tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676316.post5571706804370970909..comments2024-03-26T08:18:06.895-04:00Comments on Moristotle & Co.: First Monday with CharactersUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676316.post-38011029231646109302014-08-08T11:18:47.689-04:002014-08-08T11:18:47.689-04:00Moto while you maybe right about one of the causes...Moto while you maybe right about one of the causes of the aneurysm I don't see how changing one's diet would reverse it. It is like a garden hose that has a weak spot in it, once a bubble forms, you must reinforce the spot, remove it, or reduce the pressure and I'm not sure you can reduce the pressure low enough to do any good. A no meat diet may reduce the blood pressure but it can't do away with the weak spot that was formed. However, a change of diet could stop it from getting any larger and therefor less likely to burst---which id a good thing.<br /><br />Hope everything is going well on the home front. Ednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676316.post-37546569455568013552014-08-07T12:11:00.646-04:002014-08-07T12:11:00.646-04:00Moto & Jim, thank you for the encouraging exam...Moto & Jim, thank you for the encouraging example, comments, and information. I've now read Dr. McDougall's column on atrial fibrillation and am relieved to know that minimal or no treatment is often indicated, especially with a healthy diet - which in my case might no longer include coffee. It's too soon to tell, but after two days in a row of taking no coffee, I seem to be having fewer occurrences of the presumed fibrillation (which I guess is what the "racing" was).<br /> I feel better prepared now to engage in the upcoming consultation with my doctor (two weeks from today).Moristotlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02211602374384087074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676316.post-80743092014201355092014-08-06T18:56:00.085-04:002014-08-06T18:56:00.085-04:00Moto
I agree with your advice to Morris. I’m curio...Moto<br />I agree with your advice to Morris. I’m curious did your recovery from brain “damage coincide” with your going vegan?<br />Ed<br />Indeed good to hear that the aneurysm is of minimal risk. I’m also curious if by chance your doctor mentioned that aneurysms are in the category of inflammatory artery diseases which are caused by eating animal products and prevented and in many cases reversed by going to a high starch plant-based diet? If interested I will provide you with Internet links that support this fact.<br />Morris<br />FYI – here’s what my guru says about Atrial Fibrillation.<br />https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2008nl/mar/fav5.htm<br />Jimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14091799074509668595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676316.post-24362666480977297652014-08-06T09:53:06.320-04:002014-08-06T09:53:06.320-04:00Unfortunately (or fortunately, I'm not sure wh...Unfortunately (or fortunately, I'm not sure which), I rarely drink more than a single cup of coffee a day. In other words, "cutting back" for me would pretty much amount to stopping drinking any.<br /> But I've experienced a growing number of "heart racing" incidents over the past couple of weeks – just sitting around or doing nothing particularly active. So I'm beginning to wonder whether I need to follow my doctor's advice immediately.<br /> I didn't have any coffee this morning, and I didn't feel much of a loss. I don't seem to be especially addicted to coffee, so going off it doesn't pose much of a loss.<br /> The main challenge is getting the measures of coffee grounds and water right for an acceptable cup for my wife (continuing to use our French press). She didn't complain about her cup this morning, so I apparently already have it about right on the very first try!Moristotlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02211602374384087074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676316.post-71646751572316611382014-08-06T08:55:56.498-04:002014-08-06T08:55:56.498-04:00Like the doctor told us, there are thousands of pe...Like the doctor told us, there are thousands of people walking around with bubbles in their head and never know it. Some live a full life never knowing, others feel a sharp pain and it is over. With Janie we can keep an eye on it. Cut back on coffee---are you joking Moto(smile)<br />Ednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676316.post-86569666825753634452014-08-06T00:33:55.097-04:002014-08-06T00:33:55.097-04:00Ed, great to hear Janie's problem is not Parki...Ed, great to hear Janie's problem is not Parkinson's and glad to hear the aneurysm poses minimal risk. On that topic in particular, and doctors' advice in general (Jim, Morris) some 22 years ago I was felled by an allergic reaction to an allergy medication that left me with brain damage that doctors said "would very likely" kill me if I over-stressed my system by returning to demanding workouts. While I never returned to mountain climbing or national-level mountain bike racing, since the diagnosis I have done more than one million pushups and run more than 30,000 miles: Hasn't killed me yet. So Morris, maybe just cut back a bit on the coffee? And add a