Box 5 v.3.1

Today, I baked bread...

I started out with my brand-spanking new wheat grinder and some wheat berries.

The packaging said it should take about a minute to grind 1/2 cup of wheat into flour. I needed 12 cups. No sweat, right? I figured it would take me a half hour tops, so I started grinding...

 

And grinding...

 

And grinding some more...

 

About an hour and ten minutes later, I had accumulated...about 6 of the 12 cups I needed.

At this point, I decided I didn't need 5 loaves. 2 would be more than sufficient, so I stopped at that point with only minor blisters.

Then it came time to mix the ingredients...

Then knead...and knead...and knead some more...

Then I put it in pans to rise...which fortunately, it did...while I was cleaning up wheat flour from every nook and cranny in my kitchen. (I have no idea how I managed to get it everywhere.)

Finally...a break as I popped it into the oven for 35 minutes...after which, voila'

It was the best bread I've ever tasted! (Not really, but it wasn't bad for 3 1/2 hours worth of work.) It occurs to me that being self-sustaining is going to be a full-time job. :)

So… you don’t like Ron Paul? You cannot imagine how little I care.

I can clearly recall a morning back in 2008, while driving my son to school. We had reached a stop sign and directly ahead, “Elect Ron Paul” signs lined the entire street creating a curtain-like effect.  The signs were everywhere and I had never seen anything like it. “Who is Ron Paul?” I asked my son. He looked at me in disbelief, and immediately launched into passionate accolades to Dr. Paul. I vaguely recall something being said about gold, fiat money and the Constitution.  I will cheerfully confess that I tuned out straightaway. People (myself included) are uncomfortable with emotional outbursts of passion; probably because you can’t really tell a difference between passion and fanaticism. Logic plays little role in emotional extremes, and it is hard to reason with a crazy person. Even worse, one might begin to question their own safety in being in close proximity to someone who has clearly lost touch with any semblance of grounded reality. Besides, I didn’t really care who Ron Paul was at the time. I was ready for some “hope and change.”

The years passed with hope withering and although change was taking place, it was going in the wrong direction. It was September of 2011 and I had been fortunate in that my own family had not suffered any adverse events. I was still employed, paying my mortgage and bills on time and living in my nice, comfortable, upper-middle class bubble. Sure, there were underlying feelings of anxiety that I couldn’t quite pinpoint the source of and this sense of waiting for the other shoe to drop, but I had not been personally affected by the unemployment and foreclosure crises that were sweeping the country. Although passing me by, those events had touched just about everyone else I know in some form or fashion. The people I interact with weren’t talking about it, but I knew I wasn’t alone in my discomfort because every so often, someone else would allude to it before quickly changing the subject.

Then along came Occupy Wall Street, and they changed everything. Suddenly, people were beginning to articulate many of the concerns that were causing my own anxiety. That was when I woke up, and realized the extent of what had been taking place in this country while I had been self-enshrined in my own little world. Feelings of shock, disbelief, and yes, even shame washed over me. I vowed to stop being a part of the problem and instead, to start working with others who were speaking about the issues out loud. I wanted to be part of the solution to the problems we face. After all, pretending something doesn’t exist does not make it go away, and I’ve just never been one to avoid meeting things head on once I recognize a need. When the people’s elected representatives are doing a terrible job in guiding our country, it is our responsibility to step up to the plate and either fire them, or give them some guidance. I believe that protecting this country and our Constitution is the non-delegable duty of every single citizen, and I wasn’t going to shirk mine any longer.

Getting back to Dr. Paul, my next exposure to him was on Twitter. Please trust me when I tell you that what I was hearing about him was not flattering. Yet, the vehemence with which people hated him left me wondering what it was about Dr. Paul that people were so afraid of. The reactions were so extreme! Most candidates running for office are disparaged, but this was different. It was personal and overly exaggerated. Naturally, the unusual dichotomy of people’s reactions captured my interest and I felt compelled to discover just what was it about this guy that had the entire country talking - with one side representing him as the second coming and the other representing him as a crackpot in a tin foil hat and everyone having an opinion. Whatever it was, I knew it had to be spectacular because otherwise, he simply would not have come up in conversation at all.

