Miles Run:14.45
Miles Biked:45.49
Total Miles:59.94
Days to Rainier:198
Summit Team:4.5
Aspirin Tablets:10
We all know people who just like the sound of their own voice. Well now you can say that you know someone who likes the sound of their own typing. It's late and I am trying to clear my thoughts, so please give me a mulligan on this post.
My philosophy of running is somewhat unconventional. My current running schedule alternates 3 and 4 miles runs. I try to fit in 1 20+ mile bike ride and 3 runs each week with matching doses of aspirin. During my runs, I alternate Toe Running (here I run from toe point to toe point never letting my heel drop from stride to stride) and conventional Heel-toe Running. Each method lasts for 0.6 miles and is followed by my own transitional period variant. You see when I Toe Run, my calf muscles are taking a beating and to go straight from that to the conventional stride (or vice versa) would cause unnecessary stress. So each 0.6 miles (determined using Google Maps), I take a 200ft break during which I...um...to use a little jargon I picked up in grad school, "I iteratively follow a trend-specific stochastic path." If any of you have ever studied cointegrated series then this all makes sen...well no it doesn't...well my transitions follow a so called "random walk" or as my humorous Time Series Professor C. J. Kim calls it, "A drunken walk." Seriously, I intentionally weave and lean and stop and start several times to stretch each primary lower leg tendon to reduce the likelihood of a strained ligament or excessive build up of lactic acid. You should see me; I look ridiculous. But that's because I am ridiculous.
On my runs, I am constantly adjusting my tempo to prevent my diaphragm from "red-lining". I intentionally stress my breathing to bring myself to the point where the burning stitch in my side is almost about to start, then I hold that tempo. Breath control is vital as I measure each breath to provide just enough oxygen; I try never to gulp or take a deep breath but at the same time not take too many shallow breaths because then my diaphragm will fatigue too quickly. For the last half mile, I increase my tempo to the point where the stitch starts to burn. Then I take my last transitional period and stretch everything out while I cool down.
This method for training is all still in flux, and I welcome any new insights. But it has worked for me so far, I can feel my legs getting stronger and the day-after pain is decreasing. Till next time...
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
Costco
Miles Run:12
Miles Biked:45.49
Total Miles:57.49
Days to Rainier:199
Summit Team:4.5
Aspirin Tablets:6
Today was a good day. It is my one day of total relaxation and rest each week. I volunteer my time from Sunday-Thursday at Mars Hill Church in a variety of ways. Saturday is my project day to catch-up and prep for the next week. In obvious contradiction to my previously defined day of rest, I installed 20 feet of 12-2 Romex and a new receptical (Romex, if you don't know what Romex is you are not a DIY type of person, tisk tisk). So without being electrucuted I updated and rewired the power to my bedroom to ensure that my new shiny computer monitor would be well grounded. I then knocked out 25.25 miles on my mountain bike in the driving wind, with only one minor injury (Biking Map). Finally, I cooked some amazing shrimp Linguine and watched Swordfish with Travolta and Berry. I know God said:
This sympathy with Gabriel or Clyde Alexander Shelton (played by Butler in Law Abiding Citizen) and their causes of justice and liberty leads to a fear in my gut. Should I ever be blessed with a wife or a precious daughter. I know there is no power on Earth that would stop me from repaying anyone who hurt them fully.
Wow, man I got off topic. Like James Harleman says, "there are few experience specifically as compelling or challenging as being pulled into a film's story for a few hours."
So what was I going to write about? Oh yeah Costco!
"Costco?", you ask. Yes, Costco. Every year my mom and I go to the Costco shareholders meeting in Bellevue (except last year when I was on my Epic Road Trip). "Are you a RICH GREEDY CAPITALIST who is ruining America and the World by promoting the corporate executive system where men make outrageous amounts of money yet have no incentive to manage risk, instead they live only for the short-term thereby ensuring we will all be subject to frequent and volatile financial crises?!"
No, no, no. I support that system of intentional instability when I pay my taxes.
