brainstorming

A Healthy Carnival?

This idea has been rattling around in my head for quite a while and it's time I do something about it.

It's a Carnival thing.  Now before you get all defensive, I know we have a ton of carnivals in the blogosphere.  The Vanities, the Capitalists, Recipes, the Liberated, etc.  How could we possibly need one more Carnival?

Because it would be good for us.  This one is for our health.

In the past year I finally decided to face my unhealthy lifestyle and do something about it.  For me that meant joining a diet plan and starting to exercise for the first time in my adult life.  Next on the list is to quit smoking.  (Horrors!) It also means that in order to maintain the changes I need to make, I will have to change habits for a lifetime.

With the New Year just behind us, many of us resolved to get in better shape.  I notice Steve blogging about exercising.  Chumley blogging on weight loss goals.  David telling us about sleep apnea.  That's just a sampling from a few local blogs.

We have Grand Rounds, but the posts are really from the perspective of the health care provider.

Normally, sitting behind our keyboards is not going to help us to be healthier.  But if we use this medium to share information and motivate each other it could be a good thing.  Think of all the possibilities:

• Atkins? South Beach? Slim Fast?  What plan did you choose and why?  Is it working for you?
• Do you have a favorite exercise video?  Is it for the beginner or someone more advanced?  What makes it great?
• Have you taken a favorite recipe and reduced the calories? Share it with me!
• Have you found new favorite products that fit into your goal of losing weight?
• How do you stay motivated?
• What health care problem went undiagnosed?  I've seen bloggers talk about OCD, Panic attacks, etc.
• What do you order when you eat out?

I'm not good at naming things.  Maybe it would be best to leave it at Carnival for Your Health.  I'm open to suggestions.  I'd appreciate it if you find the idea interesting if you would publicize it on your site or leave a note in the comments.  If there's enough interest, I'd like to have the first entries submitted by Friday, Feb. 4, with the first Carnival to be posted on Monday, Feb. 7th.  I'd also be looking for other bloggers to host each week going forward. 

So, drop me a line and we'll see if it's just me.

Saturday and the M.O.B. Party

So I think I've mentioned before that I practice extreme sleep deprivation throughout the work week and then make up for it by a major crash on Saturday morning.  (Except during soccer season, which calls for early Saturday morning games.  I either nap or exist in a fog.) How major?  I think the record was last Saturday when I got up at the fine hour of 3:30 PM.  (Please hold your applause until the end of the post.) Of course, that wasn't in the cards this past Saturday because it was the day of the big event at Keegans.

Part of adapting to life in the country is making the most of your trips to the city.  (Some locals seem to be able to shop for all their needs close to home.  As an imported country dweller I'm not so adept.)  Even though I get down there about once a week, it seems there's always a long list of things I should get done.

So I set the alarm for nine, overslept, and finally got out of here about one-ish, dropped off the Girl's pals that spent the night and headed out.  Turned on the NARN show for the drive to Forest Lake and started on the "list."

• Get nails done - (I got sick of cringing at my fingernails when I'd notice them during meetings.)
• Office Depot
• Cub - New parents kit consisting of one meal, appetizers to desert, that requires no more work than turning on the oven.
• Order Savoy to pick up when I get to St. Paul.
• Drop off dry cleaning - Did you know Gold Eagle in Roseville does dry cleaning by the pound?
• Pick up Savoy - Good thing we didn't try to eat in.  Only 5 o'clock and I had to park a block and a half away.
• Stopped by my cousin's house to meet her new baby boy born on Christmas Day.  What a cutie.  (Yes! I held it. Yes! I smelled it!  Luckily I am to the point where I'm past wanting another one of our own.)

Finally off to the M.O.B. party at Keegans!  Our social life these days consists of work, kids, and family.  So it's a little scary to venture into the outside world, especially to meet a group of people who is so on top of things, but well worth the effort.

I spent some time talking to David Strom about sleep apnea, which I'd researched previously.  (I'm really pleased to hear he got diagnosed and is taking care of it.) Blogging celebrity Scott Johnson stopped by while we chatted. Then I stopped and met David's lovely wife Margaret.  Their party round up, with lots of pictures, is here.

