Learning About Learning

I don't usually blog about work but it's so relevant I'm making one small exception:

Yesterday I was standing next to a coworker and we were looking into a problem in our inventory system.  I said "may I?" as I grabbed the mouse and clicked a couple of times and showed him something.  He had never seen it before and said "great I learned something new today"!  Moments later he went to a screen and I saw something I didn't know existed.  We celebrated with laughter and high fives!  Learning is so much fun!

The last few years I've seen a lot of studies tauting the benefits of building brain reserves.  Experts claim you can improve memory, sleep and self confidence and even prevent Alzheimer's.  One article from a 2008 Wall Street Journal was particularly interesting to me.  It recommends memorization, solving riddles, working puzzles, investigative thinking and altering routines.

I can attest to the working puzzles part.  Here's the game I play on my cell phone.  It's called wordfued, very similar to scrabble.  I play against total strangers and one friend.  Not only does it challenge my brain but I often have to get out a dictionary when someone plays a word I don't know.  Great fun!

I love the recommendation about altering patterns and routines.  Man, I'm a serious routine freak.  I do things in the exact same order every single day.  The article said "take a new route, eat with your other hand, rearrange your computer desktop.  Vary your habits regularly to create new brain pathways."  I can create a new brain pathway?  Wow, it feels like blazing a trail I like it!

What the heck, I'll bite.  I'm going to try to alter some of my routines and change things up a bit, want to join me?

Learning a foreign language was listed as one of the most beneficial activities from a variety of sources.  I'm also going to attempt to learn some German between now and my trip in August.  Wish me luck!

I didn't find any articles that claim that learning is non-beneficial.  It may be an indisputable truth.  They're aren't very many of those! 

Quakin' in my boots!

This morning my heart goes out to the people of Christchurch New Zealand.  The death toll from this 6.3 magnitude quake is 65 and rising.  Please join me in sending them prayers, healings, wishful thoughts or whatever your ritual might be. 

If you grew up in the Pacific Northwest like me, you heard all your life about the "Big One".  The big earthquake magnitude 9.0 or greater that is headed to destroy everything in this beautiful area.  To the experts, it's not a question of if, it's a definite when.   This map shows the "hot spots", the most dangerous earthquake zones.  Washington is ranked 5th with 424 earthquakes magnitude 3.5 or higher in the past 30 years (Alaska is #1 and California #2). 

This next graphic illustrates the "Cascadia Subduction Zone".  This zone runs 600 miles long from Northern California to British Columbia, 50 miles offshore under the Pacific Ocean.  What's the difference between a subduction zone and a fault?  That's what I said!  The way I understand it, faults are tectonic plates butting up against each other whereas in a subduction zone one plate is pushed under the other.  In this case it's the Juan de Fuca Plate being shoved under the North American Plate.  

The Pacific NW Seismic Network claims that subduction zones "produce the largest earthquakes which can exceed magnitude 9.0.  Subduction zone earthquakes, not only are there strong, long ground-shaking events, but multiple aftershocks and tsunamis." 

There's also the infamous "Ring of Fire" to consider.  The connection between Volcanic and Seismic activity in an arc stretching from New Zealand, along the eastern edge of Asia, north across the Aleutian Islands of Alaska and south along the cost of North and South America.  This ring represents 75% of the worlds active and dormant volcanoes. 

I remember vividly the Mount St. Helens Eruption back in 1980 but that's another story altogether. 

I'm no scientist so I apologize if I'm confusing or omitting any facts, I was just trying to skim the surface of the hell storm that is "headed our way"

This is so incredibly frightening.  In my brief search I can find dozens of experts that say the Seattle skyline could be wiped out by an earthquake that large.  Truthfully, I have lived in fear of this "big one" my whole life!  The older I get, the less it bothers me.  I do have to admit that I often feel something and think to myself "oh god, is this it?" then I realize the cause a car or heavy equipment and feel silly. 

