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Flowering Cacti

The most beautiful thing I saw while on our vacation to Idaho was a patch of flowering cacti. Most of area in Idaho we vistied was very green: lots of trees and farm land. But while taking a walk with Aidan and Steven and I discovered a patch of cacti that was in full bloom. It was the last thing I expected to see and maybe part of the reason I found it so beautiful.

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

Exercise is often two steps forward and one step back. Since February I’ve been working my tail off to bench my own weight. I’ve made great progress. Last Friday I maxed out at 190 pounds (that’s approximately 86 kilos for all those who prefer the metric system). It was a personal best and only five pounds away from my weight when I started the whole weightlifting program. Needless to say I was ecstatic about the accomplishment.

My elation was short lived, however, once reality set in.

When I started this aggressive weight lifting program I weighted 195 lbs. Since then I’ve added 15 lbs. of muscle to my body and top the scales at 210 lbs. (I should add that Marathon Girl is very happy with my added mass.) After maxing out at 190, I initially thought I was just five pounds away from reaching my goal. Then I realized I was 20 lbs. away from it.

~sighs~

If I end up in hell, I can see my punishment being trying to bench my weight. Every time I get close, it will turn out that I’ve added on a couple extra pounds of muscle to my body and have to try again. This will, of course, go on for all eternity.

The good news is that while I’m alive on Earth, when I finally do manage to bench my weight, I’m going to be benching an amount I never thought would have thought possible.

I Finally Mailed that Suspicious Package

I finally mailed that suspicious package the post office returned the other day. After a 15 minute wait in line, I was finally able to speak to a mail clerk about the problem. I gave her the package and told her I would like her to inspect it and have it mailed. The clerk looked at the package and read the note the post office had attached to it. “I’ve never seen this label before,” she said. “I’ll be right back.”

With package in hand she left and returned a few minutes later with someone who I assume was her manager or supervisor. He started to explain to me that they because of increasing terrorist threats, they couldn’t just take packages with stamps on it and that in the future it would save everyone a lot of hassle if I’d just take a few minutes and show any future packages to one of his trusted employees. Then he stopped in mid-sentence and looked at the package.

“There’s only enough postage on this package to ship it by ground,” he said.

“That’s right,” I replied. “It was less expensive that way.”

“Then there’s nothing to worry about,” the supervisor said. “These restrictions only apply to air mail – not anything shipped on the ground. I’m sorry for the inconvenience.”

The supervisor them removed the warning label from the package and tossed in a nearby mail cart and told me it would be sent out that afternoon. (Sorry, Gabby. I guess the package won’t come with a police/military escort after all.)

I don’t know what I should be more worried about: the fact that they don’t screen their ground mail for suspicious packages or the gross incompetence of the people supposedly screening their mail.

Either way, I’m thinking about using the post office that’s closer to home to mail anything in the future than the one close to work. Aside form this incident; I’ve had some recent bad experiences with the post office near my office.

For example, if I return a Netflix DVD and it goes through the post office close to home, it always arrives the next day. However, if I send it from work it takes two, three or sometimes four days to arrive at the Netflix receiving facility.

Both post offices are roughly the same distance from Salt Lake and the one close work is supposedly a post office hub which means things should arrive sooner, rather than later. But when does anything work the way it’s intended to when you’re dealing with a government monopoly.

I am NOT a Terrorist

Let’s be clear on one thing: I am not a terrorist. I don’t condone blowing up innocent people or hijacking airplanes and crashing them into buildings. Terrorists are incredibly evil and I generally support efforts to eradicate them from the planet. The world would be a much better place without them.

I bring this up because apparently mailing books can get you in trouble with the U.S. Postal Service. Who knew?

Last week I did my first book purge and mailed three books off to those who wanted the books.  Yesterday one of the books – the Matthew Iribarne book of short stories – was returned, opened, with an ominous warning attached from the U.S. Post Office:

“We regret that your mail is being returned to you because of heightened security measures. All domestic mal, weighing 16 ounces or over, that bears stamps and all international and military APO/FPO mail weighing 16 ounces or over, MUST be presented to a retail clerk at a post office. Postage that is affixed to the returned mail may be used for re-mailing the item."

Apparently I made the mistake of metering the package on my own instead of standing in line for an hour and checking it with the trusty U.S. Postal clerk. And all I wanted to do was save time by not waiting in line.

Although I appreciate the warning and will check future packages that weigh 16 ounces or more with the post office before I send then, I can’t help be a little concerned over their screening procedures.

See, this is the second book weighing more than 16 ounces that I’ve sent in this way. The other book, Skinny Dip, was mailed two days before the book of short stories and it hasn’t been returned. Somehow that book wasn’t considered a security threat. (Actually, I don’t know if it made it past the post office inspectors. Maybe they destroyed it with one of those bomb destroy robots in route to the Midwest. Jo, please let me know if it arrives.)

