Anyone ever try this?

early teens I used to skateboard- mostly tricks, not so much to get around places. Preferred to walk or ride my bike for all that. But I used to do all sorts of fun crazy stuff on my Vision board- scraping myself up regularly; then the boarding interest just faded away at the end of the season after one particularly bad fall hopping from a wall to a kid built ramp. Anyway, haven't really thought about getting back on one of any sort since..

then I saw some longboarding posts over at a snowshoe site I frequent; and I thought, I WANT TO DO THIS!

Do I? I don't know..

but I'd sure give it a go if I had the equipment.

stick-all







On the plus side, it would provide a killer upper body work out and a great conditioner for water paddling sports.

Yet, without the kick motion of regular skateboarding, one loses out on lower body conditioning.

For no external reason I was (am?) a bit in a sour mood the past couple of days. Not so much as anyone would notice as I am not one for taking it out on anyone. I just internalize and, at most, those close to me notice my extra quiet demeanor. During those times, I prefer to keep to myself and hide away from the social world until it passes. Long, brisk exerting walks/jogs/climbs etc help a little- kinda smooths out the rough edges. But it is really just a matter of time more than anything. I think this will be a quick funk. All weekend I did not want to go out, but there were social expectations on Saturday that I pulled my self together to get ready and make good of following through on an event I was expected to be at. However, shortly prior to arrival,via phone call, the plans were changed to another location. The locale was changed from the Stillwater on Delaware to some place in Amherst, and I had just arrived in Buffalo (and I was even running late!), therefor rerouting my evening to head in a whole new direction was not something I was willing to do, so I enjoyed the spontaneity and made the best of it (despite a strong draw to head back home, and despite being irritated a little more by this as I was already primed to be in an off mood). I am social enough and approachable enough to have friends, acquaintances and the ability to make fast friends wherever I go. I quickly decided to get in touch with and catch up with a new male friend, then I headed out to another location to hang out where I knew another group of friends could be easily found. All was good enough but I wasn't out long before I went back home for the night.

A long night of weird dreams, I woke up not wanting to actually get out of bed. This is a great time of year especially when the sun is out and so my natural inclination would be to head outside somewhere and hike all day. However, I just turned on the tv. The Matrix was on, and that kept me entertained most of the day. I was reveling in my funky mood. It simply felt good..

Then the pull outdoors won me over and I got ready to go out for a bit. My foot travels led to car travels and I took care of a couple of errands before stores closed down for the night. Feeling more inclined to be social, I managed to make a quick plan to meet up with a friend over coffee, then I left him to run to another friends house for dinner. It was this encounter that was most recuperative. This small group of friends (5-7 total) are ones I have had for many years. While we don't have much in common for our day to day lives, and due to some lifestyle differences, I don't hang out with them often, but we all share a long history and nothing ever really needs to be said. Literally.
and I like that.

Dinner was made. I chilled out and ate a lot more than I normally could (lasagna and chocolate cake), but it was all part of the course of the weekend mood. Following that, we wandered around the streets near where they live (Riverside), and chatted about good times past and dreams of the future- silly, light weight stuff. Like suped up golf carts, engine rebuilds, off-roading expeditions, camping, motorcycles, mopeds, city living, weekly dinners, etc. I even had the opportunity to punch something repeatedly and that always feels good. I really need a large punching/kicking bag that I can hang in my garage. Got one?

For some reason, as the night came to a close, I just felt less irritable. I was rather reluctant to wrap it up.

On the drive home I realized that I felt a little restored, for which I am grateful.

Equally grateful, and speaking of being restored, is that the "restore backup" feature on here was successful, as my sensitive keyboard skipped back a couple of pages and eliminated what I had written up to a few sentences ago. That feeling of dread worked through me until I saw the restore option and it worked. Phew!

