New Year Changes To My Blog

For the last 10 years, I’ve been posting personal health / fitness updates on pages under my menu topic “Sweat Equity“.  I was doing this to create an open site for me to refer to if I ever needed to, while not having access to my home computer.  I have used the pages very rarely – no more than 2 or 3 times per year and I’m fully settled into retirement now so I don’t really have the need for this type of access.
As such, I will no longer be updating or adding to these pages.  If anything of note happens, I will simply publish a “normal” post.  Typically, it will be as an additional post for a given day.
I will be updating my “Tributaries and Eddies” section (on my sidebar).  Two of the blogs there have (more or less) stopped updating, so I’ll be removing them.  One has changed location, so I’m just updating the address.  I used to do this updating (removing and adding) every six months, but I’ve kind of let it slide, so this will be a bit of New Year’s housekeeping.
Third, for now at least, I will no longer be posting music videos every day.  I’ve been doing it for almost a two years and it started off as a “lark” – just to share music (lyrics) I’ve enjoyed.  Once I got past a month, I thought, I’ll just do it for year (365 days straight).  Then I thought, well, just do it for a full calendar year.  Now, that’s done, too…  I will post a music / song video every now and then, I just won’t be doing it every day.
Finally, I’m going to try to write more posts of my own.  I started this blog to practice my writing and to vent at the universe.  When I began to run out of bile I began using quotes and book / movie reviews more and more and using the post titles as my “creative” tool.  My intent was to express a view / twist of the quote / review with a pun or hi-lite of a few words from the quote(s).  This was my way of pretending to be a newspaper headline writer.  I feel this was mostly unsuccessful, but I’ve enjoyed trying, so I will keep at it (on post titles anyway).
I hope everyone reading this has a prosperous year and that you keep on blogging!  Excelsior!!
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On This Day In:
2022	Happy New Year — 2022!
	New Year Changes To My Blog
2021	Happy New Year — 2021!
	Facing The New Year
2020	Happy New Year — 2020!
2019	Happy New Year — 2019!
2018	Happy New Year — 2018!
2017	Happy New Year — 2017!
2016	Happy New Year — 2016!
	Remembering My Brother
2015	Happy New Year — 2015!
2014	Happy New Year – 2014!
2013	Another New Year’s Thought (In Case It Rains)
	Happy New Year – 2013!
2012	Best Wishes For 2012!
	Where Did You Spend New Year’s Eve?
2011	Happy New Year (2011)!!

