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The USS Geddy Lee
Wouldn't that be awesome?
I haven't written here in a little while, partly because I've been pretty busy with things, partly because I just haven't wanted to say much of anything...at least until what I've been working on is done. But, you know...there's a bit of time, so I thought I could use this as a marker for the trail I'm on.
Life has become a series of starts and stops; I'm making progress with things I want to be doing, the kind of life I want to lead, the kind of person I ultimately want to be...but then there's the inevitable stop, the slide back into forgetful and mindless behavior. Thankfully, though, the slides are getting shorter and less severe, and the push towards progress is more and more frequent. Part of the reason I'm so quiet about it is there's really nothing to say. Put up or shut up, so to speak, and let whatever work speak for itself.
Mostly I've been kind of trying to get myself ready for the Move(tm). It seems that now is a time of transition for just about everyone here in NARFA; both![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
stickypawz and delphinios are heading back to school again this fall; they're going to the community college a town or two north of here, and I have to say I'm really excited for them. If I weren't headed elsewhere, I'd almost certainly be joining them. :) As it is, I'm *really* looking forward to starting school out in CA; a lot of my strategy on when that will happen pretty much hinges on whether or not I can land a job with San Jose State once I get out there.
My checking account is steadily getting more padded; I've been trying desperately to curb my money and not eat out or buy as much...and there've been successes for the most part. The ban on all fast food for Lent has been a Godsend, actually; I've been eating in a *lot* more in-house food, which is great, but I probably haven't been cooking as much as I should, which is bad. :) The thing is I...really don't feel like it most of the time, and I'm afraid I've traded in the vice of the Big Mac for the vice of the TV dinner. This isn't as bad as it sounds; I tend to buy Healthy Choice or Lean Cuisine or some such, which while not as great as a home-cooked dinner, isn't that bad. Vacuous in vitamins and the like, but only high in sodium and not much else. :)
Nonetheless, I've lost weight! To the point that people have been remarking on it, hurrah! I've gone down a good 10 - 15 pounds and my belly is noticeably flatter! :D I definitely hit a plateau, though; I'm going to need to start getting a bit more serious about exercising and eating well if I'm going to get in better shape.
Thankfully, the weather is beginning to turn for the better, which means it's time to bring out the old bike and start hitting that pretty hard. The yoga's helped my back immensely, and it also has the fringe benefits of helping with energy and focus too. Hooray! :)
Let's see, there was also teeth stuff; got my fillings for two of the worst three teeth. Oddly enough they completely ignored the backmost upper left molar, which I was certainly had a cavity that was dangerously near the nerve. I guess that just goes to show what I know about dentistry. :) Getting the fillings in itself was a very interesting experience. I had this interesting little headtrip (*lots* of local anesthetic and nitrous oxide, and maybe a Valium or two) about the importance of distinguishing between perception and reality, possibly influenced by the philosophy book I'm reading, and even exactly how to go about writing it. The importance of small details to establish the difference between my drugged and non-drugged state, like what was playing on the TV when everything was going down, and how the noise coming from that part of the room changed and fuzzed until the crisp details were lost in this fog. I walked away from the whole thing with this great creative fire, a very sore mouth, and a hole in my checking account where $450 once was. Honestly, I was more excited about being excited about a trip to the dentist than the essay itself. It means that the writer's mentality has taken hold a bit more firmly...even if my production hasn't quite caught up to it. :) Still, there's this overall feeling of...blooming, slowly...and late. ;)
Anyway, there was *also* the visit of Dad the weekend before last, which I could write at length about but thankfully he's already done! so I don't have to. ;) Thanks, Dad! Anyway, he told me that I was grinding my teeth really hard in my sleep...which made me think of all the *other* times people have remarked on the weird noises I make at night. ;) Some people say it's a clicking sound, others were kind of stupefied to describe it. But whatever it was, there's been this thing for quite some time.
A little bit of research told me more or less exactly what was going on; there's this thing called 'bruxing' where you grind and gnash your teeth when you sleep. Everyone does it to some degree, apparently, but one in four adults have it rather badly...and long-term severe bruxing can lead to all kinds of problems, from weak tooth-roots to chipping in the enamel to eventual breakage. This would explain quite nicely why there are no points to my canines (I've ground them all down) and why the edges of my teeth feel so rough. Apparently, bruxism is stress-related and the best way to deal with it is a) stop stressing so damned much and b) wear a mouth guard when you sleep so your teeth clench against that instead of each other.
