I have always been good at adapting to any situation in order to get something done, and I've not noticed any change there. I have, however, noticed a recent tendency to get flustered if one of my daily routines goes caddywonky on me. This seems to be especially true about my morning routine, especially my morning workout.
This morning, I had already had a really bad day before 0600. I woke up too early, even for me, and could not go back to sleep. I found out that I had left a pen in the wash, ruining 2 good work shirts and 2 out of my three favorite soccer tshirts. I fell behind in my schedule and had to rush to the gym. And then, when I got to the gym I realized that I had forgotten to bring my mp3 player, my heart monitor watch/receiver's battery was dead, and I also forgotten the index card which has that day's workout info.
For some reason, these last three things threw me for a loop. I **did not** want to do my weight workout without my music, and it affected me so that I struggled with the workout much more than I should have. I should not have been discombobulated so much by these relatively unimportant happenstances, but I was.
And so, I have to examine myself and wonder why-- am I getting more set in my ways as I age? Have I become so schedule-oriented and organized that I cannot handle such minor glitches in my daily life? Is the Curmudgeon in me just around the corner of life?
I am going to enroll in a Krav Maga course soon, and one of the things that one must do in combat or martial arts is to maintain a calm, capable demeanor, ready to scan, decide and adjust to whatever threat comes along.
I guess I better start working on doing just exactly that in my personal life and its routines....
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
The Curmudgeon around the corner
Posted by Rob Welch
On 8/12/2009 03:26:00 PM
A coworker of mine has a phrase that I have adopted as one of my favorites... "Semper Gumby". Latin (kind of) for "Always flexible". I've always thought of myself as adaptive, not being set in my ways-- at least not set enough so that the disruption of those ways causes undue consternation.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Metrical poetry and the joy of half-price books
Posted by Rob Welch
On 8/10/2009 12:06:00 PM
“When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left I buy food and clothes.”
Desiderius Erasmus
I love to buy books. When my house finally sinks into the North Texas clay, it will be from the weight of books. Were I win the lottery, a large portion of it would go toward building a library room and filling it... Even when I finally get a Kindle, I will never completely divest myself of good old paper books.
In the original Star Trek series, I would be the curmudgeonly lawyer who defends James Kirk in "Court Martial". The one who lovingly keeps books around even though the entire literary compilation of humankind is contained on one of those cheesy plastic "clipboards" the buxom blonde ensigns are always carrying :)
But what I don't like is to pay full price for a book. Books have gotten outrageously expensive, unless they are basic trade paperbacks. And if you need any kind of specialty book, you are going to pay out the nose....
Which means that one of my absolute favorite places in the entire universe is Half-Price Books. I can spend hours there. I especially like the clearance sections, where I might pick up 5 or 6 good books for 5 bucks. The problem with Half-Price, though, is that you never know what you might find when you go there. It is not a store conducive to the search for a particular book.
And, therefore, when it happens that way, it really is a joy for a bibliophile!
I recently posted that I have begun to have a renewed interest in writing poetry, but that I wanted to write old-fashioned metrical forms rather than the free verse that I learned growing up. I have struggled, however, to gain some traction in this endeavor. There is a great book that I wanted that would help me with the various forms, but it is more money than I wanted to spend.
And then I found, at Half-Price, not that book, but an even better book that provides very detailed instructions and guidance on writing poetic forms, helping with the complicated matter of meter, which is what I struggle with the most. And so I ended up getting an even better book for about 1/4 of the price of the book I was originally seeking!
For someone who loves to find book bargains, it doesn't get much better than that!
Desiderius Erasmus
I love to buy books. When my house finally sinks into the North Texas clay, it will be from the weight of books. Were I win the lottery, a large portion of it would go toward building a library room and filling it... Even when I finally get a Kindle, I will never completely divest myself of good old paper books.
In the original Star Trek series, I would be the curmudgeonly lawyer who defends James Kirk in "Court Martial". The one who lovingly keeps books around even though the entire literary compilation of humankind is contained on one of those cheesy plastic "clipboards" the buxom blonde ensigns are always carrying :)
But what I don't like is to pay full price for a book. Books have gotten outrageously expensive, unless they are basic trade paperbacks. And if you need any kind of specialty book, you are going to pay out the nose....
