oelier

NaNoWriMo is here.  I'm participating for the first time, this year.  It'll be interesting to see if I can reach the 50k word mark.  It'll also be interesting to see if I can finish it within the month.

I had an awesome night last night.  Isaiah Sheffer of "Selected Shorts" fame hosted a program of Edgar Allan Poe readings.  His guests were Rene Auberjonois and Fionnula Flanagan.  The readings consisted of both short stories and poems--a few lesser known works, but mostly his famous stuff like "The Raven", "The Masque of the Red Death", and "The Bells".  Isaiah Sheffer himself read "The Raven".  He gave a different emphasis and rhythm than what I was expecting, but brought out the humor in a piece not known for being funny.  He also read "The Sphinx", a lesser known piece I recall from high school when doing a unit on perspective and viewpoint.

Fionnula Flanagn read "The Masque of the Red Death" and "Alone".  She did a very good job with "Alone", a poem I hadn't heard before.  Her rendition of "The Masque of the Red Death" was also well done.  She has a very good voice for reading and she brought out the surreal quality of the story.

Rene Auberjonois did an outstanding job with "By the Sea" and absolutely knocked the audience flat with his reading of "The Black Cat".  He truly brought out the sublime horror of the story of a man's descent into madness.  The story itself is fairly disturbing (if you thought "The Tell-Tale Heart" was disturbing...) and the relish with which he read it elevated it far beyond written words.

The evening closed with an ensemble reading of "The Bells", each taking on the aspect of the different bells.  They moved from individual reading to reading in unison smoothly, so that you almost didn't realise it.

Needless to say, you don't often get to see readings done live at this caliber.  I'm truly greatful that I had the opportunity.

Just got back from InConjunction today.  It was my first time going.  I'm not sure what to think about it.  Not only was it my first InCon...it was my first convention where I didn't have to work.  I met with friends...made some new ones...went to panels and discussions and events.  Since it was my first time at InCon, I hung with gaelbrady  and ladystarblade  quite a bit and they introduced me to several people.  (I'm sure most of them are on livejournal, but they weren't introduced using their lj names.)  

Most of the panels I went to were panels for writers.  Talk about some of the most outrageous things being said!  I got some good information, but only in between recovering from side-splitting laughter.  I went to filkertom's concert and enjoyed what I was able to see (I had to leave early).  I went to the charity auctions (some interesting items being auctioned off).  I hung out with congoddess  and her group of friends some.  One of the major highlights, though, was playing Thomas Jefferson in the shadowcast of 1776 on Friday night.  One of the other highlights was having breakfast withfilkertom Monday morning.

On the other hand, there were several things that just brought the whole experience down several levels.  I did what I could, but I don't think it was enough.

Watch out you Sting and Beatles fans!  Songsmith from Microsoft has re-written some old classics for you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypycpKQxXR0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BZk6aZp9xE

I wonder what it would do with...say...the Mikado.  Or heaven forbid, the traditional songs of Ireland.

As long as I was doing blog-quizes, this one caught my eye:
( How Should You Get Fit? )

Funny, the first time I took it, I got:
( Crow Pose )
Then I changed a couple of borderline answers, and I got:

( Half Moon Pose )

I dunno. I think the colorgenics thing was more accurate.

I like Barak Obama.  I like his ideas.  I like his energy.  I like his style.

I don't like how people seems to have handed him all their problems and are saying, "Well.  We've elected the best leader.  Now it's time to sit back and wait for things to get better."  He's been put on a pedestal.  Never a good thing.  Already the Smithsonian is planning to recreate one of his field offices.    Granted, it probably has as much to do with being the first African-American elected president as anything else.  But one can't help but wonder if there isn't something of idolizing also involved.  In my mind, idols represent something untouchable, something unattainable.  Idols are counter to Barak's central campaign message, "Yes we can!"  Over and over, I've heard people say, "He's proven that it can be done."  This doesn't sound like an idol.  It sounds like a role model.

Leaders lead.  Saviors save.  Many of the people I've heard talk about how things are going to change seem to believe they've elected a savior.  The problem with saviors is that all you have to do for them to save you is to subscribe to their ideology (sometimes blindly so), and they will make your life better.  You can just sit around and say, "SHE will make things better," or "HE will make things right."  It is an idol, a deus ex machina.  Barak has shown that he is NOT an idol.  He leads.  He inspires, he motivates, he empowers us to play our part.  He knows very well he can't fix everything, much less do it himself. 

So why is he being placed on a pedestal?  I don't know.  My theory is that America has collective-ADHD.  Putting him on a pedestal, turning him into a savior, allows people to turn their efforts to the dazzling array of 'opportunities' and activities.  It allows them to get lazy.  I'm not talking physically lazy, or mentally lazy.  I'm talking about the inability of many people to maintain commitment to "the big picture."  By putting Barak on a pedestal, people are saying, "We've hired somebody to do something about the big picture so that I don't have to." 

One of Barak's biggest challenges is to take himself off the pedestal and convince people that his job is to be a role model, a leader, not an idol, a savior.  The question is, will he realize it?

