In my last post, I mentioned that fall was my favorite season. Here's why:
-- My birthday is at the end of October. Reason enough right there, really.
-- Cooler weather. I don't mind warm weather as much as I used to, but my tolerance for it is limited, so I welcome the days where I can turn off the AC and open the windows, especially in my bedroom at night.
-- The leaves changing color. I love the reds, golds, and even the browns of the fall leaves, whether on trees or on the ground.
-- Football. I'm watching a Vikings preseason game as I write this. Skol Vikings!
-- Apples. Plus everything made using them.
-- Halloween. I've started to get back into it after not really caring about it for a long time. It's one of the best holidays.
-- Going back to school. That was more when I was younger (though I am taking classes later this fall), but I still get excited about school supplies for some reason.
If there was someplace on Earth that had an eternal fall, I would move there.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Hello, September
September is only a few hours away, which means Summer is just about over too. Technically, I know that the season has a few more weeks until the Equinox, but I never consider that to be the true end of Summer. For me, that's always Labor Day. Growing up, school always started on the day after Labor Day, since in Minnesota schools cannot legally start before then because the tourism industry wants families to still take vacations in late August (that really is the reason). Plus, it is the last day of the State Fair, which is another psychological end point.
I can already see some signs of the changing season. A few trees are in the early stages of changing color from green to red and gold, and there are grasshoppers jumping around when I go hiking on the weekends. Plus, it gets dark much earlier at night then it seemed it did only a couple of weeks ago. Not much in the way of cooler weather yet -- it hit ninety outside today -- but hopefully that will be here soon as well. It is one reason of many why Fall is my favorite season.
Actually, that would make for a good post, so you can expect to see that in the near future.
I can already see some signs of the changing season. A few trees are in the early stages of changing color from green to red and gold, and there are grasshoppers jumping around when I go hiking on the weekends. Plus, it gets dark much earlier at night then it seemed it did only a couple of weeks ago. Not much in the way of cooler weather yet -- it hit ninety outside today -- but hopefully that will be here soon as well. It is one reason of many why Fall is my favorite season.
Actually, that would make for a good post, so you can expect to see that in the near future.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Procrastination
Well, the concert was awesome, first of all. I may post about it later on, since it will be a longer one if I do. But I'm putting it off for the time being, just like I unfortunately put off way too many things.
Really, I was even putting off writing this post. I knew though that I should probably get it out while I could, though, especially since I was tired from a long hike in the Minnesota River Valley this morning and wasn't sure how much energy I would have tonight. And just now, between the last sentence and this one, I took a ten minute break to start dinner and get something to drink.
Procrastination obviously affects a lot of people, and it seems to be worse for people who -- like me -- are also prone to being distracted unless we're really, really into whatever it is that we are doing. Fortunately, I find that there are ways to compensate for this. Deadlines are one good way, of course, as I discussed about a week ago on my other blog, but I don't want to retread that ground here too much.
The best way for me is just to figure out the most important task at any given time, and work on that exclusively until it is done, then the next task, then the next one. Even big projects can be tackled in this way, since a project is nothing but a bunch of small tasks put together. You don't have to build the whole house at once. If focusing on putting up a shelf -- or even just pounding in one nail -- is what it takes to get it built, then that's what it takes.
Now if you'll excuse me, there is a really cool website I have to look at before I hit "publish"...
Really, I was even putting off writing this post. I knew though that I should probably get it out while I could, though, especially since I was tired from a long hike in the Minnesota River Valley this morning and wasn't sure how much energy I would have tonight. And just now, between the last sentence and this one, I took a ten minute break to start dinner and get something to drink.
Procrastination obviously affects a lot of people, and it seems to be worse for people who -- like me -- are also prone to being distracted unless we're really, really into whatever it is that we are doing. Fortunately, I find that there are ways to compensate for this. Deadlines are one good way, of course, as I discussed about a week ago on my other blog, but I don't want to retread that ground here too much.
The best way for me is just to figure out the most important task at any given time, and work on that exclusively until it is done, then the next task, then the next one. Even big projects can be tackled in this way, since a project is nothing but a bunch of small tasks put together. You don't have to build the whole house at once. If focusing on putting up a shelf -- or even just pounding in one nail -- is what it takes to get it built, then that's what it takes.
Now if you'll excuse me, there is a really cool website I have to look at before I hit "publish"...
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Rushing Into The Weekend
Today was the first day of the Minnesota State Fair, which runs through Labor Day. If you live in Minnesota, you are legally required to attend. No, not really; I'm joking. But sometimes it does seem that way, considering the enthusiasm so many people have for it.
Normally I probably wouldn't go this year, since I went last year and it's more of an every two to three year thing for me. But this year Rush is playing at the Grandstand, and I decided, oh, why not? I was really into them when I was younger and I still like their music despite not being as obsessive of a fan as I once was. Plus, I always wanted to see them back then, but never had the chance, so this is a way of paying back my teenage self for being patient.
So, that's where I will be tomorrow night. Hopefully by my Sunday entry, I'll have my hearing back.
Normally I probably wouldn't go this year, since I went last year and it's more of an every two to three year thing for me. But this year Rush is playing at the Grandstand, and I decided, oh, why not? I was really into them when I was younger and I still like their music despite not being as obsessive of a fan as I once was. Plus, I always wanted to see them back then, but never had the chance, so this is a way of paying back my teenage self for being patient.
