Monday – 07 December 2015
Today is the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Please take time to remember those who died and those who fought.
Namaste.
11 November 2015
Today is Veteran’s Day.
History of Veterans Day
In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day with the following words: “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…”
An Act (52 Stat. 351; 5 U. S. Code, Sec. 87a) approved May 13, 1938, made the 11th of November in each year a legal holiday—a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as “Armistice Day.” Armistice Day was primarily a day set aside to honor veterans of World War I, but in 1954, after World War II had required the greatest mobilization of soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen in the Nation’s history; after American forces had fought aggression in Korea, the 83rd Congress, at the urging of the veterans service organizations, amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word “Armistice” and inserting in its place the word “Veterans.” With the approval of this legislation (Public Law 380) on June 1, 1954, November 11th became a day to honor American veterans of all wars.
Later that same year, on October 8th, President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued the first “Veterans Day Proclamation” which stated: “In order to insure proper and widespread observance of this anniversary, all veterans, all veterans’ organizations, and the entire citizenry will wish to join hands in the common purpose. Toward this end, I am designating the Administrator of Veterans’ Affairs as Chairman of a Veterans Day National Committee, which shall include such other persons as the Chairman may select, and which will coordinate at the national level necessary planning for the observance. I am also requesting the heads of all departments and agencies of the Executive branch of the Government to assist the National Committee in every way possible.”
-excerpted from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs Veteran’s Day site
I’d like to say “Thank you” to my family, friends and the thousands of other people who serve our country – and those who have served in the past – to protect our country and our freedoms.
Friday – 11 September 2015
Today marks the 14th Anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, as well as the downing of a plane in Shanksville, PA. (Last year’s post)
Please take a few moments to remember those who died, both in the attack and those who gave their lives trying to rescue/save those in the affected areas.
Something of which I was not aware, until this morning, is that the day is now/also being recognized as September 11th National Day of Service and Remembrance.
I feel remiss in not knowing about it, but I also feel better knowing that it exists.
Namaste.
Saturday – 04 July 2015
It’s Independence Day!
Wait… not that.
This one…
Have a enjoyable and safe holiday!
Friday – 12 June 2015
It’s the end of the (work) week. Amen.
It’s been a good, though tiring week, as Sara! spent Tuesday through Thursday at Altitude Summit… including being a panelist on Wednesday. This means that Team DiVa and I had to fend for ourselves on those days. We all survived the experience. And, we even managed to do an art project and make s’mores in the process. I’d call it an all-around “Win.”
I even made it to the gym five days this week; I haven’t done that in a few years.
Chew on This: Food for Thought
My news feeds have been full of articles about Rachel Dolezal, president of the Spokane Chapter of the NAACP and how it appears that she has lied about being Black. The story apparently came to the national spotlight after her mother outed her. It’s interesting to note that this story is not about someone adopting or borrowing from a culture, but rather has asserted, to no small degree, that she actually is a member of that culture.
What I find curious is that no one has talked about the historical precedent for the reverse of this: Light-skinned Blacks “passing” as White. For decades in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, people of mixed race and fair complexions lived among the general populace, identifying as White… or at least claiming to be, when it benefited them. For a fictional account of such “passing,” I highly recommend reading Mat Johnson‘s Incognegro (1, 2, 3).
I don’t know of any stipulation in the NAACP’s charter that requires members to be “of color.” Hint: There isn’t one. ANYONE is welcome to join.
From the items that I’ve read, no one is calling into question her right to be a member of – or to be president of – the Spokane chapter, which is good. The whole issue seems to stem from her racial identification.
I am most curious to see how this shakes out.
Workout
I should probably log these before I forget. Again.