Anyway, I hold a modest amount of Costco shares in my retirement account, so I get to go. My mom and I enjoy the event each year because it reminds us that Capitalism is lovely and saves the lives of hundreds of thousands each year. It also allows me to buy the hundred pack of socks. Jeffrey Brotman led the meeting, the video presentation of all the cool depictions of Costco in the media (Jimmy Kimmel at Costco was the best), and the Q&A. The best part is the free stuff. Don't get me wrong stealing made the top ten not cool list, but it's not stealing when they say, "Here take it we don't want to take it back to the office." So I got 2 gallons of laundry detergent, 4 containers of chocolate covered Almonds and Raisins, 50 pounds (!) of sealed trail mix, 6 2.2lb boxes of Natural French Truffles (one of my personal favorites), 5 cool self-sealing storage containers, 3 boxes of Flex Free Glucosamine and Chondroitin tablets, three pounds of shrimp, a dozen bottles of Kirkland Signature Vita-Rain, and a sweet portrait of myself,. My mom got about the same amount of swag plus a full-sized dog bed for Fritz.
Thursday's Costco outing was a total win. I even ran into my buddy from Ballard Campus Security. So now I am fully stocked with training food (50lbs of trail mix!) and am even well rested or will be after I publish this post and snooze.
I am still calling any manly man or womenly woman to join me on Rainier. July is just far enough away to prepare physically and mentally. Join me. Beat Rainier.
Miles Biked:45.49
Total Miles:57.49
Days to Rainier:199
Summit Team:4.5
Aspirin Tablets:6
Today was a good day. It is my one day of total relaxation and rest each week. I volunteer my time from Sunday-Thursday at Mars Hill Church in a variety of ways. Saturday is my project day to catch-up and prep for the next week. In obvious contradiction to my previously defined day of rest, I installed 20 feet of 12-2 Romex and a new receptical (Romex, if you don't know what Romex is you are not a DIY type of person, tisk tisk). So without being electrucuted I updated and rewired the power to my bedroom to ensure that my new shiny computer monitor would be well grounded. I then knocked out 25.25 miles on my mountain bike in the driving wind, with only one minor injury (Biking Map). Finally, I cooked some amazing shrimp Linguine and watched Swordfish with Travolta and Berry. I know God said:
Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes swiftly. Deut 32:35But something in me is stirred when Gabriel (played by Travolta) says:
Someone must bring [the terrorists'] war to them. They bomb a church, we bomb 10. They hijack a plane, we take out an airport. They execute American tourists, we tactically nuke an entire city. Our job is to make terrorism so horrific that is becomes unthinkable to attack Americans.I guess I am just a jacked up guy, but vengeance...
This sympathy with Gabriel or Clyde Alexander Shelton (played by Butler in Law Abiding Citizen) and their causes of justice and liberty leads to a fear in my gut. Should I ever be blessed with a wife or a precious daughter. I know there is no power on Earth that would stop me from repaying anyone who hurt them fully.
Wow, man I got off topic. Like James Harleman says, "there are few experience specifically as compelling or challenging as being pulled into a film's story for a few hours."
So what was I going to write about? Oh yeah Costco!
"Costco?", you ask. Yes, Costco. Every year my mom and I go to the Costco shareholders meeting in Bellevue (except last year when I was on my Epic Road Trip). "Are you a RICH GREEDY CAPITALIST who is ruining America and the World by promoting the corporate executive system where men make outrageous amounts of money yet have no incentive to manage risk, instead they live only for the short-term thereby ensuring we will all be subject to frequent and volatile financial crises?!"
No, no, no. I support that system of intentional instability when I pay my taxes.
Anyway, I hold a modest amount of Costco shares in my retirement account, so I get to go. My mom and I enjoy the event each year because it reminds us that Capitalism is lovely and saves the lives of hundreds of thousands each year. It also allows me to buy the hundred pack of socks. Jeffrey Brotman led the meeting, the video presentation of all the cool depictions of Costco in the media (Jimmy Kimmel at Costco was the best), and the Q&A. The best part is the free stuff. Don't get me wrong stealing made the top ten not cool list, but it's not stealing when they say, "Here take it we don't want to take it back to the office." So I got 2 gallons of laundry detergent, 4 containers of chocolate covered Almonds and Raisins, 50 pounds (!) of sealed trail mix, 6 2.2lb boxes of Natural French Truffles (one of my personal favorites), 5 cool self-sealing storage containers, 3 boxes of Flex Free Glucosamine and Chondroitin tablets, three pounds of shrimp, a dozen bottles of Kirkland Signature Vita-Rain, and a sweet portrait of myself,. My mom got about the same amount of swag plus a full-sized dog bed for Fritz.
