I don't have any hobbies. I aspire to having hobbies but I really don't have any. A while ago, I created a list with my wife of hobbies I might want to take up at some point - including swimming, basketball, golf, biking, tennis, fine arts performances, sporting events, volunteer work, learning a musical instrument (piano), and getting into fantasy football. No progress on any of those fronts but it's a good list nonetheless.
I also created a list of things I wanted to learn more about - including statistics, game theory, complexity theory, auto maintenance, the environment, energy/alternative energy, culture of obesity, sleep patterns, and open source software. Some progress here - especially related to the environment and alternative energy (but there's plenty more to learn).
And one more list for good measure. At one point, I was thinking about taking a 3-6 month sabbatical from work. Some of the ideas I had for activities were visiting NYC, going to a fitness camp, taking a bike tour, getting some personal training, getting into yoga, going to India, going to Boston and Nantucket, doing some volunteer work, getting more into religion, and catching up with people. With the new job, I guess the sabbatical will need to wait a couple more years.
Since I found the lists, figured I'd share ... but the level of progress is a little depressing.
Showing posts with label leisure. Show all posts
Showing posts with label leisure. Show all posts
Saturday, October 14, 2006
Friday, July 21, 2006
At the boardwalk
My company had a picnic/event at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk this afternoon. It was a lot of fun for the whole family. JD and I played some Skee Ball and arcade games together. The kids got to go on a bunch of rides. And my wife even got to go on an adult ride (Crazy Surf) twice by herself. I was particularly surprised to see how fearless JD and AJ are. JD really wanted to go on the Ferris Wheel - but wasn't the least bit afraid of the heights. When we went on a kids rollercoaster, I prepped JD with "this ride is going to go up and then down really fast so it might be a little scary but it will be ok". His immediate reply was "I'm not scared". AJ meanwhile (barely tall enough for the ride) was laughing through the whole thing and then couldn't wait to go another time. I guess sometimes we think we need to protect our kids even though they clearly don't need protecting.As an aside, I'm definitely in trouble. As soon as the kids are a little older, they're going to want to go on every "throw-up ride" at these amusement parks - and I don't do particularly well on those rides. Perhaps I can outsource that job to my brother or my sister-in-law HG. Or perhaps my wife will be up to the challenge. Typhoon and Delirium, here we come.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Can't stop working
I just read an interesting article on ExploreFaith.org called "The Lord's Picnic". I can certainly relate to this paradoxical observation:
Sometimes you just can't get away. Everyone knows the odd combination of longing and dread with which overworked people anticipate their work holidays - longing to be at leisure for a week or two, dread at the pile of work that will await them when they return. It's not worth it to take a vacation, more than one person has told me. I'd be better off not going away at all.
There is more to it than the dread of the accumulated work though. A perverse momentum takes hold in some of us when we are in need of rest: we can't stop working. We don't take it easy - we take it hard. It's as if we were afraid to leave the very thing from which we need a break.
Most exhausted people I talk to go to work earlier than they need to and stay later. Work much more, and accomplish about the same as they would have if they worked normal hours. Maybe less. Their world shrinks to the workplace and the workplace alone. No other arena of their lives command their attention.
Sometimes they think other people would be critical of them if they took it easy, as if there were some moral high ground of martyrdom demanded of them that is not expected of everyone else. Sometimes they think terrible things will happen if they aren't there. They may hate it, but they can't bring themselves to stop.
The truth is, terrible things will happen whether you're there or not. The escalating hours of work, the inability to do anything else - these are symptoms of depression, a loss of self and perspective on the world so profound it can paralyze and even kill if it is not stopped.
I'm improving along this dimension but I have noticed that when I need rest the most, I often press forward the hardest - as if one final burst of energy will magically get me across the finish line and allow me to rest (guilt-free) for as long as I want/need. But it doesn't work that way. As soon as I finish one task, there is another one waiting. There's no end to it. Also, you get into a vicious cycle. You stay up late one night to get some extra work done but that makes you tired the next day. Being tired leads you to be less focused and productive at work which causes you to get less done which causes more work to pile up. Faced with the growing pile of work, you stay up late the next night to "catch up" but the cycle simply continues and gets worse over time. In the end, you're burnt out and no further ahead work-wise than if you had just gotten a full night's sleep to begin with. Also, the consequences of not getting work things done - or at least done on time - is often much less significant than we convince ourselves they are.
That all makes rational sense to me but the irrational part of me still hangs on to its old ways. It wants to believe that I am indispensableble at work, that others are depending on me to get my stuff done on time, and that loyalty to my coworkers dictates that I (automatically) go the extra mile even if I'm not really up to it. It's hard to let go of old ways - they've worked so well for so long. But strengths during one stage of our lives can become Achilles' heels at the next stage of our life (see this post). Things change - hopefully for the better.