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More Changes…

[Disclaimer:  I have not received as a promotion any guitar or music related product, nor am I mentioning anything in this post to secure compensation / income for myself or the manufacturers of the products mentioned.  I am only posting about these items because I personally purchased them and am excited to be learning about music and playing guitar.   —    KMAB]
As I’ve posted a couple of times, I’ve decided to try to learn how to play a musical instrument and the one I’ve chosen is the guitar.  I’ve now completed just over four full months of learning / practice and I’ve missed a grand total of five days of practice.  (Full disclosure:  most of the first month was only 15 – 20 minutes a day to break in my fingertips.)
In January I bought my acoustic guitar (Orangewood:  Austen).  It took about five days for delivery.  They actually promised two weeks delivery, so I was very happy with the speedy receipt.
I liked the guitar, but I was surprised by it.  It felt almost too light and too bulky.  I put it down to being inexpensive and me being overweight.  I bought what I thought would be a “starter” guitar for just under $200, in case (as my wife predicted) I was just going through another of my fads.
I soon noticed most of the YouTube videos I was watching to learn from were being taught on electric guitars.  So, I thought maybe I should see if I could pick up an inexpensive one of those as well.  It turns out, at just that time, I earned a $100 Amazon credit for taking some online surveys.  I watched a bunch of video recommendations and settled on a Glarry electric guitar (with gig bag, cable and amplifier) for $120 – including taxes and free shipping.  I ordered it on St. Patrick’s Day and received it two days later.  (There were / are some outstanding issues which I’ll cover in a later review / post.)
After the waiting period of our second vaccine shots, my wife and I visited our oldest daughter and her fiancé and he had JUST bought a banjo to learn how to play.  I noticed he had a small guitar standing in a corner and I asked:  “What’s up with that?”  He replied it was a childhood present from his grand-father and he never learned how to play it.  I picked it up and noticed it was missing two strings.  He said it was okay because it was just a family gift which he carried around his whole life to remind him of his grand-dad.  I offered to re-string it for him if he loaned it to me.  And so I began learning about nylon string acoustic guitars…
I watched a bunch of videos and learned about nylon strings vs steel strings and how to restring a nylon.  I picked up some new strings and I also picked up some files to trim the frets – which were badly jutting out the sides and were quite sharp.  I tuned and stretched, tuned and stretched, tuned and stretched…  and eventually the strings got to the point where they were stable enough to stay in tune for more than a few minutes.  I then had to do this again for a few days.  Finally, I was able to pick up the guitar and it was near tune.  A quick tune, and it could be played.
What I discovered was the nylon strings were extremely forgiving for longer (over one hour) playing sessions and this guitar generated a vibration which was similar to the electric, but FAR more so.  It was almost sensory overload on my hands, arms, legs and chest.  You could FEEL this guitar!  It wasn’t just sound.  I decided right then, I had to have one just like it.
So, earlier this month I bought my third guitar.  I ordered it on 14 May around 4pm and received it the NEXT day before 2pm!!  It was not in tune, but I took care of that and within a few days it too had settled down into a playable instrument.  (I will also do a fuller review of this guitar in a later post.)
And, below is a picture of the guitar (and “gig” bag).  This guitar is “normally” $64, but it was on sale and I got an additional discount which brought my cost plus tax down to $42!!
The guitar is “made” by Idyllwild, but “sold” by Monoprice – which is some kind of manufacturing / sales conglomerate.  It is a 3/4 size “classical” style guitar.  It is not quite the same as the one I re-strung, but it does have the marvelous “feel”.  Once it settled in (only a few days), I was able to play it for well over two hours with very little loss of tuning.
What does all this have to do with “changes”?  Well, I’ve decided “in for a penny, in for a pound” and I’m going to add some posts and pages to my blog chronicling my reviews and what I’m learning.  I don’t imagine much of this will be of use to anyone, but I am interested in how far along a rank beginner with NO musical training can get by learning off of YouTube as inexpensively as is practicable – and as an exercise, I’d like to share this experience via my blogging.  So, in a bit, I’ll be adding a “guitar” / music page to my menu to cover all things related to my learning guitar:  guitars, prices, classes / videos / books, accessories, (minor) luthiering / repairs, etc.
I hope some of you will be able to share some of my excitement in this discovery and learning process.  I feel as if a whole world is opening up before my eyes and at my fingertips!  Stay tuned…
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On This Day In:
2020	Remembering…
	You KNEW That Man Was Trippin’
2019	Kingslanding
2018	I’d Bet On Taxes
	Ooops! I Spoke Too Soon
2017	A Cautionary Wish
2016	Slogging
	It’s About…
	Man / Man
2015	Memorial Day – 2015
	Content People Love To Share
2014	I Resemble That Remark
2013	Long Range Exploration
2012	UBI
2011	Opportunity

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WordPress to Facebook Test…

This is a test.  This is only a test.
Facebook has funked us up so we have to post to a page instead of to our normal timelines.  I love technology…  If you are looking for me on Facebook, try:  http://www.facebook.com/kmabarrett.blog/
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On This Day In:
2017	A Good Habit
2016	The Minds Of Trumpism
2015	Expressing Nonsense
2014	A Real Fight
2013	Unravelling
2012	I Resolve
2011	Practice, Practice, Practice
2009	Phoenix Trip (July ’09)