Off to chat about home security measures with Cathy in the Wright, trendsetting in her flanel PJ's, but we both got caught up in other conversations.

It was a pleasure to meet Mama Ellen and Doug from Bogus Gold.  I commend everyone brave enough to try home schooling.  I forgot to harass Doug for virtually blowing me away in this post.  You just don't get the intriguing psychology of watching the stone cold bluff, eh?

Jo and I talked about dogs.  (Jo has a houseful of critters.  We had to get rid of the Puppy for going after the Boy.)  She then kindly pointed the way to Mary!  Mary and I have missed meeting each other at blogging events for the last year or so.  We were both flying solo at Keegan's, having left our non-blogging spouses at home, so we shared life stories and teamed up for the remainder of the evening.

We had the pleasure of sharing a table with Swiftee, John of Crazy But Able, Captain Fishsticks, a reporter from Grand Forks and his companion.  (I thought his name was Lee, but I can't find him on the Grand Forks Herald site.  If you stop by, drop your name in the comments.)

I did stop by and tell Lileks that I bought Interior Desecrations for my nephew for Christmas. We had a great time passing it around and cracking up.

Other sightings:  Mitch was a great host as always.  Of course the Fraters crew were all in attendance as was King from SCSU Scholars.  I missed Captain Ed.  Maybe he left before I got there. I met the guys from Freedom Dogs.  (Is it just me or does it take their site forever to load?)  I'd met Doug from Belief Seeking Understanding at the last M.O.B. gathering. 

I'm really sorry I missed meeting Peg from What If, Noodles from People's Republic of Minnesota, and Kelly from The Patriette among others.  Speaking of The Patriette, did you read the great news? Josh proposed on Saturday night and she said yes!

  Sincere Best Wishes to you both!  I'll definitely be praying for you during his tour in Afghanistan.

After Mary and I shared one of Keegan's tasty Corned Beef Sandwiches, I had to head out about 10:30.

What does one do after a M.O.B. gatering?  Stop for groceries at CUB of course.  Last item on the list for this cities trip.  Got home about 1:15.  Turned out the lights about 2:30.  Up for church at 7.  Yes, I napped yesterday afternoon.  Why do you ask?

Update: Added some of the M.O.B. links to the sidebar as I typed this.  I also forgot to mention we need an open mike or master of ceremonies or something at these gatherings so we manage to meet everyone.  How many of us are planning to be at the Hugh/Beinart debate?

Update 2: Learned Foot at the Kool Aid Report deserves special mention for this write up of the M.O.B. party.

Keegans - Tomorrow!

Don't forget!  The Minnesota Organization of Bloggers, (M.O.B.), get together is at Keegan's tomorrow, starting around 5 pm.

Sure, we're going to get dumped on by a storm that actually resembles a real winter event, but we should be dug out by then.

Quick Links

I've been busy with work, but thought I'd throw up some quick links just to let my lovely readers know, (quality not quantity dear), that I still love them.

It's coming Star War fans! Darth Tater! The dark side of Mr. Potato Head.

Did you hear the one about the peace protestors physically assaulting the war protestors?  It's true! Because they don't believe in violence.............unless you're a conservative.

I admit I'm not hip.  I've never been able to figure out exactly what this hand sign means.  Help anyone?

Houston, we have a problem.  Elementary students try to hijack their school bus.  I kind of question this, after "the knife was removed from the juvenile's possession" they were driven to school and taken into custody.  Excuse me?  Why weren't they taken into custody at the scene?

Finally, toilet trained elephants. I kid you not.

Hillary in 2008

Political Wire is reporting that Hillary Clinton's relatives are confirming she plans to run for the Democratic nomination for President in 2008.  It should be no surprise to anyone.  She's been positioning herself for it ever since joining the Senate, including sounding hawkish on the War on Terror.

Unfortunately, I think many women would vote for her because she is a woman.  The only Republican I forsee beating her is Condoleezza Rice.

