This blog post can drink in most provinces of Canada.
Reverb Prompt #18
December 18 – Try What do you want to try next year? Is there something you wanted to try in 2010? What happened when you did / didn’t go for it?
The big thing I would like to try next year would be to get a web comic up and running. I really think this would give me a depository for many of my random ideas, get me into a creative discipline, do more drawing. I have been inspired by "Making Webcomics" and "Webcomics weekly" to give it a try. It is only a matter of focus.
Not doing this in 2010 was a general disappointment in myself. A sense that I wasn't giving my talents a honest shot, seeing how far they can go. It led to some self-pity that wasn't really healthy. I need to avoid that feeling in 2011.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Ripples in a Pool - Seventeenth Ring
I can't think of anything funny about the number seventeen. Apparently it is a serious number.
Reverb Prompt #17
December 17 – Lesson Learned What was the best thing you learned about yourself this past year? And how will you apply that lesson going forward?
I seem to be coming off rather sappy, but my daughter has tended to be my focus and any lessons learned tend to centre around the raising of offspring. There were more abstract lessons from the books I read this year. Gems of knowledge acquired in the completion of spreadsheets at work (making data sing).
Out of all these bobbles, the greatest lesson I learned that you just have to keep going. Things are not as bad as your tired mind says. Just one step at a time.
Reverb Prompt #17
December 17 – Lesson Learned What was the best thing you learned about yourself this past year? And how will you apply that lesson going forward?
I seem to be coming off rather sappy, but my daughter has tended to be my focus and any lessons learned tend to centre around the raising of offspring. There were more abstract lessons from the books I read this year. Gems of knowledge acquired in the completion of spreadsheets at work (making data sing).
Out of all these bobbles, the greatest lesson I learned that you just have to keep going. Things are not as bad as your tired mind says. Just one step at a time.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Ripples in a Pool - Sixteenth Ring
Sixteen Candles.
Prompt #16
December 16 – Friendship How has a friend changed you or your perspective on the world this year? Was this change gradual, or a sudden burst?
As I have mentioned in previous reverbs, this has been a long year. I have spent most of it learning to be a father and learning who my daughter is as she is slowly becoming a person. So I guess if I consider my daughter a friend then she has changed me the most as we both learn each other's language and form a relationship.
Otherwise, my friendships this year have been about stablitiy. Keeping me grounded rather than "blowing my mind" Maybe in 2011.
Prompt #16
December 16 – Friendship How has a friend changed you or your perspective on the world this year? Was this change gradual, or a sudden burst?
As I have mentioned in previous reverbs, this has been a long year. I have spent most of it learning to be a father and learning who my daughter is as she is slowly becoming a person. So I guess if I consider my daughter a friend then she has changed me the most as we both learn each other's language and form a relationship.
Otherwise, my friendships this year have been about stablitiy. Keeping me grounded rather than "blowing my mind" Maybe in 2011.
Ripples in a Pool - Fifteenth Ring
All I can think of is that it is one of the numbers in LOST. Anyways, Reverb continues.
Prompt #15
December 15 – 5 Minutes Imagine you will completely lose your memory of 2010 in five minutes. Set an alarm for five minutes and capture the things you most want to remember about 2010.
Five minutes go:
- You spent half the year on paternal leave and enjoyed it.
- Your daughter loves you very much and can now say so.
- Your daughter skipped crawling and made you hold her hands so she could walk
- You read 50 books (check your book journal they are written down there)
- Your Dad is better now, it turns out he had CO2 poisoning
- Mom & Dad celebrated their 40 year wedding anniversary. You help run it at Aunt Joan's cottage.
- Your Uncle passed away and you gave the eulogy that your Dad and Aunt wrote. It was well received.
- Your daughter loves swimming, it makes her laugh.
- Watching the sun rise at the cottage, as your daughter had kicked you out of bed. Listening to the birds and seeing the world light up with each inch the sun rose.
