Friday, October 30, 2015
Thursday, October 29, 2015
Home to first in like nothing flat.
My dog and I happened to be walking today and we decided to take an off-leash run around the local fenced-in baseball park. We begin by making a lap around the outside edge of the park, alternating between racing each other and play chasing. We finish the lap and come back towards home plate, when doggy suddenly notices there are some large puddles in the infield. Most noticeably there is a large one near both home plate and first base.
He sees the puddle, and there is a fraction of a second of recognition before he SPRINTS directly into the water and begins splashing around exactly as you might expect an individual to do when he is having just about the greatest time of his life. He plays in the home plate puddle and challenges me to join him. He pretend charges me and then runs back to the home plate puddle and continues to frolic...
Then... he stops... as he often does while calculating the next move... He glances at the first base puddle and is OFF WITH A FLASH.... sprinting directly down the base line at top speed.. heading for that first base puddle.....
but he doesn't go directly to the puddle, which is offset a few feet to the left of the actual base.
instead, he sprints directly down the line, directly towards the base...
as he approaches the base he LEAPS... a perfectly timed leap on the very last step, landing on the base and then using the base as a springboard to propel himself into the nearby puddle.... where he continues to frolic and invite me to join him.
i just laughed because i knew it was yet another one of those moments that i'll be thankful to have been involved in. there are several every single day.
now, did he know it was a baseball base and the game involved sprinting from home to first?
well, he has watched some baseball, and he's very, very smart. but even so, i doubt it.
i find it funny enough that this puppy loves to play and frolic in dirty puddles on baseball fields, and loves to run from home plate directly to first base instead of going directly to the next puddle he wants to play in, simply because the base is a fun, soft cushiony thingy from which to jump into the nearby puddle.
that's funny enough, and if you doubt that he knew beforehand both that it was something he wanted to do, and that it was something i would find funny, well, all i can say is i truly think you're wrong.
GOOD BOY, episode something.
He sees the puddle, and there is a fraction of a second of recognition before he SPRINTS directly into the water and begins splashing around exactly as you might expect an individual to do when he is having just about the greatest time of his life. He plays in the home plate puddle and challenges me to join him. He pretend charges me and then runs back to the home plate puddle and continues to frolic...
Then... he stops... as he often does while calculating the next move... He glances at the first base puddle and is OFF WITH A FLASH.... sprinting directly down the base line at top speed.. heading for that first base puddle.....
but he doesn't go directly to the puddle, which is offset a few feet to the left of the actual base.
instead, he sprints directly down the line, directly towards the base...
as he approaches the base he LEAPS... a perfectly timed leap on the very last step, landing on the base and then using the base as a springboard to propel himself into the nearby puddle.... where he continues to frolic and invite me to join him.
i just laughed because i knew it was yet another one of those moments that i'll be thankful to have been involved in. there are several every single day.
now, did he know it was a baseball base and the game involved sprinting from home to first?
well, he has watched some baseball, and he's very, very smart. but even so, i doubt it.
i find it funny enough that this puppy loves to play and frolic in dirty puddles on baseball fields, and loves to run from home plate directly to first base instead of going directly to the next puddle he wants to play in, simply because the base is a fun, soft cushiony thingy from which to jump into the nearby puddle.
that's funny enough, and if you doubt that he knew beforehand both that it was something he wanted to do, and that it was something i would find funny, well, all i can say is i truly think you're wrong.
GOOD BOY, episode something.
Hanley Ramirez is like a super-dense albatross.
The only option is a trade. Eat money if you have to.
The rest of the team deserves it. Move on and be done with it. Now.
The rest of the team deserves it. Move on and be done with it. Now.
The thick-a crust is a so delicious...
the people go crazy for it...
...
also, you take a one bite, you're gonna want a piece every day.
...
also, you take a one bite, you're gonna want a piece every day.
"Lost River" is a dark, bizarre and interesting trip.
Liked it. Certainly found the sensibility interesting and much of the acting was top notch. Interesting directing and music.
Interesting film.
Gosling, huh? Already a more interesting director than Ben.
Interesting film.
Gosling, huh? Already a more interesting director than Ben.
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Not guilty by reason of Chinese software hacking.
Not my fault.
My brain's behavioral management software got hacked by China.