Monday
- Elliptical: 10 min/1.1 miles
- Lat Pulldown (long bar): 3 x 8 x 80 lbs
- Lat Pulldown (shortg grip): 3 x 8 x 80 lbs
- Row: 3 x 8 x 80
- Tricep Rope Pulldown: 3 x 8 x 70
- Standing Tricep Press: 3 x 8 x 70
Tuesday
- Squats: 3 x 8 x 70 lbs
- Leg Press: 3 x 8 x 100 lbs
- Leg Extensions: 3 x 8 x 70 lbs
- Leg Curls: 3 x 8 x 70 lbs
- Standing Calf Raises: 3 x 8 x 100 lbs
- Standing Calf Raises: 3 x 8 x 80 lbs
Wednesday
- Bench Press: 3 x 8 x 115 lbs
- Dumbbell Shoulder Press: 3 x 8 x 25 lbs
- Dumbbell Fly: 3 x 8 x 25 lbs
- Dumbbell Curls: 3 x 8 x 25 lbs
- Wrist Curls (fwd): 3 x 8 x 40 lbs
- Wrist Curls (rev): 3 x 8 x 40 lbs
Thursday
- Elliptical: 5 min/0.55 mi
- Squats: 3 x 8 x 70 lbs
- Leg Press: 3 x 8 x 100 lbs
- Leg Extensions: 3 x 8 x 70 lbs
- Leg Curls: 3 x 8 x 70 lbs
- Standing Calf Raises: 3 x 8 x 100 lbs
- Standing Calf Raises: 3 x 8 x 80 lbs
Friday
- Lat Pulldown (long bar): 3 x 8 x 80 lbs
- Lat Pulldown (shortg grip): 3 x 8 x 80 lbs
- Row: 3 x 8 x 80 lbs
- Dumbbell Overhead Tricep Extensions: 3 x 8 x 30 lbs
- Tricep Rope Pulldown: 3 x 8 x 70 lbs
- Standing Tricep Press: 3 x 8 x 70 lbs
Stray Toasters
I think that’s good for now.
Namaste.
Monday – 25 May 2015
Today is Memorial Day in the United States.
Please remember that the day isn’t about being “the (unofficial) first day of Summer” or “just a day off” or finding a fantastic bargain during great sales.
It’s a day to commemorate those who have given their lives to protect the freedoms that we enjoy.
Namaste.
Monday – 18 May 2015
Happy Miracle Monday (1, 2).
Today finds me back in the office. I enjoyed last week’s class, but it was a LOT of information crammed into five days. I appreciated the time away from “work,” but there’s something to be said for being back in the swing of things.
Of course, I would have preferred to have gotten back to it this morning, rather than last night…
I got a call, just as Team DiVa was going to bed, that a server was down. By the time I was able to log in and start looking, I got another call, from a different user, saying that another server was down.
::: braincramp :::
Once I started looking, I noted that it wasn’t so much a “server” issue as it was a “virtual host” issue. And it was one that didn’t want to let me fix it remotely. So, into work I went. At 9:30 at night.
*grblsnrkx*
After banging on things for a while, I resorted to the time-honored IT tradition of: “Turn it off and then turn it back on.” That worked, for the most part. There was still one issue that didn’t resolve. I tinkered with a few settings and got that issue fixed… at least for the time being. There’s a long-term solution in the works, it’s just a matter of timing.
Workout
This morning, I also woke up a little before 6:30, chock full of the good intention of going to the gym. I actually got up and out of bed and – albeit a little more slowly than I should have – got ready to go. I had to abbreviate this morning’s routine due to time constraints, but the bottom line is: I got in a workout.
Stray Toasters
Okay, back to the grind.
Namaste.
Friday – 15 May 2015
I should get around to writing this before it is no longer Friday.
Things have been good during my extended radio silence. What’s kept me from posting? Basically: Laziness. I’ll freely cop to that. That said, I had planned to write something this afternoon, but wound up getting wrapped up in a project and the next thing I knew, it was time to get Team DiVa from daycare. Oh, well, better late than never. On the other hand, I got to have dinner with these two cuties, so it was worth it.
One of the good things of the past two-ish weeks has been that Sara and I have rejoined a gym. More specifically we joined Vasa Fitness, a rebranded gym that we used to go to before Team DiVa was born. We’ve been trying to figure out schedules that would allow us to both work out 2-3 times a week.
Another good thing from this week, was in a training class for work (at home!) which had an east coast-based schedule. That meant that I was up each morning for a 7:00 AM class. That also meant that my “lunch” time was around 10:30 each day. I used that time to go to the gym, instead. I actually like the idea of getting up a bit early and starting my day with a workout. My plan is to keep getting up around 6:30 and putting in forty-five minutes to an hour at the gym before getting on to the so-called “friction of the day.”
