I am a huge fan of author Michael Crichton. Unfortunately, he died Dec 2008. He was a Harvard medical school graduate, who turned author/moviemaker. Among his novels/movies are: Jurassic Park, The Great Train Robbery, The Andromeda Strain, etc.
I recently read "Travels," which is his self-discovery journal. He thought the best way to discover himiself was to travel to obscure, remote areas. He was a mountain climber, hiker and scuba diver. What follows are a few things I learned. In some places I've quoted directly. I've cited the pages where I got the information. Please read the full book to get the whole story. You very well could take away different things through his journeys.
Page 60 - We cause our diseases. We are directly responsible for any illness that happens to us...it is helathier to assume responsibility for our lives and for everything that happens to us. When we take responsibility for a situation, we also take control of it. We are less frightened and more practical. We are better able to focus on what we can do now to ameliorate the illness and heal. Doctors are not miracle workers who can "magically" save us, but rather, expert advisers who can help us with our own recovery. We are better off when we keep that distinction clear.
Page 129 - Keep an objective record of a subjective mood. Put a mark at the page edge of an unmarked diary page. The top of the page is the best mood and the bottom is the worst mood. After a few weeks, review. Read Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography.
Page 148 - We all can work ourselves into hysterical panic over possibilities that we won't look at. What if I am faced with some terrible thing that I don't know how to deal with? That hysteria always goes away the instant we are willing to hear the answer. Even if the answer is what we feared all along. Then the question becomes, What are you going to do about it? Subsequent emotions may not be pleasant, but the hysteria stops. Hysteria accompanies an unwillingness to look at what is really going on; it promotes an unwillingness to look. We feel we are afraid to look, when actually it is not looking that makes us afraid. The minute we look, we cease being afraid.
Page 146 - Institute of Mentalphysics in Lucerne Valley. The science of mentalphysics ("The Faultless Philosophy of Life") was founded by Edwin J. Dingle, who had been to Tibet in the 1920s. Brugh Joy was Crichton's teacher.
Page 261 - People who get angry and complain are bores. It is ultimately reassuring to see all the diferent things that upset people. It makes you less harsh with yourself. We are all in this togther. Nothing is better or worse. They are just exmamples of getting stuck, making yourself miserable by your opinions and beliefs. As if protecting your opinions is more important than having a fresh experience and rolling with the punches.
Page 261-262 - If you stand beside a person who lies on his back, and move the palm of your hand slowly down the midline of his body about a foot above the skin, you will feel some distinct warm spots. These are the chakras. Sometimes the chakras don't feel warm, but tingly and breezy instead - as if the body had little fans that blew breezes up against your hand. You need to be relaxed to feel the chakras, but it isn't a special or spiritual kind of relaxation. You need to calm down for a few second before you begin. It requires about as much calming as you would need to thread a needle. Most people discover that one hand is more sensitive to energy than the other. After a while, some peple can't feel anything in their hand any more. Your subject shouldn't wear belts or jewelry. The energy looks like streaks of yellow mist extending beyond your fingertips. The mist is strongest close to the fingertips. It looks like yellow fuzz around your fingers. You should be relaxed to see the energy. Once you know what to look for, you'll see it.
Page 263 - People get rigid when they assigned fixed values to things.
Page 352 - Sometimes it's better just to sit and watch. There are plenty of people to help on inner explorations. Keep looking until you get what you want. Watch out for anyone who implies they have the answer. Nobody has the answer for you except you. Personal development is only temporarily associated wtih any particular group. Watch out for those interested in your money. Expect results, but not overnight. Don't be afraid to experiment. Trust your instincts.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
25 Random Things
Someone tagged me on Facebook. So I thought this would be fun to post here.
Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you.
1. I have two sisters and one brother. My mother has no granddaughters.
2. I went to three different junior high schools in two different states and three different towns.
3. My mother would punish me by taking away my books for the rest of the afternoon.
4. I love my husband. He makes me laugh. I'd be lost without him.
5. My first job was working in a Jewish bakery. I would visit with the Holocaust survivors when they came in for their morning bread.
6. My favorite phone question when I worked at the (Omaha) St Cecilia's Cathedral rectory was: "What time is midnight Mass?"
7. Our first child was born the day before our 10-year wedding anniversary.
8. I miss my grandparents who kept us together emotionally after my parents' divorce.
9. I love to travel and wish I could do it more.
10. I was the non-athletic one in the family. Now I can play tennis (somewhat).
11. I love Broadway shows, especially musicals.
12. "Les Miserables" is better than "Phantom of the Opera."