If all things in life were that easy. :)

Damn, I knew it has been awhile since I have posted here. Seems that I have very little to say even though my head is always full of clutter to sort out. So it has been since January. That is nuts. I do hang out at Facebook a lot, ironic since I hated it for so long and even went out of my way to state, "I WILL NOT join the Facebook lemmings..' But, after several attempts over the past few years, last May I found the site to be finally relevant, and it has become even more so over time. The downfall is that I haven't been writing anything, anywhere. So not good for prosperity (and immortality!)

So... I'm going to sum up the last 9-10 months..

• Spent A LOT of time snow shoeing- by myself and with an activity partner. We would break trails and hike for hours. It did a mind and body good. My shoes are still propped against my front door ready for the season to start again. My XC skiis were used but a couple of times.. likely will do the same this winter. Snowshoes are just make for a more versatile experience. I hope to get some of you out there with me! Some places rent for cheap, but if you think you will go more often, then I highly recommend a purchase. Don't need to spend much. When the time becomes more relevant, I'll be sure to hammer out an article on equipment and what to expect as a newbie and a seasoned hiker.

• Spent a good deal of time in kickboxing classes, dance classes, weight lifting & strength training along with my usual assortment of hiking and other physical activities. Just needed to amp it up, ya know? Come spring I started jogging, then got away from that all summer.. I intend to start that back up again soon. Still dealing with an Achilles Tendon issue, but I manage alright. I know when to rest it and when to press on.

• Joined, "Drinking Skeptically" meet-up group and easily made a slew of new friends. Good people, conversations and thought experiments.

• Attending lectures regularly at, The Center for Inquiry. Been long time meaning to be more involved in that, but it wasn't until this year that I made the effort. Works out as there is much overlap socially and intellectually with the Drinking Skeptically crew. Also, the same with UB Freethinkers and Buffalo Freethought. The latter joins up at Spot on Sundays at 6pm. I attend when I can..

• Besides my usual mash of self initiated work projects, I am also now a sub for a local after school program. I would prefer it to be a regular thing, as the hours and location rock, but time will tell. Essentially, the assistant director would need to quit for me to be regularly employed. So right now, it is only an occasional gig. Given that, I'd like to find more work projects or more regular part time work to add to my schedule. For various reasons, my work load dropped dramatically this summer and it put me in a bad, tight place budget-wise. I don't mind sharing that, as I see it as a temporary glitch and just an obstacle to overcome. I pay my bills as far in advance as I can, but this caught up with me quick. Not fun at all. Though I haven't gone out as much, i have still managed to have a good time- socially, intellectually, and so on. But being broke still had an impact.

• Birthday was a couple of weeks ago. Didn't have specific plans to celebrate (see above) but then a friend a few days or so before hand planned something through Facebook. Just a simple get together, nothing formal. Fat Bobs for dinner followed by drinks and conversation at Scarlet. Had I put more thought into it, I would have mentioned it over here. I put the word out a little bit over at FB. I know, I know..

However, it barely crossed my mind and I havent been regularly online for about a month now. I cut my DSL temporarily. Library and cafes have been my place of internet usage. I use my phone rarely for that purpose.

• Went on several hikes at Devils Hole Niagara Gorge through the spring and summer. Recently went at dusk, with the return trip being in the dark. Usually I go alone or with one other person, but this time it was with a group. The night time hike was awesome.

• Ever hear of or try "letter boxing"? oh, I know some of you know just what that is ;) Well, that is a new hobby, started back in the very early spring. It is a bit of a treasure hunt (low tech, no tech geo cache) where one looks for boxes that contain stamps through the use of clues to find each box hidden in the woods or wherever. By summer, the over growth and the bugs made some areas impenetrable. Hope to pick it up again come late fall and early winter.

There is so much more.. but that is what has come to mind and I do aim to post more. Whether I say a little or a lot, whether it is clear or obscure, it is tiny part of my history, and I like having bits of it documented. Looking back on it is a trigger for other memories or for simple reflection. There was a time I wrote a lot.. and that hasn't been the case now for the past couple of years. Gotta work on that in one way or another. Maybe I need to haul out the old pen and paper?