This post was not meant to be frightening or dwell on negative thoughts.  What can you do, live in fear?  No, I believe you have to use that fear and turn it into a positive.  I have enough food and water stored to feed my family of 5 for an extended period of time.  It's hard to say if I'll be able to access the food if my house crumbles to the ground.  Alas, I can worry all day but I'm glad I've made some preparations.  Have you?

My thoughts and prayers go out to the people of Christchurch and all the nations that are recovering from the devastating effects of these earthquakes.

Life is Beautiful

How can you stand on an ocean beach and not be aware of life's beauty?  It always drives me to contemplate how connected the entire planet is.  The power and glory of the universe is spectacular!

All manner of living creatures.

This magnificent staircase down the bluff disappears once you reach the beach.

The weather turned wild once we began our walk.  Cold, blustering winds freshened my soul! 

You can almost see the hail in this picture.  It burned and stung when it hit my face.  It made me giggle like a school child.



My friend and stalker.

The pounding surf is the greatest!  It's the single most haunting and brilliantly centering force I'm aware of.  Seeing, smelling, hearing and feeling it heals my soul and completely shifts my perspective.  Life is BEAUTIFUL!

A few of my favorite things!

Birthday Vacation has been amazing so far!  I didn't blog as much as I had planned but I have so much to tell you as I reach the final 4 days.  For now, out of blissful exhaustion I present a few of my favorite things:

• I LOVE road trips with my husband!  A well oiled machine we are. The passenger/navigator readily serving nuts and apple slices, chocolate cake, cheetos or a chicken salad sandwich.  One route on the way and a scenic longer journey home.
• I LOVE exploring new places near and far.  Visiting parts of the world foreign to me yet close to home.
• I LOVE having no alarm clock and waking up at a very reasonable morning hour with extra time to doze.
• I LOVE being home during the day when the UPS guy rolls up and you anxiously wait to see if the package is for you.
• I LOVE that my family is safe and happy.  Every moment with them I savor.
• I LOVE to get an affirmation of the POWER of Mother Earth.  Experiencing the ocean in all her glory and taking a fresh breath of lifes amazing beauty.
• I LOVE that just 2 days and a few hundred miles can shift your perspective completely!!

Cheers!

Vacation Day 3 - Birthday Bliss

Happy Valentines Day!  Short post today with more about my birthday.  As of this moment, I have been alive for 515 Months, 2,243 Weeks, 15,704 Days or 22,613,044 Minutes.  That's wild. 

Here's some random things that happened in history on February 16th:

1900 American Samoa becomes a US possession
1923 Egypt / King Tutankhamen's burial chamber opened
1937 Nylon was patented
1959 Cuba / Fidel Castro sworn in as Prime Minister
1968 **my birth year** 911 Emergency Services Telephone System inaugurated

On February 16th, 1985 my sister Barb married Scot on my 17th birthday.  It was funny timing since Pretty in Pink had just come out.  A movie about a girl who's sister gets married on her 16th birthday.  I remember milking that day for all it was worth and it was worth a lot.  Everyone went out of their way to compensate for the inconvenience.  I didn't actually mind, in fact I loved it!  I don't have very much in common with my sister and to this day we exchange calls or texts wishing the other well.  It's fun!

I have so much to celebrate!  I'm celebrating an amazing life that I've created over the last 43 years.  I'm so blessed and blissful!

Vacation Day 2 - Are you in motion?

As morning breaks I'm assessing the progress I made yesterday.  It was a great balance between work and rest.  Organized closets and the kitchen pantry.  Rested and relaxed and enjoyed time with my family.  Ahhhh.

Day 2 of my vacation is filled with commitments outside the home.  My volunteer work brings me joy and helps me to balance what I give and receive in my community.  I'm so thankful that my skills and talents fit well to help the progress of a non-profit organization.  Not too much planned for the home improvement projects today.

