You will note that I had some photos from Hawaii posted on this site,but alas,I lost my camera in October of this year and could not post any more. (To that lucky person that found my camera, I wish you well in your photographic adventures and may you be a better person for finding it.)
One door closes and another one opens. Lo and behold,I got a new digital camera for Christmas and I plan to post some photos from my sector of the world.
Many thanks to my wife and sons for a great Christmas.
Photos coming soon!
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Looking Back at 2005 to Look Forward to 2006
Introspecting on a retrospect of 2005, provides me a perspective on a prospective outlook for the new year. Say what?
The subject is "I had a good year". Though I worked harder and had some personal and career difficulties, when you add it all up, it was a good year.
Though at times, we bemoan the circumstances of our life, Providence seems to direct our steps and makes everything right at the right time. What seems like a setback may really be just a course correction. It's the long view of life (eternal?)that gives you the right perspective. Rather than bemoan what seems like a setback, how great it would be to rejoice in the circumstances that will take you to your appointed purpose(s). To have no purpose for being would be illogical. No one is unimportant. We are all really, really important beings strategically placed in the country, the state, the city, the family and the work. we find ourselves,interfacing with other people placed strategically and therein lies the stage that is set for the high drama of life.
If I look at the things that happened in 2005 as viewed from the places I've been and the people that I met and got to know, and dealt with the circumstances that I had to deal with, then I would have to be optimistic about a new year. There can only be a good year ahead. To the critics of my "Pollyannaish" attitude and my "It's Wonderful Life" outlook, I would say concede that I am the first to begin to sink when my boat is hit by the torpedo of circumstances, but at least I have the hope of rescue.
All that read herein, I pray will have a prosperous and happy new year!
The subject is "I had a good year". Though I worked harder and had some personal and career difficulties, when you add it all up, it was a good year.
Though at times, we bemoan the circumstances of our life, Providence seems to direct our steps and makes everything right at the right time. What seems like a setback may really be just a course correction. It's the long view of life (eternal?)that gives you the right perspective. Rather than bemoan what seems like a setback, how great it would be to rejoice in the circumstances that will take you to your appointed purpose(s). To have no purpose for being would be illogical. No one is unimportant. We are all really, really important beings strategically placed in the country, the state, the city, the family and the work. we find ourselves,interfacing with other people placed strategically and therein lies the stage that is set for the high drama of life.
If I look at the things that happened in 2005 as viewed from the places I've been and the people that I met and got to know, and dealt with the circumstances that I had to deal with, then I would have to be optimistic about a new year. There can only be a good year ahead. To the critics of my "Pollyannaish" attitude and my "It's Wonderful Life" outlook, I would say concede that I am the first to begin to sink when my boat is hit by the torpedo of circumstances, but at least I have the hope of rescue.
All that read herein, I pray will have a prosperous and happy new year!
Saturday, December 03, 2005
A Dream I Had
I had a dream the other night and I thought that I would post it on this blog. It goes something this...
I was driving in my car (2001 Jetta TDI) and I turned left and start to go up a hill, when I see some money (tens, fives) in the street. I stop on the hill to go back and get it, but notice just before I do, that there is whole bunch of money laying on the street up ahead. So I ignore the small amount for the large amount and proceed up the hill, stop, get of the car and then look for the money, but there is none. It has disappeared. As I look towards a park with trees near the street, I see what I think is a snowball coming right at me, but it is an apple (Granny Apple to be precise), but it does not hit me and does not land. At that point, the sky is full of green apples in all directions. There are apples going parallel in the sky above me. Quite a scene. It seems to me that there are people unseen throwing these objects at me, but not really. Not one of the thousands and thousands of apples hit me and they don't land and bounce. They just sort of disappear somehow as they come near me or the ground. At some point, the apples being "thrown" cease and I see a multitude of young men wearing white dress shirts unbottoned and untucked coming out of the park and coming down the hill behind me. It seems that they are converging on me, but they are not focused on me, but are coming to the point where I am. They all seemed to be discontent and unhappy. It seems that they are like a gang or gangs. Since I am not sure of their intent to harm me or if they will turn on me, I move back towards the car for protection.
