Art is Long, Time is Bleeting

My birthday is in September and the state in which I grew up allowed kids with this birth month to begin school the year of the 5th birthday. So, I started kindergarten when I was 4. I was always one of the youngest in my grade.

I was also the 3rd of 3 boys, with the next younger 10 years older than me. My oldest brother is 16 years older than me. So, after about 3rd grade, I was basically an only child. And, my parents moved to a new state after I graduated from high school, having lived in the same house for 18 years.

I grew up somewhat as the spoiled baby of the family. Although my parents were always fairly stoic (both with depression-era resiliency), becoming empty-nesters after 25 years of raising kids added to living in a new place must have been traumatic.

They never showed even momentary angst to me. They always had my (and my brothers') best interest at heart. I will always remember my Mom telling me when I left for college to enjoy the experience, that it would be the best of my life. I did enjoy my college years. I met some great friends, matured immensely, and maybe learned a few new things along the way.

As you move through life, you realize the significance of how you choose to spend your time. I have no regrets about how I spent my college years. I was not a star student. I was far from the most popular BMOC. But, I don't think there's anything I would want deleted from my college years (well, maybe one night of altered consciousness early on; a tale for another day).

I would, however, add some things to those years based on having experienced more trials of life war. I think I would have a different perspective and appreciation for some of the classes that seemed then a waste of time. English Lit is one, Sociology and Poli Sci are others.

I don't think anything I could have added to my college experience would have prepared me to appreciate a cultured town such as San Antonio trying to intimidate a Dallas Mavericks basketball player through haiku.

The Alamo's home.
Roosevelt's Rough Riders base,
Slinging Haiku Smack.

What's next in the wide, wide world of sports?

Tiger made me do it

I am discovering that the definition of middle and old age is much more relative that I used to think. When you're 15, anything over about 21 is old. Anyone 50+ is clueless, infirm, and requires fairly constant supervision.

But, your perspective at 50 is different. It didn't result for me from a sudden revelation, it evolved over the long heartbeat of time. I now understand and even appreciate why my parents did some things that seemed idiotic at the time. I also try to learn from things they did then that don't seem wise even now.

One glaring error of omission for both of my parents: no exercise. Nothing. Ever. I try to get a decent workout at least 3 times per week. Per the good doctors at the Cooper Aerobics Center, the cardiovascular benefit of exercise is measured in 3 dimensions: duration, frequency, and intensity. A minimally beneficial regimen requires 30 minutes at least 3 times per week with a heart rate (for me) of 140-150. Adding a fourth workout plus a few more minutes to each is good, but the majority of the cardiovascular benefit is achieved with just this. Working at a higher intensity (meaning higher heart rate) moves me in to the anaerobic zone, which has benefits, but probably does not add any cardiovascular improvement.

So, I know I need to do this. Every week. But I still struggle many weeks to get my butt to the gym. I am continually seeking new ways to work out, new variety, new challenges to maintain motivation. Endorphin highs help. So also does feedback from a product developed jointly by Nike and Apple called the Nike+ SportKit. I insert a mercury-based potientiometer into or onto my shoe (Nike+ shoes have a built-in slot to house the device, but I despise Nike shoes) and a receiver into my Ipod Nano. The system then tracks my mileage, pace, and time. As I listen to my power tunes playlist, verbal status updates are offered throughout the workout. And, the final encouragement comes directly from a few famous (and Nike endorsing) athletes.

Last week, I ran about 4 miles in a little under 45 minutes. At the completion of the workout, Tiger Woods says to me: "Congratulations! You have just set a new personal best by running the fastest 1 mile you have run. Keep it up!"

For a 50+ year old, this is one more arrow in the quiver of motivation. I need all the help I can get.

Framed Tomato Aspective

Today's stream of consciousness:

1: I don't really like raw tomatoes. I eat them occasionally because doctors say that they promote overall prostate health. A favorite (but dearly departed) aunt once served me and my bride a heaping of tomato aspic. We were polite.

2: Standard definition television screens are slightly wider than they are tall. The ratio of width to height is 4:3 (this is called the aspect ratio). High definition televisions have an aspect ratio of 16:9, which is why most of us need new cabinets to house them. Blu-Ray DVD's mostly have an aspect ratio of 2.4:1 in order to match the ratio in which most modern film is recorded. This means frequent surprise when owners of new equipment see the black bands at the top and bottom of the screen when watching Blu-Ray technology. Film purists insist this allows us to view the film as the artist/director/cinematographer intended. Technical purists insist also that this reduces artificial compression of the source material thereby providing sharper resolution of the images.

3: I have performed a fair amount of amateur video editing, mostly for my church. I use computer software to "capture" video shot on a digital camcorder, rearrange it, add music and scene transitions, and print to tape or dvd. Hollywood film is shot at a frame rate of 24 feet per second (fps). Broadcast television is at 30 fps. But, digital video is 29.97 fps. Most major Hollywood productions today (excluding works such as Blair Witch Project) are shot on film at 24 fps but edited on a computer at 29.97 fps. Thus, the computer software is capable of syncing the data even though it exists in two different mediums. Using this software exponentially reduces production costs because it allows the director and editor to work non-linear: they can drag and drop scenes on the computer and then allow the software to produce the film based on the time-code sync of the two formats. In the good old days, editors would literally cut and splice film. Inefficient directors often shoot 3 or 4 times the footage that ends up in the final production, so the ability to edit using non linear software technology (plus the ability to easily add computer generated animation or CGI) greatly reduces production costs. That's why you see some independent productions that match the quality of big budget Hollywood.