"Copy this sentence into your livejournal if you're in a heterosexual marriage*, and you don't want it "protected" by the bigots who think that gay marriage hurts it somehow."

*or hope to be someday, or were once, or etc.

(ganked from jazz007)

In considering the difference between “quitting” and “giving up,” there are some judgmental implications of each.  I approached them, but didn’t actually cross the line and address them in Part 1.  I didn’t want to complicate things too much with a potential hot button interpretation.

In denotative terms, “can’t”,  “cannot”, and “can not” mean that something is not possible.  In today’s connotative terms, however, this phrase and its variants are often used in place of “will not” or “won’t”.  In psychological terms, this is the difference between a passive and an active approach to something.  In social terms, though, it is often either used by those too lazy or timid to be decisive, or it is seen as being too lazy or timid.  Though there is some truth to both social and psychological view points, I think that using “quit” as a substitute for “give up” tends to stem from lazy English.  English is a wonderful language, filled with very subtle shadings and nuances between synonyms that people tend to ignore in favor of convenience.

When speaking with people, we tend to respect those who use “won’t” more than those who use “can’t,” even if we don’t agree.  The term “can’t” shuffles responsibility off onto a situation.  In American culture we tend to respect people, not situations, those who do not take responsibility do not earn respect.

If “can’t” means “I don’t want to take responsibility” and “won’t” means “stopping is my responsibility,” so what?  What does it matter if you don’t want the responsibility?  What’s wrong with not wanting the responsibility?  Nothing.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with declining to take on responsibility for something. (I’m talking, here, about something yet to happen, not taking responsibility for something you have already done.)  The problem is that instead of saying, “I don’t want the responsibility for that,” many people blame the situation and use the situation as an excuse.

Happy 79th anniversary of Black Tuesday.  It's been 79 years from the day heralding the Great Depression.  Isn't it nice to know that life goes on?

I’ve often been told, “Don’t quit,” and, “no one wants a quitter,” and, “quitters will let you down.”  At the time it sounded like good advice.  Recently, though, I’ve begun to wonder.  Why, with all of these “don’t quit” messages are we supportive of some kinds of quitters?  Smokers, for instance, or recovering alcoholics.  Is it really quitting that needs to be avoided, or is it something else?

I tell my students, “Never give up.”  It follows the old adage, “It’s not over ‘til the fat lady sings.”  There are many come-from-behind stories that seem to prove the idea that you’re not finished until the task is done.  And yet, what about the stories of people ruining themselves because they followed the idea of “keep going until you succeed” blindly?

Somewhere between the two is the ideal.  I’ve decided that, though the definitions are similar, quitting and giving up are not the same.  Giving up implies a lack of will to keep going.  Whether it’s from lack of emotional commitment, the idea that a task is physically impossible for you to do, or just that you believe that the situation is hopeless, giving up is about the situation dictating your actions. 

Quitting is merely stopping an activity with no intention of returning to it.  Quitting is about deciding for yourself what your actions will be.  If you have the mental, emotional, and physical fortitude to keep going against seemingly impossible odds, if you retain the desire to keep trying, then when you stop, you are quitting, not giving up.  In many cases, quitting requires that you be stronger at an emotional and mental level (even physical depending on the activity) than to keep going.

Making this mental switch to considering where the impetus for action comes from can be difficult.  Especially if you are used to thinking quitting and giving up are the exact same thing.  On one level, they do mean the same thing.  They both mean stopping an activity.  On the connotative level, though, they are nearly opposites.  If you quit, you decide to stop.  If you give up, the situation decides you will stop.  The critical thought patterns are completely different.  The person who gives up says, “I can’t.”  The person who quits says, “If I don’t like where this is going, I won’t.”

So all you alcoholics and smoke-a-holics and whatever-holics, be quitters…and don’t give up quitting.

Snagged from gaelbrady .

you are cadetblue #5F9EA0

Your dominant hues are green and blue. You're smart and you know it, and want to use your power to help people and relate to others. Even though you tend to battle with yourself, you solve other people's conflicts well. Your saturation level is lower than average - You don't stress out over things and don't understand people who do. Finishing projects may sometimes be a challenge, but you schedule time as you see fit and the important things all happen in the end, even if not everyone sees your grand master plan. Your outlook on life can be bright or dark, depending on the situation. You are flexible and see things objectively.

the spacefem.com html color quiz

Again...anyone surprised?

Just out of curiosity.

What color is your soul painted? Blue Your soul is painted the color blue, which embodies the characteristics of peace, patience, understanding, health, tranquility, protection, spiritual awareness, unity, harmony, calmness, coolness, confidence, dependability, loyalty, idealism, tackiness, and wisdom. Blue is the color of the element Water, and is symbolic of the ocean, sleep, twilight, and the sky.

Click Here to Take This Quiz Brought to you by YouThink.com quizzes and personality tests.

Is anyone surprised?

There are times when I wonder why I practice and teach the martial arts I do.  Despite the fact that the Austin area has a disproportionate number of martial arts schools, no one in Austin practices this particular style.  In fact I’m not sure anyone in Texas practices this particular style.  There are practitioners in other, similar styles (and few even of those), but none for the specific style I practice.  In other words, despite the size of the martial art community, I have very little in the way of support.