Speaking of writing, I also aim to gat back to NaNoWriMo. Whether pick up where I left off last year or start something new, I am not sure. It is a nice way to get the writing creativity flowing.. and that starts Nov 1st.

ok, catch ya later.

should change my profile pic eventually..

annoying little rant:

The tv was still on when I left at 4:30 pm, I come home to some inane "celebrity" show. I did not realize something like this was on right away, as I got immediately busy grabbing myself a drink, listening to phone messages, feeding my cats dinner, catching my breath after the kickass workout I had tonight, etc. But eventually I could hear it.
I don't watch much tv, but even if I did I would not be able to stomach a whole show like this (Access Hollywood, I think?--but there are others). I hate how the "information" seeps into my head and that I come out knowing much more than I ever will give a damn about any "celebrity" out there... especially "Heidi and Spencer" and her inability to move her face due to the "spiritual and physical transformation" from plastic surgery. ACK! Honestly, this is from me NOT paying attention and actively avoiding such sources of information. I can't imagine being a devote follower of all things.. "celebrity". Ugh.
Mindless entertainment for some, that's cool, I guess. But I truly feel my irritation rise, so that is why it is bad for me.

End Rant. Enough about that. Yeh, the tv was turned off and all is right with my world again.


Now onto the more positive "winter activities":

So back to my little workout. I'm taking a kickboxing class. The concentrated strength and cardio work is fun and kicks my ass. I needed more options in physical activity during the winter months. I cross country ski, but haven't done it regularly enough to feel like this has been an active winter. Either no snow or freeeeezing tamps creating bad snow quality. So when not at the gym, I hit up a local class. As for outdoor activities, I am going to switch to snowshoeing as my main outdoor winter activity as that is more versatile in many ways:
--Easy to store and transport "equipment"
--As long as there is a little snow, regardless of quality, snowshoeing is an option.
--easier to navigate through various terrain and traverse hills.
--more conducive to taking in ones surroundings, wander off to take pictures, etc.
--good for those that aren't keen on skiing but want to enjoy the outdoors during the winter months, "if you can walk, you can snowshoe"
--it is fun.
--it is a good workout especially if using poles, which I think everyone should anyways for stability and extra body movement.

So if anyone is interested in snowshoeing this winter, lets plan an excursion out. Some areas have snowshoe rentals. To buy new, the range is typically $80-$300 depending on what you plan to do with them (racers cost more than casual hikers, larger sizes cost more, variations among brands, etc).

It is three degrees out.

UGH!

I keep my heat down, as it is only me in a good sized apartment. However, I make use of a nice portable heater in whatever room I am primarily hanging out in that day.

But tonight I just feel so cold..

I'm wearing a hat and several layers without much help. *sigh*

I haven't wanted to leave the house this weekend. I did leave for a few super quick jaunts, but other than that, I've been home entertaining myself this weekend with a swirl of thoughts, writing, movies, music, cleaning, playing with the cats, backing up my picture and music files, and other non social activities. I'm itching to get out but not feeling like bundling up to do so. Tomorrow (Sunday) I have to get out and run some errands, maybe I can pair it with a social call or two.

Oh hey, I have a question...

I have a lot of interests and hobbies but I usually go at them alone or with friends when there is time; mostly on the whim. I think this year I would like to have more structure and socialization to my interests/hobbies. Which hobbies? I don't know yet. Actually, I'd like to know what all is available out there for me to choose from; maybe pick up a new interest or hobby. So given this, I'm curious as to what hobby groups/organizations there are in WNY and where do I find a list or source of information on this, or how to go about getting this information? If there is even such a thing.. but there has to be.
I've never been good at committing to an organized interest and I'm going to change that. I would like to build on an interest, a talent, meet others who share in that, and learn something new and/or add to what I already know.