At that point, I woke up wide awake. I have no idea if it means anything, but it sure was vivid. What would Freud or Jung say about this one?
I was driving in my car (2001 Jetta TDI) and I turned left and start to go up a hill, when I see some money (tens, fives) in the street. I stop on the hill to go back and get it, but notice just before I do, that there is whole bunch of money laying on the street up ahead. So I ignore the small amount for the large amount and proceed up the hill, stop, get of the car and then look for the money, but there is none. It has disappeared. As I look towards a park with trees near the street, I see what I think is a snowball coming right at me, but it is an apple (Granny Apple to be precise), but it does not hit me and does not land. At that point, the sky is full of green apples in all directions. There are apples going parallel in the sky above me. Quite a scene. It seems to me that there are people unseen throwing these objects at me, but not really. Not one of the thousands and thousands of apples hit me and they don't land and bounce. They just sort of disappear somehow as they come near me or the ground. At some point, the apples being "thrown" cease and I see a multitude of young men wearing white dress shirts unbottoned and untucked coming out of the park and coming down the hill behind me. It seems that they are converging on me, but they are not focused on me, but are coming to the point where I am. They all seemed to be discontent and unhappy. It seems that they are like a gang or gangs. Since I am not sure of their intent to harm me or if they will turn on me, I move back towards the car for protection.
At that point, I woke up wide awake. I have no idea if it means anything, but it sure was vivid. What would Freud or Jung say about this one?
Ending the Posting Hiatus
It's been awhile since I've posted something on my blog. I was amazed to find out during the holidays that my friends, sons, brothers and sisters actually read my musing of life.
In moments of delusions of granduer, I would like to think that someday academics or children in elementary school history classes will pour over these postings and to find the essence of my "greatness" and to marvel in my outstanding achievements. If they ever did, they would find only meager career achievements and a common and somewhat unremarkable man.
What it all comes down to is communicating to the people who you have connections to you...your friends and family. Hence,I am convicted by their interest and will resume my random postings about my life and hopefully it will provide some interest to those who are reading this blog.
In moments of delusions of granduer, I would like to think that someday academics or children in elementary school history classes will pour over these postings and to find the essence of my "greatness" and to marvel in my outstanding achievements. If they ever did, they would find only meager career achievements and a common and somewhat unremarkable man.
What it all comes down to is communicating to the people who you have connections to you...your friends and family. Hence,I am convicted by their interest and will resume my random postings about my life and hopefully it will provide some interest to those who are reading this blog.
Saturday, July 02, 2005
Hawaii 2005
Though it has been months since I have been to Hawaii, I thought I would memorialize my trip by blogging it. These are some pictures I took in Hawaii.
A tranquil fish pond.
A lonely lighthouse on Kauai.
A very nice island church freshly manicured.
A beautiful coastal view on the north shore of Kauai.
Some other photos of my trip are found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/44578341@N00/?saved=1
A tranquil fish pond.
A lonely lighthouse on Kauai.
A very nice island church freshly manicured.
A beautiful coastal view on the north shore of Kauai.
Some other photos of my trip are found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/44578341@N00/?saved=1
Is Hell Exothermic or Endothermic
This was forwarded to me from an associate. I thought it was clever.
"The following is supposedly an actual question given on a University of Washington chemistry mid-term. The answer by one student was so "profound" that the professor shared it with colleagues, via the Internet, which is, of course, why we now have the pleasure of enjoying it as well.
Bonus Question: Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or endothermic (absorbs heat)?
Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle's Law ( gas cools when it expands and heats when it iscompressed ) or some variant. One student, however, wrote the following:
First, we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time. So we need to know the rate at which souls are moving into Hell and the rate at which they are leaving. I think that we can safely assume that once a soul gets to Hell, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving.
As for how many souls are entering Hell, let's look at the different religions that exist in the world today. Most of these religions state that if you are not a member of their religion, you will go to Hell. Since there is more than one of these religions and since people do not belong to more than one religion, we can project that all souls go to Hell.
With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of souls in Hell to increase exponentially. Now, we look at the rate of change of the volume in Hell because Boyle's Law states that in order for the temperature and
pressure in Hell to stay the same, the volume of Hell has to expand proportionately as souls are added.