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Reaching Out To The Missing

When I started blogging (back in July 2009), I didn’t really think anyone would be much interested in my posts or blog site (in general).  That’s proven to be more or less correct… in the grand scheme of things.   I have some regular followers (about 10, I guess) and I must admit to being mildly surprised the number is that large.
Generally, my purpose for this blog is to relate things I’m doing, what I’m thinking about, movies I’m watching and books I’m reading.  I must admit to one bit of ego stroking I have developed over time, though – watching the incremental increase in the count of countries which have visited my blog.  I would like – at some point in the not too distant future – to look up my statistics and see I’ve been visited by at least one person from each country on the planet.  I don’t have any real expectation of having a visit from Cuba or North Korea, as I understand they are fairly closed countries in terms of internet access.  Having been visited by every continent (except Antarctica), I would just like to imagine my site had become “truly” global.
Today I added the Google Translate widget to my site under the monthly calendar in my right-side column.  Maybe being a little more local language friendly will help.  I guess only time will tell…
Worldwide Visits as of 2 July 2018
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On This Day In:
2017	We Can Figure This Out
2016	Just Enough
2015	Bourne Bond
	Springs Eternal
2014	Brains First
2013	Not Listening Anymore
2012	At Your Marks!
2011	We Are Not Alone
	Underlying Rationality
2010	Is the Obama Administration Failing?
	In Other Words…
	Quite Please!
	In A Hostage Situation…
	Are We Done Yet?
	In Order…
	Flip-flopping…
	Proof of Choice…
	On “Leading” A Democracy To War…
	Actually, It’s All About Me…

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Ooops! I Spoke Too Soon

Earlier in the week, I had a post called:  Site Update / Poems Page Evolution in which I stated I had completed the updating of my “Poems” page so now there was a video associated with each of the song lyrics.
Well, it turns out YouTube has changed some of it’s policies so certain videos are banned from display based on the copyright laws of your country.  I have about 150+ lyrics posted and only about 50 have been recently updated, I’m not sure how many or the earlier videos are affected by this policy change.  I checked my first four and only one worked for me.  They may still work for you in your country.
In any case, I’ve made a good faith effort to provide this convenience for you.  I doubt I want to take the time and energy to update them again when YouTube (or the initial poster) can just change their policy / mind and make future changes fail again.  I’m afraid (for the time being) you will have to go look the videos up yourselves (again).  “The best laid plans of mice and men…“
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On This Day In:
2017	A Cautionary Wish
2016	Slogging
	It’s About…
	Man / Man
2015	Memorial Day – 2015
	Content People Love To Share
2014	I Resemble That Remark
2013	Long Range Exploration
2012	UBI
2011	Opportunity

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Site Update / Poems Page Evolution

When I started adding my own poems to this site (see tabs on top), I decided I was also going to add famous speeches which moved me.  After a bit, I decided I would also add my favorite songs – again based on the words (in this case lyrics).  Over time, that evolved a little to also include some songs for humor or just because I liked them and not just for the words / lyrics themselves.  Again, after some time, I eventually decided to start adding the videos.  To be a little more honest, I started actually using YouTube to listen songs and watch their associated videos.  About three years ago, I started adding the videos to the lyrics pages.  Unlike in my postings though, I put the videos at the end of the lyrics (beneath the lyrics), instead of front and top.  At that time, I began indicating which had videos by placing an asterisk after the song title on my “Poems” (“menu”) page, with the promise I would go back to add them all “as time permitted”.
Well, after a couple of years, I finally made the big push to get it done.  Over the last week, I have updated the last fifty (50) or so songs which still did not have videos.  If any of you have time to go check them out, I’d appreciate any of your feedback.  I haven’t bothered to remove the asterisks, even though there is really no reason to retain them on the page.
Anyway, I hope some of you will enjoy the lyrics and the videos as much as I have enjoyed reading them and listening to them over the years…
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On This Day In:
2017	Our Thirst
2016	History Favors The Victor
2015	This We’ll Leave Them
2014	Sounds Like Faux News To Me
2013	Reasons
2012	American Libertarianism
2011	The Goal

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About Change

The following is a quote which recently caught my attention and which I think (somewhat humorously) describes my blog (so I’ve added it to my “About” page):
“A Miscellany is a collection without a natural ordering relation;  I shall not attempt a spurious unity by imposing artificial ones.  I hope that variety may compensate for this lack, except for those irreconcilable persons who demand an appearance of unity and uniform level.“
—    John Edensor Littlewood
From the introduction to his book:  “A Mathematician’s Miscellany“
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On This Day In:
2022	Historians, Not Librarians
2021	Inshallah
	Leave No Doubt
2020	A Choice
2019	Fill It Up
2018	Can We Talk About Me?
2017	About Change
	Gordian
2016	Are Your Prayers Functioning?
2015	Expressing Love
2014	Cyclical Attitudes
2013	Footprints
2012	Broken Resolutions
	Bin It

