Say What?

I'm off from work this next week and what a beautiful week of weather it looks to be. I'm also still very much sidelined as I recover from my bike crash last Monday night. I get a little frustrated thinking about the riding or outside yard work I'm missing out on but rather than focus on those two wants, I'm choosing to count my blessings instead. I'm sitting out on the deck with the pups at my feet and feeling no pressure from my to-do list. It's kinda nice. I tried to come off my pain meds after two days but soon realized they prescribe them for a reason and went back on them. I'm getting around much better now and being mobile is as important as any other part of my healing process because I really don't need another DVT (blood clot) developing in one of my legs from all of this sitting around. My exercise consists of a daily 1.5-mile loop with the pups. This is as sedentary as I get! I had a follow-up appointment with my doctor on Friday. He ...

I can't honestly say if I'm a type A or type B personality. The question was asked of me the other night in the ER at Ridges Hospital and Tammy answered that I'm a nice type A (I suppose rather than an obnoxious one). I can't disagree with her assessment but there are things about a type B personality that I very much identify with (see the image to the left) such as being reflective and creative. That's a huge part of who I am but I also see some type-A traits in me as well, like being goal-oriented and driven to achieve. It's good to have goals in life but I suppose it's in how one goes about achieving them that matters. I'm kind of type A when I'm on my bike. I want to be as strong a rider as I can be and not just someone who leisurely devotes a few hours here or there to the activity. I was the same way when I was a runner and it's pretty much why I had to stop running in 1992 after years of pounding the pavement to be as fast as I could b...

I came across some sad news earlier in the week. Last Monday morning just after midnight CST, the ship I was stationed on in the Navy, the USS Fresno, LST 1182 was used in a training exercise and sunk in 18,000 feet of water about 250 miles northeast of Guam, in waters I'd sailed across many times with her. I never envisioned this being the demise of the old girl. The last I'd heard the ship had been sold to the Peruvian Navy but apparently that deal was never finalized. She was home to me for more than 3 years in the mid to late '70s and whether I realized it or not then, that gray lady had a place in my heart. How could she not? Together with the other crew members, we'd spend countless hours tending to the ship's needs; painting, mopping, waxing, and preventive maintenance. It was never-ending. She returned the favor by keeping us safe in some difficult seas and carrying us around the globe. So yeah, it's a little sad for me to think that she's now l...

The Marshmallow Experiment was a series of studies conducted in the late '60s and early '70s that delved into delayed gratification. Children age 4 to 6 were placed in a room with no distractions except for an inviting treat placed on a table in front of them. They were told that they could have the treat now or they could wait (about 15 minutes) and receive two treats. On average only a third of the children were able to hold out for the extra treat. What was interesting about the experiment was a follow-up study done years later which suggested that those who were able to wait the 15 minutes were significantly less likely to have behavioral problems or issues with obesity and drug addiction later in life when compared to those children who showed less willpower during the test. Those who successfully passed the marshmallow test also scored an average of 210 points higher on the SAT. I'm not sure how I would've done had I been given the test. I'd like to think ...

This first section is a little heavy. Sorry, but I need to fit this in somewhere because it's been on my mind and that's partly why I have a blog; to occasionally write about such things. Ours can be such a gruesome world. The Sunni jihadist group ISIL have beheaded two western journalists in recent weeks and have threatened to do the same to others in their captivity if the U.S. doesn't stop airstrikes against them. Apparently, the videos are online but I'm not one that has any desire to see them. It's disturbing to think that any human being could be so ruthless. But here's what's been troubling me just as much. As I read and listen to what people say about the horrific nature of what ISIL is doing, about how Islam is such a violent religion, I can't help but think back to the origins of my religion and see some events that make ISIL's barbarism pale in comparison. In the Old Testament where God commanded the Israelites to do exactly what I...

The first entry in this series of posts can be found here . The most recent, here . Our last day in Rapid City was Monday, my 57th birthday. Our plans from a few weeks earlier were to go skydiving in Hot Springs but after talking about it some more we decided to hold off and save the daredevil stuff for someplace closer to home. Yes, we're both having 2nd thoughts but we still want to do it. Tammy found a place in Winsted where jumps are made from 14,000 feet rather than the more common altitude of 10,000. Go big or go home, right? We decided to drive a couple hours west into Wyoming and see Devil's Tower instead. It was a good choice. We were there once before (in 1999 I think) but I don't remember seeing any climbers. There were several on this day and it was quite cool to watch. So cool, in fact, that I decided to give it a try myself! Tammy used the super-duper-zoom on my camera to get this photo of me  well into the climb. Locate the climber just above the trees a...

I thought that one blog entry would be sufficient enough to jot down some memories from our vacation but it just wasn't. The first post in this series can be found here . Part two can be found here. We developed a routine early on where we'd feast in the mornings at the breakfast buffet at our hotel and then stop somewhere in the afternoon for a waffle cone. That was usually all we'd need to carry us over until dinner. The breakfast buffet was done really well and came complete with a chef to cook you an omelet or Belgian waffle. We got in the car Saturday morning and started out toward Mt. Rushmore but with one slight detour along the way. Just before coming into the town of Keystone we saw a sign for Black Hills Glassblowers . "Cool," we thought, "let's go check it out!" We were both impressed with the studio and its location but the owners weren't friendly at all. No photographing allowed and they spoke not one word to the handful of peopl...