Analog Nights

Feb
7

Ever heard of the Sabbath? Not Black Sabbath, but the other one. The day of rest?

New Idea: I’m calling them “Analog Nights”. For those of you that may not be sure what analog means.. ahem.

Analog

Measuring or representing data by means of one or more physical properties that can express any value along a continuous scale. For example, the position of the hands of a clock is an analog representation of time.

So analog nights would be completely without anything digital. That means no phones, computer, camera, television, or anything that is digital. I need to get my watch fixed because it died on 5 PM on Jueves the 28th. Whenever that was. I’ll let you figure that out. (yes my watch speaks spanish).

I’ll be resting from technology (within reason).

I realize the irony of reading about analog nights on a blog, where you probably found from facebook, twitter or randomly, however analog nights are something I think is completely necessary in our day and time. We are too connected as a society and unplugging for a while is really one of the best things I think anyone can do. This doesn’t mean I can’t be around people it just may be a bit harder to get a hold of them without my phone.

I encourage you to join me in my analog nights. You can make them days if you have a full weekend. I might if I have more time or have a day off from work.

Categories : Holidays, Technology

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“we don’t live forever, only now..”

Feb
4

January 2012

Make it a “better” year.

I’ve set a few goals for 2012, and with those goals I have plans to make 2012 a better year. Not necessarily better than 2011, but “better”.

Six months into the new job, a new home, and a new couch; it take the beginning of a year for me to sit back and assess. It’s ‘human’ to live our lives by milestones and paramounts as we move from joy to pain and back again. Making life “better” may be everyone’s hope, but few people are able to reach what people would consider better, and even when they do… they found out that better doesn’t mean what they thought.

So my gain for better doesn’t consist of more furniture, sexier physique (things I thought I’d never type), or more money; but rather “better” in the sense of overall livelihood. What would make 2012 “better”

This January I’ve started to attempt and make for a better 2012. Maybe not with all I’ve done, but with perspective. I’m no longer on my way into a new position, nor am I on my way out. I am here in a place I call home. In a conversation I was having I struck upon a thought I’ve had before, but forgot to live.

Instead of looking to live every day like there’s something great coming, or as if I’m in line for a roller coaster that’s never coming. Live in the present, do as you should do in the moment what you’re thinking about doing tomorrow.

We don’t live forever, only now…

So rather than wait for what is coming in 2012. I’m planning for the worst and living for the best. Gonna keep 2012 packed with enough living for many other people to enjoy. This first month has been a blast and honestly it’s just getting started.

Jump on the train, join me and let 2012 be better.

There’s only two options. Better, or worse.

album of the month

Not a lot of albums came out in January that were worth talking about. I had to scratch the bottom of the barrel to find one that I really felt was worth putting on here that wasn’t from 2011. However I am excited about a few coming soon. (The Shins)

But do yourself a favor and buy the soundtrack to Midnight in Paris. Very good.

The album of the month is a refreshing folk duo from Sweden by the name of First Aid Kit. I might be falling in love with Folk music all over again because of these two. Laura Marling watch your back.

First Aid Kit ~ The Lion’s Roar

Categories : Update

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The Other Classroom: January Book Review

Jan
30

Check out my recent post and book review on The Other Classroom.

Categories : The Other Classroom

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Personal Goals

Jan
28

Getting personal

I’m not usually one to write down goals (personal goals at least), I like to have them more so in my mind. Makes them a lot less harder to break, but let’s try something different with goals that are less goals, but more or less plans for the rest of the year.

I’ve already started a few of these and of course it will continue throughout the rest of the year.

I’m glad I took January to hash out what 2012 will look like. It’s much easier than all in one sitting.

Personal Goals

Live like a Traveler
Read More…
Write more letters/postcards to people (I’m going to play chess via mail too as soon as I send out the letters)
Work on writing more of that “book” I starting writing 2 years ago. (You’re welcome Jennifer)
Follow the Calendar (more on this later)
Be more Neighborly (because my neighbors don’t bite, that I know of)

Categories : Life

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The Other Classroom: Creative Classroom an Introduction

Jan
22

Check out my recent post on The Other Classroom.

Every culture, age of academia and person has defined what a classroom is, or isn’t.

Education has in most recent centuries had a major stake in the economic success of a society; education IS important. How to educate large numbers of people in effective ways is being discussed by all.

Health Goals

Jan
22

I follow way too many Vegan food blogs.

I’m not vegan even though for some people I know this is an increasingly popular joke around friends of mine (nor am I a vegetarian). Below is an example of me eating meat. There aren’t any photos of me wearing leather, but then again I’m sure you’re glad of that.