Which means that one of my absolute favorite places in the entire universe is Half-Price Books. I can spend hours there. I especially like the clearance sections, where I might pick up 5 or 6 good books for 5 bucks. The problem with Half-Price, though, is that you never know what you might find when you go there. It is not a store conducive to the search for a particular book.
And, therefore, when it happens that way, it really is a joy for a bibliophile!
I recently posted that I have begun to have a renewed interest in writing poetry, but that I wanted to write old-fashioned metrical forms rather than the free verse that I learned growing up. I have struggled, however, to gain some traction in this endeavor. There is a great book that I wanted that would help me with the various forms, but it is more money than I wanted to spend.
And then I found, at Half-Price, not that book, but an even better book that provides very detailed instructions and guidance on writing poetic forms, helping with the complicated matter of meter, which is what I struggle with the most. And so I ended up getting an even better book for about 1/4 of the price of the book I was originally seeking!
For someone who loves to find book bargains, it doesn't get much better than that!
Reflections on knees, icepacks, and early morning gym time
Posted by Rob Welch
On 8/10/2009 04:37:00 AM
Sometimes I wonder why I started so late to really get serious about fitness. Wouldn't it have been better to become this dedicated to it at a time of my life when I would only need to ice my knees if there was actually an injury? Now, at age 41, I ice them as a precaution! :)
I am glad that we work in a world where our desks are contained within our cubicles and not open to the world. That way, no one can see the legs of my jeans pulled up over my knee and the Ziplock bag of ice ace-bandaged to said knee. Thus, I can suffer the ravages of middle-age in quiet privacy...
Today, I did roughly 1/3 of the distances I need to do to for a sprint triathlon, although I did it backwards LOL. At my gym, it makes more logistical sense to do the treadmill and bicycle first, and then the swimming just prior to getting ready for work. Still, I power-walked for a mile, biked for 4.5 miles, and then swam 300 meters. Sometimes I catch myself thinking that it doesn't feel like I'm doing that much, but then I realized this morning that it was 1/3 of my triathlon, and I realized I am making progress.
Of course, I'd really rather run the mile on the treadmill, but I'm approaching that with caution to take care of those knees.. :(
I'm looking forward to advancing to the next stage of my fitness regimens. It's time to kick it up a notch and really shed these pounds that have been holding me back!
I am glad that we work in a world where our desks are contained within our cubicles and not open to the world. That way, no one can see the legs of my jeans pulled up over my knee and the Ziplock bag of ice ace-bandaged to said knee. Thus, I can suffer the ravages of middle-age in quiet privacy...
Today, I did roughly 1/3 of the distances I need to do to for a sprint triathlon, although I did it backwards LOL. At my gym, it makes more logistical sense to do the treadmill and bicycle first, and then the swimming just prior to getting ready for work. Still, I power-walked for a mile, biked for 4.5 miles, and then swam 300 meters. Sometimes I catch myself thinking that it doesn't feel like I'm doing that much, but then I realized this morning that it was 1/3 of my triathlon, and I realized I am making progress.
Of course, I'd really rather run the mile on the treadmill, but I'm approaching that with caution to take care of those knees.. :(
I'm looking forward to advancing to the next stage of my fitness regimens. It's time to kick it up a notch and really shed these pounds that have been holding me back!
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Early morning reflections on an EPT
Posted by Rob Welch
On 8/09/2009 04:43:00 AM
The other morning I stopped by Walmart on my way to work. As I was waiting in the express checkout lane, I noticed a young lady in front of me, with only one item in her hand. I had seen her behind me as I entered the store, and it was obvious that she, like myself, had come this morning to purchase a specific item she needed.
But whereas my item was a container of milk for the refrigerator at work, her's was a pregnancy test.
I looked at her left hand, and saw no ring. Thus, even with the changing of some conventions in our culture, one must assume that she was not married. She was young, but not unduly so- certainly of age, an attractive adult woman.
As all these thoughts and images flashed through my mind, I attempted to gauge her emotional state, but was unable to ascertain any 'tells' that might give me a clue. She was, at least on the outside, quite calm and composed. And yet, I couldn't help but feel that her composure was in itself a 'tell'. In my experience, when a woman thinks she might be pregnant, it is not a feeling that lends itself to a state of equilibrium. There is usually either a sense of profound excitement at the possibilities, a profound sense of dread at the consequences, or a gut-wrenching stomachache at the reality of another test in a long, hitherto fruitless attempt to conceive.