Last night was the first night sleeping with the mouth guard. I look like King High Dork in one of those, but it's a good fit for my teeth and it's only mildly uncomfortable. I'm thinking I just might try and reboil it to see if I can't make it a bit more comfortable, but I have the sinking feeling that my prodigious overbite is what's causing the trouble mostly.
Let's see; the Joseph Campbell Companion is every bit as amazing as I thought it would be, and I've recommited myself to reading more of him. On a slightly related note,animakitty posted some notes from a recent English class about the importance of myth in bridging the split between morals and truth that has developed, especially in recent philosophy. It was a bit of a revelation for me; I've always considered the vast importance in integrating myths and the lessons they teach into our everyday lives (one of the reasons I love D+D so much is the idea of taking these broad, general archetypes, molding them to the individual personalities of my players and having them explore themselves through The Hero's Journey is...immensely appealing to me) and here was a fellow saying exactly the same thing. It makes me wonder whether Professor Maner is a fan of Joseph Campbell as well. :)
I'm currently reading Think by Simon Blackburn. It bills itself as a compelling introduction to philosophy and by and large that's true. As with most introductory texts, though, considerable research into his references is called for to really *grasp* his argument. It's put together well and he plays with the mind-boggling (at least for me) concepts of metaphysics well...but it's slow going to make sure I understand him. I'm only halfway through chapter two, because I keep reading and rereading the text until I'm sure my grip on it is good enough to move on. :)
And finally, I'm getting back into the whole totemic aspect of my spirituality. I'm feeling a very strong pull towards the desert particularly, and maybe I'll have to see about spending time in Arizona or New Mexico during the Big Move, just to check it out. I've heard nothing but great things about the area and I'd like to visit to see what it's like.
Anyway, I'm kind of toying with the idea of a particular rabbity species. :) Dad's been helping with research and suggestions, and I think right now there are four frontrunners: the black-tailed jackrabbit, the white-tailed jackrabbit, the Flemish Giant, and the snowshoe hare. If anyone has any other ideas, feel free to make them. :)
And...I think we're caught up, barring gaming stuff. ;) Apologies for the length of this post, and thanks for reading to the bottom, if you have. :)
I haven't written here in a little while, partly because I've been pretty busy with things, partly because I just haven't wanted to say much of anything...at least until what I've been working on is done. But, you know...there's a bit of time, so I thought I could use this as a marker for the trail I'm on.
Life has become a series of starts and stops; I'm making progress with things I want to be doing, the kind of life I want to lead, the kind of person I ultimately want to be...but then there's the inevitable stop, the slide back into forgetful and mindless behavior. Thankfully, though, the slides are getting shorter and less severe, and the push towards progress is more and more frequent. Part of the reason I'm so quiet about it is there's really nothing to say. Put up or shut up, so to speak, and let whatever work speak for itself.
Mostly I've been kind of trying to get myself ready for the Move(tm). It seems that now is a time of transition for just about everyone here in NARFA; both
stickypawz and delphinios are heading back to school again this fall; they're going to the community college a town or two north of here, and I have to say I'm really excited for them. If I weren't headed elsewhere, I'd almost certainly be joining them. :) As it is, I'm *really* looking forward to starting school out in CA; a lot of my strategy on when that will happen pretty much hinges on whether or not I can land a job with San Jose State once I get out there.My checking account is steadily getting more padded; I've been trying desperately to curb my money and not eat out or buy as much...and there've been successes for the most part. The ban on all fast food for Lent has been a Godsend, actually; I've been eating in a *lot* more in-house food, which is great, but I probably haven't been cooking as much as I should, which is bad. :) The thing is I...really don't feel like it most of the time, and I'm afraid I've traded in the vice of the Big Mac for the vice of the TV dinner. This isn't as bad as it sounds; I tend to buy Healthy Choice or Lean Cuisine or some such, which while not as great as a home-cooked dinner, isn't that bad. Vacuous in vitamins and the like, but only high in sodium and not much else. :)
Nonetheless, I've lost weight! To the point that people have been remarking on it, hurrah! I've gone down a good 10 - 15 pounds and my belly is noticeably flatter! :D I definitely hit a plateau, though; I'm going to need to start getting a bit more serious about exercising and eating well if I'm going to get in better shape.
