We are made of our past

In Brad Paisley's "Letter to Me", he sends a letter back to his 17-year-old self assuring him that everything will work out fine.  Couldn't knowing that things will work out change the way you approach problems?

The Time Travel paradox.  Just by going back in time, you risk changing the future.

I would be afraid that changing the past would change the present.  I ascribe to the philosophy expressed in the Darius Rucker song,  "This".

I don't really know how I got here
But I'm sure glad that I did
And it's crazy to think that one little thing
Could've changed all of it

I know I've made mistakes in my past.  There are things I regret and would like to change.  But my past makes me who I am today.  The successes, the failures, the people who treated me well, even the people who treated me badly, all influenced the person I have become.

I like who I am now.   I am flawed, insecure, smart, stubborn, kind, conscientious, trustworthy, judgmental, lucky, and grateful. 

And very happy.

VNSA Book Sale

The VNSA (Volunteer Non-profit Service Association) annual book sale was today.  If I've ever been, it was 20 years ago, so I asked Sarah if she wanted to go. Not that I need more books to read.  I already have 3 shelves of unread books.  Plus several Kindle editions. 

Still, the annual sale is considered an event.  And a book sale is irresistible to a bibliophile.

We met at a nearby McDonald's for breakfast at 7.  We chatted until 8, then headed over to the State Fair Grounds for the sale, which started at 8.  I expected there would be a long line, but I was awestruck by the sheer number of people there already. 

My concept of size is sadly lacking in accuracy.  But by trying to imagine my house compared to the building,  I would guess it was at least 200 feet long.  And the line to get in was 4 lengths of the building.  It appeared that they were restricting entrance based on occupancy requirements.

So Sarah and I stood in the winding, slowly moving line, chatting and people watching from 8 until 10:30, thoroughly enjoying the warm sunny day.  The crowd was well mannered and quiet.  However, the ladies in front of me insisted on smoking.  Until the woman in front of them asked them to stop.  

By the time we were permitted entry, we realized that we had made a newbie error.  Most of the crowd had bags with them, or carts.  There were a few shopping carts available, but they were on a waiting list. 

So we wandered the vast expanse of hard covers and paperbacks until our arms were full and we could carry no more.  I was impressed by the effort that went into organization of the books, separating them by genre and author, keeping the table tops filled from the open boxes stacked below them.

The checkout was quick and efficient.  I was thrilled to see there were paper sacks for our purchases.  I walked out with hard covers by Michael Crichton, Piers Anthony, and Ron White. Plus a paperback by Alan Dean Foster, 3 by J.A. Jance, and a set of 8 Cleo Coyle Coffee House mysteries.  All for $28.

Sarah and I enjoyed the day so much we already plan to attend next year.  But we'll be better prepared.  .

Where did all these wireless devices come from?

My DSL modem recently died and had to be replaced.  When I got the replacement, I had to go around and reset my wireless devices. 

And was flabbergasted at how many devices I had accrued.

• the main PC 
• the printer
• a netbook
• a smart phone
• a Kindle Touch
• satellite dish receiver

I'm not an early adopter, but I do love not have cords running all over the place. 

Worrying about logistics

Logistics - The detailed coordination of a complex operation involving many people, facilities, or supplies.

So technically, planning an extra session at the gym isn't a complex operation, but making the change can be daunting to me.  I wanted to work out on the machines after fitness class, but fretted about the details. 

Should I bring my water bottle to the gym?  I need it for Body Combat, but what will I do with it afterwards?  Should I take it to the fitness room with me?  That would mean moving it from machine to machine.  Should I put it in a locker?  If I put it in a locker, should I put my purse in a locker before Combat?  Can I find my lock?  Where will I keep the key?  Will it fall out of my pocket during Combat?

Should I take my water bottle and purse out to the car before working on the machines?  I could lock my purse in the trunk before I leave home.  I can't lock it in the trunk at the gym because someone might see and try to steal it.  Can someone break into my trunk?  They could break the window and pop the trunk.

If I take my water bottle out to the car after Combat, I will have to sign back in at the front desk.  Will the attendants think I am an idiot for signing in twice? What is my reluctance to use a locker?

What I finally decided was to lock my purse in the car before I left home, then move my water bottle and towel from machine to machine.  This worked perfectly fine, although  I almost forgot my bottle one session.