Sidenote (since I just made a Rush reference): I’ve been tracking my visits to the gym on Swarm/Foursquare with the tags #carveawaythestone. Why? Because it’s less typing than #OhDearLordHowAndWhyDidILetMyselfGetSoOutOfShape and a bit less embarrassing than #WhyDoesThisHurtSoMuch.
And, being back in the gym means that I need to start tracking my workouts again. So, let’s get the past couple weeks out of the way:
And that was that. It’s going to take a while to get back to where I was when I stopped going to the gym, but I’m enjoying the journey so far.
Stray Toasters
And, it’s well into Saturday morning, now. I guess I’ll just schedule this to post sometime after the sun is up.
Namaste.
Wednesday – 18 February 2015
Today is Ash Wednesday. It is also NBN Thursday Eve.
I was going to post something last night, but I got too distracted by The Flash and Firestorm(!)1.
And a RubySnap cookie and a glass of milk.
And Titanfall.
So, I’m posting today.
This past weekend, Sara!, Team DiVa and I took a trip to Promontory, UT to visit the Golden Spike National Historic Site (read: “TRAINS!!!”) and Robert Smithson’s Spiral Jetty. (For pictures, click here.) It was only a couple of hours to Golden Spike, which wasn’t as bad as I had thought. The site is way out in the middle of God’s own country, though. I commented to Sara! that for all the time – not really that much – that it took to get there at 65 MPH+, I could only imagine what it must have been like to try to cover that distance via horse, or wagon. Or, slower still, while trying to lay miles of railroad track. The site was nice, but I was a little disappointed that the locomotives weren’t on display. (That just means that I’ll have to head back up there to see the reenactment of the driving of the golden spike in May.)
From there, we headed out to the Spiral Jetty. While the two sites are only 15 miles apart, it took about 45 minutes to get from Golden Spike to the jetty. The water level on the Great Salt Lake was low. Very low. So low that we were able to walk out to the end of the jetty – 1500 feet – and we were still at least 300 feet from water!
Sunday, we decided to tackle a painting project: Our bedroom. Furniture out. Ladders in. Paint on. We moved our bed to the living room Sunday night, which threw Team DiVa for a bit of a loop Monday morning:
Diana: Why is your new bed in the living room?
Me: It’s not a “new” bed, we just moved it out here.
Diana: Oh.
We went on to explain that we did it since we were painting the bedroom; that answer appeased them.
Sara spent Monday morning/afternoon re-doing the baseboard and crown molding paint, while I vacuumed and shampooed the carpet, replaced four electrical outlets… and then tried to suss out why the overhead lights wouldn’t turn off.
*braincramp*
After a quick consultation with my father-in-law, he suggested that I check the old outlets and verify that they had broken metal connectors on the hot side. They did. I broke the connectors on two of the new outlets and the lights worked in the manner to which we were accustomed once more!
We moved the furniture back in and slept in our newly-painted room on Monday night. Selah. It was a lot of ass-busting and elbow grease over two days, but it was worth it.
Stray Toasters
Creepy Vice-President is creepy.
And with that, I think I’m going to get “right on to the friction of the [rest of the] day.”
Namaste.
1 – Firestorm: The Nuclear Man debuted in 1978. I didn’t really become aware of the character until the second series, which started in 1982… but from then on, I was a fan. I haven’t been as invested in the New 52 version of the character, but I still like the character and the concept. So, when the news broke that he/they would be appearing on CW’s The Flash, my curiosity was piqued. The origin had been tweaked to fit the show, but it was close enough to the original for me. And, it featured all three of the main Firestorm characters – Ronnie Raymond, Martin Stein, and (in a nod to the updated, pre-New52 character) Jason Rusch.
Wednesday – 28 January 2015
Today, Dr. Volt’s Comic Connection hosted a Neal Adams signing event.
When the signing was announced, it was a given that I was going to attend. And I knew what I was taking to have signed:
This is the cover of the issue of Green Lantern/Green Arrow from the month and year I was born. This…this is what I would have signed!
