Sunday, July 26, 2020

Izzy and her Grandmother


At Redrock Canyon outside. of Las Vegas, NV.

Countdown to Retirement: 5 Years Away

Countdown to Retirement: 5 Years Away



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Yes, Determinists, There Is Free Will

Yes, Determinists, There Is Free Will



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Lonely People May Be Making Themselves Lonelier

Lonely People May Be Making Themselves Lonelier



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Tsundoku: The Art of Buying Books and Never Reading Them

Tsundoku: The Art of Buying Books and Never Reading Them



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Growing Up Surrounded by Books Could Have Powerful, Lasting Effect on the Mind

Growing Up Surrounded by Books Could Have Powerful, Lasting Effect on the Mind



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The Whiners Who Earn $200,000 and Complain They’re Broke | The New Republic

The Whiners Who Earn $200,000 and Complain They’re Broke | The New Republic



How Old Is My Pet in Dog Years or Cat Years? A Veterinarian Explains

How Old Is My Pet in Dog Years or Cat Years? A Veterinarian Explains



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The Forgotten Drink That Caffeinated North America for Centuries

The Forgotten Drink That Caffeinated North America for Centuries



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The End of Life Hacking

The End of Life Hacking



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Friday, July 17, 2020

Watching what you say.

Sometimes you say. things you can not take back, a good friend of mine once told me.  It's something that I've tried to remember when dealing with people.  I have not always been successful, but I am not as bad as other people I know.  

Wednesday, July 15, 2020

Dinner at BootLeggers in Las Vegas with Anne

We went to BootLeggers in Las Vegas.  It's a great Italian restaurant and we had a nice meal with Izzy's grandmother.  
 

Monday, July 13, 2020

Up at dawn in Las Vegas!

While alot of people are just now getting to sleep after a long night partying, I already getting up.  

Sunday, July 12, 2020

In Las Vegas.

Amber, Nico/Izzy and I are in Las Vegas to see Izzy's/Nico's Biological Grandmother on her father's side.  Her grandmother is a great person and her son's mistakes in the past don't define who she is.  




Sunday, June 07, 2020

Stuff

“Until we have begun to go without them, we fail to realize how unnecessary many things are. We've been using them not because we needed them but because we had them.”
― Lucius Annaeus Seneca, Letters from a Stoic

Gandhi the Philosopher

Gandhi the Philosopher



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Wednesday, June 03, 2020

Chemists Explain Crucial Difference Between Cold Brew and Hot Coffee

Chemists Explain Crucial Difference Between Cold Brew and Hot Coffee



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Estonia Already Lives Online—Why Can’t America? - The Atlantic

Estonia Already Lives Online—Why Can’t America? - The Atlantic



Advertising in Tallinn, Estonia, in 2002

Inside the NSA’s Secret Tool for Mapping Your Social Network | WIRED

Inside the NSA’s Secret Tool for Mapping Your Social Network | WIRED

A collage of phone book pages and an image of Edward Snowden

Why Remote Work Is So Hard—and How It Can Be Fixed | The New Yorker

Why Remote Work Is So Hard—and How It Can Be Fixed | The New Yorker



A virtual office space with each participant in separate locations

My Baby Amber

Green Bones, what I am reading now.

In Jade War, the sequel to the World Fantasy Award-winning novel Jade City, the Kaul siblings battle rival clans for honor and control over an Asia-inspired fantasy metropolis.

On the island of Kekon, the Kaul family is locked in a violent feud for control of the capital city and the supply of magical jade that endows trained Green Bone warriors with supernatural powers they alone have possessed for hundreds of years.

Beyond Kekon's borders, war is brewing. Powerful foreign governments and mercenary criminal kingpins alike turn their eyes on the island nation. Jade, Kekon's most prized resource, could make them rich - or give them the edge they'd need to topple their rivals.

Faced with threats on all sides, the Kaul family is forced to form new and dangerous alliances, confront enemies in the darkest streets and the tallest office towers, and put honor aside in order to do whatever it takes to ensure their own survival - and that of all the Green Bones of Kekon.

Jade War is the second book of the Green Bone Saga, an epic trilogy about family, honor, and those who live and die by the ancient laws of blood and jade.
 

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Long week of Boredom

It's been about a week since I last posted here.  Time passes here without too much change.  I do feel pretty good, however and am very positive.  It's going to be a tough next couple weeks.  I have to move out of my house and live in a hotel.  Atleast when all the damage done by the flood is repaired it will be better than before, new carpet, wood laminate, baseboards and paint inside. My children wanted to go to see my Mom up in Humboldt county, but until this Covid 19 thing is over we won't be going.  That means no surf camp.  Just keeping them busy is tough.  

Monday, May 25, 2020

Yesterday and Today

It was a heck of a mess the last couple of days.  I took Marty, my father-in-law, to the emergency room and Loma Linda Univ. Medical Center.  We spent 16 hours in the E.R. before he was admitted. He did get some great care and the staff was really fantastic.  I think, Marty, just went in to get some pain relief and didn't get what he wanted, which was to be heavily sedated.  They haven't located the reason for the pain in his left leg, but I am pretty sure it was related to the cancer he has.  I also think he has a very low tolerance for pain.  I got home at 4 AM this morning and woke-up at 9 AM so I could sleep tonight.  I am beat today, although I did accomplish a few things that I wanted to get done.  

