If it's not your game

"If it's not your game, don't try to play by your rules."

"What are your stilts?"

"This, too, shall pass."

"I work to live. I don't live to work."

"God didn't design things so each of us could be fulfilled. He designed it so all of us can be fulfilled. There's a difference that goes beyond vocabulary. It involves community and priorities."

"I know you didn't try to. But did you try not to?"

"Magic Missile."



Quotes from, well, me. Of course, I'm not the first person to say "This, too, shall pass." But I do say it!

"Cane" is "Dallas" -- "Life" is new.

We watched the premiere episode of "Cane." The appeal? Jimmy Smits. I've loved him in every project I've seen. So, despite the fact that the setting of the show (Rich family, made rich by liquor, doing morally questionable things) didn't sound intriguing, we gave it a try.

It's prettier than "Dallas." The women are sleek and the men are well cut. The music is great. I like the Hispanic accents over the Texas drawl.

But it's the same story. Two families at war over a natural resource and old wounds. "Good guys" who do bad things. Rich people who don't appreciate what they have, and think their problems are so big and bad that the screw up the world. Infidelity, deceit, threats. Smits plays the "Bobby Ewing" character, except he's already decided that the ends justify the means, when it comes to revenge.

Meanwhile, the new show "Life" is a very new take on the police detective drama. I only saw half of the first episode, and I already like the character. Again, he has some moral ambiguity, but it's easier to understand. And some of the dialog was just great. Some very funny Zen, and some very appropriate Zen. I'll be glad to try it again.

Celebrity: Using it Well

In my entry on "What Really Matters" I expressed frustration with the fascination, media time, and general public mind-share devoted to inane celebrity "news."

Yet, there is Good that can be done by celebrities, and perhaps only by them, because of their fame, charisma and ability to communicate.

The example I bring today is that of Jenny McCarthy. Here's the link to a part of her story, which tells of the difficulty all parents have when hearing a life-changing diagnosis for their child.

Jenny's son has autism. Adam's involvement in autism treatment has certainly raised my awareness of the condition, but it's clear that the public as a whole is hearing more and more about this disorder, its incidence level and its effect.

What McCarthy does, and can do better than others because of her status as a "celebrity," is connect the condition to the humanity. When we read her words, or hear her talk we know this: It can happen to anyone, the feelings are normal, there is a way through it, and it's OK to talk about it.

So, as we should thank Bono, Michael J Fox, the late Christopher Reeve, Oprah (for many things), and all those other celebrities who try to use their fame for the good of others, we can also thank Jenny McCarthy. I might just read her book. Even if I don't, I'm glad she wrote it.

I had something to say

I had something to say.
I'm quite sure I did.
Was it profound?

We doubt it.

I think it was important.
At least it was useful.
I might have had something useful to say, right?

We're sure you'll think of it again.

It was there for a moment.
Just before the commercial.
But now it's gone.

Worried? We have a drug for that.

Maybe if I watch that program again
Something will remind me
And this time I'll remember.

Commercial's over. Watch some more.

New Computers

Why is it that every new computer is a thing of beauty and a frustration at the same time?

The new laptop is gorgeous. Clean. Lean. Wide-screen.

The old software installed perfectly.

But getting all the data migrated is hit-or-miss. And registering software on the new computer works for MOST things, but not all things.

So having support lines that are open only from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM on weekdays is not particularly helpful.

Nevertheless, after a couple more hours, maybe everything will be moved and we'll be done with the 45-month-old boat anchor and on the Thinkpad.

The Day is almost Over: "24" Season 3

We didn't get into "24" when it first aired. We tried the first episode, as I recall, and found Jack Bauer too cruel, so we left the show alone. But, of course, it was a hit and is now a mainstay on network TV and in our culture.

So, we decided to borrow the show from our friend and see if we would "get" it. Sure enough - Seasons 1 & 2 were gripping. We were drawn in immediately (after getting past that gruesome first episode) and wanted to watch 45-minute hour after 45-minute hour.

We started watching season 3 in the summer, but it didn't grab us. We picked it up again this month and have enjoyed it, but it's not nearly the same. The characters seem inconsistent, even within the season. Sure, people can be inconsistent, but when you see four episodes back to back, it's pretty frustrating to see a character change so drastically. For a while, Tony is clear-headed and clever and courageous. Then, a couple hours later, he can't react intelligently. Sigh.

