New Golf Season: Part I

For those of us who live in more northern climes the golf season will soon be here. Before you dust off the clubs this spring why not do an honest appraisal of your expectations for the new season? Do you really enjoy playing the game while spending significant time and money on it every year, or has it become another social routine, or misplaced passion that leaves you feeling drained and empty too frequently? In other words, don't play golf out of habit or obligation, or the expectations of friends. You should play golf because you truly love being out there whacking an indifferent little white ball around an unforgiving course. For some it may be the competitive challenge or a desire to improve, for others it may be the camaraderie and health benefits, and for many it may be a combination of qualities, or even intangible benefits that create a desire to play golf. Golf has become a trendy sport much glamorized by television and phenoms like Tiger Woods - all of this buzz can excite you to play golf when it really doesn't speak to the real you! We shouldn't try and manufacture the desire to golf as there are many things in life that are far cheaper, less time consuming, and every bit as enjoyable as a round of golf.

In the five hours (excluding travel time) spent during a golf round you could:

Spend some quality time with your kids or spouse

Visit or contact an ailing or otherwise neglected friend or family member

Volunteer for some community work

Plan your next vacation

Complete unfinished business or chores around the house

Update your web site

Engage in a myriad of other neglected activities unique to your situation and lifestyle

Have you addressed the motivation, priority, and lifestyle issues related to playing golf? Having done that, are you still determined to get out on the links? If the answer is yes, then you have accomplished Step One for the new season without even swinging a club. Go to New Golf Season: Part II


Tags:
Golf, Golf Season, Golfer, Golf Game, Golf Psychology

The Art of Espresso

At times it's an unexpected, creative surprise that can make you smile during the course of a trying day. An extra bit of thoughtful artistry to help shake off the doldrums, and awaken a world of possibilities. You might venture into a local coffee shop and order your favorite espresso drink, and there it is - a little bit of magic on the surface of your brew crafted delicately with the frothed milk. At the New Shelton wet/dry site you can find wonderful photos of this espresso art - a swan, a lion, and a butterfly among other images. After consuming the artful brew you just might exit the java joint with an extra spring in your step and a lighter heart.



Tags
Espresso Art, Espresso, Coffee, Java, Culture, Latte, Health, Creativity

Paris Morning

"Paris Morning"
Original Art by Heather Keenan

"An artist has no home in Europe save in Paris" - Friedrich Nietzsche

"If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a movable feast" - Ernest Hemingway

"To err is human. To loaf is Parisian" - Victor Hugo

The City of Light Eiffel Tower The Louvre Arc de Triomphe Notre Dame Cathedral Grand Palais

Tags:
Paris, Artists, Art, Paris Quotes, Paintings, Heather Keenan, Paris Landmarks, Culture

Day After Gifts

I committed a major faux pas on Valentine's Day this year by arriving home after work without any gifts or a card for my wife. She had prepared a sumptuous dinner including wine, and presented me with a gift and card. Despite my offering of lame excuses I knew she felt slighted by my lack of consideration and selfishness this year. This added salt to the wounds, because she is usually very understanding about the occasional missed gifting on Valentine's Day. We managed to get through the dinner with our emotions in check, and I made a silent vow to never forget important marriage dates again.

The next day I decided to make some amends by purchasing a nice flower arrangement, and beautiful card at a local greenhouse. There were no line ups, a good selection of valentine themed arrangements, and everything was half price! The clerk was even glad to see me as business was slow. It was absolutely painless, and it caused me to think - what if my wife and our immediate family agreed to start purchasing all gifts for various occasions a day or so after the event? The time and money saved would be fantastic. This could even work for Christmas. Have your normal Christmas celebrations and festivities, then everyone could go on a shopping spree for gifts a few days later - missing line ups and getting some great deals. Buying online gifts would also be cheaper and more hassle free (don't believe the myth perpetrated by retailers about vanishing inventory as the big holidays approach). We would all have a knowing smirk watching the herds of sheep like shoppers scrambling to buy gifts on time while anticipating our own low stress post event purchases. For now I'll start by getting my wife to agree that February the 15th will be our Valentine's Day regardless of tradition. Wish me luck.

