Techno Beat

Well, you may guess by 'Techno Beat' I mean beat as in 'with a bat.' Or 'beaten.' It's difficult to keep up these days. I can't even keep my desk clean and I'm trying to learn new tricks. My sister was explaining the RSS feed thing. "No, no, that's the READ, not the FEED." I give up. Weren't our lives simpler without all these things?

I'm sure we all have our generational issues. When I was young, it was 'don't sit so close to the television, you'll ruin your eyesight.' Maybe even, 'don't read with a flashlight under the covers, you'll go blind.' Then it was the walkman, 'you'll go deaf.' We all have our stories of 'don'ts.' Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter are all the talk now. Even my friends don't understand the attraction our kids have to Facebook. I know it took me a long time to understand it, and it was only after I watched my son sit in front of the monitor for hours before I realized what it was that was so compelling. It's like a big group of friends sitting in a circle. There are conversations going on all around the circle, and you're part of every one of them.

After my pilot career was over, I missed seeing my friends that I always saw in the crew room. Now I have a way to reconnect with them. It's also interesting to see their political beliefs come out in their posts. We do have a responsibility to listen to others' opposing viewpoints. We don't have to agree, but an open mind is so very important. And that's probably what made me try to figure out why my son liked Facebook so much.

It has helped me reconnect with my friends. Thank you, Facebook! 

All Grown Up

Unless you've had a child, you will wonder what I mean. One day they're tiny tots, all smiles and snot, and the next beautiful young adults. How did that happen? I know how, but why? So fast, they've gone from wanting a hug after a bump or bruise to rolling their eyes, 'I KNOW mom.'

Keeping them healthy is so important. You want them to be the fittest, healthiest, most energetic and happy person they can possibly be, but you have to trust you've done the job right. And there's the rub. Did I teach him everything he needs to know? If I didn't by now, he'll have to learn it on his own. He's been given a good start, with fresh, organic food sometimes straight from the garden. And what was that all about, no more veggie burgers, only meat? What is it about teenage boys that they all of the sudden must have red meat? I'm sure there must be an alien hiding in there somewhere. And the sugar! My goodness, who knows where they got that one. Eating with two hands, grabbing food from multiple locations like an octopus. And the thoughtful, slow-chewing babe in the highchair that wouldn't swallow, chewing everything one hundred times, taking half an hour to eat half an avocado, to a tornado that cleans the plate before the salad is dressed.

The original recycler, I recently watched a video where he was eating a small piece of bread. It fell out of his mouth and he popped it back in, not once or twice, but three or four times. He'd chase it all over his bib, and finally catch it, carefully placing it back in his mouth, ever the squirrel...

You may have guessed, he's off to college, and I'm becoming sentimental! May this next generation fix the problems we've invented. Good luck to them all.

Science and Homeopathy

As a homeopath, I'm often reading about campaigns to discredit homeopathy by those with a vested interest. They tend to be vitriolic and angry, and it makes you wonder why. Many purport to be 'scientists' and medical professionals of some sort. None have ever tried homeopathy. The fact the homeopathy has been proven time and again, in many countries, seems to anger them even more. I wonder if they're being paid by big pharma to sully the name of homeopathy. With so many countries around the world having devoted followers of homeopathy's founder, Samuel Hahnemann, it is a wonder there still exists contention on the issue. Recently there have been claims that the science behind immunization is weak, if not non-existent. Could this be the reason? Stay on the offensive so you don't succumb to a defensive position!

Personally, in my life, I look at the facts. If something works, you stick with it. If it doesn't, leave it behind. It's what attracted me to homeopathy in the first place. Time is the true test.

Don't Forget To Unzip

It constantly amazes me that I can go from shoveling goat poop one day to writing code the next. There are so many areas in life that are contrasts, mine is probably an extreme. Opera one night, watching The Onion Movie the next. Dressed in heels and dangly earrings one day, sweats and dirty T-shirt in another. Yesterday I borrowed a friend's pickup and loaded it with rock, spent the rest of the day in the library working on my homework for my web design class, then at 6pm, started shoveling the rock into the wheelbarrow to spread around behind my house. Of course it would have been so much easier if the tire wasn't flat. It has a chronic-type of flatness. You can fill it every day and the next morning it will be flat. Take it to the garage, have them fix it you say? Done that. Twice. I gave up. It's easier to drive it flat. A lot less headache for me, since it takes 45 minutes to drive into town.

Unfortunately for me, it seems every time I go somewhere nice, I end up putting my hand out to meet someone and seeing the dirt under my nails. Or like this morning, when I drove into town and realized I hadn't brushed my hair yet...

Being Grateful

This week I had an opportunity to practice what I preach. A rabbit had gotten into one of my vegetable beds and helped himself to carrots, chard (Silverbeet Heirloom), licorice, bell pepper, lettuce, sorrel, and arugula. I'm sure he ate quite a lot, since he left a load of fertilizer for me in return. How do they produce so many pellets so quickly? At first, I was very angry. How dare he help himself to my greens. He broke in to the netting on the north side of the cage that covers the bed, and even had protection from coyotes. They wouldn't dare have put themselves in that cage!

Judging from the size of the poop, he must have been one big thumper. He has gotten in there once before when I'd left the cover off the bed overnight. But he must have been too preoccupied with watching for predators, because he only nibbled a few large chard leaves, and one side of the bed. The leaves were torn, not yanked out (wild horses) or turkeys (pecked to death) or mice (neat little nibbles). It took me a while to make the connection between the poop and the torn leaves. I've come upon a coyote feasting on a dead bunny in the driveway one night; she grabbed her little pup and took off, leaving the dead animal in the middle of the road. The next day it was gone.

I guess I should content myself with 'the circle of life' and get over it. So I got to work and stapled hardward cloth to the wood frame all the way around this time. Poor thing, no more free lunch. But I guess we both have something for which we may be grateful. I'm envisioning the chard growing even larger...

Threads Of This Life

A new thread! The start of my blog. Hopefully this thread will run true, bad karma banished. Perhaps my blog will chronicle my sail through webdesign with little or no trouble. We'll see.