Life On A B-I7

Hike

I went on a hike the other day. This photo is of an old prohibition era still set up in the hills outside Redmond, Oregon. There are several of these in the area. I’m a big fan of whiskey, but I prefer mine to be aged in oak barrels for some time before it is bottled. During the prohibition era, that was probably not the case all that often. I’m glad we now live in a more “civilized” time.

Too Long To Be An Epitaph

…but maybe this could be handed out to guests at the party…

Keep moving, keep learning, keep growing, pay your debts, live within your means, you don’t need two of everything, lemon bars are not as good as they look, be like the people you admire, admire only good people, read good books, listen to good music, don’t let the cat tell you what to do, don’t eat at IHOP, vote for good people, don’t vote for people that you need to make excuses for, pray for snow, don’t leave the water running, don’t drive too fast, listen to your creative self, go to bed early, get up early, ski as long as you can, take naps, be kind, smile, don’t look for compliments, if you receive a compliment be gracious, only eat when you are hungry, stay in the here and now, don’t drink too much, tell your inner critic to go look elsewhere, be patient, don’t stress out, at the end of every day spend time examining your day, watch baseball and keep score, remember that age is a state of mind, you can always edit your life, simplify, organize, focus, when you can’t use facts and information use kindness.

Day #202

Natalie Goldberg said: (I am paraphrasing slightly) “Write about what you are afraid to speak about.”

I’m working up to that. I need to print out that quote and paste it up above my desk… There is a part of me that is afraid to speak out. I’m not quite evolved enough to step into that territory. I joined the Central Oregon Writers Guild this week, not because I’m a writer, let’s be clear about that. I joined in the hope that by meeting with real writers once a month in the Bend Oregon Library, I might learn something about how to do this.

Democracy

We make lots of choices in life. Some of us choose to learn and think, some choose to listen, and some choose to do neither. The result of those choices can lead to undesirable events. When the choice of one or the other is endemic, that can have a dire impact on a democracy. If we look at the many democracies that have come and gone in the past, there appears a common thread. When the populous chooses to discard learning and instead listen to one individual, allowing that individual to do their thinking for them, that has historically led to a fundamental disruption. A disruption that in most cases has been the precursor to the fall of that democracy.

Our founders believed they had designed a type of democracy that had the institutional strength to resist the sort of tyranny that misguided masses can wreck upon their government. While they came closer than probably any democracy that preceded the one they established, we now know that there is no sure thing that can guarantee the preservation of a government, even one as perfect as our own. The key lies in two things that are never guaranteed. The willingness of the governed to think for themselves and participate in their government, and the willingness of their elected leaders to choose the good of the society over their personal preferences. Whether their preference is for power or whether it is for the imposition of their morals over their fellows, in either case, the will of the populous being ignored, the government is likely to fall into corruption.

Day #201

Susan Sontag said: “A writer is someone who pays attention to the world.”

I like to think I do that. As long as you are paying attention, there’s a chance you will observe something that leads to a new understanding. It may be gradual and it may be slight, but it is probably naive to think that enlightenment comes in any other way.

500 Words A Day

Ray Bradbury wrote a thousand words a day starting at age 9. The first work he felt truly satisfied with he released when he was 25. Given that I write only about 500 words a day and have been at it now for 5 years, I will likely be 98 years old before I have produced a piece of writing that truly satisfies me.

I don’t let that discourage me. I’m not Ray Bradbury. I don’t have his skill with language or his creativity, but that’s okay. We bring to the table what we have to offer. If what we bring is the best that we can produce at the moment, we have done our best. The real point is to keep going. The only goal I have for myself is to continue channeling my creative expression. That’s enough. That, and good handwriting.

Day #200

William Faulkner said: “Get it down. Take chances. It may be bad, but it’s the only way you can do anything good.”

I often find that my ideas are bad, in that case, I don’t share them. Occasionally I do create something “good.” That usually comes after having taken a chance. It’s safe to say, my best work usually comes after taking a chance.

Day #199

Franz Kafka said: “Writing is prayer.”

I’m not the praying type… Perhaps that’s why I write.

While We Can

“While we can,” is probably as good a reason as anyone has come up with for doing something now that you may not be able to do once you get older. I’m talking about things that may be beyond my capacity in the not-too-distant future. It’s why I cycle and ski as much as I can now. I hope to be able to do those things for a long time, but there are no guarantees. Even if you’re younger than I am, you might want to give this a bit of thought.