I left work a little early and headed to Dr. Volt’s with my copy. As I got there around the time that most people were just getting off work, I was there before a crowd gathered. I picked up a trio of prints…
Green Lantern John Stewart
Diana, Princess of Themyscira
Superman vs. Muhammad Ali (1978)
…and I got in line. A few moments later, I was at the head of the line and about to get my items signed. I also had a chance for a photo op.
I stuck around for a few minutes to talk with the guys at Volt’s before heading home. It was at this point that Andrew reminded me of something: A few months ago, I’d bought a copy of Green Lantern/Green Arrow #87, the first appearance of John Stewart… which was also drawn by Neal Adams. He said that I should get that signed, too.
Then I remembered something else: I had left it at home.
::: grblsnrkx :::
I did a little mental math and realized that I could make it home and back before the signing was over AND still run the other errands that I had planned for the evening. Decision made, I did my best Smokey and the Bandit impression.
And I made it.
I returned with GL/GA #87 and got back in line. Mr. Adams looked at me and asked, “So you found something else…?” I replied that of all the Lanterns, John Stewart was my favorite. He signed it and, putting down his pen, said: “With this, you’ve earned the right to hear the story of John Stewart.” He then proceeded to tell this story:
He had gone to Julius Schwartz with the idea that Green Lantern Hal Jordan needed a backup, in case something happened to him. Schwartz told him that Jordan already had a backup: Guy Gardner.
Adams retorted with: “So, a purple alien comes to Earth, dying, and sends his ring out to find a worthy successor. It passes Batman, Superman and all of the other heroes in the DC Universe and finds… a test pilot. Now, I’m a big fan of Chuck Yeager, so I get it. But, when the time comes to find another worthy person, the ring goes out again… and passes Batman and Superman – again – and finds… a white, blonde, gym teacher. What about all the other people in the world? Is it just going to pass them by?! Twice!?”
“Gardner needs to get hit by a bus. If he just breaks his arm, he’ll be back – good as new – in a month. If he gets hit by a bus, he’ll be out of action for a while. There would have to be a new backup.”
Schwartz realized that Adams wanted to introduce a minority character as Jordan’s backup. He tried to dissuade him by saying that Hal Jordan’s mechanic was Asian. Adams said, “Yeah, and you call him ‘Pieface!’ That’s offensive.” They went back and for a bit, but Schwartz eventually relented and said “Denny (O’Neill) will write it and YOU have to draw him.”
And he did.
When the story was done, O’Neill handed it off to Adams… who didn’t get far into the story before finding another point of contention: the name – “Lincoln Washington.” He confronted O’Neill, who told him that it wasn’t his idea and that Schwartz had come up with it. Adams went to Schwartz “…and closed the door, because I knew there would be shouting.” He argued against the name, calling it not only offensive, but also noting how blacks of the day were changing their names to get away from ‘slave names.’ He also told Schwartz that he could keep the name, if he was adamant, but that e would also fill his office with letters from angry readers. Schwartz responded that he “…[knew] guys with those kinds of names,” and then asked Adams what kind of name he should give him. Adams simply replied, “A name. A real name. Just… pull out any name.” Schwartz eventually relented and told Adams to come up with a name. He picked “John Stewart.” He then laughed and asked, “How was I supposed to know that he was going to be come a comedian?”
He wrapped up his story with the following epilogues:
“This story has two endings.
Ending Two: DC wound up making a movie with Hal Jordan, Green Lantern. There were 10 million kids who were asking ‘Who’s Hal Jordan!?’ Putting Jordan in the movie, they basically went from Gil Kane straight to Geoff Johns, jumping over me and Denny O’Neill – our names weren’t even credited. And, DC lost $150 million dollars on the movie.
Ending One: When I pitched the idea of a black Green Lantern, I did it because I could draw a black person and no one else could or did. All of the artists, even the black ones, were just drawing white faces and then having them colored to be black. And they were drawing them with wavy hair. Black people don’t have wavy hair, they have kinky hair. It takes a whole lot of shit to make it wavy. And we also had to put the color notations in our artwork, so that the colorists would know how to color the characters. Black characters up to that point were all light-skinned, we used to call it ‘khaki brown.’ When I put in my color notations for John Stewart, I made him dark. Julie Schwartz and (publisher whose name I don’t recall) came to him and asked, ” Are you sure that you want him this dark?” Adams confirmed his intention. He then added, “Then they asked me something that has stuck with me until this day: ‘Aren’t black people going to be offended?” Adams laughed and said, “You can send me the first letter.”