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Catching Up

Of late, I’ve been watching more DVD’s in my free time and reading less books.  I’ve also been reading a lot more other blogs instead of books.  I don’t know if this is a good thing or a bad thing, or even if this can fall under such “moral” concepts as good and bad.  I am generally against reading a book on-line.  Not because I am anti-technology, but because I’m a dinosaur and like the physicality (the touch and smell) of a “real” book.  e-books simply seem sterile.  I’m not sure why I don’t “feel” the same way about reading blogs, but I don’t.  I think it’s because reading blogs doesn’t seem to be discrete in the same way that reading a book feels.  Books start and end.  Blogs start and die.  Maybe “die” isn’t the correct word.  Maybe “wither and end” is a better description.  I guess most folks simply run out of time when other things in life start to get in the way.  Blogs are more conversational, and people sometimes just quit speaking…
I also really seem to be going through phases in my own blogging “life cycle”.  The first one to two years I was posting infrequently but they were longer posts about things which were moving me emotionally.  Gradually, I started adding quotes, favorite speeches and poems (and favorite song lyrics) and then finally my workout history.  Typically, I made multiple posts on the days when I had free time, and then there was nothing for a couple of weeks.  My daughter “introduced” me to scheduling, and that kind of evened out my postings.
Every now and then I’d post a review of a movie I’d seen or book I’d read.  Then, of course, my tendency to be obsessive meant I had to do them daily (or as near as possible to the actual day viewed / completed).  “Mostly” that has remained true, which means that some days, you’d read my scheduled post and then later get a second about whatever was currently happening (like today).
I had few “views” and even fewer “followers”, but that was (is) okay because I was (am) blogging for me and not for you (sorry about that dear readers).  A couple of times a month I might get a “like” and once in a blue-moon I would get a “comment”.  I always responded to the comments, even if it was only to smile ” 🙂 ” and say thank you.  I almost always went back to the “likes” to see what their sites were about.  Not because I wanted to read anyone else’s site (per se), but because I was curious about the someone’s which were responding to my random thoughts (postings).
It wasn’t long before I was stumbling upon really creative and interesting people.  You’ll have to excuse me if I seem anthropomorphic, but I think of your blogs as you (and yes, I realize they are only the “you” you want me to see).  Over time (sometime in year three), the number of “likes” got to be too great to visit each every day and I began the slow slide into “following” myself.  I now have a couple hundred “followers” and I “follow” several hundred too.  At first this wasn’t a big deal as most bloggers either post a couple of times a month or post five or six times a day (but they are photos and quotes which don’t take long to view).  Slowly, though, I noticed I was reading more and more blogs which were posting more frequently, with more content and which took more and more time to consider (not just read, but think about and consider the “impact” on my thoughts).
I must admit I’ve now reached the saturation point.  Where once I obsessively followed each posting on every blog, I then began to flitter like a butterfly amongst the blogs I follow.  I now have realized that I simply lack the time to “touch” them frequently (even with the weekly round-up).  However, I simply do not have enough hours in the day to enjoy all of your work.  Reading (books in particular) is my passion.  Trying to note / record a few of the thoughts which touch (or move) my soul has become the purpose of this blog.  For now, I must apologize to those, who like me, are casting threads into the ether.  If you see me “like” or “comment” on your sites fewer times than I have in the past, this is not a dispersion on your blog, as much as it is a recognition that time is fleeting and life is wondrously short…
DVD Reviews:
I’ve actually watched five different DVDs since my last movie review, so in addition to my lengthy lead-in (above), you’ll now have to bear up under another large chunk of reading.  The five DVDs are:  “The Informant!“, “The Last Airbender“, “The Iron Giant“, “The Dark Knight Rises“, and “Ip Man: The Final Fight“.
