Memorial Camping.

Memorial Weekend was a blast. Some traffic while getting there, but audiobook was good. Upon arrival - total relaxation, no phone, no watches, no agenda. We set up a tent, and had plenty of room inside for our stuff. Tons of food, mini golf, beach, pool, drinks and reading. Crazy moldovian/belarussian family friends who make great kebabs and weird conversations. Thank you, Bozrah CT.
We watched "Captain America" and ate cereal Sunday Morning. That was one of events on "Activity Sheet" Michelle picked up at the camping store. I baked some corn, potatoes and onions on open fire/embers.
All in all, very good time, away from things, 24hr bird chirps and fresh air, and trees. Wake up with the sunrise. Bugs and sunscreen. Game cave was a disaster - buck hunter guns were completely un-centered.

Florida is weekend after next, which seems quite close and it is. 5 days with few good friends, good drinks, good weather. Only a week left to work at Boys and Girls Club, next Tuesday is my last day before summer starts. I might come back for the fall if I don't find anything to occupy my mind.

Things are looking bright and pleasant, as always!


[Unrelated] My good friend, Jason, suggested this artist. Quite awesome to meditate on 5min of this with eyes closed.

So... The book I'm Reading

Technically, listening in the car, is called "Moonwalking With Einstein" is journey the writer takes into memory championships and starts training his own memory.
Turns out, he also has a TED talk, which I'm about to watch:


He spoils the book a little bit, still great though.


Solar Eclipse predicted by Mayan Calendar on May 20th did happen. I put it my cell phone as a reminder back in January, (or something) when I was watching Crop Circles documentary with Joey and his mother, who happen to believe in anything she sees. I got my doubts about what those circles are and aliens. The video made me more inclined to believe in the alien interaction in December. Documentaries can be so persuading :)


Cooked something new the day before yesterday:

Butternut squash
I baked it with garlic underneath, mixed with, spices, honey; removed garlic and placed pineapple under squash and baked it more. Roasted some pecans and pine nuts. Scooped squash out of the shell, mixed it with garlic, pineapple, spices, honey, and roasted nuts and placed it back into the shell and baked again. Very good, even Michelle liked it a lot. And I liked her spagetti squash she made the other day. SQUASH!


Things to look forward to:
Camping this upcoming weekend
Florida in few weeks
Arts Specialist position over the summer

Facebook Gems

This video is interesting and somewhat disturbing This video is, on the other hand, is quite brilliant.

Older People are Happier

Live in the moment
Know what's important
Invest in sure things
Deepen relationships
Savor Life

This can go to any aged individual, not those over 50.


Related TED talk:

Reflection on "15 things I should give up"

1. Give up your need to always be right. “Would I rather be right, or would I rather be kind?”

I try to be right, and show the correct answer to the situation very often. I come of as an asshole at times for my words. I try to show perspective and give a stand from another point of view, but I need to realize that even though "I know I am right" I do not necessary need to push that idea into others. I should be content with inner knowledge and outer connectedness to others though kindness.

2. Give up your need for control. “By letting it go it all gets done. The world is won by those who let it go. But when you try and try. The world is beyond winning.”
Control (the illusion of) is something we inherited from our human ancestors. Many times I try to be in charge of the situation, trying to bend it to my needs. I need to instead realize that each situation is it's own and I can only take as much from it. I should still try to be the best in any given circumstance but should not feel that things need to go a specific way. I must be more flexible.
Often, when plans don't go as I think they should, i throw a little emotional fit and get upset. I must be aware of this and take appropriate actions.

3. Give up on blame.
I don't think I am big on blames, rather I look at circumstances and attitudes. One can be changed and the other one is random. Blaming circumstances is useless, but evaluating my outlook onto things can be improved.

4. Give up your self-defeating self-talk. “The mind is a superb instrument if used rightly. Used wrongly, however, it becomes very destructive.”
I do think I can be better, stronger, more and less. I expect more from myself and from others. I don't find anything wrong with that. My self esteem is high, and I need to be aware of when I put myself or others down. Only upon being present in the moment can I adjust my attitude toward the situation or an action or a thought.

