Study Ourselves

The purpose of studying Buddhism is not to study Buddhism, but to study ourselves.

-Shunryu Suzuki, "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind"

Isn't this the purpose of all spiritual practice? Regardless of the path we chose, don't we engage in a systematic investigation of the spiritual principles associated with that particular practice and apply those principles to both our personal lives/experiences as well as the broader human condition?

The Return of an Old Friend

Have I mentioned lately how much I miss Buffy? Seriously, even though Battlestar Galactica and Heroes are excellent science fiction fare, neither is quite on par with Buffy the Vampire Slayer. And since none of the networks seem smart enough to pick up a Buffy spin off, let alone a new Whedon program, I'll have to settle for the next best thing:

Buffy: Season Eight. Comic book style!

This one has already been added to my hold file.

Handyman Negri

I'll let you in on a little secret: I'm pretty handy with tools. Anyone who spends time with me will know that I talk a mean streak about hating yard work, household repairs, and other handy chores. And I do. I would rather do just about anything other than mow the lawn, paint a room, or make minor plumbing repairs. My time is much better spent reading a book, playing a video game, grading papers, napping, etc. What most people don't realize, however, is that I'm actually fairly skilled when it comes to yard work and household repair miscellany. I have a decent set of tools--surprise, surprise--thanks in no small part to my father.*

Throughout my childhood my parents remodeled, or built from the ground up, every single home we ever inhabited. As their child, I was cheap labor. You name it, I've done it: framing, drywalling, trimming (cut & stain), pouring concrete, running electrical, installing an automated sprinkler system, minor plumbing repairs. The list goes on and on and on. The only things I haven't done are siding and roofing. The siding thing looks more cumbersome then difficult; the roofing thing I think I could figure out. In fact, I'm going to be doing some minor roof work when the warmer weather returns in the spring. I'll probably be doing a little masonry repair work, too.

Today, much to my father's joy, I spent the afternoon repairing our automatic garage door. The people who owned the house before us didn't maintain their garage door as required. Over the years, the garage door went out of balance, the engine had to work far harder than usual (the engine gets the door moving--the springs should do 90 percent of the work), and internal gears got chewed to nothingness. So, rather than call a repair person and buy a new door opener, I jumped on my local internets and ordered the part I needed. Feeling mostly recovered from the stomach ailment, I decided to spend my Thanksgiving afternoon at the top of a ladder. The process of replacing the worn gear wasn't nearly as difficult as I feared; readjusting the door after the process was another thing altogether. I spent more time adjusting the chain tension, setting the Up & Down limits, and lubricating the hinges than I did replacing the actual worn out part. Needless to say, the job is complete and I suffered only minor injury. At the end of the process, and I mean I was completely finished, I misstepped coming down off the ladder and crashed to the concrete floor. My left wrist, elbow, and butt cheek took the major part of the impact. The wrist and elbow seem not so worse for wear. The buttock, on the other hand, is getting sorer and sorer as the night progresses. I suspect I'll have a nasty bruise in a few days. I guess that's the price you pay when you try to save yourself a few bucks.**

I capped off the evening with a couple episodes of Farscape with STK. What an exciting Thanksgiving, eh?

*Although I'm loathe to admit that I need to significantly increase my tool collection. Now that I'm a homeowner, I can't call the landlord for the tiny little stuff that needs doing. A better drill, a good circular saw, a couple of decent saw horses, a pair of vice grips, and a good tool belt would round out the collection.

**Okay, I probably saved a couple hundred bucks doing this one on my own. Having someone service a garage door is not inexpensive. Trust me on this--my grandparents owned and operated a garage door company for the better part of 40 years. I suppose there was a bit of pride at work with the garage door, too. How could I ever look my grandmother in the eye if I'd betrayed the family legacy and asked someone else to work on my garage door? The shame. Oh, the shame. Garage door maintenance is in our blood.

the Big Suck continues

Remember that stomach ailment that afflicted STK and TLO? Guess who spent most of yesterday worshiping the porcelain God? I hate vomiting; it reminds me of my early drinking days. Ick.

with all the sickiness whirling around our home, Thanksgiving has been officially postponed until Saturday. That is all.

Quarantined!

After 3.5 miserable days in San Antonio, I finally arrived back at home for a full day of rest before heading back to school for the ridiculous pre-Thanksgiving break Monday & Tuesday. Why we don't just call the entire week a holiday break, I'll never know. I arrived home early Sunday morning, my head still throbbing, and collapsed into the comfort of my own bed.* I woke up at 9 and hoped I'd enjoy a day of napping/convalescing. Wrong answer. The stomach flu hit our household, taking STK and TLO down for the count. In fact, STK still hasn't been able to go back to work and, thanks to a relapse tonight, won't be working tomorrow either. TLO has been banished from daycare for the remainder of the week.