4: I have seen 2 state fairs, both US Disney wonderlands, the Empire State Building, the Sears tower, NASA, Cape Canaveral, the Liberty Bell, the White House, the Grand Canyon, Fenway Park, the Rose Bowl and Augusta National Golf Club. I have personally met two US Presidents, several Fortune 500 CEO's, notable celebrities and sports stars. I have travelled a fair amount outside the US. In short, life is pretty good. I have experienced a quality of life unfathomable by my grandparents. I believe there are a lot of Americans who feel as fortunate as I and refuse to let the portrayal of current world events, howsoever dire they seem, belie my belief in truth, justice, and the American Way.

Thank you.

Patient Expectations

The WSJ online column called the couch has a pretty incisive view today of the sports world's tendency towards extended seasons. Do the NBA and NHL really need to play 80 or so games to eliminate less than half of their fields for postseason play? When should we start to pay attention? The article says not yet.

The article also includes vitriol for the Yankees:

"What can you do in 37 minutes? If you're reasonably fit, you can run roughly four miles. If you're not, you can watch about an episode and a half of Seinfeld on DVD. And if you're the Cleveland Indians, you can score 14 runs in one inning against the New York Yankees."

Our society created the professional sports monster. It's starting to trickle down even to the high school level, with ESPNU televising 15 prep games, with UCLA and UK offering scholarships to eighth graders (although coach Gillespie no longer can fulfill his offer), with full coverage of 13 year old phenoms.

How do we define success for our kids? Hopefully with a measure of reason and not based on the lofty and mostly unreachable expectations of main stream media.

Revelation

The Book of Revelation has always been a mystery for me, given its metaphorical but less than intuitively obvious phrasing. In his April 19 study notes, Scott Engle (St. Andrew UMC, Plano TX) provides a pretty good explanation of the four horsemen of the apocalypse verses in chapter 6:

The book of Revelation has much to say about so many people’s willingness to place their ultimate trust any place other than in God. The four horsemen is one of the most dramatic images in Scripture about such futility. It is important to see that there is a pattern to these four horsemen. The first rider comes out on a white horse, carrying a bow, a weapon of war, and sets about conquering. It isn’t hard to imagine the threat posed by this first rider. The second rider is on a bright red horse and carries a mighty sword. This rider goes across the planet setting people against one another (as if we needed help with that one!). The third rider, on a black horse, seems a bit more obscure. This rider carries a set of scales that would be used in commerce. The prices quoted by the rider for the basics of life, like wheat, are astronomically high. This rider brings famine and economic hardship. The final rider is on a pale green horse and bears the name, Death. Conquest, violence, famine, and death. They are dressed up in
dramatic imagery but they are certainly not new to us. Furthermore, though John’s visions depict these as being inflicted by the heavens, we know that these are all self-inflicted, when we stop and think of humanity as one. It is we who make war on one another. It is we who take the peace away and stand by while others starve. Going back to the Garden of Eden, even death is the result of humanity’s choice. The riders bring nothing that we haven’t already brought on ourselves. Still, there is the clear sense in this vision that God is a threat.

So what’s the point? Craig Koester suggests that this vision sets the stage for what follows, in that the riders are a call to repentance and faith. Repentance: Will we turn 180° and walk toward God not away from him? Faith: Will we trust God in all things and above all else? Look again at each of the four riders. Can we build armies powerful enough to keep away all foreign conquerors? September 11 shattered that illusion for any who still held it. Can we build a large enough police force to stop all violence and return the peace? The proliferation of both prisons and crime answers that one for us. Can we have bank accounts large enough to shield us from any economic hardship? The depth of this latest recession is shattering many illusions about the inevitability of economic security. How about death? Do any of us know a doctor who can make us immortal. My doctor has gotten me this far in life, but he is only going to take me so far.

Stark images, such as these horsemen, are meant to be that proverbial wakeup call, the 2x4 upside the head. It’s a bit like an “intervention,” where loved ones gather to confront someone with the truth, to shock them into seeing that their life is a wreck and they need help.

Shrimply Not True

One of my long time pals rates cocktail parties based on the quantity and quality of shrimp offered on the h'ors deourve table. He is a tee totaler and generally loathes pointless chit chat (I find no fault with his view on this) and so is understandably biased towards the food component of such parties.


He would be aghast at the behavior of this Ft. Worth restaurant patron. Crank-yankin with 911 seems a tad irresponsible.

My Conservative Palate

By American standards, I am right of center in politics, religion, and choice of cuisine. Growing up the son of a southern belle who loved to cook, I like almost all vegetables and fruit. Turnip greens, asparagus, cabbage, spinach, lima beans, brussels sprouts: you bet. No beets or eggplant . I could probably subsist for an extended period on black-eyed peas and corn alone. Add cornbread and I might consider vegetarianism.

When it comes to meat, I rarely venture away from beef, mainstream pork, chicken, or white fish. I tried duck for the first time a few months ago and liked it, but would never prepare it at home. The day-in day-out meat staples for me are burgers, grilled chicken, and an every week or so fish or steak.

The NY Times is proclaiming goat as the latest taste sensation. The article says that more goat meat is consumed throughout the world than any other meat. Surely in the wild, wild west I could find a recommendation for a good cabrito taco. Any offers?