Life On A B-I7

A Bit of Help

There are times when I sit down to write and nothing worth writing comes to mind. Occasionally there are times when you get help that can’t be turned down. Today is one of those times…

As I write this, three big Labrador dogs are lying at my feet. No, they are not mine, well, at least they are for a few days. Anyway, they are making it almost impossible to think this morning because of the disagreeable aroma they are producing. My cat wandered into the room just as I was pondering what I would like to write. He immediately jumped up on the desk and walked across the keyboard. I’m not exactly sure how he was able to type so rapidly, perhaps I am a slower typist than I thought, this is what he said — in so many keystrokes:

Cat farts are not nearly as bad as dog farts.

Notes on Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations

A Sonnet by Jeffrey Rosen¹

Four habits of thought to erase from your mind:
This thought is unnecessary or destructive
This isn’t what you truly think; you find
Your mortal makes your divine part unproductive

Work for three things: proper understanding;
Unselfish action and truthful speech
And if you find yourself in a crash landing
Accept it calmly, as the sages teach

Do the work with patience and industry
Find fulfillment in what you’re doing now
Free from fear or hope of publicity
Your life will be happy if all your words are true

Life is short, and that’s all there is to say
Unrestrained moderation: the only way

This speaks to me. To me, it is a reminder to avoid distracting thoughts, prize the truth, and always contemplate the divine.² Be unselfish and truthful. If adversity befalls you accept it calmly. Be patient and always humble. Telling the truth brings happiness. Maintain moderation in speech and action at all times.

I would do well to read this every day, of course, I never read what I write, and that’s probably not a good thing. I might learn to write better if I did…

Closing Day at Sun Valley

On closing day at Sun Valley a lot of classic ski wear comes out of the closet. This fellow was sporting a 70’s era “Ski Team” sweater. He was kind enough to let me snap this photo. I voted him the best-dressed closing-day skier on the mountain.

2025 Writing Project

A Year Pursuing Happiness

Each year I come up with a special writing project. The project has a topic that the entries revolve around. Past projects have also had a goal for the frequency of posting. All of this would be separate from normal journal entries like this one. Quite out of the blue this afternoon it struck me that reading influential texts on political and philosophical thought would be a worthwhile endeavor. To that end, I am going to propose (I’m speaking to myself now) that the following reading list would make an excellent goal. The inspiration for this project came from reading Jeffrey Rosen’s book “The Pursuit of Happiness.” It is a detailed yet readable presentation of the political and philosophical thought that guided the Founding Fathers. Rosen presents a list of the most cited books from the Founding Era. I propose to use this as the reading list for my project.

1. Cicero, Tusculan Disputations
2. Cicero, On Duties
3. Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
4. Seneca’s Essays
5. Epictetus’s Enchiridion
6. Plutarch’s Lives
7. Xenophon’s Memorabilia of Socrates
8. Hume’s Essays
9. Montesquieu’s The Spirit of the Laws
10. Locke’s An Essay Concerning Human Understanding
11. Locke’s Treatises on Government
12. Adam Smith’s The Theory of Moral Sentiments

I recognize this would be a significant undertaking, kind of like riding a bike across the country — I plan to do that as well. I won’t be able to do this alone. I’m not a scholar. I will need to consult supplemental sources to even understand most of the thoughts contained in these books, but that will be part of the challenge. I do have a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science, but I don’t expect that to be of much help since I spent almost my entire working life programming computers. The irony of that does not escape me. I credit Jeffery Rosen for the inspiration. “The Pursuit of Happiness” is a book I think every thoughtful person should read — at least once.

Imagination

“Even as a man imagines himself to be, such he is, and he is also that which he imagines.”

— Paracelsus (1493-1521)

Our imagination has power. The trick is to tap into it. If we can do that, we can become much more than we might otherwise. By using our imagination we can shape our thoughts which in turn can lead down new roads.