Observing this behavior in others brought me back to the same question I had asked back in 2008: “Who is Ron Paul?” Since no one knows better than I that statements not backed up with facts are irrelevant, and making emotional statements (pro or con) without facts to back them up is the fastest way to lose credibility (and the point at which most people stop listening), I set off on a journey to discover who Ron Paul really is. I started by fact checking the “tinfoil hat” crowd’s allegations and what I discovered was rational, sound arguments made by Dr. Paul in interviews and on the House floor. I watched dozens of videos in my quest. Words from his own mouth in living color and not the words of others written with their biases and own world view perspectives. It turned out that he wasn’t so crazy after all.

I had planned to go through the allegations and contrast them with what I discovered issue by issue here, citing verifiable sources, but quickly realized that would be a waste of my time. The information is widely available, which leaves me with the conclusion that the information would be just as studiously avoided here as it is elsewhere. People who want to make an informed decision will look for it, and those who don’t will continue on in their ignorance…much as they did years ago when people commonly held beliefs that the earth was flat and scoffing at the idea that maybe it really was round after all. (Underscoring my point is a speech given by Dr. Paul on the House floor in 2002, wherein he predicted the events that he believed would take place if we continued on the course we were on. People scoffed, and yet over the next ten years, those events happened one by one. The accuracy of those predictions was uncanny. They really happened. You can view those predictions here.)

Although there are issues where my views diverge from Dr. Paul’s, they are not deal breakers for me. There are other issues that are more critical and time sensitive, and those issues we do agree upon. Given Dr. Paul’s positions on civil liberties, the Constitution, not rushing into illegal wars (i.e. wars not declared by Congress), keeping corporations out of government, auditing the Fed, and so forth, I am bewildered as to why some folks aren’t willing to take a closer look at Dr. Paul. Although he is preaching the same message as many of those who treat him as a pariah, it strikes me that once again people are unable to get past the messenger long enough to recognize that they are really saying the same things. I mean…you don’t really believe that he could have the country paying for groceries with gold bullion in four years, right?

So… you don’t like Ron Paul? You cannot imagine how little I care. It isn’t a dislike for Ron Paul or a disagreement with his proposed policies that disturb me, but rather the willful ignorance of what the man’s positions truly are by people who do not hesitate to cavalierly spout off about things they clearly know little about. If someone…anyone would actually discuss the issues and cite something factual as the reason why they would not consider voting for Dr. Paul, I would have something to work with. It would allow me to look at those same issues in evaluating my own position. Sadly, I have only heard rhetoric and arguments based upon faulty logic so far, which leads me to believe that the conclusions I have reach are correct. At this point, the only candidate I could cast vote for would be Dr. Paul. I will not and cannot overlook the civil rights violations espoused by the current administration and there are no excuses for President Obama’s actions in signing the NDAA. If President Obama continued the Bush legacy, the Republican candidates (with the exception of Ron Paul) would go even further down that path. That is unacceptable to me.

#Riot: Self-Organized, Hyper-Networked Revolts—Coming to a City Near You | Magazine

Let’s start with the fundamental paradox: Our personal technology in the 21st century—our laptops and smartphones, our browsers and apps—does everything it can to keep us out of crowds.

Well worth the long read. Continue reading via www.wired.com

Seriously...

Twitter, iPhone, passive resistance and other picayune comments

A few weeks ago, I responded to a blog post entitled "Do You Mix Your Social Networks?" I mentioned that I don’t tweet, and that I could not imagine what I would have to say on a regular basis. I went on to state that even if I did have something to say, I couldn’t imagine being able to say it in 140 characters or less. After thinking about it, I decided I wouldn’t let that stop me. So far I am following: @BankTransferDay (because I really like this kind of passive resistance), @PrincessSGB (because you get attitude, talent and an incredible voice all wrapped up in a super cute, tiny package…AND she does Super Bass so much better than Nicki Minaj), @Turkewitz (because he writes a legal blog I follow) and @Dalai Lama (just because I like him). I attribute my change of heart in part to the fact that…



I jumped on the iPhone4s bandwagon today (embarrassed smile). I have successfully downsized and eliminated excess in many areas of my life because I want a simpler life. I’m still working on the downsizing, as I still have far too much…errr…junk, but I feel good about my progress so far. I weighed the pros and the cons of upgrading for months, and my internal debate intensified last week when the iPhone 4s was announced. Siri, the voice activated personal assistant, was really the biggest selling point for me. You see, unless something is of vital importance, or it really captures my attention, I don’t listen to much of anything (short attention span…remember?). It goes in one ear and out the other. Now I will be able to tell Siri to remind me of something and then when I promptly forget it, it won’t be a problem. I figure I can offset the cost of the phone by reevaluating my insurance needs. I think I’m significantly over-insured.

