Strolling Amok

Pops goes on tour.

Archive for the category “Navel Gazing”

04 Mar 2014
9 Comments

Look Twice As Good in Half the Time

Sometimes, the little things can mean so much.

Sometimes, the little things can mean so much.

Decades ago on the Saturday Night Live TV show, Billy Crystal did an ongoing characterization smacking of actor Fernando Llamas, complete with faint Hispanic accent. This character always seemed to live in cocktail lounge booths and dark steakhouses, wore sunglasses and neck scarf under a dress jacket, and presented an “appearances first” aura. Dispensing self-absorbed advice, one of his oft-heard phrases was, “It is better to look good than to feel good – you know what I am saying to you?”

Having come from an era where a suit and tie was de rigueur (“prescribed or required by fashion, etiquette, or custom”) among career professionals, I won’t debate that care in appearance makes a big impact on perception by others. And, that need not be based on added accoutrements or bling. I remember once wandering into a drawing file room with another engineer to find an engineering intern slumped over a drawing file, asleep. He was a likable young guy who enjoyed late partying, and I was glad no manager had discovered him. He awoke in a fatigued but good-natured way, and while we spontaneously reviewed his previous entertainment choices, what instantly stood out to me like a spotlight on a stage was Read more…

Posted in Navel Gazing and tagged , ,
29 Jan 2014
13 Comments

Boondocking vs Campgrounding

Staying at commercial or “developed” campgrounds is nice for convenience. I’ve done so when no other options were available, and when I needed a lot of amps in 115vac power to run tools or the small vacuum cleaner. The following is a video which promotes an upcoming Overland Expo near Flagstaff, which also reflects my biased perceptions of why I like to stay in more remote areas. A TT (travel trailer) doesn’t work so well for the rough stuff, but you can still get isolated in some very nice territory here and there. The Overland Expo caters to the pop-up truck camper and motorcycle crowds as well as tenters. These folks enjoy exploring areas where no other hardware can get to. The last 25% of this video is credits, but the bulk of it is superbly done. Enjoy!

Posted in Navel Gazing
27 Jan 2014
8 Comments

And Now For Something Completely Different…

My daughter-in-law stuck a video on her Facebook page, with the comment that it represented the essence of what she endured many times a day in her work. I watched it, thought it was brilliantly done, and then saw my daughter post it on her page. Her story is a bit different, as she is kind of a collections agent for a company and calls deadbeat corporate customers. She claims that she averages three per week of what the video presents, only with a lot of hostility in the mix. Yum!

The video simply has to do with what business conference calls tend to be like today, with enabling technologies promising so much and delivering something quite different. “A Conference Call in Real Life” by Don’tBeThatGuyFilms cleverly reveals the holes in the digital promise of bringing people together.

As for me, back in the mesozoic age, conference calls did exist, and the differing technology required a different methodology. Since this was well before Skype and the Internet, there were only two practical ways to bring people together without the expense of physically bringing them together.

One was to pick up the phone and go through the gyrations of calling one participant before Read more…

Posted in Navel Gazing and tagged
09 Jan 2014
15 Comments

The Cure for Insomnia

Caution: The information provided below presents a potential health risk. Consult your health care professional before following these suggestions.

Tax Instructions

Lots of folks suffer from insomnia at one time or other, and the causes are myriad. A certain segment of the population however, is more prone to recurring insomnia. Essentially, they are unable to consistently quiet their brain activity enough to fall asleep, or they awaken just a few hours later with either their intellect or emotions engaged, trying to solve the world’s problems. Now, what a thoughtful person might suggest would be therapy, to get rid of the root causes of clinging to these disruptive thoughts, or perhaps drugs that are advertised as being like peaceful little butterflies that somehow have the ability to tranquilize the brain with a chemical stew.

As alluring as years of insurance-milking therapy or a chemically-induced coma may be, my solution is simpler, cheaper, safer, and much more effective. It is a brute force approach to invoking  an irresistible urge to sleep, and works on the very same basic principle as Read more…

Posted in Navel Gazing
30 Dec 2013
5 Comments

Riotous Living Dept.

I Like to PartyI stole this from my daughter-in-law’s Facebook page, which often presents Universal Truths like this. I’ve found that partying fits neatly into the mobile lifestyle. I am one party monster!

