33  59%  35%  0mph windrose WSW bar steady  dewpoint 20  Waxing Crescent of the Snow Moon   Holiseason

Extra long nap.  Up.  Work out.  Glad to have the new routine.  It seems to make sense.  I do the regular phase 4 movement prep, pre-hab and strength routines and add the advanced endurance aerobics.  Feels about right.

Feeling fragmented, unfocused.  Priorities seem out of whack.  Not long term, just in the current moment.  Don’t like the feeling.  As if the center (which, if I understand Buddhism correctly, does not exist) will not hold, different motivators come to the surface, push me in this direction or that.  Less conscious choice. 

The fire pit, if it’s to be finished this year, needs to get dug before the ground freezes.  A tour on Sunday needs constructing.  There is overdue filing that demands attention.  I’ve spent the last couple of days working on the Hawai’i trip, too.  Just a lot of stuff to do, and no work on the writing at all.  All one me.  Still…

37  51% 34%  1mph  windroseWNW  bar falls  dewpoint 20 Waxing Crescent of the Snow Moon    Holiseason

A blah, somewhat disorganized morning.  Tried to book Kate’s travel and hotel for Hawai’i.  Had to use a travel agency and they don’t have a website and will not handle stuff over the phone.   “We have to have it in writing.”  That means fax.  Which means finding the long phone cord to connect our Swiss Army Knife copier/faxer/color printer/bottle opener to the phone.  Just occurred to me. Wonder if a computer link can do it?  Have to check.

Also looked up info on bath towels. How to tell a good one.  Answered a few e-mails.  Put object files back in their places, info for tours at the MIA.

Bill Schimdt introduced me to the world of RGB (Red, Green, Blue) hexadecimal codes and  how to use them.  He’s gradually giving me tools so I can futz with my computer.  He’s a good, patient teacher.

Fed the dogs.  Ordered an ankle strap for the Vectra, our home gym, so I can do some more sophisticated work with it.  Ate lunch. 

33  62%  39%  0mph windroseWSW  bar steep fall  dewpoint21  Waxing Crescent of the Snow Moon  Ordinary Time 

 “More common sense can be induced by observation of the diversity of human beings in a small town than can be learned in academia.” – Louis B. Wright

Sherwood Anderson knew the lie in this quote.  Observation of the diversity of human beings in a small town can teach us a great deal, but common sense is not often part of it.  Winesburg, Ohio is a work that sticks in the memory because, like Spoon River Anthology, it knows the individuals in a small town are just that, individuals, no more imbued with common sense, good sense, or evil, for that matter, than folks in any other place.  This quote comes from the following book:  Barefoot in Arcadia, University of South Carolina.  Might explain the naivete.  Or, it might not.

I succeeded in marrying the endurance program of Core Performance with the resistance work.  Felt good and will prove manageable.

Getting that get down to work feeling again.  The last week or so have seen me immersed in productive activity, but not on point when it comes to writing new stuff.  Got waylaid on the marketing/distribution work, so I have to get back to that, but I want to work outside some tomorrow, get started on the firepit.  Nice to have choices and good work to choose.

46  70%  39%  4mph windroseNNW  dewpoint 37   bar steady Waxing Crescent of the Snow Moon (I hope.)

Kate and I plan to move items around in the living room and kitchen today, putting some of the finishing touches on our remodeling.  Her cold has abated, so her energy is fearsome.  She’ll work me hard, at least until 11:30 when the Vikes and Packers come on the tv.

Jon asked Kate to help him redesign their kitchen for an addition he and Jen plan.  With two little ones they’ll need more crawl space.  Jen has also considered becoming a day care provider, which, with her early elementary experience, would be a great fit.

All for now, because a work load is calling me.

Ten thousand flowers in spring, the moon in autumn 

Ten thousand flowers in spring, the moon in autumn,
a cool breeze in summer, snow in winter.
If your mind isn’t clouded by unnecessary things,
this is the best season of your life.

Wu Men (1183-1260)

 37  61%  36%  dewpoint25  0mph windrose NNE  Ordinary Time Waning Crescent of the Blood Moon

Modifying my workout to lean more toward aerobics.  It’s not easy since the Core Performance program splits workouts at the advanced level by sport and does not include weight training with the Endurance package.  That means I have to figure out a way to add resistance work to an already full program.  Not quite sure how to do that.  If I get real stuck, I’ll e-mail the Core Performance folks.

I’ve got a fair run now of at home time, so I can get back into a groove with the workouts, the writing, and the work outside. 

November 7, 2007  12:24PM   39  61%  34%  26dewpoint  5mph  windrose ENE  Ordinary Time  Waning Crescent of the Blood Moon

These entries have first been a word file, .doc, before moving into this new version of Ancientrails.  Bill Schmidt plans to change my underlying program to WordPress, away from the older version of FrontPage in which  all the previous have been created.  This change happens right now, as I write this, so I can’t enter text directly into the website until late Saturday or Sunday, if all things go well.

One reason I look forward to the new version of Ancientrails is discussion.  WordPress makes that function easy, so Ancientrails can become a two-way dialogue for those who would like that opportunity.

Found a few more stray stories sitting in other files, so I printed those out before I went to Costco. 

I have to make a Costco run now and then because we buy dog food, treats, Propel and water softener salt in bulk.  We also buy gas through the Costco cash card.  All told it’s nickels and dimes, yes, but they add up and exceed the $50 annual fee.  Not to mention, by the way, that Costco shows up on Consumer Reports as the cheapest place in the US to buy such items as televisions. 

Both dog food and the salt come in 40 pound bags so picking it up, putting it on a cart, loading it in the truck, unloading and putting the salt in the water softener all call on those muscles I develop when I work out.

Kate’s sick today as the annual parade of viruses begins at our home.  She doesn’t get sick often, but she does get exposed to everything nasty out there, and she gets her exposure from kids, for whom hand washing and other hygiene practices are still new.

 32 66% 39% wind chill 31 bar  steep fall  0mph windrose SSE  Ordinary Time  Waning Crescent Blood Moon   New  Moon in 2 days

Oh. Boy.  Sit in a metal folding chair for 14 hours.  Wake up.  Ache.  No more election judging for this youngster.   Too demanding.