Enjoy the Journey

I have said this before, but I think I need to say it again. And maybe for my own benefit. Life is a journey. I shouldn’t always be focused on the end result.
This is something I learned mostly in Kung Fu, but you can see it in any aspect of life.
Your career, school, or whatever else you may be involved in.
The road ahead of you is long. You can’t pick up a new hobby and expect to be an expert within a week. That would be unrealistic, but that is how so many of us look at things. I still do it. I have picked up a guitar, who knows how many times, and said I am going to learn how to play the guitar. And two days later the guitar is back in its place in the corner, collecting dust.
It’s who we are. But we can change our attitude, and enjoy the process.
Take a guitar class, and enjoy the homework you have to do. Call it something other than homework or practice if you need to.
I may tell people I am going to Kung Fu class, but in my head I am just going to work out with some buddies.

Life is a journey, why not enjoy it.

Soundtrack To My Life

As I wrote previously, I am a little passionate about music. And I feel everyone has a certain type or piece of music that touches their soul. And maybe throughout your life, circumstances will change, and that piece of music may change.
If you had to pick a song to define you, what would it be? Would it be a story of your life in lyric, an instrumental, or a combination of the two.
Maybe you couldn’t get your life across in one song. This makes me think each of us has a soundtrack to our soul, or life, if you will.

How does your soundtrack sound?
How does it feel?
And how will others feel when they hear your soundtrack?

I have been thinking about this for awhile, and I think I have come up with a list of songs I would like on my soundtrack. Obviously the list will continue to evolve, but as of right now, this is my soundtrack. It isn’t in any particular order or chronology, it is just a list.
And because WordPress wants to charge me $20 dollars a year to post music, you just get the list. If you can’t find a song, or aren’t familiar with any of them, and want to hear it, let me know, and I can lead you in the right direction.

My soundtrack
The Ubiquitous Mr. Lovegrove, Dead Can Dance
Fade Into You, Mazzy Star
Ocean, The John Butler Trio
Climbatize, The Prodigy
Tattoo of Your Soul, VAST
Loneliness is Fine, VAST
Forever Blue, Chris Isaak
Ich Will, Rammstein
Soma, Smashing Pumpkins
Looking Out, Brandi Carlile
Любочка, Маша и Медведи
Change, Oingo Boingo
Insanity, Oingo Boingo
Lost and Found, Katie Herzig

What is on your soundtrack?

The Power of Music

A friend of mine in Russia once asked me to share my thoughts on the power of music. That question is something that still sticks with me today. I’m not a musician, and I don’t really have a great understanding of music theory. I have had music classes and participated in several choirs. I have been an on-air dj for a couple of college radio stations; I even liked it enough to take on the position of station manager. However, I haven’t really figured out yet what the power of music is. Anytime I ask someone about the power of music they talk about specific songs and what they mean, but not really what or how the song makes them feel. I understand that aspect of music, of what the song means to you, I love music, but it seems there is something everyone is missing. So, what is it that all of us are missing?
I think there is more to music than just what it means to you, even though I used to use it that way as well.
Music has the power to cause emotions to well up within us. These feelings are gripping, often irresistible, and seem to come from nowhere. These feelings can color our moods, affect our perceptions and can affect our behavior. Who hasn’t, in an effort to gear up for a big game, cranked the stereo with your favorite rock song to pump yourself up? The indisputable fact about music is its power to evoke emotions. Music has the ability to inevitably tap the still and mysterious well of our emotions.
If I had to pick one favorite song, I think it would be “Insanity” by Oingo Boingo. This song has meaning to me on more than one level. Yes, the lyrics impressed me when I heard them. I hear a song I like and want to say, “He says what I am thinking” or something along those lines. It isn’t that we are lazy or uncreative; I think we sometimes just don’t know how to put our thoughts and feelings into words.
Anyway, the last line of this song says “I’d love to mess your pretty hair/ I’d love to see you dead.” I never focused on this line, but on the song as a whole. I played it for a friend in high school and she was offended. She picked out that last line and she thought I wanted to see her dead. She didn’t see into the song as a whole, she didn’t pick out the nuances of the music. All she could see were the words.
I didn’t focus on a particular line or phrase in the song, but the song as a whole, the confusion, or at least the confusion I perceived the artist was trying to convey. Different people can obviously see different meaning in the same piece of art. But there was something more than just the lyrics. It was something in the music itself that caught me the first time I heard it. It felt powerful; if you could focus the energy in that tune you could create with it or destroy. It wasn’t just a thought, “oh, I like the lyrics, he knows what I am thinking,” there was an emotional rumbling inside, a stirring of something I wasn’t aware of, something primal maybe.
A part of the greatness of music lies in its very nature, that all the elements form a unique wholeness which may not be entirely understood by studying the separate parts. Music is created from the heart and shaped by emotion. It is readily appreciated by the mind, without the need for formal knowledge.
It is kind of like in biology, when you studied about chemical receptors and how each receptor has a specific landing, or contact point, and it only fits in that point. That is the way a certain piece of music will interact with you. It is like that piece of a puzzle you have been trying to find for years and finally you find it and your puzzle is complete; so to, are you complete when you hear that particular piece of music.
Take the lyrics out of the equation and just listen to the music if you have to. Find something that truly moves you and makes you feel something. Something will awaken inside you, like some long dormant ancient desire, a remnant of your past, or some lost instinct. If you haven’t found that particular piece of music yet you will. You don’t have to look for it. It will find you.