Tags:
Valentine's Day, Gifts, Presents, Holidays, Humor, Marriage, Romance, Shopping, Budgets, Love, Thrift, Spouse, Relationships

The Illusionist

The Illusionist is a cinematic spectacle. It's a great mix of romance, suspense, and mystery with a rich visual texture set in early twentieth century Vienna. Edward Norton is superb as the mysterious Eisenheim, an enigmatic purveyor of the "dark arts" who seems to have taken the skill of magic beyond mere tricks into the realm of the supernatural, spiritual, and mystical worlds. He is backed by a talented cast that includes Paul Giamatti as Chief inspector Uhl, hired by the corrupt and jealous Crown Prince Leopold (Rufus Sewell) to discover the secrets of Eisenheim's illusions. Jessica Biel is more than credible as the beautiful Sophia - caught in a triangle of amorous intrigue between her childhood friend Eisenheim, and the calculating, evil Leopold. There are enough plot twists to provide intrigue, but they only serve to enhance the grand crescendo of events leading to the final scenes. The early childhood scenes border on being overly sentimental, but do not detract at all from the screenplay. It would be fascinating to discover if any of the more elaborate illusions depicted in the movie could actually be done - then or now. For my taste, one of the best movies of the decade.

Tags:
The Illusionist, Movies, Cinema, Edward Norton, Paul Giamatti, Rufus Sewell, Jessica Biel, Magic, Entertainment, Culture

Personal Aircraft On The Way

Will it be another toy for the super rich, or the coolest way to commute? The Skywalker VTOL (Vertical Takeoff and Landing) personal aircraft coming soon from the folks at Mirror Image Aerospace could be the next elite way to fly for a mere $200,000 or so. This compact, two person, helicopter style craft will fly at 95 MPH using premium grade pump gasoline, have a gross weight of less than 900 pounds, and have a range of 250 miles with a ceiling height of 8,000 feet. Among other safety features, it will sport a ballistic BRS designed emergency parachute to deploy in 4 seconds, so the aircraft can land in an upright position while the occupants stay inside the craft. No need for a runway - it will fit in a standard sized garage. It will require a pilot's license, and as a Kit-built VTOL the anticipated assembly time will be approximately 300 hours. No mention yet of optional accessories, customized kits, or color choices, but you'll be the envy of every luxury car owner in your city as you cruise over the gridlock. It will also give new meaning to the phrase Fill 'Er Up!


Tags:
Skywalker, Personal Aircraft, Experimental Aircraft, Helicopters, Flight, Flyers, Flying

Sick Day

Between dislike of corporations, resenting our jobs, and general laziness creeping into our work ethics you'd think there would be advice out there on how to miss work. Of course there is! From the category of lame advice check out this WikiHow page titled How to Call in Sick When You Just Need a Day Off. If you need this advice - your employer would likely be better off without your services - you are probably an imbecile at work - you should get a new job - or worse yet, you are a chronic, habitual liar. Does this sound harsh? Not when you consider the huge economic costs when people avoid work for frivolous reasons, and the disrespect for those at your job who have to pick up the slack. Even when somebody has a legitimate illness they should be honest with themselves about their ability to work. You shouldn't spread a contagion around the office, but is having the common cold really a good reason to phone in sick? Perhaps it depends on your occupation. On the other hand, if you are an arms/drug dealer, or your job harms others in some way, then by all means find every reason under the sun to call in sick.

Tags:
Absenteeism, Missed Work, Work Ethics, Culture, Work Lies

Skeptical Inquiry Filter

We live in societies bombarded by information, and this data is received through multiple technology channels and media devices. The growth of this info storm is exponential, derivative, and mutative, so how can we filter out the true facts of any subject or event? All of this is compounded by biased, and sponsored media reports on diverse topics. The Question Technology Blog authored by Kevin Arthur in San Francisco puts a skeptical lens on many claims in the technological arena. His articles could appeal to Luddites, or those with an anti-technology bent as well, but they also promote critical thinking and inquiry, so the reader will be challenged to dig for the real facts themselves. Competing ideas on a technology or science presented in the media may be heavily biased by paid sponsorship, or special interest groups.

