Here in Dallas, Texas, it has rained as much in seven months as it would normally rain in an entire year. Five months to go. It’s incredibly unusual. It just keeps raining.
General
30
Jun 07
You are what you think
My good friend Hollis Baker of Liberty Hill continues to post some great stories to his blog:
Some time later his widow called and asked me to stop by. She gave me a letter Mr. Smith and written to me. He wrote; Dear Hollis, The key to success is, you become what you think about. Now don’t think this statement is just a simple answer to a complex problem. Men put little value upon free things. Your body, your mind, your love are all given free and we take them for granted. You rarely give these things a thought. Most men place great value upon things that cost money. Cars, houses, land, business. In fact most think about these things all the time. But the free things once lost can never be regained. Money is cheap and easy to obtain. We can replace things gained with money. Just remember, Have a personal worth while goal, Think about it daily and with this key you will gain any thing you desire. Respectfully, J. W. Smith.
26
Jun 07
Embrace your inner caveman
I have always been interested in wildlife, especially birds. It’s easy to see why they are so fascinating. Birds are one of the only animals you are likely to see if you live in the city. They don’t need to hide or skulk around in the shadows like earth-bound creatures. They are indifferent to us because at any time they can take to the air. Birds may come down to visit, but they belong to a world of flight and mobility we can only dream of.
Recently, my interest has increased. I have been reading more and more about birds; observing them more closely than ever before, amazed at the variety of the different species around me and the complexity of their lives and history. My whole perspective has changed. Where before I just saw a bird, I now see individual species, sexes, plumage, behaviors, and lifestyles. Miniature dramas of life: battles for territory and mates, the pursuit of prey, the care of young, and the defenses against predators.
The more I watch, the more I wonder at the economy and handicraft of Nature. Every bird is perfectly adapted to its lifestyle. The shape of the beak shows you what it eats. The shape of the feet and the wings shows you where and how it eats. Some beaks are made for crushing seeds and others for snatching flying insects out of the air. Some feet are designed for perching while others are perfect for swimming.
Sunday I went out to Lake Lewisville where they have a small environmental learning center (Lake Lewisville Environmental Learning Area) and park near the dam with hiking trails into the surrounding countryside. I took a pair of binoculars with the hopes of spotting a few birds.
It was a nice little area. As soon as I passed the gatehouse, I spotted 4-5 wild turkeys just off the road. I drove down to the end of the road near the damn outflow where a couple of people were fishing for large bass that hang out waiting to gobble up the dazed fish coming through the flood gates. One guy had a couple good-sized striped bass (4-5 lbs) on his stringer. His family was waiting in the minivan as he fished, so I gathered he was catching lunch. On the opposite bank of the Trinity River, a flock of white Great Egrets were roosting in the trees along the water’s edge. A good place to live if you eat what you can snatch out of the water, as they do.
I drove back up the road and parked at the head of Cottonwood and Cicada Trails. I only spotted a couple birds that day, but they were pretty nice. I saw two members of the tyrant flycatcher family, the Western Kingbird and the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher which are common in the fields around Dallas. Both are fun to watch and easy to spot as they love sitting on power lines or barbed-wire fences where they wait for flying bugs to wander within reach. When they spot something they launch off their perch and somersault in the air, grab the bug, and land back down on the wire. Tyrant flycatchers derive their name from the tendency to fiercely defend their nests against predators. You will often see them dive bombing hawks and crows that get too close.
Although I heard bird song from within the surrounding trees, the only other bird I got close enough to see was a beautiful Indigo bunting singing from the bare branches at the crest of a tall tree.
It was good to spend time in nature, even for a little while, and it was amazing that such a place could be less than two miles from a major interstate and just a few minutes from my house. If you enjoy wildlife and the outdoors, bird watching is an inexpensive hobby you might enjoy.
The highlight of my hike was walking through a tunnel of trees and looking over my shoulder to see three small butterflies hitchhiking on the back of my shirt. They clapped and unclapped their wings, lapping at the sweaty cotton for precious salt with their curled, hollow tongues. For a moment I felt like St. Francis of Assisi.
18
Jun 07
The End of Suburbia
New blog friend, Brian, has a good review of End of Suburbia, a movie about peak oil’s impact on the American suburb, with some predictions for the future.