Federalist Paper #51

James Madison, whom I admire greatly, as much for his role in the establishment of our country as for his sheer brilliance, stated in the Federalist Paper #51 (the following is my paraphrasing) that when a government is formed the first priority is to give that government the tools to control the governed. It seems to me he is talking about laws. The second priority, and possibly most important, is to give the government the structure required to control itself.

The United States has come closer than any predecessor Democracy in achieving “a more perfect form of government.” We can and should learn from our ongoing experience. There may be no “perfect form,” but perhaps we should consider that life appointment to the Supreme Court is not ideal in practice. Might it not be better if appointments were made by a consortium composed of equally represented party membership taken from those persons elected to the Senate?

The Cat Who Taught Zen

“The Cat Who Taught Zen” is a wonderful little book. It is a primer on Zen. A collection of classic Zen stories woven together into a charming narrative that presents the stories in an abbreviated and simple fashion that even I can understand. The book is delightfully illustrated by the author, James Norbury. Many of the paintings are done in the Sumi-e style. A type of painting that uses black ink on special paper. The result gives a wonderfully spontaneous result to the finished subject.

Naturally, reading the book reminded me of my cat, Mr. Tux. I never thought of him as a Zen Teacher, but that is exactly what he is. If he could talk, I would have figured that out much sooner. His quiet non-verbal way of being is deceiving. What characterizes him most noticeably is the fact that he is constantly instructing. His way of being is his instruction. He is always in the moment when there is someone around him and paying attention to him. When he needs to be alone, he finds his way of managing that. I think this combination of being present for those who are around us, and withdrawing to a state of relaxation and contemplation when there is no one around is a fantastic lesson that I can use in my own life. I’ve been trying to practice this without really realizing what I was doing. Now that I have read “The Cat Who Taught Zen,” this has become all the more apparent to me, and all the more desirable.

AHA Blood Pressure Notes

What follows is my handy reference copied from the AHA website…

Your blood pressure is recorded as two numbers:

Systolic blood pressure (the first number) indicates how much pressure your blood is exerting against your artery walls when the heart contracts.

Diastolic blood pressure (the second number)

indicates how much pressure your blood is exerting against your artery walls while the heart muscle is resting between contractions.

Typically, more attention is given to systolic blood pressure (the first number) as a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease for people over 50. In most people, systolic blood pressure rises steadily with age due to the increasing stiffness of large arteries, long-term buildup of plaque, and an increased incidence of cardiac and vascular disease.

However, either an elevated systolic or an elevated diastolic blood pressure reading may be used to make a diagnosis of high blood pressure.

Here are my thoughts on this subject…

I’ve been diagnosed with Heart Disease (High Cholesterol) and occasional Hypertension (borderline) as well as non-acute seizures. None of this is particularly disturbing. You don’t reach age 70 without having something go off the rails physically. I can still bicycle, hike, and ski, so I have nothing to complain about I’m also learning not to use the word really in every other sentence, as in “I have nothing to really complain about.”

I also have an artificial Aortic Valve. That’s an interesting case. At age 64 it was discovered I was born with a bifurcated Aortic Valve. That means I have only two “leaves” in my valve instead of the normal three. This caused a “bypass” of blood each time my heart contracted, amounting to a less efficient pumping machine. It may have been discovered earlier and was ignored, I don’t really know. I suspect that is the case because I believe this condition is one that doctors prefer to treat later in life because of the risks inherent in surgery and the longevity of artificial heart valves — they have to be replaced on the order of every 10 years.

I try not to think about the long-term implications of all this. I may not live to celebrate my 100th birthday with younger members of the “70 Plus Ski Club.” Needless to say, that is my goal. It’s a matter of wait-and-ski. In the meantime, I’m following my doctor’s orders, really.

