Something to...

It is said that to be happy, we need three things: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.

To most people, a pan of brownies in the oven will do.

To me, a pretty day out does it, every time.

Today was one of those days. I woke up late, went to breakfast at my usual place, ended up spending the morning having a terrific breakfast there with this very interesting friend and his wife (who had trouble prying us apart later due to the volume of jokes we exchanged). Then at noon I went out bicycling on a beautiful, clear, sunny day on a route seldom populated, to the river at the edge of town and back (a slow 30 miles with a break at the river). A Hi-Viz jersey day. Another small but great adventure. The day ended with a beautiful sunset.

While DOing the riding, even though I could not see the headwind, I felt it (just like God). I LOVEd the headwind for the training, as well as hills, and as well as life. How much better can it possibly get? I HOPE FOR even better days! I'm happy.


- © 2009 by Willy

Watch The Nutrition

Two Alligators were sitting around the gym after their workout, talking nutrition.

The smaller Gator turned to the bigger one and said, "I can"t understand how you can be so much bigger than me. We're the same age, we were the same size as kids... I just don't get it."

"Well," said the big Gator, "what have you been eating?"

"Politicians, same as you," replied the small Gator [or Lawyers, Ex'es or whatever].

"Hmm... well, where do you catch them?"

"Down the other side of the swamp near the parking lot."

"Same here! How do you catch them?"

"Well, I crawl up under a car and wait for one to unlock the car door. Then I jump out, grab them by the leg, shake the crap out of them and eat them!"

"Ah!" says the big Gator, "I think I see your problem. You're not getting any real nourishment. See, by the time you finish shaking the crap out of a politician, there's nothing left but a briefcase."

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Moral of the story: (1) Watch what you eat... don't eat crap, (2) Bigger is not always better... some people and some Gators are just full of it, and (3) Maybe you're OK just the way you are.

Crafting Each Day Into a Masterpiece

There are all kinds of people. Some people enjoy the challenge of winning a game through manipulation. Some people enjoy the chaos and drama that their bad choices make. Some people enjoy venting their rage at others due to their own inadequacies. Others enjoy being led by lust hormones. And yet others enjoy just being stoned into another world, doing nothing. Many do all of the above.

If there were no fools, there would be no wise men.

Lucky for me that I chose to enjoy crafting each day into a masterpiece.

I enjoy the feeling of accomplishment each and every day. And I enjoy others who feel and do the same. I put my name on my achievements, as well as that of all my helpers. My life is a do-it-yourself shop with ant-like collaboration. You see, there's this good old DO network... we know and enjoy each other. Birds of a feather, you know. A terrific subculture. We include the interested but exclude the fools.

We each craft based on desire, knowledge, activity and kindness. The most common result of these is harmony, happiness and satisfaction. Together, our collective efforts result in a variety of masterpieces for better lives and bigger smiles, the side effects of which are many innovations in engineering.
Some crafts are a little esoteric but the resulting masterpieces are better vehicles, better communication, more entertainment, medical advances and increased security... for better living.

Without our masterpieces, this world would be dark, indeed.


- © 2009 by Willy

Accepting the Rain

Yes, I confess... I've been bicycling and hiking in the rain.

Yesterday I did a quick utilitarian but refreshing dozen-mile ride home from the car shop in wind and rain... and enjoyed every minute of it. Today I hiked for hours in heavy rain, and even took pictures. Like my new camera, I'm waterproof, but I do use a baggie for my wallet and worry about my glasses.

My preference when bicycling in the rain is to use Rain-X on my glasses, because the front tire will throw a continuous rooster tail of road water into my face. A nylon shell will only keep the sweat in, so I leave it and instead add another layer for warmth, and keep my mouth closed. In cool weather, I do add that windbreaker. My road bike caliper brakes just don't work well lubricated, so I keep my speed low. Of course, the blinkie is absolutely necessary.

My preference when hiking in the rain is to use an anti-fox cloth on my (other) glasses (Rain-X makes this product too), but use a small umbrella to keep me warm but allow my sweat to escape. The umbrella also brushes aside wet branches and any lingering spider webs. If I'm rock hopping, I need a visor to keep the rain off my glasses instead of the unbrella, because both hands need to be on rocks. And in cool weather I add the shell. After my wet and tough White Mountains rock hop hike, wet home turf is a walk in the park. We mostly have dirt on our trails (with some bear poop), unlike the rocks and roots which seemed exclusive in New Hampshire.