This gives two possibilities:
1. If Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls enter Hell, then the temperature and pressure in Hell will increase until all Hell breaks loose.
2. If Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in Hell, then the temperature and pressure will drop until Hell freezes over.
So which is it?
If we accept the postulate given to me by Teresa during my Freshman year that, " it will be a cold day in Hell before I sleep with you, and take into account the fact that I slept with her last night, then number 2 must be true, and thus I am
sure that Hell is exothermic and has already frozen over. The corollary of this theory is that since Hell has frozen over, it follows that it is not accepting any more souls and is therefore, extinct...leaving only Heaven thereby proving
the existence of a divine being which explains why, last night, Teresa kept shouting "Oh my God."
THIS STUDENT RECEIVED THE ONLY "A "
"The following is supposedly an actual question given on a University of Washington chemistry mid-term. The answer by one student was so "profound" that the professor shared it with colleagues, via the Internet, which is, of course, why we now have the pleasure of enjoying it as well.
Bonus Question: Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or endothermic (absorbs heat)?
Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle's Law ( gas cools when it expands and heats when it iscompressed ) or some variant. One student, however, wrote the following:
First, we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time. So we need to know the rate at which souls are moving into Hell and the rate at which they are leaving. I think that we can safely assume that once a soul gets to Hell, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving.
As for how many souls are entering Hell, let's look at the different religions that exist in the world today. Most of these religions state that if you are not a member of their religion, you will go to Hell. Since there is more than one of these religions and since people do not belong to more than one religion, we can project that all souls go to Hell.
With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of souls in Hell to increase exponentially. Now, we look at the rate of change of the volume in Hell because Boyle's Law states that in order for the temperature and
pressure in Hell to stay the same, the volume of Hell has to expand proportionately as souls are added.
This gives two possibilities:
1. If Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls enter Hell, then the temperature and pressure in Hell will increase until all Hell breaks loose.
2. If Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in Hell, then the temperature and pressure will drop until Hell freezes over.
So which is it?
If we accept the postulate given to me by Teresa during my Freshman year that, " it will be a cold day in Hell before I sleep with you, and take into account the fact that I slept with her last night, then number 2 must be true, and thus I am
sure that Hell is exothermic and has already frozen over. The corollary of this theory is that since Hell has frozen over, it follows that it is not accepting any more souls and is therefore, extinct...leaving only Heaven thereby proving
the existence of a divine being which explains why, last night, Teresa kept shouting "Oh my God."
THIS STUDENT RECEIVED THE ONLY "A "
Sunday, June 26, 2005
Life's Negotiation
At times, I muse that Life is a negotiation. There seems to be a quid pro quo to life's demands. You have to give something to get something. There is no bluffing life as a negotation tactic. It seems that when Life deals you a blow, a downturn, that you have to respond with a positive response or your negotiation is over.
Only the right response wins the negotiation with Life.
Only the right response wins the negotiation with Life.
Thursday, June 02, 2005
The Professor and the Madman
On a long trip driving from NY to Denver with my son, Benjamin, we listened to an absolutely great book.
THE PROFESSOR AND THE MADMAN: A TALE OF MURDER, INSANITY, AND THE MAKING OF THE OXFORD ENGLISH DICTIONARY
By Simon Winchester
This is a excellent book relating the development of Oxford English Dictionary (OED) and the relationship between two men, one mentally ill and the other a quintessential genius of language, both of who progressed the landmark development of the modern dictionary. This book relates the story of Dr. W. C. Minor and James Murray, an editor of the OED.
(the paraphased narrative below is from http://www.webster.edu/~corbetre/personal/reading/winchester-madman.html)
The OED plan of inviting the scholarly world and interested members of the public to submit slips of paper with relevant data to the editorial staff, documenting early and unusual uses of words which made the OED possible.