TransAmerica Final Leg

I started the TransAm bicycle route in Yorktown VA in the summer of 2023. I got as far as Missoula MT where I had to pause the trip due to timing. Now it’s time to finish…

RCG - Remote Campground

This is the rough itinerary for the final leg of my TransAm bicycle journey. This is the first cut. There will be some minor adjustments once I’ve had a chance to study the elevation profile this plan follows. This version of my plan is based on the locations of convenient campgrounds. This could change if the elevation between these stopping points turns out to be unreasonable (for a 70 year old man).

The tentative starting date is Saturday June 16, reaching Redmond on Tuesday July 2. I’ll rest in Redmond over the July 4th holiday (allowing the worst traffic to abate). I’ll resume Monday July 8, finishing in Florence on Friday July 12.

Hike

I went on a hike the other day. This photo is of an old prohibition era still set up in the hills outside Redmond, Oregon. There are several of these in the area. I’m a big fan of whiskey, but I prefer mine to be aged in oak barrels for some time before it is bottled. During the prohibition era, that was probably not the case all that often. I’m glad we now live in a more “civilized” time.

Too Long To Be An Epitaph

…but maybe this could be handed out to guests at the party…

Keep moving, keep learning, keep growing, pay your debts, live within your means, you don’t need two of everything, lemon bars are not as good as they look, be like the people you admire, admire only good people, read good books, listen to good music, don’t let the cat tell you what to do, don’t eat at IHOP, vote for good people, don’t vote for people that you need to make excuses for, pray for snow, don’t leave the water running, don’t drive too fast, listen to your creative self, go to bed early, get up early, ski as long as you can, take naps, be kind, smile, don’t look for compliments, if you receive a compliment be gracious, only eat when you are hungry, stay in the here and now, don’t drink too much, tell your inner critic to go look elsewhere, be patient, don’t stress out, at the end of every day spend time examining your day, watch baseball and keep score, remember that age is a state of mind, you can always edit your life, simplify, organize, focus, when you can’t use facts and information use kindness.

Democracy

We make lots of choices in life. Some of us choose to learn and think, some choose to listen, and some choose to do neither. The result of those choices can lead to undesirable events. When the choice of one or the other is endemic, that can have a dire impact on a democracy. If we look at the many democracies that have come and gone in the past, there appears a common thread. When the populous chooses to discard learning and instead listen to one individual, allowing that individual to do their thinking for them, that has historically led to a fundamental disruption. A disruption that in most cases has been the precursor to the fall of that democracy.

Our founders believed they had designed a type of democracy that had the institutional strength to resist the sort of tyranny that misguided masses can wreck upon their government. While they came closer than probably any democracy that preceded the one they established, we now know that there is no sure thing that can guarantee the preservation of a government, even one as perfect as our own. The key lies in two things that are never guaranteed. The willingness of the governed to think for themselves and participate in their government, and the willingness of their elected leaders to choose the good of the society over their personal preferences. Whether their preference is for power or whether it is for the imposition of their morals over their fellows, in either case, the will of the populous being ignored, the government is likely to fall into corruption.

500 Words A Day

Ray Bradbury wrote a thousand words a day starting at age 9. The first work he felt truly satisfied with he released when he was 25. Given that I write only about 500 words a day and have been at it now for 5 years, I will likely be 98 years old before I have produced a piece of writing that truly satisfies me.

I don’t let that discourage me. I’m not Ray Bradbury. I don’t have his skill with language or his creativity, but that’s okay. We bring to the table what we have to offer. If what we bring is the best that we can produce at the moment, we have done our best. The real point is to keep going. The only goal I have for myself is to continue channeling my creative expression. That’s enough. That, and good handwriting.

While We Can

“While we can,” is probably as good a reason as anyone has come up with for doing something now that you may not be able to do once you get older. I’m talking about things that may be beyond my capacity in the not-too-distant future. It’s why I cycle and ski as much as I can now. I hope to be able to do those things for a long time, but there are no guarantees. Even if you’re younger than I am, you might want to give this a bit of thought.