I was talking to a very wise woman once during a dark period in my life.  What she said stays with me to this day "If all you can do is shuffle your feet next to each other, you're still moving forward.  It's when you stop moving forward that you will get stuck."  That's so true!  This is not literal, rest is so beneficial to our bodies and spirits.  To me this is about being on a path and always being in motion.  If you're not on a path, where are you?  If you're on a path but not moving forward, you are stuck.

I'm not interested in telling anyone which path to choose or examine good and bad.  If you look around you will see so many people on so many paths.  One thing that doesn't work for me is to get married and "become one" and "share the same path".  I can be married and remain my unique self.  There's only room on my path for me!  Mark knows this and agrees.  Our marriage is best when we are separate both moving forward on our own paths.  Again, don't take that literally. 

I'm not really sure why this is on my mind today but it is.  Balance is always on my mind.  I'm beginning to connect the concept that balance requires motion and motion requires balance.  I'm so thankful for this break from my routines to sit and ponder these and many other things.

Living Vacation Aloud

Welcome to the vacation version of this blog.  I have the next 10 days off and I need it!  My favorite thing about vacation is not setting an alarm clock!

As stated in my previous post Settling Grievances, I'm celebrating my birthday in style this week!  Most of vacation is a staycation, which I love.  We're also going to the beach for a couple of days.  Not a warm sunny beach but a rainy, cold and stormy Pacific Northwest beach.  The stormier the better!   I have big things planned for the blog on this very special week so I hope you enjoy it.

My birthday is February 16th shared with many celebrities I'm fond of.  John McEnroe, Ice-T, LeVar Burton, Sonny Bono, Patty Andrews, Hugh Beaumont and Edgar Bergen.  I also share my special day with folks I don't know or don't like such as Steffani Brass, Elizabeth Olsen (That's Mary-Kate and Ashley's Sister), Vera-Ellen, Jimmy Wakely and my least favorite Kim Jong-II the Nuke Loving President of North Korea.  Alas, we'll focus on the positive!  Who doesn't love John McEnroe and Sonny Bono (RIP)!!

I want to focus on home this week.  Celebrating my birthday has a special significance to my home.  My gift to myself is organization and renewal.  I'm trying not to take on too much because I need some rest too.  I just need to organize and purge in a bad way!  Too much clutter on top of the daily dirty dishes and laundry makes me crazy.  Time to change my pack rat ways!

Finally, I want to take some time to contemplate spaces.  I have such a passion for decorating a space and purposing it for it's task.  Since the death of our cat, we have to replace all the carpet upstairs and it's a great opportunity for change.  We have two rooms upstairs with big history.  One was once the hang out spot for teenie boppers playing PS2.  Now it's the studio where I enjoy my crafts as well as the ironing center and Martha Stewart wrapping room.  My daughter moved out of her room almost 3 years ago and it has yet to realize it's new potential.  I'm ecstatic having these blank canvas' to play with.  I'm fixin' to have me some fun!  Won't you join me for the ride?

Danger, Will Robinson!

DANGER!  You know that feeling, don't you?  Total fear washes over you from a place so deep it's indescribable.  Your pulse soars and your whole body flushes white.  Houston, we have a problem! 

I found myself walking to my car tonight in a dark, not so great area when I realized that I was parked next to a van with dark windows.  RED FLAG I stopped dead in my tracks.  As I started forward extremely slowly I contemplated climbing in the passenger door.  I thought 'grow up' but every instinct told me to proceed carefully.  I did, and it was no problem, thankfully!!

I've taken some self defense classes and read a lot about what experts recommend.  When walking (especially in the dark) I make eye contact with everyone, my head and eyes move constantly to observe all my surroundings.  I walk like I own the place and speak to everyone I see.  I carry my keys by a leather strap so I can slap the shit out of someone in a variety of ways.  There's a fine line between precaution and paranoia.  I'll be honest, I don't know where it is.