A little clarification?

So, a little while ago I wrote a post about my “vegan lifestyle.” It was more of an experiment than a lifestyle change. But the crazy thing about it was that I prefer to eat that way now.
After the month and a half of eating strictly vegan foods I found that dairy products and I don’t agree. So I now try to avoid dairy products if at all possible, not because I choose to, well partially, but because my stomach is generally happier if I do.
I have done enough reading and research to know how food animals are treated, and try to only eat meat when I know where that meat has come from, and how it is treated.
I have absolutely no objection to those who choose to be strictly vegan or vegetarian. I would say to the rest of you, take some time to learn about your food, and where it comes from. Seriously.
I still haven’t managed to eat consistently like I would like to, but I make a valiant effort.
I still crave a good pastrami burger on occasion, but rarely do I give in, mostly because I rarely find a good one.
I am not trying to preach one way or another, but I have done my research, and will continue to do so. So if you have questions, why not ask?

Cheers.

I Survived a Marathon

Well, I survived my first marathon. And not completely on my own merits, abilities, or training. It really was more of a lack of training. Really though I had help.
So back in April or May I put in for the lottery for the St. George Marathon. And in May when they had the lottery and I saw that I got in, I figured I should start training some. So I hit the road. I got up to eight miles or so day before I started experiencing this odd painful sensation just above my ankles on the inside of my legs.
After asking around and doing a little research it turned out that I was experiencing shin splints. I had never had shin splints before that I was aware of, and I didn’t want to make it worse. So, I stopped running. I continued to go to Kung Fu, and the gym to lift weights or get out and ride my bike a little, but no running. I even skipped out on a hike up Timp because I didn’t want to cause any more damage. I still wanted to run that marathon.
Well, a couple of months went by, and I decided I wouldn’t run the marathon. We were even looking at tickets to San Francisco for that weekend.
Then we got the shock of all shocks, which should be another post in and of itself. I just don’t know if I can write it yet.
Anyway, turns out I would be running that marathon after all.
And thanks to one little comment I made to a certain reporter, after the camera was off, everyone knew I was racing in the marathon. And things just started rolling.
A couple of new friends started making phone calls which were maybe more demands than requests, I don’t really know, which got me a support crew and a relay team in the marathon. Something that the folks in St George have never done before.

The guys that made it all happen

So, I ran about three miles a day for a week, two weeks in front of the marathon, and took the week prior to the marathon off, as would have been appropriate had I been training.
Two weeks before the marathon I got a new job that kept me on my feet for eight hours a day, and plenty worn out.

Race day comes, and along with me were my wife Lydia, my sisters Lorian, and Jenna, and Jenna’s husband Joe, who were to run a relay along with me as I ran the race.

I don’t want to bore you with all the details of the race today, but I ran, walked, or hobbled 26.2 miles that day. Joe finished the day with 17 or 18 under his shoes, Jenna managed 10, Lorian 7, and Lydia 7. I am proud of each one of them for running with me. I don’t believe I could have finished the day without them there with me.

Running through scenic Southern Utah

I am a Martial Artist

This started out as a post about a job interview I had awhile back, but I realized the real post isn’t the interview, but in what kept me from really wanting the job.
A little background as to where these thoughts came from.
I did have an interview for a job I didn’t really want. It was a sales job, straight commission, which in and of itself wasn’t so offensive, but apparently I don’t like sales people. So I didn’t want to become one. The recruiter I met with had an issue with me wanting to leave a little early once a week to get to my kung fu class.
Here is the point I want to make. I am a martial artist.
I have been taking class from my sensei for roughly seven years. I am a second degree blue belt, but that doesn’t matter. I have had injuries that have kept me from participating continuously since I started in 2003. I had a hip injury that sent me to the doctor’s office. I had a hernia that kept me out for a summer, and I had a shoulder separation that kept me out for another nine months or so. But I continue to go back. Why? Because I am dedicated. I have found something that I am passionate about and I am dedicated to it. I have learned more about myself and what I am capable of and can take, in practicing kung fu than I have in anything else I have ever done or participated in. But how do you explain that to someone who isn’t a martial artist. How do I get the point across to this recruiter and his manager that I will be dedicated to my career because I am a martial artist?
I am a better person because of kung fu. I am who I am because of it.
As a student of Shaolin Kempo, the style of kung fu I practice, you learn five rules on your first day in class. A true martial artist will bring these rules into their everyday life, making him or her a better person in everything they do. These rules are: Effort, Etiquette, Sincerity, Self Control, and Character. Sure, maybe they don’t sound like rules, but if you really think about it they are. Rules to life. If you were to take these rules and apply them to just one aspect of your life, I believe that aspect would improve tremendously.
I give just one example. My wife, Lydia, is incredibly dedicated to her work. Everything she does at work screams these rules to me. I have never seen and event of hers fail due to anything under her control. She had some dancers bail on an event once because it rained. They weren’t martial artists. But Lydia is, even if she doesn’t realize it, I see it.
So I have taken these rules into my life and every day I try to become a better person. A martial artist.