My goal is to be skiing at age 100. Of course that will take a bit of luck and I won’t be skiing then, the way I do now. It will be flat-skiing on blue runs with body weight carefully distributed over the center of my skis in as leisurely a manner as possible, but at least if the future unfolds the way I want it to, I will be skiing or something that closely approximates that.

Keep Your Expectations Under Control

I woke up this morning to 3 inches of fresh snow on the back patio. In early April, that is considered a good thing if you’re a skier. I packed up my gear and headed up to Mt. Bachelor. Yes, there was fresh snow there as well. The downside is the fresh snow was sitting on top of some crunchy bits, and here and there, some scraped-off surfaces. That makes skiing a bit harder work than it would be in mid-winter, but considering it’s April, I’ll take that any day.

It was a fun day of skiing. I stuck to the edges of the slopes and occasionally ducked into the trees where I found unpacked openings. That was the best part of the day, as well as simply working on the skill set I’m currently focusing on.

I need to preface this paragraph with a disclaimer. A loved one recently reminded me not to focus on myself too much, and also not to be focused on what other people have to say about me. That said, when good things happen, I think it’s okay to share, as long as you don’t make it a daily habit. Yesterday when I came off the mountain, the ski shop manager stopped me in the lodge and told me she saw me on the hill, and she said that I was “a pretty skier.” I’m going to take that as a compliment. She might have been talking about the color of my ski pants and jacket, but I’m going to choose to think she was talking about my skiing technique. The reason this makes me happy is I have been working very hard this season to advance my technique to the next level. I’ve had some success at doing that. Frankly, the success has exceeded my expectations. I tend to “Keep your expectations under control,” that way “You just might surprise yourself to see how far you go.”¹ This season has been surprising in that regard. I’m especially happy I can still learn new physical skills, even at 70. I’m also aware that is not going to continue into infinity…

Unlocking Another Secret

I went skiing yesterday. The season is winding down. I did not have the proper wax and by 2 pm my quads were burning. If you don’t get it, that’s okay, trust me, it’s a thing. I had a good day on the snow. As the title suggests, I unlocked another key to the mystery of good skiing. (One might say great skiing, but at age 70, I’ll settle for good.) The secret is — keep your hands out in front of you. Elbows bent, hands low, but as far in front of you as you can push them, and keep them there all the time.”

The beauty of this is it helps to get your weight forward onto the tips of your skis. The skis are designed to turn tips first. By engaging the tips, particularly of the turning ski, you allow the ski to take over and do what it was designed to do. This can’t happen if your weight is not forward on your skis, having your hands out in front is the secret sauce that helps to keep your weight forward.

When you look down from the chair lift and you see skiers with their hands by their sides you will invariably see the tails of their skis releasing halfway through the turn and sliding downhill. That’s a sure sign that their weight is not over the front of their skis. Their weight is on the center of their skis, or worse on the tails of their skis.

A Special Event

I recently wore this Tie Tac and Ring to a Memorial Service for Nancy Evans. What’s unusual about this is I was the only man out of several hundred (that I observed) wearing a Tie Tac. I guess they have gone out of fashion.

Nancy is the wife of the former Governor of Washington, Daniel Evans. Some say the best Governor Washington has ever had. That view was conveyed to me by one of his successors, who was also in attendance. Be that as it may, it was a privilege to attend the memorial. I was there escorting one of Nancy’s Nieces.

Back to the jewelry. I’ve started documenting some of my Father’s memorabilia that I have had in storage since his passing a few years ago. The Tie Tac and the Ring were among the items I retrieved from storage. I was very happy to bring them out into public and wear them for a very special event. That said, no one noticed (or at least commented). That’s okay. Wearing them made me feel a connection to my Dad. He would have loved to have been there. (I’m sure he was an Evans supporter.) He probably would have done a better job mixing with all the folks in attendance than I did, but that’s not the point, he would have enjoyed the event as much as I did. I was glad I could be there, and, in a small way, have him with me.