As I mentioned in another post, I like the kind of positive passive resistance shown by Bank Transfer Day. I switched to a local credit union nearly two years ago, and haven’t suffered a moment of regret. I frequently utilize this type of resistance, because while I am not naïve enough to believe that little ole me will make a difference in things, I simply prefer it to bending over.

Last week I decided to stop using the US Postal Service whenever possible. My mail doesn’t get delivered until around 6:30 p.m. or later and my letter carrier likes to leave me a little card saying he attempted delivery rather than actually attempting delivery by ringing the doorbell. (If there are three cars in the driveway, it would seem to me that there is good chance that someone is around to take delivery. Apparently my letter carrier does not agree.) This is particularly irksome when I have paid extra to receive something quickly, as I did last week. I was expecting delivery on Saturday, and because of past experiences, I was actually waiting for him. Sadly, I had to use the bathroom, which is when he decided to deliver the mail. Monday was a holiday, so my expedited package had to wait until Tuesday. To add insult to injury, my Other BFF ordered the same thing I did at the same time, and she did NOT select expedited delivery. She received her package on Saturday. ::: sighs::: I bet I can spend less than $5.00 a year at the post office if I really try.

These are some of the things on my mind…

"Some men you just can't reach..."

Last night I was trying to catch up on some of my studying that I have been neglecting lately. My advanced management course (don’t ask how I ended up in that one...it is a long story) deals primarily with various forms of communication, effectiveness of communication, barriers to effective communication, and the like. This course isn’t rocket science, but it has highlighted some useful information on what can happen to a message between when it is sent and when it is received by its intended audience. I thought I’d share some of that information here. (I know, I know… how exciting, right? Just read it…okay? It won’t hurt you to think for five minutes. )

In life, there are people who just ‘get’ you. They are on the same mental path and speak the same language you do. When you start to explain something…they understand right where you are going with the explanation and how you made certain connections to come up with a particular conclusion. Communication flows easily both ways... unhampered by failures in understanding. You know what I mean, don’t you?

Of course, on the other hand, there are also those who don’t, can’t, and never will ‘get’ you. I think when this situation arises, there is often times a tendency to blame the other person for the breakdown in communication. I’m not saying that in some cases blame isn’t warranted... but it seems to me that one should at least consider the possibility that the communication problem lies in large part with the way each person conceptualizes ideas, and how each person is built personality wise.

To me, being able to communicate well is critical within a relationship. Because of my own personality traits and the way I come to understand things, there has hardly ever been a time where I could just accept things at face value, or gracefully accede to something that I do not understand. I have to understand things on a gut level or there is no peace... not for me and not for anyone else around me.

For the most part, the people that I have been closely involved with in my life with have understood this about me, and in the things that mattered, have permitted me to ask questions when things were unclear to me, to reach a point of understanding. Once I reach a point of understanding something on a gut level, I "know" it. It becomes a part of me. I can answer all kinds of questions about it, and know what to do with it in any circumstance to which it relates. I will never have to "learn" it again. It is the difference between having abstract book knowledge of how to build a house, and the ability to actually go build a house. I have a NEED to understand and wrap my mind around things.

Keeping in mind the above, any way you look at it, I'm just not going to be an easy or peaceful person to be around for anyone who is not on the same wavelength, because just as they do not get me, I do not get them, either. There are lots of things you can change with regard to a person’s actions, but it’s probably not a good idea to start tampering with a person’s personality. Therefore, there comes a time when you have to accept that “some men you just can’t reach.” Sometimes, you just have to accept that communication is not going to take place…forgive yourself and the other person... and move on.

Of course, sometimes people really are too busy coming up with something to refute the other person rather than listening in an attempt to understand the other side. This is not the type of situation I am writing about. Rather, I am referring to a genuine difference in the way two people interpret things…a situation in which neither side is attempting to frustrate or annoy the other or simply want to be “right”.



Quote and title to this post taken from Guns N’ Roses. “Civil War"

What is going on...you might ask?

I am in the process of moving content over from another blog, so if you see posts that appear new but read outdated...good for you! You have excellent observation skills! =)

I don't think I'd ever seen a dragonfly before...

Gorgeous! It landed right beside my pond and stayed around long enough for me to get some pics. What incredible colors! Apparently, this little guy is just a tike.

 

Growing wealth gap between members of Congress and those they rule, survey reveals | Mail Online

By David Richards

via www.dailymail.co.uk