Another problem -- the situation is far worse than anything that has happened in real life, and no matter how this season ends, it would be hard for anyone to imagine the world going back to "normal."

Yet, I will watch the rest, to see how they tie things up. From what I understand, season 4 is back to our expectations, so we'll try that some day. This is still better than TV news magazines or most of the "reality" or "game" shows.

Coincidence

Tonight, I'm preparing for our next D&D adventure. We're finally getting back to "The World's Largest Dungeon" and I'm entering the necessary information into the DM Genie.

While I do this I will watch some TV on DVD. The next episode in my viewing of "Star Trek" (the original series, is "Catspaw."

Wizards, castles, dungeons, familiar, spells.

Quite fitting, wouldn't you say?

I wonder if, when Mike moves back to the area, he will find his way into TWLD, or if we'll end up doing other things. I know we have planned to do d20 Modern, and that's going to be so cool, who knows if we'll get to D&D or not.

In any case, this sort of preparation is fun. Dungeons. Laptops. Star Trek. Not a bad night.

Interesting Blog Stuff

In case you ever doubted it, yes, "They" are watching.

OK, it's not "The Authorities" but someone is watching.

This is a cool new tool that the Google blog folks have had for quite some time. Blogger Play: It's essentially a slide show of photos uploaded to blogs by their tools. I think it's cool. But it does point out that more people can see your stuff than you sometimes might think. They have a FAQ if you want to know more.

One of the images that flashed by made me laugh. I wish I had bookmarked the blog from which it came. Anyway, here's the image:




Another note: The main blogger site pointed me to a blog I'm sure I'll visit a lot: Central Comics Zone. It's all about comics -- the "graphic novel" definition of "comic," not the "daily newspaper funnies" definition.

Miss me?

I missed my entry yesterday. I doubt anyone else did.

But that's no biggie.

And today will be weak, too, unless I get inspired by lunchtime.

No Doubt - Reevaluate

Suppose I set a goal for myself. "By October 15, 2007, I will XXXX."

As October 15 approaches, it may begin to look like accomplishing XXXX by that date will be difficult.

What should I do?

If all I do is "doubt" -- if I just say "Well, it doesn't look good. I doubt I'll make it." -- then my attitude is wrong, and I've likely lost any chance to accomplish the goal.

But, if instead I reevaluate, one of a few things can happen. I can see that, yes, it will be hard, but if I do A, B & C, I can still do it. Or, I can decide that it's not possible or not worth the steps I'd take. Maybe I move the date. Maybe I decide against XXXX altogether.

If I "doubt" then I am almost assured the goal will not be achieved, and I will perceive it as a failure. I will have shown a lack of confidence in myself, and I will have reinforced it by failing.

If I "reevaluate" then I am showing confidence that I can make a better decision now that more facts are known. I can choose rather than accept the result. Even if XXXX does not get accomplished, or gets accomplished later, I have exhibited confidence and reinforced that confidence.

To the cynical, this may sound like semantics. It may sound like I'm just justifying my failure. I disagree. Attitude not only affects outcomes, it sometimes effects outcomes. Additionally, the way we feel about a goal which has been achieved or not achieved can be as important as the goal itself, for that confidence we show in ourselves and our decision making ability will influence our future actions.

So, on this beautiful Friday, I encourage you not to doubt, but to reevaluate. You can do it.

Shawn made it!

Diablo 2 was released in 2000.

Tonight, 9/13/07, Shawn finally killed Diablo, as part of a party with Don and me.

This is quite an accomplishment.



So let's not any of us make fun of how long it took.

I mean, six or seven years? That's not too bad, is it?



Of course, it would have been a little better if his paladin had actually been in the room when Diablo died.



But, to be fair, he probably did most of the damage to the Big Guy. He just happened to die moments before Diablo!

It was a blast.

Miracle

Kevin Everett of the Buffalo Bills professional football team suffered a spinal injury on Sunday. The injury was termed "catastrophic" and "life-threatening" by his doctors.

Today, however, he is voluntarily moving his limbs.

Some people are calling it a miracle. The surgeon who operated on him is quoted as saying "We may be witnessing a minor miracle."

