An UnChristmas Story Part I: Scrooge: The original environmentalist?

Ebeneezer Scrooge:

"Coal burns. Coal is momentary and coal is costly. There will be no more coal burned in this office today, is that quite clear, Mr. Cratchit?"

It could be ripped out of a news story from today. Or from the President's most recent speech. I'm certainly not the first to note it, but Scrooge shared environmentalists' hatred of coal's use, saying

"These are garments, Mr. Cratchit. Garments were invented by the human race as a protection against the cold. Once purchased, they may be used indefinitely for the purpose for which they are intended."

Scrooge: The original environmentalist? Environmentalists would probably sympathize with old Ebeneezer, that's for sure. Wearing warmer clothing in the winter and using less heat, and using a lot less air conditioning, would be right down both their alleys. Politics makes for strange bedfellows.

So was Scrooge the first environmentalist? I'm not saying he was; I'm just saying.

We are all as dumb, and smart, as the next guy & gal

From Zogby, via Reason: 72% of the country thinks the American public is not politically engaged and doesn't follow political news closely. Only 15% think the public is informed about national politics.

Ok, we're going good so far.

Here's where it gets a little weird. A full 85% report that they personally follow the news closely. So, 85% closely follow the news, something that would be news to the other 72% .

This is exactly why I'm Libertarian. We all think the other guy is an idiot barely capable of caring for himself. The answer for some is to provide that care - that care being our set of values or restrictions, regardless of whether they want it or like it. Its for the idiots own best interest, after all.

We'd all do well to remember that that idiot is us.

The true meaning of Christmas

From the song Christmas Shoes, which I'm sure you've heard (and R. hates):

Sir, I want to buy these shoes
for my Mama, please
It's Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size
Could you hurry, sir, Daddy says there's not much time
You see she's been sick for quite a while
And I know these shoes would make her smile
And I want her to look beautiful if Mama meets Jesus tonight
Bridge:
I knew I'd caught a glimpse of heaven's love
As he thanked me and ran out
I knew that God had sent that little boy
To remind me just what Christmas is all about

Soooooo.... extending this all the way out... God gave a little boy's mom a fatal, horrible disease so that he could teach this poor schlub "what Christmas is all about?" Here's an idea: How about, occasionally, you do a little self reflection and figure it out on your own so that no one needs get cancer for you to "remember" what Christmas is all about.

Now, I know the retort will be that either A) I'm overthinking this, or B) the kid's mom had cancer anyway, and God merely sent the boy to remind the guy, no one was the worse off, so no harm no foul.

As to A: I think its pretty hard to overthink the important metaphysical questions of life and our existance, their impact on our lives and actions, and what that means for our future conduct and morals. If thinking too long and hard about morals and how to live life is wrong, well, count me as guilty, I guess. I've done worse, and probably will in the future, and its a guilt I'll willingly take. And recommend to others.

As to B: I guess its possible the boy's mom was sick anyway and not made sick specifically to teach this guy a lesson. As I said, the result is really "no harm, no foul," under that formulation. As to the lesson, the shopkeeper surely seems to have missed the point since he didn't put in his own money or just put the item on "sale." So, we have to assume I guess that God was spending his time specifically lining up these events to teach this solitary man a lesson. I think its more likely the guy did a bit of self-searching in those moments, but whatever. It seems pretty selfish to think God directed this disease-striken mom's kid to the mall to teach this guy a lesson. I have no problem with Objective selfishness, but for a group of people repulsed by the idea of selfishness, its an odd formulation.

I'm just saying.

More News of the Odd coming later this week.

Lift the rock, watch the bugs scurry

Someone lifted the rock I was under. So now here I am. A small, hard-shelled bug, scurrying along on my twelve furiously moving legs to escape the sun and once again find shelter in the dark, dank, wetness of the shaded mud under some rock.

I know I haven't written in ages. I spent a significant amount of time on a project for this blog, and then the whole thing just went dark.

