Viral Vicissitudes

Mindful to Mind-FULL (I'm overfilled, how about you?) - Part 2   Seasonal, All-ways Timely: As of two days ago, you and I were re-MIND-ed we have "Mindfulness" ready at our disposal, ranging from full blown meditative states to the simplest of yoga poses. Very useful as we find ourselves filled to the gills, both our minds and bodies overfilled. Our minds in particular full of lists -- things we feel obligated to do, gifts to buy, recipes to download and try, cards to send...on and on it goes...cross stuff off the list...a time of year I hear with more frequency "Stick to the list!". So, no wonder we hear various dramatic statements made on behalf of ourselves, us elves, starting in about mid-November and proceeding at a mind-blowing pace into the new year: "I'm overstuffed...I've had my fill...I've had it up to here, from ear to ear...I can't think straight, I've got so much on my mind...My head's about to explode...I think I'm ...

Mindful to Mind-FULL-ness - Part 1/? (as there's so much...I'm stuffed!) After-Party(11/6), After-Math(11/19), Day After(11/25) - A New Day: I woke up early, with a 'start' -- to start this post, that is. Still feeling thankful as I expressed here yesterday (well, two days ago now, allowing for proper digestion)...whenever, wherever, however this finds you (stuffed to the max, in line/online shopping), following 'the day after' of mass consumption for some and the 'day of' for others, still overflowing with things to be grateful for, including the great meal, company, conversation we enjoyed, whether in person or from a distance (the latter not just due to COVID, but other circumstances...being thankful we have the means to do so, to video chat and such, like we saw at "Tomorrowland" at Disneyworld many iphone iterations ago, remarking off hand, "Yeah, right..."). Anyway, I woke in a state of 'semi-euphoria', owing in part to ...

Exercising Gratitude: Doin' the Three Step, sans Trypting  Natural Pairings: Like Psychology and Math (see 11/17)                                       Rogers and Astaire (man, could they ever ...step!), Bogie and Bergman...                                       Sir Elton and Dua Lipa...🎝                                       Turkey and Goose (what a Deal! see below)                                       Viral and Vicissitudes (?!)                                       November and Gratitude... For Everything a Sea...

A Final Analysis, Life's Ledger: "Forgive me my debts; give me some credit!"   3/3 Cradle to (beyond the) Grave: From (not so) humorous to posthumous, from the time we are born and past the time we depart from here, the concept and practical effects of debt are inescapable...a-parent-ly. That is, as I have previously cited here, at the time of birth, without prior consent, prior notice, we as newborns, newbies, find ourselves in debt in at least two ways. First, to who conceived us, as in "It was my good/mis-fortune to have been born into..." We were, as a group (presumably most of you reading this), fortunate to have born on U.S. soil which, among other rights and privileges we learned about from our parents and civics class, eventually included the 'privilege' of helping to start paying on the HUGE debt we were born into, when we started working, became official taxpayers. At which time we collectively protested, "Who voted on this...who asked me....

"Take Two!" - It Takes Two, Strings Strongly Attached - Debts and Debtors, Part 2   The Pusher and Puller: Growing up in the 60's and 70's we were forewarned on a frequent and dramatic basis of the various dangers lurking in the shadows, luring us in. The caveats, warnings were issued, of course, from our parents and then other surrogates, such as through films shown to us in our health class by our teachers, in an attempt to provide a layer of insulation from the dangers swirling around, short of crimping our style, inhibiting us from more healthy risk taking. Phrases that came to resonate in our heads (the desired effect), regarding those who would prey upon our psychological proclivities, feast on our vulnerabilities, and in the most extreme cases, our insatiable appetites, included the more obvious, still part of our contemporary lexicon "Be leery of those offering something for free" but also, back in our adolescence, "The Pusher!" Someone who...

Forget about Math for a minute; let's talk about debt...Part 1 (as there's so much...) It's what's showing: Everywhere you look, every time you listen, each time you turn around, the topic of debt keeps showing up...articles regarding the U.S. debt, who we owe, who owes us, swirl all around us. The concept of debt, of course, has been with us since we ourselves were invented, such as in "who do we owe for being here (for better or worse)...we are indebted to all those who have been looking out for us...",  as well as the more practical.. "It would now take 398,879,561 years for US, U.S. to pay off the public debt. It has even become one of the main themes of a Netflix series, one in which down-and-out debtors sign up to participate in dangerous games in which they can either rid themselves of debt, get filthy rich, or literally lose themselves, by participating in life or death versions of childhood games, 're-envisioned'. The ratings apparently r...

At this rate...Cool confluence, coaxial A Natural Pairing: Psychology and Math, that is, or Math and Psychology, if you prefer that order of operations. The logic inherent in both, or at least should  be. Terms that we use routinely, take for granted, under-appreciate. That frequently start with "At this rate...", one that is just as frequently, at a similar rate, by a less-than-enthusiastic, tepid endorsement, such as "...we'll be late by an hour...he'll be bugging us with this blog for several more months, if these CV-19 rates don't decline soon..." But these statements, reflecting a certain state of mind, attitude, are based once again, in turn, on some type of estimation, calculation, which in turn, returns us to our reliance on math. Coming full circle. Need more convincing, more proof... Living Proof: Absolute Value; Proofs are generally associated with the branch of math referred to as Geometry, credited to early Greek mathematicians, whereas the ...