Posted in Navel Gazing and tagged
24 Dec 2013
9 Comments

Merry Christmas, Cowboys and Cowgirls!

Vintage ad. I'm sure she'll have a merry Christmas, right after she finds a place to bury the body.

Ow! Vintage ad. I’m sure she’ll have a merry Christmas, right after she finds a place to bury the body.

Whatever one’s chosen functional role in a relationship, it’s nice to have one’s efforts be appreciated or one’s tasks made easier, and not so good to have that role be considered to be who you are in that relationship, or why you exist. Young children can get away with it. Adults, well, not so much.

Enjoy the respite from work, such as that may be for you. May your employer not be one of those who gladly sacrifices your life at minimum wage to scratch for every last retail dime out there. For those of you who enjoy get-togethers and traditions and decorations and feasting, have at it! For those who see it as a chance to quietly step back and take a moment to review, go to it. For those followers of Christ, continue to seek to honor Him in what you do and how you do it. Celebrate Him.

The "Christmas Parade" at the LTVA consists of a handful of crazed RVers who load Christmas lights on their pickups and/or trailers and idle around together in the blackness for two nights (so far).

The “Christmas Parade” at the LTVA consists of a handful of crazed RVers who load Christmas lights on their pickups and/or trailers and idle around together in the blackness for two nights (so far).

Posted in Navel Gazing and tagged
27 Nov 2013
14 Comments

Life at Rancho Begley

"A man’s mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps." Proverbs 16:9

“A man’s mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” Proverbs 16:9

Used to be, the thought of sitting outside for a half-hour or hour to watch the sun go down seemed like a peculiar waste of time. Sure, it’s nice. Appreciate it, take a mental photo and go on to the next thing. These days, I’m noticing that it can greatly change appearance in a mere minute – or less. My mind, as always, wanders and considers things, but is no longer “somewhere else” entirely.

Another translation of Proverbs 16:9 is, “We plan the way we want to live, but only God makes us able to live it.” I actually only planned to live in a travel trailer that would be able to go from place to place as needed. The actual goal, in lofty terms, has been to widen my view of life, and determine my place in it. Most folks have this done by the time they’re halfway through their twenties. Me, I’m more of a late bloomer. Still, I finally feel as though I’m on track. Right place, right time, right life. All of it just feels right, and necessary.

The Strolling Amok blog is ostensibly about “mobile living”, or at least one form of it from one guy’s perspective. It is that, but don’t assume that Read more…

Posted in Daily Life, Navel Gazing and tagged , , ,
15 Nov 2013
10 Comments

A Gift in Harness

Think this is easy? Try it yourself.

Think this is easy? Try it yourself.

My son has always shown an uncanny artistic ability. Not just doing pretty good because of a lot of art classes, but he’s always had a puzzling ability to just sit down solo and do something quietly amazing. Never did much with it, and I couldn’t figure out a way for him to actually make a living and provide for a family from his artistic skill. Most people don’t place any value on artistic skill or the creative arts in general. They value the ability to perform well in athletic games. Hence: “starving artist”.

Well, he recently found his outlet, one which has the potential to provide a living, oddly enough. Who’s willing to pay for artwork? People who want tattoos. They don’t pay much for what they’re getting (when the artist is good), but it sure beats a lifetime of $8.25 an hour asking people if they want fries with that.

I’ve always had the assumption that to get a tattoo, all you had to do was pick a design from a book and have at it. Anchor, busty girl, skull, snake encircling sword. Some places are like that now, and the skill level to deliver varies wildly, from wince and grimace to glow. But much of the market wants original work, either fresh or, most often, a Read more…

Posted in Navel Gazing and tagged , ,
24 Oct 2013

Dream Big

I found some iPad software called Motivational Poster that lets you roll your own graphics, so here you are:

Motivational_Poster-App

Posted in Navel Gazing and tagged | Leave a comment
23 Oct 2013
2 Comments

Motivational Quote

working iconThe gap between success and failure in a pursuit is sometimes as broad as the gap between being smart and being wise. The achievement of it is not always real success, and an unworthy goal can destroy its pursuer. Along the way, the correct discernment of when to persist and when to quit is also needed at each stepping stone, and so the journey itself is often the success, not the end attainment. Flawed by our very natures, simply learning from our mistakes and failures can become our unexpected pot of gold. Still, there are those who tend to finish what they start, and those who

Posted in Navel Gazing and tagged

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