Thursday's Costco outing was a total win. I even ran into my buddy from Ballard Campus Security. So now I am fully stocked with training food (50lbs of trail mix!) and am even well rested or will be after I publish this post and snooze.
I am still calling any manly man or womenly woman to join me on Rainier. July is just far enough away to prepare physically and mentally. Join me. Beat Rainier.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Training...
This last week has been a long week with an exciting project I submitted. I even got some positive feedback from Pastor James. Very cool.
I got to sleep after 2am Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday trying to get everything ready and woke at 7:15am to get to work. Also, I ran 9 miles and rode 20 miles. These numbers are not spectacular but in my defense, I have not run in 13 years.
So this week I will be starting morning runs. Pray for me. I am really NOT looking forward to it.
I enjoyed some great Lamb Biryani at the India Bistro in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle with my grandparents and my cousin Tanya. I got to pick her brain on running and preparing for my climb. As a professional runner type person, her advice carries massive weight, and I am very grateful that she took the time with me. Also, I saw The Way Back (see my last post). The movie stirred my mind and gut. Basically, after my long week I was gifted with a great two days to relax and recharge. But last night I couldn't sleep (even though I was in bed by 10pm). I was anxious about Sunday services at West Seattle. Worried that we wouldn't have enough security guys, parking guys, and baptism volunteers. But then one Sunday came, we had a solid security core, three guys on parking, and plenty of baptism folks. God delivered and everything went well. In fact everything went really well. We saw 8 people baptized including a counterfeiter and dealer who did 5 years in Federal. I also interviewed a 7 year-old girl who is solid in her faith.
Basically all 7 teams and 75 volunteers faithfully showed up, I tried to humbly lead them (as humbly as an arrogant guy like me can) to worship God, and God showed up. Game set match. So why did I worry?
Why do you think I worry?
I got to sleep after 2am Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday trying to get everything ready and woke at 7:15am to get to work. Also, I ran 9 miles and rode 20 miles. These numbers are not spectacular but in my defense, I have not run in 13 years.
So this week I will be starting morning runs. Pray for me. I am really NOT looking forward to it.
I enjoyed some great Lamb Biryani at the India Bistro in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle with my grandparents and my cousin Tanya. I got to pick her brain on running and preparing for my climb. As a professional runner type person, her advice carries massive weight, and I am very grateful that she took the time with me. Also, I saw The Way Back (see my last post). The movie stirred my mind and gut. Basically, after my long week I was gifted with a great two days to relax and recharge. But last night I couldn't sleep (even though I was in bed by 10pm). I was anxious about Sunday services at West Seattle. Worried that we wouldn't have enough security guys, parking guys, and baptism volunteers. But then one Sunday came, we had a solid security core, three guys on parking, and plenty of baptism folks. God delivered and everything went well. In fact everything went really well. We saw 8 people baptized including a counterfeiter and dealer who did 5 years in Federal. I also interviewed a 7 year-old girl who is solid in her faith.
Basically all 7 teams and 75 volunteers faithfully showed up, I tried to humbly lead them (as humbly as an arrogant guy like me can) to worship God, and God showed up. Game set match. So why did I worry?
Why do you think I worry?
The Way Back
There was a man, an ordinary married man. He is hauled out of his life; his wife is tortured and accuses him of treason. He is convicted in a closed interrogation room by party member and sentenced to twenty years hard labor in a Siberian Gulag. His whole world was taken away and he was caste from his homeland of Poland to a hell-on-earth in frozen Siberia.
The Gulags were walled but really didn't need to be. The wall was Siberia itself; the endless frozen forests of the Soviet East were sufficient to kill any who left the camps.