None of these are terribly conducive to composure, so I assumed that she was hiding her feelings well. If I was asked to make a guess, I would have said that I felt her morning mission was one of dread, wondering if her recent adventures were about to reveal some life-changing results.
I looked down at my own ring, on my left hand, and reflected on how my own 3 children with Allison came to be. We married and, as previously agreed, waited three years before removing the barriers and trying to conceive our first child. Those were three years of delightful love and lust, enjoying each other as only a blessed married couple can. And then, after one heartbreaking miscarriage, God blessed us with three incredible boys. With each one, I can recall the emotions that accompanied the pregnancy test purchase, and it wasn't one of dread!
Without assuming a mantle of piousness, I think this reflects that there is wisdom in God's plan for human relationships. He bequeathed us with sex not only as a source of pleasure and an expression of love, but as a means to create new humans for Him to love and for us to love. We alone, among all of God's creatures both earthbound and heavenly, have the means to cause a new soul to enter in existence. It is an incredible responsibility and privilege, and not one to be taken lightly. And certainly not one to be dreaded! And God, in his infinite wisdom, designed a framework and structure for this that helps us to avoid that dread, shielded from the lies of Satan at these most momentous and intimate moments.
I find myself praying for that young woman. I hope that I was wrong about her emotions, and pray that our Father will touch her with His love and make her His own.
But whereas my item was a container of milk for the refrigerator at work, her's was a pregnancy test.
I looked at her left hand, and saw no ring. Thus, even with the changing of some conventions in our culture, one must assume that she was not married. She was young, but not unduly so- certainly of age, an attractive adult woman.
As all these thoughts and images flashed through my mind, I attempted to gauge her emotional state, but was unable to ascertain any 'tells' that might give me a clue. She was, at least on the outside, quite calm and composed. And yet, I couldn't help but feel that her composure was in itself a 'tell'. In my experience, when a woman thinks she might be pregnant, it is not a feeling that lends itself to a state of equilibrium. There is usually either a sense of profound excitement at the possibilities, a profound sense of dread at the consequences, or a gut-wrenching stomachache at the reality of another test in a long, hitherto fruitless attempt to conceive.
None of these are terribly conducive to composure, so I assumed that she was hiding her feelings well. If I was asked to make a guess, I would have said that I felt her morning mission was one of dread, wondering if her recent adventures were about to reveal some life-changing results.
I looked down at my own ring, on my left hand, and reflected on how my own 3 children with Allison came to be. We married and, as previously agreed, waited three years before removing the barriers and trying to conceive our first child. Those were three years of delightful love and lust, enjoying each other as only a blessed married couple can. And then, after one heartbreaking miscarriage, God blessed us with three incredible boys. With each one, I can recall the emotions that accompanied the pregnancy test purchase, and it wasn't one of dread!
Without assuming a mantle of piousness, I think this reflects that there is wisdom in God's plan for human relationships. He bequeathed us with sex not only as a source of pleasure and an expression of love, but as a means to create new humans for Him to love and for us to love. We alone, among all of God's creatures both earthbound and heavenly, have the means to cause a new soul to enter in existence. It is an incredible responsibility and privilege, and not one to be taken lightly. And certainly not one to be dreaded! And God, in his infinite wisdom, designed a framework and structure for this that helps us to avoid that dread, shielded from the lies of Satan at these most momentous and intimate moments.
I find myself praying for that young woman. I hope that I was wrong about her emotions, and pray that our Father will touch her with His love and make her His own.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
The rejuvenated Poet goes Old School
Posted by Rob Welch
On 5/28/2009 10:38:00 AM
Lately, I have gotten a serious bug to get back into writing poetry. I was a fairly serious poet in high school (Thank you, Mr. Joseph Wilson, Creative Writing/Humanities teacher my senior year), and even served as the editor of the Senior poetry publication for my school.
In the intervening years between those heady days and the encroachment of middle-age, however, the poems have been rather sparsely scattered. The last poem of any real work and revision came at the time of my engagement to my beautiful wife-- I wrote a rather long ballad poem that for the proposal, and it ended up being set to music by her brother and sung at the reception.
With that exception and the occasional haiku jotted in the journal, one can pretty much sum up my life poetic as pathetic.
Time to change that.
As the Muse sticks her cattle prod into my hindquarters, though, there has been one rather interesting twist: I matriculated into poetry in a world of free verse and blank verse... it is rather the dominant form over the last century. It is certainly what I know the most, and is by far the most popular in the current day.
