However, I do think it is cool that our bodies have the possibility to nourish other lifeforms as we decompose. But apart from our physical bodies, I don’t believe our consciousness survives in the traditional sense of reincarnation.
I do take some comfort in the fact that our legacies will continue on. That can take the form of DNA we pass to our descendants, and also what we teach our kids or friends, and the lasting impressions we might make. This is entirely within our control and the choices we make. Let’s live good lives!
This post was prompted by The Daily Post from WordPress.
Naked with Black Socks – Are you comfortable in front of people, or does the idea of public speaking make you want to hide in the bathroom? Why?
The idea of speaking in front of a group of people makes me incredibly nervous, yes! Before I have to speak, my heart beats so fast and I get anxious. And when I start talking, my voice is often unsure and shaky. But then I become more comfortable and it’s ok and oftentimes a lot of fun.
I used to teach classes of maybe 25 students and I would get nervous at first, but soon it wasn’t a big deal. The key is preparation for me. If I know what I am going to talk about, and also have knowledge about the subject so I can answer any questions that may come up, then that confidence carries me through. But, ALWAYS before I speak, I get those butterflies! It used to really stress me out but now since it happens every time, I am used to it and know that it is a normal part of the process. I try to feed off that nervousness a bit if I can… you know, it’s all about turning things into positive energy for me these days!
This post was prompted by The Daily Post from WordPress.
Voice Work – Your blog is about to be recorded into an audiobook. If you could choose anyone — from your grandma to Samuel L. Jackson — to narrate your posts, who would it be?
I would choose Gene Wilder as Dr. Frederick Frankenstein to narrate my posts. I have no idea what it would sound like, but I bet it would hilarious.
This Is Your Song – Take a line from a song that you love or connect with. Turn that line into the title of your post.
My favorite song “What the World Needs Now” written by Burt Bacharach, with lyrics by Hal David.
What the world needs now is love, sweet love
It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of
What the world needs now is love, sweet love,
No not just for some but for everyone.
What the world needs now is love, sweet love
It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of
What the world needs now is love, sweet love,
No, not just for some but for everyone.
Lord, we don’t need another mountain,
There are mountains and hillsides enough to climb
There are oceans and rivers enough to cross,
Enough to last till the end of time.
What the world needs now is love, sweet love
No, not just for some but for everyone.
What the world needs now is love, sweet love
It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of
What the world needs now is love, sweet love,
No, not just for some, oh, but just for
Every, every, everyone.
I often think these days that we have an overabundance of everything… so much clutter and everything tries to demand our attention. It would be nice if we could all focus on the simple things that matter and shut out the rest.
Give a listen to this version with Burt Bacharach and The Posies from the movie Austin Powers. It’s wonderful:
This post was prompted by The Daily Post from WordPress.
Just Another Day – Our days our organized around numerous small actions we repeat over and over. What’s your favorite daily ritual?
This is a daily prompt subject that I have answered already back in 2014, but I thought it would be good to think about it again and see if anything has changed. Although I still enjoy reading at night, I don’t do it every evening, so my new favorite ritual is something that happens in the morning: having the first cup of coffee. ☕
But before I can enjoy drinking it, there is the ritual of making the coffee. First, I’ll heat up 5 cups of water in the microwave. This is not to drink, but to get the semi-airtight carafe nice and hot. This is the key to keeping the coffee nice and hot for hours. After I fill the carafe with the boiling water and screw on the lid, I’ll fill up the kettle with filtered water, then get that going on the stove. I’ll set the kitchen timer for 7 minutes.
While the water is heating up I’ll get a paper coffee filter and put it in the ceramic filter holder, then rinse the filter under cold water. I’ll also put the coffee beans in the Coffee Grinder. When there is about a minute left on the timer, I’ll grind the beans, then put them in the Bee House Ceramic Coffee Dripper.
Just before the water in the kettle comes to a boil, I’ll empty the hot water out of the carafe, then put the ground coffee and filter holder above the carafe. Next, the water from the kettle is poured over the grounds… and soon, I’ll have perfect coffee for myself and Mariko! And that coffee stays hot for a long time in the carafe!