“The Informant!” stars Matt Damon as an up-and-coming executive at a corporate agribusiness, who upon feeling threatened by the failing project he is assigned, decides to become an inside agent for the FBI in an investigation of price fixing.  The movie is based on a real-life case, but is meant to be treated as a kind of black comedy.  To be honest, although I am a Damon fan, this was a movie I could not wait to end.  I found it tiresome and humorless.  I guess the comedy was supposed to be in the irony, because it certainly wasn’t in anything else.  If you are a committed anti-agribusiness advocate, this movie may confirm / support some of your worst fears.  For anyone else, give it a miss.  Final recommendation:  not recommended.
“The Last Airbender” is a children’s kung-fu, magic, sorcery, fantasy movie.  The story and acting is suitable for the target age (5 to 12 yrs old).  The special effects are quite good.  My son watched the TV series the movie is based on and he hated this movie.  My daughter, who did not follow the TV show has friends who did and she says they all uniformly hate this movie.  I have never seen a single TV episode, so my review must be taken with a grain of salt.  I enjoyed it!  It’s not great cinema, but really, how much great cinema comes out of the 5 to 12 target audience which is based on the above description (okay, I grant you the first “Kung-Fu Panda” was pretty good).  This movie has none of the humor or heart of “Kung-Fu Panda”, but it’s okay.  By the way, I got it used for $3, so it’s not like it broke the bank to view it.  It is obviously meant to be the first in a long line of series / sequels.  Will I watch them.  Probably, but I won’t see them at the theater, even at a discounted matinee price.  Final recommendation:  an okay action movie to kill a few hours watching with your kids, nieces and nephews.
“The Iron Giant” is throw-back to earlier animation movie style – pre-3d (“Toy Story“), Saturday-cartoonish flat style.  Basically, a metal robot is sent to destroy earth.  It is damaged and then assisted by a young boy who befriends the robot.  The robot is a weapon which “learns” to be non-violent.  This is a twist on the “Frankenstein” / “Number 5 Is Alive” Sci-Fi movie where the “bad guy” is not necessarily the “un-human” character.  Anti-military, anti-government, pro-peace movie…  In any case, this is a very charming movie which (deservedly) has kind of a cult-classic following.  It is suitable for almost all ages.  Final recommendation:  Highly recommended!
“The Dark Knight Rises” is the final movie in the Christian Bale, “Batman” trilogy.  I reviewed this movie back when I saw it at the theater (see that review here), and my review as it stood remains very accurate.  Well, maybe too kind…  Not much of this movie plot / story bears thinking about too much as it is all comic-book fantasy – even within the scope of comic-book adaptation it’s pretty far fetched.  But as stated in my original review, this is not the type of movie you go to for anything but fun and action.  One final point: the sound problem I had at the theater was not present while viewing the DVD, so basically the sound levels in the theater were screwed up.  The dialog is fully understandable.  Final recommendation:  Still highly recommended.
“Ip Man: The Final Fight” stars Anthony Wong in a dramatized biography of the Kung-Fu Sifu who taught the famous Chinese movie star / martial artist Bruce Lee.  This is the third in the series and it follows the life from the end of World War II to Ip Man’s death.  This is “Americanized” Chinese movie making, similar to a number of movies which have come out in the last ten or so years.  The movie’s production value is superb and up to the level of the martial arts in the film.  As such, plot, dialogue and action all make for a pretty enjoyable movie.  In terms of pure martial arts, I think the first movie was the best of the three, but again there is not much of a fall off between the sequel and this, so the series holds up very well.  If you are into the modern age of Chinese martial arts movies, this is definitely a must see.  Final recommendation:  Highly recommended!
Thank you to all of you who’ve managed to make it through this lengthy posting!
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On This Day In:
2021	What Should Be Universal Exercise
	I’m So Glad
2020	Trying To Keep On Keeping On
	Bending
2019	Ooops (Again)
2018	Two Start Up Front
2017	I Love America Because…
	An Act Of God
	And So It Came To Pass (Act Of God part 2)
2016	As Far From
2015	Rocky 7
	Just Like Politics
2014	Game And Legend
	“Scientific” Pride In Humanity
2013	Real Honor
	Catching Up
2012	Thoughts And Communications
2011	But How Does Peter Feel?
2010	Name That Regret