The last part of End of Suburbia takes a turn from the thesis of a doomed civilization to more optimistic thoughts. They discuss the ideas of people returning to urban settings, sometimes referred to as ‘new urbanism’, where most of what residents need for everyday life is within walking distance (or at least a much shorter trip on public transportation or car). The filmmakers also touch on the idea of buying locally grown and produced goods to cut down on the ridiculous distances the stuff we buy and consume is transported (why do I need an apple from New Zealand in California?).
I think a lot of trends could mitigate the impact of expensive fuel. People will sacrifice a lot to keep their own fairly large portion of land and housing. However, on a personal level, I am interested in reviving the individual character present in pre-suburban neighborhoods. One can only stand so much widespread homogeneity.
18
Jun 07
Old family photos
My father emailed some family photos my aunt scanned in. Family photos can be so cryptic. Look below at the expression on my grandmother’s face. She didn’t normally look so sour. It makes you wonder about the circumstances. I like these photos where they were dressed up and standing in the yard. There are many similar with family arranged in front of the house or the family car. I miss them both very much. They were such unique individuals.
18
Jun 07
Weight Loss Tips That Work
I have never had problems with my weight. In my mind I will always be that skinny kid of 12 years old. Like a lot of guys, I never worried about how much or what I ate. Food was just this thing my body demanded. Likewise, I gave little attention to my physical shell, simply because it took care of itself. Youth bestows an effortless beauty and vigor, which most people appreciate only in retrospect. As Schopenhauer wrote, “Youth without beauty always has attraction; beauty without youth has none.â€
As I approached my mid-twenties, my metabolism slowed down and my eating habits caught up with me. I woke up one day about a year ago and realized that I was overweight. I had tried to ignore the problem, but it was there in photos and in my ever expanding waistband. At my heaviest I weighed about 210 pounds. While this is not considered obese in a man over six feet tall, it was the heaviest I had ever been and it did not look good on me. I decided that I needed to do something because ignoring the problem wasn’t working. I tried several approaches but focused mainly on reducing input (calories consumed) and increasing output (energy expended). Eventually, I worked down to my current weight of just over 185 pounds for a difference of roughly 25 pounds. I’m working toward a goal weight of 170 pounds.
It was easy to lose the weight. The problem is deceptively simple. Weight gain is the result of consuming more than your body can expend. Our bodies are amazingly efficient and adaptive systems. If extra food is available, your body will store it as fat rather than waste it. This is how it should be. Add the relative physical ease of modern life with the high availability of nutritious food and you understand why obesity is such a problem. Fatty food is a quick phone call away.
During the course of my weight loss experience, I did not have to diet and everything was painless. As with most things, it just took some attention and time and is easier than most would have you believe. I will share what worked for me in case it can help you. I hope it does.
Measure it, Track it
I don’t advocate calorie counting because this is more work than anyone can be expected to do for the rest of their life, which is exactly how long you will need to maintain your ideal weight. However, until you measure something you cannot manage it.
I measure two things, the moving average of my daily weight (taken first thing in the morning) and everything I eat. I do not even know how to calculate a moving average. I just use the Google Fifteen Widget for the iGoogle homepage. It tracks and calculates everything for me and outputs a nice graph to show my progress. If the moving average trends down, I know I’m losing weight. If the trend moves up, I know I’m gaining weight. Some people will tell you that it is demotivating to weigh daily, however this helped me tremendously as I was able to adjust on the fly. As long as you recognize that your daily weight may fluctuate wildly and that the moving average is the key measurement, you will be fine.
I do not write down what I eat or keep a diet journal, but every time I sit down to eat I pause and consider what I’ve eaten that day. All I need to remember is what I’ve eaten that day. If I’ve had a couple slices of pizza or something similarly unhealthy, I will decide to eat a smaller portion or something with fewer calories.
Change the Way You Eat, Not What You Eat
Diets are stupid, conceptually. The idea is to motivate people by making them eat food they don’t like and banning foods they do like? This will not work. As Abraham Lincoln said, “A house divided will not stand.†When you’re on a diet, you are at war with your sensual side. Your body doesn’t understand why it can’t have what it wants, it just wants it and knows when it’s not getting it. For example, I will never be a person who loves salad. That’s just not something I like. The solution is to trick your body into going along with the weight loss plan. There are a couple ways to do this.
