Random Stuff

The title says it all. This really is random stuff.

Just re-read my last post. I stand by all of it, but I really ought to stop writing and posting late at night. I even revised the first couple of lines.

I had a virus a couple of weeks ago (fever, lack of appetite, hot followed by cold, the whole bit), and couldn't eat for a few days. I wasn't eating all that well (volume, timing, etc.) for a while before that though. That's really not a good thing when you are following my food lifestyle. After I got over the virus, my appetite came back...with a vengeance. I'm now back to a much healthier eating style that has actually added a few pounds (some of which were needed...I was getting a little too thin according to friends).

Now I need to get back into a little working out. I dread starting, because I've let myself go so long with practically no exercise at all. Bike trips to shop for dinner have been about it. I'm so lazy about starting. Even when I do briefly try, it is often followed rapidly by the "put it off until you can no longer pretend you are doing it at all" phase. If I can just keep up any regular workout for two consecutive weeks, I know I'll stick to it (for a pretty long time). When it happens next, I'm guessing there will be a post here about it...

Man. Put out my political beliefs on this blog (no matter how provocative or antagonistic), and none of my family or close friends have any comment. This post will probably get several. Go figure. You know, it's okay to debate, argue and disagree on the blog and keep that completely separate from all other communication. You can even comment as "Anonymous".

I saw a guy on a scooter run a red light tonight. On a bicycle I'd probably do the same (though scooters are a little different). He was doing about 30 mph (48 kph). None of that really surprised me considering the time of night and light traffic...but this guy was doing cell phone email at the time!!!!! I've talked about the "cell phone/lack of attention to surroundings" thing before, but even I was shocked when seeing it done on a scooter hauling-ass down the road at night. What could possibly be that important?!

A decent night's sleep and I have parted company some time ago. I have often had problems sleeping in recent years. Usually it's the "can't get to sleep until the sun's coming up" variety. I still (on non-work nights) have a bit of a challenge to get to bed before it starts getting light out. I sleep late, but it still only amounts to less than six hours. Recently, the problem has changed. No matter when I get to bed and no matter how tired I am, I seem to sleep an hour or two and wake up. This is followed by an hour of sleep or so, waking, another hour of sleep, waking...you get the idea. There are nights when I get seven hours of sleep (plenty good for me), but since they came in intervals of one and two hours at a time, it just isn't the same. If this happens more than four consecutive nights, my days can be a little wired.

I've been in this country for more than fourteen years. Every time I get a visitor (which hasn't been all that often), I find myself learning more about the country I live in, and call home. It's not just the visits to the historic sites (which I still enjoy), it's the other questions and cultural things that come up. It's a chance to talk about things like food (always one of my favorites), check out things I hadn't really thought about, and re-live some of those things that so fascinated me when I was new to this country.

Well...certainly not worthy of James Joyce's stream-of-consciousness, but generally, these were things that came to mind in the order they hit while waiting for that urge to get some sleep.