I've been in some dicey situations in my life and I have learned two main things:  1. People are capable of anything and 2. I don't have to participate.  I felt silly once I was in my car but I read the news.  If I'm consciously creating my life, I'm going to be careful and concentrate on creating nonviolent experiences.  I hope you do too.

Now, I'll get to the heart of the matter.  What this blog is really about is fear.  I'm so aware that in situations like tonight, the fear that arises is disturbing and worth a second look.  Fear is debilitating.  Where is this fear coming from?  Why does it feel so incredibly intense?  Here's my theory:

I've been storing fear my whole life.  All the scary situations I had the first 25 years of my life were ignored.  Fear from benign situations like this as well as some that didn't go my way.  I shoved it down and there it sat.  Tonight came along and I said "NOT ME, OH NO" in defense, out of sheer survival.  My guttural response is that I'm going to die right here and now.  Upon second look, it's not right now after all.  It's left over from years before.

Thank God I know what to do now, meditation offers me an outlet to deal with fear.  I'm not selling mediation, I'm just saying that's what works for me.  I can release this fear!  I'm not crazy, imagine how prepared I'll be if I'm dealing with the here and now.

Herding Cats Aint So Tough!

Call me the crazy cat lady, I love my babies!  Here's Beebs, she passed away in November, 2010 at almost 19 years old.  My sweet terrorist, she would love you passionately one minute purring loudly.  The next moment she would attack you and bite, scratch and kick all while howling in a deep breathy tone.  She was a scary one!



Then there's Chase.  He is the softest cat I've ever touched and so active.  He runs laps in our house so fast that he slides into walls and knocks things over.  I have been trying unsuccessfully to capture this on video.

Here's Yertail (aka: Yert).  He's the laziest cat I've ever encountered, but also the sweetest.  His favorite activity (second only to napping) is to anticipate my movements around the house.  He runs ahead of me and plops down upside down knowing that I'm incapable of passing without reaching down if only with my foot to offer some love.

The cats run the show around here, we're so thankful they let us live here too.  Most of you know this story but it demands documentation if for no other reason then the sheer lunacy of it all. 

Beebs was the matriarch of the house.  When we tried to introduce the boys to the mix she wasn't having it.  We tried short periods of interaction that always ended in blood shed.  We worked with our Vet who eventually referred us to the feline behavioral specialists at Stanford.  We sent videos to them for them to analyze and offer new suggestions.  For 2 years we had a screen door in the middle of our hallway with Beebs on one side and Chase and Yert on the other.  The theory was that they would acclimate to seeing one another.  Nothing worked.  We moved into this house about 9 years ago and built a barn style gate at the top of the stairs.  Beebs reigned the world on the second floor while the boys had their space on the first floor.

This is on my mind today because there are always times when cats need to be herded.  Taken here or there or God forbid inconvenienced from their normal routines.  We keep our cats indoors which limits our options considerably.  We have workmen coming today and tomorrow which means I will be herding these boys and inconveniencing them terribly.  I will surely pay.  The first session today is even more limiting then tomorrow will be.  They have to be locked away in a very small bathroom for 4-5 hours.  Doesn't seem like much but getting them both in there with all their gear is challenging.  And listening to them protest is hell on a Mom's heartstrings!  They will live and probably come out unscathed. 

I always laugh when I hear people say that something is going to be like herding cats.  They are usually talking about the seemingly impossible.  A project or assignment that will be grueling and undesirable.  The thought that always goes through my head is "BRING ME SOME CATS!" 

Settling Grievances

I will warn you in advance, this post will surely sound extremely selfish and petty.  Perhaps it's true but I bare my soul here partially to hold myself accountable so here it is!