Spaced Out; Lost in Thought - Gone...Fishing...Otherwise abZorbed (?!) Pandemic Passive Past-times: What we have all done to pass the time during the past year-and-half now, including how we have engaged our minds and imaginations to take us places when we couldn't. From momentary musings to deliberate, deep thinking about where we desire to go, planning to go when this thing is completely over and access to all these places is once again available to all. In the meantime... From A to Z: Attention! to Zorb, that is. When I discuss the characteristics of ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, the key feature being attention problems whether or not  hyperactivity is present), I share the reality we can all relate to, the fact that we all  have moments when we are 'spaced out', distracted, our attention otherwise occupied, so that we may find ourselves reading a paragraph over and over...because, despite being able to pronounce each word, we did not absorb them. And ...

Flattening Curves: Math Circles Around and Around and... Within Minutes, Limits: On 11-12-21, that is, within just one segment of "News Day" on BBC, I listened casually (at first, intently as the segment proceeded) to math related topics, that began with yet another update on COP26 ("United Nations Climate Change Conference, this being the 26th conference on this subject, not to be confused with the year) which included the modest attempt to limit, slow down global warming at a clip of 1.5 degrees Celsius per year...and then proceeded to break down with more mathematical analysis the proportion of countries that accounted for more warming and pollution, compared to those who have contributed (or should) financially...which left you with mantra "you do the math!" Finally, the analyst conceded that "The best we can hope for is flattening the curve" Deja vu! Paralleling the early, almost daily application of curve flattening to COVID cases, studies of ep...

  Paying, Playing Tribute: "not a big deal" to THEM, but sure is for US. Veterans Day, 2021 To THEM, for/from US: THEM, hundreds of thousands, now millions and counting. VETERANS. THOSE that have served in one branch or another of the United States Military, on OUR behalf, to preserve OUR liberties, OUR way of life around here, as well as elsewhere on the globe. Most of THEM, upon given accolades, in the form of motorcades or medals, respond with statements reflecting humility, honor, such as "It's just what others would do as well given the same circumstances (speaking for myself, I'm not sure)...an honor to serve...the call of duty..." As WE in this nation and around the world ("Remembrance Day" in the UK, for example) pay tribute, play tributes in some traditional tones, ranging from somber to more celebratory, we should all, in one way or another show our gratitude, and we can only hope that THEY (both present and past) accept our expressions o...

Legions of Legends, Veterans by the Numbers...Counting Those We counted on   A pause in the action: As I/we continue to hail, appreciate and extend ourselves in appreciation in whatever manner we can to those who continue to serve us in this persistent pandemic, especially front-liners and those whose lives have been affected by either more exposure or inconvenience by hours of service and/or other forms of sacrifice, I direct this blog, dedicate this particular post to all the military veterans, those who have served US through their service in the United States Armed Forces. Eleventy: 11/11/11, that is: Major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 when the Armistice with Germany went into effect. In 1954, with the advocacy of many veteran organizations, Armistice Day became Veterans Day, which is distinct from Memorial Day (a day we celebrate, salute all those who died while serving). Finally, Armed Forces Day, al...

It's about Time...Killing, Wasting, Buying, Selling, Turning Back... Six of one, half... a dozen of the other, or half a year, as in about six months, give or take, as in give back an hour after taking it away in the spring...as in    going back to "Standard Time" from "Daylight Savings Time", as in "springing forward to summer time" and "falling back to winter time" in the UK, as in "now my watch that I refused to reset will be correct again, I won't have to compensate for about another six months" (kinda' like "I refuse to get a battery for my watch and it's still correct twice per day!").  Anything but... while we are ostensibly going back to "standard time", tracking time in general got a bit weird (nothing 'standard' about it) early in 2020 and proceeding for several months after, which is a major reason I started this blog. I asked you early in the pandemic how you were tracking/measurin...

The After-Party: from "no, go" to "it's a no go!"  SO, "...how was it, where ya goin' after...?" Questions that are highly aligned with reflections on the event just passed or that yet to come, whether asked by a fellow party goer or a parent, regarding the event after the dance just attended (at least that's what you told your parent). 'After-Parties' have always been around since the advent of modern adolescence around this region, but has become more of staple, a new rite of passage, and more recognizable term in the discourse between the few younger generations and their parents. And one more reason for either a harmonious discussion or a point of conflict. I am making convenient, liberal use of this theme as a sort of bonus round for those who have not tired of this mini series on progressing from actions more futile  to those you might find more effective (i.e., utility) , to share with you a strategy that is both easy to conceptu...

Post Dance Post - futility finale, utility in unison: Going the (Dis)stance One Person's Protest - The Last word, The Final Straw: A key concept, before I give you yet another valuable tool, one that has been sharpened from years of experience with so many of you and your families. That defiance or a synonym, protest, is a manifestation of many psychological dynamics, ranging from standing up for a cause, sacrificing one's own privileges and rights on behalf of another, to just making a lot of noise, to cause a cacophony in the house, and on to a full-blown rancorous riot, which can, if it gets carried away, result in destruction of property, even loss of life. Where one becomes the other is, of course, partly defined by the eye of the participant(s) versus that of the beholder. A topic of hot, ongoing debate in and around The House and your home. What I/we are primarily concerned with today and what I have been writing to you about here the least week or so, is that involving ...

One Last Dance, Chance:    Toe-to-toe, Do-Si-do...Squaring, Swearing Off...From Futility to Utility Petty or Pink?! To be explained, utilized later...read on... One Last Dance, Chance, My Own Stance: The dance of conflict, that is, one we are all too familiar with when/after dealing with a "DIFFICULT!" person, in and around the home, even in "The House" (in and around the Capitol), as we have witnessed time and again, to the point of fatigue, weariness, "time out!". In my office it frequently goes something like this:                                                                              Difficult/Challenging Child/Adolescent (feeling it): "You can't make me; you can't stop me!"                    Frustrated Parent (not having it)...