- You had five book club meeting where you laughed, discussed interesting topics, and had really good food all themed on the chosen book.
I'm not sure it bullet points are cheating, but these would be the big things. What is unfortunate is that five minutes doesn't let you capture all the small moments that filled the year.
Prompt #15
December 15 – 5 Minutes Imagine you will completely lose your memory of 2010 in five minutes. Set an alarm for five minutes and capture the things you most want to remember about 2010.
Five minutes go:
- You spent half the year on paternal leave and enjoyed it.
- Your daughter loves you very much and can now say so.
- Your daughter skipped crawling and made you hold her hands so she could walk
- You read 50 books (check your book journal they are written down there)
- Your Dad is better now, it turns out he had CO2 poisoning
- Mom & Dad celebrated their 40 year wedding anniversary. You help run it at Aunt Joan's cottage.
- Your Uncle passed away and you gave the eulogy that your Dad and Aunt wrote. It was well received.
- Your daughter loves swimming, it makes her laugh.
- Watching the sun rise at the cottage, as your daughter had kicked you out of bed. Listening to the birds and seeing the world light up with each inch the sun rose.
- You had five book club meeting where you laughed, discussed interesting topics, and had really good food all themed on the chosen book.
I'm not sure it bullet points are cheating, but these would be the big things. What is unfortunate is that five minutes doesn't let you capture all the small moments that filled the year.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Ripples in a Pool - Fourteenth Ring
According to the Internet, fourteen has something to do with masons.
Prompt #14
December 14 – Appreciate What’s the one thing you have come to appreciate most in the past year? How do you express gratitude for it?
There are a number of things that fit this bill. Fortunately I have to choose a thing. In my mind its a tie between reading and time. Reading as I haven't had as much time to do so as I normally do, making every book much more important. This really falls under the umbrella of time. As a new parent I have discovered that you don't really have less time, just less energy to spread over the same amount of time. Babies don't really understand alone time (or how to help with chores) so I have come to appreciate the moments I have to do what I want to do.
Prompt #14
December 14 – Appreciate What’s the one thing you have come to appreciate most in the past year? How do you express gratitude for it?
There are a number of things that fit this bill. Fortunately I have to choose a thing. In my mind its a tie between reading and time. Reading as I haven't had as much time to do so as I normally do, making every book much more important. This really falls under the umbrella of time. As a new parent I have discovered that you don't really have less time, just less energy to spread over the same amount of time. Babies don't really understand alone time (or how to help with chores) so I have come to appreciate the moments I have to do what I want to do.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Ripples in a Pool - Thirteenth Ring
I think its the warehouse where the Aliens are kept...
Reverb Prompt #13
December 13 – Action When it comes to aspirations, it’s not about ideas. It’s about making ideas happen. What’s your next step?
Finally, this one is easy. Step one: Get some sleep, Step two: write my short story Christmas present, Step Three: Write Christmas poem present. Step Four: Write Steampunk novel.
Not it's just a matter of actually doing the work. :)
Reverb Prompt #13
December 13 – Action When it comes to aspirations, it’s not about ideas. It’s about making ideas happen. What’s your next step?
Finally, this one is easy. Step one: Get some sleep, Step two: write my short story Christmas present, Step Three: Write Christmas poem present. Step Four: Write Steampunk novel.
Not it's just a matter of actually doing the work. :)
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Ripples in a Pool - Twelfth Ring
Twelve Drummers Drumming...
Reverb Prompt #12
December 12 – Body Integration This year, when did you feel the most integrated with your body? Did you have a moment where there wasn’t mind and body, but simply a cohesive YOU, alive and present?
