Category Archives: Meandering Mind
Subway Advertizing
Why don’t we hear ads on subway lines? Either from the driver or automated. “The doors are now closing, be sure to pull your gucci handbags away from the doors.” “This stop is Piccadilly Circus. Why not grab a pint at Flescher’s pub?”
TED Talks
If you’ve never heard of the TED Talks, you should head over and start watching videos. TED is a group dedicated to Technology, Entertainment and Design (TED), as they describe it. But in reality it has grown to become a centerpiece for people coming together to try to change the world for the better. It is a community of some of the most intelligent people passionately discussing some of their ideas for the future.
But as the second word in the name of the group indicates, they’re about entertainment. So they’ve put many of these talks online. And they’re some of the most entertaining things you can watch and listen to. Their purpose is not just to entertain but to inspire and they definitely do that.
Each one is about 5 to 20 minutes so they don’t take long to watch and you can fit several into the space of time it takes to watch whatever popular reality show is on. Pick any one you want and it will be more entertaining and yet will educate and inspire. Try this exercise: pick one that looks the least entertaining and watch it. I found one called “Nathaniel Kahn on My Architect” and watched it and it was moving.
But more than being entertaining, I think, these short clips show you that it’s OK to pursue your own way of thinking and doing. Some of these people have done their thing since birth but others got to a certain point in their lives and started living their lives their way. They took their background and used what they’d seen and where they’d been to do something. To chart a strategy or forge a path that has led them to where they are now.
Now not all of these talks are deep and inspirational, but they do all have a point. Take “Ze Frank’s Nerdcore Comedy” for instance. He’s as funny as a standup comedian but he can educate as well. He makes some points about social interaction near the end, but the more important message to me is that this guy can do all these things and not live on the streets – he’s got to be making a living somehow, right? He’s not working the traditional 9-5 and he’s still doing alright. Maybe there’s hope for the rest of us who want to shed the corporate skin and go down our own road.
Cinematic Storytelling
“At the upper end of a valley a clear stream, which grows in volume as it progresses, gushes from a cave in which a python lives from under the roots of an old jamun tree. This crystal-clear stream with its pools and runs is alive with many kinds of small fish on which live no fewer than five varieties of kingfishers. In the valley grow flowering and fruit-bearing trees and bushes that attract a multitude of nectar-drinking and fruit-eating birds an animals, which in turn attract predatory birds and carnivorous animals which find ample cover in the dense undergrowth and matted cane-brakes. In places the set of the stream has caused miniature landslides, and on these grows a reedy kind of grass, with broad luch leaves, much fancied by the sambhar and kakar.”
– The Second Jim Corbett Omnibus
Meandering Mind
The scarlet-crimson light lasts longer aloft than when seen from the ground. Impossibly long, as it drags out, each minute changing shade imperceptibly but inexorably. Each shade darker and more primally beautiful than the last. The serrated silhuettes of Tetons cascading past rocky past sierra. The quilted cover of snow topped peaks and plains from the day replaced by sleeping hulks. Blooms of light passing below like some strange luminescent diaspora floating in the murky deep. Blossoming flowers too faded to discern in detail but present nonetheless. Occasional clouds stretch on the horizon like blackened birds, dispairingly dark like some transplant from a crushingly deep abyss. Scarlet smears to crimson then smudges into more ordinary hues and then again to a darkness that seems to mirror but not quite imitate the one below. The darkness a bit more pale. The luminescence less organized. And the swolen circle of light which must be the reflection of the observer – ever peering with one glowing eye straining to see through the dimness something. Though I know not what, something. Some thing I may find out there.
Americans’ Heaven Not Just For Christians
I stumbled across this nugget of news and I had to pass it along. According to the majority of Americans, Heaven is not just reserved for Christians. That is according to a couple of studies done by the Pew Research Center. In other words, for our European friends, most Americans are not fanatical evangelical Christians. That is something that many Europeans have asked me when I’ve been traveling. I guess that’s how we’re portrayed in the media over there, as backward barbarians – probably just before discussing the body count of the latest “football” stampedes.
I’m not saying that Americans have no problems or that Europeans aren’t also good people. But this is something that’s always bothered me about what Europeans think of Americans. Everyone on each side of the Atlantic (and across the globe really) should remember that what they see on TV and in the papers isn’t always necessarily reality. Everybody has a perspective and those often make their way into an article or report.
Reducing Hotel Waste
I do a whole lot of traveling around and it means that I generate a lot of extra waste that I wouldn’t if I had a local job (unless I drove 45+ minutes a day to work). The bulk of this comes from flying and staying in hotels. There’s not a lot I can do about the flying part, but here’s what I’ve been doing to try to cut down on the amount of waste I’m producing by staying in hotels:
1. No Service. Put the little card on your door that says you don’t want to have anybody come in and clean. You can reiterate this at the front desk and ask that they don’t deliver the newspaper or leave clean towels at your door. I usually don’t have time to read the paper and I’ve always got towels and things that are clean.