5. Give up your limiting beliefs. “A belief is not an idea held by the mind, it is an idea that holds the mind” This is something I definitely can work on more. I have grounded myself with assumptions, beliefs and ideas that are shaping not only what I see, but also what I don't see. Often, I have positive uplifting beliefs about my future accomplishments, but I'm sure the opposite happens often also. I need to broaden my beliefs about who others are and what they're capable of. The broader my perspective is, the better action and judgement I am able to go with.
The problem lies in distinguishing which beliefs are stretchable. There are certain fundamental blocks that we rely on, and switching those will inevitably reshape our existence. Perhaps for the best, since change is good no matter what. (or is this also a belief that limits me?)

6. Give up complaining.What do I complain about? I will have to come back to this one, since I try to see positive light in every situation. I complain about other peoples' perspective on life, and why they don't see the light I do. I must realize nobody on this planet is like me, and everyone had a life filled with experiences that naturally led them to this point in life. Complaining is forbidden.

7. Give up the luxury of criticism. Oh, the actions of others. How simple it is to see a a tiny misstep in others' actions, but so tough to notice a wrong detour we have taken in our journey. Judgement and oversimplicity are good relatives of criticism. There is, however, a positive spin on criticism - feedback. This is variable on the situation and those involved, so it must be catered individually. I'm not about fixing others (although i am), but about showing a better route to their destination. This can cascade to being right, to being in control, and all above mentioned. I must be careful as to how i present my advice to others, and I should not feel free so stump all their work because I know it better.

8. Give up your need to impress others. Oh man, but how? We live in a society where the more people like you the easier it is to navigate through life. Jobs, relationships, family, friends - all benefit for presenting a better picture of myself. This need is something of early human survival, where a person alone would inevitable perish, so being on the good side of the tribe was essential. Perhaps I can impress others on my humbleness (though it would be tough with my personality?). I don't consciously observe the need to impress others but only because I'm sitting at the computer right now, typing the words away, removed from the situation where social interaction is the key. I shall look into this closely, and again try to be aware of the ideas I have behind impressing others.

9. Give up your resistance to change. “Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls”
Always tough but I think I'm managing. I welcome change and try to see the benefits of any scene change. I grow everyday based on interactions and ideas bouncing around. All the little factors do contribute to who I think I am, who I'm trying to be, and who people see when they look at me.

10. Give up labels.. “The highest form of ignorance is when you reject something you don’t know anything about.”
But, but. Our brains love shortcuts. Labels is nothing conscious, rather acceptance and awareness of our labeling brains should be the norm. Every time I see or think of someone belonging to a group or owning a status, or any other put-in-this-box techniques, I should stop for a second and evaluate how much do I really know about the current situation. Only then I may be able to withhold the natural flow of labeling.

11. Give up on your fears. “The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself.”
Again, something natural, and life saving. But fear should not be the driver behind our actions (I have mentioned this sometime ago). Fear is a good indicator of potential growth, and that is what it should be used as.

12. Give up your excuses.
I was about to blame my human brain for excuses. Ha. I construct paths of cause and effect so effortlessly, I barely have to justify them. Are excuse and reason the same? Perhaps similar in the sense that they explain a certain result, but I feel an excuse has negative connotations where the blame is shifted on the circumstances instead of actions of an individual. There was heavy traffic on the way to work? Why didn't I account for it or looked online for traffic reports? Why didn't I leave earlier? Reasons behind our actions can be known or unknown, but that's not an excuse to shift the blame.

13. Give up the past.
Can't, and won't. Reflection on the past is incredibly important and it allows me to see how things have changed since [insert time period here]. I must take it with a grain of salt, however, keeping in mind that I didn't know back then what I do now. I mustn't dwell on the past, wishing it was different, or thinking 'if I only could go back'. Those are useless and time wasting. I do need to take into consideration that the only reason I am here today is because of past choices and circumstances. Past is important only as far as what it is - past.

14. Give up attachment.
I'm attached to routines and ordinarity of life. The normalcy of my mornings, the routines of social behavior, the expectations of myself and others. Inanimate objects, ideas, terrible investments that for some reason I keep holding onto thinking things will change. I'm attached to the technology, to luxury, to my thoughts and actions. The list goes on. Giving up may mean to stop relying on these factors so heavily. Though I can imagine a life without these attachments, to me they are far fetched (other countries, other neighborhoods, other people's lives) and somewhat abstract. Intellectually, I may be able to understand, but not on the emotional level. The ground at my feet is stable and I am grateful, but rejecting it without evaluation is hazardous. Perhaps I should be on the lookout of upcoming attachments and how I treat and conjure expectations from and for them.