Come to think of it, I did not see a single mushroom in The Whites. Here in the South, they grow overnight, like spider webs do across trails.

The alternative in rain is to use my home cycle or the gym... but being outside is a lot more fun. Outside versus inside? Daaah!

- © 2009 by Willy

From X-rays to Blood Tests

I'll be 60 very soon and my buddies bugged me about it, so I recently went and got a colonoscopy, prostate exam, blood test and etc. The cardiologist who did a baseline set of tests said I have the heart of a 25-year-old, but I did not tell him that (according to charts) I have more flexibility and can do more pushups & sit-ups, press more weights, and even hike & bike further than most 25-year-olds too... although much slower. Old age is a sport of persistence, endurance and determination.

The gastroenterologist said I'd need to get somebody to drive me home after the scope because I would not be able to drive. Negotiating, I said I'd bicycle or hike home, since it was half the distance I usually hike on weekends, but we settled on calling a taxi instead.

Turns out that the scope procedure was an assembly line and not too embarrassing. Matter of fact, I got a chuckle out of the nurses being concerned because my heart rate was less than 60 to which I replied that this was normal (they were worried they overdid pre-sedation). After that I was asked to roll over on my side, the lights went out and then it was time to call that cab.

The prostate exam was embarrassing only because it was a lady doctor sticking her thumb up my butt. But the real trauma or embarrassment to me was when I got the blood drawn, which was done by the X-ray lady, who told me she did both blood and X-rays. Evidently I have gone from breaking bones to needing blood testing.

It also illustrated that my definition of a young woman had changed as well as the line between being a flirt or a lecherous old man. Anyone younger than me is a kid, and older than me is an old fart, so there are more and more kids around nowadays.

I don't think I've ever waltzed around feeling young. My buddies always told me I drove my Vette like an old man, but then they blew their engines and I didn't.

The only time I've felt touched by mortality is when a '65 Buick and my motorcycle collided back in '82 and I stayed two weeks at the most expensive "motel" room in town (had breakfast in bed too), although I also have had many broken or sprained limbs, digits and ribs. Life has been a great adventure.

What we think of as aging is really symptoms of disuse due to lifestyle, but there is a line between doing and breaking that I no longer want to push.

So, now I get blood tests rather than X-rays from an attractive young woman with whom I hope I flirt with.

- © 2009 by Willy

Raining Acorns

No, this is not about ACORN, the political activists, although, certainly, they've finally gotten caught with their pants down and are all over the news. Unusual is that this actually made it to the mainstream network news... but after Fox exposed it. Competition works.

This piece is about our wonderful hickory-oak forests. This is the time of year in which their acorns fall. If I'm lucky... and I was last Sunday... the woods are noisy with acorns falling like rain, and the trail peppered with them. The time window is very small... I expect the woods to be quiet this weekend... and what is wonderful is the predictability year-to-year. I hate surprises.


The same is true for some wildflowers, with a blooming period being usually small but predictable. There are exceptions: my back yard has had Maximilian’s Sunflower blooming since mid-July, and they continue on, in an interesting rotation. They are beautiful.

I love this time of year, since fall brings gorgeous color. But then, I love the summer heat, the winter cooldown and the spring thaw too.

- © 2009 by Willy

Reciprocal Altruism

People are basically selfish. It's take, take, and take... and me, me and me.

Psychologists use the term Reciprocal Altruism to describe the behavior of those people who overcome that tendency towards selfishness and work together. "We tend to extend help to others on the understanding that some other will expend a few resources to save us," says psychologist Andrew Shatte.

Expert on resilience psychology might or might not agree but it seems to this engineer that eventually the giver quits giving unless he feels others are giving back. Does this also describe co-dependency? Yes, the co-dependent does look for something back, usually words of gratitude, otherwise the co-dependency relationship eventually becomes unstable, a solution is sought and detachment is obtained, resulting in the peace necessary to heal the wounded soul.

Yes, sometimes love leaves softly. Accept it.

Example: One of our Habitat houses became a crack house, and volunteers dried up for quite a while.

I'm starting to catch on to psychology.

Freud rocks!


- text © 2009 by Willy



P.S., Reciprocal Altruism is many-on-many (or one-on-many) and co-dependency is one-on-one, and thus a similar tie-in between a peacegame (opposite of a wargame) and the Prisoner's Dilemma.