I wish I could stop myself from sweating the small stuff. 

Reality Competitions think we have no attention span.

I watched about 30 minutes of The Voice after the Super Bowl before heading off to bed.  And remembered why I don't watch these reality competition shows.

OK, I really can only judge based on The Biggest Loser and The Voice, but apparently the producers think we have the attention span of a hamster.

We have the competitor.  There is a challenge (singing, fitness, etc).  There is commentary.  A decision must be made.

We cut to commercial.

Now, I know commercial breaks are getting longer, but still they are only about 3 minutes long.

So why, when we come back does the show have to recap what happened prior to the commercial?

Did they think I forgot?  I didn't.

Did they think I just tuned in?  Well, too bad for me.  If I missed what was going on I should Hulu it.

Prime time shows are only about 42 minutes long anyway, with the commercials removed.  So wasting 6 to 9 minutes repeating actions is a waste of a considerable percentage of the viewing time.

I appreciate the "Previously" montages at the beginning of my weekly dramatic series. But I don't need a "Previously" when we get back from commercial.

My attention span is greater than that of a hamster.  At least, so far.

Declutter and purge

I've been doing a declutter and purge.  I generally keep my house reasonably uncluttered. I think it comes from having grown up with a hoarder.  I am an anti-hoarder.  Except with books.  And Beanie Babies.  What do I do with 300 Beanie Babies now that no one else wants them?

But I have taken a much more critical eye to my belongings than in years past. I got rid of several perfectly good shirts.  But every time I reached for one, I would draw my hand back and say, "Umm. No.."  The shirts deserve to be worn. Into the giveaway pile they went.

Four years ago, I took down gorgeous, full length curtains I made for my 8' wide bedroom window. They clashed with a stained glass piece I hung in the same window.  Do I really expect I would change my mind and rehang them?  Or make something else out of them?  I barely have time to finish the items on my to-do lists.  When would I find time to take on a new project?  Into the giveaway pile.

I had some delicate gold necklaces with real (tiny) diamonds.  I haven't worn them in at least 5 years.  I have a lucky necklace I wear every day.  So these necklaces have hung forlornly from a tie rack, pretty but forgotten.  Into the giveaway pile.

My hardest giveaway?  Legos.  I have accumulated 30 pounds of Legos.  Some from when I had young step kids, but most were purchased for work.  At one work place, I used Lego sets as a conversation starter.  They were also useful to occupy fidgety people.  At this workplace, we built an entire cityscape when we had down time compiling code on slow machines.

But we moved offices and the buildings came down.  We got faster computers and there was no down time. It's been over a year and the city has not been rebuilt. 

The Legos were stored in the garage, in transparent containers, reminding me that they were being unused, neglected. 

I couldn't bring myself to part with all of them.  But I sorted all the colors and the people and gave away 2/3 of my Legos to 2 boys that will love them and play with them. 

My next step?  Software disks.  Do I really need to keep the disk for TurboTax 1999?

Kindle and physical books

I bought a Kindle Touch that was delivered just before the Thanksgiving holiday.  Obviously, I am not an early adopter.  There were 3 reasons I finally succumbed. 

1. I used points I earned at work, so it was essentially free.
2. A older book I wanted to read was $25 for the paperback, but $4 for the Kindle edition. 
3. I could get library books on the Kindle, and never have to worry about returning them.

My first two books were Diary of a Player by Brad Paisley and David Wild.  And Winning Low-Limit Hold'em by Lee Jones.  Both were cheaper for the Kindle edition than a physical book.

(I wonder whether there is any psychological significance in the first book a user downloads? )

  I like the Kindle.  It is easy to read.  It weighs about the same as a paperback.  I can read bits of different non-fiction books and it remembers my place.  No stack of books lying around with bookmarks, nagging me to finish.
But I find myself in a quandary.  I like to read the paperback mysteries that Amazon sells 4 for the price of 3.  The Kindle editions are the same price as the paperbacks.  But without the 4 for 3 special.  So it would actually cost me more for the Kindle editions.

In the end, I don't think the Kindle will replace physical books for me.  I have book series that I want to continue collecting.  And I can't justify paying more for 4 Kindle books than for 4 paperbacks.  So, I will get the Kindle edition when it is the cheaper alternative, or if I want to get it from the library.  Otherwise, I will continue to buy physical books.

Which means I'm going to need more book shelves.