13. I have too many hobbies and not enough time.
14. I like reconnecting with old friends on Facebook. I also like meeting new friends.
15. I thoroughly enjoy being a member of Friends in Council, the oldest continuing women's literary society in the USA.
16. Remind me of #15 when it gets closer to writing and presenting my paper.
17. I played violin for 8 years and piano for 10 years. Now I have a hard time reading the bass cleft notes.
18. I need to say "No" more often; slow down and enjoy the moment more.
19. I worked in the district office of a state rep and state senator when they were the only downstate legislators in Illinois Leadership.
20. I think Belgian dark chocolate is the best vice. It used to be Diet Coke.
21. I often wonder what happened to my grade school friends from Lincoln Elementary in Fremont, Nebraska.
22. I was grounded from driving the car for a silly late curfew incident. The punishment started on my 16th birthday and lasted one month.
23. College taught me to show up, not procrastinate and meet the deadline. Then go enjoy a good party. That stated, I admit I detest meetings.
24. I love talking with my children and exploring the world through their eyes.
25. I definitely think life is too short to drink bad wine.
Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you.
1. I have two sisters and one brother. My mother has no granddaughters.
2. I went to three different junior high schools in two different states and three different towns.
3. My mother would punish me by taking away my books for the rest of the afternoon.
4. I love my husband. He makes me laugh. I'd be lost without him.
5. My first job was working in a Jewish bakery. I would visit with the Holocaust survivors when they came in for their morning bread.
6. My favorite phone question when I worked at the (Omaha) St Cecilia's Cathedral rectory was: "What time is midnight Mass?"
7. Our first child was born the day before our 10-year wedding anniversary.
8. I miss my grandparents who kept us together emotionally after my parents' divorce.
9. I love to travel and wish I could do it more.
10. I was the non-athletic one in the family. Now I can play tennis (somewhat).
11. I love Broadway shows, especially musicals.
12. "Les Miserables" is better than "Phantom of the Opera."
13. I have too many hobbies and not enough time.
14. I like reconnecting with old friends on Facebook. I also like meeting new friends.
15. I thoroughly enjoy being a member of Friends in Council, the oldest continuing women's literary society in the USA.
16. Remind me of #15 when it gets closer to writing and presenting my paper.
17. I played violin for 8 years and piano for 10 years. Now I have a hard time reading the bass cleft notes.
18. I need to say "No" more often; slow down and enjoy the moment more.
19. I worked in the district office of a state rep and state senator when they were the only downstate legislators in Illinois Leadership.
20. I think Belgian dark chocolate is the best vice. It used to be Diet Coke.
21. I often wonder what happened to my grade school friends from Lincoln Elementary in Fremont, Nebraska.
22. I was grounded from driving the car for a silly late curfew incident. The punishment started on my 16th birthday and lasted one month.
23. College taught me to show up, not procrastinate and meet the deadline. Then go enjoy a good party. That stated, I admit I detest meetings.
24. I love talking with my children and exploring the world through their eyes.
25. I definitely think life is too short to drink bad wine.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Lazy weekend
We've had a lazy weekend. It started when my son came home early from school Friday with a low-grade fever. He's a little better now, but still not eating very much.
Anyway, tonight is a big deal night for Full Moons. Here's why: tonight's full moon will be the biggest one during 2009. According to Space.com, "Saturday night (Jan. 10) the moon will be at perigee, the closest point to us on this orbit."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20090109/sc_space/saturdaynightspecialbiggestfullmoonof2009
Anyway, tonight is a big deal night for Full Moons. Here's why: tonight's full moon will be the biggest one during 2009. According to Space.com, "Saturday night (Jan. 10) the moon will be at perigee, the closest point to us on this orbit."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20090109/sc_space/saturdaynightspecialbiggestfullmoonof2009
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Sailing with the Mouse
We were not the pristine Disney family (as you will see), but I'd still recommend going on a cruise. We had a good time irregardless.
Our dining room servers, Deneval and Jonathan, were fantastic. They have worked together for a long time and complement each other well. They also brought us our dinner to our stateroom the nights we left early. We tried a lunch seafood buffet in Parrot Cay. Oh my gosh - the sushi & sashimi were fantastic.
We dined at Palo one night for dinner as the brunch and tea reservations were already filled by the time we could book on-line. The sun sets early, so it was dark by our dinner's 6:30 pm reservation. The food was good. The server (Cecilia from Argentina) was terrific.