Sometimes you just can't get away. Everyone knows the odd combination of longing and dread with which overworked people anticipate their work holidays - longing to be at leisure for a week or two, dread at the pile of work that will await them when they return. It's not worth it to take a vacation, more than one person has told me. I'd be better off not going away at all.
There is more to it than the dread of the accumulated work though. A perverse momentum takes hold in some of us when we are in need of rest: we can't stop working. We don't take it easy - we take it hard. It's as if we were afraid to leave the very thing from which we need a break.
Most exhausted people I talk to go to work earlier than they need to and stay later. Work much more, and accomplish about the same as they would have if they worked normal hours. Maybe less. Their world shrinks to the workplace and the workplace alone. No other arena of their lives command their attention.
Sometimes they think other people would be critical of them if they took it easy, as if there were some moral high ground of martyrdom demanded of them that is not expected of everyone else. Sometimes they think terrible things will happen if they aren't there. They may hate it, but they can't bring themselves to stop.
The truth is, terrible things will happen whether you're there or not. The escalating hours of work, the inability to do anything else - these are symptoms of depression, a loss of self and perspective on the world so profound it can paralyze and even kill if it is not stopped.
I'm improving along this dimension but I have noticed that when I need rest the most, I often press forward the hardest - as if one final burst of energy will magically get me across the finish line and allow me to rest (guilt-free) for as long as I want/need. But it doesn't work that way. As soon as I finish one task, there is another one waiting. There's no end to it. Also, you get into a vicious cycle. You stay up late one night to get some extra work done but that makes you tired the next day. Being tired leads you to be less focused and productive at work which causes you to get less done which causes more work to pile up. Faced with the growing pile of work, you stay up late the next night to "catch up" but the cycle simply continues and gets worse over time. In the end, you're burnt out and no further ahead work-wise than if you had just gotten a full night's sleep to begin with. Also, the consequences of not getting work things done - or at least done on time - is often much less significant than we convince ourselves they are.
That all makes rational sense to me but the irrational part of me still hangs on to its old ways. It wants to believe that I am indispensableble at work, that others are depending on me to get my stuff done on time, and that loyalty to my coworkers dictates that I (automatically) go the extra mile even if I'm not really up to it. It's hard to let go of old ways - they've worked so well for so long. But strengths during one stage of our lives can become Achilles' heels at the next stage of our life (see this post). Things change - hopefully for the better.
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Fourth Commandment
A couple of days ago, I picked up a copy of the July 3, 2006 issue of USA Today. In it, there was an article regarding honoring the Sabbath. Specifically:
Sabbath-keeping is going to be a countercultural activity, one requiring commitment and creativity. A day of rest does not have to be a Saturday or a Sunday - impossible for pastors and many others - but it should be at least one day out of seven, and qualitatively different from the other six. The key is to break away from work patterns, whether that means hobbies, sports or artistic activities. (Sabbath is related to the Hebrew verb meaning "to cease, stop, interrupt.") "Spend more time with people in a friendly way, with meals (and) extended conversations, but no talk related to work," advises theologian Marva Dawn, author of Keeping the Sabbath Wholly: Ceasing, Resting, Embracing, Feasting. New York Mets pitcher Pedro Martinez rests by engaging in gardening; for a professional gardener, though, Sabbath-keeping might involve playing baseball.
My sister-in-law HG does a very good job of this. I really don't. I guess I'm one of the 24/7 people the author is appealing to in his article. The message is actually quite similar to a recent post on stress management in which that author advises putting down your burdens periodically so you can recharge. Easier said than done for me but something I certainly aspire to.
Sabbath-keeping is going to be a countercultural activity, one requiring commitment and creativity. A day of rest does not have to be a Saturday or a Sunday - impossible for pastors and many others - but it should be at least one day out of seven, and qualitatively different from the other six. The key is to break away from work patterns, whether that means hobbies, sports or artistic activities. (Sabbath is related to the Hebrew verb meaning "to cease, stop, interrupt.") "Spend more time with people in a friendly way, with meals (and) extended conversations, but no talk related to work," advises theologian Marva Dawn, author of Keeping the Sabbath Wholly: Ceasing, Resting, Embracing, Feasting. New York Mets pitcher Pedro Martinez rests by engaging in gardening; for a professional gardener, though, Sabbath-keeping might involve playing baseball.
My sister-in-law HG does a very good job of this. I really don't. I guess I'm one of the 24/7 people the author is appealing to in his article. The message is actually quite similar to a recent post on stress management in which that author advises putting down your burdens periodically so you can recharge. Easier said than done for me but something I certainly aspire to.
