Hi folks! I reread this, as a result of the apparent interest it elicited, which I observed using Webmaster Tools, and decided to redistribute. It occurred to me that to be an athlete, or exercise for better health [spot the keyword and 'Hi! Bots'], you have to face yourself. Get ready for some ‘psychobabble,’ though I take it seriously myself. About 30 years ago I went through a major personal ... Read more
It Is Easier To Want What You Get Than To Get What You Want, Apollo 13, and Rube Goldberg Machines
Hi folks, I remember reading a Zen Meditation book, written by a small group in California (I couldn't find this book on line), in which it was stated that 'it is easier to want what you get than to get what you want.' It really means that you can enjoy life with what you have, rather than always wanting what you don't have, to which there is no end. This sounds like the Chez Ollie all wrapped up in a different ... Read more
The Art Of Artful Living And How Training Helps Us To Deal With Aging
Hi folks! I was listening to National Public Radio (NPR) the other day, where the life of Robert Frost was being discussed, and one of the 'discussants' stated that Robert Frost was of the opinion that we are all artists, and should live our lives as we see the world, not as others would want us to see it. I liked that idea, though I couldn't find the source of this information. Instead, I found the ... Read more
Of Ironmen, Talking Dogs, And Rattle Snakes
Hi folks, About 10 years ago in mid-summer I was riding a rental bike along a lovely trail in South Dakota, when I noticed a couple of rattlesnakes all wrapped up together in the grass close to a small footbridge with a wooden railing. More about that railing in a minute! This trail was a local railway line that had been converted to a walking/biking trail by the Rails to Trails program (Dagny Taggart is ... Read more
Older People And Younger People Are Good For Each Other
From Alfred Lord Tennyson's poem In Memoriam:27, 1850: I hold it true, whate'er befall; I feel it, when I sorrow most; 'Tis better to have loved and lost Than never to have loved at all. From: Chez Ollie Hi folks, Recently I had the good fortune to watch my friend Myles, one of my key Ironman supporters, finishing her first triathlon, Swim For Smiles, with a nice solid time. The first one is not ... Read more
Zen And The Art Of Body Maintenance
Hi folks, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is a great book. When I used to lecture to students interested in a research career, I would recommend reading this book, in addition to 'Arrowsmith' and 'Winning Games Scientists Play,' amongst others. There was a quote from Robert M. Pirsig's great book that I kept over my desk in my messy office at The Chemical Industry Institute of Toxicology where I worked ... Read more
Beware Brad (Greeks?) Bearing Gifts, But Thanks For The Kind Gift Of Amby Burfoot’s Recent Book My Friend!
Hi folks! I am a suspicious person by nature (or nurture?), but I was very pleasantly surprised by a recent present from Brad. Now! I never seem to be able to predict or understand Brad. He just turns up! Sometimes he seems almost scared of me, but he is much bigger than I am so that doesn't make sense. But Deb likes and respects him a lot for all the help that he and his wife have given her with her autistic son, ... Read more
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