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It was a beautiful day. I managed to get out of bed on time and did a few deadlifts and pullups before I left for work.
Work was…work, yes you guessed it.
Tonight I whipped up some pasta for the boys and then figured out how Chris publishes the Martial Arts Planet Newsletter. He’s in Rio training (the bastard) so I volunteered to do the newsletter for him. Chris also sent a few pics of the beaches via Facebook. Did I call him a bastard? I had to miss BJJ tonight to get it done so now I’m cranky. What would it be in Portuguese? Oh right “Bastardo”
Time for bed.
Annette and I cooked a roast today. I had never cooked a roast and Annette HAD NEVER HAD YORKSHIRE PUDDING! I know! Annette brought a meat thermometer and some recipes. We have fun cooking together.
Anyway, we had a glass of wine and made a huge batch of roasted vegetables. Liam as usual had his without gravy. Everyone was stuffed. We always seem to use the stools at the counter rather than the dining room table. Aidan and Liam each had a massive glass of chocolate milk too.
Then we watched the Time Traveller’s Wife. Second viewing for me. It was shot in Canada. I thought it was good. I’m a sucker for a good romance. That or a blood and guts alien slaying.
Just finished the last of dishes. Gonna head down and do some deadlifts and pullups and then off to bed.
There are thin sunbeams slanting in our windows while we drink our coffee. The boys both slept in and the day has that lazy Sunday feel to it.
I am reading The Diviners again. Margaret Laurence is one of the writers whose style somehow bypasses the “translation step” that I normally need to “feel” the story.
I first read this book back in August of 2006. I had just separated from Lynn and was living in my camper with Max and Roy. ”Not wanted on the voyage” so to speak. In any case I was in bad shape, hardly able to string together two coherent thoughts and slowly starving myself to death in a sunbaked field where my friend Amanda Milliken had kindly allowed me to camp.
I had a stack of books that my mum had loaned me and was working through them at a snail’s pace. The Diviners though was read in one continuous push. I remember sitting under the van awning with the dogs at my feet, adjusting my position every so often as I cramped up, the sun baking us even in the shade.
The week spent in that field may have been the proverbial rock bottom for me. Life slowed down to slow motion in the summer heat, the smell of grass thick in the air.
It is the small things that can remind us that life goes on regardless. I woke one morning to the sight of a single mule deer peering in the window of my camper. It investigated the fringes of my little world and then disappeared into the trees at the pasture’s edge when the dogs stirred. With good fortune, that doe is still out in the forest, enjoying these same thin sunbeams.
What is power?
What was the sentiment in LOTR – oh yeah – The race of man who above all, desires power. It’s sort of a pervasive theme it seems. The people who give me the impression that they set their own value by how many people that they can dominate, intimidate or denigrate. I get it. It’s a hierarchy that is as old as time. Human nature right?
Well…
I say power over others is a substitute for something. Power abusers have very little access to meaningful society mirrors. Certainly those within the locus of power almost immediately cease to be reliable mirrors in order to survive and the power-monger becomes increasingly isolated. Their circle of friends is transient. Friends drift in, get to know them, and quietly bow out. In my experience the power brokers tend to blame others for this. But eventually one needs to look at the common denominator.
I guess the question to ask is for what is power a substitute? If the answer is good relationships, meaningful friendships, hobbies, interests or passions, then maybe you should stick with power. It’s worked for you up to now right? Why move away from something that makes you happy?
It’s sunny. Warmer than normal for this time of year. And I can somehow be more upbeat when it is bright.
Today was a mix of driving son #1 to his volunteer work, picking up groceries, going with son #2 to Jiu Jitsu, going to work for a safety inspection, doing laundry, and picking up some work clothes from value village. Not in that order but you get the idea. Still need to pick up son #1, make dinner for them and then have dinner with Annette. Busy for a day off but ultimately better than the alternative.
BJJ was about grabbing an arm from full guard and transitioning to a tight armbar. Peter did a good job of teaching the concept. Then we rolled in quick rounds with everyone in the class. Fingers are SORE.
Sunny day, oh sunny, sunny, sunny day….
We have heard a lot lately about Lexus and Toyota battling claims that floor mats had jammed throttle pedals and were causing uncontrolled acceleration. Audi dealt with similar claims in the late 1980’s. Toyota will recall 4.3 million vehicles in order to fix the floor mats and/or the gas pedals.