So, of course, what do I do? I want to go back to some traditional forms. Maybe it's the Tolkien lover in me... all of his 'rhyming' poetry embedded in his works. Maybe it's the budding musician in me, desiring to write poetry within the constraints of rhyme, rhythm and meter, or maybe it's just me wanting to be different. Any of the reasons works as far as I'm concerned.
There is one small problem, though... I'm not terribly versed on the canon of traditional forms other than the haiku, which we Westerners really only attempt facsimiles of anyway, since English is not Japanese.
So, as I endeavor to embark on this trek through Thumb-my-nose-at-the-rest-of-the-world-Land, I have hit the library and gathered a pile of books to learn about traditional forms. I'm very excited about this process. It's going to be fun.
But don't expect to see much of the efforts on this blog... I don't expect to make the results available to many besides myself. At this stage in my life, doing this is for my soul and spirit, not for reading at poetry slams or cafes or attempts at publishing.
Some rebel, huh? Go against the grain but never let anyone see the results! LOL
In the intervening years between those heady days and the encroachment of middle-age, however, the poems have been rather sparsely scattered. The last poem of any real work and revision came at the time of my engagement to my beautiful wife-- I wrote a rather long ballad poem that for the proposal, and it ended up being set to music by her brother and sung at the reception.
With that exception and the occasional haiku jotted in the journal, one can pretty much sum up my life poetic as pathetic.
Time to change that.
As the Muse sticks her cattle prod into my hindquarters, though, there has been one rather interesting twist: I matriculated into poetry in a world of free verse and blank verse... it is rather the dominant form over the last century. It is certainly what I know the most, and is by far the most popular in the current day.
So, of course, what do I do? I want to go back to some traditional forms. Maybe it's the Tolkien lover in me... all of his 'rhyming' poetry embedded in his works. Maybe it's the budding musician in me, desiring to write poetry within the constraints of rhyme, rhythm and meter, or maybe it's just me wanting to be different. Any of the reasons works as far as I'm concerned.
There is one small problem, though... I'm not terribly versed on the canon of traditional forms other than the haiku, which we Westerners really only attempt facsimiles of anyway, since English is not Japanese.
So, as I endeavor to embark on this trek through Thumb-my-nose-at-the-rest-of-the-world-Land, I have hit the library and gathered a pile of books to learn about traditional forms. I'm very excited about this process. It's going to be fun.
But don't expect to see much of the efforts on this blog... I don't expect to make the results available to many besides myself. At this stage in my life, doing this is for my soul and spirit, not for reading at poetry slams or cafes or attempts at publishing.
Some rebel, huh? Go against the grain but never let anyone see the results! LOL
Monday, May 18, 2009
Riddles and signs at the gym...
Posted by Rob Welch
On 5/18/2009 10:46:00 AM
Some random thoughts from the gym this morning:
- I get tickled at myself when I solve one of life's little riddles, especially if it's one that should not have been such a poser to my silly self. At my gym, there is a steam room in the pool area. There are glass windows, but you can't see through them into the room (wouldn't be much of steam room if you could). Well, I have wondered many times why some people, prior to entering the steam room, go and get 2-3 of the foam kickboards from the pool area. It's been something I've idly wondered many times, but never put much thought into-- and then the answer hit me this morning.. they are lying down on the boards in there and using the foam kickboards as a pillow. DUH
- One of the great things about being someone who really doesn't care too terribly much about what everyone else thinks is that you can do things that might mortify more intrepid souls...and things that may have *never* been done before at a particular place! This morning, I forgot to grab one of my magazines that I read while I work out on the treadmill and bicycle, so once I arrived, I grabbed my ASL textbook from the book bag. I wonder if anyone has ever been seen before, at that particular gym in that particular city, signing to himself as he walked off the pounds :)
- I had forgotten what fantastic exercise rowing is... I used to own a Concept 2 rowing machine, but sold it at one point because I needed the money back. My gym has two of them though, and I've incorporated it back into my cardio routines. It is an absolute beating.. 10 minutes of it, and I'm wiped out....
- Unlike some guys, I'm a big fan of the shower "skooshie" when using the liquid soap they provide. Much better suds that way. Which makes it irritating when said skooshie goes AWOL from the gym bag. It's even more irritating when I discover later that I put the skooshie in the wrong pocket of the bag and it was there all along!