For example, in a recent post by Kevin Arthur entitled The Deception Behind "Sense About Science" he challenges the industry connections behind the so called non-profit group Sense About Science, and the legitimacy of their bashing celebrities who supposedly promote bad science or make controversial claims. A good illustration of possible truth distortion on both sides of an issue by those who may have ulterior motives, whether they be celebrities or a "non-profit" organization.

I heartily recommend a visit to the Question Technology Blog for a dose of healthy skepticism on many science and technology related subjects.

Tags:
Technology, Luddites, Skeptics, Culture, Science, Consumerism

Who Needs Shaving Cream?

After making bold statements about not using shaving cream any more in the previous post, it was time to update those legions of razor shavers on this ongoing experiment. As mentioned previously in Why Use Shaving Cream? my shaves without cream were quite successful and essentially nick free. This was done with a used (?dull) blade in conjunction with keeping my face and the blade wet. I finally worked up the courage to slap a new blade into my MACH3 Turbo razor, and try a creamless shave. It was fantastic! There was no razor burn, although I did inflict a few slight, almost imperceptible nicks with the new blade. The apparent irony here is that I was inflicting far more nicks on my face when I used shaving cream. Obviously this experience might be different for other faces. However, my theory is that a wet, but creamless face offers better resistance, and makes for better razor contact on the skin. In other words you don't slide the blade quickly across a layer of cream and suddenly nick an uneven spot on the skin. I suspect that this will work with many different brands of razors even though I happened to use a broken (battery power not working) MACH3 Turbo razor that does have a lubricating strip. This is not a plug for any razor brand or model such as the MACH3, but it just happened to be the type used for my series of no cream shaves. If you want to save a few bucks, and possibly get a better razor shave, then get rid of the cream.

Tags:
Shaving, Razors, Shaving Cream, MACH3 Turbo

Why Use Shaving Cream?

You don't need shaving cream to get a close, nick free, blade shave, so why do men spend millions of dollars on it? Jeffrey Tucker describes shaving cream sales as a Racket. Is it basically a glorified soap? I have now completed a few no cream razor shaves making sure to keep my face and the blade wet with warm water. I DIDN'T SUFFER ONE RAZOR CUT DURING THOSE SHAVES and they were just as close. Now the blade I used was somewhat dull, but I was suffering recurrent cuts previously using the same blade with cream. In a piece entitled Razor Blade Blues I pondered the poor performance of hi-tech razor blades, but now I question the cream more than the blades! One absolute in blade shaving is to decrease the tensile strength of hair by keeping it wet, but what role does cream lubrication play? Supposedly the cream "softens and prepares" the skin (easier to nick?), prevents razor burn (wet face and razor should stop that), and skin irritation. I suspect it may actually cause skin irritation especially after the skin is nicked, and some may be allergic to it. I may experiment with a few different brands and types of razor blades, and the jury is out on using brand new blades with water only, otherwise shaving cream is history for me.

Tags:
Shaving Cream, Shaving, Razor Blades

Consumer Choices

Do most people in North America and other developed countries really believe that having loads of cash, and material things will make them happier and healthier? If not, then why do many people suffer needlessly in the pursuit of material goods well beyond what they need to live comfortably?
Couldn't we use purchasing power to improve our living standards, and our neighbors by buying responsibly, so that consumerism might achieve a greater good? If we consume thoughtfully wouldn't that create a ripple effect throughout the global economy allowing scarce resources to be used responsibly with less exploitation of third world countries? Should we care about these issues? Does responsible consumerism have to be at odds with free enterprise and entrepreneurship? If we promote ethical consumer decisions can we help protect the environment, stop labor abuses, alleviate animal suffering, and push corporations to be more responsible? The making of every consumable product involves ethical decisions that impact human health and the environment, so our purchase choices have the same implications.


I marvel at my own hypocrisy as a consumer, since most of my purchases are made on a whim, out of habit, and without serious regard to their consequences. I haven't been able to divorce myself from our mass media culture that worships at the altar of material gain. Perhaps this post is a step in the right direction. Do you have a consumer philosophy that you live by?

Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed. ~Mohandas K. Gandhi, quoted in E.F. Schumacher, Small Is Beautiful

Tags:
Consumerism, Materialism, Ethical Consumer