The intense media attention started when four familty members were killed in California while driving a Lexus ES350. It was reported that someone in the car called 9-1-1 moments before the crash, saying that the “accelerator is stuck . . . there’s no brake.”
I’ve discussed this with family members and friends because when one has a plan, then one knows what to do in such an emergency. The question that came immediately to my mind when I heard about these deathes, was why didn’t they
- pop the car into neutral,
- slam on the brakes,
- as a last resort – turn off the ignition?
The answer is simple, they didn’t think of it.
My friend G at work told me that “Car and Driver” took a look at this issue in a recent article. Here’s an excerpt from the internet (I’ve formatted it a bit but it’s verbatim word wise):
“ Here is how to deal with a runaway car: Hit the Brakes Certainly the most natural reaction to a stuck-throttle emergency is to stomp on the brake pedal, possibly with both feet. And despite dramatic horsepower increases since C/D’s 1987 unintended-acceleration test of an Audi 5000, brakes by and large can still overpower and rein in an engine roaring under full throttle. With the Camry’s throttle pinned while going 70 mph, the brakes easily overcame all 268 horsepower straining against them and stopped the car in 190 feet—that’s a foot shorter than the performance of a Ford Taurus without any gas-pedal problems and just 16 feet longer than with the Camry’s throttle closed. From 100 mph, the stopping-distance differential was 88 feet—noticeable to be sure, but the car still slowed enthusiastically enough to impart a feeling of confidence. We also tried one go-for-broke run at 120 mph, and, even then, the car quickly decelerated to about 10 mph before the brakes got excessively hot and the car refused to decelerate any further. So even in the most extreme case, it should be possible to get a car’s speed down to a point where a resulting accident should be a low-speed and relatively minor event. “
In Canada 100 mph will likely result in losing your license. It may even mean jail. Regardless, it looks like our brakes are designed to stop the car even while under full throttle at all legal speeds. Car and Driver also tested a 600hp modified Mustang. The results were similar.
My Toyota Echo is unaffected by the recalls. But I’d stick with it even if it was. This car has been bombproof from the moment I got it. Fabulous fuel efficiency too.
Liam and I did derivatives tonight in preparation for his calculus test tomorrow. He knows it cold but the answers can get quite convoluted sometimes so he’ll have to be careful.
We worked on his “in class essay” earlier in the week. 5 potential essay topics assigned. We worked for hours to prepare. Yesterday he wrote the essay. Apparently the teacher decided that he’d give them a new topic rather than the ones he’d asked them to study. Given how hard Liam worked to prepare, I must say that I am disappointed that what he studied was not directly part of the exercise. An inexcusable breach of trust really. A man’s word should be his bond, especially when setting an example for students.
Is it acceptable to blog about your place of work? Short answer….NO. The number of cases of people fired for what they said about their employers continues to mount.
In my case I steer away from anything more than an oblique reference to my job. It’s as much a question of keeping my work and home lives separate as it is about not pissing off my corporate masters.
This month we are in shutdown mode at the plant so we work longer hours and weekends. What falls off the schedule to compensate? Well so far
- Breakfast
- Jiu Jitsu
- Laundry
- Cardboard recycling apparently
- Workouts
- Writing
- Sleep
The essentials that are still happening:
- Homework assistance
Why?
Well, for a start I’m not a writer.
Sorry, let me back up a bit.
I was talking to my Dad today. Generally bemoaning the fact that western life is about consumerism and the general belief that he who has the most toys when he dies…wins. Wins what? I have no idea.
If I spend more than a few minutes trying to find a pair of jeans in a mall I become despondent, and go home empty handed. But I digress. Norman suggested I write a book. Publish. Become a millionaire.
Or just write a book.
Stupid idea.
Or is it? I DO have writing in my blood. Sort of. My mum writes. She’s a writer. A poet. A linguist. I’m biased, but do I remember Joan’s journal from when we all drove up to the Yukon and up to the Arctic Circle. We convinced her to read what she had written each night in the tent. I was surprised that her account of the trip seemed more real than the trip itself. Her recollection of the trip was somehow crisper and more colourful than I remembered even a few hours later.
So do I write? Can I write? Should I write?
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