(never mind that it’s squid and this was at least a year ago)

So health goals are really not goals as much as they are plans. I’m not going to call this a resolution, because I’m not resolving anything, but rather just doing something new(er). Changing things up, plus I need a bit more variety. Not that Arkansas food is boring, but if I had a limited vocabulary I would call it boring rather than uninspired.

So merry “fooding” to me for the next year. Look forward to a few blog posts about food, and my adventures forthwith, as well as some adventures to help extend my health this year. It’s going to be fun, more than likely, probably. At the least it won’t be boring.

Health Goals

New Recipe every week
Be more (athletically) active
Look Taller (which means look less wide)
More Potassium (and other nutritional items)
Eat some bugs (I’ve been wanting to do this for a while.. example)
Drink more tea (rather than coffee, it’s becoming a problem, you should know this if you follow me on twitter)

Categories : Life

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Online Goals

Jan
11

Beware, this is a blog about blogging.

I don’t know if I’d call myself a blogger, but I blog. Sometimes I Blah-g, and I’m going to try and remedy that, and make it more of a conscious thing. I like writing, and don’t really do enough of it. I also don’t utilize this site as much as I’d like. So things are going to get better here, and maybe a bit more active.

So, The plan is to use this site a bit more for what it’s supposed to be used for, sharing what I do with those out there that I care about and those that stalk me that I don’t know about. Yeah, caught you, I know. Maybe blog more about things in my life cause honestly those are the fun and interesting things people would rather read about. Not just my thoughts, cause honestly I don’t even want to read that.

Below are a few of my goals for my Online experience and how I plan to help myself extend what I do “here”, without doing too much. I’ll focus on quality, and hopefully not skimp on it.

Online Goals

Weekly Posts (hopefully)
Other Classroom (Weekly Posts as Well)
Give you something worthwhile to read (and sometimes write about something important)
Re-Blog (you’ll see what this means if you don’t already have an idea)
More Photos (or at least better ones)
Simplify (more on this later too if you can’t already tell)

Categories : design, Social Media, writing

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Organization Goals

Jan
5

My brain works in venn diagrams.

To be or not to be more organized? That isn’t really a questions, but rather a feeling about how I need to be. Not that I’m not organized, but living in stacks of thing vs. filing organized-chaos is a common occurrence when you recently move to a new place, which I seem to be perpetually doing.

So the plan is to make things like this happen:

Now time to set some goals… Because if there’s something I was taught in undergrad it’s that a goals should achievable and realistic. I can thank Bill Handy for that nugget of truth and a few others.

Organization Goals

Rip All DVDs (Did this with my music already)
Go as Digital with filing as possible (I’ll be better off in the future)
Actually use my file cabinet (not that I don’t, just better)
Spice Rack (self explanatory)
Clothing (because honestly ROYGBIV belongs in the closet.)
Create more Storage (because my landlord doesn’t know what closets are)

Categories : Life

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2012 and a New Year

Jan
1

2012, Looks good on you.

Got a lot of plans.

Doesn’t mean they’ll happen.

Looking forward to all the new.

Race you to the end.

Categories : Holidays

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End of 2011

Dec
31

2011

Good, Riddance.

(notice the comma)

What could I say about you 2011. I’ve said a lot between January 1 and today, but I feel that there might be a few more things to say, even if there isn’t there will be text below.

2011 felt much like climbing a mountain that I couldn’t quite find the path on. It started off in January, where I could see the top of the mountain ever so slightly through the mist and clouds, but there was a top, and I intended to get there.

The biggest issue with me is that the trail I was trying to take to the top would stop from time to time and disappear all together at times, however I kept climbing. February flew by as it always seems to in it’s 28 day flutter of a month.

In March I claimed that everything was going to change, I was partially right, but then again we often are with vague proclamations of future actions or events. I continued up the mountain, with every twist and turn as I turned to the hellacious month of April when I finished off my Thesis and other major grad school things which brought me to May.

Through the rest of the last month and all of June was like climbing a sheer rock face with no end in sight. My job search was on, even though it felt like the on switch was broken. This continued until July when I was fortunate enough to find a position and a reason not to have to move back in with my parents for a spell.

By August I had made it to the summit and could look back on where I had been and how glad I was to be where I was even though I wasn’t where I originally planned to be. With September and October life seemed to continue on normally, but nothing is ever completely normal with my life.

By November tragedy struck and life seemed to stand still for a while.

December came with celebration and excitement, but the ever present apprehension of future remained. From the summit I could see another great climb I was sure to make in 2012.

2011 have been many different things, but it’s been a year of accomplishment, cardinals, rabbits, postcards, failed whims and winds of many different types, but overall it’s been good year for me and a terrible year for dictators.

But riddance to it all 2012 is peering round it’s metaphorical corner and 2012 is marked to be another hill to climb.

Thanks 2011, I learned a lot.

Check out my 2011 album on Facebook or Google Plus, or right below. I’m everywhere.