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Monthly Archives: November 2013

The Rage Within

He was yelling.  Actually, he was screaming.  There is an edge to the voice when someone screams.  He was double parked next to a van stopped in the pickup area in front of the library entrance.  It isn’t really a pickup area since there is no widening of lanes to allow an unobstructing stop.

He was screaming at the van about stopping and blocking traffic.  He must have sworn because someone commented about the foul language.  Fifty or so  people stood around in disbelief witnessing this display.

He gunned the engine and his rather nice silver car jumped violently forward a couple of feet.  The car looked and felt very much like a weapon.  There were mothers and young children around.  Teens carried books.  There were many cars around.  Many in some state of wait.  Waiting to pass.  Waiting to park.  Waiting even to just get out.

It was crowded.  It was a bother.  At 3:30, the edge of school time with the school time crowding.  I did feel the annoyance.

On the back end of a horrific day, perhaps the events pushing inward would lead to anger.

We are all human.  We are all subject to the pressures from without, mounting on the pressures from within, potentially  leaving one screaming in some library parking lot.

The solution for us?  There is no solution without seeing.  So the first step is to watch.  Today you may not be able to stop what might come, but tomorrow you will change nothing unless you first see.

The car drove away in moments.  There was no screeching of tires.  No more yelling.  The car gone, the question remains:  What of the rage within?

 

One Fine Wednesday | at 3:30 pm | Just after school has let out.

 

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Irish Tour Eye Opening

I was fortunate enough to be sent to Dublin Ireland for work.  I added a Saturday at the end of the work to do some sightseeing.  Ireland is a tourist destination, and they have very good sightseeing trips.  I booked a tour bus trip up to the north end of the island to see Belfast and the Giants Causeway, two popular tourist destinations.

The day could not have been more perfect, blue sunny skies that are rare with big billowy clouds.

Stairway to heaven

Ireland North Ireland

The scenic sights were great.

What was just as memorable though was the bus driver.  He had spent 7 years in British jails without a trial as a suspected IRA sympathizer.
Continue reading “Irish Tour Eye Opening” »

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247 @ Standstill, on a Friday?

To be accurate, it was more CV (3 of 5) stop and go and stop and go ..

 

There is a lot of wild life back here behind Castro Valley.  I was heading up to this ridge,CV (1 of 5) when I saw a 2 or 3 point buck fly across the trail.  He was making tracks.  I laughed thinking he looked like he was running for his life..  then of course it occurred to me that

there are mountain lions back here.   Okay, my eyes were quite a bit wider, and I found a couple of nice sized rocks on the ridge.. as if a couple of nice sized rocks would influence a mountain lion.  Well, it was for my mental well being anyway, unless “he” showed up. Coming down from the ridge, three wild turkeys cross the road.  It was a regular 237 with

 

all the comings…

CV (2 of 5)

CV (4 of 5)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and goings…

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Where the Nine Sisters Lead

Grab a cup of coffee at “Top Dog” on Main Street, Morro Bay.  We had avoided this place for two years because we thought it was like Top Dog in Berkeley on Dwight, and you know we already have a favorite hotdog stop at this Bay.  Well, we looked in, and saw: SLO (11 of 11)  It is a coffee shop with what looks to be good food.  But we did coffee.  I had Mexican Mocha.  It was good.

A good start to follow the Nine Sisters away from Morro Bay.  They lead to San Luis Obispo, home of the Mustangs and Cal Poly. No pictures of it, but we did drive around the campus, amazed by the bicycles.  We both know though that as far as bike on campus is concerned, UC Davis wins hands down.  I think they have 23,000 bikes on campus for the 21,000 students.  That’s how it looks anyway.

The first attraction though was the Mission at San Luis Obispo, founded September 1, 1772.

SLO (3 of 11)

The California Missions were at first political, a way for Spain to protect its interests in the west as both the Russians and English grew more adventuresome with respect to this area.  However, as time went on, the Priests became more interested in spreading their religion and saving the locals, so the mission today reflect the lasting intent of those early religious.

We spent a lot of time venturing into the mission and it museum of early Californian Artifacts.  Just down the street, we found the Free Library. SLO (2 of 11) Not sure why it was called that, but it is beautiful with lots of people coming and going.  There is also an art gallery across the street that showcased multi media art from school aged kids.

The Nine Sisters did a very good job leading us to some very wonderful places.  Twelve miles from Morro Bay and a completely different life.

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Passing on the Right : America’s Downfall

Okay, this is for an American audience, used to driving on the right and entering freeways on the right with the fast lane on the left.  It is also an over-reaction, though I know I don’t have to point it out .. Most people are good.  Most people are thoughtful.  Most people are considerate.  That said ..

