Non-stop

Amidst a flurry of Twitter conversations, texts, emails, enrollments, student crises and other work, one friend, after receiving my text response to his innocent question, "what are you doing?" replied, "wow...u just don't stop :)" which caused me to pause.

Pause long enough to grin, pat myself on the back, and say, "No. No, I don't to myself."

By the time I reached mid-afternoon, I was thinking, I really need a break, but with multiple meetings coming up, I couldn't find the time to stop - even eating lunch an hour after I normally make a dash to the fridge to retrieve it.

When I feel so good at the end of the day about all the work that I have accomplished toward personal and professional goals, how can I say that the constant going is wrong. This summer, I made a job change and retuned to my passion - working directly with students.

I returned to the school I consider "home." The school serves a challenged population in a difficult part of Austin. So many people see the challenges of working with the population. In my experience with our students, I find more opportunity and look forward to work each day. While I get frustrated with some of the students who lack basic social and academic skills to be successful in high school, I also get the opportunity to see just how many of our students are progressing and making the adaptation to high school and help them learn those skills and make the adaptation.

My enthusiasm for going to work has not been so strong since the last time I worked at this school. Rare is the day when I do not spend 11 hours or more at the school. Saturdays and Sundays also find me in my office at work or in my office at home doing the paper work part of my job, because I spend as much time as possible in the day with teachers and students. I only have so much time to be in contact with them. I can fulfill bureaucracy any time of the day or night.

The passion for work has translated to major changes in the rest of my life as well. I have filtered through many friends and acquaintances and life-connections and have come to concentrate on those that are truly important to me. It has also manifested itself in what I do outside work time. I am spending more time in reading, writing, and finding time to listen to music and thoroughly enjoy it.

I have also taken the time to record what I do in the kitchen and write down the recipes as I am making them.

Almost every aspect of my life has been redefined and I am happier than I have been in many years. It did not come easily or naturally, but after many months of meditation and study it came. I found many parts of my life that drained my energy while doing nothing to recharge me and in the same time, I found the friends and activities that engaged and empowered me.

Grueling, hard, time-consuming work is not always the enemy. Sometimes that hard work is the dynamo that allows itself to be done with vigor and enthusiasm.

When people say, "u just don't stop" I am proud to reply, "No, no, I don't."

Good Sports

Sometimes a sporting event becomes so compelling that even someone not particularly invested in the game looses himself in the action. I started off the evening watching the top two college football teams in the nation vie for the best shot at the national championship game at the end of the season. Defense may win championships, but it does not win viewers, so I opted to switch over to the other game I could watch on my limited channels.

I knew I could count on the other game being an offensive romp by one of the teams. I did not expect the nuclear action back and forth from both sides as the competition progressed. As a Texan, I think to some degree I am genetically predisposed to root against teams from Oklahoma; however, Oklahoma State has never reached the status of arch-rival that Oklahoma holds, so when they are doing well and there is the possibility that they are doing well and, with a win against Oklahoma could be in line for the conference and national championships, I looked forward to seeing them roll over a good, but not worthy, Kansas team.

The Kansas team refused to accept the status as "not worthy" and kept the score see-sawing back and forth in a high scoring offensive campaign. In the final minutes of the game each team traded scores about as rapidly as the players could traverse the length of the field. Three end-zone shots by Kansas in the last 20 seconds of the game threatened overtime with each play.

When I started watching the game, I had a couple other projects underway and planned to have the game on in the background as noise, but as the excitement of the game mounted, my work on the other projects began to wane until my attention was totally focused on every snap of the game. Both teams offered such exciting plays, I found myself cheering for whoever had the most recent play.

Usually I find myself firmly on the side of one team or the other, but in this game, I flip-flopped more than the combined field in the Republican presidential primary. Both sides offered something for which to cheer and players with likable stories. I wanted both teams to do well. No matter who had the ball at any given time, I caught myself with teeth clinched, ready stand and cheer for the outstanding plays. As the final drive wound to its end and the victor determined, I was satisfied despite, a little bit, hoping for the game run into overtime.

