tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69805712024-03-12T18:48:54.407-07:00The Hobbled RunnerA 50-something former runner who's struggling to "act his age"John G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13843307829954139188noreply@blogger.comBlogger1583125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980571.post-48592795984682924272020-02-14T09:46:00.002-08:002020-02-14T09:46:53.746-08:00My Week in Review: Cool Things I’ve Read or Listened to this Week<br />
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Here are but a few of things I've stumbled upon this week. </div>
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After hearing that someone with the incredible Icelandic
name of <a href="https://www.hildurness.com/">Hildur Gudnadottir </a>received an Oscar for Best Original Score in <i>The
Joker</i>, I had to Google her. Now I’m
subscribed to her <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzSebZaqfKU_p3QA0K4kjTQ">YouTube channel</a> and have been listening to something new (to
me) every day. </div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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On Wednesday I stumbled upon this interview with Tufts Political
Scientist <a href="https://as.tufts.edu/politicalscience/people/faculty/hersh">Eitan Hersh</a> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>on NPR’s Hidden Brain podcast <a href="https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510308/hidden-brain"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Hidden Brain podcast</span></a>: <o:p></o:p></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Many Americans feel an obligation to keep up with
political news. But maybe we should be focusing our energies elsewhere.
Political scientist Eitan Hersh says there's been a rise in "political
hobbyism" in the United States. We treat politics like entertainment,
following the latest updates like we follow our favorite sports teams. Instead,
he says, we should think of politics as a way to acquire power and persuade our
neighbors to back the issues we support.</i></blockquote>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Can’t escape from work? Don’t blame your phones, it’s
those <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2020/02/laptops-killed-work-life-balance/606334/">damn laptops</a><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i>But that blame is often applied solely to the wrong piece of
take-home technology. If staying home with a cold still requires a full day of
work or you can’t find a seat at your local coffee shop on a Tuesday afternoon,
iPhones are not responsible for ruining your life. The novelty and early
popularity of smartphones seem to have distracted America from how quickly its
laptops were also dissolving much of the boundary between work and home.</i></blockquote>
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<br />John G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13843307829954139188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980571.post-68674610111598526462020-02-13T11:57:00.002-08:002020-02-13T12:33:17.506-08:00Paper Routes - They Ain't What They Used to Be<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span style="color: black; font-family: ""arial"",serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Morning is my best, most productive
time of the day. And now, I’ve got more free time each morning, as the
morning <a href="http://www.startribune.com/">Star Tribune</a> never arrives
before I leave for work. </span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: ""arial"",serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">I've learned that our paper carriers
are busier than ever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before the
holidays they sent this note in their holiday card. The information they
shared about their workload was astounding!</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i>"Season’s Greetings! We are your new newspaper carriers … This is our second week delivering your paper(s), … We deliver papers for five routes during the week, and four on Sunday. On Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays, we deliver between 850 and 1000 papers. Please bear with us on delivery times. The harsh winter weather so far is already making it difficult to stay on schedule. We will deliver your newspaper to your door each day. We wish you a Happy Holiday Season, and a wonderful New Year."</i><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
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<span style="color: black; font-family: ""arial"",serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">That’s crazy! 850 to 1000
newspapers. There’s no way they can deliver that huge number of papers in a
timely manner. When I was a paperboy for the old Minneapolis Star (mid
1970s), my route consisted of about 50 households. I could deliver all
those papers in an hour. Of course back then many more people subscribed to the
paper so the routes were dense. I would walk or bike down a block in suburban
Richfield (16 houses per block) and only 4 or 5 houses did NOT subscribe to the
paper. Papers were never late - unless there was a problem down at the
Star Tribune printing plant, or the weather was horrific. </span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: ""arial"",serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Those days are gone. The routes
are no longer as dense as they once were. Rather than covering several blocks
in one community, they sprawl for miles. Kids no longer deliver
papers. You have to be a licensed driver with hours of time to commit to
the task. The current system provides no way for the majority of the
subscribers to get their papers “on time” when they have that many households
to visit. Today, there are so few subscribers (about 3 on our block in
Roseville), that the poor carriers must drive miles every day, over several
communities. </span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: ""arial"",serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">It’s crazy. I wonder if, like
some publications, the Star Tribune offers a cheaper package if I subscribe
only to the online version (which I already have access to) and agree to cancel
home delivery? </span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: ""arial"",serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Oh well -<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>more time in the morning for me, and time for
new rituals like the comics and crossword over dinner. </span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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John G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13843307829954139188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980571.post-71409347829460912302020-02-11T13:11:00.001-08:002020-02-11T13:12:00.223-08:00Trains, Jesus, Murder - Johnny Cash, Prisons, and Me<span id="docs-internal-guid-44d08331-7fff-a20e-8ec1-148108946d3a"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A few weeks back I picked up a book from the staff-recommended non-fiction shelf at the <a href="https://www.rclreads.org/">Roseville Library</a></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. The book by <a href="http://experimentaltheology.blogspot.com/">Richard Beck</a>, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">was </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.broadleafbooks.com/store/productgroup/1365/Trains-Jesus-and-Murder">Trains, Jesus, and Murder - The Gospel According to Johnny Cash</a></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> I’ve always been interested in Johnny Cash - and I loved the book's title. My dad was a fan and had an album or two growing up. When JJ was in elementary school, he had a brief Cash phase when a teacher’s aide sang <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folsom_Prison_Blues">Folsom Prison Blues,</a> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - interesting song to teach little kids. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The book was an interesting story of Johnny Cash’s life told through the lens of Christianity, providing details on Cash’s upbringing, musical career, and faith journey. The book spends some time on Cash’s prison concerts, drawing on the author’s experience leading a weekly Bible class for fifty inmates at the maximum security <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_M._Robertson_Unit">French Robertson Unit </a></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. It was fascinating to hear about the lives of incarcerated folks, and their struggles with faith and captivity. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I had never given much thought about spending time with prisoners until recently when Maria's recovery journey sent her off in a new direction. A few months ago, Maria started bringing AA meetings to the <a href="https://mn.gov/doc/facilities/shakopee/">Shakopee Women's Prison</a>. She underwent training and a criminal background check. Now she's gone several times and finds it very rewarding. Though she doesn't - in fact she's not allowed to - share much about her experience, I think it's been a great learning opportunity for her. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I used to think that sort of experience was a world away from me but realize now it’s not that far. </span></div>
John G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13843307829954139188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980571.post-56053508565568528542020-02-06T08:19:00.000-08:002020-02-06T08:19:31.216-08:00Podcasts, music, signal, and noise<span id="docs-internal-guid-403395d6-7fff-6737-180a-4531287d34d2"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">I was unable to listen to podcasts on my morning commute. I have an older (2006) vehicle so I need to use an aux cord to plug phone into car to play over the speakers. It's likely that the aux cord is a victim of the Minnesota winter. Freezing and thawing temps are not helpful for cheap product electronic products. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Instead, I listened to the radio - music - ahh. While driving a thought occurred to me. Perhaps humans did not evolve to have constant chattering in their ears - especially informative chatter. It seems logical to me that brain is always alert and listening for signals. My new theory is that it’s stressful (and therefore exhausting) for one’s brain to constantly be sorting through noise looking for a valuable signal. In the wild, we mostly heard wind, trees, and sounds of our little band of hunter gatherers - the noise of normal existence. When we heard a signal - dangerous animal, thunder, earthquake, voices we didn’t recognize (possible enemies) we sprang into action. Listening to educational podcasts - not so mention political podcasts - produces a lot of noise as well as valuable signals - but I wonder if the optimal situation for processing danger signals is only a few times a day or week - not every waking hour of the day?</span></div>
John G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13843307829954139188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980571.post-247104187318449032018-03-28T08:39:00.000-07:002018-03-28T08:39:34.718-07:00Take That Social Media!<span id="docs-internal-guid-cb5b045c-6d3e-6f1e-fcc6-60358c67ce96"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Recent news around Facebook and Cambridge Analytica have caused me - once again - to ponder my use of social media. I like to think I'm not addicted - but I do find myself checking Facebook and Twitter more times each day than I'd care to admit. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">This morning, I resolved to sit quietly at my desk and get some stuff done - BEFORE - checking social media. I made it to 10:15 AM before "quick" checking Facebook and Twitter. I hope to curb the craving - and use social media responsibly. Of course, in the interest of full disclosure, I was guilty of posting on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/johngisselquist/">Instagram </a>during breakfast this morning - damn Mark Trail providing yet another inspiration for my <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/marktrail/">#marktrail</a> posts.</span></div>
John G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13843307829954139188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980571.post-78301175292852850452016-11-15T07:45:00.005-08:002016-11-15T07:45:51.375-08:0010% Happier?<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">At a work conference this summer, I attended a breakout session about reducing stress. In that session, we were led through a 10 minute guided meditation. I was reluctant - but came away with a relaxed body and an open mind. Perhaps I would try some of the reading materials suggested by an instructor. One book turned out to be particularly good, <a href="%2Ehttps://www.amazon.com/10-Happier-Self-Help-Actually-Works/dp/0062265423">10% Happier by Dan Harris</a>. I enjoyed the book a great deal. If a type-A, highly competitive news person could benefit by meditation, perhaps I should give it a try.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now (almost) every morning, I start the day with a few stretches, maybe some light exercises, and then 5 minutes of breathing meditation. I set a timer on my phone and stop when it goes off. Some days it’s easier than others. “Just” concentrate on your breath. Breath in, breath out - just think of the breath. When your mind wanders - and it always does - come back to the breathing. Most days it feels good physically, the light movement and breathing is relaxing. On other days, it feels good both physically and mentally - and my ability to concentrate and remain - in the moment stays with me all day. If you need a recharge - just stop what you’re doing and breath in, then breath out. I find that the deeper the breath, the better. You can do it in meetings (provided you you’re not a heavy breather type. It’s great in the car - especially good while stuck in traffic or red lights. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now I have a meditation “practice” - if I dare call it that. It’s about breathing, paying attention to the breath, staying in the moment, focusing on the here-and-now. It’s like the concept of <a href="http://www.senndelaney.com/SennDelaney_article_BeHereNow.html">“Be Here Now”</a> that I encountered in a corporate training last year. And of course there’s a Beatles connection: George Harrison recorded a song,</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=He2yrzwgTtI"> Be Here Now,</a></i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> on his 1973 album Living in the Material World.</span></div>