With the meager rations, frozen environs, voracious diseases, dangerous work conditions, and random executions by bored guards, the average death rate per year was 20% during the period of 1938-1965.
Janusz's home was attacked and divided between Nazi and Soviet megalomaniacs. His life and liberty were taken away and he was condemned to death in the camps(there was only a 1.15% chance that he would survive the 20 year sentence).
This story is the story of millions.
This story is retold by Peter Weir in the film "The Way Back". There are dozens if not hundreds of movies about Nazism, Italian Fascism, and Sino-Imperialism. There are very few honest depictions of Soviet brutality. The anti-semitic genocide in Germany killed 9-12 million. The Soviet Communists murdered more. Socialism in Germany and Italy was bloody but nothing compared to Soviet Communism. As many as 60 million caste into the furnace of the USSR, turned to ash in the name of equality and proletariat exaltation.
Weir's story tells the true story of Slawomir Rawics. In 1941, this man escaped from the barbed wire camp into the Siberian wastes. He and five others headed South to escape the Communists. They walked through a Siberian Winter. They walked past Soviet patrols. They walked into Mongolia and entered the Gobi desert. They lost three men along the way, in the sand. Three made it to Tibet. They walked across the narrow mountain passes from Lhasa into North of India in Winter, arriving barely alive. Many would ask for proof of their 4,000 miles walk. There is none.
Captain Rupert Mayne was a British intelligence officer stationed in Calcutta who interviewed these three men. His report and Slawomir's personal testimony is the only proof that this actually happened.
What do you think? I would encourage you to give his story a hearing. Go see The Way Back, and ask what drives each of these men. They faced a slow death in the camps, but instead they decided to walk. They could have faced the wasting away of their life, but instead they chose to take their life back and run for it.
I can't help myself. As a rather conservative economic theorist (wow that is such an arrogant thing to say, what difference does my little degree really make?), I can only look at the Communist form as inherently denying reality. They assume first of all that a central planner (or team of mere thousands of planners) can coordinate markets better than the price system. This assumption (no it's a blind assertion) caused the famines in the USSR (5-10 million deaths all due to bureaucrats' arrogance). The second assumption in Soviet Communism is that people are inherently good so we can trust the ruling class (the Politburo). The only minor problem is that in a Communist system only the ambitious men are promoted to power not the best men. The result is that Lennin, Stalin, Khrushchev, and the like end up leading (45-50 million killed as political, social or racial undesirables). Basically, these two assumptions end in blood. Soviet communism has caused devastation and horror on a larger scale than any other philosophical system ever.
The Gulags were walled but really didn't need to be. The wall was Siberia itself; the endless frozen forests of the Soviet East were sufficient to kill any who left the camps.
With the meager rations, frozen environs, voracious diseases, dangerous work conditions, and random executions by bored guards, the average death rate per year was 20% during the period of 1938-1965.
Janusz's home was attacked and divided between Nazi and Soviet megalomaniacs. His life and liberty were taken away and he was condemned to death in the camps(there was only a 1.15% chance that he would survive the 20 year sentence).
This story is the story of millions.
This story is retold by Peter Weir in the film "The Way Back". There are dozens if not hundreds of movies about Nazism, Italian Fascism, and Sino-Imperialism. There are very few honest depictions of Soviet brutality. The anti-semitic genocide in Germany killed 9-12 million. The Soviet Communists murdered more. Socialism in Germany and Italy was bloody but nothing compared to Soviet Communism. As many as 60 million caste into the furnace of the USSR, turned to ash in the name of equality and proletariat exaltation.
Weir's story tells the true story of Slawomir Rawics. In 1941, this man escaped from the barbed wire camp into the Siberian wastes. He and five others headed South to escape the Communists. They walked through a Siberian Winter. They walked past Soviet patrols. They walked into Mongolia and entered the Gobi desert. They lost three men along the way, in the sand. Three made it to Tibet. They walked across the narrow mountain passes from Lhasa into North of India in Winter, arriving barely alive. Many would ask for proof of their 4,000 miles walk. There is none.