The Tie Tac is a replica of an ANA Airlines 747. The ring my Father picked up in Indonesia at some point. My siblings and I can’t fill in the back story on the ring

April Fool’s Day

Also known as “All Fools Day,” its origin is somewhat shrouded in mystery. My preferred explanation originates from the late 1600s. France, after the Council of Trent, switched from the Julian Calendar to the Gregorian Calendar. Before the Council’s order in 1563, the new year according to the Julian Calendar, began on the Spring Equinox. The date varied each year as the Lunar Cycle differed slightly from year to year. The Gregorian Calendar chose January 1 as the start of the new year, presumably to simplify and standardize the new year’s starting date. People who were slow to adopt the news of this change were considered to be “April Fools.” It was customary to attach paper fish to their backs signifying their gullibility. It makes sense if you’re French apparently.

Pranks have become the way to celebrate April 1st. My favorite was pulled off by the BBC in 1976. They reported that at 9:47 AM, an unusual alignment between Jupiter and Pluto would allow people to briefly levitate. Sure enough at 9:48, hundreds of people phoned in to report that they had actually levitated. They were (presumable) not wearing paper fish.

Another classic prank was pulled off by NPR’s “Talk of the Nation” radio show in 1992. The show reported that Richard Nixon was returning to political life, the segment that was aired was complete with the voice of Richard Nixon apologizing and declaring he would never lie again. The voice was recorded by the famous comedian and impressionist Rich Little.

All of this simply goes to show that you don’t need a special day once a year to shade people and get them to believe outrageous things. Example: the willingness of people to buy Bibles from someone who has never even read one and can’t quote a single verse from his $59.99 “special” edition.

Dangling Participle

Some say a dangling participle is the sign of an inexperienced writer. If readers see one, they immediately close the book and move on. It takes a skilled writer to use one and get away with it. I don’t even know what one is. My method of writing is: If it sounds good, go with it, if it sounds bad, fix it. That’s how I ski too — except by feel and not by sound…

Material on this site is presented in chronological order. The Archive link above presents content by subject.

A Song to Carry With You

If there is a secret to life, it’s living in the here and now.

— Delbert McClinton and Glenn Cook

It also doesn’t hurt to, whenever possible, dismiss the shit that doesn’t matter.

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On Writing and Books

You can always edit a bad page. You can’t edit a blank page.
—Jodi Picoult

A writer only begins a book. A reader finishes it.
—Samuel Johnson

The first draft is just telling yourself a story.
—Terry Pratchett

A room without books is like a body without a soul.
—Cicero

So many books, so little time.
—Frank Zappa

Books are uniquely portable magic.
—Stephen King

If I had to pick a favorite, I would choose the quote by Cicero. I’m a fan of the Stoic school of philosophy. That doesn’t mean I know much about Stoicism, but I’m learning.

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Opening Day

Today is the opening day of the 2024 Baseball Season. This is just what America needs. I would love to be at T-Mobile Park tonight to watch the Mariners take on the Boston Red Sox. I remember years ago attending a game in Fenway Park. Those were the days when Jay Buhner played right field for the Mariners. What a thrill that was. I had a seat in right field, third row from the fence. Jay made a leaping catch above the wall directly in front of me. That was a moment to remember.

Why America needs baseball right now is not an issue I care to delve into in depth. What I will say is that history will look back on this time and agree with me that baseball is a constant that will serve in a large measure to provide some sorely needed truth and integrity to the American soul. The optimism that baseball brings encourages me to hope that those Americans who have been persuaded to believe in election-denying lies will eventually see they have been intentionally misled.

Note: Taking a cue from Andrew Weissmann, The abbreviation “JEA” used in the title of this post means “Journal Entry Addendum.”