When he finished his story, I told him “Ending Three: John Stewart is the reason that I’m the Green Lantern fan I am today. I grew up watching Hal Jordan on cartoons, but I was never really into the Lanterns until John Stewart showed up on Justice League. In fact, I became so much a fan that when I got married, this wound up on my wedding ring…” I showed him the GL insignia on my wedding band and simply said, “So, thank you.”
This took about an hour and a half longer than I had expected, meaning: I’m up MUCH later than I had planned to be up. However, I wanted to get this down, while it was still relatively fresh in my mind. I’d call it worth it.
But, now… it’s time for a tour – an abbreviated tour – of The Dreaming.
Namaste.
Monday – 19 January 2015
Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (1, 2).
Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable… Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.
I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality… I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.
This morning, I learned that the place I normally go to volunteer on this day is closed. So, my “service” will be spending time with Sara! and Team DiVa. That’s fine with me. I’ll find a free Saturday and go back. I’d also like to do a little more volunteering through the year.
Please take some time to reflect on what today means beyond a few sales and a day off.
Namaste.
Saturday – 17 January 2015
Okay, three-for-one time…
Day 15: Come up with your own Cabinet of Invisible Counselors. There are innumerable great men from history who we can learn from today. When thinking about your life or pondering some question or problem, yes, go to actual mentors and friends, but also take in the advice of men of yore. Write out who you would have on your list and what you admire about them. Having trouble coming up with a list? The comments in the post should offer plenty of ideas.
I wasn’t sure how literally to take the “take in the advice of men of yore” when I first read this. I decided to take a more “interpretive” stand with it, and thus my list will include men and women.
My list would include:
Day 16: Imagine that someone has decided to write a book about your life, just up to this point. What would the cover blurb say? Be honest here. Is it kind of boring? Are you happy with it? Now imagine what you’d like that blurb to say at the end of your life. What changes need to made for that to happen?
Yeah. I’ve been pondering this one and I’m just not sure. I don’t think that it would necessarily be anything out of the ordinary. Would it be boring? Dunno. I think that I live a kind of mundane life, but to someone else, it might be kind of out there. Am I happy with my life? Yep. No matter what I’ve been through, it’s helped to get me where I am.
Day 17: Hop on the internet and search for the biggest news stories in the year you were born. Infoplease is a great resource for this. Think about how these news stories, or even statistics, may have shaped your childhood or who you are today. For example, the year I was born, it was discovered that 98% of American households had at least one television set. I could write about how television influenced my generation, and continues to do so today, either positively or negatively.
Namaste.
Tuesday – 11 November 2013
Today is Veterans Day.
“Thank you” to my family, extended family, friends and the thousands of other people who serve our country – and those who have served in the past – to protect our country and our freedoms.
Thursday – 11 September 2014
It’s been a busy day, but I wanted to try and get something up before the day was out. (Hey, I’m on Mountain Time. I still have almost two hours!)
It has been thirteen years since the terrorist attacks in New York, NY and Washington, D.C.
I hope that people took time to remember those who died, both in the attack and those who gave their lives trying to rescue/save those in the affected areas.
Today, Joe – a friend and a former New York native – posted a few pictures of the World Trade Center, including a couple of him at the WTC. He also took this picture of me, atop 2 WTC (the South Tower):
Even after all this time, it’s still a little odd to see this picture, remember visiting the towers, thinking about the 1993 attempt to fell them and realizing how it felt to see where they were intended to fall… while standing inside and atop 2 WTC…
…and to know that they are not there any longer.
Again, for my thoughts on the attacks and the aftermath, refer to these posts.
Remeber the past.
Cherish the present
Look with hope to the future.
Namaste.
Please remember to take a few moments to recall and thank the servicemen and women who fought – and have fallen – to preserve our freedom.
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier – Arlington National Cemetery (Taken November 2004)