Another late update...

I'm apparently very bad at writing, both on time and at all. But... At the WW meeting yesterday, I weighed in at 340 and change - down 21 point something pounds. That makes me happy. Still a long way to go, but it's occasionally nice to know it's not hopeless.

Weight Watchers Update...

I forgot to mention it on Friday: so officially, I'm up 0.2 pounds, to a total loss of 18.6 pounds. That's... Frustrating, but, it's what it is. It'll be fine.

Today, I don't have much of an appetite. No reason I'm aware of - just... Don't really want to eat.

Security Theater, Martial Law, and a Tale that Trumps Every Cop-And-Donut Joke You've Ever Heard (from Popehat.com)

If you haven't read this, it's worth the read.

http://www.popehat.com/2013/04/20/security-theater-martial-law-and-a-tale-that-trumps-every-cop-and-donut-joke-youve-ever-heard/

As an amusing aside...

...Dick's sporting goods apparently classifies sleeping bags under the "Team Sports" on their web site search function.

>.>

I can think of one "team sport" you do in bed, but it's certainly not their primary function.

A Small Sideline from the Day

Forwarded to me by my manager, and found from http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/advisor/17-ways-to-be-happier-at-work-230909033.html:

1. Don't compare yourself to others.

Everybody, and I mean everybody, starts out in a different place and is headed on their own journey. You have NO idea where someone else's journey might lead them, so drawing comparisons is a complete waste of time.

2. Never obsess over things you cannot control.

While it's often important to know about other things--like the economy, the markets that you sell to, the actions that others might take, your focus should remain on what you actually control, which is 1) your own thoughts and 2) your own actions.

3. Know and keep your personal limits and boundaries.

While your job might sometimes seem like the most important thing in your world, you're killing a part of yourself if you let work situations push you into places that violate your privacy and your integrity.

4. Don't over commit yourself or your team.

It's great to be enthusiastic and willing to go the "extra mile," but making promises that you (or your team) can't reasonably keep is simply a way to create failure and disappointment.

5. Remember you get the same amount of time every day as everyone else.

You may feel you're short on time and that you need more of it, but the simple truth is that when the day started, you got your fair share: 24 hours. Nobody got any more than you did, so stop complaining.

6. Don't take yourself so seriously; nobody else does.

The ability to laugh at your foibles not only makes you happier as a person, it makes you more powerful, more influential and more attractive to others. If you can't laugh at yourself, everyone else will be laughing behind your back.

7. Daydream more rather than less.

The idea that daydreaming and working are mutually exclusive belongs back in the 20th century. It's when you let your thoughts wander that you're more likely to have the insights that will make you both unique and more competitive.

8. Don't bother with hate; it's not worth the effort.

Hate is an emotional parasite that eats away at your energy and health. If something is wrong with the world and you can change it, take action. If you can't take action, you're better off to forgive and forget.

9. Make peace with your past lest it create your future.

Focusing on past mistakes or wrongs inflicted on you is exactly like driving a car while looking in the rear view mirror. You'll keep heading in the same direction until you collide with something solid.

10. Don't try to "win" every argument.

Some battles aren't worth fighting, and many people are easier to handle when they think they've won the argument. What's important isn't "winning," but what you, and the other people involved, plan to do next.

11. Remember that nobody is in charge of your happiness except you.

While some work environments are inherently difficult, if you're consistently miserable it's your fault. You owe it to yourself and your coworkers to either find a job that makes you happy or make the best of the job you've got.

12. Smile and laugh more frequently.

Contrary to popular belief, smiling and laughter are not the RESULT of being happy; they're part of a cycle that both creates and reinforces happiness. Find reasons to smile.  Never, ever suppress a laugh.

13. Don't waste precious energy on malice and gossip.

Before you tell a story about anybody else, or listen to such a story, ask yourself four questions: 1) Is it true? 2) Is it kind? 3) Is it necessary? and 4) Would I want somebody telling a similar story about me?

14. Don't worry what others think about you; it's none of your business.

You can't mind read and you don't have everyone else wired into a lie detector. Truly, you really have NO IDEA what anyone is REALLY thinking about you. It's a total waste of time and energy to try.

15. Remember that however bad (or good) a situation is, it will inevitably change.

The nature of the physical universe is change. Nothing remains the same; everything is, as the gurus say, transitory. Whether you're celebrating or mourning or something in between, this, too, will pass.

16. Trash everything in your work area that isn't useful or beautiful.

Think about it: you're going to spend about a third of your waking adult life at work. Why would you want to fill your work environment--and that part of your life--with objects that are useless and ugly?

17. Believe that the best is yet to come, no matter what.

When my grandmother was widowed in her 70s, she went back to college, traveled across Europe in youth hostels, and learned Japanese painting, among many other activities. The last thing she told me was: "You know, Geoffers, life begins at 90."

I refused to be terrorized by this.