How have I been holding up? I haven't, I'm afraid to admit. Since I'm the only adult who's well enough to maneuver, I've had to ignore my own need for sleep/rest/healing. I haven't been happy about the situation and I've let everyone around me--STK, TLO, the pets--know that I am not pleased. Still dealing with the remnants of the avian bird flu I contracted in San Antonio, my patience has been nonexistent. I've been mean, short tempered, and generally icky to be around. STK even suggested I give some thought to living somewhere else until all the illnesses blow over. I gave it serious thought. I'm a selfish bastard, and a rather unlikable bastard, when I don't feel well. Not quite the person you want ministering to your illness.

If STK is too sick to care for TLO tomorrow, it looks like I'll be canceling class and tending to the ill. Meanwhile, my head is still thudding in the background (the head affliction has downgraded from pounding to thudding--I think I might even be approaching throbbing territory).

The last week has been one big suck.

*STK and DrOneDink think I experienced my first migraine headache. I disagree. I've never had a migraine in my life. I'm still voting for the bizzaro sinus ailment hypothesis.

Oops

I had a nice long post typed out recounting the disaster that is my trip to our national convention. Suffice it to say that I've been sick the whole frelling trip. As the plane descended to San Antonio, our host city, I noticed some rather nasty sinus pressure. By late evening the chills, temperature, headache, and sore throat took up residence in my body. Despite copious amounts of Zicam, ibuprofen, and various other remedies, I'm still not up to snuff. I missed my panel (and slept), made a quick tour of the book exhibit earlier today, and retired to my hotel room.

To add insult to injury, I just spilled a cup of coffee on the table and some of the coffee apparently worked its way into the laptop. Error. Crack. Snapple. Pop. Shut down. An hour later, I managed to get the thing started in Safe Mode. A few minutes later, all systems seem to be restored to normal ::crosses fingers:: A new laptop purchase is inevitable as this one is WAY old, but I was hoping to wait until after the holiday season. Let's hope it holds out a couple more months.

What a freakin' trip. I can't wait to go home.

Huh?

Since informing a student that I would not have the time to read through another copy of a manuscript for at least week--other papers/assignments/conventions are in the queue--I've received nearly a dozen emails asking me to read a manuscript. No joke. The requests are written as if I'd never said a single word. I've spent more time with this single student than any other student. Ever. Time for others' work, including my own, to take precedence.

The Unknown

By Donald Rumsfeld.

The Unknown
As we know,
There are known knowns.
There are things we know we know.
We also know
There are known unknowns.
That is to say
We know there are some things
We do not know.
But there are also unknown unknowns,
The ones we don't know
We don't know.

—Feb. 12, 2002, Department of Defense news briefing

Beautiful prose. Absolutely beautiful. What's even more beautiful is the fact that the author--a wonderful poet but horrible Secretary of Defense--will now have plenty of time to write.

Easier Softer Way

The Spiritual Science Research Foundation (SSRF) states that 96% of the root causes of any type of addiction are actually in the spiritual realm, caused due to possession by an entity.

If I'm reading this article correctly, it's highly likely that booze isn't my problem. Instead, I have some kind of demon, ghost, alien entity living rent free in my head? Call the exorcist and pass the Jagermeister!

The Worm Turns

As I've been stressing to many of my progressive colleagues over the last several years, patience pays off. Whenever U.S. politics makes a drastic move left or right, the pendulum always swings back the other way. Tonight is proof positive of that fact. No matter how you try to spin it, the Democrats made huge gains in the House and possibly the Senate. Provided the Democrats actually take on the role of loyal opposition, we'll have a real check and balance in Washington, D. C.

While I'm pleased that Democrats won big, I'm terribly disappointed by the Colorado race involving Marilyn Musgrave. What a hateful human being. Why anyone would choose to vote for her, I'll never know. She's a one trick pony, continually banging the drums of war for a Constitutional amendment declaring marriage a union between a man and woman. Nothing like basing an entire political career on the denial of civil rights. Ick.

WTF Department: Green Poop

As reported by Dr OneDink, the following line actually appeared in a paper submitted by a college student.

"Rumor has it that grape Mountain Dew turns your poop green."

I'd kill for a student to put something like that in a paper. And, as I shared with Dr. OneDink, I'd write what seemed like a serious comment to the student. I'd write something like the following.

Avoid colloquial expressions in academic writing. Additionally, I'd suggest using a content footnote for this kind of material. Something like, "Peer testimony suggests that consumption of Mountain Dew: Pitch Black may produce verdant excrement" would do the trick nicely.

Review the Pitch Black Dew.
Review the Pitch Black Dew II.
Review the Icee Pitch Black Dew

PC Mania

Thanks to an unexpected escrow refund (gotta love lower than expected property taxes), I finally ordered the much needed new computer. My present computer, which has been an absolute work horse, is pushing three years old. When a computer takes 4-5 minutes to warm up to the point that you can actually open applications, you know you're pushing your luck. With STK's blessing, I took the plunge (only after confirming I'd be receiving a free Vista upgrade) and should have a new desktop by early next week.

It's very similar to this model. While it's not a top-of-the-line rig, it's a vast improvement over my current PC. I'll probably add another 1 GB of RAM, a new power source, and a PCI express video card in the coming months.