Bought a Samsung Blu-Ray player. The HDMI port didn’t fully work (no video signal). Had to return it and so far the second one seems OK.
I’m presently hooking up the new printer (Epson Workforce 63o). First document I print it printed at 50% size and I can’t figure out why. Tried to photocopy and it came out horrible. Running a printer head cleaning, print head realignment, but why should a brand new device need that??
Does anyone understand the notion of “quality” any more?
*sigh*
A couple days ago I posted about drawing comfort from discomfort and how it’s through discomfort that we grow and become better at whatever we do in life.
Flipping through my Facebook feed and an article was posted on the very same topic. The article itself is a couple of years old, but it dovetails nicely with what I wrote previously.
Discomfort is a good thing. It toughens you up, and it’s often a sign of good things to come. For example, discomfort in the gym when trying a new exercise leads to new muscle growth.
When I feel all that weight across my shoulders when I’m squatting, I feel like it’s going to kill me, but I know it won’t. I know it will make me stronger. Heck, yesterday I had to pick an awkward, bulky, heavy object off the floor, one that I’ve picked up in the past and struggled with. When I picked it up yesterday it was no problem. Once it was up in my arms I said to myself “…and that’s why we deadlift”.
By avoiding discomfort you miss out on some of the best things in life. There’s an old saying about critics that goes like this, “If you want to avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing, be nothing.” The same can be said of discomfort:
If you want to avoid discomfort, do nothing, experience nothing, be nothing.
You won’t be uncomfortable. But you won’t really be alive either.
Seek discomfort. Do front squats. Talk to that girl.
Take risks.
Live.
Only people willing to work to the point of discomfort on a regular basis using effective means to produce that discomfort will actually look like they have been other-than-comfortable most of the time. You can thank the muscle magazines for these persistent misconceptions, along with the natural tendency of all normal humans to seek reasons to avoid hard physical exertion.
— Mark Rippetoe
Granted, Rippetoe is talking about weightlifting and exercise, but it really holds for anything and everything in life.
You watch those ice skaters during the Winter Olympics, and they look so effortless; that’s only because you haven’t seen how they have to train all those years prior to that one performance. Someone that is comfortable in front of a crowd, speaking in public… they had to do a lot of work to get up there and make it seem so natural. When you watch someone shooting a gun, like top competitors such as Rob Leatham or Julie Golob, they look so cool under pressure because they’ve put themselves under a lot of pressure. That’s how they got to the top of their game.
When it comes to self-defense, like Mark alludes to, people are unwilling to seek discomfort. Can you think of a more uncomfortable situation that being attacked? How do you think you can overcome this discomfort? You have to put yourself into it.
Try competition shooting, or at least, take shooting classes and realize that everyone else in class is watching you, sizing you up, and comparing you. Hopefully that class might have some drills or activities that put pressure on you, like having everyone shoot a drill solo while the rest of the class looks on, or doing “shoot off” elimination drills, etc..
Take some boxing classes… no cardio boxing, but something where you’ll actually get hit in face and gut.
Take some Force-on-Force training classes, where you get put into life-like scenarios and have to decide when and how to use your gun or other defensive skills and tactics.
Life is full of discomfort. Sometimes you can ignore and avoid it, but many discomforts will hound you. The only way to rid yourself of the discomfort will be to become comfortable with it.
“He came to me, and he was literally flying, and I jumped up on the gate,” Fox said. “But I did not jump high enough or fast enough, and he hit me.”
The hog’s tusk dug several inches into Fox’s calf. A doctor later closed the wound with more than 100 stitches.
Full story. (h/t to CHLGuy’s Twitter feed)
Hard to say exactly why he got rushed, but with water and thus also food being so hard to come by right now, critters are wandering further, getting more difficult to deal with. They are also showing up in urban areas.
Your pepper spray and cell phone and “self-defense clinic” aren’t going to do you much good here… even a good pair of Nike’s won’t help you for very long. A .44 Magnum on the other hand….
I’m taking 3 weeks off work. Why? Because I can. Because I need it.
I need the time to rest, recoup, and think about things other than work.
I also have a to-do list a mile long. Got the side of beef ordered this morning. Got some low-fencing around the backyard beds so puppy will hopefully stay out of them (and veggies can grow undisturbed). Put in a low-rent sprinkler system in the backyard so all I have to do is turn on the faucet and turn it off again. Got more ahead. But bit by bit, things will get done.
Best thing? Kiddos are in summer camp for 2 weeks… day camp, but still. So Wife and I get a bunch of time alone together. I look most forward to that. 🙂
Anyways, blogging may be light… it’s been light I know, and actually, since I have some time I’m going to try to get some nice posts up during the vacation time. But I may not blog a whole lot. Got things to do…. and frankly, one of those things is getting away from the computer for a bit. 🙂
They say 150 minutes a week of moderate exercise to stay healthy.
But if you can’t do that? Hey, this is America! We don’t expect people to rise up to the bar, we just lower our standards!
*sigh*
I will agree that something is better than nothing, but you get out of life what you put into it. You put shit in, you get shit out.
Crown thy good with brotherhood
Confirm thy soul in self-control
Til selfish gain no longer stain the banner of the free
From sea to shining sea
(full lyrics… and there’s a lot more than you think)
Grilling some meats is reputed to increase cancer risk thanks in part to chemical compounds called HCAs, which form at high temperatures. So what’s a July 4th cook to do?
Their answer: Grill tofu.
My answer? Grill more meat — preferably beef, or something you killed yourself like venison — and eat it. Wash it down with a beer.
Life. You’ll never get out alive, so enjoy it while you have it. 🙂
Apparently the way your car door handles are manufactured could make your car more vulnerable to theft.
Read this article, but especially watch the video.
(h/t to my friend Larry)
I’m not sure how much of a tizzy we should get in over this because a thief can always break glass or do other things to get into the car. Nevertheless, it’s an interesting thing to note.
Regardless, my stance remain the same: just don’t leave anything visible in your car that provides temptation. Don’t leave money, valuables, CD’s, electronics, food, clothing, cigarettes, anything easily consumable or sellable in the car. Just leave the car and nothing else. If they really want the car itself, there’s little you can do to prevent that. As well, consider Jim Trudeau’s approach because if the car’s not locked at all, there’s just no chance of damage and expensive repairs no matter how the door handle/lock is constructed.
We decided to stop dating and settle down with commitment.
After only 4 weeks of “dating,” Wife and I put down the money for a 1 year membership with Johnson’s Backyard Garden. That’s 52 boxes to use within a year. It’s a program they’re working on to build some up-front capital to purchase 146 more acres. That works for me: helps them build their business, gives us good food, and over the long term it saves us money. It cost $1500. That locks in a price of $28.85/box instead of $33/box, provided prices don’t go up over the next year. That amounts to a $215.80 savings on the grocery bill for the next year. Sure, the up-front cost is high, but I think about the long-term, and $215.80 is substantial.
I’m looking forward to what it will bring. A little unsure how the winter will roll, but the adventure is fun and it’s nice to force some expansion into our diets. I mean, I had sunburst squash last week… never had that before, but it’s good stuff. Plus, it’s exciting, in a dorky sort of way… it’s like Christmas every week, because you don’t know what will be in the box. A fun little surprise.
It’s kinda like my marriage to Wife. I knew after about a month with her that I wanted to marry her, and it didn’t take us long to settle into the long-term commitment. It’s been quite an adventure, and boy… it’s sure been good for me. 🙂
Stuff From Hsoi 