My schedule is really being rewritten right now. Duke is up to two 15 minutes walks per day plus 15 figure 8s three times per day. I've kinda combined the two for the sake of my own sanity. And by kinda I mean I sure as hell combined the two and dropped one of the figure 8s. That is not only a time suck. Its a reordering of my entire day that can cause the other items to spiral madly out of control and collide into each other, if not careful. (Ok, ok, my life is neither so filled nor so important or busy that its items spiral out of control or have any chance of colliding - or at least of the collisions having any real effect - but I wanted to write that line).

Duke loves it. He's outside exploring and walking around for significant amounts of time for the first time in a month. And he's finally excited to walk and not constantly looking to go back inside. Who can blame him? He's probably feeling better walking around than he has in a year. Still a little limp - maybe arthritis, maybe lingering surgery pain, might just be phantom pain; who knows?

Only ... 3 more months until he can walk "off leash."

Duke rehab. Christmas prep. Life. That's pretty much the extent of what I'm doing. Oh, and I've been sick since the Saturday after Thanksgiving. That too. I slept for like 12 hours the Monday after Thanksgiving. Seriously. I took two naps in one day.

I'm back to reading. I really like Compulsion. I've had the book on hold for months, but every time I read it I really, really like. Its a style I aspire too and a good story. I just find that I don't read it. I usually have good intentions and anticipate joyfully reading it at night before bed, and then I find that I just don't read it.

Whatever. I'll be finished it, and Falsley Accused, by Christmas. I'm not promising Christmas 2009, mind you, but Christmas in general.

Caffeine-Free Days: 10

So, yesterday was 10 days without a drop of an "as advertised" caffeinated beverage. 10!

I had 4 cups of decaf tea, 1 decaf iced coffee from DD. I wasn't really counting solid foods in the abstinence program, but I also had a box of junior mints and, last night, a 2 Buck Choc./Peanut butter bar, if you must know. And after that, I guess you must.

I type this as I'm preparing to make a cup of tea for the first time in 11 days. Probably my longest non-vacation time away from hot tea since I started drinking loose leaf.

If its a life-altering experience, I'll post something.

As for the results of the caffeinelessathon: I was sleepy last Friday, as I noted, but thought I was getting better. Saturday was fine. Sunday included a 12-mile bike ride, so it was hard to tell. But I wasn't sleepy at all at work so far this week. So its probably out of my system. I'm sleeping well. Working well.

And I would say the "new normal" is a lot like the "old normal." I'm the same. With one exception that I'll get too. I chalk the "sameness" to my body having adjusted to the caffeine. And now it's "reset."

Now, about that exception. I feel a little less frayed at the edges, I suppose. That could just be psycosymatic. But I feel a little more focused at work. A little more hard working. A little less distracted.

Other updates - NaNo - A big no. I've done nothing. I have a story percolating, but I've written nothing.

Which is kind of fine. Duke is back from ACL surgery and needs quite a bit of care. Three days of 3x daily ice packs (you ever tried to ice pack a dog where it is hurting from a knee reconstruction/5 inch scar?). Followed by 3x daily heat wraps for three days. No walking for a week except for potty breaks. Then there is a rehab program of gradually increasing walks, starting at less than 10 minutes, 2x day. No off-lease walking for 4 (four) months. And because he pulled out 3 sutures, he's wearing a cone nearly the size of a kitchen sink. For 10 days. Fun.

He's getting over the grogginess of the anethsia, but he's in pain and saddened/confused by the cone, which he rams into most everything, leaving alone only those items in which he plans to entrap himself on. And since we are largely ignoring him so won't do anything but lay down, he is somewhat confused by the lack of attention.

Oh, and he's not allowed to jump onto his second favorite sleeping area: the couch. Nor is he going to be making the 3-foot jump into his favorite sleeping area: the bed.

So, how about that!?

So, how about that.

Just before the great caffeine reduction of 2009 I was having trouble sleeping. More specifically, I wasn't sleeping through the night. Instead, I was waking up several times. And when I did sleep through the night, I wasn't feeling very rested as a result.

And I usually sleep like a rock. Deep and sound and thorough.

So, it couldn't have been the caffeine, right?