Despite the extra hour of sleep the night presented, and which I had fully hoped to take advantage of, the energy of the game kept my pulse racing until well after the game was over and by that time I was thoroughly engrossed in the latest podcast of Selected Shorts and John Lithgow reading immaculate descriptions of dogs in the story, "The Dog Walker."

The quiet reading of the stories on the podcast occupied my attention and gave me the chance to begin slowing down. Still, even as I drifted toward sleep, I continued thinking of the deep joy of watching a game well played and I look forward the the next contest that equally enraptures me.

Alarmed

I knew today was one of the days I could not allow myself to sleep later than the time the alarm went off. As an SAT site supervisor, I needed to be there early to get the materials arranged for the various test administrators so they could take them directly to their room before we let the students in.

We want the day to be as smooth as possible to relieve some of the stress associated with taking the SAT.

As normal, my alarm started blasting the local NPR radio station at 5:00. The show that was on normally played an hour later, but after the recent fall fund-drives, I figured they must have shuffled the Saturday morning playlist and the show (one of my favorites - Sound Opinions) would start coming on an hour earlier.

Halfway through the broadcast, the local announcer came on the radio and announced that the time was 6:30.

Not possible. I was supposed to be at school at that time.

I looked at my phone - 6:30. I grabbed my wristwatch - 6:30.

My leisurely preparation for the morning morphed into a mad rush to get done in -10 minutes what I counted on 40 minutes to do.

Now I know why the French used so much cologne.

I also grabbed a hat. I know better than to wear one in the building, but I have too much pride for bed-head.

I have no explanation for why my alarm clock shifted by an hour last night, except to think that some programmer, somewhere, thought it extremely funny to program the change to regular time one day early. My alarm is set for seven days a week, so there was no adjustment of any setting before I went to bed and the time correctly showed 10:44 when I pulled the blanket over my head.

Mr. Sony programmer, I curse you and spit on your bits and bytes.

And for a while, I am going to sleep a bit lighter with a back-up alarm clock, because after this event, I do not trust mine.

Maybe I need to petition my neighborhood association for chickens.

Classic Breakfast Casserole

One of my favorite meals to share with others is breakfast. I make a variety of breakfast casseroles that come together quickly the night before and then cooked in the morning just before they are ready to serve. The basics in the casserole are: croutons or dried bread, eggs, milk, cheese, browned meat (hamburger, turkey, sausage) and cream of (mushroom, celery) soup.

For a typical breakfast casserole for work or other large group, I use 2 cups of milk, 18 eggs, 2 cans cream soup, 2 boxes croutons, 2 cups cheese, 1 lb ground meat.

First I spray the pan with non-stick spray and spread the croutons or dried bread.

Then I top that with browned meat and spread cheese over that.

Then I thoroughly mix together the eggs, milk, and cream soup and pour it over the top.

Cover and refrigerate over night. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and cook about an hour  until firm in the middle.

To have an extra cheesy casserole, spread and extra cup of cheese over the top about half-way through cooking.

Turning Off the Television

I finally broke down and did it.

I cancelled my full cable package and kept only basic cable because it cost less to keep that than to just pay for cable Internet.

Brilliant bundling.

I decided to make the cut in a few months ago after I started coming home, turning on iTunes radio and reading from my Kindle more than turning the television on. After a bit of exploration, I discovered I can watch almost anything I want on some Internet venue – either the network website or some other streaming service – or just check my Twitter stream if I am that desperate to know what happened with some housewives.

I never am.

But I know how if I want to.

Television’s benefit to me was noise in an otherwise quiet house. After exploring the variety of iTunes radio stations and finding favorite stations in various genre of music, I decided I could do much more with a techno or classical beat than I could with the visual distraction of the television across the room.

In two months I read three novels - three more than I had read in the last 4 years.

I rediscovered the joy of staying up past my bedtime just to read another chapter – and then another. I have a few more books on my Kindle to make it through, but may be saving those until I get through the traditional paper books I have purchased in the last few years that I have not taken the time to read.

I also have a stack of professional books I want to read and reread.

First in my queue stands a book written by one of my former students. I anxiously await his take on the Gospel – and I promise to leave my red pen aside.

One Good Run...

...leads to another.