Another doctor from the hospital said "I don't know if I would call it a miracle. I would call it a spectacular example of what people can do." He compared it to putting a man on the moon or splitting the atom.

From where I sit, it's a miracle. That does not mean people weren't involved in accomplishing the miracle. The word "miracle" describes a wide range of events. But, to me, the use of the word gives credit to God for being involved in an act -- usually an act that is beyond "mere mortals."

For the last two days, when the sports commentators were covering the story of Everett's injury, they kept hearing over and over "Our thoughts and prayers are with him." Did those thoughts and prayers have any effect? The answer is unknowable. But the skills of the medical team had an effect, and in my belief system, those skills are gifts of God, used by the people to whom they were given. It still qualifies as a "miracle" to me.

Even more so when the surgeon involved wants to use the word.

May you notice the miracles in your life.

Metrics for a good week

Monday morning, I had six (5) ibuprofen tablets at my desk.

At the end of the week, if I still have six (5), then it's been a good week.

Tuesday, at lunch, I still have six (5) so things are going well.

But Thursday hasn't happened yet.




Another sign of a good week is being able to count. I'm not doing so well on that front.

;-)

How about haiku?

Lyrical offense:
One too many syllables;
Or one too few, too.


Gray, shadowy skies.
Can I reach home before them?
Late. Later. Too late.


Moss on the maples.
Fluttering leaves, quiet, calm.
Hushed 'til the wind breathes.


A good limerick
Crude, funny, rhyming surprise
Should not laugh, but will.

Myth Quotes

Last night we attended an open house at Leah's high school. We had the opportunity to "attend" each of her classes for 10 minutes, to meet her teachers and have them tell us what each class was about. While waiting for her first hour English class to begin (it's a literature class) I enjoyed reading the many quotes which her teacher had posted.

Today, I decided to blog about one which dealt with "Myth." I think the quote went something like this:

"A myth is a story which is completely false, while being at the same time completely true."

I thought it was attributed to Thomas Mann, but though I searched for it many ways, I cannot find it.

I did find quotes about myths, though. Some of them are more cynical, some less, but I decided to put a few here today.

MYTHOLOGY, n. The body of a primitive people's beliefs concerning its origin, early history, heroes, deities and so forth, as distinguished from the true accounts which it invents later. Ambrose Bierce.

Myth is an attempt to narrate a whole human experience, of which the purpose is too deep, going too deep in the blood and soul, for mental explanation or description. D.H. Lawrence

Myths which are believed in tend to become true. George Orwell

It is a myth, not a mandate, a fable not a logic, and symbol rather than a reason by which men are moved. Irwin Edman


None of those were the quote I was seeking, and none were from Mann. The Thomas Mann quote I could find about myth is this:

For the myth is the foundation of life; it is the timeless schema, the pious formula into which life flows when it reproduces its traits out of the unconscious.

That's a little harder to parse than the one I read on the wall, and doesn't really say the same thing at all. I wrote the quote down so I could verify it, and get it exactly right, but the paper on which I wrote it is at home. When I get home tonight, maybe I will have time to do that. Meanwhile it was a fun little exercise for a Friday blog.

May your myths serve their deeper and most useful purposes.

"Surrender"

Last week, someone called our home. Sherry answered. She was asked this question (roughly):

"How you feel about the plan to surrender in Iraq?"

"Surrender" was the operative word. As if the request being made by most people in the U.S. to reduce our troop involvement and set Iraq on a course towards self-government was "surrender."

Sherry got a bit animated in her response. What did the caller mean by "surrender?" "Surrender" means raising your hands and submitting to arrest or imprisonment. Or it means signing a treaty that marks you as the loser in a conflict. We're not advocating either of those, and neither are any of the people who disagree with the direction of the administration's policy in Iraq.

No, this caller is part of the coordinated campaign ^[1] to paint anyone who disagrees with the administration as a scared, unpatriotic loser. When Sherry voiced her opinion, strongly, the caller suggested she "Settle down."

Settle down? You asked how she felt! She told you! She told you that your question was inflammatory and biased.

Yet, somehow, I bet that call fed into a poll which will show that Sherry was just one of some small percentage who were "in favor" of the "policy of surrender."

