Havenbasin Road

Winter really brings all sorts of things, but it doesn’t stop the daily grind. At least it doesn’t any more. It used to but now things go on, people still have to go to work, still have to make a living, keep food on the table and warmth in the hearth. If they don’t it is just as bad as it was many years ago when you worked hard to save up enough food to help you through the winter. Now you don’t save up, you just continue working through the winter. I am thankful that even though I too must work I am in this time and not having to struggle like those who have gone before. I don’t think I would be too happy having to get up early to chop wood and try and hunt some food on the snow covered ground.

Time to have the chimney checked and the gutters cleaned, prepare for winter. Last year was pretty bad, hoping this year will be a bit milder in this area. I enjoy winter, but am not too fond of having to drive in it. Although, if I was the only one on the roads it wouldn’t be too bad, but there are whole bunches of other idiots out there and they scare me sometimes.  Snow, ice, water and the ability to drive goes out the window for many people. That is also fairly scary, just being on the same roads with these people can make your life flash before your eyes.

Winter is heading this way, not in a hurry to be sure, but heading this way. Fall is here and the rain is starting to show it, leaves are beginning to fall and colors are starting to appear. Already some trees have disrobed, and stand there baring their souls to the winter, ready for anything that comes their way. Be it rain or snow or dark of night, as the saying goes but in this case we are talking trees instead of mailmen.

I am curious about land and property for sale in Brazil, because it looks like it would be a nice place to live for a year or two. Anybody else thought about moving to Brazil? Rio? Places like that? I have a couple friends who were recently down there visiting and are seriously considering going back and staying, they really loved it while they were there. Many places, though, are great for vacation and not so much so for living. Not that you really get tired of the beauty there but you grow to miss the things that paradise often doesn’t have. Things like seasons and choices in the grocery store. When you are out there on vacation it is great because you are only there for a bit then you go back to what you are used to, but living there and you have to get used to a whole new bunch of things. That is not bad and many people have done it, but after awhile you tend to miss all the other stuff. At least I did. I know, should be satisfied with what you have and in general I am but I guess I have just moved around to much to be used to a place that doesn’t include a lot of different choices for multiple things.

Vacations are great though, because all you have to worry about are certain things, maybe travel insurance or immunizations, customs and immigration. Things like that, but they normally don’t take much and once you are done with that stuff you just get to enjoy your vacation. The immunizations are really important if you are going to Africa or South America, places that often have more undeveloped areas. Visas are important to check as well, but only so you can get back out of the country after enjoying your vacation.

Regular season football is a blast, even without a favorite team. I do have teams I prefer over others, but nobody I am following regularly. I have thought of the fantasy football league things, as I know a few people who do that but I think it probably would be a waste of my time to set up as I really doubt that I would pay attention to it every week. Watching the games, though is easy and fun because all I have to do is turn them on and sit back and enjoy. They make great white noise as well, when I am working on things I can just turn them on and half way watch the games. That, of course, only works when the game is not very exciting or it is not one of the teams that I do enjoy watching. I used to like Green Bay, due mostly to Brett Favre but he has been such a disappointment in his actions and attitude recently that I don’t think he is worth the effort to watch anymore. He  will do fine as white noise.

I am happy that American football is getting ready to begin. I enjoy watching it, just not so much pre-season football. Pre-season football is usually quite boring to watch. I never really get into it as all it is, is the announcers running their mouths, kind of like me with my keyboard at the moment. They talk about whatever really strikes their fancy, although they do tend to keep the talk generally around the idea of football, it just seems like one monologue most of the time. Since I am not really a diehard fan of American football it just tends to bore the heck out of me, puts me to sleep. Plus the games tend to be a bit boring as well, so I normally don’t bother with pre-season games. I find the regular season games great fun to watch, though! They are really enjoyable to plan a small party around.

Trying to decide what to write, can take up large amounts of time if you let it. I think a lot of it has to do with your current state of mind. I find that many times when I am stressed, kind of like now, it is hard to hold focus to write about any particular thing. Problem being I need to write, it is great practice and it keeps me in food, so it is kind of an important thing.  Many times I try to stare at the screen but it is almost like it sometimes has some sort of deflective field around it. You try and focus but your mind is gently shunted off on one or two of a million other pathways. You find yourself wandering down different thought lanes and something seems interesting so you take a minute to bring up explorer or firefox or chrome or whatever you use and then you do a search and see what you can find about whatever has caught your fancy. Then before you realize it you look at the time and an hour or so has already passed. So, you think a few swear words and bring the blank page back up. But, of course, it has that deflective field working still. You find yourself another hour later swearing one again, with perhaps a sigh of resignation as you realize that whatever field that blank page has, you must get through it.

The blank page is extremely sneaky and a master of redirection. Many people claim it is scary, but it is not the page that is scary it is the fear of the unknown. And being tricky, the blank page knows how to use this against us. The only way to get past its initial defenses is to relax into it. Regardless of whether that means with a deep breath or a sludge hammer, it is just a matter of breaching that initial redirection and moving down the road of thought on screen.