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Room For Justice

This song, which I wrote in April, is a response to what I have observed and experienced, and is also an act of personal accountability.  It was not easy to write, and I struggled with how I, as a straight male, could genuinely speak upon this issue.
Initially, I tried writing from the perspective of a gay, bullied kid, but after getting some feedback, I felt it wasn’t my story to tell.  What I do know, and where I wrote from, is my own perspective growing up in a culture where “that’s gay” was commonplace, with a huge stigma on those who identified and were perceived as gay.
Growing up in the Catholic Church, I saw first-hand how easily religion became a platform for hate and prejudice.  Those who “believed” were excused from their own judgments, bypassing the stark issue of basic civil rights.
…
More than anything, I am aware of how comfortable I (and many other straight people) have become in staying silent on this issue.  If we choose to not speak on an issue of injustice out of fear, or how our peers might perceive us, we’re part of the problem.  We know the truth, and vainly refuse to uphold it, when people’s lives are caught in the balance.
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This song is a humble submission to help bring this conversation to the surface, so that we can reflect on the language we use, and how powerful it can be.  Rethinking, and understanding the gravity of how we communicate with each other.  Change happens when dialogue happens.  When we confront our prejudice and are honest with ourselves, there is room for growth, and there is room for justice.
—  Macklemore
From:  http://macklemmore.com/post/27481163762/this-song-which-i-wrote-in-april-is-a-response
[“As a straight male” who is also a practicing Roman Catholic, I am powerfully moved by the lyrics to this song:  “Same Love“.  I have included the lyrics to “Same Love” on my Poems page.
My God is a god of LOVE.  Writ large – LOVE!  It is simple, yet profound – love…
If you spend your life trying to bring love to the world, the God of my beliefs will reward you with love.
I do not recall ever making a decision to be straight.  I do recall making a decision to try to spend my life bringing love (and respect for others) to the world around me to the glory of God’s spirit.  Posting this song (lyrics) is one (another) small step in demonstrating, publicly, my commitment to a loving God.
As an aside, because this song moved me so, I have included a YouTube link to the video.  This is a first for me as I normally take “my” lyrics from multiple versions of a song (many times by multiple artists, too) or, alternatively, sometimes I pick the version which I remember as being definitive (for me).  I do believe the inclusion adds to the page.  I was not convinced before.  In the future I will add the YouTube video link to all lyrics.  If you have a video link which you prefer, please let me know and I will be happy to alter the link to another version or video provider.  I have no personal interest / preference to YouTube.  It is simply convenient.  Over time, I will be going back to add the videos for the other song lyrics on my Poems page.  Inshalla…
As always, please read the lyrics before viewing the video.  Also, please remember to go see your local artists performing live.  There is NO substitute for living life – and that means live performances.  Support your local arts in all their glorious flavors and hues!!    —    kmab]
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On This Day In:
2012	Extinction, n.
2011	Snap!

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Equal = Equal

It may be that men are not equal in all respects, but they are all equally men.
—    Hugh Gaitskell
[Nowadays, you would have to substitute “men” with “persons”, but the quote remains correct.    —    KMAB]
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On This Day In:
2012	Still Growing
2011	Are We Still At War With The Poor?

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Erosion And Rechannelling

I don’t know how many folks ever bother to look at anything on my page except the actual blog posting for that day.  On the right hand side I have a category of links to pages I find interesting.  The category is titled:  “Tributaries And Eddies” (TAE).
TAE’s tend to be sites from folks who have “liked” one or more of my postings and who I’ve tracked back to see what their site looks like.  If I find the site “interesting” and relatively frequently maintained, I put it on my list for sites to add to TAE.  Now, “interesting” doesn’t mean I agree with the site content or purpose and I tend to not include company sites (although that’s not a hard and fast rule either).  They simply tickle my fancy (for whatever reason) at the time I view them.
About every six months or so, I go visit each current TAE and drop those which are no longer maintained and add one or more from my list.  Again, I don’t have a firm rule on how many I keep on the list and it’s been over twenty and as low as four or five.  I mean no offense to any who notice their site has been dropped.
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On This Day In:
2022	Pass A Voting Rights Act For Democracy’s Sake
2021	Tomorrow President Biden Starts Wrestling
	Good-Bye #45
2020	The Burden Of Faith
	On To Superbowl LIV (54)!!
2019	Are Your Dogs Barking?
	Dangerous Waistcoats
2018	And 40+ Years Later?
2017	He Is Alone
2016	Compensation
2015	Charlie Redux
2014	The Crux
2013	Erosion And Rechannelling
	Alliance, n.
2012	How Many Thought… (One I Know Of)
	Choices And Decisions
2011	Speed Spoils
	Simply Intended
2010	A Second 4 Hour Jog

