Seems like the blogging fad is fading. Sure, everyone has a blog. But only a few post on a regular basis. Most of my friends have abandoned their blogs. I only post here sporadically.
It is easier to post little snippets on twitter and Facebook and tumblr.
A blog post should be a longer post. I formed thought. We think in 140 character thoughts.
George Carlin is an educator.
Yes, that George Carlin.
When my dad came down to visit in the winter, he would set up his windows laptop at the kitchen table. We had Apple computers but the boys liked trying out this different operating system. One year, he came down with an updated Google Earth app. This version had YouTube video links. The videos were pretty safe and silly and the boys loved watching them over and over. Soon, the boys learned to browse YouTube on their own computers. At least YouTube defaults to safe search if you don't have an account.
They found Thomas The Tank Engine videos people had uploaded. We had most of the video tapes but they could watch what they wanted and repeat it over and over. George Carlin narrated many of the Thomas videos. YouTube suggested other George Carlin videos which were not quite as kid friendly. An aside, I do not know why someone would make a video of George Carlin reading his audio book. But people did and my boys loved to listen to them. My boys have great aural memories and could soon repeat many of Carlin's bits.
Ryan found my copy of When Will Jesus Bring the Porkchops? on my bookshelf and started reading it. I am not sure how much he understood but I let him read it. Ryan has read most of the Carlin books several times. Andy prefers listening to the audio.
When the boys started repeating some of Carlin's thoughts on religion, I knew we had a problem. My dad is very Catholic. Carlin was not. I told the boys that they could read or listen to the bits but not to repeat them in front of Poppa. Surprisingly, they understood and we didn't have any problems.
The boys learned about curse words. Carlin used the f word a lot. Andy was repeating a bit that included this word. He knew he shouldn't say the word but didn't know what to say instead. In this case, I instructed him to say what the heck. It worked and I didn't hear the f word from either boy. One time Andy was repeating another bit and substituting hecking instead of the f-ing word Carlin used. Oh, heck is not as versatile as the f-word and we need another lesson in appropriate words.
Another time, Andy walked in repeating another Carlin bit which is in the form of a cheer. I told Andy he is not to repeat that and Ryan asked why. I explained that there are many words which are not appropriate in their usage. Ryan asked, “Like pussy and snatch box?” Once I picked up my jaw from the floor, I tried to explain what these words meant. “I know what they mean!” Sure pussy can meant cat and snatch means to grab and box is something you ship or store something in. But they can have other meanings and I tried to explain. But Ryan didn't want to listen. Like any other 13 year old boy, he did not want to talk about sex with his mother. But I prefer to teach him the meanings of these words at home rather than he say them at school and be embarrassed or in trouble.
The boys do not socialize like regular kids. They prefer to stay at home. So they pick up bad habits and incorrect facts from YouTube. I have had to explain gay and homosexual. Though I was uncomfortable, I explain without opinion and prejudice and Ryan was OK with it.
You never know where kids are going to learn. There are worse people than George Carlin.
I don't remember my brothers reading comic books. They are older than us girls so maybe they outgrew them. Though dad tells stories of Steve getting caught with them at school.
Nancy and I only read comics in Brighton when we stayed at the cottage for the summer. We had to go into town to use the laundromat. Next door was Uber's Drugs. Mom would get a book or magazine, we got comic books. We chose Archie or Richie Rich or Casper The Friendly Ghost.
As we got older, we chose crossword puzzles or teen magazines.
I learned of Sandman by Neil Gaiman. I really liked his conventional books, maybe I should try his graphic novel? I looked for Sandman at Barnes & Noble. I wanted to look at it before I spent the money. Twenty dollars seemed like a lot for a comic book, or graphic novel. I had an iPad and tried Comixology. I tried a few issues of Sandman. I was confused. It more complex than I expected. It didn't hook me.
Merlin Mann convinced me to try again with Saga, Locke & Key then Hawkeye. Soon I was trying The Avengers, Batman and Robin. I tried to stick with the series that were new so I could start fresh and know what was going on. But Merlin said he liked House of M and I said OK. I really fell in deep with House of M. I wanted to read all the tie-ins. I wanted to know everything.