John G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13843307829954139188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980571.post-66133647206117979582016-10-28T07:35:00.001-07:002016-10-28T07:43:48.561-07:00At Least I Have My Health<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thank God It's Friday!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">Started the day off by cutting myself shaving - twice! - something I never do - even once. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When I got to the office, I had barely settled in when a colleague stopped by to ask several questions that I had to answer - without coffee! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Next, I walked across this sprawling complex of a building to my 9:00 meeting. What do you know - I’m the first attendee. I sat in the conference room alone for a few minutes but no one else showed up. I checked the meeting notice on my phone. Yes, it was the right room, but the host had recently added a WebEx option to the meeting so of course everyone was back at their desks logging into the meeting. Since I didn’t have a computer and didn’t want to “watch” the meeting on my phone in a conference room by myself - I trudged back to my desk and “arrived” at the meeting at 9:12. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-4cf8e295-0bb6-a661-8ddc-05079f8c1465"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The good news? As of 9:30 AM, I have 1920 steps (0.8 miles) and 7 flights. </span></span>John G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13843307829954139188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980571.post-73488764490085043132016-03-03T11:41:00.001-08:002016-03-03T11:41:49.101-08:00Attention Spans<div class="MsoNormal">
It would be fascinating if a Fitbit or similar device could
monitor brain activity. I suspect I cannot
sustain concentration on any one thing for more than 60 seconds at a time.</div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">30 seconds more realistic.</span>John G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13843307829954139188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980571.post-62519251246717328442016-02-05T07:37:00.000-08:002016-02-05T07:37:35.415-08:00F no longer equals N<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3MaV95gx1DYv44pDBx2WPEOD60VA2w5ZpZOwou2WR_Ri88tfeXggOSnyK8fkeXOuC0-4gEm9ohjOnv2TwoeQcOnWpCcmgufwfS7N-kBWxohMZw_f9TwVa5N6JIOgz8WhNx-3Z/s1600/f2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3MaV95gx1DYv44pDBx2WPEOD60VA2w5ZpZOwou2WR_Ri88tfeXggOSnyK8fkeXOuC0-4gEm9ohjOnv2TwoeQcOnWpCcmgufwfS7N-kBWxohMZw_f9TwVa5N6JIOgz8WhNx-3Z/s320/f2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.5pt;">Disclaimer:</span><span style="font-size: 12.5pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12.5pt;">I watch little to no TV.</span><span style="font-size: 12.5pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12.5pt;">I haven’t been to a movie (at a movie
theater) for several years.</span><span style="font-size: 12.5pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12.5pt;">I’m likely a
“little” out of touch with popular culture.</span><span style="font-size: 12.5pt;">
</span><span style="font-size: 12.5pt;">With that in mind, I offer the following.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.5pt;">Last night Shana
and I were watching a new series on Amazon Prime (<i>Mozart in the Jungle</i>). We’ve
watched several episodes, and all have a lot of your “normal” cussing. The show also has – what seems to me – a
rather prolific use of what we used to call the F word. You know the one. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.5pt;">I’m not sure what
that bothers me so much. Maybe I’m
becoming an old fogey, unhip and unwise to the real world out there. Maybe it’s a Midwestern prudishness. I know I travel in different circles than the
characters in the series. I certainly
don’t work in an artistic, creative environment like a symphony orchestra. But, having said all that, it still seems
like an overabundance of the F word.
Where I work, it would be considered very bad form to use the F word in
a meeting. We cuss a little, “damn” and
maybe “shit” – but it’s been a long time since someone let loose with the big
F-enheimer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.5pt;">It bothers me how
common-place the F word – especially among young people. When I was a kid, the F word was almost
equivalent to the N word. If you used
either, you quickly looked in both directions to make sure no grown-ups
overheard you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.5pt;">Is it possible to turn the tide – turn back the clock on the
overuse of the F word? Really, where
does it go from here? If everyone –
young and old – is comfortable with the F word, does it lose its shock
value? Will need to come up with even
more dramatic and vulgar expressions? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.5pt;">Maybe I shouldn’t even care.
You know – WTF.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
John G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13843307829954139188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980571.post-2239964682938474842016-02-03T11:17:00.003-08:002016-02-03T11:17:51.080-08:00Walking and Talking<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJc_XE8zA6VGeouz3LgA0xqRy5RGdP99lvt5sNS80dobYvQBUf1dWmXMsUJgWB-CXc_O0IQaGqenmxx1Fn_E1hLT-AO95vJ5lzvjPktrTTQlaktFKJGypvUH6qePFDma2WD-sr/s1600/Path_2-3-2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJc_XE8zA6VGeouz3LgA0xqRy5RGdP99lvt5sNS80dobYvQBUf1dWmXMsUJgWB-CXc_O0IQaGqenmxx1Fn_E1hLT-AO95vJ5lzvjPktrTTQlaktFKJGypvUH6qePFDma2WD-sr/s320/Path_2-3-2016.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.5pt;">The company promotes
wellness. That’s a good thing. They offer onsite exercise classes, access to
showers, and nicely maintained walking paths on the campus. They also post maps of walking routes indoors
– for those who don’t want to go outside in Minnesota winters (or summers), or
those who feel they don’t have enough time to leave the building.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.5pt;">One route seems
to take people right by my cube. Here’s
one (of many) reason not to do your exercise walk in the building: Walking is exercise, and depending on your level
of fitness, you may become winded. Walking
is social; many people walk with friends and colleagues. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.5pt;">Walking encourages talking – it really helps
free up the mind and ideas flow. Walking
and talking with colleagues while winded leads to loud conversations – some of
which you might not want to share with your co-workers. Many is the day when I want to hop up from
cube and follow the walking talkers who just went by – I gotta know what
happens next.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
John G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13843307829954139188noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980571.post-76092701904266303592015-08-18T05:52:00.002-07:002015-08-18T06:04:12.048-07:00Waiting for the Coffee to Brew<div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhTiHWInYMAJQS_xE5xlg5PqEuR3cK62kSUcjjtXOsjh6Wi5JOg4keLhnnKSDQiULZK8jfKRw7g8EgsdztdPQ-jra6Bu11W0HytS5eSGZQ_NU7QaIi43tiLvPbbsayl74CvlmP/s640/blogger-image-1991286347.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhTiHWInYMAJQS_xE5xlg5PqEuR3cK62kSUcjjtXOsjh6Wi5JOg4keLhnnKSDQiULZK8jfKRw7g8EgsdztdPQ-jra6Bu11W0HytS5eSGZQ_NU7QaIi43tiLvPbbsayl74CvlmP/s320/blogger-image-1991286347.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
Quiet morning on West McDonald. One of the first regular weekday get-aways to
the cabin and I’m reminded how quiet it is up here most of the time. Standing on the dock while waiting for the
coffee to brew you can hear cows mooing – and I think they are at least a mile
to the north of here.</div>
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What’s the best way to start the day to get into the right
frame of mind – yoga or writing (or both)?
At home, I’ve begun doing yoga again.
It is part of my effort to de-stress.
Yoga is a great way to wake up, and energizes me for the day ahead. It also helps start the day with deep
breathing – something I then remember to do later in the day when the crap hits
the fan. </div>
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But here in the quiet of an early cabin morning, yoga seems
too much. I don’t want to disturb the
slumbering guests (all Langager/Crosson women who NEED to sleep). I have taken to writing, something I do
throughout the day in fits and spurts.