Dr. W.C. Minor who was incarcerated in a mental hospital for the incurably insane, having murdered a man in London due to his extreme paranoia. Minor was an American, retired Union US army officer, who served during the Civil War as a physician with Union forces in the Civil War. Minor’s experiences post traumatic mental illness during the war, being forced to brand Irish deserters from the Union army, as causative of his mental state and the murder. Minor, as inmate of a was allowed many privileges such as keeping another inmate as servant, having two cells to himself, allowed stores of fine wines and foods, and most importantly to this story, being allowed to accumulate a huge library of rare books.
When Murray put out his call for volunteer labor on the OED, Dr. Minor responded and over the next 30 years contributed more than 10,000 individual bits of valuable data, one of the most prolific and useful contributors of the unpaid volunteer workers despite his mental illness.
Minor began his contributions in 1880 and it wasn’t until 1889 that James Murray learned of Minor’s situation. He visited him in the asylum and they became close, if not friends, in those more formal times, at least close co-workers. Murray even played a role in trying to get Minor released from his detention, but Minor’s constant paranoid behavior undercut such appeals until he was very elderly, weak and sick.
I highly recommend this book for your reading pleasure.
THE PROFESSOR AND THE MADMAN: A TALE OF MURDER, INSANITY, AND THE MAKING OF THE OXFORD ENGLISH DICTIONARY
By Simon Winchester
This is a excellent book relating the development of Oxford English Dictionary (OED) and the relationship between two men, one mentally ill and the other a quintessential genius of language, both of who progressed the landmark development of the modern dictionary. This book relates the story of Dr. W. C. Minor and James Murray, an editor of the OED.
(the paraphased narrative below is from http://www.webster.edu/~corbetre/personal/reading/winchester-madman.html)
The OED plan of inviting the scholarly world and interested members of the public to submit slips of paper with relevant data to the editorial staff, documenting early and unusual uses of words which made the OED possible.
Dr. W.C. Minor who was incarcerated in a mental hospital for the incurably insane, having murdered a man in London due to his extreme paranoia. Minor was an American, retired Union US army officer, who served during the Civil War as a physician with Union forces in the Civil War. Minor’s experiences post traumatic mental illness during the war, being forced to brand Irish deserters from the Union army, as causative of his mental state and the murder. Minor, as inmate of a was allowed many privileges such as keeping another inmate as servant, having two cells to himself, allowed stores of fine wines and foods, and most importantly to this story, being allowed to accumulate a huge library of rare books.
When Murray put out his call for volunteer labor on the OED, Dr. Minor responded and over the next 30 years contributed more than 10,000 individual bits of valuable data, one of the most prolific and useful contributors of the unpaid volunteer workers despite his mental illness.
Minor began his contributions in 1880 and it wasn’t until 1889 that James Murray learned of Minor’s situation. He visited him in the asylum and they became close, if not friends, in those more formal times, at least close co-workers. Murray even played a role in trying to get Minor released from his detention, but Minor’s constant paranoid behavior undercut such appeals until he was very elderly, weak and sick.
I highly recommend this book for your reading pleasure.
Why Blog?
As I setup this blog, I am trying to figure out why I am starting a blog and musing about what to write about. The best place to start is at the basic level so I looked up the word, "blog" for the proper definition and to determine the proper posting of writings.
The dictionary defines a "blog" as:
n : a shared on-line journal where people can post diary entries about their personal experiences and hobbies
A synonym of "blog" is "web log"....an online journal with postings of the personal experiences and hobbies.
I have no hobbies. So that leaves personal experiences, but it seems to me that there is more than "personal experiences and hobbies" being posted on blogs. Perhaps, this is a definition in development and someday it will be expanded to state, "Where people can post a wide spectrum of content of a political, artistic, educational, technical ....nature, etc."
At any rate, perhaps, this blog will become a hobby and a personal experience.
The dictionary defines a "blog" as:
n : a shared on-line journal where people can post diary entries about their personal experiences and hobbies
A synonym of "blog" is "web log"....an online journal with postings of the personal experiences and hobbies.
I have no hobbies. So that leaves personal experiences, but it seems to me that there is more than "personal experiences and hobbies" being posted on blogs. Perhaps, this is a definition in development and someday it will be expanded to state, "Where people can post a wide spectrum of content of a political, artistic, educational, technical ....nature, etc."
At any rate, perhaps, this blog will become a hobby and a personal experience.
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