I must confess that I have never really put much stock in "alive" moments. They seem largely a trick to me, when I let my ego get trapped in the notion that there are things that are just more "real". To use an example, a McDonald's burger is just as authentic as a locally made buffalo burger. You can argue that one is better than the other and by certain measures (such as environmental or aesthetic) one is a clear winner over the other. That doesn't change the fact that they are both real. Therefore, if I'm sitting down at my desk working on a spreadsheet or standing on the rocking cliffs of Bon Echo looking over its deep lake and seeing a thunderstorm in the distance, both are real. The challenge is to find "the good" in both moments and if you can't you need to figure out if you can remove either from your life or just accept it as part of what is you.
I'm getting a little sidetracked. I guess, I am skeptical that my body and mind are not one. They tend to spend most of their time together. I can understand finding moments of being "present". Filtering out everything around you in a focus that allows the task to be completed, the art to be enjoyed, the data to be puzzled, is a good skill to have. Yet 21st employment is abstract (i.e. working on spreadsheets) and doesn't require the body to the same extent, unless one counts typing. Most of my "body/mind" activities that would mean the description are complicated tasks, like cleaning or cooking. Exercise I find is either brain numbing or brain supercharging. As a random aside, I wish a device existed that could transcribe your thoughts while you exercise, I fear some of my best ideas come to me when I am hiking in the middle of nowhere.
In the end, there is more to a person than "perfect moments", there is you in your moments of weakness as well. I believe in personal change, just not the clear cutting method. Whatever journey you are on, your luggage goes with you. The disintegrated you is as much you as the integrated you, perhaps not as easy to look at, a relative that you are embarrassed to bring to parties.
Looking over this blog entry, apparently I have a chip on my shoulder about this. I am very passionate about the real and believe its worth defending. Taking a step back, I could answer this question in the way of sport, achieving excellence in some complete sporting event. This didn't come to mind as I'm not much of a sport person (likely the reason for this rambling post).
Anyways, thoughts expressed; I'm stopping myself now. :)
Reverb Prompt #12
December 12 – Body Integration This year, when did you feel the most integrated with your body? Did you have a moment where there wasn’t mind and body, but simply a cohesive YOU, alive and present?
I must confess that I have never really put much stock in "alive" moments. They seem largely a trick to me, when I let my ego get trapped in the notion that there are things that are just more "real". To use an example, a McDonald's burger is just as authentic as a locally made buffalo burger. You can argue that one is better than the other and by certain measures (such as environmental or aesthetic) one is a clear winner over the other. That doesn't change the fact that they are both real. Therefore, if I'm sitting down at my desk working on a spreadsheet or standing on the rocking cliffs of Bon Echo looking over its deep lake and seeing a thunderstorm in the distance, both are real. The challenge is to find "the good" in both moments and if you can't you need to figure out if you can remove either from your life or just accept it as part of what is you.
I'm getting a little sidetracked. I guess, I am skeptical that my body and mind are not one. They tend to spend most of their time together. I can understand finding moments of being "present". Filtering out everything around you in a focus that allows the task to be completed, the art to be enjoyed, the data to be puzzled, is a good skill to have. Yet 21st employment is abstract (i.e. working on spreadsheets) and doesn't require the body to the same extent, unless one counts typing. Most of my "body/mind" activities that would mean the description are complicated tasks, like cleaning or cooking. Exercise I find is either brain numbing or brain supercharging. As a random aside, I wish a device existed that could transcribe your thoughts while you exercise, I fear some of my best ideas come to me when I am hiking in the middle of nowhere.
In the end, there is more to a person than "perfect moments", there is you in your moments of weakness as well. I believe in personal change, just not the clear cutting method. Whatever journey you are on, your luggage goes with you. The disintegrated you is as much you as the integrated you, perhaps not as easy to look at, a relative that you are embarrassed to bring to parties.
Looking over this blog entry, apparently I have a chip on my shoulder about this. I am very passionate about the real and believe its worth defending. Taking a step back, I could answer this question in the way of sport, achieving excellence in some complete sporting event. This didn't come to mind as I'm not much of a sport person (likely the reason for this rambling post).
Anyways, thoughts expressed; I'm stopping myself now. :)
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Ripples in a Pool - Eleventh Ring
Eleven Pipers Piping...