Food Critic or Not

We go out to eat, a lot. More often than we should anyway. But we always avoid chain restaurants, and try to find local restaurants, or new places to try.
Last week Lydia was busier than busy with a week long event called Fresh Week. It was all about eating local fresh produce, local products and sustainability. Lydia could tell you more about it. But as part of the event she got together with a few local restaurateurs who buy and prepare local products in their restaurants to do a farm to fork dinner. One of Lydia’s former co-workers and good friends is now the proud co-owner and chef at a place called Caffe Niche. We were already fans of Adrian’s cooking, so when he and Ethan bought Caffe Niche and re-created the menu we were more than happy to show our support. We are almost regulars there.
Anyway, Caffe Niche was one of the local restaurants doing the farm to fork dinners, and we of course had to do go partake.
I think it was the best meal I have had at a restaurant since I was in Europe maybe. I can’t even begin to describe how good it was. So I will post pictures of each course, and you can see what you missed out on.

Zucchini & Pecorino Salad

Stuffed Squash Blossom

Heirloom Tomato Salad

Eggplant Parmesan

Local Berries with Creme Fraiche

a new project

I previously mentioned that I had done some consulting for Wasatch Community Gardens. Since then I have also started maintaining their Twitter account as a volunteer. And as part of my services I was to help maintain their blog as well. The decided that just one blogger was not enough and enlisted several more experienced gardeners and bloggers, and I will be one of them. Check out the announcement here

City Gardening

I live in an apartment, but I still want to have fresh produce during the summer. I love a fresh garden tomato on my sandwich, so much better than those things that look like tomatoes you get at the grocery store. Right?
Growing up we usually had something growing in the back behind the garage. Corn was a family favorite. But I was young then and I didn’t really pay much attention to any of it. When my family moved when I was a sophomore in high school we created a spot in our back yard for a garden, and it gets better every year.
I still don’t think I appreciated the idea of a garden until I moved to Moscow, Russia. There really isn’t much space for a garden when all you have is a 900 square foot apartment. So when I moved back to Utah and bought my first house, I made sure there was garden space. I got some great tomatoes out of that garden. I sold the house a couple of years later and now I live in an apartment and still want that fresh garden produce. What to do.
There are the community gardens of course, if you can get a spot in one. The tomato garden on 800 South and 600 East maintained by Wasatch Community Gardens, has a five year waiting list.
Farmers markets are always good options also. But, say you can’t always make it to the farmers market. What options do you have?
Well, you can try container gardening. My mother-in-law gave us a large pot last year to use, and we have made use of it the best we can. Last year we had a zucchini plant that took over. Luckily we were able to get quite a few heirloom pear tomatoes also. This year we have a couple of pepper plants and a tomato plant, with a couple of tomatoes growing already.
We don’t have a huge garden, and we don’t always make it to the farmers market, but we do have plants that will provide us with that fresh garden tomato I so crave.
What will you do to get that tomato?

still early, but at least we'll have tomatoes

Volunteering

I am unemployed. I have been since February of 2009. I have done some substitute teaching at a couple of the high schools here in Salt Lake in an effort to keep myself busy. And I had a temp job writing web copy for a couple of weeks.
The nice thing about being unemployed is that I have time to do things I normally probably wouldn’t have spent time doing had I had work to do. Make sense?
I spend a fair amount of time every day working through my network to see if people know people who are hiring and such. This is required of me by the state so I can get my unemployment, but I think I have a better chance finding a rewarding job through my volunteer efforts.
I have taken on the volunteer position of chair of the marketing committee for the Sugar House Farmers Market that will be starting this summer. July 9th on the corner of 2100 South and 1100 East, come check it out. The Sugar House Farmers Market has grown from an idea and four individuals to a Friday night market in the heart of Sugar House starting in July. There are eight or nine board members, a finance committee and a marketing committee that I am aware of, I have only been involved for a few weeks. We have space for twenty-five vendors, and have already had many more vendor applications than that. We haven’t even started, and we have already outgrown our space. It has been a great learning experience working with those involved. I have enjoyed my time spent working towards the market, and look forward to the coming market.
I have also given time to Wasatch Community Gardens. I spent some time with them a month ago or so consulting on their social media outlets. I have now taken on the task of creating a guide book, so to speak, for their social media efforts. I hope to improve the usefulness of their facebook and twitter pages, as well as updating and maintaining a current blog presence. The staff and volunteers at Wasatch Community Gardens are fantastic. I expect I will learn quite a bit about gardening and what it takes to run a non-profit from them.
When I am not working on research for either Sugar House Farmers Market or WCG I read a lot, and write for my own blog when I can. I have my Kung Fu class, and I am training for a marathon. I stay busy. If one of these activities were to turn into a paying gig, then great, but for the time being, I am satisfied with what I have to do.