Keep Eating Crappy Food, Just Eat Less of It
Many people will tell you fast food is bad for you. I imagine it’s no less healthy and probably more healthy than what you get at some of the places people like to eat. There’s no way Olive Garden, Chili’s, or Red Lobster is more healthy than McDonald’s. Most of the food in these places is larded up with fat and salt so you’re tempted to order Appletini’s or multiple glasses of overpriced ‘house’ wine because you’re artificially thirsty from all the added salt. Likewise, a tub of salad slathered in ranch dressing is NOT healthy. In general, any food you buy prepared sucks.
If you want a cheeseburger, knock yourself out. Just forgo the French fries and large carbonated beverage. You’ll spend less and eat less crap. Make compromises. Split a dinner portion and take half home for later. Always drink water with your meals. Never buy appetizers or eat all the chips and salsa on the table. At a fast food restaurant, the right portion size is available on the 99 cent menu. Get one small, cheap hamburger or whatever and call it a day. As someone once said, “The best exercise you can do is pushing yourself away from the table.’
Eat at Home, Eat Earlier
When’s the last time you made yourself an appetizer before dinner? When’s the last time you ate chips and salsa or a dessert with your meal at home? Seldom to never.
When you eat at home, you’re almost guaranteed to eat better and less, especially if you have a large family or live with a bunch of freeloading roommates who make you fight for that last taco.
In general, I like to eat around 6:30 or 7 at night. By the time I finish dinner, I know I’ll have 2-3 hours before I go to bed and then 8 or more hours on top of that until I eat again. This gives me over ten hours to burn the energy I just ate. Also, try to eat a modest dinner as it is the last meal of the day. Another easy-to-remember platitude: “Eat like a king for breakfast, a prince for supper, and a pauper for dinner.â€
Get a Gym Membership and Have Fun With It
I used to be against gym memberships because I’m a cheapskate. I had all sorts of reasons: it’s expensive, there’s a workout room in my apartment complex or at my office, I hate membership contracts, etc. The fact is, it is worth it to have a gym membership and it doesn’t have to suck. I work out at Lifetime Fitness where they at least don’t have contracts. It’s not bad at all.
The decision to get a gym membership was made easier when I admitted a few things to myself. Number one, I need to invest in my health and that investment (spending money every month) motivates me to get value out of it. Number two, free workout facilities suck. There is never enough equipment and I don’t want to work out with people I’ll see around the office or at the apartment complex.
I try to have fun when I go work out. When I first started going, I went every day, which was impossible to keep up. But, I did it for a reason. I wanted to create the habit of going until it was just part of my life. Now I keep a bag in my car and go every other day, at least three times a week. When I first started I would do 30-60 minutes on the elliptical or bike in addition to weights, then I discovered that this is not fun. Cardio is extremely boring and enjoyed by only the most dull or masochistic of people. I’m convinced that people stop working out because it’s not fun, even with an iPod.
How do you have fun at the gym? Instead of grinding out the cardio, I warm up by shooting hoops then I just lift weights until I’ve done my set for the day. If I’m taking my time, I’ll sit in the hot tub or wet sauna for 10-15 minutes when I’m done. If I go work out on my normally alternating days, I’ll do 30 minutes of cardio since I need to let my muscles repair from lifting weights. When you lift weight, make sure it is not too easy and not so difficult that you can’t do a set. To improve your muscles, you should lift to the point that the targeted muscles are exhausted. I’m convinced that lifting weights does more to burn fat than anything else. Unless you’re trying out for a marathon, why would you want to do cardio every time you work out?
Television by Appointment Only
It’s been a while since I’ve had cable, but Jody has it at her house and I’ve been amazed at how easy it is to get sucked in for hours at a time (I like Dirty Jobs, Man vs. Wild, and Cops). There is something going on in our brains when it comes to movement on a screen because television has the ability to maintain your attention like nothing else. In the past I have advocated against television, however since falling in love with Entourage on HBO, I am now advocating that you simply plan what you watch. Instead of plopping down and zoning out for several hours, look at what’s on and plan what you would like to see that week. Keep your total viewing to 2-3 hours a week. I think you will be pleasantly surprised by the general improvement in your life. I read more, work more, go to sleep earlier, and get more done when I’m not tied to the TV.