Prompt #11
December 11 – 11 Things What are 11 things your life doesn’t need in 2011? How will you go about eliminating them? How will getting rid of these 11 things change your life?
Eleven? That's one more than a top ten list, which is hard enough as it is (I feel like I'm coming across as a monocle popping nobleman, ruffled that the simplest lapse in decor). Okay, eleven things.
1. Borrowed books: This could technically count as eleven things all on its own, but I'll be good and count it as one. Basically I need to go through my borrowed books and either read them or give them back. The advantage of doing this is freeing up space and reading a bunch of good books.
2. Old clothes: I have a bunch of old clothes in the closet that I frankly need to get rid of so I can store other things there. Just a matter of getting a Saturday to do it.
3. Notebooks: I started a project last year to type of the 15 years of notes/scribbles I have collected over the year. It is taking a long time, but I hope to be more focused on writing next year, thus getting these notebooks into digital format.
4. The records under the bed:They are the classic records that My Grandfather listened to, so I need to get them digitized and loaded onto my ipod. I started this project, but it is a lot of work. Something to work on in 2011.
5. Dead pens: We have a lot of dead pens in the condo. I really need to systemically identify them and get rid of them instead of my finding five of them when I'm looking for a pen to write down a message.
6. Video games: I have a sizeable stack of games for the PS3 and Wii that need to be either gotten rid of or played to completion.
7. War and Peace Board game: I have owned this game since I was fifteen. It seems really cool, but I don't think I will be able to convince anyone to play it with me more than once. I need to plan a guy's weekend and play it through, then send it off to greener pastures.
8. Five pounds: I need to get back on the exercise wagon. Thanks to my wife I have been eating pretty well and so I have gained a lot of weight. It would shed off pretty quick once I started exercising regularly.
9. Stuff under my bed: I believe random junk has accumulated under my bed that needs to be sorted and cleared out. I seem to do this every couple of years. It must be some sort of gravitational vortex.
10. Old work files: My office is suffering for junk piling up. I really need to do a purge before going on holidays.
11. Baby Toys: Baby Z has outgrown a bunch of her toys. We need to get rid of these toys before they overwhelms us. :)
I can't believe I got eleven things! Huzzah. Now getting them all clear away will be the challenge. It seems like a 21st problem that one accumulates stuff. I would say I should streamline, but then a bunch of people will lose their jobs if people aren't buying this stuff. This is why economics can be annoying. :)
Prompt #11
December 11 – 11 Things What are 11 things your life doesn’t need in 2011? How will you go about eliminating them? How will getting rid of these 11 things change your life?
Eleven? That's one more than a top ten list, which is hard enough as it is (I feel like I'm coming across as a monocle popping nobleman, ruffled that the simplest lapse in decor). Okay, eleven things.
1. Borrowed books: This could technically count as eleven things all on its own, but I'll be good and count it as one. Basically I need to go through my borrowed books and either read them or give them back. The advantage of doing this is freeing up space and reading a bunch of good books.
2. Old clothes: I have a bunch of old clothes in the closet that I frankly need to get rid of so I can store other things there. Just a matter of getting a Saturday to do it.
3. Notebooks: I started a project last year to type of the 15 years of notes/scribbles I have collected over the year. It is taking a long time, but I hope to be more focused on writing next year, thus getting these notebooks into digital format.
4. The records under the bed:They are the classic records that My Grandfather listened to, so I need to get them digitized and loaded onto my ipod. I started this project, but it is a lot of work. Something to work on in 2011.
5. Dead pens: We have a lot of dead pens in the condo. I really need to systemically identify them and get rid of them instead of my finding five of them when I'm looking for a pen to write down a message.
6. Video games: I have a sizeable stack of games for the PS3 and Wii that need to be either gotten rid of or played to completion.
7. War and Peace Board game: I have owned this game since I was fifteen. It seems really cool, but I don't think I will be able to convince anyone to play it with me more than once. I need to plan a guy's weekend and play it through, then send it off to greener pastures.