2. Only Use One Can. I usually just use the trash can in the bathroom. This can save some bags, important if you don’t want to use the rule above. Or maybe I’m just being too cheap. I’m not sure.
3. Turn Off The Thermostat. Most of the time I find that I can safely turn off the A/C or heater in the room. The area next to you is going to be thermoregulated (you like the word I made up?) on at least three and usually five of your six sides. I don’t typically have a problem unless I’m in Florida. Usually in the winter and/or in the cold areas this isn’t even an issue. Everybody is blasting their heater and you get the benefit. Not that it costs you anything but still….
4. Use Your Own Soap. Those little bitty bottles are great if you want to feel like a giant, but it creates a lot of waste if you’re constantly using only a couple of days’ worth of shampoo and conditioner and soap. I usually get the mini bottles at the drug store and then refill them when they get close to empty. Also, different soaps and shampoos use different ingredients to clean you. Some will pull more or less or just different oils off of you and leave traces of different things on you. I have found that my hair and skin don’t get nearly as dried out when I stick to the same brand.
If you run a hotel or if you just want to make suggestions to someone who does, here are a couple of things that really bug me:
1. Energy Efficient Lighting. Begin using energy efficient bulbs the next time you have to replace one. It’s cheaper that way than doing them all at once and will probably save you money within a year. And inside of two years you’ll probably see a difference just in the cost of light bulbs.
2. Follow The Rules. Make sure your housekeepers are sticking to the “floor=change rack=leave” policy. Some hotels say they do but they don’t. Also, don’t replace the bath mat. It’s on the floor because it’s supposed to be.
3. Don’t Half-Ass It. I’ve been in several hotels where they claim to care about the environment but all the things they mention are things they want the guests to do, while not contributing themselves. Or they contradict themselves. For example, they ask me to conserve water and power. But they have incandescent bulbs and run the TV when nobody’s watching it. Or maybe they’ve got a nice water fountain out front of the hotel in a place where there’s year-round 80 degree days with 5 percent humidity. That makes the guests not care.
Specialty Of The House And It’s Still Moving
Bad food. Butch Cassidy found that out in Bolivia, or so says the film. Small towns are full of bad food. Not for lack of care or pride, but simply because of supply and demand. The demand is there for cheap food and not for good food.
A smaller sized city can’t support enough people who appreciate quality over price to keep a high quality restaurant afloat. In my experience, a town of 10,000 supports none; a town of 50,000 supports two or three.
Just an observation.
How to Treat Beggars
You know the scenario: You see a dingy old man with a gray-yellow beard in tattered and dirty clothes standing on the corner and you cross the street to avoid the possibility that you’ll have to deal with him. Just then you’re confronted by another similarly shabby person who asks if you have some change to spare. Your fingers play with the quarters in your pocket and you wonder if you should keep walking or if you should drop them in the fast food cup in outstretched arms. What should you do?
It’s a question I have wondered many times. A lot of people have some pretty set responses to the question, either one way or the other. But for most people it’s probably not that simple. They question their choice each time they are presented with it. Here is what I try to keep in mind when I face that dilemma.
1. Above all, remember that they are humans. The Dali Lama is fond of saying that all humans are searching for the same things: happiness and an end to pain. Recognize that they are the same as you in this way, even if they choose to go about it in a different way. This is something that you should try to internalize. You may not want to walk a mile in their shoes, but understand that they probably don’t want to either. Many times they see begging as the best of a number of bad alternatives. Making them feel like outcasts is the surest way to guarantee that they’ll stay that way.
2. Treat them kindly, within reason. Most of them are not bad people and don’t deserve to be treated poorly. Hey, maybe some of them are just bored and are begging to pass the time before going to do something. Show them that you recognize them by at least looking at them and addressing them. Just give them a smile, politely decline, and keep on going. Odds are they’re not going to harass you. But use your own judgment here; if you’re get a vibe like they might be dangerous, do whatever you think is best.
3. Remember to respect their culture. Not all beggars are here in the US. When you’re traveling abroad, remember that in some cultures begging is a way of life for some. In the far east, for example, beggars are commonplace and are not treated quite as badly as here in the western world. Eastern religions teach compassion for all mankind and helping your fellow man when you can. Come to think of it, I can think of another religion that teaches the same thing, but that’s for a different post.
4. Beggars in different cities have different personalities. It’s not as strange as it sounds. Remember that people are at least partially a product of their environment and that behaviors are rewarded selectively. In other words, what works in one city doesn’t in another so the beggars are likely to behave differently. In the midwest they tend to be polite and friendly. In the south they tend to plead and play on your compassion. Other places, beggars will likely act differently.