So, Gabby, I’m checking the package with a mail clerk today and resending it. I don’t know when it will arrive but it might come with a police and/or military escort. Please let them know I’m not a terrorist and all I mailed you was a book of short stories.

Thoughts This Father’s Day

One of my heroes is Orson Scott Card. An award-wining writer and gifted storyteller, Card has a talent for writing wonderful novels with believable characters, solid plots, and, ultimately, positive messages. But it’s more than Card’s ability to write well-crafted, entertaining novels that make him one of my heroes. What I really admire about Card is his dedication to his family and how seriously he takes his role as a father.

I was reminded of this after reading a column he wrote for The Rhinoceros Times. Card, who has been teaching at Southern Virginia University for the last two years, gave a final exam to the students in his Contemporary American Novel course. He asked his students to compare the American culture depicted in novels they had read to their own experiences with American culture.

As Card read the essays, one of the themes he found throughout them was the comments about decisions the students’ parents made. For example, some fathers had taken lower paying jobs so they could raise their kids in a small community rather than a large city. Some mothers made the decision to stay at home. Other parents had made decisions to move their families to more family friendly neighborhoods instead of more affluent ones. Many rearranged their lives or made other sacrifices so that at least one parent could be at home and that the children had easy access to both parents.

Reading about the decisions these parents made forced Card to re-examine the decisions he was making as a father. Card wrote:

What was I doing, driving three hours each way to teach at a university? I would leave on Tuesday morning and not be home till late Thursday night. I still have a newly teenaged daughter at home.

What message was I giving her, compared to the message these other parents had given their children?

Wasn't the message: "Being a professor and getting to do cool stuff at a university is so important to me that I will miss 3/7 of your remaining years at home"?

In other words, I was saying: "Other people's children are more important to me than you are."

I had thought that I was doing something quite noble and wonderful -- and, in the long view, it's hard to think of a nobler and more wonderful profession than teaching.

But most parents who absent themselves from their children's lives believe they're doing something noble and wonderful.

Until I read about what my students' parents had done for them, I couldn't see how I was not practicing what I preached.

Even as I told people in essays and speeches that the most important gift parents can give their children is their physical presence in a loving home, I was going off to another city three days a week -- and I couldn't even pretend I had to do it for money, because that isn't how I made my living.

Then Card announced his decision to stop teaching – for now anyway. Once his youngest child is in college, he’ll consider going back to the roll of mentor. In the meantime he’s rededicating himself to a career as a father with everything else relegated to the status of a job or hobby.

Reading Card’s column a week before Father’s Day, struck a chord with me. As a father of three young kids, it made me consider how I’m doing as a father.

Am I spending as much time as possible with my kids or am I filling my time after work with “more important” things like checking e-mail or other activities that can really wait until the kids go to bed? If I come home from work tired and frustrated, am I taking my frustration out on the kids? In short, what kind of example am I being to them? Am I showing them that they’re important to me and that I value my time with them?

I’m far from being a perfect father. I’m still learning how to control my temper when my boys spill flour or frozen vegetables when I’m cooking dinner. And I could probably do a better job of paying attention to my six-month-old daughter when she coos at me late at night when she’s sitting next to me as I work on my next book.

But I’m doing something right – at least I think I am. I think I’m doing a reasonably good job of not only spending free time after work with them but taking an interest and being involved in their activities.

After my three-year-old goes to bed, I sit next to him and talk with him about whatever’s on his mind. Usually these talks evolve into some sort of tickle game but I know those five to ten minutes together are his favorite part of the day and the part he always makes sure I’m going to do as I help him get ready for bed.

Because the practice proved successful with my three year old, I started spending a few minutes with my 19-month-old son after he goes to bed. Even though he’s not as excited about it as his older brother about his alone time with dad, his eyes do light up when I enter his room, sit next to him in bed, and talk.

Hopefully I’m not just paying lip service to the importance of fathers but showing my children that they are important enough to me that can put some things aside and focus on them.

Father’s Day is a great day to recognize the important roll of fathers and the influence they’ve had on our lives. But it’s also a good time for fathers to pause for a moment and make sure they’re not only giving their children a loving home to live in, but their time and presence too.

Thank you, Mr. Card, for reminding all fathers everywhere what our real focus should be and for not just mouthing the words of a hero but acting like one too.

***

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This essay was originally published on FreeCapitalist.com. You can read all of Abel's FreeCapitalist essays here.

No Hitter and Book Success

Congratulations to Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers for pitching a no hitter last night against the Milwaukee Brewers. Put that achievement next to your Rookie of the Year trophy. I’m telling you that Tiger pitching staff is good. If they return to the World Series, it’s going to be on the strong arms of Verlander and others.

I can almost see myself watching baseball this October again.

***

I pleasantly surprised that my book purge was so well received. I had five requests for Skinny Dip and three for She’s Come Undone. The book of short stories by Matthew Iribarne is still available if anyone wants it.

The giveaway went well enough that I’ll be doing it again in the near future. I’d much rather give books a loving home than send them to the landfill or thrift store. Look for me to offer more books before the summer is out.

