Category: Signs Of Life

General thoughts, mostly blog updates

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Approaching Ground Zero

In a few days, my “day job” (here’s a hint: it isn’t blogging) will ramp up for a month or so of crazy production. It will involve copious amounts of overtime, probably some extra days, and lots of overtime pay.

Yes I get paid overtime, because I’m an hourly worker, and I refuse to work another salary job. I’ve been there, I’ve done that, I will never do it again. I generally have issues with large mega-corporations (even though the one I work for is one of the better ones) and I also don’t like corporate politics, stupidity, wastefulness, attitude, and greed. Pretty much all things I’m sworn to destroy.

Ah, but for the lack of a paycheck…

Anyway, if I don’t post a lot over the next month or so, that’s why. Hopefully I’ll get time to breathe.

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Tasker And Flowcharts

In my quest to simplify, I’ve ventured into the territory of Information Automation. Since I discovered the app  Tasker, I’ve challenged myself to find new ways to exploit it to automate tasks that I really shouldn’t be wasting time on.

Tasker basically is an automation programming language for your Android device. It allows you to take any number of trigger inputs (GPS position, battery state, apps, network status, emails, RSS feeds, etc.) and then perform any series of tasks you program it to. It has the capability to be a full-fledged programming language, with conditional logic, variables, and so on, which lets you make some incredibly complex “tasks” for it to run.

It also has the capability of using almost anything your device can do as an “action” or output, which means you can automate just about anything your phone/tablet can do. Take pictures, play audio, send texts, run programs, share to social media, control the device’s functions, or even speak and listen to voice commands.

So, sometimes I geek out on stuff like flowcharts and such, and programming is the perfect place for it. Flowcharts! Graphs! Logic! Here’s how it works. Continue reading “Tasker And Flowcharts”

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Reflections On Wisdom

I was recently shocked to discover that someone had been reading my blog, and actually used it as motivation to accomplish something great. I immediately panicked. Why? Because I don’t view myself as a particularly wise person. Intelligent? Yes, under certain circumstances I’d call myself “smart” but that doesn’t have anything to do with Wisdom. I know lots of devastatingly intelligent people who don’t have the wisdom to keep from wrecking their lives. One of my favorite writers, in fact, continually flaunts his MENSA qualifications and IQ score, and yet he’s lambasted as a bigot (and several other nasty monikers) because he’s hot-headed, stubborn, and generally unwise. His skill in writing is second to none (in my opinion) but as a person, I wouldn’t really like him.

So what’s the difference, really? You might think Wisdom is just the application of being Smart, but that’s not the case. But if Wisdom isn’t the same as intelligence, what is it?

Wisdom – the quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment; the soundness of an action or decision with regard to the application of experience

I especially like the phrase “application of experience.” So, by definition, can you be wise without experience? No, you can’t. But so often we try to bypass the whole time requirement of wisdom, and substitute Brains instead. Because, if we’re smart, gosh darn it, we should be able to make the right decision every time, right? If I think about it enough, the answer will come to me.

Oh, how I wish that were the case.

Continue reading “Reflections On Wisdom”

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Ain’t What I Used To Be

So finally, after years of fighting it, I’ve finally come to the conclusion that… oh geez, I don’t even know if I can say it…

I can’t physically do the things I used to do. My body is breaking down. What used to be a simple job now takes me twice as long, and I have to recover for a few days afterwards. My back muscles are shot, my joints are failing, my neck crunches like Rice Krispies when I move it in any direction, my hair is falling out, and I could go on. I’ll be 40 in a couple of weeks. I’m starting to get old, and I can feel it.

However, I’m holding on to the one last thing I still can keep from failing: my overall health. I’m eating better now than I ever have before. I’m exercising again (after a terrible accident which kept me off the bike for almost 3 years). I’m sleeping more, I’m listening to my body, and you know what? It’s making a difference.

There are some things I know I just won’t be able to do any more. But I’m going to fight to keep what I have left. And when it’s all said and done, I’ll still be able to do more than if I’d had just let myself go.

I refuse to go down quietly and without a fight.

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Don’t Give Up

Don’t give up.

How many times have you heard those words? I can’t remember how many times I’ve heard or said them, but I know it’s plenty. Usually people won’t say when you’re just trying to tie your shoes “Hey, don’t give up!” unless you really struggle with tying your shoes. So most of the time when you hear it, it’s because you’re trying to do something you don’t think you can do. If it were easy, there’d be no need to say it.

In contrast, the times we say “Don’t give up” are when we see someone going through something we’re pretty sure they can do, it’s just they don’t see it. Or believe it. Sometimes they’re not even trying to succeed, they’re just going through the motions in hopes that some day they will be able to just stop.

It really hurts me when I see people struggling, and I know what they’re going through. It hurts even more if they’re struggling with something I’ve already been through and conquered. Why must they struggle when really, the path they need to go is plain and simple, and will get them where they need to go if they stick with it long enough. Sometimes all it takes is someone telling them “Don’t give up, you’ll get there, you’re heading in the right direction.”

If you’ve heard me say this recently, please don’t see it as patronizing. You couldn’t imagine the pain and hardships I’ve gone through, and yet I’m not dismissing what you’re going through. I know it’s hard. I know it’s not the end of the world, and I know there are much harder things we could be dealing with.

It’s hard, yes. But it is finite. There is an end to it, if only you’ll look up and place one foot in front of the other. Don’t look back; keep moving forward.

And above all, don’t give up.

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Cateye Commuter CC-COM10W Review

 

If you’re like me, and you like to ride your bike to places, then you probably have some sort of device on your bike that lets you track miles, speed, time, and so forth. A lot of these bike computers are focused on tracking data for training rides- heart rate, cadence, power, etc.- so when my old Cateye Velo 2 died after 20 years of service, I was very eager to replace it. Plus, Cateye is very much supportive of Bike Commuters… they even run the website www.worldcommute.com which tracks commuting miles.