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Happy 3rd Anniversary

Well, today my blog (this here disturbance) turns three years old.
My first entry was the obligatory:  “Hello, World!“
I didn’t particularly note the first or second anniversary.  I guess, I wanted a certain body of work to accumulate before I thought much about recognizing it as an accomplishment.
The blog started slow – about three or four entries per month.  Some days I had that many posts alone and then had nothing to say for weeks (days) at a time.  Since 17 January 2011, I’ve had a post every day.  Most of them are simply quotes which gave me pause and / or made me think and I’m simply passing them on to anybody who happens to stumble across my site.  Sometimes I comment on the quote.  More often than not, I simply throw them out there for the reader to consider without my bias.  Every couple of weeks I post something a little more substantial.  When this happens, sports, politics and my family are the normal topics.
Other UBIs (“Useless Bits of Information) about my blog:
As of today, 29 July 2012, I will have had –
988 Posts
175 Pages
206 Comments
I will have used up about 2% allowed free space (about 52 MB);
I will have had about 12,000 views (all time)  (probably 25-33% are my own views just admiring my handiwork);
About 52 of my entries have been book reviews (some entries have multiple books), but basically I’m averaging about a book every three weeks.
About 49 of my entries have been movie reviews (again many of the entries are for multiple movies and some are re-reviews of movies I’ve taken a 2nd – or 50th – look at, and just feel like adding more comments to / about.
Probably 90% of my pages are song lyrics, poems or speeches which particularly moved me at some point in my life.
There about 70 folks following my Blog via the blog (WordPress) itself,  but there’s no way to tell how many are looking at it frequently – or simply deleting the notification.  Beyond that, there’s another 83 folks following my blog via Facebook and 12 more who follow via twitter.  I have no idea what they’re seeing off of twitter feed, unless it’s merely the daily titles.
Anyway, three years and no end in sight…
I hope you’re enjoying reading my 2¢ worth enough to come back every once in a while, and, as I said at the beginning of all of this, I hope you “Live long and prosper!“
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Another JCoM Review

On Saturday, I completed the 7th in the John Carter of Mars (JCoM) series book:  “A Fighting Man Of Mars“, by Edgar Rice Burroughs (1930©).   I’ve been carrying the series around with me since my early 20’s, and couple of years ago I decided to bite the bullet and read them.  I actually read the first book in the series way back when, but never progressed to any of the others.  I managed to read the fist six and then stalled out.  I believed the series was about John Carter.  Actually, only about half the books are.  The rest are about his son, daughter, grand-daughter and this latest, about an arbitrary low ranking officer in the Helium Army.  (Helium is the city-state on Mars over which John Carter has become Warlord.)
As I thought I’d been recording the books I’ve read on this blog, I went back to see what my other (earlier) blogs said about the series – only to find out there is only the briefest of mentions that I’ve started reading the series and have completed the first five.  I then went back to see if the same was true for any number of other books I’d read and found it was(is).  I’ve therefore decided to go back and begin reviewing other books I’ve read.  I’ll try to come up with a notation of some type to indicate which are current reads and which are prior, but I haven’t come up with anything yet.
Anyway, there is a new John Carter of Mars movie coming out on March 9th which really looks promising, so I’m going to try to complete the series before then.  I believe the movie only covers the first and second book, so I may try to re-read those, too.
For anyone not familiar with Edgar Rice Burroughs, he’s the creator of the “Tarzan of the Apes” series of books which came out in serialized fashion back in the early 1900’s.  Roughly the same time, he was producing the John Carter series (from 1910-ish to 1940-ish).  As the time predates TV and air flight – let alone spaceflight, his novels are very much science fiction.  Beyond that though they are what I would call Sci-Fi/Sword and Romance novels.  I would estimate the target audience for teens to mid-twenties (about the same as now, but you could probably throw in some younger pre-teens) and mostly male.  Women are always “virginal” and men (good-guys) are always swashbuckling and heroic.  The reverse is also true for the “bad-guys” (and gals).  The bad women are always vicious and conniving and the men are always fat, detestable, frequently ugly, and almost always willing to “take” the heroine’s “honor” – usually by force, but sometimes by manipulation.
This book (“A Fighting Man Of Mars“) follows the familiar format:  hero falls in love, love interest is kidnapped (becomes endangered), hero sets off on quest to save love interest.  Hero goes through many trials, but finally saves the love interest.  In this case, the twist is the initial love interest is undeserving and inevitably loses the hero to a more worthy love interest.  If you are intending to read this book (and are under 15 years of age) – stop reading here because I’m about to disclose the final plot twist.  The hero believes the new love interest to be a slave and on the last pages of the book, she is discovered to be a long lost (kidnapped AGAIN) princess of Helium.   And they live happily ever after…
As you can deduce from my review, the reason I stopped reading the books is they are not that interesting to me.  They are light, adventure novels with a little too much Victorian-era romance thrown in for my taste.  Will I complete the series?  Yes.  They are not bad;  they’re just not that good.  They make a nice change from any heavy reading – kind of like watching a half-hour situation comedy on regular TV after watching a documentary on PBS.
A final thought, if you were trying to get your 8-10 year old son or grandson to enjoy reading, you could do worse than reading these to him…
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On This Day In:
2022	Overbooked
2021	One Month In: Learning To Play Guitar
	Cause The Melody Keeps Haunting Me
2020	Working On My 2019 Tax Returns
2019	Three Beliefs
2018	He Found Them On-Line
2017	Maybe In A Future World
2016	Largely A Mystery
2015	Tools And Weapons
2014	Likes And Dislikes
2013	Pillars Of Learning
2012	Another JCoM Review
	Move It
2011	Expected Value