But today is Friday. It's Day 5 and I feel like I'm largely beyond the withdrawal symptoms. I feel reinvigorated instead of hung over. And for the last 2 or 3 days I've slept deeply and very well. So, maybe it was the caffeine. Its 9:30 a.m. So, not to make too big a deal about it before the afternoon crash zone, but I feel pretty good.

Damn good.

Maybe "new" normal good.

And once this little test is over, I'll report back comparing "old" normal and "new" normal before I go and screw it up by reintroducing caffeine.

So, I have a story for you

Sat., Oct 31
For some reason today I imagine that I'm consuming to much caffeine. Entirely too much. Now, I'm not one of those anti-caffeine types. Quite the contrary. But I did feel like I was perhaps having too much of the stuff. It might have been the third in four days iced coffee. It might have been the half a pot that morning. Who knows? And it wasn't a health thing as much as it was a test. A test and a challenge. A test, challenge and sorta cleanse. All designed to once against bestow on caffeine the zoom it once had. Anyway, I decide that Monday is just the day to start this project. New week. New month. New thingy.

Sun., Nov. 1
Today's the last day with caffeine, and I'm not planning on going soft or easing into this at all. Coffee in the morning to start my day. Then an iced coffee prior to dinner. For the final flourish, I limited myself to a single cup of coffee with dessert. Time to start the redux.

Mon., Nov. 2
Morning. Ah morning. No problemo here. None at all. Renee has convinced me that full on stop isn't necassary, so I have a cup of Lipton tea when I get into work. But around noon I start to feel a headache. I've done this before, so I'm expecting the headache. Then then headache is joined by sluggish. If sluggish means nearly falling asleep at my desk. Literally, can't keep my eyes open. Monday night rolls around and its a struggle to even stay awake from about 8 p.m. on. I skip working out. I fall asleep even though there is a Phils game and a Monday night football game to keep my attention.

Tue., Nov. 3
This morning I go with decaf bags. I don't know if this upset the energy gods, or the caffeine gods, or the tea gods, or what, but the sluggishness really hits. Again, it sneakily waits till after noon. From about 12 to 2 its bad. But from 2 to 4 its nearly unbearable. I'm functional on a minimum basis only. For the second day, pain relievers do little to stem the broad, expansive, dull pain in my brain. Websites helpfully point out that caffeine is a great pain reliever, and when taken with NSAIDs can up their effectiveness by 40%. Thanks for nothing. The dull headache, achy feelings, tiredness - its like having a hangover. Except without any of the fun the night before as a partial reward. Plus, I'm a touch irratible. I guess its the withdrawel. Though it could be because I'm having such a wonderful day. I revolted even at the thought of playing my video game.

Wed., Nov. 4
I wake up feeling great. Absolutely invigorated. And its a good thing: today's deadline today. Unfortunatley, its at 2 p.m. I work the morning, and again my afternoon sucks. A softer, but still there, headache. Now I'm more achey than before. I do my usual lifting. Its not much, and I'm feeling a little better after dinner, though I still feel somewhat hungover. I fall asleep during the Phils game - again - and head to bed after I wake up.

Today, Nov. 5
I wake up rested once again, but again, it doesn't last. By noon I'm getting tired again, though not nearly as bad, and by 2 I'm barely awake. But I fight through it and by 3 I'm starting to feel better. By 4 I'm feeling fine. Maybe a tinge of tiredness remains, but its hard to tell. What's the new normal and what is the withdrawel? No fewer than twice today I walked past the coffee maker and thought about how nice a cup would be. Ditto my tea cupboard.

The future
Thanks to the results of a google search, I know that all my symptoms (headache, tiredness/exhaustion, hang-over-like symptoms, agitability, achiness), are pretty normal for caffeine withdrawel. I also know the symptoms set in after 12 to 24 hours (about right), and that caffeine is entirely out of your system after 9 days.

I'm not planning on quiting caffeine entirely. But what was supposed to run through the weekend will now run through mid next week to hit that 9 day line.

I can already taste that first cup of coffee or tea.