Bug Me!

My bicycle has a recurring brake problem that is pretty annoying. I should learn how to fix it myself but the seller has free lifetime service so I have always gone back to them. The brake pads slip and provide continuous resistance, so riding is difficult.

I've been talking for at least two months about taking the bike over there to have them fix this so I can ride. But I haven't done it. And it's stupid. I need to do this. The weather has been perfect for biking and now it's only going to get hotter.

You have permission to rag me about this until I get it done.

Day 346: An Inspiration

When I first became interested in minimalism, I sought out as many sources as I could. One of the more interesting is Julien Smith. He wrote this a couple of days ago, and it's delivered in his typical wiseacre style. I recommend spending a minute or two checking it out, and thinking it over.

Americans are generally too indoctrinated to be consumers. At what cost? Not just the monetary cost, but what is the cost to our soul? Is this worth it? Do we really need this stuff?

This makes me feel a lot better about selling my albums a few weeks ago...

Julien's entry: http://inoveryourhead.net/the-short-16-step-guide-to-getting-rid-of-your-crap/

Day 345: It's On

When it rains, it pours, huh?

A much-desired prospect out west has opened up. I'm past the first stage of culling and invited out for a face-to-face in a few weeks. Of course, I'm going.

Of course after a while, every opportunity seems great... the hungry man will eat sand. But I've not been window-shopping for sand, or other things that aren't nutritious.

This one is gourmet.

The best part would be it would be doing something that really gives back to the community, that enriches lives, that matters. Hey, I'd love to have another fun PR gig, but at the end of the day, a lot of PR gigs are just encouraging people to buy something. There are many worthy, wonderful products out there, but whether or not you have a great product to purchase can be sort of unimportant.

Especially compared to something that helps people... people who need help the most.

So that's happening in the near future.

And, something else closer to home looks to be opening up soon. Just hours ago I learned of it and spoke to an insider who was encouraging.

Would be nice to have some options!

Stay tuned...

Day 343: Milestones

Somehow, I'm nearing 6,000 pageviews on this little endeavor. And only 4,000 of them are mine!

Kidding. It's 5,000.

But seriously, folks. It is deeply gratifying to y'all who have spent a little time here. On days when I have been pretty blue, it's reassuring to know that someone cares enough to spend a minute or two peeking inside my head. It has helped me. So thanks.

Some good news might be on the horizon. Well, one thing already is... a local nonprofit group I have volunteered with for more than a year has re-upped my board chairmanship for another year. That's an honor and I hope to reaffirm that confidence going forward.

That is, provided I don't get a job that requires me to move. What's that you say? A job interview is in the offing? Well, then...

Day 342: Food

Food is not just what you eat.

Sustenance comes in various forms and fuels various things. I'm working on improving my food intake in several ways.

Two of my favorite people... actually, probably others in my circle as well... are vegans. Like many carnivores, I've historically dismissed that point of view, even scoffed at it or made fun of it. (MMMmmmm, tofu burger!)

But I think they may actually be right. Meat protein has done a lot to power the evolutionary advance of humans. It's had positive benefits.

As with many things, however, the modern world has screwed up a good thing. Factory farms and corporatists who value profit more than safety have created risk in the food chain. Read "Fast Food Nation" to be truly horrified about your daily consumption. Meat products are the worst of it, but by no means the extent of the problems.

A breakfast without bacon is not really breakfast. I love a nice, medium-well filet. I love a good burger. I love some well-prepared dry-rub ribs.

But these things don't love me. Is the protein value enough to offset what this stuff is doing to me, which is, likely, sending me to an early grave?

I don't know if I can stop. I'm indoctrinated into the meat-eating culture. It's hard to think of a life without it. But I have to do some things differently. I don't think it's healthy to eat a lot of meat.

A life with less meat would probably be a good choice. Maybe the key is to work toward it. I don't gorge on just red meat... I eat a good deal of chicken, and fish too. Perhaps switching emphasis to these would be a good start.

Today is also Day One for my attempt at totally eliminating soda from my consumption. I used to drink a whole lot of it; the last two years I have switched to diet versions. But even those are making me question the value. I have the advantage of living somewhere where the tap water is as good as probably anyplace in the world. It's actually tasty.

Our bodies are mostly water. Probably wise to drink a lot of water.

If any of you have pointers on how to adjust your diet to less meat, I'd love to hear your feedback.