Thankfully, the weather is beginning to turn for the better, which means it's time to bring out the old bike and start hitting that pretty hard. The yoga's helped my back immensely, and it also has the fringe benefits of helping with energy and focus too. Hooray! :)
Let's see, there was also teeth stuff; got my fillings for two of the worst three teeth. Oddly enough they completely ignored the backmost upper left molar, which I was certainly had a cavity that was dangerously near the nerve. I guess that just goes to show what I know about dentistry. :) Getting the fillings in itself was a very interesting experience. I had this interesting little headtrip (*lots* of local anesthetic and nitrous oxide, and maybe a Valium or two) about the importance of distinguishing between perception and reality, possibly influenced by the philosophy book I'm reading, and even exactly how to go about writing it. The importance of small details to establish the difference between my drugged and non-drugged state, like what was playing on the TV when everything was going down, and how the noise coming from that part of the room changed and fuzzed until the crisp details were lost in this fog. I walked away from the whole thing with this great creative fire, a very sore mouth, and a hole in my checking account where $450 once was. Honestly, I was more excited about being excited about a trip to the dentist than the essay itself. It means that the writer's mentality has taken hold a bit more firmly...even if my production hasn't quite caught up to it. :) Still, there's this overall feeling of...blooming, slowly...and late. ;)
Anyway, there was *also* the visit of Dad the weekend before last, which I could write at length about but thankfully he's already done! so I don't have to. ;) Thanks, Dad! Anyway, he told me that I was grinding my teeth really hard in my sleep...which made me think of all the *other* times people have remarked on the weird noises I make at night. ;) Some people say it's a clicking sound, others were kind of stupefied to describe it. But whatever it was, there's been this thing for quite some time.
A little bit of research told me more or less exactly what was going on; there's this thing called 'bruxing' where you grind and gnash your teeth when you sleep. Everyone does it to some degree, apparently, but one in four adults have it rather badly...and long-term severe bruxing can lead to all kinds of problems, from weak tooth-roots to chipping in the enamel to eventual breakage. This would explain quite nicely why there are no points to my canines (I've ground them all down) and why the edges of my teeth feel so rough. Apparently, bruxism is stress-related and the best way to deal with it is a) stop stressing so damned much and b) wear a mouth guard when you sleep so your teeth clench against that instead of each other.
Last night was the first night sleeping with the mouth guard. I look like King High Dork in one of those, but it's a good fit for my teeth and it's only mildly uncomfortable. I'm thinking I just might try and reboil it to see if I can't make it a bit more comfortable, but I have the sinking feeling that my prodigious overbite is what's causing the trouble mostly.
Let's see; the Joseph Campbell Companion is every bit as amazing as I thought it would be, and I've recommited myself to reading more of him. On a slightly related note,
animakitty posted some notes from a recent English class about the importance of myth in bridging the split between morals and truth that has developed, especially in recent philosophy. It was a bit of a revelation for me; I've always considered the vast importance in integrating myths and the lessons they teach into our everyday lives (one of the reasons I love D+D so much is the idea of taking these broad, general archetypes, molding them to the individual personalities of my players and having them explore themselves through The Hero's Journey is...immensely appealing to me) and here was a fellow saying exactly the same thing. It makes me wonder whether Professor Maner is a fan of Joseph Campbell as well. :)I'm currently reading Think by Simon Blackburn. It bills itself as a compelling introduction to philosophy and by and large that's true. As with most introductory texts, though, considerable research into his references is called for to really *grasp* his argument. It's put together well and he plays with the mind-boggling (at least for me) concepts of metaphysics well...but it's slow going to make sure I understand him. I'm only halfway through chapter two, because I keep reading and rereading the text until I'm sure my grip on it is good enough to move on. :)
And finally, I'm getting back into the whole totemic aspect of my spirituality. I'm feeling a very strong pull towards the desert particularly, and maybe I'll have to see about spending time in Arizona or New Mexico during the Big Move, just to check it out. I've heard nothing but great things about the area and I'd like to visit to see what it's like.
Anyway, I'm kind of toying with the idea of a particular rabbity species. :) Dad's been helping with research and suggestions, and I think right now there are four frontrunners: the black-tailed jackrabbit, the white-tailed jackrabbit, the Flemish Giant, and the snowshoe hare. If anyone has any other ideas, feel free to make them. :)
And...I think we're caught up, barring gaming stuff. ;) Apologies for the length of this post, and thanks for reading to the bottom, if you have. :)