Isn't it a little early to start the buzz?

Spray on Solar Cells - It's Nanotech!

Do you believe that we will outgrow our dependence on oil for energy through technology?  Maybe this would be a step in that direction.

Scientists have invented a plastic solar cell that can turn the sun's power into electrical energy, even on a cloudy day.

The plastic material uses nanotechnology and contains the first solar cells able to harness the sun's invisible, infrared rays. The breakthrough has led theorists to predict that plastic solar cells could one day become five times more efficient than current solar cell technology.                                        

Like paint, the composite can be sprayed onto other materials and used as portable electricity. A sweater coated in the material could power a cell phone or other wireless devices. A hydrogen-powered car painted with the film could potentially convert enough energy into electricity to continually recharge the car's battery.

It's nanotech.  Someone alert the Professor!

Related thoughts.

-  Brainstorming's categories seriously need to be cleaned up.  What was I thinking?

-  Are there consequences if we take the energy from the sun and convert it to fuel?  Isn't that energy being absorbed by the earth now?  Would the resulting meme be global cooling?

Martin Luther King and the Power of Weakness

Jesus had a way of taking our expectations and turning things upside down.  How would a King enter a city?  On a donkey?  Don't be foolish.  Should we demonstrate our righteousness by forgiving seven times?  How about 7 times 70?  Who shall inherit the earth?  Did you choose the meek?

One of these perspectives that is hard to grasp is our own weakness.  In our world weakness is bad.  Not so according to scripture as Paul related in 2 Corinthians 9-10:

9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

How exactly does one be strong through weakness?  One example is from the man whose birthday we celebrate today, Reverend Martin Luther King.  One night during the Montgomery bus boycott after being arrested and despairing over threats to his family, MLK came to the end of himself and prayed:

Lord, I'm down here trying to do what's right. I still think I'm right. I am here taking a stand for what I believe is right. But Lord, I must confess that I'm weak now, I'm faltering. I'm losing my courage. Now, I am afraid. And I can't let the people see me like this because if they see me weak and losing my courage, they will begin to get weak. The people are looking to me for leadership, and if I stand before them without strength and courage, they too will falter. I am at the end of my powers. I have nothing left. I've come to the point where I can't face it alone.

It seems upside down to us, but when we are willing to admit that there is NO WAY we can handle the situation we're in, forcing us to turn to God for help, in that weakness, we finally find the strength we need to go on.  As the rest of the story demonstrates:

As he prayed alone in the silent kitchen, King heard a voice saying, "Martin Luther, stand up for righteousness. Stand up for justice. Stand up for truth. And lo, I will be with you. Even until the end of the world." Then King heard the voice of Jesus. "I heard the voice of Jesus saying still to fight on. He promised never to leave me, never to leave me alone. No never alone. No never alone. He promised never to leave me, never to leave me alone."

And as the voice washed over the stains of the wretched caller, King reached a spiritual shore beyond fear and apprehension. "I experienced the presence of the Divine as I had never experienced Him before," he said. "Almost at once my fears began to go," King said of the midnight flash of illumination and resolve. "My uncertainty disappeared. I was ready to face anything."

Read the whole thing.

Happy Birthday Rev. King!

Separated at Birth: Kerry and the Twilight Zone Bum

Where do you turn when you spot an uncanny resemblance between a Twilight Zone character and a nationally recognized political figure? 

I knew I could trust Chad the Elder to come up with just the right tone.

Apple and the Story of One Bad Decision

It's frightening to me how thin the line can be between living an average life, and making One Bad Decision that can change everything for the worse, temporarily or forever.  I think the possibility that a wrong turn can seriously screw your life up for a good long time is hidden from the young.  For them it's inconceivable.  On the flip side, it's the knowledge of the same possibility of making that One Bad Decision that gives parents nightmares.