Update: The Matthew Iribarne book has found a loving home.

Book Purge

 I’ve admitted that I have a hard time throwing books away. However, I don’t have a hard time giving books away. In fact I like it when books find a good home. I bring this up because I’m going through a bookshelf purge. This happens a couple times a year when my bookshelves become so full of new books that I have to find a home for some of the ones I haven’t read in awhile, have two or more copies of, and/or no longer have an interest in having them on my shelves.

Instead of donating these books to a local thrift store, I thought I’d see if any of you are interested in them. I thought I’d start with three books and see how they were received. If the program proves to be popular I may add a couple more books next week.

The three books I’m giving away are the following:

• Skinny Dip (Hardcover) by Carl Hiaasen. This was the first book I read by Hiassen and I must admit it was a quick, fun read. Looking forward to reading more of his work.
• Astronauts & Other Stories (Hardcover) by Matthew Iribarne. This book is a collection of short stories. I actually blogged about one of the stories in this book many years ago. I had a love-hate relationship with his work. I either really liked his stories or really hated them.
• She’s Come Undone (paperback) by Wally Lamb. I had a hard time with this book. Too depressing for my tastes. Good story though, once I made my way through it.

Update: Skinny Dip and She's Come Undone have been spoken for.

If you would like one of the above books, please read the following rules:

• You have to send me an e-mail stating which book you would like. Don’t email any shipping info. I’ll email you back and let you know if you’ll be received the book. At that point you can send me a mailing address.
• You can only request one book. No fair asking for all three. However, if you first choice is already taken, you can e-mail me again and request another.
• Books are sent out on a first come, first serve basis. So if you’re the first one to e-mail me about one of the above books, you’ll get it.
• I’ll mail the books anywhere in the world. However, if you live outside of the United States or Canada I might have to slow boat the books to your country if shipping them first class is too expensive. You’ll still get the book, it just might take awhile for it to arrive.
• I reserve the right to add more rules at any time and without notice.

If you’re still reading and want one of the above books, what are you waiting for? Send me an email!

 

Broken Fibula

 

About 10 days ago Marathon Girl paid a visit to a very good sports medicine doctor– one that she’s seen since high school – to see why her leg was hurting so much when she ran.

The verdict wasn’t great: She has a stress fracture in her fibula.

The good news was that the injury was healing and should be completely healed before the end of June. The doctor also said she could run the dam marathon without risking further iinjury to her fibula but she'd probably have to run it very slow and with a lot of pain.

Needless to say Marathon Girl was heartbroken at the prospect of not running a marathon fast. She’s been training very hard since Molly was born and was really looking forward to competing again. She loves running so much and it’s hard for her when she can’t do it.

Since the diagnosis, Marathon Girl has been doing her best to stay in shape without running. She’s been swimming like a madwoman at the local pool. (The swimming has had some nice side benifits -- for me anyway. It’s added some very nice tone and definition to her arms and shoulders that I find very sexy.)

Her leg is feeling tons better since she hasn’t been running on it. Should all go well, she’s going to train for the Deseret News Marathon on July 24. This should still give her plenty of time enough time to adequately train for the St. George Marathon in October.

Despite her inability to run the marathon this weekend, we're still heading to Idaho for a much wanted and needed vacation. The dam marathon, however, won’t be part of it.

Note: The above image is not an x-ray of Marathon Girl's fibual. Marathon Girl's fibulas are much sexier.

London's 2012 Olympic Logo

I’m probably one of the few people who actually like London’s new 2012 Olympic logo. Admittedly, the first time I read about it, my thought was “What the….?” But I have to admit it’s grown on me. It’s a bold new step in Olympic logo design and more interesting than the China’s 2008 Olympic logo and Vancouver’s 2010 logo. This isn’t to say the logos for 2008 and 2010 games aren’t interesting. But they’re really just a repeat of what most Olympics have done for awhile: colorful logos in an eye-friendly pattern or some cute design.

Boring. Boring. Boring. It's like you stretched out the Olympic rings. What did that take you? Two mintues?

Isnt' that cute. I bet the dolls based on that logo will be a big hit.

And London’s logo is vastly superior to Salt Lake’s Olympic Logo which I thought was dumb and boring the first time I saw it. (Then I had to see it every day for many years until the Olympics came and went. It was like a living hell only with snow every six months or so.)

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Maybe the more standard Olympic designs sell a lot of t-shirts (or stuffed animals) but people will get sick of it once the games are over and they realize how uninteresting and unimaginative it really is.

So my hat’s off London’s edgy design and their attempt to make something that people might appreciate years after the games are over. And it was a good idea to have the logo come in four different colors. (I'm a fan of all of them except the pink one.) May it last well past the 2012 games and influence Olympic logo design for the next 20 years.

Update: ChicagoJo pointed out that Chicago has a very cool logo for it's 2016 summer games bid. I do like it better than London's logo. See image below.