8. Five pounds: I need to get back on the exercise wagon. Thanks to my wife I have been eating pretty well and so I have gained a lot of weight. It would shed off pretty quick once I started exercising regularly.
9. Stuff under my bed: I believe random junk has accumulated under my bed that needs to be sorted and cleared out. I seem to do this every couple of years. It must be some sort of gravitational vortex.
10. Old work files: My office is suffering for junk piling up. I really need to do a purge before going on holidays.
11. Baby Toys: Baby Z has outgrown a bunch of her toys. We need to get rid of these toys before they overwhelms us. :)
I can't believe I got eleven things! Huzzah. Now getting them all clear away will be the challenge. It seems like a 21st problem that one accumulates stuff. I would say I should streamline, but then a bunch of people will lose their jobs if people aren't buying this stuff. This is why economics can be annoying. :)
Friday, December 10, 2010
Ripples in a pool - Tenth Ring
Lord be Leaping... Reverb is in the House! (that is what I'm told they say at parties as I apparently don't go to any).
Prompt #10
December 10 – Wisdom Wisdom. What was the wisest decision you made this year, and how did it play out?
I once heard a story about a reporter who asked a Chinese scholar about his thoughts on the impact of the French Revolution . He looked back at the reporter and said simply. "It has been only two hundred years. Too soon to tell.". If one believe that life is Tapestry (as Picard was taught by Q in its unique sort of way), then the decisions that one makes ripple out far and wide, some have impacts, some don't. Some are wise and some are foolish only at the end of the road looking back which isn't really a fair test of the decision made at the time (in the heat of the moment). So reflecting on this year, there have been many choices that will hopefully come out wise, but I honestly believe it is too soon to tell.
I don't want to give the sense that I'm coping out, but if the question had been what was the wisest decision I made in 2000 I believe with some careful thought I could answer that one.
Prompt #10
December 10 – Wisdom Wisdom. What was the wisest decision you made this year, and how did it play out?
I once heard a story about a reporter who asked a Chinese scholar about his thoughts on the impact of the French Revolution . He looked back at the reporter and said simply. "It has been only two hundred years. Too soon to tell.". If one believe that life is Tapestry (as Picard was taught by Q in its unique sort of way), then the decisions that one makes ripple out far and wide, some have impacts, some don't. Some are wise and some are foolish only at the end of the road looking back which isn't really a fair test of the decision made at the time (in the heat of the moment). So reflecting on this year, there have been many choices that will hopefully come out wise, but I honestly believe it is too soon to tell.
I don't want to give the sense that I'm coping out, but if the question had been what was the wisest decision I made in 2000 I believe with some careful thought I could answer that one.
Ripples in a Pool - Ninth Ring
Which I believe gave the Mandarin his disintegration beam
Reverb (Karate chop)
Prompt #9
December 9 – Party Prompt: Party. What social gathering rocked your socks off in 2010? Describe the people, music, food, drink, clothes, shenanigans
Aargh. I didn't really go to any "parties" per say. I think my favorites would be a tie between the Harlequin Friends Reunion Dinner we had at a restaurant near St. Clair on Yonge (it was a fun conversation and was the first time I saw Angry Birds on the iphone) and My book club gathers (good food and conversation and we have actually had more the 3 sessions!).
I need to get out more. :)
Reverb (Karate chop)
Prompt #9
December 9 – Party Prompt: Party. What social gathering rocked your socks off in 2010? Describe the people, music, food, drink, clothes, shenanigans
Aargh. I didn't really go to any "parties" per say. I think my favorites would be a tie between the Harlequin Friends Reunion Dinner we had at a restaurant near St. Clair on Yonge (it was a fun conversation and was the first time I saw Angry Birds on the iphone) and My book club gathers (good food and conversation and we have actually had more the 3 sessions!).
I need to get out more. :)
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