5. If you’re going to give something, do it wisely. When you give to a beggar, you are rewarding whatever internal and external behavior he is performing and has performed recently. So if he’s doing Charlie Chaplin impressions of the Little Tramp and gets his desired outcome, he’s more likely to move onto Buster Keaton. Likewise, if he’s just stumbled out of the alley after finishing off a bottle of MD 20/20, he’s more likely to go buy another.
6. Money is not the only thing you have to give. Sometimes the beggars aren’t looking for money. Sometimes they’re ultimately looking for a bite to eat or some way to pass the time. Though most will take money in lieu of whatever they really want, give some consideration to the idea that maybe you could give them something that you want them to have. Maybe something like the leftovers from your meal that somebody else might enjoy having.
These are the things that always run through my head when I see someone on the street begging. I won’t say that I always do the right thing or that I always even follow my own advice. But I do try to consider more than just my own convenience, comfort, and sense of smell.
One thing I’d like to do but haven’t yet is to find a guy who’s asking for food and buy him lunch and talk with him. I’m sure I could learn something or at least just spend a few minutes doing something different. But then I do spend an inordinate amount of time walking through downtown areas just Meandering along. Maybe I feel a little bit of a kinship.
Geno’s Wins Legal Battle, Still Asses
News today that Geno’s in Philly, a landmark place for cheese steaks, has won its court battle over their policy of not serving people who don’t order in English. I didn’t look into it much, but it seems to be a pretty dumb fight to me. I mean it’s a private business, they have (or should) the right to serve or not serve someone if they can’t understand the order. If I go into a Chinese restaurant and order in German, are they compelled to bring me exactly what I want? And how do you order a “Philly Cheese Steak” in another language without using that phrase?
Anyway, the court battle is over and you can now require that people order from your menu. But the people at Geno’s are still a bunch of jack holes. When I ordered a cheese steak with peppers, mushrooms, and swiss cheese, the guy asked me if I really wanted “all that crap” on there. I guess it’s supposed to be part of its “charm” (people were more friendly in Russia), but to me it was just lame. And it’s not like they’re the only game in town. Pat’s is right across the street and has (IMHO) a better product.
So hats off to you, Geno’s, you can now reserve your dumb comments for those who can understand you. Score one for efficiency.
On Plans
In college I didn’t know what I wanted to do. All that I knew was that I didn’t want to work in a cubicle from 9-5. I saw some of my friends working this way and it reminded me of the movie Office Space (have you seen this one?). That is probably one reason that I spent so much time in school. But I am very happy with what I do now! Two things that I have always really enjoyed are traveling and computers and in my job, I do both.
I didn’t have much of a plan in college, or at least none that were realistic. I really didn’t have any good plans until after I got back from the trip to Russia. I went back to my old life and realized how small and confining it was and I realized that I didn’t want to be doing the same thing in 1 year. I did a lot of thinking and reflecting on what mattered to me really. I decided that I was going to start following my passions more and not worry so much about where the money was. I started doing that and spent more time reading books and learning things that I enjoyed rather than working in an endless cycle where the stack of work on my desk didn’t get any lower.
So my plan became to be a full time traveler and work when I had the opportunity. That is as simple as it was. I knew that this is what would make me happy ultimately. I knew that the plan wouldn’t happen at once, but I instead had set a goal to have my plan completed in 2 years. I think that was reasonable for this plan because really I could have just sold everything I owned and walked out the door the next day. But I wanted instead to be able to travel without having to worry about money. I knew that I had to start doing more things that would set me up to be on track with my plan, and that included getting a new job.
When I started looking for a different job, I first defined what I wanted out of it. That was, I wanted to be able to travel – maybe because my job paid for it or maybe because I didn’t have to go to an office. At first I had hoped that I would find some job where I could work from anywhere in the world by computer, but I didn’t find that job. I really didn’t care if I worked with computers or not, because traveling is more important to me.
When I interviewed for the position, I didn’t try to make myself look more impressive or more knowledgeable than I was because I knew that it would be a bad thing in the end. I was trying to find a job that matched myself and what I wanted, so exaggerating and boasting would have been the worst thing I could have done. I think that is the key: find a job that matches you, rather than trying to change yourself to match the job.
And now, I am well on my way towards accomplishing what I set out to – to be traveling full time and working when I can. In fact, I’m traveling pretty much full time now. It’s just not my ideal itineraries. But it is great experience for when I am traveling independently and working. I think I am farther along on my plan than I could have been if I hadn’t set my initial target high and if I hadn’t found a job that so closely matched my interests. It took me a little longer to find this job, but the reward was worth the wait.
meanderingwoods 