My DS(7) was horribly seasick. Christian (who I later found was Asst Cruise Director) was a huge help showing us where the Health Center was, handing us the free Meclazine (please note our first visit was after hours). He quickly got us an elevator and sent ginger ale from room service after DS(7) vomited in the hall. Tim, the Health Center's nurse, was a big reassurance and instructor about meclazine doses as well as sea-sickness. He also opened 15 minutes early upon our second visit. I also think our stateroom hostess (Rosa) went above and beyond the call of duty due to DS(7)'s seasickness. She was gracious every time. I know if I was her, I would have been happy to see us jump ship.
Key West was ok. It was the first time we've been there. DS(7) enjoyed the maritime museum. DS(3) arrived later in the day as I made him take some "chill time" in our room. We (DS-3 & myself) were victims of a typical Key West joke. When I asked some natives where the museum was (so we could meet the rest of our group), they sent us back to the Pier and around the ocean side (later it turned out we were less than one block south of it when we originally asked these people directions). It made for one tired little boy later. DS(7) enjoyed reading some of the signs to us. We also picked up some extras we'd left at home at the Key West CVS.
The DCL officials were really good about dealing with bad weather in Grand Cayman. Many excursions were cancelled and the ship had to dock on another side of the island because of the ocean currents. People who didn't have excursions were told to meet in the Buena Vista theater. It took some time for the tenders to go back and forth from ship to shore; thus the tender wait was a little long (note the tenders held about 80 people). One passenger in particular was rather nasty about it. The rest of us were like, what kind of example are you showing your child?
We took the boys into the town and stopped at a little shop to purchase something we missed 17 years ago on our honeymoon. The shop was still there. Since it was windy and we obviously weren't going to have 7-mile Beach time, we returned to the ship. Frankly, we would have liked more days at sea. There are so many things to do on ship. Don't make yourself crazy doing all of them.
The kids loved the Mickey pool with its slide. Speaking of which, someone told me you have to be age 4 to go down the slide. I am only aware of height requirement, which is shown on the bottom stair leading up to the slide. My DS(3) met the minimum height requirement by a few inches. He's also used to swimming pool water slides and swims (with proper supervision).
In Cozumel our group took two taxis to Chukanaab ($15). It was really nice. There was a protected beach area for the kids next to a playset and a restaurant. We go to Mexico fairly regularly. The restaurant's prices were tourist-oriented (steep for Mexico), but the food was fine. The cerviche had too much lime, but the guacamole was fantastic. We also walked around the little park later on. From our beach area, we could watch the dolphins jumping as well as see all the groups going to swim with them.
We missed our Pirate Dinner because DS(7) threw up in the dining room. Yes, we shocked everyone around us. I quickly left with him. HazMat arrived quickly to clean and quizzed the rest of our party about his behavior. I realize they have to look out for everyone in case of that nasty flu virus, so I don't blame them. I learned the next day from Nurse Tim that Meclazine, once it is given, should be given on a continuous basis until you're off the ship. Our servers brought us our dinner in our stateroom that night.
My SIL was disappointed that by the time we were able to see the movie, "Morning Light," it was scheduled at the same time as the book signing by Roy Disney and the other two producers. It was a very inspiring movie. It would have been nice to visit with them about the film.
We figured out that DS(7), once on a scheduled Meclazine dose, seemed to do well going to early dinner with Kids Camp (Oceaneer Lab). Its mid-ship location didn't bother his sea-sickness. They also reassured me they gather all the kids for group activities instead of letting them play computer games the whole time. DS(3) was another story. I will preface by stating he is not an angel, but his behavior rather upset me. By the end of the week, one person (I think it was Donna, who seemed to be in charge) told me they were having problems with him hitting other children. When they were at Castaway Cay, she told me he got together with another little boy whom they had problems with all week and both little boys were hitting each other. When we dropped him off before dinner on the last night, I told them to page me should there be any problems. He had dinner at 5:30 with the club, then the staff paged us at 8 pm. We brought him down for dinner with us and he ate everything rather ravenously. I wish they had paged me earlier in the week. I also am going to check to see if he's hypoglycemic at his 4-year medical check-up. Speaking of paging, I saw one woman on the ship early in the week telling a DCL employee she was tired of her children paging her because they were bored. Just remember to be flexible for the kids camps: it might work for some children and it might not work for other children. I was actually sorry to see the kids picking Oceaneer's Club over spending time with us, but it worked out just fine.
