To Be Read in the Interrogative

Have you seen
Have you truly seen
the snow the stars the felt steps of the breeze
Have you touched
really have you touched
the plate the bread the face of that woman you love
so much
Have you lived
like a blow to the head
the flash the gasp the fall the flight
Have you known
known in every pore of your skin
how your eyes your hands your sex your soft heart
must be thrown away
must be wept away
must be invented all over again

- Julio Cortozar

Progress

About twenty years ago, when I first started going to the gym, I remember needing to get help from some of the big guys whenever I needed to remove 45-lb plates from the leg press. I remember getting on an exercise bike for a ten-minute warm-up, and being absolutely exhausted and drenched with sweat, heart pounding a million or so beats per minute when I got off it, staggering for balance. I'd noodle around on the various exercise machines, and make minimal progress.

Sometimes, while I was exercising, someone would see me using a machine wrong and would show me how to use it properly. Other than that, I was ignored and left alone.

Now, about twenty years later, I carry around plenty more than 45 lbs at a time, and never need to enlist aid. I rarely use machines, opting instead for barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, or my own body weight. Instead of running on the treadmill or elliptical, I do plyometric exercises. Sometimes now, the big guys see me doing some of my exercises (like extended plank push-ups or single-leg squats) and they shake their heads and grin, saying the reason more people don't do those kinds of exercises are because they're too hard, and that they think I'm damned fit. And the women, who seem more shy, approach me in the change room and ask me for advice on how to do particular exercises.

I wonder where I'll be in the next twenty years?



It's been a while since I've done a link dump. Here you go!

Fandom wasn’t always such a negative experience for creators. I'd never heard of commonplace books, but it seems like social media like Google+, FaceBook, and MySpace are the modern counterparts of this Victorian concept. Short, and interesting article!

I Wish I Had the Balls to Risk My Life Like This Man: How long would it take you to scale a 13,025-foot mountain in the Bernese Alps? Probably a lot longer than this speed climber.

British Columbia Joins War on Wolves: Open season on wolf hunting, ostensibly because wolves are killing all the livestock. Yet "wolf-caused losses represent slightly over 0.01 percent, about half the number that die on the way to the slaughterhouse or are injured and have to be euthanized."

Sperm Donor System Under Scrutiny After Donor Fathers 150 Children: Accidental incest becomes much more possible in such situations.

( The sky was gorgeous last night, so I snapped some photos. )

Curried Pumpkin and Chickpea Soup

This recipe is very approximate, since I made it up with what was handy. It's pretty good, though. Next time, I think I'd like to add sweet potato. I think it would also be good with chicken or pork, but as is, it's vegan.

1 Tbsp coconut oil
1 medium to large onion, diced
1 tsp ginger (I'd have preferred fresh, but powdered is all I have, atm)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 banana pepper, seeded and diced (mine was pretty mild and sweet, and from my garden)
half a can of pumpkin puree (about 1.5 cups)
2 Tbsp Tikka curry powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried pepper flakes
2 tsp mixed Thai spice
1 can coconut milk
1 can chickpeas
about five nice-sized very ripe tomatoes, diced
salt to taste

Heat the oil in a big pot or wok, then saute the onion until transparent, but not brown.

Add the ginger, garlic, and banana pepper and cook for about 2 minutes.

Blend in the rest of the spices, then add everything else and heat through. If it seems a little dry, add some water. Simmer for a half hour or so.