But where to start?

Help!

Again, 3 degrees! Brrrrr.. time to find some warmth.

It has grown since (e:theecarey,50736)


My "Stalactite" last night..






Today:









Not My Stalactite
(but a real one)





AND..

What my imagination thinks is out there right outside my front door:

for (e:oda)


As with (e:tinypliny), my recommendation for entrance into reading about quantum physics is, "Alice in Quantumland". It reads as a story (as it is an allegory). I wrote a little bit about it here: (e:theecarey,46113).

All of my recommendations include a link to more information on the book. For continuity, I included links only to Amazon. On that note,


Amazon link to the book:


Furthermore, I recommend all books by Robert Gilmore.
A quick list of his books:
* Alice in Quantumland
* Scrooges Cryptic Carol
* Wizard of Quarks
* Once Upon A Universe

The stories makes exploring the material more colorful and less dry than some, stories such as, Edwin Abbott Abbott's, "Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions". (which addresses dimensions. Interesting book, I haven't read it in a long time and I vaguely remember it; so it is on my reread list.)


Also, the Gilmore books make a great primer for further reading exploration.

My recommended reading list continues with (all from my collection- I also recommend acquiring books so you have them to refer back to, or reread in my case):

--- "Quantum: A Guide for the Perplexed" by Jim Al Khalili
This book reads like a text, but is really well done. The implication of the experiments within are amazing and will leave you with much to contemplate. Great color pictures to illustrate the material.


--- Quantum Physics: A Beginners Guide by Alastair I.M. Rae.
Well organized "overview"; includes black print diagrams and summaries.


The following two or more specific- contemplates String Theory, aka The Theory of Everything (TOE), aka The Quantum Theory.
--- "The Elegant Universe" by Brian Greene (string theorist- great stuff)http://www.amazon.com/Elegant-Universe-Superstrings-Dimensions-Ultimate/dp/0375708111

AND..

--- "The Fabric of the Cosmos" by Brian Greene (ok, so i have a little intellectual crush on this guy- seriously though, good stuff!)



Want more?

Oh yeh, go here:

--- "The Fabric of Reality" by David Deutsch
one word: "MULTIVERSES!!" sweet sweet stuff.



---"A Different Universe: Reinventing Physics from the Bottom Down" (I love some of these titles) by Robert Laughlin
Thought provoking, but not well written. Good information to extrapolate and apply to your knowledge base.



---A must read at some point- Stephen Hawkings, "A Brief History of Time". Black holes, the singularity, radiation.. So much of what we hear or read has a basis in the work of Mr. Hawking. Read the wiki article:


--- "The Quantum World"- by Kenneth Ford
Not a book to start with, but has enough strengths to make it onto my recommended reading list.


When enough time passes in between reading this material, I quickly lose what I had learned. All of the information learned becomes relegated to retrieving in the manner of, "oh, it is on the tip of my tongue!". Yet, when I have reengaged the learning process, all of the connections come flooding back. Not sure if that is a defect of my mind or a natural occurrence with "learning' this subject matter. I recall reading somewhere that "if you think you understand quantum physics, you don't understand it at all".

So expect a mental workout and enjoy the process.


Also,
--- Another recommendation is a, let me say, "curious read", is "What the Bleep Do We Know?!" (again, the book)
Read the information and reviews..


This book fell literally jumped out at me one afternoon in an old bookstore in old Kingston, NY. I bought it on a whim and enjoyed it on many levels.

and if you like that sort of thing, I have more books to recommend..

Alright. so.. whatcha gone read first?

anyone have any books, sources, etc to add?

and anyone else enjoy diving into this subject matter? I know I would retain more if I had more opportunities (any opportunity) to discuss it.

I need a reading goal.