Captain Rupert Mayne was a British intelligence officer stationed in Calcutta who interviewed these three men. His report and Slawomir's personal testimony is the only proof that this actually happened.
What do you think? I would encourage you to give his story a hearing. Go see The Way Back, and ask what drives each of these men. They faced a slow death in the camps, but instead they decided to walk. They could have faced the wasting away of their life, but instead they chose to take their life back and run for it.
I can't help myself. As a rather conservative economic theorist (wow that is such an arrogant thing to say, what difference does my little degree really make?), I can only look at the Communist form as inherently denying reality. They assume first of all that a central planner (or team of mere thousands of planners) can coordinate markets better than the price system. This assumption (no it's a blind assertion) caused the famines in the USSR (5-10 million deaths all due to bureaucrats' arrogance). The second assumption in Soviet Communism is that people are inherently good so we can trust the ruling class (the Politburo). The only minor problem is that in a Communist system only the ambitious men are promoted to power not the best men. The result is that Lennin, Stalin, Khrushchev, and the like end up leading (45-50 million killed as political, social or racial undesirables). Basically, these two assumptions end in blood. Soviet communism has caused devastation and horror on a larger scale than any other philosophical system ever.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
One Step Leads to Another
I took my first step toward Rainier on Suturday. Then there was another, and another, and before I knew it I was running. Have I ever told you how much I hate to run? I'm not even joking; the last time I ran was for the mile run in 6th grade. (7:12 for the smallest kid in the 1600 person middle school ain't bad)
My dad was a bicyclist, and my mom is an aikido black belt. So I should have some athleticism. Not so. I couldn't even make the baseball team in high school as a bench warmer. It's not that I don't go out side and exercise, it's just that I am very short, and if I am not intentional about planning out each meal, I lose 3 pounds a week.
So back to the point, I hate running. But...the training routine I have chosen on is a 5 a week Bike/Run routine. My first run covered 4.3 miles but I actually ran only 3.2 miles. It was raining and windy and cold. How can people do this stuff for fun? Each time I saw a dude walking his dog or an elderly lady peering from behind lace curtains I wanted to quit. My fear of man popped out as I imagined what they were thinking...{Old Lady's voice}"Crazy hoodlum, running must be looting..." {dude's voice} "Woah, crazy runner doesn't he know it's raining out here?"
Each time my heart would sink, I thought of this picture and the passion tripled within:
I want to see this with my own eyes, I want to be there and I want to summit.
{Using Pastor Mark's Intense Voice} "I'm looking for Men and Women who want the same thing Passionately, Who want to stand high atop Rainier and Earn it!"
Who is even moderately interested in coming with me? We hit rainer Mid July. It will take months of personal preparation. You might even have to run. It will take months of group events to hone your technical skills. It will take a lot of your time and probably $300-$450. Do you want it bad enough?
Special acknowledgements to my Cousin Tanya, she decided to take up running and now kills marathons. She is an inspiration to me.
My dad was a bicyclist, and my mom is an aikido black belt. So I should have some athleticism. Not so. I couldn't even make the baseball team in high school as a bench warmer. It's not that I don't go out side and exercise, it's just that I am very short, and if I am not intentional about planning out each meal, I lose 3 pounds a week.
So back to the point, I hate running. But...the training routine I have chosen on is a 5 a week Bike/Run routine. My first run covered 4.3 miles but I actually ran only 3.2 miles. It was raining and windy and cold. How can people do this stuff for fun? Each time I saw a dude walking his dog or an elderly lady peering from behind lace curtains I wanted to quit. My fear of man popped out as I imagined what they were thinking...{Old Lady's voice}"Crazy hoodlum, running must be looting..." {dude's voice} "Woah, crazy runner doesn't he know it's raining out here?"
Each time my heart would sink, I thought of this picture and the passion tripled within:
I want to see this with my own eyes, I want to be there and I want to summit.
{Using Pastor Mark's Intense Voice} "I'm looking for Men and Women who want the same thing Passionately, Who want to stand high atop Rainier and Earn it!"