shot of Scotch at night to assure peaceful sleep and thin the blood a bit? motomyndhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10571595340251375602noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676316.post-2579313577345955272014-08-05T20:01:29.465-04:002014-08-05T20:01:29.465-04:00Ah, the mockingbird. Summer, 1983, Naval Air Stati...Ah, the mockingbird. Summer, 1983, Naval Air Station Memphis. I'm walking along a sidewalk that angles away from the post exchange and towards the barracks. From the corner of my right eye I see something coming toward me from slightly above. I look to my left to see a mockingbird, nearly eye-level with me, that has just buzzed the top of my head from right to left, executed a climbing 180 degree turn and his now initiating a second pass, mouth agape, talons extended. Okay, that last part about the talons was hyperbolic. But, this thing was pissed. And to this day I have no idea why. lonliestliberalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13239098493275780468noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676316.post-50969005717272730092014-08-05T17:16:43.034-04:002014-08-05T17:16:43.034-04:00I suspect I'd better see if Science will let m...I suspect I'd better see if Science will let me link the paper here, so you needn't depend on my memory. <br />Being a subject in such an experiment wouldn't bother me at all. I can just play Bach in my head far longer than that.<br />I find that, with The Dog at my door, I can just choose to think about something else - or nothing in particular. I suspect that for many people, especially those with clinical depression, this wouldn't work. I was surprised it works for me.<br />Sure I have depraved thoughts. I'm a dirty old man, for one thing. Also, one of The Dog's habitual games is to imagine how I might have handled "military discipline" if they'd tried to send me to 'Nam. My imaginings often include bloodshed.<br />A lot of these things are exactly thought experiments.<br /><br />I think there may be an important difference between free-floating thoughts and engagement with a book, a composition, a musical score. The latter will focus my thoughts far from myself, while the former tend to be all about me, and about my memories and feelings - fertile ground for The Dog. <br /><br />As I understand it, Zen meditation involves just observing everything, including your thoughts, without engaging them. Just note them without comment. But "the Tao of which one can speak is not the Tao." So I probably understand wrong.Chucknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676316.post-16380202138006373922014-08-05T16:35:31.641-04:002014-08-05T16:35:31.641-04:00Chuck, I only just saw the second part of your rep...Chuck, I only just saw the second part of your reply. It occurred to me that much of writing-thinking is in response to email, so I guess, technically, that wouldn't qualify as "solitary thinking." Nor would thinking while reading a book – a certain kind of reading has been described as conversing with the author....<br /> But, then, maybe if we get <i>really</i> technical, then, insofar as thinking is often talking to yourself, such thinking as that isn't solitary either!<br /> I wonder whether Zen thinking is aimed at banishing even yourself from the room...so you have no one to talk with?Moristotlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02211602374384087074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676316.post-47761009956049201102014-08-05T16:27:25.067-04:002014-08-05T16:27:25.067-04:00THANK YOU, Chuck! I suspect that I, too, wouldn...THANK YOU, Chuck! I suspect that I, too, wouldn't enjoy sitting in a research room and being directed to think of something (even "anything I wanted") for any period of time. I'd say the experiment was extremely poorly designed.<br /> Was the psychologist's suggestion explained not just as <i>refusing</i>, but as actively substituting something of your own choosing into the space your thought was trying to occupy? I have found that just trying to push "the bitch" away without pulling something else into its place doesn't work (or doesn't work very well).<br /> Have you ever consciously chosen to think of something utterly depraved or immoral? Have you tried to imagine killing someone? I did the latter in the context of "If someone invaded my house intent to do you-don't-know-what-but-it-could-be-very,-very-bad, would I have the will to take any action necessary to overcome the person?"<br /> I guess "thinking"as in that last example is more like doing a "thought experiment" than simply "thinking." I mean, you can learn things about yourself. Moristotlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02211602374384087074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676316.post-83674224050296844452014-08-05T16:20:50.623-04:002014-08-05T16:20:50.623-04:00I didn't actually answer all your questions. ...I didn't actually answer all your questions. I didn't try to define "thinking" carefully - though the researchers did. Writing in your head? Certainly. Writing on the computer? Probably, though the mechanics of the writing process are a distraction. Playing music? Good question. To me, a total distraction from the rest of reality, probably doesn't count. Chucknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676316.post-17236317384191323552014-08-05T16:11:57.898-04:002014-08-05T16:11:57.898-04:00The researchers in Science didn't speculate ab...The researchers in Science didn't speculate about why people found the experience so unpleasant. That was suggested by a NYT columnist, no evidence cited.