Top Ten Things That I Like

In no particular order:

1.) Beautiful physical environments
2.) Beautiful people (inside and out) (and to me, animals count as people)
3.) Relationships with beautiful people (inside and out)
4.) Imagination
5.) Creativity
6.) Passion
7.) Love
8.) Technology (not just human technology; plants, atoms, molecules, etc)
9.) Squirrels
10.) Swimming (because it as close as I can get to flying without mechanical aid)

Katie: I want to hear 10 things that irritate you and 10 things you like.
Megha: I want to hear 10 things that you like.

Top Ten Things That Annoy Me

In no particular order:

1.) Cold weather
2.) Not enough rain
3.) Not enough humidity
4.) Government sponsored healthcare for a population that by and large does little to stay healthy
5.) People who don't take care of themselves and then complain about their health problems
6.) Human ignorance
7.) Mosquitoes
8.) High population densities
9.) Money
10.) The need to poop, pee, and fart

Recognition

At work the subject of employee recognition has come up a lot lately. A lot of people don't feel like they and their efforts are recognized or appreciated by management and peers as much or as often as they'd like.

Some efforts have been made to celebrate achievements by posting achievers' pictures on the wall labeled with their achievements. That's nice, but it's apparently not enough. It's also not the kind of recognition that means much to me.

There's more to recognition than public or private praise. What's far more meaningful to me is recognition that the people matter backed up by action. An example: my manager ordered new work shirts for me without being asked and got my size and color right. That shows I was important enough to her that she'd pay attention to my needs and meet them without prompting. It's a small thing, but that gesture showed me I was appreciated.

Now that I'm aware of the kinds of recognition that mean the most to me, I want to show my co-workers how much I value them with my actions as well as my words. It's really not that hard once I know what to do.

A Word For Now: Milquetoast

From Merriam Websters:
milque·toast \'milk-"tōst\ n [Caspar Milquetoast, comic strip character created by H. T. Webster †1952 Am. cartoonist] (1935) : a timid, meek, or unassertive person

Milquetoast on WikiPedia

I hate people who blog about blogging

Blogging is an art form. It's an amazing opportunity to share one's self with the world. And some people ruin this precious, precious forum to share their ideas by blogging about blogging, and blogging about bloggers. You don't see people frog about frogging do you? Or dog about dogging? Do you know why not? Because it's stupid! I'm sick and tired of people I don't even like tainting my precious art form. It's a desecration. It's like money changers in the temple ripping off the worshipers by charging exorbitant prices for birds to sacrifice! It's like a freshly minted bride getting divorced during her wedding! It's like eating vanilla ice cream on top of rancid lard! It's a massacre of everything I hold dear. BLOG IT ALL! They've sullied my precious and I hate them for it.

ADDENDUM: These suckers are called "Meta Bloggers". Meta. Look it up.

Random Word Definition: Liminal

From Merriam Webster's Dictionary:

lim·i·nal \'li-mə-nəl\ adj [L limin-, limen threshold] (1884)
1 : of or relating to a sensory threshold
2 : barely perceptible
3 : of, relating to, or being an intermediate state, phase, or condition : in-between transitional ‹in the liminal state between life and death —Deborah Jowitt›

A related word:

sub·lim·i·nal \(")sə-'bli-mə-nəl\ adj [sub- + L limin-, limen threshold] (1886)
1 : inadequate to produce a sensation or a perception
2 : existing or functioning below the threshold of consciousness ‹the subliminal mind› ‹subliminal advertising›
— sub·lim·i·nal·ly adv


I think that "liminal" is an underused word. There's a theory that says: if a language doesn't have a word for a concept, the speakers of the language are less likely to think about or discuss that concept. Considering how many "on the threshold" moments there are in life besides the "big ones" like birth, death, marriage, etc, I don't think that enough attention is given to these moments. In part this is probably because change itself is typically under-appreciated (often feared or dismissed as uninteresting). I am in a liminal state in several respects, and it's odd how just thinking about this new word I've learned has caused me to savor these moments moments rather than blindly passing them by.

I really like this word.

Today I Saw a Man Cannibals Would Want to Eat

Today I was off work and free as a bird.

I went for a walk this morning, right after I got up. I stuffed unshelled peanuts in my pocket, a banana, an orange, and some water in my sling backpack and headed out to the greenway. I left my watch and cellphone behind. The greenway was full of people today and it was fun to watch them. I had sunglasses on, which allowed me to watch people without them knowing I was watching. A highlight: A shirtless jogging man who had muscles that would have made cannibals salivate: just the right balance between fatty and stringy.

When I watch people, I like to play observation games like:
- Which people look like they voted for McCain? Which for Obama?
- Which people would cannibals go for?
- Spot the mean people
- How many people actually look alert?
- Which parents wish they didn't have kids?
- Find someone who looks presidential
- Which people would muggers target?
- Which people are just BEGGING to have their pockets picked?
- Guess which people would help a mugging victim and which ones would walk away
- There are more!