Just over a week ago I decided to stop talking about getting in shape and actually do something about it. The day was one of those beginning of autumn days when we are still amazed at how nice it feels to be outside with perfectly clear skies and a new dry crispness to the air. After stepping outside with my first cup of coffee for the morning, I realized I could not stay inside for the day as had been my plan for relaxing during the day.

A bit impulsively I slipped on my shorts and one of my workout shirts and grabbed the new running shoes I had purchased over a year ago - which had stayed remarkably dust free in my closet since that time. They had been a daily reminder of my lack of motivation to do anything active that I knew I needed to be doing, but now it was about to be, "new shoes meet crushed granite."

I made the few mile drive to the running trail at the lake downtown and after some cursory stretching, I started off at a slow lope on the trail. I enjoyed the scenery and weather so much, I lost track of the distance I had gone and before I realized it, I had jogged two miles non-stop. That made me a little nervous. I had at the most expected to complete a mile and then I would walk/jog the rest of the way around the portion of the trail back to my truck. Now I worried that if I stopped, I would be stuck miles from my truck with no easy way back.

I still felt good, so I stopped to walk for a set distance then began to jog again.  After a short distance, I knew my jogging for the day was done, but I was able to maintain a brisk walk around the trail back toward my truck.

The thrill of the run continued throughout the day. I was ecstatic at how well I had done on my first outing in over a year and at once began to plan for my return to the trail. The When I returned two days later, I did even better after working out the residual stiffness from the first run. I racked up a quick three miles at a pace slower, but not greatly off my in-shape race pace. I was even more excited about a return to the trail.

The next day I actually awaited the opportunity to leave work so I could get to the trail and get in another run.

I barely completed a staggering mile-and-one-half before I stopped ground to a slow walk. I overestimated my body's shape and readiness for that level of activity. Nevertheless, I also recognized the importance of being certain my 45-year-old body is well hydrated before going running because I had had nothing to drink buy my morning coffee that day. I was certain I would turn into a raisin before I made it back to my truck and somewhere I could get something to drink.

Still, I am excited about being back on the active trail and am setting my sites on some upcoming 5K races as a motivation for keeping up the running. Once I have paid the entry fee, you can be certain I will run the race - and I do not want to be one of those people being followed by law enforcement re-opening the streets and the ambulance picking up the race wounded. Another way I am going to work on maintaining my workout routine the pledge I make now to update my workout status each week with my progress in running and anything else I add to my routine to get this old body into the shape it really deserves.

Now to see how many people call me on it if I do not post something some Wednesday.

A Luddite in My Dreams

The more and more I find myself relying on technology in a variety of settings, the more I find myself getting frustrated when I come across a technology fail. Such was the case with my first blog post for NaBloPoMo - which begins today. I wrote the post on my iPad in the cozy confines of a coffee shop then uploaded it to my blog and set the post time to 6:00 a.m. on November 1.

Imagine my surprise when I took a Facebook break a bit later - as I was busy working on the next day's post and saw comments about the post that was not yet supposed to be published. I logged back in to Blogger and checked my settings.

There is was - plain as day - published at 6:00 AM 10/01/11.

Last time I checked I November was "11" not "10". I forgot to change that part of the post date.

I set it to publish a month ago - not the next day.

I wonder how badly it freaked out the blogosphere and Facebook worlds that I then corrected it to publish at the correct time: 6:00 AM on November 1.

Does it count that I published it "twice?" At least it was November in Australia by the time I actually hit the publish button.

A blogger goof due to my own typo does not compare to the work technology goofs I keep coming across. Because I went back to work in a district where I had worked before, some systems keep confusing the new me with the old me. Supposedly in the district all our passwords are the same for every application. NOT true. Some of the applications still have my old password and tech support actually expects me to REMEMBER what my password was three years ago so they can update it.

I keep getting the response, "sorry, I tried, but I cannot see that screen."

Then how do they know if my password really met all the security requirements they demand? (Duh - I know programs can read the binary code when I set my password and that is really how they do it, but I still want to ask the question and make them explain it to me so they will at least think about it before they set another off-the-wall password requirement.)