My goal is to be skiing at age 100. Of course that will take a bit of luck and I won’t be skiing then, the way I do now. It will be flat-skiing on blue runs with body weight carefully distributed over the center of my skis in as leisurely a manner as possible, but at least if the future unfolds the way I want it to, I will be skiing or something that closely approximates that.

Keep Your Expectations Under Control

I woke up this morning to 3 inches of fresh snow on the back patio. In early April, that is considered a good thing if you’re a skier. I packed up my gear and headed up to Mt. Bachelor. Yes, there was fresh snow there as well. The downside is the fresh snow was sitting on top of some crunchy bits, and here and there, some scraped-off surfaces. That makes skiing a bit harder work than it would be in mid-winter, but considering it’s April, I’ll take that any day.

It was a fun day of skiing. I stuck to the edges of the slopes and occasionally ducked into the trees where I found unpacked openings. That was the best part of the day, as well as simply working on the skill set I’m currently focusing on.

I need to preface this paragraph with a disclaimer. A loved one recently reminded me not to focus on myself too much, and also not to be focused on what other people have to say about me. That said, when good things happen, I think it’s okay to share, as long as you don’t make it a daily habit. Yesterday when I came off the mountain, the ski shop manager stopped me in the lodge and told me she saw me on the hill, and she said that I was “a pretty skier.” I’m going to take that as a compliment. She might have been talking about the color of my ski pants and jacket, but I’m going to choose to think she was talking about my skiing technique. The reason this makes me happy is I have been working very hard this season to advance my technique to the next level. I’ve had some success at doing that. Frankly, the success has exceeded my expectations. I tend to “Keep your expectations under control,” that way “You just might surprise yourself to see how far you go.”¹ This season has been surprising in that regard. I’m especially happy I can still learn new physical skills, even at 70. I’m also aware that is not going to continue into infinity…

Day #198

Martin Luther said: “If you want to change the world, pick up your pen and write.”

Of course, it has to be worth reading and it will also need to be read. Nevertheless, he is correct, even if the world you are changing is only your own.

Day #197

It may be that humans evolved the ability to practice science. Evolution, as the saying goes “does not plan ahead.” It may well be that the ability of humans to think scientifically evolved from the practice of tracking wild game. A skill developed by the earliest humans that was necessary for survival. It has been demonstrated that tracking is a science and not an art which could be the very evolutionary stimulus that has brought us to physics, space travel, and AI today.

Unlocking Another Secret

I went skiing yesterday. The season is winding down. I did not have the proper wax and by 2 pm my quads were burning. If you don’t get it, that’s okay, trust me, it’s a thing. I had a good day on the snow. As the title suggests, I unlocked another key to the mystery of good skiing. (One might say great skiing, but at age 70, I’ll settle for good.) The secret is — keep your hands out in front of you. Elbows bent, hands low, but as far in front of you as you can push them, and keep them there all the time.”

The beauty of this is it helps to get your weight forward onto the tips of your skis. The skis are designed to turn tips first. By engaging the tips, particularly of the turning ski, you allow the ski to take over and do what it was designed to do. This can’t happen if your weight is not forward on your skis, having your hands out in front is the secret sauce that helps to keep your weight forward.

When you look down from the chair lift and you see skiers with their hands by their sides you will invariably see the tails of their skis releasing halfway through the turn and sliding downhill. That’s a sure sign that their weight is not over the front of their skis. Their weight is on the center of their skis, or worse on the tails of their skis.

Day #196

By locating the thing that sheep desire, a herder can bend the flock’s will in that direction. You cannot do that by bullying the sheep, you must create in them a desire to follow. That is the key to herding any animal — humans included.

A Special Event

I recently wore this Tie Tac and Ring to a Memorial Service for Nancy Evans. What’s unusual about this is I was the only man out of several hundred (that I observed) wearing a Tie Tac. I guess they have gone out of fashion.

Nancy is the wife of the former Governor of Washington, Daniel Evans. Some say the best Governor Washington has ever had. That view was conveyed to me by one of his successors, who was also in attendance. Be that as it may, it was a privilege to attend the memorial. I was there escorting one of Nancy’s Nieces.

Back to the jewelry. I’ve started documenting some of my Father’s memorabilia that I have had in storage since his passing a few years ago. The Tie Tac and the Ring were among the items I retrieved from storage. I was very happy to bring them out into public and wear them for a very special event. That said, no one noticed (or at least commented). That’s okay. Wearing them made me feel a connection to my Dad. He would have loved to have been there. (I’m sure he was an Evans supporter.) He probably would have done a better job mixing with all the folks in attendance than I did, but that’s not the point, he would have enjoyed the event as much as I did. I was glad I could be there, and, in a small way, have him with me.