One of our favorite spots on ship was the Sessions bar. It's a quiet spot for a pre-dinner drink. The piano player is really good and has a great voice. Ylena, the bartender (who also bartends in the Cove pool), has a great sarcastic wit.
Castaway Cay was fabulous. Disney sprinkled some pixie dust that day: the sun shined and it was the warmest day. What a beautiful island. After playing with us on the beach and in the water, the boys asked to go to lunch and stay in kids camp for the rest of their island time. Oceaneer's Lab sends a page notifying you they will close by 3 pm on Castaway Cay.
Right now other details escape me. It's your family memories that stay with you. DS(7) sang his first karaoake. "It's easy mom. They had a tv with the words on it." DS(3) patiently waited in line to see Peter Pan & Wendy. One of our kids' favorite things (especially since we spent time in our stateroom) was to get in pajamas, climb into bed (alternating who slept in the top bunk) and watch classic Disney cartoons. DS(7) saw "Pinocchio" and "Mulan" for the first time.
Our dining room servers, Deneval and Jonathan, were fantastic. They have worked together for a long time and complement each other well. They also brought us our dinner to our stateroom the nights we left early. We tried a lunch seafood buffet in Parrot Cay. Oh my gosh - the sushi & sashimi were fantastic.
We dined at Palo one night for dinner as the brunch and tea reservations were already filled by the time we could book on-line. The sun sets early, so it was dark by our dinner's 6:30 pm reservation. The food was good. The server (Cecilia from Argentina) was terrific.
My DS(7) was horribly seasick. Christian (who I later found was Asst Cruise Director) was a huge help showing us where the Health Center was, handing us the free Meclazine (please note our first visit was after hours). He quickly got us an elevator and sent ginger ale from room service after DS(7) vomited in the hall. Tim, the Health Center's nurse, was a big reassurance and instructor about meclazine doses as well as sea-sickness. He also opened 15 minutes early upon our second visit. I also think our stateroom hostess (Rosa) went above and beyond the call of duty due to DS(7)'s seasickness. She was gracious every time. I know if I was her, I would have been happy to see us jump ship.
Key West was ok. It was the first time we've been there. DS(7) enjoyed the maritime museum. DS(3) arrived later in the day as I made him take some "chill time" in our room. We (DS-3 & myself) were victims of a typical Key West joke. When I asked some natives where the museum was (so we could meet the rest of our group), they sent us back to the Pier and around the ocean side (later it turned out we were less than one block south of it when we originally asked these people directions). It made for one tired little boy later. DS(7) enjoyed reading some of the signs to us. We also picked up some extras we'd left at home at the Key West CVS.
The DCL officials were really good about dealing with bad weather in Grand Cayman. Many excursions were cancelled and the ship had to dock on another side of the island because of the ocean currents. People who didn't have excursions were told to meet in the Buena Vista theater. It took some time for the tenders to go back and forth from ship to shore; thus the tender wait was a little long (note the tenders held about 80 people). One passenger in particular was rather nasty about it. The rest of us were like, what kind of example are you showing your child?
We took the boys into the town and stopped at a little shop to purchase something we missed 17 years ago on our honeymoon. The shop was still there. Since it was windy and we obviously weren't going to have 7-mile Beach time, we returned to the ship. Frankly, we would have liked more days at sea. There are so many things to do on ship. Don't make yourself crazy doing all of them.
The kids loved the Mickey pool with its slide. Speaking of which, someone told me you have to be age 4 to go down the slide. I am only aware of height requirement, which is shown on the bottom stair leading up to the slide. My DS(3) met the minimum height requirement by a few inches. He's also used to swimming pool water slides and swims (with proper supervision).
In Cozumel our group took two taxis to Chukanaab ($15). It was really nice. There was a protected beach area for the kids next to a playset and a restaurant. We go to Mexico fairly regularly. The restaurant's prices were tourist-oriented (steep for Mexico), but the food was fine. The cerviche had too much lime, but the guacamole was fantastic. We also walked around the little park later on. From our beach area, we could watch the dolphins jumping as well as see all the groups going to swim with them.
We missed our Pirate Dinner because DS(7) threw up in the dining room. Yes, we shocked everyone around us. I quickly left with him. HazMat arrived quickly to clean and quizzed the rest of our party about his behavior. I realize they have to look out for everyone in case of that nasty flu virus, so I don't blame them. I learned the next day from Nurse Tim that Meclazine, once it is given, should be given on a continuous basis until you're off the ship. Our servers brought us our dinner in our stateroom that night.
