Don't Worry

- I'm in the Middle of two really good books. See Double Fold and March to Hell.
- I'm ahead in my studying.


- I am spending more time reading journal articles.
- I am planning ahead more.

- I must stay optimistic.
- I must stay ahead of the little things.
- I must stay focused.

Mid-March Resolution

I need goals for March...I need goals for the year.

I am starting a new model, the USS Constitution. I will work on that.
No Coke. I tried it. I didn't like it. I have to anyways.
I reading a great book, Marching Towards Hell. No problem finishing that book.
Go fishing more. Go biking more.
Study more...effectively. Go out more to do it.
Get out more and explore. That ties in with the go fishing more.
This list is rather sparse. I shouldn't complain if I can't keep to it.

For Today

I need three positive things to think about right now:

Anatomy is interesting.
To Kill A Mockingbird is really interesting.
Model Boats are Interesting.

And I am involved in all of them.

Art Wars

Here is an excerpt from Michael J. Lewis' piece After the Art Wars concerning the NEA and reading in Commentary Magazine.

Another proper area of public action is the precipitous decline in recreational reading on the part of young Americans, a decline with not only cultural ramifications but ominous practical ones—including the future ability of the American labor force to read and write reports, interpret instructions, and analyze problems verbally. Even at the risk of falling prey to an instrumental view of the arts, one would do well to support the NEA’s recent focus on studying the condition of American literacy and instituting programs for advancing it.

The entire piece is worth a read. It is on the government's support of the arts and how America sponsors controversial artists, the politics of tax-payer funded art and thoughts on why we fund the arts.

Joel Osteen

Great podcast from Joel Osteen. I signed up for this daily devotion and weekly video.

Salvation in Words

There is a great piece in the Christian Science Monitor Opinion Page about reading as a saving grace. Danny Heitman's "Don't just Read for Fun" reminds us of the really comical and sad history of why there are "Reading is Fun" posters in the public library. They are the not so subtle motivation from a group of about 100 writers back in the 50's to jump start reading amongst young people, if not the older generations too.
Although reading is a pleasurable pastime it can also be much more. Heitman reminds us of Atticus Finch who read to deepen his soul. He read in privacy and in anticipation of danger. He read as a salvation. It was deeply renewing to his soul. My only question is, what was he reading?

New Year's Resolution Update 011208

I was listening to Dennis Prager's Talk Show, specifically his happiness hour. This week's topic was addiction where he spent the most time talking about television addiction. He explained that any addiction takes the user away from people. I would say that most modern comforts give people immediate gratification but no satisfaction. Technology, is a modern convenience. It is to eliminate work. But the elimination of the work aspect also eliminates the long term satisfaction, health, and self-reliance that we should gain from it.

TV is a modern convenience to entertainment that has long ago ceased to be entertaining. It is mindless, cheap, and destructive. It takes so much time out of actually creating and thinking. And most of the stuff I do watch is reruns.

So I want to stop watching for a full month. I will make an exception for only one show because I think it is great and they are new episodes. I do use my television as a computer screen and for Xbox. Since I do not watch Youtube and do quite a bit of reading I will allow fair use of it. I do not play Xbox anywhere near what I believe to be deleterious, I am actually finding most of the games somewhat boring.