As a parent you know your kid can get into a car with the wrong person just once and end up dead.  You know that your kid could be careless one time or follow the wrong crowd, because all of us have made stupid decisions at one time or another.  Most of the time the worst case doesn't happen.  Maybe it's the fact that we've made bad decisions and lived to tell the tale that we sometimes fail to seriously consider the consequences or the possible outcomes of our actions, even if we know what we're doing isn't exactly the "right" thing to do.

Desicanuk, (not his real name), a college junior in pre-med and Mac aficionado,  received a Beta copy of Apple's new OS, Tiger.  He was given free access to Apple's developer site.  You know those legal agreements that pop up whenever you install anything?  Naturally since developers have access to a company's intellectual property, a Non Disclosure Agreement was included in the sign up process.

Then came that life changing decision.  Desicanuk went to a closed Mac users site and uploaded the file.  The upload was interrupted by a moderator who'd received a letter from Apple legal.  But it was too late.  The damage had been done.

Apple has filed suit against Desicanuk and two others.  They are seeking a jury trial, an injunction against further distribution, and damages. In other words, this kid is in it deep.  He can look forward to legal bills, headaches, and possibly worse.

Drunken Blog, whose tech abilities are way over my head, interviewed Desicanuk on the whole mess.

Why did you leak the Tiger build?

This is a tricky question to answer. In all honesty, I assumed that it wouldn't be a big deal if I shared this with like minded mac fans. From what I understood, other pre-releases were being uploaded to the site, so I figured mine wouldn't be any different.

Obviously he's since discovered it is indeed a very big deal.

I'm not defending Desicanuk.  Protecting intellectual property is vital to businesses being able to function in the marketplace.  What he did was wrong. (A fact he now acknowledges.)  There should be legal consequences.

Yet, I hope the lawsuit can be resolved to Apple's satisfaction without destroying this guy's life long term.

Maybe it's the parent in me.  The thought of making that One Bad Decision and the thin line between a normal life or lots of sorrow is a theme my mind has dwelt on.  Because you can't be there to hold their hand every minute.  You can't make their decisions for them.  You don't have any guarantee that a life won't spin out of control.

The best you can do is to point out the hazards in life.  To teach them right from wrong.  To warn them of the consequences of One Bad Decision.  Then pray when you send them out into the world.

Brainstorming Update

I've been doing a lot of site updates in the last few days.  If you look to the sidebar on the left, I've added a lot of Minnesota and Wisconsin bloggers to the Neighborhood.  There's a wealth of good reading there and the biggest problem is knowing when to stop!

I owe Bogus Gold for pointing me to some of the locals.  Maybe I can buy him a drink when we share a table at the Hugh Hewitt/Peter Beinhart debate on Feb. 10.

Blogizdat showed me where to register Brainstorming at the Star Tribune.  Did you sign up your blog?

I've been reading Swiftee's comments at Mitch's place forever, so I found him blogging at Pair 'O Dice.  You know those links you run across that are great but you neglect to bookmark them and they get lost?  Swiftee helped me find Amor Gedden again, an amazing Mil blog.

I've meant to link to Our House , Jay Reding, and The American Mind since the first MOB get together.  Oh My!  Me bad blogger!

I'd also been reading about the fabulous Craig Westover.  A fresh perspective from the Pioneer Press definitely deserves a link!

I bookmarked Darn Floor around the time of the hunter shooting in Wisconsin.  He seems to be in my neck of the woods and covers issues in depth.

Somehow I ended up at People's Republic of Minnesota, and I discover I may actually have met him and his wife because we were both standing around watching the same NARN show at the Minnesota state fair.  (Sing along....It's a small world after all.......)

(Adopting Infomercial Voiceover)

But, that's not all folks!  If you look to your upper right sidebar, you'll see that we've also added a link to search Brainstorming!  At no extra charge to you!

And as a special bonus site upgrade, we've also added a link to search the bible on line.  You will be receiving it free with this special offer!

Not just one.  Not just two.  But three bonus items!  Finally added Sitemeter too!

Click now to receive these bonus items.  Quantities are limited.  No COD's.

O.K.  So I may have gotten a little carried away.  Please excuse the blogger.  The blogger is (perpetually) lacking in sleep.