There are those that will drive in the fast lane holding a line of cars behind them hostage.  They can often drive the next slower lane at the same speed, but end up matching speeds with those slower lanes, and thus impeding traffic.  What results is a furious flurry of cars zig zagging to pass on the right.

It is a symptom of Entitlement.  It has always existed.  We were warned 2000 years ago that the first shall be last and the last, first.  It is not a “problem” when it is only the rich or powerful or elite that act this way.  I’m not saying that it is good, but rather that it is not debilitating.  When the masses act in this manner, society itself comes to a grinding halt.  We see that all the time.  It becomes debilitating when it comes as an intransigent stance.  One supported by fervor and belief that there is only one correct road, and that road is “my” road.  Of course, there is no one road, no one way.

So commuting down 880 four days a week, I ask that you be willing to move over and drive in that slower lane that is moving at your speed.. not because you have to.. but because it is in final assessment, good for America.

 

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Hotdogs, Books, and the Rock

Our annual sojourn to Morro Bay is in progress.  We got down here at about 1:30 just before the streets were blocked off for the Saturday Farmer’s Market.  First stop is “Hot Dogs on the Harbor” on Main Street.  Now they have great hotdogs and chili, but the real reason is that in June of 2011, on the way back from a conference in Newport Beach, we stopped there on Gregorio‘s first day of business.SLO (1 of 11)  He had his cousin I think, helping him this first day/weekend/week.  A minimum overhead operation.  He took orders for about 3 groups, then went away and food appeared.  When this group was fed, he would move to the window for the next set of customers.  Everybody seemed to know the drill.  Everyone waited patiently.  Everyone was smiling as they ate.

We also went to “our” book store, Coalesce Book Store [ www.coalescebookstore.com ]MorroBay (1 of 16) where I took this picture last year.  It is a “real” book store and almost worth the drive from the SF Bay Area by itself.  I usually find one book there that I live in for a while.  I think I found one this time:  Gift of the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh.  The first of the book is:

The beach is not a place to work, to read, write or think.  I should have remembered that from other years.  Too warm, too damp, too soft for any real mental discipline or sharp flights of spirit.  One never learns.  Hopefully, one carries down the faded straw bag, lumpy with books, clean paper, long over-due unanswered letters, freshly sharpened pencils, lists and good intentions.  The books remain unread, the pencils break their points and the pads rest smooth and unblemished as the cloudless sky.  No reading, no writing, no thoughts even – at least, not at first.

Yes, that is the beach.  That is the sea.  And I hope Anne Morrow, that it is okay that I quoted so much..  from a flier such as yourself.. as Charles.

We then walked to theSLO (7 of 11) Rock, here seen at sunset from the docs. Seemed a bit closer than last year.  I think we were a bit more rested this time around.  You can walk around to the other side of the rock, back against the rock, facing an unforgiving sea.  Today the sea was nice, forgiving.

There is a line of these rocks called the nine sisters, with this one being the farthest west.  They are in almost a straight line stretching from Morro Bay to San Luis Obispo.  They are extinct volcanos about 21 million years in age!   http://www.morrobay.com/rock.htm

The city looks

SLO (4 of 11)

the same as last year, and the residence pretty much look the same too.   These two stopping for dinner probably don’t have reservations.  No reservations at all..  The two women in the car seemed perfectly content too.  Maybe dinner was indeed on the way.

 

A nice ending to a very nice sunny first day,

SLO (8 of 11)

just like last year.

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One, Two, Three, Four

A lot of the advice I got when I took up jogging as a regular activity was to pace my breathing with my steps. Breathe in for 2 steps, breathe out for two steps, in for 2, out for 2.  When it wasn’t working, I tried changing my breathing pattern. In for 2, out for 4. In for 2, out for 3. In for 3, out for 3. Ultimately, none of these were sustainable enough to last more than a quarter of a mile, at most.

I asked for more advice, and I was told to slow down my steps. In for 1……….2………., out for 1……….2……….

This worked out pretty well, but I started changing it in my head. The musician inside me read my running in a very legato 4/4. I started breathing in 1, 2 and out 3, 4. This could last me for about half a mile before the out breaths began feeling heavy and useless.

So I changed it. Out 1, 2. In 3, 4. Out 1, 2. In 3, 4. The end of my measure became the beginning of my breathing cycle. I put the high point of the phrase on beat 2, had a quick recovery on beat 3 and set up the next measure on beat 4.

I ran 1.25 miles.

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