So the Boston Marathon was just a couple of days ago, and probably everyone reading this knows what happened. There were multiple bombs planted along the route; 3 are currently dead (one an 8-year-old), and possibly hundreds injured, including a large number of severe foot and leg injuries to the bystanders and participants (my understanding is that this was because a bomb or bombs were placed under bleachers, and the positioning led to a higher proportion of leg injuries). It was terrible; it was horrifying; and to anyone involved or affected by it, please accept my deepest sympathies and support for the full recovery or memory of you and your loved ones. It was awful.

And yet... It doesn't terrify me. It doesn't spur me to shrieks of indignation. It doesn't lead me to want to point out blame. It strikes me how immensely unsuccessful it was. With that kind of clustering of people, it could have been thousands; in a city like that, it could have brought down buildings or bridges and done infinitely more property damage. A man (or woman, not to be sexist) with a handgun could have done a significant portion of this damage. It could have been orders of magnitude worse. In no way do I want to undersell the horror of what happened to the people there, but the effect was - for a bomb going off in a packed crowd - absolutely minimal.

Far more eloquent people than me have commented on it:

http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2013/04/initial_thought.html
http://www.balloon-juice.com/2013/04/15/something-else-to-talk-about/

And as I think both of those point out... Look up how many people have died in violence in Iraq or Iran over the past few days. Look up how the rockets and bombings affected Israel for years. Look up some of the domestic terror campaigns in Ireland.

Whatever this is... It doesn't terrify me; it's hard for me to even classify at it as a terrorist attack, just a crime by a pathetic excuse for humanity. It just makes me sad and angry.

Quick WW Update

As an aside, I forgot to post last Friday: When I weighed in, I was down 18.8 pounds. In 5 weeks, that's not too shabby. Also passed my first 5% goal (18 lbs). I'm pretty proud of that.

I like my music with Soule...

So here's one of the Kickstarter's I've supported recently:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/499808045/from-the-composer-of-skyrim-soule-symphony-no-1

It's finished now (I suppose I should have posted about it earlier?), but it's interesting - a modern classical composer. I mean, I'm a fan of Skyrim, and honestly, I'd never heard of this guy. I have a nasty habit of just turning music off in games and only noticing it when it's on because it's annoying me (while I'm trying to hear something else, especially), and Skyrim was no different - I'd just muted the music and been done with it. Going back and turning it on, and then listening to the soundtrack, though, prompted by this... It really is pretty good. Well within my range of taste, at least.

Anyway, the composer in question is Jeremy Soule (http://www.facebook.com/mrsoule), and if you like Classical music, I strongly recommend checking him out. I find his work excellent. I mean, obviously, I like some of it more than other; but that's true of any composer I know of, so I'm perfectly willing to accept that.

Interestingly, a little bit of research came up with this:

http://halloffame.classicfm.com/2013/chart/position/5/

which is a British Classic FM station. Apparently he hit #5 on the top 300 "hall of fame" for 2013 with his Skyrim soundtrack, and it was a huge controversy. There appear to be three major groups in that discussion: the first group, who say it's not classical music (either because it's from a video game or because he's still alive); the second group, who say it's classical music but didn't deserve its position on the charts (mostly because they say it got that high purely through a successful social media campaign and not on merit); and the third group who points out that both Harry Potter's and The Pirates of the Carribean's soundtracks made it into the hall of fame and yet aren't the subject of controversy, and social media is part of the equation, so suck it up and accept that it's classical music and people like it. Without the occasional bits of vitriol, I admit I'm part of the third group. Social Media is - for better or for worse - the way the world works, and part of the equation with any kind of public poll-based rating like this... And at least to me, classical music is a style, not a date-based defition available only to the long dead.

Ahh, well. Check his stuff out - I hope you like it as much as I do.

A Life in 30 Minutes

Please forgive me - I wrote this on Tuesday but forgot to publish it until just now. I'm publishing it at approximately the time I finished it, in the past.

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Funerals are always interesting. I've only been to a small handful, but I have first- and second-hand accounts of a number more. I don't typically find them depressing, though I frequently find them fascinating. Usually, my mourning - my breaking down and crying - is done beforehand. I did cry at the funeral today, but I suppose that can be excused.

It was interesting, though, listening to a minister trying to summarize my grandmother's 90-odd years of life into 30 minutes, and still have time in it for a psalm and a couple of prayers. He concentrated on the environment she fostered in the people around her. She was always calm, always quiet, always listening... But you never for a second didn't know exactly where you stood with her. She was one of the most proper, most friendly ladies I knew.

I kept on thinking of that postcard I transcribed, that granddad wrote to her back when he was at academy. He was such a gruff pain in the ass, and yet I never saw him anything except tender and loving with her, however he expressed it. It's a statement about him, on some level, but it was a statement about her as well.

My last grandparent is dead; and my family is a small, colder place for it.

A note from the past

Kath Darling,

Sorry no letter for Thursday, but just to tell you that all OK, and will be home on Friday. "Events" gone off well, and only Guest Night left. Remember last? All (^always) my love, 

xxxTomxxx

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Sent from Thomas E. Goldsmith to Kathleen Goldsmith on the 8th of June, 1961 from his police academy.