Writing also calms me. I just
remembered to take a deep breath in – and let it out (something I forget to do
occasionally). </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvikp5JFa4SNKpnlvCk9dyKv9KPLttBMmob-luHnaW4eSS8_5BEhKye_4dW9XOwdkJuDG36JLhufRK6jfhcAAccQ76iK7kctyS8UqoJm2mKC4clRGqe3XTuoUKIgs2vlEtDQvP/s640/blogger-image-1366870795.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvikp5JFa4SNKpnlvCk9dyKv9KPLttBMmob-luHnaW4eSS8_5BEhKye_4dW9XOwdkJuDG36JLhufRK6jfhcAAccQ76iK7kctyS8UqoJm2mKC4clRGqe3XTuoUKIgs2vlEtDQvP/s200/blogger-image-1366870795.jpg" width="200" /></a>Great night’s sleep after yesterday’s adventure. On Monday, Shana and I ventured out for our
second day of hiking. We logged about
six (6) miles of hiking in <a href="http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/maplewood/index.html">Maplewood State Park</a>. The park is beautiful, situated where the
prairie meets the deciduous forest. One
minute you are walking through prairie, and then you are climbing a big hill in
the forest the next. This park has some
real elevation! At least what passes
for elevation in Minnesota, with some hills reaching almost 1600 feet. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2iJhen-jNqRUiBV_bFPlTNfA2Nw8sDYfoSIVRxLuk5EN8LLM-gRAJCgFd5OENblWW1f-1VW4eRryA41JK5ce04f8aM98Ip4yVQBuR2lpnxMH-kBNqs11P_8QxrTSYklbFUgo3/s640/blogger-image-1625750859.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2iJhen-jNqRUiBV_bFPlTNfA2Nw8sDYfoSIVRxLuk5EN8LLM-gRAJCgFd5OENblWW1f-1VW4eRryA41JK5ce04f8aM98Ip4yVQBuR2lpnxMH-kBNqs11P_8QxrTSYklbFUgo3/s320/blogger-image-1625750859.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
John G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13843307829954139188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980571.post-76556421096050839152015-08-17T05:53:00.001-07:002015-08-17T05:53:43.319-07:00Reporting from West McDonald<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJmPK08it73axEF36s70DuRvu_zkvLUzC5rHf_uB6h_c77fIqrRkRIe9WxAfMAd0hWeTXABFWcdZvZyBCQ2K4vyvbjCDURVGOccsSZe4Ed68USJNzb_gnch5V_OEL3D35OCPZE/s1600/11350824_505156366318708_1186122260_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJmPK08it73axEF36s70DuRvu_zkvLUzC5rHf_uB6h_c77fIqrRkRIe9WxAfMAd0hWeTXABFWcdZvZyBCQ2K4vyvbjCDURVGOccsSZe4Ed68USJNzb_gnch5V_OEL3D35OCPZE/s320/11350824_505156366318708_1186122260_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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[Sunday morning updates - posted late]</div>
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Wow! Saturday night
was the first night Shana and I spent at cabin without a kid or two since the
summer of 1996. Maria drove home last
night so she could have brunch with her friends this morning. Many leave for college this week. It’s a happy/sad time as all these wonderful
young adults (I almost said, “kids”) leave home for college. It’s a bit difficult to read the screen as I
type this. </div>
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As for the other – well, John is in Costa Rica on a
scientific adventure with 15 classmates and two teachers. <a href="http://spasummerincostarica.tumblr.com/">Follow along here</a>. </div>
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Awoke earlier Saturday, second night that I didn’t sleep
well. That is rare at the cabin. Maybe it was the heat, or maybe my choice of
bed-time-snack – something I don’t often do at home – and especially not this
particular snack. So tonight it’s no ice
cream right before bed. Maybe a glass of
milk, or nothing at all. </div>
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[Monday morning]</div>
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I slept better last night; why? It’s hard to tell. Once Helen knew I was having trouble sleeping
she jumped into action, attacking my sleeplessness on many fronts. We used the electronic massage wand (ahh –
wonderful!), several doses of magnesium to relax the muscles, several times I used
a heating pad. All likely helped –
thanks to H! For my part, I swam early
in the day, and enjoyed a 2+ mile post-dinner walk with Shana – something we do
almost every night at home, but had not done at the cabin the last few nights.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid_X49_Kx94hKkwdP7S6Zv98wti5dEskxkiMoRD73oy5Rqq2_XSfJYWuM3wsXAQVPqvgp8iwsWyZq8K_BVoYmITL2Kg-N7Vqdy2p-uoRLAX8xK5m1i36auo0erUSfFM0xFxruV/s1600/HR_BlueStem_8-16-2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid_X49_Kx94hKkwdP7S6Zv98wti5dEskxkiMoRD73oy5Rqq2_XSfJYWuM3wsXAQVPqvgp8iwsWyZq8K_BVoYmITL2Kg-N7Vqdy2p-uoRLAX8xK5m1i36auo0erUSfFM0xFxruV/s320/HR_BlueStem_8-16-2015.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Mid-day, Shana and I were out adventuring. We visited the <a href="http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/minnesota/placesweprotect/bluestem-prairie-scientific-and-natural-area.xml">Bluestem Prairie SNA</a> and spent
an hour or so wandering around the natural prairie. It was very beautiful. We came back the slow way, through Detroit
Lakes for lunch, then took the back roads home to the cabin to avoid the “crowd”
at Loony Daze in Vergas. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw88LJbJ_7s-i8qpCxsb6I9KYt6RfslvzYFihT205Jkg-pzCF1pS3vyM3VlQaELagquE2Cxqb4OytlydIPd-DZ-PJ_kR3_0KgDjwzX3awGfCCQAFsBqduEiiC5HXrbvhAaAaKV/s1600/11260594_1026063580759543_996856020_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw88LJbJ_7s-i8qpCxsb6I9KYt6RfslvzYFihT205Jkg-pzCF1pS3vyM3VlQaELagquE2Cxqb4OytlydIPd-DZ-PJ_kR3_0KgDjwzX3awGfCCQAFsBqduEiiC5HXrbvhAaAaKV/s320/11260594_1026063580759543_996856020_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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John G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13843307829954139188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980571.post-25351583808482502362014-12-09T07:47:00.001-08:002014-12-09T07:47:47.756-08:00“Like”? No- like. <div class="MsoNormal">
I just sent an old friend a Facebook birthday greeting. Shrug.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This friend and I go way back. For over 25 years, we sent each other cards
every year on our birthdays. A few years
ago that practice stopped. Who knows why? Now Facebook reminds me when it’s her birthday
and I post a pithy little greeting on her timeline. Check that activity off my to-do list and
move on.</div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Why don’t I have the guts, interest, or time to send cards anymore? Facebook