Who is even moderately interested in coming with me? We hit rainer Mid July. It will take months of personal preparation. You might even have to run. It will take months of group events to hone your technical skills. It will take a lot of your time and probably $300-$450. Do you want it bad enough?
Special acknowledgements to my Cousin Tanya, she decided to take up running and now kills marathons. She is an inspiration to me.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Inception
So today I had the privilege of spending time with some great folks from the West Seattle Campus of Mars Hill. We all went out to the U. District Campus to enjoy the Movie Inception and Cinemagogue's theological take on this fine piece of cinematic philosophy. The metanarrative master's (Pastor Harleman) discussion of subjective reality explored the very curious yet blatantly obvious fact that the question "Did the top stop spinning?" is totally irrelevant. Here are some of my subjective recollections of Harleman's main points:
(1)Viewed from another perspective, one can see that Saito was actually breaking into Cobb's mind. Notice how Saito just happens to appear in Madras with the rescuing car, he has seemingly unlimited power to but an airline in the middle of a conversation, and he is the cause of Cobb's catharsis with both his children and his dead wife.
(2)Without an external and infallible person who knows all, there can by definition be no truly objective reality. Christopher Nolan (the director) focuses all his films on this premise. There is no objective reality, or at least no one can access it. In Memento, Guy Pierce's character has no short-term memory, so he relies on tattoos and photographs to interpret his perceived reality through. The story shows how fallible even relying on hard facts can be. Inception takes that idea and goes 10 steps further. What if you were able to enter someone's dreams and interact with them? What if you did such a good job of this that true life outside of the dream (we'll call this "reality") became hard to discern? What if you lost track of what was real and what was a dream? In many ways that gray area is precisely where we live everyday. What is objectively true? Does you spouse really truly love you? Or are you making a best guess based on your experience and what they have told you? Are even your memories of life trustworthy? These sorts of questions build a healthy paranoia don't they?
(3)In the Prestige (another Nolan Film), Michael Caine's character (Cutter) says, "Every great magic trick consists of three parts or acts. The first part is called "The Pledge". The magician shows you something ordinary...Perhaps he asks you to inspect it to see if it is indeed real, unaltered, normal. But of course... it probably isn't. The second act is called "The Turn". The magician takes the ordinary something and makes it do something extraordinary. Now you're looking for the secret... but you won't find it, because of course you're not really looking. You don't really want to know. You want to be fooled." This reaction in each of our minds pulls us toward an idealized (or perhaps more palatable) reality where "truth" is forgotten. We all yearn for a subjective reality...Christian's call this original sin. We all want to live in a world where we can be our own god; where we have monopoly on what is real and what is not. For me, that is why I love to dream. As an amateur lucid dreamer, I have enjoyed the subjective reality of my own semi-conscious mind and the seeming omnipotence it offers.
(4)Cypher in the Matrix decided that whatever feels real is real. "If I have to choose between [reality] and the Matrix, I choose the Matrix." Some folks recognize that objective reality depends on an external hero but say that subjective reality is more than enough to live a full life. Cypher agrees.
There were many other intriguing insights from P. Harleman but you guys should have attended if you wanted to hear them. Too bad for you.
One final note before I try to sleep. A friend of mine who you can read about HERE recently renewed a debate I have had within my mind regarding a grand unified theory of everything. (No not quite the GUT) rather a consistent view of my own life, economic theory, and a more general sociological theory of mankind. She pointed me to a man by the name of John Robbins. He launches a fair-minded attack on my favorite economist Ludwig von Mises (coincidentally I have spent dozens of hours in Mises personal library whilst at Hillsdale College). Robbins points out the difficulty acknowledged by Misses, "Those divines [Theologians] who saw that nothing but revelation could provide man with perfect certainty were right. Human scientific inquiry cannot proceed beyond the limits drawn by the insufficiency of man's senses and narrowness of his mind." (He then goes on to explain causal indeterminance and all the annoying things in economics which have caused me to slam my head against my keyboard through the long nights of grad school.) The admission that those folks with a red line to the man upstairs seem to own objective truth seems hollow. I mean in mathematics there are such things as a limiting argument where a function never reaches a given threshold. Couldn't humanity be similar under a purely subjective world view, each day getting closer to objective truth but never reaching it? I appreciate Robbins views but dang guy. Maybe I have been to well indoctrinated by my Austrian professors. I want to be both a Christian and an rationalist economist.