Not guilty.
My brain's behavioral management software got hacked by China.
Not guilty.
I hope that
individuals who feel that police officers are or can be victims of unfair assumptions and accusations based on small snippets of evidence potentially taken completely out of context, also are able to see that police (at least sometimes, maybe? i mean, we can agree maybe it happened once? no? well that seems unreasonable) are guilty of engaging in the same sort of destructive, presumptive, biased projection of force onto others.
because that's a significant part of their job, and it's as unfair to the victims of their unjust application of force (NAY!!! NAY i say, it's even moreso) as these new cell phone-based moments and the accompanying fallout are to police.
so like, yeah, you might have a point, but you also see how this relates to you, right?
and then you look for a moment of (potentially fairly overwhelming, but not likely) realization. if you see none, you know for sure what you're dealing with, at least for the foreseeable future. if you see such a moment, you then may go on to decide the degree to which the moment has promise as the motivation for lasting behavioral change. most of the time it will have little to none. then your really left deciding what your own abyss looks like, and will look like in the future. will it look like "tried to do the right thing, even when no one was looking" or will it not?
because that's a significant part of their job, and it's as unfair to the victims of their unjust application of force (NAY!!! NAY i say, it's even moreso) as these new cell phone-based moments and the accompanying fallout are to police.
so like, yeah, you might have a point, but you also see how this relates to you, right?
and then you look for a moment of (potentially fairly overwhelming, but not likely) realization. if you see none, you know for sure what you're dealing with, at least for the foreseeable future. if you see such a moment, you then may go on to decide the degree to which the moment has promise as the motivation for lasting behavioral change. most of the time it will have little to none. then your really left deciding what your own abyss looks like, and will look like in the future. will it look like "tried to do the right thing, even when no one was looking" or will it not?
It's time for a "No Lines" movement.
There is no need for lines any more. Shit's synchronous. Everything should be asynchronous. Lottery + asynchronous lines = no lines.
ie. just call me and let me know when it's my turn. meanwhile imma be over there doing that thing that is more interesting than the standing still thing. peace.
hassflag nolines
ie. just call me and let me know when it's my turn. meanwhile imma be over there doing that thing that is more interesting than the standing still thing. peace.
hassflag nolines
Yeah so I was the asshole yesterday.
Beeped at a guy for blocking up the rotary.
Half second later, realized he was waiting for the funeral procession to pass.
faahh.... me.
This has been episode 1 of "Yeah so I was the asshole yesterday."
Half second later, realized he was waiting for the funeral procession to pass.
faahh.... me.
This has been episode 1 of "Yeah so I was the asshole yesterday."
Monday, October 26, 2015
Like Sunday, Like Rain
A rather interesting, meditative experience. Heartwarming is not the right word, but the description says "warmhearted", and that does seem to apply. Contrast and tension. Beautiful, haunting music.
Finds a place and perches.
Finds a place and perches.
Thursday, October 22, 2015
H/t to STARZB
cuz I finally totally got Richard Pryor without reservation or hesitation. Hard, hard laughs.
it's so unbelievably unfair
but i am skeptical of the ridiculously outsized accomplishments seen on the professional sports stage over the last week...
i simply assume dirt. don't blame me, blame those who came before you.
i simply assume dirt. don't blame me, blame those who came before you.
Sometimes we think the letterhead matters.
Sometimes we get silly like that and think the letterhead implies wisdom. We can be so silly.
How to miss the point, over and over again, by "letterhead":
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/10/19/pond-scum
h/t to the Globe for the (i assume synergistic) link.
http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2015/10/21/sorry-new-yorker-thoreau-more-relevant-than-ever/XsF28iSLPwrLkiNZIpHmoI/story.html
i don't think i'll read their rebuttal. in an attractive and perhaps inevitably and/or desperately grasped-for parallel, i don't think i need to.
How to miss the point, over and over again, by "letterhead":
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/10/19/pond-scum
h/t to the Globe for the (i assume synergistic) link.
http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2015/10/21/sorry-new-yorker-thoreau-more-relevant-than-ever/XsF28iSLPwrLkiNZIpHmoI/story.html
i don't think i'll read their rebuttal. in an attractive and perhaps inevitably and/or desperately grasped-for parallel, i don't think i need to.