The other food I crave is brain food, and this is the positivity, love and light from being around reinforcing people. This is another area of my diet that needs change.

I've been cynical and snarky a lot of my life. It's good for making jokes and such, but like everything you feast upon, too much can be a bad thing.

Yes, in a lot of ways it's a shitty world. We're not as good to each other as we should be. We allow awful things to happen, especially if they happen to "someone else" (i.e., not in America)... we tolerate wars, famine, hate, bloodshed, disease, crime... as humans, we're so vain in our thinking that we're such sophisticated animals, we have such technological advances! We have iPads! We have 52-inch high-def TVs! We have 400-horsepower sports cars!

B.F.D. Really? This is what's important to us?

That doesn't strike me as overly civilized. We could do better. I love my technology, I love my modern conveniences. But man, are they really worthless compared to the wonder of existence that's available.

So that's on me. I need to lead by example and do a better job of treasuring the things that really matter. I want to eat that life up, savor every bite.

Day 341: Resolve

Sometimes it's hard to clear out the clutter in your mind. But I'm trying.

It's way too easy to get caught up in a bunch of mental torture that amounts to nothing positive. It goes by a lot of names... regrets... hindsight... second-guessing...

It's pointless, but knowing this and accepting this are not always the same thing. Ex: On one hand, if I had had the time and patience to sell my old records one by one online, I might have been able to raise a decent amount of money. When I saw albums the other day that I basically sold for 50 cents apiece going for $12, $20, $30, $40 (!!!), then it makes me feel a little stupid.

But, it's done. I have to stop thinking about it.

I need to find positive outlets. One of them should be writing. That's why this is here, and again my many thanks to you who have nurtured me with your positivity. I know also that there are at least two haters out there who lurk. I guess that's just a byproduct of life. They've actively sought to bring me down, but they are in fact an opportunity to grow and become stronger. So, bring it. It used to wear on me, because like most people I would prefer to be liked. But some folks just don't jibe. You can't give them that power over you. Closed minds are closed. I still think ultimately that people will see the light and understand the real truth. Despite everything, I remain hopeful.

That's a win!

I've been working on actually completing a writing project that I conceived a way back and have been piecing together painful bit by painful bit for a while. It's frustratingly slow. But it means something to me, it's an idea I believe in, so I am trying very hard to let it gestate naturally. I fight self-doubt there, too. Why is it so slow? Why doesn't it flow naturally? Why aren't you done?

I've managed to drop all those questions and just work on it at the pace that happens. I think that is a good thing to be at peace with, to not force things.

This is also a useful approach while I let my job search unfold naturally. Just a bit ago I got notification of a job I did not get that I applied for IN DECEMBER. Talk about deliberate. But at least now I know and can close the books on it. Agonizing over something for four months is detrimental. You have to do your best and then play the hand you get.

HST used to say, "Buy the ticket, take the ride." That works for me.

Day 338: Go West. Or East. Or Stay.

Three strong job prospects this week, literally from sea to shining sea. Left, Right, and right here in Gawd's Country.

I'd love any one of these; they're all good situations. Naturally, however, if I had to choose I would choose Left. In that spirit, I bought my first pair of Birkenstock sandals today.

I've been called many things, but one that I like is "pessimistic hippie." (Funny that one, Piker.) I don't think I'm really pessimistic, in fact I tend to think I am optimistic. I am, however, realistic, and that can be seen as pessimistic at times.

So be it.

Honestly, I'm at the stage where all these different job situations over my life have been interesting, but I'd really like the stability of riding a good job for a number of years. Job searches are exciting in a way, but they're also stressful. Change is growth, one way or another, and the term "growing pains" is apt because you have to get out of your comfort zone even in the best of circumstances.

Door Number 1 or 2 is going to entail a move across country. That's no picnic. Door Number 3 will be working in a challenging environment that grinds a lot of the people I know who work or have worked there.

I've lived in Left before and loved it. I've spent a little time in Right and it's... different. The Northeast is cold, compressed and congested... drives I used to take in Texas of several hours meant you were still in Texas. NE drives of several hours mean you can cross through five states. But I like the appeal of being able to have major metropolitan areas within relatively close reach. That's a big plus.

Regardless, it feels closer now. This thing is chasing down a year of fUnemployment. I'm way beyond tired of it. I need to land someplace real, someplace I can build on. That's why the choices are the way they are... I need to be somewhere that I want to be a long time. And this explains why some places just aren't under consideration.