doesn’t prevent me from also sending cards, but as the years go by and I send
fewer snail-mail cards, I have fallen out of the practice – and I feel bad
about it.</div>
John G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13843307829954139188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980571.post-14326848636819250522014-11-18T11:16:00.000-08:002014-11-18T11:16:26.519-08:00My Other Morning Routine<div class="MsoNormal">
Yikes another obituary gets my attention today. <a href="http://www.startribune.com/obituaries/detail/49952/?fullname=dale-l-strom">Dale Strom</a> – longtime Richfield social
studies teacher. </div>
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<br /></div>
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I say, “Yikes” because they’re dropping like flies. Yesterday I attended the funeral of an old
family friend. The week before Shana
attended the funeral of a father of a close childhood friend; the same friend
whose wedding Shana and I met at. </div>
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<br /></div>
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I discovered these three recent deaths by reading the
obituaries, a habit I’ve taken up with gusto.
Prior to my mom’s death in January 2013, I relied on her as the source
of death news. She never missed one, and
would often call me if she thought I might have an interest a recent death. </div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now the torch has passed to a new generation, and I’m doing
my best to keep up the tradition. I
still start each day reading the comics, and I read every last one of
them. But after the comics it’s the obituaries,
looking for an interesting story – or more recently a friend or loved one.</div>
John G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13843307829954139188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980571.post-4097319607979878132014-10-10T06:57:00.002-07:002014-10-10T06:57:32.824-07:00Morning Routine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiomklg03pHOWvqFa7B8RYHj955vZF3iyCA_7JStN3hq3-K9fX9wKCt7_pZgyJmLLXJfUzZqLAA1h_r9eNiGmCnH2xa-g6i3f3h2VJ-VM07k1Ljwjb9Id9zHcOywxRVIx0Z-lTL/s1600/WalkingPath_10-10-2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiomklg03pHOWvqFa7B8RYHj955vZF3iyCA_7JStN3hq3-K9fX9wKCt7_pZgyJmLLXJfUzZqLAA1h_r9eNiGmCnH2xa-g6i3f3h2VJ-VM07k1Ljwjb9Id9zHcOywxRVIx0Z-lTL/s1600/WalkingPath_10-10-2014.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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New morning routine:
Park in lot farthest from building, but nearest the walking path, and
take a walk BEFORE work. This is
relaxing and at the same time invigorating way to start the day. It’s a great time to plan my day, get in some
exercises – even some stretches and push-ups.
It also assures me a walk if my day “gets away from me” as it often does. Bonus – some days I get two walks – like
yesterday I found I had time for a noon-time walk, after doing my morning
walk. </div>
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Let’s see how this holds for the
winter. It will be a nice practice for
summer – when the heat and humidity can make the un-shaded walking path
unbearable over the noon hour.</div>
John G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13843307829954139188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980571.post-42814635258536391802014-08-19T10:48:00.002-07:002014-08-19T10:48:40.271-07:00Glass Half Full<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1S_8imeZimJGGaSdZn8H67lm09IIUoG3zeVbnXUBbRMqLEDjcZpIx-PFb4f4nmGkKPZqSiI4CZ4wfMZ3Q_ek1lOaK7SOffev14dgE17R0Thf87Svcr749bqvR9nIOoc7CxxoZ/s1600/WalkingPath_08-19-2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1S_8imeZimJGGaSdZn8H67lm09IIUoG3zeVbnXUBbRMqLEDjcZpIx-PFb4f4nmGkKPZqSiI4CZ4wfMZ3Q_ek1lOaK7SOffev14dgE17R0Thf87Svcr749bqvR9nIOoc7CxxoZ/s1600/WalkingPath_08-19-2014.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
I hope those who know me well would describe me as a "glass half-full" kind of guy. I know I do. <br />
<br />
On the optimist/pessimist theme: One person's "cloudy day" is another's partly-sunny day. Sitting in a meeting this morning, a co-worker looked out the window and said, "I wished those darn clouds would go away." Well, I almost took that as a direct challenge to make time for my lunch-time walk.<br />
<br />
I definitely see today as partly sunny. It's also a lot less humid than yesterday so I was able to complete my lunch time walk without my pants sticking to my legs - yuck!<br />
<br />
Later today - off to the cabin to retrieve John whose been spending time with Shana's parents enjoying the latest cabin toy!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3z7dFFqGYeIhZpB_CH-TfvqRppZbpciBrcKxaPKH4obOZ8mNxLPKjCkCEEkRjPDlSiugMEkZKUH6JeVUfuJ962o8QNou3FKiH-wpqSoiatpFrIOh0vrDY5uLBhmoIg0tiPljI/s1600/Cabin_08-2014_paddle-board.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3z7dFFqGYeIhZpB_CH-TfvqRppZbpciBrcKxaPKH4obOZ8mNxLPKjCkCEEkRjPDlSiugMEkZKUH6JeVUfuJ962o8QNou3FKiH-wpqSoiatpFrIOh0vrDY5uLBhmoIg0tiPljI/s1600/Cabin_08-2014_paddle-board.jpg" height="298" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />John G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13843307829954139188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980571.post-88220923904917498782014-08-15T12:53:00.001-07:002014-08-15T12:53:27.985-07:00Can You Schedule Romance?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisti5bBICKf4L70Xa3Xx3oXo3lGUnflPBvaqkIyza9M37XWR6NW3j_4SAzmZdQqZO3nav7b2GExmKTkED3crga7auN6tgKqmaX6zqIY9iayqTNM5mB6oUehUbwuMBDPtv-cxQK/s1600/WalkingPath_08-15-2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisti5bBICKf4L70Xa3Xx3oXo3lGUnflPBvaqkIyza9M37XWR6NW3j_4SAzmZdQqZO3nav7b2GExmKTkED3crga7auN6tgKqmaX6zqIY9iayqTNM5mB6oUehUbwuMBDPtv-cxQK/s1600/WalkingPath_08-15-2014.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
[Today's walk: Camera/phone on the path.]</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Rest easy, this isn't an embarrassing post about how older
couples with kids find creative ways to “be alone”. No, this is about those darn kids! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At my age I find myself thinking, and even sometimes saying
out loud, “Kids nowadays!” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I've had a chance to observe the latest fad and I don’t
approve. That fad? The scheduled breakup. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Isn't life convenient?
