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August 15, 2005
lesson of the day
I am currently attempting to complete Day 1 of, by my count, 20 in which I have no responsibilities, deadlines, or anything else that could be construed as working towards a greater goal. It should be noted that my count does not include weekends, national holidays, or days on which I plan to be out of town. Having completed one weekend of nothing (which don't count towards the total) I am starting to have a problem -- my wheels are spinning. What I mean by this is that though the gears in my brain are well-greased and maintaining a significant level of productivity, they lack any particular goals or tasks to complete other than menial stuff like paying bills, vacuuming, occasionally tending to a random out-of-apartment errand. So "spinning my wheels" is not really a particularly appropriate analogy. If my wheels were spinning, I would be exerting energy and getting nowhere, as is the case when one's tires lose traction in six inches of snow, requiring the acquisition of a shovel in order to pry one's car from it's self-made ditch. But I'm certainly moving, though any effort to this effect is unintentional. I'm just not going towards anywhere. Much more of an overarching lack of direction or focus towards which I may focus cognitive energy. What I'm dealing with is more of a "circling-the-same-block" type of complex. My vacation allowed my mind to slow down, spend it's time reading novels. But now that I'm back, I can't just sit around all day. I certainly would not prefer to be in an office. Without question, 20 days of nothing is a good problem to have. It's a different type of problem that, to use another played and slightly inaccurate analogy, could be considered a "grass is always greener on the other side" sort of situation. Though really, I don't admire my neighbor's grass in this instance. I'm just bored. Which leads to thinking of random nonsense like --
Every year I learn something new during my family's vacation. Last year I learned that my iPod's battery lasts just three hours, not its advertised 12. The year before I learned that I don't much care for dishes so chalked full of curry that the plate upon which it is served is itself a brownish yellow. Though not all newly-learned facts would qualify as lessons. This year, I learned the value of the professional massage. Up until a few weeks ago, I really didn't have any desire to get a massage. I have never responded extraordinarily well to massages of the informal type. Don't know why. But Christina raves about these massages, though she rarely gets them. So I decided that it might be worthwhile to see what the hubbub was all about. Well, the hubbub is earned. Massages are extraordinary.
I must say though that I learned an extraordinarily valuable lesson. I strongly prefer masseuses over masseurs. I was signed up for masseuses each time I got a massage, but there was some sort of mix-up and my first massage was given to me by a masseur who, for no particular reason, I'll call Rufus. Rufus was strange. Highlights of these oddities include: dripping oil on me while trying to put it on his hands, jiggling my arms, and rubbing my belly in a Buddha-like fashion. The belly rubbing was clearly the oddest. Massaging of the obliques I can understand, but this was not that. It was quite peculiar. Yet despite Rufus' best efforts, I still really enjoyed the massage. I received two more during the trip, both from masseuses who appeared to have a much better idea of what it was they were doing.
I have a working theory regarding the effects of good massages. I've heard from a number of places that working out (jogging, weight-lifting, elipticaling, whatever) releases endorphins into the blood stream following the workout. The enorphines create a temporary sense of euphoria and also help the brain to function better. I think that good massages have the same effect. I felt the same sort of euphoric feeling as I used to after a working. Anyone had a similar experience?
Over the vacation, I also discovered the virtues of steams, or wet saunas. Oh man, those things are great.
Posted by ben at August 15, 2005 3:21 PM
Comments
To occupy your time in the next few weeks:
1.) SPend at least 4 hours a day shuffling and dealing blackjack to yourself out of a six or eight deck shoe. Learn to count cards. In fact, do this for at least 10 hours each of the next two days, and for the remainder of the third day before you fly to Vegas. The rewards will most likely be minimal to nothing, but if you're only thinking about the rewards you're missing the point.
2.) Get your hands on a copy of Madden 2006. I used to think my life had no higher calling other than being a good parent/worker and mean what you say. Because of Madden, I now know that my life's purpose is to turn Doofy McDofuss into an All-Pro QB. Yes, it's true; this man has no dick.
Posted by: Ferrario at August 16, 2005 12:17 PM
The idea of playing Madden 2006 is almost enough to get me to fix my XBox. I love the Madden games, but I don't think I can justify spending $50 on the game in addition to the $100 it'll cost to fix it. Maybe if Vegas rewards me for my trip, I'll look into it.
Posted by: ben at August 16, 2005 1:41 PM