Monday, June 26, 2006
Stress management
I was browsing through blogs the other night. It's fascinating to see what other people write about in their blogs. One of the blogs I came across is called Master P and had a good post on stress management. I've copied it here for convenience:
A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, "How heavy is this glass of water?"
Answers called out ranged from 20 g to 500 g. The lecturer replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it."
"If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance. In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes."
He continued. "And that's the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on. As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden."
"So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don't carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow. Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can. Relax; pick them up later after you've rested. Life is short. Enjoy it!"
I need to remember this more often. And I could certainly use a vacation at the moment. Now that my nanotechnology class is over, hopefully I'll be able to (and allow myself to) take things a little easier for a couple weeks.
A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, "How heavy is this glass of water?"
Answers called out ranged from 20 g to 500 g. The lecturer replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it."
"If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance. In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes."
He continued. "And that's the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on. As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden."
"So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don't carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow. Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can. Relax; pick them up later after you've rested. Life is short. Enjoy it!"
I need to remember this more often. And I could certainly use a vacation at the moment. Now that my nanotechnology class is over, hopefully I'll be able to (and allow myself to) take things a little easier for a couple weeks.
Sunday, May 07, 2006
Good times
It's been a really great weekend. On Saturday morning, I took the kids to the park. Then my brother and I took JD camping. I went sky-diving this morning. And I spent the afternoon with my wife. It would be hard to top this.
This was JD's first time camping (my first time too). We did a backyard campout last November. JD enjoyed it so much that I decided to take him for real. We camped out at Sunset State Beach. I'd describe it as camping with training wheels. You can park right next to your camp site. There are bathrooms and showers nearby along with running water to wash dishes, etc. There's even Wi-Fi coverage at the campground - although we didn't take advantage of it. And, of course, there's the beach. We all had a great time - especially JD.
After packing up our stuff this morning, we headed down to the Monterey and I did a tandem sky-dive from 15,000 feet. I had originally tried to go last Saturday (and then again on Friday) but the weather didn't cooperate. Since I was in the area again, I gave it another try and the weather was perfect. It was a little scary going out of the plane but otherwise it wasn't bad. And the view from 3 miles up is amazing. Roughly 60 seconds of free-fall and then about 4-5 minutes of parachuting. SP and JD weren't there to see me land but they did get to see my co-worker land (along with a bunch of other folks).
Since I talk about God a lot on this blog, I'll mention something here. When the weather didn't cooperate last Saturday and again on Friday (after driving almost two hours each way), it definitely makes you wonder whether God is trying to send you a message. Here's the interesting question, though. There were four people in our group both days. So how do you know who God is sending a message? Perhaps it's one of the other people and I didn't get a chance to jump those days as a side-effect. Or maybe God wanted me to go today so SP and JD could be there. Or maybe the weather conditions were simply random and God wasn't telling anyone anything. It's impossible to know. That's the challenging thing with God. You can read whatever you want (or don't want) into certain events and convince yourself of just about anything.
Anyway, it was a great weekend. I'm glad I got a chance to spend so much quality time with JD and SP.
This was JD's first time camping (my first time too). We did a backyard campout last November. JD enjoyed it so much that I decided to take him for real. We camped out at Sunset State Beach. I'd describe it as camping with training wheels. You can park right next to your camp site. There are bathrooms and showers nearby along with running water to wash dishes, etc. There's even Wi-Fi coverage at the campground - although we didn't take advantage of it. And, of course, there's the beach. We all had a great time - especially JD.
After packing up our stuff this morning, we headed down to the Monterey and I did a tandem sky-dive from 15,000 feet. I had originally tried to go last Saturday (and then again on Friday) but the weather didn't cooperate. Since I was in the area again, I gave it another try and the weather was perfect. It was a little scary going out of the plane but otherwise it wasn't bad. And the view from 3 miles up is amazing. Roughly 60 seconds of free-fall and then about 4-5 minutes of parachuting. SP and JD weren't there to see me land but they did get to see my co-worker land (along with a bunch of other folks).
Since I talk about God a lot on this blog, I'll mention something here. When the weather didn't cooperate last Saturday and again on Friday (after driving almost two hours each way), it definitely makes you wonder whether God is trying to send you a message. Here's the interesting question, though. There were four people in our group both days. So how do you know who God is sending a message? Perhaps it's one of the other people and I didn't get a chance to jump those days as a side-effect. Or maybe God wanted me to go today so SP and JD could be there. Or maybe the weather conditions were simply random and God wasn't telling anyone anything. It's impossible to know. That's the challenging thing with God. You can read whatever you want (or don't want) into certain events and convince yourself of just about anything.
Anyway, it was a great weekend. I'm glad I got a chance to spend so much quality time with JD and SP.
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