Now, we can schedule our break-ups.
All the kids do it; they schedule break-ups before college
departures. The scheduled heartbreak is designed
to save them the heartache of a “real” breakup bound to occur later. It’s very practical – but also very
unromantic in my humble opinion.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
OK, I admit it – I’m an old romantic. Back in my day we promised never to part, and
hung in there through long-distance relationships, the inevitable meeting of “the
other”, and the horrible break-up. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Was the old way bad?
Of course, many hearts were broken.
Many tears were shed. However, perhaps
those breakups launched a thousand pop songs, and other works of art.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Is the new way better?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Let’s wait and see.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
John G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13843307829954139188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980571.post-9463004095636667942014-08-14T11:32:00.003-07:002014-08-14T11:32:52.362-07:00I'm Here for the Cake!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Bt45UbzEFo9yM08yzJ8W-P-hoskNPnty2Q0gVJCCYfC2dCE1PjNdLzhmOVUHTzLvayJ2QakcbHPUjFc5nVSuZ_jCYC4ga9BeTiik8a4Olfd2eSoElMPavmnC-RTKPHzLepQT/s1600/WalkingPath_08-14-2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Bt45UbzEFo9yM08yzJ8W-P-hoskNPnty2Q0gVJCCYfC2dCE1PjNdLzhmOVUHTzLvayJ2QakcbHPUjFc5nVSuZ_jCYC4ga9BeTiik8a4Olfd2eSoElMPavmnC-RTKPHzLepQT/s1600/WalkingPath_08-14-2015.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
[Today's view from the walking path - during lunch break.]</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Is it really necessary to be here (in the office that is)? It’s a 45 minute commute - one way. And when I get here, the majority of my work is done via
email. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My first meeting today was a 10 minute “stand-up” where the
key players from Technology were not in attendance (Funeral Leave, and Sick
Day) - back to desk for more email. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now it turns out my 1:00 meeting cancelled, affording me time for more email. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The last meeting of the day is at 2:00 when I’m invited to a “Wedding Celebration” for a recently wed co-worker. Oh well, at least I’ll get some free cake. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
John G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13843307829954139188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980571.post-12250738187203892822014-08-10T05:30:00.002-07:002014-08-10T05:30:38.751-07:00The Come-Back?<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ihAzzHf6snSLbjU0hpAUZKwjG-iwNy_5dAHG-kysPyXkYqkSaQ5DEPSIAc0-NrT9mMPFoxX3cgetOwzlbb39j8OHlfGqIQ4wLutyoCOgwfj3K26YGmEgngytCPJt3XBKBwx_/s1600/cabin_run_8-2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ihAzzHf6snSLbjU0hpAUZKwjG-iwNy_5dAHG-kysPyXkYqkSaQ5DEPSIAc0-NrT9mMPFoxX3cgetOwzlbb39j8OHlfGqIQ4wLutyoCOgwfj3K26YGmEgngytCPJt3XBKBwx_/s1600/cabin_run_8-2014.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="goog_494705094"></span><span id="goog_494705095"></span>[Running up the road from Lonnie's Park, Friday, August 8, 2014.]</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
People of a certain age ask about the Hobbled Runner. He’s not gone; the Hobbled Runner lives
on. Today he spends most of his time
today on <a href="http://instagram.com/johngisselquist">Instagram </a>where he lets his pictures do the talking.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Those few admiring fans who remember the Hobbled Runner are not
the only ones who miss the Hobbled Runner.
Truth be told, the old runner misses himself, often starting posts he
never finishes, and saying, “I should really post more on Hobbled Runner.” Let’s examine the reasons for the Hobbled Runner
drought of 2014.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul>
<li>No time? Not really,
as evidenced by the time and energy put into <a href="http://instagram.com/johngisselquist">Instagram</a>.</li>
<li>Nothing to say? Oh,
he has a lot to say, his daily journal contains all sorts of stuff that would
make nice Hobbled Runner posts if only he would share.</li>
<li>Blogs are out-of-style?