To clarify Twain's classification of the three kinds of lies: "Lies, damned lies, and statistics supporting damned lies." <sup>[2]




[1]</sup> I suggest we create a new term for this sort of tactic. Considering the perfecter of the technique, maybe the term could be "krovism." It's a mutated form of the virulent "McCarthyism" which survives if the population of neoreactionaries is high enough.

^[2]Or perhaps more accurately credited to Disraeli, as Twain did.

Sampling Sentences

Here's a little thing my mind likes to do once in a while. You'll probably "get it" when you read the sentences. If not, I explain at the end.

Mishmash:
Let's hear it for the boy under the boardwalk on the street where you live.

1990s:
Believe I will always love you every morning.

1980:
Take your time. He's so shy, I'm coming out.

2006:
You're beautiful. If it's lovin' that you want, call me when you're sober.

2000s:
Don't forget about us when I'm gone in the end.

Musicals:
Any dream will do as long as he needs me for good.
I'll be seeing you put on a happy face for good.
Where or when can I hear the bells on my own?





Explanation:
Song titles are usually pieces of sentences. If you look around long enough, you can find song titles which are phrases that fit nicely together to form new sentences. In fact, it's quite easy to make very suggestive sentences.^[1] I've tried to avoid those above. Have fun with them!




^[1] I'm afraid the ease with which the suggestive sentences occur to me might indicate some repression. Or else, song writers intend that! A subliminal plot! That's it! Clearly, evil thoughts cannot be my fault -- someone else must be deliberately and maliciously planting them!

To Thine Own blog Be True

I was stressing a bit about what my topic should be today.

"Heroes" because we're watching it? "Oh, no," thought I, "I've talked too much about TV lately."

"How about getting back to your schedule?" I suggested. But Tuesday is designated for news topics, and I don't know anything about Category 5 hurricanes, and I don't care one whit about Bush visiting Australia (nothing against our English-speaking brothers Down Under.)

[But while I was looking for news, I did happen to notice this piece in USA Today. The cover from Vanity Fair illustrates what "alabaster skin" looks like. Oh, my! Nicole Kidman is certainly stunning.]

"Well, how about that 'serious' entry you were going to write about 'Civilization?'" I suggested.

"I don't feel like it."

"But your readers ..." I started protesting.

"Oh, get over yourself!" I retorted.

And that's where I left it. I started this "daily"blog for several reasons, but none of them were supposed to cause me stress.

So, a couple of quick items, without any concern given to repeating myself or pithiness or making the blogosphere more meaningful:

"Heroes" Season 1 is, quite simply, one of the best pieces of TV ever. Season 2 could stink (it won't, but it could) and Season 1 would still stand as a triumph. After what happened to "Invasion" and "Surface" and "Nowhere Man" I'm actually surprised that "Heroes" gets a second season. But, in fairness, it is superior to all of them, and apparently is more accessible to the US TV audience.

The fact that Zachary Quinto is playing "Spock" in the new "Star Trek" movie is, well, excellent. Some might find it questionable - the guy who plays an ego-maniacal super-villain playing a logic-driven First Officer. I watched a 5-minute interview with him on scifi.com, and he's one of those actors who is far less interesting than the characters he plays. For me, that's actually an indicator of a good actor; or at least an actor who is in it for the acting, not the fame. If, in "real life" (interviews are the closest things to 'real life' we fans ever see) he doesn't come across as if he's acting, but then his characters are so excellent, I figure he can play lots of different kinds of roles. Robert DeNiro is like this.

Civilization (the game): Sometimes gets to this current point. I will win. It's clear. But now I have to find the motivating factor to push me to finish. Likely it will take another 5-10 hours of play until the victory conditions are met. What other goals can I have to push me to play those hours, when it's clear the ultimate goal will be mine?

Fall TV schedules: Go on-line to the websites of the major networks. See how easy it is to determine what shows you might want to watch starting in September. I say NBC wins, if the goal is to show you the schedule in a format you can read, while attracting your attention to shows, new and old alike. If you click enough, you can find that ABC has a PDF! But it's at least more readable than CBS which has some mostly-text, scrolling thing. Yuck. Fox, I'm not sure if there is a "New Season" page, but it does have a nightly schedule.

And so, there are some wisps. Random thoughts with slight relation to one another. And no stress.

I call that good.