New comics are about $3.99 an issue. Older issues are usually reduced to $1.99. but there was so much to read and I can easily read several comics a day. I had to stop. I decided to try Marvel Unlimited. It is a bit like Netflix for Marvel Comics. And most of what I read is from Marvel. For $9.99 a month, I can read most the older issues. In two days, I have already read 16 comics. Some of these weren't even available on Comixology.
Marvel Unlimited is not a great app on the iPad. I don't know why they don't use the same software they use for the regular Marvel app with the smart panels. I hope to read all I want in a few months and catch up. Then I will go back to getting just new issues as they are released. A budget would be good too.
I do find it odd that my boys don't get into them. Occasionally they will read The Simpsons but that is as far as it goes.
Being brand loyal can makes shopping easy. When I need something, I look at those favorite brands first. It saves me time comparing products and prices. Just give me the stuff I know will work.
My loyalty started with Neutrogena. I used their products for over 2 decades. I only stopped using their products when they didn't seem to be as effective and I learned that they weren't the safe and natural products I thought they were.
These days, I use Dr. Bronner's. I use their soaps and conditioners and the boys use their shave cream. If they made facial moisturizers, I would use them as well.
The same loyalty holds true for computers and electronics, I choose Apple For clothing I choose Lands' End and for luggage and backpacks I choose LL Bean.
A portion of the pool is closed off. There is a depression in the bottom though there is no apparent crack. I hope they can hold off on repairing it for another week. The boys will be in school and won't be upset by the interruption.
Two women walk into the pool area. One looks to be in her 40s and the other is most likely her mother. The mother walks so straight and regal. I can tell she is foreign. Both women get in the pool. They are both wearing bikinis. Both are trim but not in great shape. The mother looks better than me but I would not have the courage to wear a bikini.
They stay in the warm water for about 10 minutes then get out and lay on the lounge chairs. They slather on the generic baby oil. After 20 minutes, they come back in the water still shining from the oil. They speak a foreign tongue. It is something Slavic, eastern European.
A middle aged couple comes in. They claim two lounge chairs. She spreads her towel while he opens the mesh float and blows up the surrounding tube. He finishes and gets into the pool. He does not help her with her tube. When she finally done blowing up her float, she leaves it and lies down on the lounge chair.
On Sunday morning, I got up and walked. I didn't do it because I wanted to, I did it because I told Andy that I would.
I usually walk Saturday mornings then wash my work out clothes on the delicate cycle. I didn't walk on Saturday and didn't wash my clothes. Andy noticed and questioned me. I could see that it bothered him. I told him that I would walk on Sunday and wash my clothes afterwards. This made him smile and say that he would eat the bagels. Huh?
On Saturday mornings, I toast 4 bagels for Andy. He eats them throughout the morning. Even when they are cold. He had eaten 3 of the bagels when he noticed that I hadn't washed my workout clothes. Once a compromise was met, he finished the bagels. It is silly but it is how Andy deals with situations he cannot control. Instead of getting upset and pouting, crying or having a tantrum, he withholds something of his own. Sometimes he will not allow himself to watch a favorite video. Ryan has known to do similar things as well. They would rather cancel everything or go without that change the routine.
When Sunday morning came, I did not want to get up. I did not want to walk. But I did get up. Because I did not want to disappoint Andy after I told him I would walk. The walk was OK. I have been feeling lethargic and out of sync. I didn't feel better after I was done. I felt relieved like a chore completed. I showered and put my clothes in the washer. Andy was there to see me select delicates. His smile is what made me feel better.
Why is OK to disappoint ourselves but not OK to disappoint others?
A sedentary life can shorten your lifespan. Our ancestors moved a lot more than we did. They didn't need special exercises to remain active. Very few people had jobs that required them to sit at a desk for 8 hours or more at a time.
Years ago, most people who worked in offices usually found some reason or another to get up from their desks from time to time. One might need some coffee, or to make a copy. Or maybe one needed to deliver a memo in the days before email and instant messaging. Do they people in Mad Men ever sit and just work? Many people now work from home and can do most tasks with barely stretching an arm. Those at home don't have the water cooler to walk to and chat for a few minutes. Instead of small glasses that need to be refilled every hour or two, we get insulated cups which hold 20, 32 or more ounces. Except for bathroom breaks, we can sit in our $800 designer chairs for hours. Chairs that are too comfortable that we never need to move.