True, but who cares? Certainly
not the fans of Hobbled Runner, nor the old Mr. Hobbled himself. </li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Perhaps I will start a back to school effort. With the kids gearing up for another year of
school, the Hobbled Runner could gear up for another year of blogging. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Let’s give it a try – and see where it takes us. This year promises to be a year of change
with Maria entering her senior year, and John-John starting a high school.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Let’s start again – if only for selfish reasons: The Hobbled Runner reports that it feels so
good to write.</div>
John G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13843307829954139188noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980571.post-18503746696979768182014-04-15T14:41:00.000-07:002014-04-15T14:41:06.161-07:00Scandi-Sotan: Someone Already Invented the WordYesterday, I took credit for the word, "Scandisotan" a mixture of Scandinavian and Minnesota. Today, curiosity got the best of me and I Googleed the term.<br />
<br />
I have to admit, several others have used the word before.<br />
<br />
Here's a <a href="http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/845433">restaurant review</a>:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">I would add Bachelor Farmer to your list of possibilities based on "new American" (or Scandi-sotan) and also because you mention wine--they do a cool wine share thing where you can get a glass of any bottle and the rest goes on a chalkboard for consumption likewise. </span></blockquote>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
And there's more, from this<a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=v9LCNTpMryAC&pg=PA133&lpg=PA133&dq=scandi-sotan&source=bl&ots=6PMvLDSHKZ&sig=0XQV42ip2_WFfWNYxaUtR18Vyqw&hl=en&sa=X&ei=s6ZNU5msN8OsyATfo4DgDg&ved=0CCkQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=scandi-sotan&f=false"> book by David Hage</a>, where it refers to an accent.<br />
<br />
<br />John G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13843307829954139188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980571.post-39913781514025009752014-04-14T18:41:00.000-07:002014-04-14T18:41:04.322-07:00Putting the Hobbled Back in Hobbled Runner<div class="MsoNormal">
And so it begins – another round of physical therapy. This time it’s my shoulder, the right one to
be precise. The pain began in January
after a few hard weekends of cross-country skiing. Shoveling snow didn’t help, and now I can’t
comfortably cross my right arm in front of my body. It makes it hard to wash my left side in the
shower, and makes putting on shirts a bit of a challenge. Sleep is impacted as well. I usually sleep on my right side but the pain
in forcing me to sleep on the left side.
Inevitably I roll over and wake up on my right side – with a stiff, sore
shoulder. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The PT guy was probably my age – maybe
a little younger. During the intake
process I mentioned that as a result of the shoulder injury I found push-ups
challenging and I wasn’t doing pull-ups anymore. He sort of snorted/laughed and kindly offered
that he hadn’t been able to do pull-ups with ease in a while. Then he
asked how old I was – implying that pull-ups were for kids. Hah! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I’m no Cross-Fit gym rat but I know my
way around the pull-up bars. The nerve
of the guy! Just because he’s too old
for pull-ups doesn’t mean the rest of us can’t hope to swing again from the
bar.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">In my typical Scandisotan* way I
tried to down-play my ability – said I wasn’t a pull-up freak, and they were probably
easy because I’d been doing them for years.
This is true. I started doing
pull-ups when we lived in south Minneapolis.
I would run with Favorite around Lake Nokomis and take time to do
pull-ups (and dips!) on the old 1970s era <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fitness_trail">Parcourse </a>fitness equipment. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">While it’s true, I’m not 15 anymore –
but I think I see some pull-ups in my future – once I lick this latest shoulder
injury.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">*Scandisotan – (Adjective, first used
2014) – A new word of my own invention; a combination of Scandinavian and
Minnesotan meant to imply one who has the “best” traits of both
traditions. See also, “Minnesota Nice”,
and passive-aggressive. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
John G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13843307829954139188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980571.post-18794942555406136742014-04-08T14:39:00.000-07:002014-04-08T14:39:03.546-07:00Digital ReadingThis <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/serious-reading-takes-a-hit-from-online-scanning-and-skimming-researchers-say/2014/04/06/088028d2-b5d2-11e3-b899-20667de76985_story.html">Washington Post article</a> about reading skills in a digital age is interesting. The title implies that online reading is not "serious": <br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 4px; padding: 0px;">
<span class="entry-title"><span style="font-size: large;">"Serious reading takes a hit from online scanning and skimming, researchers say"</span></span></blockquote>
<br />
It sounds the familiar alarm - that our online "reading" (skimming and scanning) is hurting our traditional paper reading - but also points out this interesting point:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px;">
The brain was not designed for reading. There are no genes for reading like there are for language or vision. But spurred by the emergence of Egyptian hieroglyphics, the Phoenician alphabet, Chinese paper and, finally, the Gutenberg press, the brain has adapted to read.</blockquote>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small; line-height: normal;">I always enjoy the evolutionary way of looking at things. Of course, humans learned to read over time - and now we are learning a new way to read. </span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px;">
I'm not ready to be alarmed - yet. Of course, I seem to have developed a new way of reading - the digital way - and have been able to keep my "old" way of reading deeply with concentration. Online reading is highly distracting (to me), too many links, far too easy to stray over to your email, etc. . . </div>
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px;">
Perhaps - one could argue - successful online readers will develop the ability to filter distractions and continue to read deeply, with concentration online. Those are the folks who will succeed in the years to come - digital readers who can read the "old way" - with concentration in an increasingly distractable world.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 22px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small; line-height: normal;"> </span></div>
John G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13843307829954139188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980571.post-62967066289238406872014-04-08T14:00:00.001-07:002014-04-08T14:00:36.101-07:00Question of the Day<div class="MsoNormal">
Question of the day: How
hard should I try to ignore the urge to retire from public service? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have one year left to serve on the local Planning Commission. We are limited to two, three year terms. I considered getting off the Commission in
time for the annual new member selection in March. Every year the Commission has two open spots,
guaranteeing staggered terms which are good for continuity. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Why now? Why not just
stick it out through the end of the year?
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Last month’s Planning Commission was a bummer with a contentious
public hearing that seemed to drag on forever.