Last night while we were visiting with our daughter Kesa and her boyfriend Tyler it struck me that this was my opportunity to air a grievance that had been years in the making.  I requested a family meeting sans Lafe who was working. I announced that I had a grievance that I needed to get out in the open.  Of course they all agreed with very serious looking faces.  Who can blame them for breaking a sweat when Mama's got an issue.  They have been down that road but I digress.

The Grievance:  We don't celebrate my birthday the way we celebrate theirs!  My family loves me unconditionally, I am always recognized with gifts or flowers and of course Mark cooks whatever lavish meal I'm in the mood for.  It's not that we don't celebrate it's just different then their birthdays.  Lafe was born on May 31st, Kesa on June 12th and Mark on July 3rd.  It's summer so we have generous parties to mark the occasions.  On February 16th, it's winter and no one feels like a party!  One caveat, I gave myself a birthday party for my 40th and Mark helped with preparations.  We had a GREAT time!  Since I'm always the photographer, there are no pictures to prove it. 

Partially responsible....back in 2006, I invited Mark's best friend Hal to come out for his birthday and make it a surprise.  I even packed him up in the trunk on an 80 degree day for a bit too long since Mark was late arriving home.  : ) 

Now it's a tradition.  Hal comes out and we party for a week to celebrate Mark's birthday.  Here's 2009, Mark's big 50!

Here's 2010 - We had another blowout party in the back yard with 30-40 of our friends and family.  Since his birthday is the day before 4th of July we had a back yard full of friends and family two nights in a row, it was a blast!

First, let me say that these summer birthday celebrations are so much fun.  I want them to continue forever!  I hope my family knows how much joy it brings me to celebrate with them!

All I really want on my birthday that is missing is the FUN!  I want to do something fun with my family.  I requested a family bowling party this year to celebrate, be together and have some laughs!  Of course, they were so relieved to hear that this was my big grievance.  Mark said "whoa, that's the easiest grievance to settle ever!"  I only have 40 or 50 more birthdays so I guess I feel ok requesting what I want.



Stop the Madness!

Yesterday, after several calls to a credit union resulted in disconnection midstream I lost my cool.  I didn't scream or yell but I was furious!  It was month end which meant my plate was overflowing.  In addition, I was helping my daughter secure financing for a car.  I love helping her but I was feeling pressed!  It was mid-afternoon and one after the other the calls dropped.  I had a meeting coming up and lots to do.  I felt like this picture!  On the verge of yanking my phone from the wall and smashing it into the ground, I called my husband.  I said "please take over I'm going to explode, I can't do it".  Luckily taking a tone with him was fine because he knew that my grievance had nothing to do with him.  And of course, he took over so I could let it go!  Thanks Mark!

Hours later, almost done for the day and feeling much more calm, I was on a work related call and sure enough the call dropped.  All this time, it was my phone system dropping the call.  I felt sick to my stomach.  I was drilling my anger at these poor credit union employees through the phone!  Even though I didn't say anything to them, I know my energy traveled right through the phone lines.  I wondered how it was for them and were they as pissed as me?  After realizing this, I was once again reminded how normal an emotion anger is.  It's an energy that I can allow to flow in my own space and it can be such a healing!  Directing it outward isn't a healing for me or the credit union!

One of the reasons these dropped calls bothered me so much is because I'm overwhelmed!  The topic of prioritization comes up all the time.  The problem is that everyone has their own idea of how I should be prioritizing.  As I've mentioned, my life is about balance.  If I had been more in balance yesterday the magnitude of the dropped calls would have been proportionate.  There were items in the day that I said yes to that should've been a no.  Saying no seems like a personal failure.  I'm a Mom for crying out loud are you saying I can't do it all?  Truthfully, I have no desire to do it all so what the hell am I doing?? 

I am reminded of Steven Covey's 4 Quadrants from the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.  Disclaimer:  I have not read the whole thing, hopefully I'm not taking it out of context.  The theory is that the more time you spend in quadrant 2 not urgent but important the less time you'll spend in quadrant 1 urgent and important.  It's just a theory...