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Writing

I have a fantasy of someday being a good writer. I’m pretty sure it takes more than writing every day to get there. Writing every day is a start. Other things help, not just with writing, but also with living. I’ve lifted these ideas from a Substack article by Saurav Mandel titled “7 Secret Habits That Will Make You an Unstoppable Writer.” I don’t want to be unstoppable, I just want to write well. Here are the author’s points with my take on what they mean. I’ve decided to adopt some of these into my daily practice (some of them I already have adopted).

Just to be clear, I don’t completely agree with Julia Cameron. She seems to believe that anyone can become a writer, all they have to do is write every day. I think she is using that as an argument to sell books about writing. I believe it takes, not just skill, but a natural inclination to tell a story, an inclination that, on a good day, I lack in large quantity. Still, I do this for now, because I find it rewarding. So here are the things I do in order to become better at writing — not necessarily to become a writer…

1 Hand-Copying (Going to give this one a try)

This one is new to me, something I’ve never even thought of doing. It’s an interesting idea. I am intrigued by the fact that Saurav mentions this one first. He suggests that by hand-copying the work of good writers, you engage mentally, visually, and physically to incorporate the words into your own innate approach to writing. He suggests this is the most powerful exercise you can do to improve your writing, you are “programming” your mind. I like that, especially since I spent a lifetime programming machines. I’m going to give this a try on my brain.

2 Walking (Definitely)

Akin to meditation, walking is a source of inspiration. Thirty minutes a day is all that is needed to generate ideas that can be used in my writing practice. Maybe as good as that is, it also provides health benefits. When you’re my age, it’s important to keep moving. Use it or lose it. Of course, cycling and skiing aren’t bad substitutes for walking.

3 Reading (Definitely)

Never stop reading. Reading is the lifeblood of writing. Not only does it inspire subject matter, but it also helps to expand and diversify my writing skills.

4 Journaling (Definitely)

I’m a huge fan of this practice. I’ve been journaling almost daily now for over three years. I have no plans to quit. The benefit to me has been enormous, not just in my writing practice but in other ways. Besides providing me with writing inspiration, it has given me the ability to look at myself and evaluate changes that I should make. It has also helped me improve my communication and dare I say, helped me help other people too.

5 Meditation (Definitely)

This is good for more than writing. Meditation is calming and helps to improve focus. Ten minutes a day is enough to be beneficial.

6 Watching TV (Nope)

Watching TV allows you to absorb dialog and storylines that may be inspirational. I’m not into watching TV. This isn’t my gig.

7 Doing Nothing (Nope)

I do this one pretty much naturally. The idea here is to give yourself some time each day to simply allow your mind to freely associate without any physical or mental distraction. Sounds a lot like meditation to me.

On the question of grammar, I have Grammarly installed (the free version) but I do have a bad habit of ignoring some of its recommendations. It wants to make my writing more clear, and in particular, more confident. I’m not ready to make my writing sound more confident. The world is much too complicated a place for me to be doing that…

Speaking of inspirational routines. (Most if not all of the referenced Items above.) I forgot to mention cleaning kitty’s food dishes and his litter box. Those activities could be just the thing to bring forth the next great American novel…

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An Agreement

The Cat and I have an agreement. He likes to pretend he is outdoors, so I let him drink from the bathroom faucet. I turn the water on in a slow trickle and he laps up the water to his heart’s content. I’m sure it’s good for him to drink plenty of water (it’s good for all of us). Sometimes I let him drink from the kitchen faucet — don’t tell anyone that.

His end of the bargain is somewhat arbitrary… there is nothing he has to do for me in exchange.

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Mt. Bachelor Mountain Host

I would like to be a Mountain Host next year at Mt. Bachelor. I’ve spoken to several hosts while skiing there this season. They have all been encouraging. It’s not a tough job. Smile a lot. Help people find their way around the mountain. Take photos for people, and occasionally if someone gets out of line, call the Ski Patrol. (You don’t have to be a policeman yourself.) The toughest part of the job is learning the mountain so you can give people good directions. I’ll be working on that in the off-season.

You also get a season pass and a cool ski jacket.

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