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Monday, October 19, 2015
The Essence of the Oat
i always kind of feel bad when some of the oats get trapped in the package, never to fully realize their potential as delicious, tummy-warming oat-meal.
i feel the same way about the lost coffee beans.
moment of respect for the lost.
i feel the same way about the lost coffee beans.
moment of respect for the lost.
The Siren Call of Human Sociality
essentially you end up defining yourself in terms of social judgment scales. those scales are nearly entirely meaningless and built upon shifting sands. as such they do not represent a stable base from which to launch.
but the body is hard-wired to "like" the rush. i'm not sure anyone is capable of resisting if the call is heard early and often enough, or perhaps simply at the right moments in an individual's life.
it's as all-consuming and addictive as any hard-core drug from the moment they wake until the moment they sleep. as time goes on, the rushes get shorter and the mental toll grows.
such individuals (depending on their current state.. specifically while they are "succeeding") are often as impervious to counter-arguments as a delusional schizophrenic. of course the "delusional" aspect crosses mental illness boundaries. everybody has delusions. delusions are a survival instinct. but some delusions are in fact more equal than others.
the delusion of pleasing the mob in order to gain social status, and the delusion of the reality of a life built on such a delusion (should one be talented enough to make the first delusion survive long enough to "succeed" and even create a family) are less equal delusions than "garden variety" delusions. they are destructive delusions that cause an individual to pass through life without ever taking a moment to truly decide how he or she wants to live it. instead the person's life is carried along by the social current. it is at all times subservient to the opinions of others.
this seems to me a less equal, even morally objectionable category of delusion, and as such, one worthy of exposing in a general sense. of course, those afflicted should always be treated with compassion and respect. we need not hate the players of this game. we need not even hate the game itself. we simply need to decide if it's a good idea or a bad one and whether we want to make our opinions on that matter known.
but the body is hard-wired to "like" the rush. i'm not sure anyone is capable of resisting if the call is heard early and often enough, or perhaps simply at the right moments in an individual's life.
it's as all-consuming and addictive as any hard-core drug from the moment they wake until the moment they sleep. as time goes on, the rushes get shorter and the mental toll grows.
such individuals (depending on their current state.. specifically while they are "succeeding") are often as impervious to counter-arguments as a delusional schizophrenic. of course the "delusional" aspect crosses mental illness boundaries. everybody has delusions. delusions are a survival instinct. but some delusions are in fact more equal than others.
the delusion of pleasing the mob in order to gain social status, and the delusion of the reality of a life built on such a delusion (should one be talented enough to make the first delusion survive long enough to "succeed" and even create a family) are less equal delusions than "garden variety" delusions. they are destructive delusions that cause an individual to pass through life without ever taking a moment to truly decide how he or she wants to live it. instead the person's life is carried along by the social current. it is at all times subservient to the opinions of others.
this seems to me a less equal, even morally objectionable category of delusion, and as such, one worthy of exposing in a general sense. of course, those afflicted should always be treated with compassion and respect. we need not hate the players of this game. we need not even hate the game itself. we simply need to decide if it's a good idea or a bad one and whether we want to make our opinions on that matter known.
Saturday, October 17, 2015
The times, they're like, changing
After being in business for 75 years, McDonald's was forced* to post calorie counts on their menus in 2012.
Three years later, they are essentially going out of business.
* "was forced" by pending legislation
Three years later, they are essentially going out of business.
* "was forced" by pending legislation
Those chicks from the mudslides
basically laughing as their lives were at risk. impressive. they reminded me of the ladies in the car commercial hitting on the sales dude.
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
The Simplest Gesture
when celebrities smile a really big smile in pictures with fans, an angel gets her wings.
the fact that it was the case for me has left a mark to this day.
pathetic? well, sure, but that's a bit of a judgmental term, right? is it one you are comfortable with? fair enough.
nonetheless, it's a really nice thing to do and it makes me happy even when it's someone else's picture, especially when the fan is, like, excessively normal.
the fact that it was the case for me has left a mark to this day.
pathetic? well, sure, but that's a bit of a judgmental term, right? is it one you are comfortable with? fair enough.
nonetheless, it's a really nice thing to do and it makes me happy even when it's someone else's picture, especially when the fan is, like, excessively normal.
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