Oh and Read Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged and Fountainhead y'all. She is a fascinating story telling and straight-up Austrian (maybe).
(1)Viewed from another perspective, one can see that Saito was actually breaking into Cobb's mind. Notice how Saito just happens to appear in Madras with the rescuing car, he has seemingly unlimited power to but an airline in the middle of a conversation, and he is the cause of Cobb's catharsis with both his children and his dead wife.
(2)Without an external and infallible person who knows all, there can by definition be no truly objective reality. Christopher Nolan (the director) focuses all his films on this premise. There is no objective reality, or at least no one can access it. In Memento, Guy Pierce's character has no short-term memory, so he relies on tattoos and photographs to interpret his perceived reality through. The story shows how fallible even relying on hard facts can be. Inception takes that idea and goes 10 steps further. What if you were able to enter someone's dreams and interact with them? What if you did such a good job of this that true life outside of the dream (we'll call this "reality") became hard to discern? What if you lost track of what was real and what was a dream? In many ways that gray area is precisely where we live everyday. What is objectively true? Does you spouse really truly love you? Or are you making a best guess based on your experience and what they have told you? Are even your memories of life trustworthy? These sorts of questions build a healthy paranoia don't they?
(3)In the Prestige (another Nolan Film), Michael Caine's character (Cutter) says, "Every great magic trick consists of three parts or acts. The first part is called "The Pledge". The magician shows you something ordinary...Perhaps he asks you to inspect it to see if it is indeed real, unaltered, normal. But of course... it probably isn't. The second act is called "The Turn". The magician takes the ordinary something and makes it do something extraordinary. Now you're looking for the secret... but you won't find it, because of course you're not really looking. You don't really want to know. You want to be fooled." This reaction in each of our minds pulls us toward an idealized (or perhaps more palatable) reality where "truth" is forgotten. We all yearn for a subjective reality...Christian's call this original sin. We all want to live in a world where we can be our own god; where we have monopoly on what is real and what is not. For me, that is why I love to dream. As an amateur lucid dreamer, I have enjoyed the subjective reality of my own semi-conscious mind and the seeming omnipotence it offers.
(4)Cypher in the Matrix decided that whatever feels real is real. "If I have to choose between [reality] and the Matrix, I choose the Matrix." Some folks recognize that objective reality depends on an external hero but say that subjective reality is more than enough to live a full life. Cypher agrees.
There were many other intriguing insights from P. Harleman but you guys should have attended if you wanted to hear them. Too bad for you.
One final note before I try to sleep. A friend of mine who you can read about HERE recently renewed a debate I have had within my mind regarding a grand unified theory of everything. (No not quite the GUT) rather a consistent view of my own life, economic theory, and a more general sociological theory of mankind. She pointed me to a man by the name of John Robbins. He launches a fair-minded attack on my favorite economist Ludwig von Mises (coincidentally I have spent dozens of hours in Mises personal library whilst at Hillsdale College). Robbins points out the difficulty acknowledged by Misses, "Those divines [Theologians] who saw that nothing but revelation could provide man with perfect certainty were right. Human scientific inquiry cannot proceed beyond the limits drawn by the insufficiency of man's senses and narrowness of his mind." (He then goes on to explain causal indeterminance and all the annoying things in economics which have caused me to slam my head against my keyboard through the long nights of grad school.) The admission that those folks with a red line to the man upstairs seem to own objective truth seems hollow. I mean in mathematics there are such things as a limiting argument where a function never reaches a given threshold. Couldn't humanity be similar under a purely subjective world view, each day getting closer to objective truth but never reaching it? I appreciate Robbins views but dang guy. Maybe I have been to well indoctrinated by my Austrian professors. I want to be both a Christian and an rationalist economist.
Oh and Read Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged and Fountainhead y'all. She is a fascinating story telling and straight-up Austrian (maybe).
