Friday, December 2, 2016

Waffle at day care in Montclair

The dog sitter added a final 's' to her name, but I can hardly complain, seeing how much fun she is having.

Pictures here.

Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Lost and found

Adirondack Trailways is a bus company that operates almost entirely in New York State. It's a small, family run company, run the old fashioned way. When I call the company for any reason, I get a helpful human who either helps me directly or takes a message for someone to get back to me. This week, I called because I left my helmet on a bus last week. Eventually, they tracked it down and held it for me. They're sending it to the New Paltz stop where I will be in a few days. That's nice, good old-fashioned service!

Monday, October 3, 2016

The Third Commandment

God is
Whoever or whatever you want God to be.
If you need God to be your father,
God is your father.
If you need God to be your mother,
God is your mother.
God is Mother Nature,
If you prefer.
God is,
if you prefer,
The collective conscious of all life.
God is,
If you prefer,
Not always in the same form.
Instead, God is
All things or anything or everything, or nothing,
If you need God that way.
If you need God to be
Gone,
Non-existent,
since the beginning, now and forever,
Then God does not exist.
God can be the power of positive thinking.
Or of negative thinking.
Whatever you want.
See?
God does not want you to argue about who or what God is.
God is
Whoever or whatever you want God to be.

Today, I hear God's voice. Is it a fatherly voice?
Is it the sound of my father's voice when it was most loving?
Is it the sound of my own voice, when I am most kind?
Yes, I think it's both, and better. It has the voice of knowledge of infinite possibility.

Friday, September 16, 2016

"Dooring" a cyclist

Car drivers/riders, please check behind you before you open a car door. You could seriously hurt a cyclist.

Bicycle drivers, please don't move through the door zone. Even though the car user is violating a law when they open a door in front of you, it's a risk you do not need to take, for your safety or to comply with laws. The law does not compel a cyclist to stay so far right as to be in the door zone, and it's not a good idea in any case.


Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Love trumps hate. Trump hates love. Hate loves Trump.

Love trumps hate. Trump hates love. Hate loves Trump.

Friday, January 8, 2016

Physical condition

​A few months ago, I developed "frozen shoulder," which is pretty painful. I didn't know what it was, so it was also scary. I didn't know if I should exercise it or give it rest. I eventually went to a physiatrist, which was the best possible move. We don't know what caused the problem, but the theory I believe the most is that it came from disuse. I don't use my arms much, and I don't exercise. Well, I didn't until now. I went through a couple of months of physical therapy, and now I'm going to my followup visit with the doctor. The pain isn't totally gone but it's greatly reduced, and oddly enough, that's a pleasant sensation. My range of motion isn't totally back, but I can do almost anything. I can now lift my shirt up off me using the crossing-hands technique, which I prefer. It's still not easy, but I can do it.
Most of all, it gave me the kick I needed to start exercising at home. I never did it, and I've never belonged to a gym.
I'm going to ask the doctor to help me with other problems I've had so I can learn which stretching and strengthening exercises I should be doing. I have scoliosis and other problems with my back. On the one hand, it's bad that I waited this long to deal with these things. I'll be 55 years old in a couple of weeks. On the other hand, the sooner I treat them and make myself stronger and more flexible, the better it will be for the rest of my life.