Green Oasis

Five Things

2009-03-09T20:46:05Z

I am grateful…

… that all the math that is involved in my current class is soaking in. I’ve finally learned how to study regularly.
… for the generous spirit that pervades the intertubes and leads us to share our knowledge with others. Case in point: Academic Earth.
… for the family-focused attitude that I learned from my own family, and yes, the Mormon church.
… for all the wonderful books out there, more than I’ll ever be able to read.
… to live without constant fear.

Understanding Evolution

2009-02-09T21:31:18Z

Humanist Mama is gearing up for Darwin Day this Thursday. (Both Charles Darwin and Abraham Lincoln were born 200 years ago on February 12^th.) Among other great resources, she pointed out Understanding Evolution, an excellent introduction to evolution created at Berkeley. Most people, myself included, don’t really understand what evolution is and how it works. The site explains evolution from the ground up, looks at some common misconceptions, and has lesson plans to inspire our next generation.

Five Things

2009-01-26T21:21:14Z

I am grateful…

… for time I had this weekend to play with my daughters and reconnect. It’s easy to forget to do.
… that my wife is feeling a bit better. I missed her typical vivacity.
… that I’m not drowning under all the math required by my class this semester.
… for a steady job that provides the necessities of life.
… that my health allows me to enjoy life.

Five Things

2009-01-12T21:20:46Z

I’m grateful for a newfound mindfulness. I tend to make little rules and expectations for myself like “no eating after 7 PM” or “finish everything on today’s task list”. I start having a nagging sense of dissatisfaction when I break the rules, the rules I set for myself. When I get dissatisfied, I become discouraged and tend to fall even shorter of my expectations. Recently, I’ve become more aware of this self-inflicted cycle. Self-forgiving awareness has allowed me to notice the dissatisfaction, let it wash over me, and see it dissipate in the light of my conscious awareness.
I’m grateful to be feeling healthy again.
The weather is bright and sunny. It might as well be spring. I feel a little silly wearing my sweater.
I am thankful that I’ve found renewed motivation in my job. I hate feeling like I’m slacking off, and yet I still do it when a task is so big or ill-defined that I don’t know where to start. Really, I should thank Thich Nhat Hanh. He said “Smile, breathe, and go slowly.” I’ve been trying to practice this at work, and I’m much more productive (despite going slowly).
I am grateful for the class that I was able to attend today. I am realizing that I need to brush up on some math, but I enjoy this kind of challenge.

An Education in Irony

2009-01-12T03:58:36Z

The foundation of every state is the education of its youth.

So says Diogenes Laërtius and a monument on the side of a school in east side Buffalo, New York. I snapped this photograph while I was a Mormon missionary living on Berkshire Avenue.

I took that photograph because of the sad irony of its context; the monument was attached to a boarded-up school.

The irony was perfect, or so I thought until I saw the vacant lot where that school used to be across Bailey Avenue from the Boys & Girls Club. Sadly, I have only a little hope that it was replaced with another school.

Five Things

2009-01-06T03:10:27Z

Today, I’m feeling grateful that…

I’m not a sex slave. I wonder how much porn features sex slaves.
I get to take a class this semester on linear systems theory.
I have a loving family.
I like the people that I work with.
I have so much art so readily available to me.

Five Things for which I Am Grateful Today

2008-12-23T02:48:07Z

Clean, hot-and-cold, running water
A functional, closed sewer system
Easy access to educational activities such as the local planetarium
Someone to take care of me when I’m sick
The chance to see another snowfall in my native desert valley like the one that fell when I was four.

Five Things for which I Am Grateful Today

2008-12-08T17:38:49Z

[This is a continuation of my experiment in gratitude.]

I am grateful for my parents and the things that they taught me. My own experiences as a parent have taught me that parents can only do their best and hope that their children can improve on their upbringing. Though at first appearance I have rejected their most cherished teachings, the truth is that I follow pretty closely in my parents’ footsteps, and I’m happy with where I’m going.
I have not always made the most of my opportunities for education, but I am grateful nonetheless for the investment that my community has made in me. I love learning. It’s one of my favorite pastimes. It is gratifying to contemplate how different my life could have been.
I am thankful for cloudy days. Unremitting sunshine can be oppressive. Clouds turn me inward in a brooding, nostalgic meditation. In moderation, it’s good for my soul.
I am grateful for the view out of my window. I work in a cubicle, but if I ever feel disconnected from the world around me, I can turn my head 90° to the left and daydream out 12 foot windows with a view on greenery and campus wildlife.
I am thankful to be human. My greatest pleasures would be impossible if I weren’t human. I am sure that I would have other desires if I weren’t human, but I wouldn’t be me either. I enjoy my place in the universe.

XO

2008-11-21T18:47:24Z

Shhh. Don’t tell them: we got our firstborn and a child in the developing world XO laptops for Christmas. The current economic situation made us think long and hard, but we decided that its a good investment in the children of the world. You get a laptop for yourself and give one laptop to another child. (Or you can just give a laptop if you don’t want one for yourself.) The laptops are specially designed for children to allow them to learn, create, and collaborate.

The one feature among many that set its hooks in this code geek father’s heart is that the child can view and modify the source code for the programs they use with a simple keypress. Be still my heart!

A community of enthusiasts stands ready to support others in using the laptop.

Zimi says thank you.

Reviews in 50 Words or Less: Parenting Beyond Belief

2008-08-25T20:29:21Z

As a newly minted atheist father, I worried about how to teach my children. Parenting Beyond Belief convinced me that teaching my children to be freethinkers was not only acceptable but preferable, even beautiful.