My SIL was disappointed that by the time we were able to see the movie, "Morning Light," it was scheduled at the same time as the book signing by Roy Disney and the other two producers. It was a very inspiring movie. It would have been nice to visit with them about the film.
We figured out that DS(7), once on a scheduled Meclazine dose, seemed to do well going to early dinner with Kids Camp (Oceaneer Lab). Its mid-ship location didn't bother his sea-sickness. They also reassured me they gather all the kids for group activities instead of letting them play computer games the whole time. DS(3) was another story. I will preface by stating he is not an angel, but his behavior rather upset me. By the end of the week, one person (I think it was Donna, who seemed to be in charge) told me they were having problems with him hitting other children. When they were at Castaway Cay, she told me he got together with another little boy whom they had problems with all week and both little boys were hitting each other. When we dropped him off before dinner on the last night, I told them to page me should there be any problems. He had dinner at 5:30 with the club, then the staff paged us at 8 pm. We brought him down for dinner with us and he ate everything rather ravenously. I wish they had paged me earlier in the week. I also am going to check to see if he's hypoglycemic at his 4-year medical check-up. Speaking of paging, I saw one woman on the ship early in the week telling a DCL employee she was tired of her children paging her because they were bored. Just remember to be flexible for the kids camps: it might work for some children and it might not work for other children. I was actually sorry to see the kids picking Oceaneer's Club over spending time with us, but it worked out just fine.
One of our favorite spots on ship was the Sessions bar. It's a quiet spot for a pre-dinner drink. The piano player is really good and has a great voice. Ylena, the bartender (who also bartends in the Cove pool), has a great sarcastic wit.
Castaway Cay was fabulous. Disney sprinkled some pixie dust that day: the sun shined and it was the warmest day. What a beautiful island. After playing with us on the beach and in the water, the boys asked to go to lunch and stay in kids camp for the rest of their island time. Oceaneer's Lab sends a page notifying you they will close by 3 pm on Castaway Cay.
Right now other details escape me. It's your family memories that stay with you. DS(7) sang his first karaoake. "It's easy mom. They had a tv with the words on it." DS(3) patiently waited in line to see Peter Pan & Wendy. One of our kids' favorite things (especially since we spent time in our stateroom) was to get in pajamas, climb into bed (alternating who slept in the top bunk) and watch classic Disney cartoons. DS(7) saw "Pinocchio" and "Mulan" for the first time.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Tis the Season
It's fun enjoying the Holiday season with children. My youngest celebrates his 4th birthday next week. He learned a new song this week. I asked him what it was.
"It's Jinger Bewls," he said as he started singing again.
We were driving through town. He started screaming, "Look! Look Mom! I see Santa! Look! Over there!" I told him Santa Claus was keeping a close eye on him to see if he was naughty or nice. He couldn't wait to tell all his preschool friends that Santa Claus was in town.
Later, as we drove in the driveway, he said, "I want you to decorate for Christmas for my birthday."
This from the child who wants everything he sees on television.
"It's Jinger Bewls," he said as he started singing again.
We were driving through town. He started screaming, "Look! Look Mom! I see Santa! Look! Over there!" I told him Santa Claus was keeping a close eye on him to see if he was naughty or nice. He couldn't wait to tell all his preschool friends that Santa Claus was in town.
Later, as we drove in the driveway, he said, "I want you to decorate for Christmas for my birthday."
This from the child who wants everything he sees on television.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
A Karaoake Star is Created
On our recent Disney cruise, our 7-year-old son sang karaoke for the first time. He chose "YMCA" by the Village People. He didn't do too terribly - rather monotone, but you could hear him and he sang most of the words on tempo. The rest of the room was getting into it by performing the actions to the song. After it was finished, he gave a sweeping bow. He told me he really enjoyed it.
"It's so easy - did you know they have a tv with the words on it?" he said.
"It's so easy - did you know they have a tv with the words on it?" he said.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Presidential Election, First Grader style
My oldest son today told me he has switched his vote. "I'm no longer for Barack Obama," he said. "I am voting for McCain."
When asked why, he said, "The Kids' Pick Poll shows Obama as winning. But he's just going to make us kids pay more taxes."
When asked why, he said, "The Kids' Pick Poll shows Obama as winning. But he's just going to make us kids pay more taxes."
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