If I didn't miss any, which I may have, I believe my book total for 2009 was 54. I'm not sure if I am pleased with that number or not. It is higher than the "average" adult but probably nothing special for a self proclaimed "book eater".
More is not better as all of our reading speeds and comprehension varies, (especially based on type of book read) but I just wish I knew my average. I had only started to formally keep track as of last year, (e:theecarey,47667).

I read.. well, anything.

My book list from last year is the usual mix of good fiction, crappy fiction, memoirs, information books pertaining to health, business, sciences (especially quantum physics), politics and writing. Most fiction I "speed-read" through and most everything else I take more time to absorb.

I know last year there were stretches of time that I did not read from books but had focused working through a growing pile of magazine subscriptions (Scientific American, Scientific American Mind, Discover, Fast Company and Home Theater). Come to think of it, that will likely occur again as I have yet another pile of mags to catch up on.

I will have to use 2009 "data" as my "baseline", and see how 2010 will pan out against it.

In addition to book count, maybe I should keep track of pages read as well? Anyone else keep track of their reading habits or have a "goal"?

hmm, what can I say, I love to read.

• Woke way too damn early, after just sleeping for a few hours, and saw that the snow was still coming down. I got up and had the energy to go out and shovel. Thankfully my step dad comes over and used the snowblower on my driveway, and then proceeds to do the neighbors. Shoveling can be fun, but not the length of my driveway and not the very end where the heaviest, dirtiest and most annoying of the snow piles up, due to plow trucks coming through.

Big scary drift over my front door is still there, as seen in previous post, (e:theecarey,50736)

• Busy morning, but felt myself crashing after lunch. My lunch was awesome. A couple of "tacos" made from ground turkey, black beans, chopped red pepper and finely chopped spinach (and store bought taco seasoning packet) smooshed into a yellow corn tortilla shell with sharp cheddar cheese. Yum. Shortly after I was feeling weird from lack of sleep so I laid down and instantly fell asleep (that rarely happens). Didn't sleep long but I did sleep deep and woke up feeling like another day had passed. I'm still feeling confused!

• After that little nap, I headed out to go out for a walk, to shake the sleep dust of my brain, if only I could find a spot that wasn't too icy. The Fort totally sucked for this as the winds were terrible. My face froze instantly, and even though I was bundled up, the experience wasn't making me feel happy. So I left and tried to find another area that did not have whipping winds to deal with. Easily found another area but I didn't make it very far, but it was still good to get out. I made a quick trip to the grocery store (for the hell of it, really) for a bag of ground coffee and flavored coffee creamer (I usually go black, but am in the mood for something extra tasty this week). I parked far away just to get a little extra "leg stretch". Roads got progressively worse by the time I was done in that store. Glad it was a short trip home.

meh. It isn't great. Was hoping for chocolate-mint.

• Got home, went to go online and the web pages were "unavailable". I disabled my connection, re connected, which is usually enough, but my attempts were otiose. Checked router and found an issue there.

Without going into what all that entailed, I did have to go into my old Gateway computer to mess around with admin stuff. I pretty much never use this computer. Why would I? It is from 1998, Windows '98, 128 MB RAM, and a monitor that sits five feet deep and a tower case that resembles an alien monolith. Only old browsers versions are compatible (so think, early IE, Firefox and Netscape- no tabbed browsing either- how did we live?!), so naturally, pretty much all websites are a pain in the ass as there is excessive lag in the functions. FB about booted me right off of there. Jerks. A quick glance at the old school programs made me giggle (think, Encarta, Trip Planner, Bookshelf, etc). Anyway, got everything working again, and after a few more minutes browsing for the fun of it, I shut down the computer, which gets turned on maybe once a year. The old thing sputtered and moaned in pain during the whole start up and shut down process. Poor thing.

• Dinner time was the same as lunch with the addition of brown rice and "succotash" (corn and lima beans-- I didn't know this until sometime this year, er, last year). A little cayenne pepper sprinkled on top was the extent of flavoring. Already I thought I was going to die from all the salt in the store bought taco seasoning. Lots of water to follow! Took a few pics for fun. I should probably get those on here..