The Tie Tac is a replica of an ANA Airlines 747. The ring my Father picked up in Indonesia at some point. My siblings and I can’t fill in the back story on the ring

Day #195

The Three “C’s.” (Also, my favorite formula.)

Coffee + Cats = Clarity

April Fool’s Day

Also known as “All Fools Day,” its origin is somewhat shrouded in mystery. My preferred explanation originates from the late 1600s. France, after the Council of Trent, switched from the Julian Calendar to the Gregorian Calendar. Before the Council’s order in 1563, the new year according to the Julian Calendar, began on the Spring Equinox. The date varied each year as the Lunar Cycle differed slightly from year to year. The Gregorian Calendar chose January 1 as the start of the new year, presumably to simplify and standardize the new year’s starting date. People who were slow to adopt the news of this change were considered to be “April Fools.” It was customary to attach paper fish to their backs signifying their gullibility. It makes sense if you’re French apparently.

Pranks have become the way to celebrate April 1st. My favorite was pulled off by the BBC in 1976. They reported that at 9:47 AM, an unusual alignment between Jupiter and Pluto would allow people to briefly levitate. Sure enough at 9:48, hundreds of people phoned in to report that they had actually levitated. They were (presumable) not wearing paper fish.

Another classic prank was pulled off by NPR’s “Talk of the Nation” radio show in 1992. The show reported that Richard Nixon was returning to political life, the segment that was aired was complete with the voice of Richard Nixon apologizing and declaring he would never lie again. The voice was recorded by the famous comedian and impressionist Rich Little.

All of this simply goes to show that you don’t need a special day once a year to shade people and get them to believe outrageous things. Example: the willingness of people to buy Bibles from someone who has never even read one and can’t quote a single verse from his $59.99 “special” edition.

# 194

Start slow and small.
Build a routine.
Track your results.
Cut yourself some slack.
Keep going.

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Dangling Participle

Some say a dangling participle is the sign of an inexperienced writer. If readers see one, they immediately close the book and move on. It takes a skilled writer to use one and get away with it. I don’t even know what one is. My method of writing is: If it sounds good, go with it, if it sounds bad, fix it. That’s how I ski too — except by feel and not by sound…

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A Song to Carry With You

If there is a secret to life, it’s living in the here and now.

— Delbert McClinton and Glenn Cook

It also doesn’t hurt to, whenever possible, dismiss the shit that doesn’t matter.

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# 193

According to a Sioux Elder, the meaning of life is found in the ability to address everything that we encounter with a song. To do that we will need to have some songs at our disposal. We also need to keep a few at the forefront of our consciousness. We need to curate a personal list of songs that we can call on to carry us through whatever situation we may be facing.

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# 192

Remember, it is never a good idea to fall too much in love with your ideas, you could always be wrong. The more in love you are with them, the more likely it is you are blind to something you should see.

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On Writing and Books

You can always edit a bad page. You can’t edit a blank page.
—Jodi Picoult

A writer only begins a book. A reader finishes it.
—Samuel Johnson

The first draft is just telling yourself a story.
—Terry Pratchett

A room without books is like a body without a soul.
—Cicero

So many books, so little time.
—Frank Zappa

Books are uniquely portable magic.
—Stephen King

If I had to pick a favorite, I would choose the quote by Cicero. I’m a fan of the Stoic school of philosophy. That doesn’t mean I know much about Stoicism, but I’m learning.

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Opening Day

Today is the opening day of the 2024 Baseball Season. This is just what America needs. I would love to be at T-Mobile Park tonight to watch the Mariners take on the Boston Red Sox. I remember years ago attending a game in Fenway Park. Those were the days when Jay Buhner played right field for the Mariners. What a thrill that was. I had a seat in right field, third row from the fence. Jay made a leaping catch above the wall directly in front of me. That was a moment to remember.

Why America needs baseball right now is not an issue I care to delve into in depth. What I will say is that history will look back on this time and agree with me that baseball is a constant that will serve in a large measure to provide some sorely needed truth and integrity to the American soul. The optimism that baseball brings encourages me to hope that those Americans who have been persuaded to believe in election-denying lies will eventually see they have been intentionally misled.

Note: Taking a cue from Andrew Weissmann, The abbreviation “JEA” used in the title of this post means “Journal Entry Addendum.”

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# 191

Nothing in the Universe is lost. Destruction is always counterbalanced by creation. You can’t have one without the other. You might be familiar with the phrase, “conservation of energy.” That applies to the human sphere as well.

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