Commuter

Continue reading “Cateye Commuter CC-COM10W Review”

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Just One Of Those Days

You ever have a day when you just wanted to get on a bike and ride until you were far enough away from your problems that it didn’t matter? Yeah… today was one of those days. I can’t wait until I can retire and get on my bike, and ride across the country as fast or as slow as I want.

So, go to http://www.adventurecycling.org/ and check it out. I’m thinking one day I’ll try to do the Southern Tier– that’s cross country, coast to coast, along the southern border. I live on that route! So if you’re passing through southern Louisiana, get in touch and we can get some bengiets and coffee!

Just because you don’t have enemies, doesn’t mean everyone is your friend. I’m glad I have real friends in my life. I hope you can say the same, too.

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Strength To Continue On

So what happens when you just can’t go on? Do you keep pushing, and just hope you can pull through? Or do you take a step back, look at the situation, and figure out what the best course of action is?

Most of the time, we instinctively buckle down and keep pushing through the bad situation until it’s over… if it ever gets “over”. Sadly, we allow these things to affect the people we love. Sometimes we need to change things, not just for our sake.

I think the hardest part of getting through tough times is being able to distance yourself enough from the problem to come up with a real solution. Not just survival… but being able to objectively look at where you are, and what happened to get you there.

Sometimes you may feel like you can’t get above water long enough to even catch a breath of air, but it is essential for you to be able to look at things apart from your feelings. You can’t come up with solutions if your emotions are running all over the place. I’m not saying it’s easy, I’m a pretty emotional person. But you can’t think through a problem using the same thought process that got you there in the first place.

At the end of the day, however, we’re not going to be able to keep everything together on our own. It’s so important to look for strength outside of yourself- and I’m not talking about another person.

“But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” – Isaiah 40:31

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New Years Devolution

First off: Happy New Years. Glad we made it another year! In an effort to grow closer to my loyal, rabid fan base (all 3 of you) I’ll start off the New Year by giving you a glimpse into my little slice of life.

Over the winter break (my work shuts down from Christmas to after New Years) my family all had the flu. Which means, we pretty much sat around the house watching Christmas movies and playing games. The time was well spent really, and it also gave me time to rest and think. Contrary to popular belief, thinking is one of my favorite pastimes. We laughed a lot, took a lot of cold medicine, took about a thousand temperatures, shivered, sweated, and generally acted like we had the flu. It was glorious.

During this time, I had the chance to experience my family in their natural habitat. I got to see my kids playing with each other, helping each other, aggravating each other. More importantly, I got to interact with them in ways I don’t normally get to as a working dad. They got to be comfortable around me, and we got to have some great conversations.

I’m generally not a big fan of New Year’s resolutions. But sometimes, I catch myself breaking resolutions without realizing I had made them in the first place. Have you ever done that? It’s kind of scary, and it says a lot about how our minds work.

For instance: Unbeknownst to me, my brain resolved to ride my bike to work as much as possible. You know how many times I’ve ridden this year? That’s right, none. Zilch. Why does this upset me? Does it make a difference in the grand scheme of things? Not really. But I still feel like a failure.

I also started journaling over the Christmas break. After more than a week, I realized I missed a day… and I immediately felt like a failure again. Did I resolve to write every day? No! But since I had been writing every day, my brain grabbed a hold of that and declared it was something I just had to do. And when I didn’t, I felt failure and disappointment.

Faithful readers, I want you to remember, your brain can and will throw you under the bus for the sake of ego. I fight tremendously with this, because I’m so awesome all the time anyway. (See? There it goes again… sigh)

Seriously, don’t get caught up with New Years resolutions. Instead, you should have a “Year’s End” party, and look back on all the things you actually accomplished that year. Quit trying to sell yourself short… and quit trying to be something you’re not. Celebrate the things you’ve done, not the things you haven’t. There’s nothing wrong with setting goals, but when you tie your self-worth up in something you will eventually fail at, it makes your whole life feel like a failure.

And your life isn’t a failure. If you agree, post up some comments on what you have accomplished last year.

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A Time For Rest, A Time To Work

So, I decided to go on a bike ride this morning. It was extremely foggy… nothing I haven’t dealt with before… but I’m also getting over a bad cold and I didn’t want to push myself. Still, this is significant, because I haven’t ridden my bike outside in about 2 months. I don’t know why. I guess there’s just so much going on with my personal life right now, I just haven’t had time. We’re in the process of trying to go gluten-free to diagnose digestive issues with our family. We’re struggling with schooling our kids from home. I’m fighting to get enough sleep to actually be useful when I’m home, when my job is constantly asking me to spend more time working.

All things considered, we’re doing pretty well despite these challenges. But cycling has just had to take a back burner until things get a little less crazy. I don’t like this, but it’s just the way it is.

I do want to get back to commuting by bike, even though the shortest route is out of commission for a year due to bridge construction. So right there, that’s an extra 3 miles a day… not the best way to encourage me to get back on the bike.

My bike is pretty much is serious need of maintenance. It needs a new drive train, and a new rear tire. Needs new cables, a good cleaning, could use some barrel adjusters on the brakes too. I need to eventually replace the steel FSA headset and stem on it, they add about a pound each. Really could use to re-wrap the handlebars, too.

I won’t even get into how much work I need to do with my music stuff, it’s just coming along slowly. I still need to finish my pedal board and get it working, but even that is just a want… not a need.

What do I need? I don’t know. I need rest. Felt good to get out on the bike this morning, though. Even with the fog, it was nice.