• Decided to pop in a movie with dinner. I had bought, Fanboys (2009) a few weeks back on DVD brand new for $6.00. I had wanted to see it last year, but it never came to the theaters around here and it took some time before it came out on video.

something look familiar?



Must not have done well anywhere.

I wasn't expecting much, had really low expectations, actually-- even though I didn't know much of what it was about. In short it about a group of guys, fans of Star Wars setting out to get the script of Episode 1 before the finished movie came to the theaters. This story was set to the year, 1998. The music was pretty true to the time (Chumbawamba, Presidents of the United States of America, for example). The dialogue was simple with some hilarious one liners. Most often this is really annoying to me, but it was all making me laugh, a lot. So I thought many of the lines were pretty great and there were so many little details to be appreciated. Some of the cast members were awesome to see (Carrie Fisher!). For sure, you have to be a bit of a Star Wars fan to even want to see the movie, so I was eager to watch it. The more tried and true fans likely have a lot of negativity about the flick, as this movie just didn't make it anywhere. To be fair, it isn't a well done movie. The characters lack depth as does any sort of interpersonal relations attempted to be depicted, but really, it is obvious that this movie is meant to be nerdy, silly, fluff. Get in touch with your inner 13 year old and laugh.
It is especially entertaining to me for its anti Star Trek sentiment (don't hate me). I was laughing so hard, it was great.

• Speaking of Carrie Fisher, I am reading her memoir, "Wishful Drinking"

http://www.amazon.com/Wishful-Drinking-Carrie-Fisher/dp/1439102252

cover picture makes me laugh


She has written a few novels, none of which I have read, so I don't know what her writing style is normally like. This memoir cracks me up for its honesty, simplicity and crazy stories. So far, a very quick and easy read. I will be certainly ready for something detailed, nerdy and engaging after this.

• I've had Mark Danielewskis', "House of Leaves" in my reading queue (ok, big ass book pile) for several months.

Anyone read it?

I know this one will take me time as I want to follow it and experience it the best that I can muster. I'm looking forward to getting into it. I knew it would be best read in the winter on days that I have extra time to devote to reading which it will require. It is non traditional in appearance, as seen here:

• And on that note, time to wind down the night and finish up that memoir.

Good night, stay warm!

A recount of my big hour outside today, haha

Check this out.. Right outside my front door, oozing over the rooftop. Opening the front door to go out and do some shoveling, this was a crazy sight to see:










From the other side:




Let's play, 'spot the (e:strip) bumper sticker'!




Quick snap of the backyard:


After shoveling, I made a quick run to the store for some pop and a few other little things. In no particular hurry, I spent a little bit of time socializing with the other locals who ventured out in this weather. That little bit of conversation helped put me in an chipper mood (that and the fresh air and/or lightly freezing my brain had a positive effect).

Driving through the snow covered streets in the village was visually quaint and fun to drive through. As I still had my camera in my old hoody pocket, I attempted a few pics while driving. With dying batteries, I snapped a few en route. I liked this one taken at the corner of Main and Lockport Street. This is the Ontario House, aka, "The Stone Jug"- a historical (an historical?) drinking establishment in the village:





I drove into the Fort, curious of how Lake Ontario looked in this blustery cold winter evening. Had it not been so windy, icy and almost pitch black, I would have wandered around on foot longer than I did.

Pulling up to the edge before the hill that goes down to the Lake:




Stepping out, attempting to capture a picture in the darkness; the waves are big tonight.:




Heading back to my car. the wind nearly pushing me over.




F#$K it is COLD out there!
Back in the car.. wind whipped and a little frozen in the face.


Although it is getting late, a walk through the snowy streets is very appealing to me right now. Depending on how windy it is, maybe that is a plan.

Otherwise, it is another evening of vegging out to a book or movie..

Stay warm, peeps!