Football Epilogue

The view from atop Hyland ski area in Bloomington, MN Compared to the last few years, this Minnesota winter has been hard. The persistently cold temperatures with only one small warm streak in January, mixed with weekly snowfalls has left the state frozen and white. Probably too cold for many of the out-of-town folks who were here for Superbowl LII on Sunday. Indeed I've been struck with a small case of cabin fever as well. However, it should be a time to embrace the winterness and partake in outdoor activities. Early in January I took a trip to Utah. That officially kicked-off my ski season. Utah was awesome. The ski areas are vast and varied. We (gf and I) skied Deer Valley on the Park City side of the mountains and Brighton on the Salt Lake City side of the mountain. I came home ready for more. Fortunately, my kids are now of the age where they are capable skiers. As an added bonus the Minnesota Ski Areas Association  has a program this year where fourth graders ski ...

A little post-Christmas catharsis. \m/

I woke up this morning to a temperature of -12° F (-24° C). It is a good day to stay indoors and sip a warm beverage. This day is following the winter weather pattern here in Minnesota: first it snows and then it gets cold. The saving grace with such cold weather is that it occurs to a crystal clear sky and bright sunshine reflecting off of the new snow. A newcomer might be caught off guard from the false visualization of outdoor warmth and may even try to take a deep breath; abruptly choking on the arctic flash freezing of the windpipe. Scarves and shallow, deliberate breaths to acclimation are thus quickly learned. If the wind isn't blowing, one can be quite comfortable in a normal winter attire where body heat and insulation make for a fine cushion. A little labor can even result in the dropping of a layer. However, the slightest breeze will steal that cushion with the comedic sensibility of a practical joke; leaving you to shiver and hasten your pace to get back indoors....

mmmm, not meat That's my usual take on meat. It's been a dietary staple since I can remember. This last week though I have decided to take on the bold experiment of NOT eating meat. I'm not really sure why I'm doing this. I have no agenda such as in "What the Health " or the older " Supersize me " and I don't believe that meat is "murder". I'm sure there is a lot of lobbying, but I don't think there's some big conspiracy by "big meat" (tee-hee). Although, I do think I need to pay more attention to what I'm putting in my body. More than anything I just wanted to try something different and see what effects there might be. A little science in the name of knowing myself a little better. So far I've noticed a couple of small changes; however it is hard to rule on things one way or another after a week. The first thing is I've been rather tired. Again, I'm not sure if that's just me or the l...

The Video the kids put together for their Lego Robotics research project.

I'm laughing on the inside here. I love to laugh; even when it hurts and I can't breathe. For me, the funniest moments are akin to three-quarters of the jokes on "Family Guy" . A visualization to go with something mildly absurd. This has resulted in untimely giggles and stupid grins in the middle of classes and meetings. Such visualizations mesh well with stand-up comedy and times out with friends. It's not really a secret that laughter is "the best medicine". There are studies linking it to improving mental health among, reducing stress response , lowering blood pressure , providing pain relief  and helping the immune system . I have found that turning on some stand-up comedy on a drive home from a long day can really help my evening go smoothly. However, as with my opening sentence there are literally times when the laughing becomes a little debilitating. Hard laughing does result in my wheezing at times. I also have had instances of lig...

I was occupying some time checking out the social media and came across a plug for "The Rock Clock " . It is simply an alarm clock app that is supposed to help the user get up earlier. As early rising can be a struggle for me on occasion, I thought I would give it a try. The app is free from your preferred app distribution channel (App Store or Google Play). It is simple to use. The app first has you pick a goal, something you want to accomplish. A project. I wrote "get up early" (well duh, why else would I be doing this), but I suppose "go to the gym", "stretch", "beat my co-worker into the office", "minimize harassment from the cat wanting to be fed" or even a longer term goal such as "take over the world" (if you're going to go, go big) would also work. After the modest amount of goal setting and self delusion you can elect when you want to get up. You can pick a time or choose to get up when The Rock ge...