In order to progress and learn new things, I have to fly to New England for a couple weeks each year.  Since I can only do this for a couple weeks each year, it kind of limits the idea of steady progress.  When I go, I train as hard and as often as I can.  It gets intense.  Since I’m only there for a limited time, my instructor is fairly hard on me.  He wants to be sure that I not only know what I’m doing, but that I understand what I’m doing.  He forces me to work on details that I wasn’t able to see for myself.  I just wish I could do that year round.

Since this style is unknown for the most part, it doesn’t get the name recognition that Tae Kwon Do or Shotokan or even Tai Chi Chuan get.  Even the YMCA I teach out of doesn’t use the name in their class brochure anymore.  No one understood it.  No one knew what it meant.  No one even had a clue.  Now it’s listed as “Indonesian Kung Fu” because people think they know what Kung Fu is. 

I’m isolated.  The most common suggestion I receive is, “Why not work out with some of those who are around?”  I could.  And I have.  And it can be very good.  The problem is that the styles are so completely different.  Would you expect Monet to paint the Sistine Chapel?  How about Mona Lisa as painted by Malevich?  Would you want to hear the 1812 Overture written by Chopin?  Or Ride of the Valkyries written by Mozart?  When I participate in the class of another style, I play by their rules.  Most of the time, their rules are more restrictive, so I have to hold back.

Strategically, and in the business world, being an isolated style can be a good thing.  It’s strategically good because no one knows what to expect.  In terms of business, I have a practical monopoly in the local market for this style.  On a personal level, being isolated is not so good.

So why do I continue to practice and teach?  Because I enjoy the challenge for itself.  Because what I offer is unique.  Because in the end, martial arts is not just a way to fight.  It is a way of life that kept me going when I could depend on nothing else.

Subject pretty much says it all.  I won't be going to DragonCon this year.

Aargh!  Somebody shoot me now, please.

Well...it finally happened.  I am now officially alone in the house.  It feels a little odd at the moment since the only sounds are coming from me.  I keep feeling like somethings going to collapse or blow up or do something equally drastic.

My roommate showed up yesterday at 6 p.m. with three friends and a moving truck from Budget.  I hadn't expected this until we at least got the house under contract if not closed.  Now, even though there is much less in the way of stuff in the house, the house was left in a much messier state than before.  Ah well.  Maybe if I spread things out it'll be easier to deal with later.

My primary concern at the moment is that I'll now have to foot the entire utility bill/phone bill on my own.  Granted it'll be somewhat lower with only one person here, but I don't think it'll drop 50% (there's a base fee no matter how much electricity/gas/water/etc. is used).  Fortunately (maybe), my schedule is so booked that I won't be spending loads of time here wasting electricity and what-not.  I teach Tuesday and Thursday evenings, I do an aerobics class followed by slam poetry on Wednesday evenings.  Friday is either a game/movie night or some other social event.  Sundays I visit with my parents during the day and then I go play Ultimate Frisbee until dark.  That leaves Monday evenings and Saturdays for me to sit and do nothing...like that'll happen.  On some Mondays I may pay a mat fee and join in a Judo class (I love learning new physical activities).  I pay the mat fee since I can't attend regularly enough to justify a month's tuition.  Game/movie-less Friday evenings may be devoted to Aikido.  Again this would be a pay per session rather than a full month tuition.  Saturdays are kind of a wild card at the moment.  Most of the time, I never know what's happening until Friday afternoon at the earliest.  So yeah...my schedule is kinda full at the moment.  And only the game/movie nights are a drain on the utilities, so that's a bonus.

I find myself relying more and more on the stuff I learned as a teen via Alateen.  Between that, martial arts, playing the violin, and now slam poetry, I've managed to maintain an even keel.  It's even been noted at work how calm I am at work, even if critical pieces of the processes stop working.  All I can say is, "Thank God for past experiences, because without them we wouldn't have the tools we need today."

Pun of the Moment: What did the musician say as a thief zoomed off with his breakfast?  "Allegro my Eggo."

Ugh.  It is hot in my building today.  No AC.  The only way to get air circulation is to open the windows...which means lotsa humidity.  Blah.  Everybody's drained.  The part to fix the AC is not in Austin...closest place is San Antonio...which has pushed back the estimated fix time from 11:00 (already passed) to mid-afternoon...at the earliest.  In other words, it won't get fixed until after the hottest part of the day.  *sigh*

Has anyone else heard of Anna Russell?  Although she sings opera, she's best known for her musical comedy...err...criticisms...um....comical critiques.    Hilarious if you know anything about the history of music.  Just be aware that, as one critic said, "she puts as much effort into singing badly as most people put into singing well."  I've had one of her CDs for a couple years now.  To give you and idea, it starts out with ideas on practical banana marketing.  Talk about taking things to absurdity.  Well.  I just bought another of her CDs.  It's got a history of folk music, a serious talk about the french horn, stuff about bagpipes, even a bit about beat poetry.  The last track is "Hamletto: or Proscuttino", a very funny recap of Hamlet.

I'm still humming bits and pieces of "Jolly Old Sigmund Freud".