15. Give up living your life to other people’s expectations.
Only the positive ones I should keep. Wait, positive from my perspective or those around me? The trouble with others is they see the world differently. Well, that's not really a trouble but a blessing to a certain extent. Advice I'll take any day, so long as it's bound on the experiences. Don't tell me not to jump if you have never jumped, because you know better.
But I myself have expectations of others, and it's not something I can let go of easily. This means I should not reject the outside, but see it as a helpful gesture. Fulfilling the prophesies of others is something entirely different. Next time someone suggests me how to live my life (without them being grounded on experience in a particular field), I must be thankful they take time and energy to help me, but also consider the consequences my life will have. Only I live with those.

Taken from this post on PurposeFairy

Goal accomplished with the help of Zombies.

Yesterday's 5k event  was a success. Not only did I crossed off my life "run 5k" but it was also quite an interesting run, longer than I thought it would take (took me 1:06:12.4) . More than an hour of mud soaked sneakers which were quite heavier because of it. Obstacles were fun, nothing challenging I'd imagine. I got wet at the very end, rode a giant slip-n-slide and even got a nice electric shock to my head, which made me eat some asphalt for a second. The last part was unpredictable and most fun, really enjoyed it. Got a turkey leg, shot a bunch of disposable camera photos, listened to some very good live bands, and even "drank" jello shots from large syringes. Pure relaxation and also social activity. Talked to few people about different races, and saw A TON of zombieland, handmade, team made, and other custom tee's. So many people are into this, then there is a good amount of people who will have good survival skills and understanding of the situation in case any catastrophy to hit the planet.

Though we ran in Amesbury MA, we parked in NH town of Seabrook. Just a curious thing. Shuttles were going back and forth pretty frequently. There were Apetizers (<9min/mile) Entree (9-12min/mile) and Desert (12+min/mile) Most were in the middle and it was so crazy running with all these other people through mud and zombies. Hazmat suits, nuns, clowns, brides, santa, and few others pop in my mind. Realistically, any costume would would work with some blood and gushes.

My body was quite sore, not just the legs, and I liked that feeling. I will tr to incorporate more daily mild exercise in my life to make it as much a habit as meditation and stretch. Jsut 5-10min to start with, gradually increasing once i feel comfortable.
Michelle was in a lot of pain from soreness to bruised knees to pulled muscles. And she had to go to work the next day, what a trooper. Recovery on the way.

Upcoming in next few months:
Camping with family friends extravaganza Memorial weekend
Florida for few days with couple of friends beginning of June
Starting Art Specialist in middle of June

Gotta catch life before I rush through it.

Bread Maker Maker?

Thursday:
Made bread from scratch. For some reason, the dough didn't rise.... So... I don't know how it will turn out but I'm sure it's eatable.
One loaf is garlic butter. The other is sweet with cinnamon, nutmeg, honey, and cranberries. Too bad Michelle is sleeping from her overnight shift; she won't be able to try it fresh hot out of the oven. Microwaves are the quite useful in this case.

Michelle liked the sweet one more, so I will be making more bread in the future. Though it did take quite some time, it well worth the effort. I would have to make smaller portions of the bread for easier consumption and storage.

Broken Routine

I had a routine to write my blog as I was working, but now that I'm done, i have to find another trigger to blog. Things are still happening in my life. I still wake up at 7am, and do my morning routine, before I have to walk across the street to pick up kids at 2.45pm. Interestingly, my car is out of gas for several days now, but since I'm not using it, I haven't taken time to fuel it. It is great to walk to work and back, only 5-10min.

In just few days I will be running along the side with my lovely lady from zombies. 5k zombie infested obstacle course is surely something to get pumped about. I'm really interested in the obstacle part, since they're not saying exactly what will happen. I have done a very tiny preparation for running and a little bit of work out just to get my muscles warm. Other than that, its all going to be a great way to test myself.

And this is a rather hilarious commercial. Also, something to think about.
 


Snack time
Whats on my plate right now: small piece of cheese, some dark chocolate with almonds, pine nuts, dried cranberries, pistachios. I eat what I want, since I'm in charge of what i buy, and I certainly think I'm a little obsessed with healthy eating.
Living the life! It sure is great.