Mother Nature gave us quite a treat with sunshine and temperatures in the fifties.

I knew from checking on the web that this weather gift was going to be short lived - rain and much cooler temperatures were quickly heading our way.

It was in between digging out a small holly tree that needed to be moved and pruning back some shrubs that I noticed the absolute quiet.

The breeze had stopped rustling fallen leaves, the geese in the nearby pond had stopped gossiping, and a new dampness in the air muffled any noise that might otherwise have reached my ears from far afield.

I was reminded of those times when, as kids playing outdoors in winter, we could always tell when a new coating of snow was in store for us. The air would go still, the leading edge of the weather front having already arrived. The natural light of day would changed from semi-brilliant to muted gray. And - like an enormous blanket - the suddenly damp and heavy air would mute any sound.

We often speak of quiet before the storm to describe events in our lives.

Mother Nature has been using quiet before storms for eternity.

It's All Good

As I've grown older, I've had to adjust my diet to stay ahead of reoccurring health issues.
Gone from my diet are breads, most meats, sugars, dairy products, pastas, and caffeine.

People sometimes ask me My gosh, what do you eat then? And I can understand their reaction because when I first reviewed what was left to build my meals around I was in something of a panic.

But I've discovered that from fruits, nuts, vegetables, poultry, and fish it is possible to build a truly satisfying diet. In truth, it does require a little more planning and effort but the results generally have me wondering why I haven't been eating like this all of my life.

Diet is on my mind tonight because on the way home from work I decided I wanted something quick for dinner. I wasn't in the mood for extensive meal preparation.

Subs, cheese steaks, pizzas and such are no longer an option, and places like McDonald's and Burger King are definitely enemy territory now. So I swung into the grocery store for one of those melts-in-your-mouth rotisserie chickens.

When I got home, thanks to the microwave, a baked potato was ready in just nine minutes, and a blend of frozen peas, broccoli, and carrots in another four. While they were cooking I was slicing the chicken - so dinner was ready in less than fifteen minutes.

On a damp, cold night what's not to love about a roast chicken dinner?

Sure Footed Cats

Above our kitchen sink we have a pass-through into the family room. The ledge of the pass-through is decorated with small vases and bowls filled with sea shells. I was just watching one of our cats work it's way across the ledge.

Between the glass containers there is exactly enough room for a cat's paw - as long as that paw is descending and rising in an absolutely vertical motion.

So now picture a cat with all four paws placed precisely between the vases and bowls.

One leg and paw at a time, the cat lifted and dropped each paw precisely between the next pair of glass containers.

How in the heck did the cat, Ginger, even know where to put her hind feet? Ginger wasn't looking over her shoulder after each move. How could she possibly know the safe locations for her feet?

Guaranteed if I tried to pass something through the opening the cuff of my shirt sleeve would catch at least one container and start a domino effect. Yet here's this feline picking her way through the maze like she's strolling through the back yard.

When she saw me watching, Ginger stopped and fixed me with a daring stare. Go ahead, yell at me to get down, frighten me with a loud command, make me jump, we'll see how far I can scatter all of these nick knacks.

I decided to leave the room.

24 is Back

The television show 24 is one of a very few that I watch religiously. After an extended hiatus, the show is returning to the airwaves this Sunday.

It was College Dude who got me hooked on 24. During the show's first season, College Dude suggested I watch an episode with him. I was hooked instantly even though I was coming in in the middle of the season and was mentally treading water trying to catch up with the plot line.

Cause the thing about this show is that SO much happens in any one episode that if you miss a week you feel like you're a half step behind all through the following episode. And if you miss two weeks - well you might as well wait for the reruns.

I can think of no other program that requires an adult beverage after the show is done in order to unwind.

I was reading where 24 has been doing some of this season's filming right in Washington D.C.

That must have had the city's actual security forces on edge. Jack Bauer running around Washington threatening, shouting, waving firearms, while the real life President of the U.S. sits just blocks away.

Hey, as long as he's in town, maybe Jack should make a side trip to the financial district and have a little "heart to heart" with the muckety-mucks. I'm thinking the big-wigs might get the economy might turned around a lot faster if they were faced with Jack's unique approach to problem solving.

Candy Canes

And here I thought Candy Canes were just tasty decorations.

It turns out they're actually good for you. Studies have found that peppermint oil kills germs and settles stomachs. Peppermint does such a good job of killing germs that someone is even playing with the idea of circulating diluted peppermint oil over salad bars to prevent bacteria from growing on the food.

So as kids, all those times we plucked a candy cane from the tree we were actually practicing good health. Which makes me wonder if settling stomachs is how the whole candy cane thing started. Goodness knows the Christmas season presents endless opportunities for overfilling our stomachs - and that time of year seems to bring an overabundance of germs.