At one point I lost my temper. I
ended up being the only “no” vote on a new redevelopment site plan review. I didn’t like the way the issue was presented
to us. Our decision will set a precedent
for future similar developments. It
seemed that we couldn’t delay our decision to gather more information because
this project was rolling forward and was expected to be at the City Council by
a certain date. That made me feel like
a rubber stamp. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It often feels like we can’t slow things down and hold a
matter over another month for more staff work or time for commissioners to
consider the matter before voting. As it is, we usually find out about the agenda
items the Saturday before a Wednesday meeting, giving us only a few days to
read the materials and visit the site(s) of the agenda items. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So I felt rushed in the meeting, I would have preferred more
time to consider the issue. Top it off
with the fact that the big development issue came after more than a one hour
public hearing on some new lights being proposed by an athletic field at a
local college – or University as it’s now calling itself.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A small but vocal group of neighbors came out to complain
about the proposed lights, and also raise all sorts of complaints about
existing operations at the school. I
know I take criticism personally and some of the folks were just mad at the city
or the system, but it really got under my skin.
As the years have gone by I find I’m much less patience with the average
citizen, especially the rude ones.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The older I get the more valuable time becomes to me. Recently I find I’m anxious at events where I
feel I’m “wasting my time”. I want to leave, go home, go back to my desk –
anywhere where I can do things on my own time and my own terms.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As for the Planning Commission, I could stick it out – see it
as a challenge. Maybe I need to overcome
my anxieties about contentious public hearings.
Perhaps my service can help me develop skills I either don’t have or might
want to develop. But I had those skills
in my younger day – I’m just much more impatient as I grow older. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A wise friend once told Shana when she was complaining about
some upcoming volunteer obligation: “If
it causes so much grief, why do it?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Why do it?” That’s a
good question. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Perhaps we “do” because so many “don’t. Once you start volunteering for stuff – school
committees, board memberships, you become the type of person who is called upon
even more to serve. As I learned back in
Cub Scout leader training (yuck!), don’t ask for volunteers from the group of
folks who are currently doing nothing. Sure
they have time to spare; but they don’t want to get involved. Seek
volunteers from those parents who are already busy. The do-nothings will continue to do-nothing,
while the volunteers always say, “Yes” to more.</div>
John G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13843307829954139188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980571.post-11982304878072406732014-04-03T10:42:00.003-07:002014-04-03T10:42:54.625-07:00All Dressed Up - and Nowhere to Go<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQvn8uiV_R6SJol_VfPWARPopjdtl05UEqPOSJgNuiTuio_AwsGusbNYmwIH558_WA8RnOrE6eCM5Y-zKVY7W6R0lOaCrbFPEVr1Mc4VHrei5wBOPFk6G8XNA8dRCmNPzewE_e/s1600/HeadShot_04-03-2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQvn8uiV_R6SJol_VfPWARPopjdtl05UEqPOSJgNuiTuio_AwsGusbNYmwIH558_WA8RnOrE6eCM5Y-zKVY7W6R0lOaCrbFPEVr1Mc4VHrei5wBOPFk6G8XNA8dRCmNPzewE_e/s1600/HeadShot_04-03-2014.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
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Those who know me well know my position on office
dress. While we are officially a “business
casual” workplace, I have a different opinion of “business casual” than others
around here.</div>
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This morning I put on the fancy duds – OK, not that fancy,
just a sport coat and tie – but plenty fancy around here – for a customer presentation. As frequently happens, schedules changed and the
15 minute audience was cancelled. </div>
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So here we were, all dressed up with nowhere to go. This led
to a clothing discussion with my colleagues.
Several of us agreed; we are surprised by what passes for acceptable
business dress. I observed that during a
rather boring segment of a recent “stand-up” meeting I did a quick clothing inventory: Of the
14 in attendance, 7 were in jeans, and of those, 3 had shirts un-tucked. One of
my superiors seldom wears jeans, usually only on Fridays – if then. When she wore jeans recently she was congratulated
by an HR rep for doing a nice job setting the proper example for her employees –
essentially endorsing and encouraging folks to dress casually. The gist of the HR thought was that bosses
should dress casual to assure the rest of us that it’s OK to dress casual. As if they needed any encouragement. </div>
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OK – where’s this post leading – nowhere really. People will dress how they want, and I enjoy
the ability to “dress-down” on some days – it’s a nice perk. But I don’t dress-down every day. Honestly what do some of these folks wear
around the house in the evening? </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQAZN-TOX_BwETeZRlx4MTpl7kjtlyoRr32lCIeE64qjMqbQSWQHKdlp3YYgF0rzoOnrsxFzB_c2yyHI7q-y9Lg18qT1C9-30cx_uLGsUZPGlrJ7o2rhyphenhyphenpJS54zAujtGIpu2x4/s1600/blanket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQAZN-TOX_BwETeZRlx4MTpl7kjtlyoRr32lCIeE64qjMqbQSWQHKdlp3YYgF0rzoOnrsxFzB_c2yyHI7q-y9Lg18qT1C9-30cx_uLGsUZPGlrJ7o2rhyphenhyphenpJS54zAujtGIpu2x4/s1600/blanket.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
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John G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13843307829954139188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980571.post-46599623074017697722014-04-02T13:29:00.001-07:002014-04-02T13:29:17.240-07:00Bony Shoulder Post<div class="MsoNormal">
There will be no photo with this post. No picture of the weird bony protrusion from
my right shoulder. The one picture I
snapped to share with my medical relatives looked kind of gross. I ended up deleting it.</div>
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Picture or not – I’ve got shoulder troubles. (Yes, I need to call the doctor back and see
about a referral to physical therapy.) </div>
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So, thinking about my shoulder – I was interested to read today’s <a href="http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/health/253415711.html">StarTribune article</a> about neck strain. Perhaps that’s
the source of some (all?) of my trouble.
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<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 8.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0in 0in 8.5pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">"Marked by a stiff neck, knots in the shoulders and headaches,
the malady arises when the head is pushed forward away from the body’s center.
The unnatural posture strains muscles in the neck and chest area. Left
unchecked, this constant scrunching of the upper body increases the risk of
pinched nerves, bone spurs and degenerative disk disease, doctors say. It could
even lead to a Quasimodo-like profile much earlier in life."</span></blockquote>
</blockquote>
John G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13843307829954139188noreply@blogger.com0