Closing Thoughts
Being overweight does not make you a bad person or unlikable. It’s just a problem of physical laws: too much input and not enough output. Personalizing a physical problem will not help you address it. Some of being overweight is genetic and part of who you are. If your parents are on the round side, you are likely to be on the round side. However, a distinction should be made between being thick muscled and being flabby. If you are barrel-chested or thick-shouldered, you will never be waif thin and that’s okay. However, if you’re muscled normally and covered with flab, this is a situation you can do something about. As important as it is to shed extra pounds, it’s equally important to shed negativity and try to help yourself. You can afford to be a little vain, as long as it helps you.
I’m curious what other experiences people have had. What has worked for you? What have you had trouble with?
30
May 07
Boeing CFO: “Young people think they know a lot more than they really know.”
From an interview with Boeing CFO, James Bell:
What strikes you about the young people who come to you?
They really think they should have bigger jobs from day one than we did when we came out of school. That’s something corporate America is going to have to address. I don’t think you have to be in a role ten years in order to get a major assignment; it needs to be based on what a person demonstrates rather than just on tenure.
But having said that, I think a lot of young people think they know a lot more than they really know.
I doubt that young people have changed at all over the years. Each generation launches into adulthood convinced of their own superiority, determined to do things better than the previous generation. This conviction is the source of much progress as thinking differently and doing differently sometimes result in doing better. It is good that Youth blinds us with bold naivety, but it is easy to forget that we change as we get older.
24
May 07
Experiment with your life
Do you ever wonder how much your way of life is based on arbitrary concepts and social tradition? Why do people own homes or rent apartments? Wouldn’t it be better if we all lived in shared dorms and made better use of mostly empty living space? Why do some people travel and move frequently while others live in one place their entire lives? Aside from a basic necessity for shelter, what motivates people to live the way they do? What ways can we live better? In what ways can we take advantage of modern technology to improve life? What options are we missing?
These things are worth thinking about.
My lease is up in June. I’m considering experimenting with my life, specifically my shelter. The goals for my new arrangements are simple: maximum flexibility and mobility, short-term commitments, low cost, and maximum ease. I would buy property, but I don’t want to tie myself down to the DFW area for the next five years. I would get an apartment, but I have little furniture and I would never spend time there. What other options are there?
The best idea I’ve come up with so far is to live in a hotel. It sounds crazy, but consider the benefits:
- No lease: No long-term commitments. Move whenever you like. No rent checks, no landlords. Pay by the week or just put it on your debit card / credit card. Earn points on your living expenses and make money on the float.
- Maid service: Ideal for someone who hates cleaning and making the bed.
- No utility bills: Most hotels have free cable, local phone service, and Internet access in addition to the usual power and water. Crank the A/C up in August and forget about it.
- Free continental breakfast: Most hotels serve a free continental breakfast. This saves you about $5 a day or $150 a month. Load up on free oatmeal and coffee.
- Swimming pools, fitness centers: Many apartments have pools, hot tubs, and fitness centers, but some don’t.
- No bad neighbors: If someone disturbs you, ask the front desk to move you to another room.
- 24 hour room service: Get hungry and don’t feel like leaving? Order in and keep on working.
- Concierge: Send off your clothes for drycleaning. Get your shoes shined. Have a copy of the Wall Street Journal dropped off at your door every day.
According to my calculations, living in a one bedroom apartment costs an estimated $700-$1500 a month after bills and rent. Living in a hotel suite, costs between $850-$2800 a month based on my estimates. This is a wide range based on your preferred level of luxury. Obviously, if you’re staying at a five star hotel it will cost you $5000 a month and up, but the level of service would be much better. This is more than most people need. For someone with minimal needs, hotel living is a good option based solely on economic grounds. When you consider the added benefits of flexibility and ease, it becomes even more compelling.
When I started researching hotel living as an option, I came across an article in Trendspotting about a trend they call “5-Star Living“. Apparently, many new luxury hotels, including the W here in Dallas, have a few floors set aside for permanent residences. These are condos with many of the features you would find at a luxury hotel: spa, concierge, room service, etc. As people move beyond the traditional suburban family unit and as baby boomers retire, this becomes a logical way of life for many.