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.6, 1/125 sec, ISO2000 USA. Texas. Cedar Park. 2016.
こんばんは！Hello everyone, how’s it going? Hump day is over!
Today was a super-busy day again at work, but thankfully I enjoy my work quite a bit. As I go about my day, I try to make a mental note of the new things I am learning. It’s surprising the things I pick up, or how the way I work evolves. For instance, my organizational skills have improved quite a bit (out of sheer necessity). I have so many task and projects to do, so I spend the first part of the day planning out what tasks I will focus on and the priorities of those tasks. Then at the end of the day, I set aside time to regroup on what I accomplished and think about what I will do the next day. Basically, I review things so that when I leave the office, I don’t mentally take work projects home. I can rest assured that I’ve taken care of what I need to take care of and can hit the morning fresh. That work/home separation is important and makes my time at home focused on family. (and I sleep with a more relaxed mind 😴)
Okay, that was quite a bit of rambling about work… and I rarely blog about work! But there’s a first for everything, isn’t there? 😆
Today’s Daily Prompt was another fun one. They are on a roll! Here goes:
Quote Me – Do you have a favorite quote that you return to again and again? What is it, and why does it move you?
“Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.” – Dr. Seuss
I don’t return to quotes again and again (like how do you do that?) but I do remember several quotes, and this one by Dr. Seuss is one of my favorites. At the end of vacations I used to always be sad that they were over. I would wish that I could turn back the clock to the beginning of the vacation. But I learned to instead be thankful that we were able to take vacation and make some good memories. It helps to drive the blues away and actually gets me looking forward to the next opportunity to enjoy good times, whether that be an upcoming vacation, or simply the next weekend. It’s nice how positivity leads to more positivity!
Today’s photo is of some homemade bread that my wife Mariko made. I guess she is getting ready for Valentine’s Day! As a guy, I often forget about this holiday coming up. I guess this is a not-so-subtle reminder isn’t it? 💘
Well, I think I’ll read a bit before going to bed. Take care of yourselves and have a great Thursday!
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/90 sec, ISO6400 “Dry Curry” USA. Texas. Cedar Park. 2016.
こんばんは！How are you? I’m well, but not 100%. My body is a little sore. Maybe because I threw the baseball with Koa for two days in a row, or maybe I slept in a strange position last night. I’m not sure, but I hope to feel better tomorrow. 😄
Today’s photo is of a “Dry curry” that Mariko made us for dinner. It was delicious of course! There are so many different kinds of curry, and I cannot choose my favorite. When I was growing up, we used to have “curry hamburger” which was simply ground beef, curry powder, and frozen veggies cooked on the stove-top, then eaten over rice. It was yummy! These days, we have Japanese curry every couple of months, but I also enjoy Indian curry, and I LOVE Thai curry. So good! I think I will ask Mariko to make some Thai curry next time. We are truly spoiled by her every day. 🍛
And now, on to today’s question:
Life After Blogs – Your life without a computer: what does it look like?
I am not sure if the question is asking what I do when I don’t have access to a computer, or if there was an alternate reality in which computers don’t exist, what would I be doing? I think the latter question is more intriguing, so here goes. Since I have been interested in the arts before computers were commonplace, I suppose I would be doing something in that field. Perhaps I’d still be painting 🎨, or maybe I’d be working in a museum. There was a time in my life where I wanted to be a museum curator. I even was a “preparator” at a museum for a short time. I helped out with moving artwork, cleaning sculptures, and assisting the restoration artists. It was very interesting! But then I got interested in computers and multimedia and the rest is history. Or… maybe I would be a full-time photographer! I was into photography back in college and to this day, I love making photos. I could see myself continuing with photography as a hobby well into my future, even if it were just film and not digital. 📷
It’s fun to think about what your alternate history might have been, isn’t it? But what is cool is that I think it is possible to change your life’s focus any time if you really want to.
Well, today’s weather got grey and chilly again here where I live. ☁️ I hope it is not too cold wherever you are! Take care of yourselves.
おやすみなさい！
-B
This post was prompted by The Daily Post from WordPress.
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I use a Fujifilm X-series camera for most of the photos on this site and my Instagram. Why not pick one up for yourself?
