Monthly Archives: September 2013

…and that’s how it goes

It has been a few days since I last blogged — and yes, I feel a bit guilty that I’ve not urped-up some priceless piece of info to the ether since last.  Because I now exist in the blog-o-sphere, must I post daily?  I’ve come to the agreement with myself that this just ain’t going to happen.  So, for my singular follower out there, and for the digital-wayfarer who might stumble upon this cache of bits in the future, don’t expect regularity here.  If you need regularity, eat more bran.  For me, I may burst forth with multiple posts per day, or go stretches of days or weeks without uttering a single bit.

‘nuf said.

Hollywood graves

Hollywood graves are never oval. Seriously… Check out just about any Hollywood movie where there is a guy in a hole digging a grave. It almost always has a perfect rectangular shape (just like as would be made by a backhoe). Hmmm. I know whenever I dig my graves, I use a rounded shovel which means the grave corners are almost always round. Truly, most makeshift graves need to be dug in a hurry so who has time for sharply defined rectangular corners?

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Frappé done right…

nescafeAnd now for something on the lighter side.

Ever travel to Greece and order a frappé?  Yes?  Then you know what you’ve been missing when you get back home.  If you’ve not already discovered this, you can purchase frappé coffee from Amazon and make your own authentic Greek frappé’s!

“Nescafé Classic,” on the surface, appears to be just another instant coffee mix, but however Nescafé does it, they manage to pack that magical Greek frappé flavor into such a tiny can.  You can purchase a 200g can of Nescafé Classic from Amazon (Click Here).  Make sure you order the coffee that comes in the can that looks like the photo in this posting.  Don’t order the jars, pouches, or the red cans.

Once your golden nectar arrives from the Amazon Gods, take a moment to hold it, caress it, and dream of the ambrosia within.  Next, pop the lid and put a heaping teaspoon full of coffee in a martini shaker.  Add about 1.5 cups of water and a couple of ice cubes.  Optionally add some whole milk and/or sugar to taste.  Shake, shake, shake it up…about 30 seconds should do it.

Pour this, the pinnacle of all Greek contributions to civilization into a cold glass, add a really flimsy straw and take the rest of the day off (just like the Greeks).

Opa!

Words have NO meaning!

“Words have no meaning.”

Those words were tossed at me by one of my English professors while attending U.C. Berkeley.  Now, it’s been many years since college and unfortunately I don’t remember the Prof’s name that told us that, but what a powerful lesson.

What do I mean words have no meaning — of course they do? It’s an illusion my friend. Most of us have never differentiated the word (spoken or written) with its meaning — but the subtle difference is there. Words have no meaning as they are mere containers for meaning. Just as a can of corn is not corn, but a container for corn. On the can there is a picture of corn and when we look at that can, we all have an agreed-upon notion of what it contains — of what it means.

So this analogy closely explains words. The combination of a series of letters, forming a particular word, have within a language, an agreed-upon meaning. The word itself is therefore just a container for that meaning. Why is this important?

It is important to understand this subtle difference because believing that a particular word only has the meaning as defined in your head — placed there by your education and experiences — may not be the exact meaning as the person with whom you are speaking. When the person you are communicating with uses a particular word in an attempt to pass meaning to you, and your meanings differ, then communication fails, possibly leading to misunderstandings and conflict.

One word can do this you ask? Maybe. But more likely a series of words, sentences, paragraphs, etc., with subtle meaning differences surely can. And when this failure to pass meaning from one to another happens, usually the recipient has the issue — be it confusion, anger, or something else. But whose fault is it that meaning is not passed correctly? Is it the speaker/writer who is certain that a word means one thing, or the recipient who knows the word means something else?

The point I’m trying to make here is that in communication, the best tool we have to pass “meaning” between each other is language (without getting existential here), but that tool is not perfect. So when communicating, allow the sender of meaning to verify that meaning is transferred properly. When listening, and before assuming a particular meaning, don’t hesitate to ask for confirmation from the speaker. Saying “so I hear you saying this…” is perfectly acceptable and desirable before taking something the wrong way. Of course, when asking for confirmation, you really must allow the other person the opportunity to say “no, I meant this instead….”

9.5, 9.8 and from the Austrian Judge…. a perfect 10!

“Don’t judge a man until you’ve walked a mile in his shoes.”

“Don’t judge others.”

We have been given lots of advice about not judging others and yet, on a minute-by-minute basis, we are bombarded by calls for us to judge others from friends, acquaintances, the media, and the government. Much of this judgement is overt while quite often our being asked to agree with another’s opinion about someone or a group of people is disguised as a call to sympathize with our friends/government, etc.

So should we not judge? I think the complete abstinence from judgement is not only impossible, but at times ill-advised. So what then? How about a compromise? How about we judge only those with which we’ve had first-hand experience? In these situations, only our direct senses are influencing us. In these cases we also remove ourselves from being pawns to propaganda, ulterior motives, corruption, etc.

No absolutes! Huh? My readers can and always will find exceptions to anything written. So don’t bother looking for the one or few examples that contradict the wisdom of this idea. Analyze, think, discuss, even argue against this if you will, but honestly consider the overwhelming wisdom of this mode of operation — that judgements from first-hand experiences far outweigh the value of anything passed-on second-hand.

So…I dare you to reserve your opinion about something or someone for those times when the opinion is purely yours and not a regurgitation of someone else’s [well-crafted] story.

It’s 9/11 again.

It’s 9/11 again.

I recall waking up and turning on the news that morning and saying out loud “I can’t believe what is happening in our world today.” Twelve years later, our President’s primary option in Syria is to use military force. Russia, on the other hand, maneuvers a possible solution through the use of diplomacy (or to be cynical, strategic propaganda). Either way, I hear the same voice in my head saying “I can’t believe what is happening in our world today.”

DSCN2076I’m tired of hearing about 9/11 — not because I’m insensitive but because that day sucked so bad that it hurts to be reminded of it. It also sucks how things have changed from 9/10/2001 and I’m tired of being reminded about those too. There are those people and cultures that feel the need to “never forget” the negative past, and seize the opportunity to recall and relive it. I seize the opportunity to live now and look at the beauty around me, striving to build upon it. In observing and living the beauty now, my inner voice can say “I truly love what is happening in my world today.”

 

Marmite

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Marmite. Scaring away flies since the 1800’s

…an acquired taste to say the least. “Go in slowly,” Tony said as he handed me the open jar to smell “it can be a bit strong smelling.”

Understatement? You bet. Tony’s nickname is now “marmite.”

There’s a burning in my head… #burningman

Well I’ve been home 3 days from Burning Man 2013 and the event is still bouncing around my head.  So much fun, so much stimulation, so many raw human moments that I’m still processing that week in the Nevada desert.  It’s hard to convey to those that have never attended exactly the essence of Burning Man.  As this was my fourth year attending, I thought it time to create a separate Burning Man blog — it can be found here: www.g-spotless.net

I’ll reserve the details and musings about the event for the www.g-spotless.net blog.  Interested in more info — check it out.