<br />The subjects weren't told what to think about. Sit alone in a quiet room for fifteen minutes, thinking about whatever you want. Eerie that this was seriously unpleasant.<br />What I think about is another matter. Nothing constructive, usually. How much better would the budget look if I sold the damn house? What are the three most important new technologies in the last century? How many times have I packed into the Wind River Mountans? (Pause to remember some of the best moments). Can I remember the lyrics to "Uncle John's Band"? How many impeachable offenses has Ted Cruz committed? Occasionally I'll try to quiet the idle chatter and just watch, Zen style. As if I knew how. Anyway. I do this crap for half an hour at a time, several times a day, especially when insomniac at midnight.<br />Your Black Dog is vivid. So much more evocative than "depression". I used to entertain long, bitter visits from the bitch, never imagining that I should or could do otherwise. Then a psychologist suggested I could just refuse the visits. It worked, mirabile dictu. Chucknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676316.post-16507264462536892612014-08-04T15:44:08.796-04:002014-08-04T15:44:08.796-04:00Nice trip around the world.Nice trip around the world.Ednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676316.post-91813578454806981742014-08-04T13:01:19.067-04:002014-08-04T13:01:19.067-04:00I am relieved that you find humor in the medical c...I am relieved that you find humor in the medical care you are receiving. Keep us posted.Jimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14091799074509668595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676316.post-50366269063535233812014-08-04T12:10:59.062-04:002014-08-04T12:10:59.062-04:00Were you and/or Heather scared to be out there in ...Were you and/or Heather scared to be out there in that thunder and lightning? What real danger were you in? Has lightning been known to strike boaters on the lake? What was the funniest death-defying joke that either of you made during the event (if you remember)? And, finally, did Heather perhaps do a selfie of herself, since her hands were not otherwise occupied? I'd like to see it if she did – it might register the level of her fright.<br /> By the way, I could think of a lot more questions, if you and Heather would like to be interviewed for our "Ask Wednesday" column. Might be fun.Moristotlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02211602374384087074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676316.post-76024595079043268922014-08-04T11:09:54.393-04:002014-08-04T11:09:54.393-04:00Did you not intend (hope) to sell stuff originally...Did you not <i>intend</i> (hope) to sell stuff originally, though? Assuming so, I am sorry that sales have not happened as hoped. That's a bummer for sure. Like blogging in the hope that you'll have readers....Moristotlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02211602374384087074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676316.post-8058117402558049112014-08-04T11:02:23.645-04:002014-08-04T11:02:23.645-04:00i really dont sell anything :-) its all free. rare...i really dont sell anything :-) its all free. rare is the person who has wall space or wants to live with nudes...so the more abstract can appeal for their color and balance or un-...as to what most folks like on a mug...its my drawing of my painting teacher's dog...who always lies on a mat in front of the nude model :-)scpricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08375186489851315589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676316.post-38187390086580872622014-08-04T11:01:10.744-04:002014-08-04T11:01:10.744-04:00Jim, on the contrary, I am prepared to take my doc...Jim, on the contrary, I am prepared to take my doctor's advice, and I will – if she sticks with it after we review the monitor's findings in relation to my physical activities during the time I was wearing it.<br /> I realize that some readers might not be able to read my character update in the humorous light in which I wrote it. <smile>Moristotlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02211602374384087074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676316.post-39523174995806219692014-08-04T10:49:49.482-04:002014-08-04T10:49:49.482-04:00Morris - Why go to doctors if you are not prepared...Morris - Why go to doctors if you are not prepared to take their advice? That's one reason I rarely go to see doctors.Jimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14091799074509668595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676316.post-53434848500807812342014-08-04T10:41:00.859-04:002014-08-04T10:41:00.859-04:00Heather took the pic. We had crossed the lake from...Heather took the pic. We had crossed the lake from the south shore for brunch in Incline Village. Our return (22 miles) which takes the better part