If I keep trying to log on, I get an error that the account was frozen due to many failed attempts.

You cannot reset my password, but you can freeze my account.

The same thing goes on as I we move more and more of our applications to the "cloud." I am firmly convinced that "cloud" just means a passing fancy that is what you see in it until the next breeze blows and changes its shape because every time we raise a question about something that is supposed to be on the "cloud," the response follows the strain of, "we're working on getting that right."

The more often I get that refrain, the more I am convinced I just want to keep a full supply of Bic pens in my desk and some wide-rule filler paper handy. (I once preferred college-rule, but my old eyes now demand larger handwriting.) At least then all I have to do is open my notebook and everything is filed and well organized as opposed to scattered across a system that may or may not work.

Still the tech geek in me keeps seeking opportunities to one-up others around me. I cannot wait to go into a meeting Wednesday with my new iPad dock and keyboard setup so I can take notes and even text participants from across the room while they think I am paying attention to the meeting.

I am only a Luddite in my dreams.  

Halloween Hater

No one ever seems to get why I am so anti-Halloween. Maybe I am just a curmudgeon, but that would mean I started being curmudgeonly in early childhood. Even then, I never saw a point in the holiday and could not understand why others put so much energy into a holiday with absolutely no meaningful basis.

Now, too far into adulthood, I understand some of the traditional basis for the holiday and do, to some degree, participate in a personal Dia de los Muertos recognition. I still do not see the point behind the massive Halloween celebrations that take place. I have made a few trips to the Halloween costume parade in downtown Austin. I wonder how there any business in the city reports any productivity with the extensive preparation many of the costumes require.

I still do not get why so many people spend a year preparing for the next year's costume or host the biggest party of the year on the weekend around the holiday. The rest of the year has so many other days that deserve the recognition heaped upon Oct. 31. There is Hug a Friend Day, Mother Goose Day, Johnny Appleseed Day (not to be confused with Arbor Day the next month), and even Elvis Presley's Birthday. Each day has so much more relevance than Halloween. Friends, trees, music, stories all give us so much more than Halloween.

Halloween gives us 34,000 Lady Gaga wannabes.

Stomach aches.

Cavities.

Nothing good comes from it.

At least it's not Valentine's Day.

Thinking of Amy

Amy Winehouse Dies, Before Our Eyes

I came inside for a quick cool-off from yard work and to prepare for a committee meeting downtown and, by habit, clicked on Twitter to catch up on any news I missed when the first Huffington Post breaking news headline popped up announcing the death of Amy Winehouse.

I expected more stress inducing updates on the debt-ceiling negotiations and the foolish games being played by our politicians who are now putting their own selves above the good of the nation.

I dreaded more tweets of the rising death toll in Norway.

I was not prepared for the news that such a unique voice had gone silent forever. Her sultry voice became a staple of many iTunes playlists. Despite a limited collection, that is now fixed for all time, her music will continue to influence in much the same way as other greats who also died at age 27 continue to influence music (Google the 27 Club).

Sidebar: The brain works in freaky ways sometime. As soon as I saw the headline, I immediately thought Jimi Hendrix and Kurt Cobain were also 27. Shortly thereafter the whole 27 Club stories started popping up. I was fascinated at how my brain instantly made the trivial connection between the few names and age at death. We know much more than we think we do.

As I first tweeted when seeing the headline, I was not entirely surprised at the news, but still regretted hearing it. After the recent headlines of her being booed off-stage and continued drug abuse, the downward spiral continued and I was figuring to never see her perform live; however, I hoped for more recordings. There are a few completed pieces yet to come out, but likely no fully formed new collections.

In the next days, we will likely hear much analysis of the ravages of substance abuse, and some particularly related to the use and abuse of substances in the arts and among "genius" persons. In time that will fade and we will be left with only the limited catalog of Winehouse's recordings - a catalog that will carry weight with generations of musicians to come.

Broadway To Celebrate First NY Same-Sex Marriages With On-Stage Ceremonies

Broadway To Celebrate First NY Same-Sex Marriages With On-Stage Ceremonies

Wow! I could finally marry in front of hundreds of strangers. Just what I always wanted.