Saturday, May 23, 2020

What I am reading.

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“While the history books are filled with tales of obsessive, visionary geniuses who remade the world in their image with sheer, almost irrational force, I’ve found that history is also made by individuals who fought their egos at every turn, who eschewed the spotlight, and who put their higher goals above their desire for recognition.” – from the Prologue

Many of us insist the main impediment to a full, successful life is the outside world. In fact, the most common enemy lies within: our ego. Early in our careers, it impedes learning and the cultivation of talent. With success, it can blind us to our faults and sow future problems. In failure, it magnifies each blow and makes recovery more difficult. At every stage, ego holds us back.

The Ego is the Enemy draws on a vast array of stories and examples, from literature to philosophy to history. We meet fascinating figures like Howard Hughes, Katharine Graham, Bill Belichick, and Eleanor Roosevelt, all of whom reached the highest levels of power and success by conquering their own egos. Their strategies and tactics can be ours as well.

But why should we bother fighting ego in an era that glorifies social media, reality TV, and other forms of shameless self-promotion?  Armed with the lessons in this book, as Holiday writes, “you will be less invested in the story you tell about your own specialness, and as a result, you will be liberated to accomplish the world-changing work you’ve set out to achieve.”

What Did Jesus Wear?

What Did Jesus Wear?



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Yes to Life, in Spite of Everything: Viktor Frankl’s Lost Lectures on Moving Beyond Optimism and Pessimism to Find the Deepest Source of Meaning – Brain Pickings

Yes to Life, in Spite of Everything: Viktor Frankl’s Lost Lectures on Moving Beyond Optimism and Pessimism to Find the Deepest Source of Meaning – Brain Pickings

Friday, May 22, 2020

I had a black dog, his name was depression

Depression


Why do I suffer from this and why can't I stay happy for periods longer than a few weeks.  It just started today and I am going to try and fight it.  Being BiPolar is not fun and no I just can't get over it.  It is one of the worst things that has ever happened to me.  I really hope that I am not heading down, I've felt pretty good the last few weeks and have been happy with my feelings. Maybe the "BlackDog" is here for awhile.  

Monday, May 18, 2020

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.[3]

Max Ehrmann, 1948

Sunday, May 17, 2020

Man's Search For Meaning


"When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves."

Viktor Frankl

7 Viktor Frankl Quotes to Motivate You to Find Your Purpose

Saturday, May 16, 2020

The Strange Psychology of Stress and Burnout

The Strange Psychology of Stress and Burnout


What Happens to Your Body When You Take Naps Every Single Day?

What Happens to Your Body When You Take Naps Every Single Day?



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Advice on Life and Creative Integrity from Calvin and Hobbes Creator Bill Watterson

Advice on Life and Creative Integrity from Calvin and Hobbes Creator Bill Watterson



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When it rains it pours.

It seems like I have had a run of bad luck this last couple of months.  First it was the garage roof with a bad leak that damaged the underlying plywood and some drywall. Then a painter for the inside of the house that was forever coming up with excuses why he wasn't doing an acceptable job.  After that it was Marty. my father-in-law coming over to live with us, while he is sick with cancer,  and my step-daughter Brittany, whom I do not get along with coming home for an extended stay, say months.  Lastly it was a flood in the house caused by the washing machine failing to stop filling with water and overflowing all over the floor in the laundry room, both kids rooms, the hallway, living room and dining room.  Major repairs and replacement of wood laminate flooring, baseboards, carpeting, repainting.  It will entail us moving everything out and back in, into storage containers.  Everyone will have to go to a hotel or AirBnB for about two weeks.  It's like I am just like I am waiting for the other shoe to drop.  

On turning adversity into advantage:

On the occasion of every accident (event) that befalls you, remember to turn to yourself and inquire what power you have for turning it to use… If it be abusive words, you will find it to be patience. And if you have been thus formed to the (proper) habit, the appearances will not carry you along with them.
Epictetus, Enchiridion

Monday, May 11, 2020

A quote to remember

Happiness is not achieved by the conscious pursuit of happiness; it is generally the by-product of other activities.

ALDOUS HUXLEY

Contentment

“It isn't what you have or who you are or where you are or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about it.”
― Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends and Influence People

If this is true, I really need to change my thought process.  I am fine with the material things I have, but not with myself as a person.  I always feel that I don't measure up.  Maybe it's just unrealistic standards, or just a general lack of the stuff that brings happiness.  I don't know.  I just someday want to content with who I am.   

Struggling to Be Content

Struggling to Be Content



What the Hero’s Journey Teaches About Happy Retirement - The Atlantic

What the Hero’s Journey Teaches About Happy Retirement - The Atlantic



An illustration of an old man picking smiley faces off a tree.

Saturday, May 09, 2020

Know where you stand.

I understand where I stand and I might not say anything but it's obvious.  Thanks for the reminder and maybe I should just make plans. 

Friday, May 08, 2020

Resentment

It's just making my life miserable.  I need to let go and let God handle these feelings.  It's a common theme in AA that resentment is one of an Alcoholics greatest threats and I need to deal with it and pray that God can help me with it.  It's just that this person will just not go away. 

On Kierkegaard, Authenticity, and How a Person Should Be | Literary Hub

On Kierkegaard, Authenticity, and How a Person Should Be | Literary Hub