of a hour was met half way with thunder, lightening and rain. Forecast for the week is more daily thunder storms.Jimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14091799074509668595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676316.post-8997014880204014292014-08-04T10:29:01.111-04:002014-08-04T10:29:01.111-04:00Susan, my happening to choose quite an abstract pi...Susan, my happening to choose quite <a href="http://moristotle.blogspot.com/2014/08/first-monday-with-characters.html#susan" rel="nofollow">an abstract piece of "art stuff"</a> for your entry raises the question (in my mind, anyway) how many abstract items you sell versus more representational items? And that's affected, of course, by how many abstract items you have in stock compared to representational ones. Care to inform us? Thanks!Moristotlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02211602374384087074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676316.post-30910278777400399552014-08-04T10:25:15.585-04:002014-08-04T10:25:15.585-04:00James, your information about hummingbirds was bot...James, your <a href="http://moristotle.blogspot.com/2014/08/first-monday-with-characters.html#james" rel="nofollow">information about hummingbirds</a> was both extremely interesting and alarming! What a dear, perilous creature!<br /> I too have marveled at the territoriality of birds on my thistle feeder. Mockingbirds are particularly so, and we had to stop putting out food that they like so they'd quit driving the other birds away.<br /> We especially enjoy birds drinking or bathing in our various "bird baths." My heart is deeply moved by the sight (and by my projecting my consciousness into their nimbus and feeling their experience of life with them).Moristotlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02211602374384087074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676316.post-52491845199603911912014-08-04T10:20:01.665-04:002014-08-04T10:20:01.665-04:00Paul, is that elegant, Eastern-looking dagger (?) ...Paul, is that elegant, <a href="http://moristotle.blogspot.com/2014/08/first-monday-with-characters.html#motomynd" rel="nofollow">Eastern-looking dagger (?)</a> still for sale? I just borrowed the first photo on your Eclectic World site that I saw that appealed to me (and on which I could right-click quickly enough to "save as" before the next photo rolled in).<br /> Not that I want to make an offer. I'm just curious, for I imagine that there might be a fair amount of web work involved to keep the site up-to-date with stock.Moristotlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02211602374384087074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676316.post-29625659257478127722014-08-04T10:17:06.209-04:002014-08-04T10:17:06.209-04:00Chuck, you asked for comments on being alone with ...Chuck, <a href="http://moristotle.blogspot.com/2014/08/first-monday-with-characters.html#chuck" rel="nofollow">you asked for comments</a> on being alone with one's thoughts, or on your enjoying "an hour or three of solitary thought most every day." First, a question: Are you referring to a <i>solid</i> hour or three in which you literally find an isolated spot to engage in that thought, or is the 1-3 hours the sum of many instances of solitary thought during a day? I know myself well enough to know that I couldn't do the former – except when a half-hour or an hour's solitary thought is more or less forced on me during the night in bed when I can't go back to sleep. At times, as I've reported on this blog, these episodes are anything but enjoyable – when "the black dog" visits. However, the black dog doesn't visit me during the day, when I'm generally cheerful. (It has been a few weeks, though, since the black dog has visited, and my sleepless times have been pretty pleasant.) I guess I'm a bit surprised if the <i>Science</i> article reported that many people have black-dog episodes during the day.<br /> Does thinking while writing qualify as "thinking" in the sense you're talking about it? I do a LOT of solitary thinking that way, if that's included. I also do quite a bit of "writing in my head" – i.e., not involving actual writing in the sense of writing it down, keyboarding it, or whatever. Is <i>that</i> thinking as you conceive it?<br /> In fact, I now realize, I need for you to tell me a bit about your daily solitary thinking...However, before you do it at length in a reply comment, if you discover that you have an essay about to happen, please save it for submission as a "Tuesday Voice" column. As managing editor of this enterprise, I have to have one eye open to taking care of shop. <i><b>Thanks!</b></i>Moristotlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02211602374384087074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676316.post-4928086534056683332014-08-04T10:01:40.169-04:002014-08-04T10:01:40.169-04:00Nice photo, Jim Rix. Who took it? Selfie doesn'...<a href="http://moristotle.blogspot.com/2014/08/first-monday-with-characters.html#jimr" rel="nofollow">Nice photo, Jim Rix</a>. Who took it? Selfie doesn't seem to have been a possibility under the circumstance of your battling the storm.Moristotlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02211602374384087074noreply@blogger.com