So, that's where I will be tomorrow night. Hopefully by my Sunday entry, I'll have my hearing back.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Special Appearance
Got distracted last night, so unfortunately I missed posting. Regular posting will resume tomorrow, but until then here's a link to a discussion on Girl Meets Geek about transit in the Twin Cities suburbs in which she quotes a Twitter comment of mine from earlier today (I'm @moerketim, who she quotes in her first point). It's a great post and I may discuss my thoughts on the issue here sometime as well.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
What I'm Watching
Since I periodically do a post about stuff I'm reading, it seemed a given that I should talk about stuff I've watched recently once in a while too. So, here we go. Note that I didn't include links for these, because the Wikipedia entries would likely have spoilers and IMDB is just kind of a pain.
The Expendables: I saw this in the theater on opening night, so according to the hilarious fan-made trailer (NSFW, by the way, and that goes triple for the comments) I deserve to be a man. This movie is exactly what it says on the package, nothing more and nothing less. Whether or not that's a good thing is up to you, but as a fan of old-school action movies and much of the cast, for me it was a very good thing indeed.
Factotum: In a completely different direction, we have this movie, based on the life of author Charles Bukowski. For some reason, the movie was filmed in Minneapolis, because I guess filming the movie where the book it is based on took place (L.A.) was just too hard or something. I mean, I can't imagine filiming a movie in L.A., can you? Nevertheless, it was interesting to see places I recognized and have been to, even if the setting wasn't really used in the story. However, I ended up not really caring about pretty much anyone in the movie, as they just weren't likable and in some cases actually repellent. There really isn't any message or meaning to what happens, it just sort of occurs. I guess that's realistic, but it wasn't what I was looking for. However, a Bukowski fan (I knew who he was before this, but that's all) might see it differently.
Control: You would probably assume that a movie about Ian Curtis, the lead singer of Joy Division, would be rather bleak and grim. You would, in fact, be totally correct. However, I still enjoyed the movie, being a fan of the band and of others from that time and place. The actors all gave really convincing performances, especially the ones playing the members of Joy Division themselves, and the recreated concert and television footage is amazing due to the actors actually performing the songs (and doing a very convincing job doing it). I'd probably only recommend it to people with an interest in the subject matter, but if you have that, you'll like it.
Mad Men Season One: This is a strange one, since I've already seen seasons two and three when they first aired on AMC. Seeing as how I started watching the show partway through, though, it seemed like I should go back and see it from the beginning despite already knowing the season's main spoilers. Because the show is so well done, it's still rewarding to watch even though I'm aware of what happens. That said, the pace is definitely slower in the first season and it doesn't feel as lively, although it improves towards the end.
The Wire Season Five: I've finished the first disc of the last season of this show, and have three more to go. I can tell it's the last season since ongoing storylines are being wound up, it moves along more quickly, and characters from past seasons are being brought back to show what happens to them. It definitely has a different feel to it than previous seasons, but it's still an amazing show. Of all of the TV shows that were originally on pay networks but later brought to basic cable or broadcast channels (like The Sopranos or Sex and the City), I'm not sure why it was never done with The Wire. Not that much content would need to be removed, and it is a great show that more people need to see.
The Expendables: I saw this in the theater on opening night, so according to the hilarious fan-made trailer (NSFW, by the way, and that goes triple for the comments) I deserve to be a man. This movie is exactly what it says on the package, nothing more and nothing less. Whether or not that's a good thing is up to you, but as a fan of old-school action movies and much of the cast, for me it was a very good thing indeed.
Factotum: In a completely different direction, we have this movie, based on the life of author Charles Bukowski. For some reason, the movie was filmed in Minneapolis, because I guess filming the movie where the book it is based on took place (L.A.) was just too hard or something. I mean, I can't imagine filiming a movie in L.A., can you? Nevertheless, it was interesting to see places I recognized and have been to, even if the setting wasn't really used in the story. However, I ended up not really caring about pretty much anyone in the movie, as they just weren't likable and in some cases actually repellent. There really isn't any message or meaning to what happens, it just sort of occurs. I guess that's realistic, but it wasn't what I was looking for. However, a Bukowski fan (I knew who he was before this, but that's all) might see it differently.
Control: You would probably assume that a movie about Ian Curtis, the lead singer of Joy Division, would be rather bleak and grim. You would, in fact, be totally correct. However, I still enjoyed the movie, being a fan of the band and of others from that time and place. The actors all gave really convincing performances, especially the ones playing the members of Joy Division themselves, and the recreated concert and television footage is amazing due to the actors actually performing the songs (and doing a very convincing job doing it). I'd probably only recommend it to people with an interest in the subject matter, but if you have that, you'll like it.
Mad Men Season One: This is a strange one, since I've already seen seasons two and three when they first aired on AMC. Seeing as how I started watching the show partway through, though, it seemed like I should go back and see it from the beginning despite already knowing the season's main spoilers. Because the show is so well done, it's still rewarding to watch even though I'm aware of what happens. That said, the pace is definitely slower in the first season and it doesn't feel as lively, although it improves towards the end.
The Wire Season Five: I've finished the first disc of the last season of this show, and have three more to go. I can tell it's the last season since ongoing storylines are being wound up, it moves along more quickly, and characters from past seasons are being brought back to show what happens to them. It definitely has a different feel to it than previous seasons, but it's still an amazing show. Of all of the TV shows that were originally on pay networks but later brought to basic cable or broadcast channels (like The Sopranos or Sex and the City), I'm not sure why it was never done with The Wire. Not that much content would need to be removed, and it is a great show that more people need to see.
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