The heat is ridiculous, and with not a cloud in the sky it is very unpleasant. I don’t want to complain too much here but it is just too hot to really enjoy any activity that has to do with the outdoors right now. Even swimming in a lake, pond or ocean would be unpleasant at the moment, mainly because of the sunburn you would end up with. No clouds.

On really hot days you just don’t feel like doing much, the heat seems to drain you. Well, it drains me anyway. I thought most people were that way, but I met a guy the other day who was saying that the heat invigorates him. He said he loves working out on a hot day, prefers warm days to cold. I thought he was a bit crazy. I don’t know if he truly was or not, but probably not. People truly are just different in what they find enjoyable. Although really hot days I think the majority of people aren’t all that big on them. I personally have decided after a very, very cold winter that broke records and a summer that is shattering all sorts of records that I am ready for a place that is just in between those two extremes. I used to live in a place like that but moved because I honestly missed the seasons. Well, I did miss them but I don’t need these extremes to enjoy the weather.

I know it is summer and we need to expect a bit of heat, but it has been seriously ridiculous here! We have had several days of around 41 Celsius. It has been really hot! I was thinking that it is a bit funny, cause I remember complaining about the cold just a little while ago, and now we are getting ridiculously hot days, I often feel like I will melt if I stay outside too much.

I can get more done if I listen to music. If I don’t I often sit there staring at the screen trying to find a muse, motivation or a kick in the pants to get me doing things. Music can hold us back but it is most useful in moving us forward. Music is associated with our lives, those times that we are listening to it, and when we hear the same song again, it takes us back. Heck,  there are even several songs talking about it. Good music  can move you without a physical change or a memory attached to it. That is, if you remain open to new things and trying different activities as you get older.  It also helps us get things done sometimes. I have several friends, and myself as well, who work faster and are more productive when there is good music playing in the background. It can be turned down low, but a certain background noise really helps things move along for me when I am trying to write or do research or study for school. Actually, the studying for school is when the music is fairly low because having the study background noise helps me focus.

See, I told you I’d be talking about music again. Just been on my mind a bunch. Thinking about what it does for a person. I find that music can be very motivating sometimes and relaxing others. Depending on the music you are listening to, your mood may change with it. I think that is often the purpose of music, to help us feel more alive or in tune. And yes that was a pun. It does kind of lead in from what I was saying yesterday, about how many people seem to get locked into a certain type of music, mainly because it is nostalgic.

Music is really enjoyable. Listening to it will even calm a beast. I will probably talk about music tomorrow too. I am thinking of making this a media week. By media I am referring to music, art, movies, things like that. Anyway, for today we have gone with music. I might even carry it over to tomorrow. There are a lot of opinions on music, well on all art, and music is art. Opinions often depend on background, culture and general upbringing. Many people seem to be most interested in music that they remember from childhood and a bit on up. I wonder if being stuck always on the same songs and in the same era of music means stagnation? Stagnation in the mind perhaps. I know lots of people who only like the music that was made during a particular year when they were growing up. I was thinking that is because of the memories.

There is an idea I am trying to connect to after getting into talking about music and people’s likes and dislikes; the thought that many people use music to recall a specific feeling. Perhaps it’s not that simple but it still seems like a good thought. Let me explain a bit. If you get stuck in relieving the songs of your past does that mean you are no longer making new memories? At least not like you did before? Why would a person stop, I wonder. I have heard many people say that the music of today is nothing like it was. I wonder if that is because the music of then reminds them of what they might consider their glory days, or the best times of their lives. If they started living and doing other things, I wonder if they would feel that the music of today is as good as that of times past?

This post is mostly about not much. I am just letting my thoughts meander, almost like talking to myself, trying to bring forth that wisdom, those wonderful words that move me, from within. I apologize if I spoiled it for you, if you were wanting things to unfold in a slow but mysterious way. I will try that at a later time, I promise. Although I will not promise when, meaning could be next week or could be next year. I am sometimes like that. You get used to it, I did anyway. I have been trying to get a chance to write more but it seems to fall by the way side. I am writing now. As you can see by the words I have written so far. Real life certainly keeps us busy, even when we would just love a short break, maybe a holiday or two. 

Well, the words seem to be flowing now, more or less. I am currently burning a cd for a trip, I mean a physical movement of myself to another place not a mental trip. Just thought I should clarify as there were a couple of meaning there. At least there were a couple that I could see right after I wrote it. It’s alright though, if you were thinking the same thing, remember great minds think alike! Speaking of trips, don’t know about you but I am ready to stay home for a bit. I have been out almost everyday for a week or so and gone most every weekend. I think it is almost time for a nice relaxing, what do they call them? Oh, yes, a staycation. That really sounds funny, but I think I could certainly go for one right now.