- I think I'm finally starting to turn the corner on the exercise thing again. It's becoming habit. I hope it stays that way... I like the way I feel in terms of energy and self-confidence when I workout on a regular basis!
Monday, May 11, 2009
Why is everyone so dour?
Posted by Rob Welch
On 5/11/2009 05:16:00 PM
This morning, as I was leaving my gym, I passed a lady who was on her way in, and was struck at how less-than-happy she looked. She wasn't angry, or sad, or obviously rushed... she just wasn't smiling. At that exact moment of time, she couldn't have been aware that I was observing her, so her look could not have been one of feminine defense against advancement. She just looked... dour.
As I reflected on this, I thought back on all the people I had seen that morning, and even accounting for the effects that having to exercise might have had on one's countenance, I remembered frowns, and strained faces, and very little laughter and smiles. As I broadened the sweep of my musings, I began to think about all the people that I encounter on a daily basis, and I wondered when I last met someone out in the daily world who walked in joy.
I could recall some at church, but even some people there seem to be infected... and I wonder at where we are-- as a people, as a country, and human brothers and sisters.
As a Christian, I know the source of true joy, and yet I often find myself struggling to laugh and enjoy this beautiful world around us. I have been recently struggling with a very serious case of the down-in-the-dumps myself.
One would be tempted to place the blame squarely on the sagging shoulders of the economy, but I believe it goes deeper than that. I certainly recall having noticed these same strains among people further back than the collapse of the US home market. Regardless of the current fiscal state of the union, I have begun to think that we just simply don't take the time to relax, to share good time with people we love, and to fill our souls with the things that speak to our hearts and enrich us.
The other day, I had lunch at an out-of-the-way German restaurant, a wonderful little place that turned out to be a local foci for peoples of German origin here in the DFW area. On their menu, they had a delightful little statement about their what they desired to bring out in their patron's lives. It said, in effect, that if one was looking for a fast restaurant to get in and out of rapidly as possible, then they were not the place... but if you wanted to learn to slow down, and dine and converse with companions, then the true German spirit would be conveyed along with the meal.
It was a statement to take to heart, and I wish I had written it down. (It would not be unusual for me to pull out my moleskine and do exactly that!) As I rush from housework to yardwork to studying to violin practice to work to church to soccer... I, too, need to remember to slow down, and sit around the table of life with good friends, and some "Jäger Schnitzel mit Spätzle und gemischtem Salat", and stimulating conversation... and allow these wonderful things to bring some balance back in my life. May my fellow race-runners find such a respite too!
As I reflected on this, I thought back on all the people I had seen that morning, and even accounting for the effects that having to exercise might have had on one's countenance, I remembered frowns, and strained faces, and very little laughter and smiles. As I broadened the sweep of my musings, I began to think about all the people that I encounter on a daily basis, and I wondered when I last met someone out in the daily world who walked in joy.
I could recall some at church, but even some people there seem to be infected... and I wonder at where we are-- as a people, as a country, and human brothers and sisters.
As a Christian, I know the source of true joy, and yet I often find myself struggling to laugh and enjoy this beautiful world around us. I have been recently struggling with a very serious case of the down-in-the-dumps myself.
One would be tempted to place the blame squarely on the sagging shoulders of the economy, but I believe it goes deeper than that. I certainly recall having noticed these same strains among people further back than the collapse of the US home market. Regardless of the current fiscal state of the union, I have begun to think that we just simply don't take the time to relax, to share good time with people we love, and to fill our souls with the things that speak to our hearts and enrich us.
The other day, I had lunch at an out-of-the-way German restaurant, a wonderful little place that turned out to be a local foci for peoples of German origin here in the DFW area. On their menu, they had a delightful little statement about their what they desired to bring out in their patron's lives. It said, in effect, that if one was looking for a fast restaurant to get in and out of rapidly as possible, then they were not the place... but if you wanted to learn to slow down, and dine and converse with companions, then the true German spirit would be conveyed along with the meal.
It was a statement to take to heart, and I wish I had written it down. (It would not be unusual for me to pull out my moleskine and do exactly that!) As I rush from housework to yardwork to studying to violin practice to work to church to soccer... I, too, need to remember to slow down, and sit around the table of life with good friends, and some "Jäger Schnitzel mit Spätzle und gemischtem Salat", and stimulating conversation... and allow these wonderful things to bring some balance back in my life. May my fellow race-runners find such a respite too!
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