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Sweat Equity

Today I made a minor change to my blog.  Last year (1 Jan 2011), I began including a journal of my exercise habit(s) so I’d have a record to look back on.  The record has been as hit and miss as my routines, but it is accurate.
Now that we’ve started 2012, I’ve changed the main tab at the top of the page to read “Sweat Equity” and I’ve added extra pages to show the new year’s record.  I don’t imagine anyone but me will find them very interesting, but the main benefit of creating my own blog is I get to include what I want to…  Just another facet of a very rough, uncut diamond.
My goal this year is the similar last year:  to walk at least 30 minutes each day.  I didn’t last very long on the objective last year (to jog 30 minutes each day) because I ended up going to the ER / hospital with AFib.  Hopefully, I’ll do better this year.  Wish me luck…
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On This Day In:
2021	More New Year’s Exercises
	7 Done, 12 Down
2021	Another Public Service Message
	Greetin’ The Sun
2020	From The Mountains To The Shores
2019	Watering The Trees And Seeds
	1221
2018	Take Care Of Me…
2017	Make Some Difference
2016	Still 99%
2015	Adolescent Opinion
2014	In A Big World
2013	Vacancy For God
2012	Sweat Equity
	Try It… You’ll Like It
2011	Still Incomplete
2010	Happy New Year – 2010

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Weekend Update – 4th of July 2010

 

Happy 4th of July weekend everyone!
I’m slowly getting over some kind of flu.  I was off work for two days.  Sinuses were terrible and my right ear was effected.  Quite dizzy and disorienting.  Anyway, I’m feeling somewhat better today.
I got up to watch Germany crush Argentina in the World Cup this morning – 4 to 0!!  I don’t usually favor the Germans, but I’m coming around with this team.
After the game I went out for my first jog in what seems like ages (actually six days).  I was fine until about 30 minutes and then my right calf cramped up badly.  I almost stopped, it was so painful.  In the end, I limped for a few minutes and then it eased up.  It was still painful, but it wasn’t getting worse, so I felt it was something I could work through.  I got in my usual 70 minutes – about 4 miles.  Not fast, but they all count in the end.
Just in case anyone else ever does read this, I’ve started adding in some new bits.  The first thing is quotes.  I’ll just be adding them randomly as I come across them and they “tickle” me.  Most I will agree with, but not all – and it won’t be the criteria for me adding it.  The criteria will be – did it make me stop and think.
I also plan to start including the lyrics to songs I like.  I will probably simply add lyrics to the poetry pages I’ve already started adding.
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