Monthly Archives: April 2010

Monday night – Feldenkrais

I am intentionally trying to slow down a bit this week after the last 4 hectic weeks of work prep. What better way to start the week than by lying down and getting your back rubbed ?    Diane had arranged for her friend Uwe to come over and do a private Feldenkrais class for us.   It was pretty amazing… For those who don’t know.. 

The Feldenkrais Method  (according to Wikipedia) is somatic educational system designed by Moshé Feldenkrais

(1904-1984).

The Feldenkrais method is designed to improve movement

repertoire, aiming to expand and refine the use of the self through

awareness, in order to reduce pain or limitations in movement, and

promote general well-being.

Well. I don’t know about general well being.. but it did feel good.. and for several hours it stopped the pain I always have i my back. In fact.. the last time my back felt this good was when I was sleeping on pallets and cardboard at the Colony.  

I don’t think of myself as someone in constant pain, until it stops……

OK.. enough of that.. I’m going to go sleep on my wonderful back..

nite all, nite sam !
-me

Sunday night – long may you run .

Getting rid of things that were part of our lives when Sam was with us is hard for me.. there were many signs of him in the car.. I had to stop when we were finished to acknowledge that…

But gettign rid of things like that is a n ongong process. we have no control over what we keep and what we can’t .. I’ve now let go..

Nearly 150 K miles !.. not bad. I remmeber when we got the car.. I felt so proud to have a car with leather seats and a CD player !

For its age, thecar is in pretty good shape.. just one bad rust spot over the the passenger rear wheel..

Our last act was to put a samstone in the car where it would likely stay

I put it deep in the space beside the trunk.. .. i hope it stays there whatever the fate of the car..

Gabe and I started it one last time.. more more cerimony than anything else..

Then it was time to go.. one last goodbye..

And that was it..  The whole thing reminded me of Neal Youn’gds song ‘Long May you run’.. a song he wrote abotu a car of his (Mort.. an old hearse he drove) ,, Here’s an excerpt .. .

Neil Young Long may you run Lyrics:
We’ve been through
some things together
With trunks of memories
still to come
We found things to do
in stormy weather
Long may you run.

Long may you run.
Long may you run.
Although these changes
have come
With your chrome
heart shining
in the sun
Long may you run.

I still carry the key of my 71 VW camper on my key ring.. Maggie, I miss you , too..

THe rest of the day was uneventful.. Diane and I went to hear Leo Kotke at Higher Ground.. He was good.. thouh a bit low key.. .. or.. maybe that was me.. ..

nite folks, nite Sam
-me
 

Saturday night – Luftmensch

So.. I may have overreacted to my last 4 weeks of insane business. I did absolutely nothing today. (ok.. I distilled a bunch of moonshine) but It’s 7:30 at night and I’m still in my jammies !.. I took two naps.. and I think I was only outside once.. (to go get my ‘still in the lab).   I actully spent 20 mintues lying between the dogs staring at the ceilign not thinking about anything !

I did discover a new word today from my word-a-day calendar.. “Luftmensch” . it means

Main Entry: luft·mensch
Pronunciation: ..ˈlu̇ft-ˌmen(t)sh..
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural luft·mensch·en ..-ˌmen(t)-shən..
Etymology: Yiddish luftmentsh, from luft air + mentsh human being
Date: 1907

: an impractical contemplative person having no definite business or income

That’s just so me today !

Well.. to all my fellow luftmenschenkeit .(If I have my yiddish plurals right) . have a wonderfully  inactive evening !

nte all, nite Sam
-me

ps. Oh.. my friend Andy sent me this hilarious video called ‘Drunken History’,. about Nikola Tesla.. A guy gets sick drunk and tells the story of the Tesla/Edison war of the currents. it’s very funny.. and very gross (excreta and foul langage). Be forwarned.. 🙂 

 

Thrusday night – challenged but not scared..

Challenged, but not scared.. that’s what I always tell myself when I’m scared.. 🙂
I’m in Armonk NY at my favorite hotel. the IBM learning center.. it’s like a mini monastery.. but this ones for geeks.

I love this place  because it’s a great place for worrying.. It’s hidden in a forest.. filled with deer and rabbits.. It’s a quiet somber place full of quiet people thinking.. many. like me.. are quietly thinking about some big meeting just around the corner. For me it’s a meeting early tomorrow morning.. I’m excited about the topic.. but nervous about speaking.. (wish me luck !)  I guess I always am.. Come to think of it.. almost everything I’ve stayed in this hotel has been almost the same thing.. big meeting in the morning.. trying to sleep the night before.. I’ll bet I’ve done that 20 times in the past 20 years here..   I remember one time in 2006 I was staying here.. I woke up and couldn’t sleep at 3AM.. I went out for a jog.. it was february.. I decided to make 3 small snowmen looking in the boses window..   It must have worked.. as I got promoted right after that..

I’ll tell another reason I love his hotel.. I love their bathrobes.. My mom knew it and actually baught me one a few years back (thanks mom !)

OK.. I’m going to try to sleep.. Nite folks.. Nite Sam
-me