There's a huge untapped market here. There could be a health boosting treat for every occasion where people tend to be hard on their stomachs. Peppermint turkeys, peppermint Easter bunnies, peppermint American flags (for Memorial Day and Labor Day barbecues), peppermint shot glasses (for Cinco de Mayo), the list is endless.

But until that larger assortment makes its way to the shelves, hang on to those candy canes.

Move over apples. Now its a candy cane a day to keep the doctor away.

Go Fish

Motivated Mom and I went out to our favorite local restaurant last night. The name of the establishment is Go Fish.

It's our favorite because Media Girl isn't crazy about it so Motivated Mom and I get to go alone.

No, not really.

Well, yes.

That is, yes Media Girl isn't wild about it, but no that's not why Go Fish is our favorite.

We love Go Fish because of the great food and atmosphere. The restaurant is owned by some British folks and walking into Go Fish is just like walking into a British pub.

Fish and chips, shepherd's pie, mushy peas, cheddar mash potatoes, pickled onions, Guinness Stout, you can get it all in this unpretentious restaurant.

According to a newspaper review on the restaurant (Go Fish has had many excellent write ups) the owners even imported a chips (french fry) machine from England. Apparently we Americans just don't have the technology to make a really good British chip.

For desert, the sticky toffee pudding is enough to make me hug myself in ecstasy and float up in the air like that dog in the Saturday morning cartoons used to do.

If you're ever in the town of Rehoboth, DE do yourself a favor and check this place out. It's just a block away from the boardwalk on Rehoboth Ave.

The New Mail

So now there's zzz-mailing.

Doctors were surprised to be able to confirm that a woman, while asleep, turned on her computer, accessed her e-mail server, entered her password, and sent e-mails to friends. The woman has done this multiple times. The messages are sometimes nonsensical and sometimes just plain gibberish. Apparently the woman's behavior has been linked to the medicine Ambien which helps people sleep. The doctors have termed the behavior zzz-mailing.

I don't know why the doctors are surprised. It's the next logical step in communication evolution isn't it?

We've gone from the pony express, to air mail, to voice mail, to e-mail.

We've gone from rotary phones hanging on a wall, to push button phones on a desk, to cell phones clipped to our clothing and plugged into our ears.

The only remaining uncharted territory is communicating while asleep.

Actually, zzz-mailing opens up a whole world of benefits to the sender of the messages. The sender can disavow any responsibility.

I was asleep when I sent that, the sender can say when his or her boss demands an explanation for an e-mail calling the boss a subhuman S.O.B.

I was asleep when I sent that, can become the excuse for an endless number of errors and misbehavior. I mean a person can doze off anytime right?

Hmmm, maybe I'll just keep a bottle of Ambien in my desk drawer. No telling when it might come in handy.

Surviving the Common Cold

I've had a monster of a head cold for the past few days. The unwelcome germ made itself known Sunday evening and by Monday afternoon I was wishing I could exchange my head for a lighter one.

As soon as the Monday workday was finished I rushed home and immediately went to work on making a BIG pot of chicken vegetable soup. Homemade chicken soup is a must have when the evil head cold rolls into town.

I have to say that this latest batch of health restoring elixir was by far my best work in years. The steam rising from the pot and carrying the mixed aromas of simmering chicken stock, celery, onion, pepper, potatoes, mushrooms, and carrots soon had my nose opened enough that life sustaining oxygen was again able to fill my lungs.

A belly full of warm liquid soon had my eyelids drooping and I headed for bed to snuggle under the goose down comforter.

Alas, a nose that had closed back up and a throat that felt alarmingly like sandpaper kept sleep at bay. Midnight rolled around and I feared I would get no sleep at all.

Thankfully I remembered there is one doctor who still makes house calls twenty-four hours a day. With hope in sight, I padded out into the dining room to consult with Dr. Cuervo. I was soon on a first name basis with the good doctor. Jose encouraged me to stop back any time.

With that reassurance, I returned to my nest of a bed and finally drifted off to sleep.

Five nights of soup, hot showers, and Dr. Cuervo's golden syrup finally has me feeling that the end of coughing, blowing, and sneezing just might be in sight.

College Dude and the Job

College Dude starts his first engineering job next week. He will be co-oping (work for a semester, go to classes for a semester, work for a semester, etc.)

College Dude is hitting the ground running with a middle management position. He will be a team leader for a firm that does engineering design work for the railroads.

I'm a little envious. College Dude's work day doesn't start until 9:00 and he'll be bringing home a paycheck that I only dreamed of at his age. In fact, I'm still dreaming of it.

There's the whole jacket and tie thing though. Somehow I never pictured College Dude heading off to work in "formal" professional attire. An open neck sport shirt maybe, but never a jacket and tie.

I wonder why? Maybe because I just always visualized him in jeans, sneakers, and t-shirts with a guitar constantly within easy reach.

This whole professional businessman thing is a big step - kind of like getting on the bus for the beginning of first grade.

I won't be there to see him off, but my proud thoughts of encouragement will still go with him.