Friday, January 14, 2011
The Begining
So My previous blog was "Josh's 2010 Road Trip" It is now 2011 and my short-sighted name is obsolete. This is my new blog. My purpose for calling it "Josh's Road Trip" is really quite simple.
So here I am on a road trip. This road trip is my life. I will drive fiercely down the road until I reach the end and see Jesus (no Eric! not by downing an entire fifth of tequila). I will swerve; I will skid; I will run from the metaphorical cops; I will take pit stops to pick up and drop off hitchhikers. It will be great.
Join me.
I, Josh, of sound mind and sort of sound judgment have chosen to make the metaphor for my life a road trip.
So here I am on a road trip. This road trip is my life. I will drive fiercely down the road until I reach the end and see Jesus (no Eric! not by downing an entire fifth of tequila). I will swerve; I will skid; I will run from the metaphorical cops; I will take pit stops to pick up and drop off hitchhikers. It will be great.
Join me.
The End
Miles: 1345.6
Gallons Burned: 60.28
Total Miles: 17268.2
Total Gallons Burned: 590.7
That's it for my 2010 road tripping. The numbers are in and the year of the road is over. So Technically speaking my blog ends here. I have see so much and enjoyed the company of truly amazing people from in between long stretches of road. There really isn't anything more to say.
Well that's not entirely accurate. Life is a road trip. Seriously it is. Each of us starts out from home and embarks on a quest for fulfillment; a life long journey to find what we all need. Some pursue a career, others that perfect person to journey with, still others pursue freedom in financial stability, and then there's me. What do I pursue? On my life's road trip where am I going?
This topic was the sole focus of my thoughts this morning. I officially kicked off my Mount Rainier Training today by riding 20 miles on my mountain bike around the brutally windy Alki Point. I didn't take any music, lectures, or sermons, I just rode in silence. I asked what would you have me do Lord? Who should I spend time with? What is my right path? Do you want me to pursue that one gal? What does my next 5 years look like? Is there someone I need to be mentoring? Where should I focus my time?
As a 24 year old driver, my road trip is still only beginning the maps are out and I am pouring over them. My God already has it all worked out. It'll be fine. It might have dangerous mountain passes (check out the link it was really sweet) or seasons of lonely despair. My road may wind through the valley of Death's Shadow and past the death of best friends, it may be an awful road.
What if it is? What if all the worst things happen along side and right in the middle of my road? It doesn't matter because I know where my life's road trip is going. I will park my ride, toss the keys, and stroll into the house of the Lord in the end. THE END.
Gallons Burned: 60.28
Total Miles: 17268.2
Total Gallons Burned: 590.7
That's it for my 2010 road tripping. The numbers are in and the year of the road is over. So Technically speaking my blog ends here. I have see so much and enjoyed the company of truly amazing people from in between long stretches of road. There really isn't anything more to say.
Well that's not entirely accurate. Life is a road trip. Seriously it is. Each of us starts out from home and embarks on a quest for fulfillment; a life long journey to find what we all need. Some pursue a career, others that perfect person to journey with, still others pursue freedom in financial stability, and then there's me. What do I pursue? On my life's road trip where am I going?
This topic was the sole focus of my thoughts this morning. I officially kicked off my Mount Rainier Training today by riding 20 miles on my mountain bike around the brutally windy Alki Point. I didn't take any music, lectures, or sermons, I just rode in silence. I asked what would you have me do Lord? Who should I spend time with? What is my right path? Do you want me to pursue that one gal? What does my next 5 years look like? Is there someone I need to be mentoring? Where should I focus my time?
As a 24 year old driver, my road trip is still only beginning the maps are out and I am pouring over them. My God already has it all worked out. It'll be fine. It might have dangerous mountain passes (check out the link it was really sweet) or seasons of lonely despair. My road may wind through the valley of Death's Shadow and past the death of best friends, it may be an awful road.
What if it is? What if all the worst things happen along side and right in the middle of my road? It doesn't matter because I know where my life's road trip is going. I will park my ride, toss the keys, and stroll into the house of the Lord in the end. THE END.
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