The way we watch television is also a factor. We used to watch live broadcasting and use the commercial breaks to get up go to the bathroom, or get a snack. Now we can sit and watch endless episodes without commercial breaks. Bathroom break? We only need to pause. But what happens if you have everything you need? You sit and watch, and sit and watch. We can continue watching and sitting for a long time. Too long. We used to have one phone attached to wall. Now we have then in our pockets.
Research suggests that we get up from out desks every twenty minutes. We only need to to stand up, stretch our muscles and we are good to go for another twenty minutes.
What happens when you are in *the zone?* You aren't watching the clock and time has no meaning. You can set and alarm in our smart phone, or a stop watch if you are old school. Or you can get an app made just for this purpose.
I purchased BreakTime for my desktop computer. It is easy to use. The default is set at 20 minutes with a two minute break. The sliders made it easy to change. The menu bar icon is a clock face that fills as the allotted time goes by. When there is less than 10 seconds left, a notification box shows up near the menu bar. When the allotted time is up, your screen darkens a bit and a dialogue box appears. You can choose to "snooze" and ask for a minute or two or click OK and begin your break. You cannot do anything on your computer until you make a choice to move or stay.
A timer begins while you are on break with a countdown to when you should return to work. A low beep sounds if you fail to return to work. I can imagine that employers might like this feature.
You get back to work and begin the cycle over again.
BreakTime is available in the Mac App Store for $4.99 but there is a free trial available at the developer's site. BreakTime is available for iOS. I have it installed though I haven't tried it yet.
I like that this reminds me to move. And I like knowing I have just two minutes to stretch, take a break or do a quick task. Being at home most of the day, I have loads of little tasks that can be done in less than two minutes. Putting away a book may seem trivial but I am moving, and working to clear the clutter.
What do you do with the photos on your iPhone?
We all take photos with our iPhones. I use mine a lot more than I thought I would. It's great for those quick shots you want to share or just keep for reference. What do you do with the photos once you have shared them? Do they accumulate on your phone until your phone is full? Do you back them up?
Photo Stream is a great first step to saving those photos you want to keep. But it is not prefect. First off, you need to make sure you an an iCloud account. iCloud is free but needs to be set up on your devices and computers. Next, you need to know that Photo Stream only keeps the last 1000 photos that you have taken. If you rely on Photo Stream to keep all your photos, you will be losing them as you take more photos.
There are many ways to back up and store your photos. iMore just posted some iPhone storage options and compared them. Read the article and take your pick. Whatever you choose, be sure to maintain it. You can put a repeating task on your to-do list or set a reminder.
Once a month, I open iPhoto and import my Photo Stream photos. Because I use the same iCloud account on my iPhone, my dad's iPhone, and my boys' iPods, all of their photos are in the stream. (They stay in the stream unless they are specifically deleted.) At this point, I could label and add keywords to photos. Perhaps delete the truly bad photos. However, I only use iPhoto as an easy way to back up my Photo Stream. I use Adobe Lightroom to store and maintain my photos. I am working on a post about my Lightroom workflow.
One problem with Lightroom is that it does not import png files. Screenshots you take with your iPhone are saved in png format. In the past, I have opened these files in Snapseed and saved them which converts them to jpg format. Another way is to use Image Capture which is a native MacOS app. You can choose where the images will go and delete them from your device with just one click.
I try not to keep many photos in my iPhone Camera Roll. Currently there are 48 which is too many for me. I do not like to scroll through to find what I am looking for. I prefer to take the time to set up albums. You can do this on the phone but is time consuming. An easier way is to set up folders on your computer. I have a folder called iPad photos. You can name this anything you want. I know these photos have been saved at 1024x1024 which is optimum viewing on my iPad 1. Then I set up folders for whatever I want to reference on my devices. I have family photos I love, some digital cards and layouts I have created, my recent Lego photos. Then I go to iTunes and, click on my device then over to Photos. I click the box Sync Photos from and Choose Folder and browse for iPad Photos. Then I can choose which albums on want on each device. I save my scrapbook layouts to my iPad since they are easy to view there. I save less on my iPhone since I have less room for storage. My photos are organized and I can easily find and share them.
However you do it, remember to backup and your iPhone photos.
I read a comic which asked the question, "What would you want to do if money were not an issue?" It is a great question. And I wish I was asked this before I made any career choices.
I want to make art.
What kind of art? I like photography and graphic design and lettering.
I have always liked art and drawing. When I was younger and thinking of careers, I knew art would be a struggle to make a living. I thought architecture would be a good compromise.
I was wrong. Very few architects get to make anything resembling art. Architects are problem solvers. I am good at problem solver. Though I do not like the methods and bureaucracy involved with architecture.
I made the decision to become an architect when I was 10 years old. It has taken me 38 years to realize it might not have been the right decision. I don't regret becoming an architect, I have had some great experiences and learned some valuable things. I wonder what life would have been like if I had followed a more artistic path.
Now I wonder if it is too late?
I know it is never too late but I feel like I wasted many years and resources I had looking for a hobby.
Where do I go from here?
A friend told me about potionfactory years ago. It wasn't something I needed then. I decided to try it out last summer when I found listening to podcasts while walking wasn't working out.
I like listening to podcasts but it doesn't help with my pace. It does help if the podcast is funny and I laugh while I walk. I get the walk and an ab workout at the same time. Never mind any funny looks I get from laughing by myself.
One of my favorite podcasts is All Songs Considered. The podcast is only weekly and I like listening to music while I walk. I find myself walking to the beat. If the song has a fast tempo, this is good. If the song has a slow tempo, it is not so good.
I downloaded the trial of Tangerine and got to work making a playlist. Some songs were too fast and some were too slow. I adjusted the requirements and found a list that made me walk faster but not too fast. There are several training samples such as interval training to help you get out of a rut and improve.
I like that I can add more rules to allow for only the songs I rated 3 stars or greater, and songs that haven't been played lately. When I come back from a walk, I move the songs that work the best for walking into another playlist called walkings faves.
I was falling behind in my podcasts so I went back to listening to them. There are some podcasts which offend my dad. But when I found myself slowing down again and I decided to try it again.
I have been using Tangerine again for a few weeks now. I have find that my average pace has increased. This is mostly because of intervals. One morning my playlist started with a fast song. I wasn't quite ready for it but found the pace and stuck with it. I know that the body prefers to be at stasis. Especially mine. Walking at the same pace will get easier and results will wane. Intervals make the body react and do more work and improve.
Listening to music lets my mind wander and I find myself thinking of the eclectic selection of songs. I use shuffle so I never know what song will be next. Some of these songs, I don't remember ever hearing let alone buying.
Say You Love Me Fleetwood Mac Greatest Hits
Crystalised The xx Crystalised
C'mon Guster Ganging Up On the Sun Rock
Mercy Matt Nathanson Modern Love
Taste the Summer Duran Duran Astronaut
Paperback Head Tegan and Sara Sainthood
Water In The Well Spirit Of The West Save This House
Postage Stamp World Rogue Wave Out of the Shadow
I don't know who Matt Nathanson is. Was this a free song I never listened to? Taste the Summer is something that I usually skip but the beat works well for walking. Paperback Head is a little difficult to find the right rhythm. Artists make sone for interest, not for walking. Water in the Well? I have 3 albums from Spirit of the West that I got in the 1990's. I don't think I have listened to them since I ripped the CDs into iTunes.
Love Song Sara Bareilles Love Song
Rollin' And Tumblin' Eric Clapton Unplugged
Perfectly Good Guitar John Hiatt Perfectly Good Guitar
Summer Sunshine The Corrs Borrowed Heaven
Wouldn't It Be Nice (Stereo Mix) The Beach Boys Pet Sounds
You Will Pay Tomorrow Terence Trent D'Arby Neither Fish Nor Flesh
Outrageous Paul Simon Surprise
Let's Stick Together Bryan Ferry & Roxy Music Street Life
Tangerine is really working for me this time. My walks are getting better and I am listening to more of my music.
