SailorJ.com

Author: sailorj

  • Sleepin’ to dream

    Reposted from my old live journal – 30th-Jun-2002 09:12 pm

    These arms are tired, and require rest,
    This body is tired and requires rest.
    Sleep is the fix for the pains of the day.
    Sleep is the answer for total exhaustion.
    Sleep is the refreshing solution,
    It’s seven parts deep sleep, one part REM.
    And when I pass into the realm of dreams,
    Where I meet people that never were,
    And see the things that never was,
    I will know I have much more to reach for.

    Even when you sleep with someone else,
    You still are by yourself.
    Your partner can’t travel with you down,
    Where your deepest secrets lie.
    The place where you are not in control,
    The place where you know you’ve met the spirits,
    And they communicate with you in metaphores.

    And now it’s time to wake up.
    -SJX

  • What are you watching?

    So we have been stuck at home. The power is on, the A/C is working. Hopefully we have food and drink and now, people are just sitting around. Many people are tired and just watching TV. So what are you watching?

    How do you watch?

    There are so many different ways to watch TV these days. It is interesting that we even call it TV. Short for television, but that term in an of itself is a throwback to a time when shows were broadcasted over the air, hence the idea of the TV Show.

    These devices in our homes and everywhere are all screens. They don’t really have receivers in them anymore. And now we watch on our phones, our tablets our computers, gas station pumps, the backs of airplane seats, and big flat screens in our homes.

    There was a time that we recorded TV shows on personal video tape, (VHS). And we would save hours and hours of recordings. I’m sure people have lots of video tape sitting around that they will never look at again. We rented videos at stores like libraries, which eventually made way for the advent of the DVD, digital video disc, then the high resolution format of Blu-Ray.

    Technology has gotten better and better and our ability to transmit data to everyone around the world at higher bandwidths continue to push the limits of providing digital entertainment to the world.

    Now we have WiFi built in to our TV’s rather than over the air receivers. 1080P is the standard resolution and we look at everything in higher and higher resolutions, but even more than that, everything is in a wide format such as 16:9 letterbox, similar to a cinematic experience.

    Providers of content have shown up with Apps and boxes, whether it is an AppleTV, Amazon Fire, or Roku, which are just some of the devices. Even the PlayStation offers streaming capabilities and apps.

    BUT WHAT ARE WE WATCHING?

    So does it matter where you get your content?

    • Buy Movies
    • Netflix
    • Amazon Prime
    • Hulu
    • AppleTV
    • Disney+
    • HBO
    • ShowTime
    • Starz

    The list goes on and on, and each service is needed to see that one thing that you want to see. There is no single place to find all the content. You have to pay a fee for each service and every month, so before you know it you are paying for cable and another $40 in steaming services that you can’t get on cable.

    I’m watching or watched…

    • The Mandalorian – Disney+
    • Outlander – Starz
    • Lucifer – Netflix
    • Normal People – Hulu
    • Discovery of Witches – Sundance
    • Picard – CBS All Access
    • Marvelous Mrs. Maisel = Amazon Prime
    • 100 Humans – Netflix
    • Lost in Space (New) – Hulu
    • Brain Games – Disney+
    • The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina – Netflix
    • Stranger Things – Netflix
    • Orange is the New Black – Netflix (if you missed it)
    • The Outerlimits – Hulu
    • 11.22.63 – Hulu (Original miniseries)
    • Mrs. America – Hulu
    • Hunters – Amazon Prime
    • Good Omens – Amazon Prime
    • The Tick – Amazon Prime
    • The Banker (A film) – AppleTV
    • Amazing Stories – AppleTV
    • For All Mankind – AppleTV

    There is a lot to be watching, if you are bored. Trust me this is a tiny tiny list. And this doesn’t even start to get into Movies for the most part, which you can buy online and have ready at a moments notice. While you can find many recent movies that go from sale to streaming. Older movies that you may want to watch start to fall off streaming services and quickly become unavailable other than to buy, which makes getting a $5 movie for streaming an attractive way to build a library, and in some cases you can find bundles of movies, 10 for $20 on sale here and there.

    Screens are here to stay. The longer we find ourselves “Self quarantining” the more use our screens will get. I don’t think it is a bad thing, as long as we balance it with other activities throughout our day.

  • May the 4th… Be with you.

    May the 4th… Be with you.


    May the 4th Be With You! on Disney Video

    Ok, maybe the “Nerds” have a few days a year that they can take over. Today is certainly one of them. It comes right before Cinco de Mayo. Star Wars and Tacos, that sounds like a good mix to me. So let’s have some fun with the Star Wars Challenge questions.

    Some Star Wars Answers

    1. The original trilogy (Episodes IV – VI)
    2. Rey and Ben
    3. Obi-Wan Kenboi
    4. Princes Amidalah
    5. Luke Skywalker
    6. Luke, Leia and Han
    7. Luke and Han
    8. R2-D2
    9. Obi-Wan Kenboi
    10. Gold then Green
    11. Light
    12. Jar Jar Binks
    13. Boba Fett
    14. Millennium Falcon
    15. Ben Solo
    16. I like them all, hard to really set any against another.

  • Day Before Earth Day

    Oh Blog how I’ve ignored you. But probably need to visit a bit more often as I’m home alone these days. So much has happened since the beginning of the year. Where does one begin.

    • The Democrats have all but officially nominated Biden as their candidate for President.
    • I ran a bunch of races, including a few 1/2 marathons.
    • I went to Key West and visited the Dry Tortugas, which as a dream trip.
    • Oh and then a virus was reported in China, and some people were worried about it, and then other people weren’t.
    • Then the Virus escaped and has virtually shut down most of the world. It is the Corona Virus, also known as COVID-19, and Wuhan Virus where it first became an epidemic. Now it is considered a Pandemic.

    There is an irony going to the Dry Tortugas during the beginning of the breakout of an epidemic. This is the place where Dr. Mudd found out how to stop Yellow Fever. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Mudd

    I think that the world is at a crossroads right now. I’ll talk more about that tomorrow in the blog. My world is at a point where I’m going to clear up some loose ends, and move forward with life. Good time to get that spring cleaning done in many regards.

  • Case of the Mondays

    Some people will tell you, Monday sucks. They have a case of the Mondays as it were. I don’t know about that. Yes sometimes you aren’t quite yet ready for the weekend to end. Sometimes, you have actions and plans that only a work week can bring about.

    I just came off of an intense weekend that was focused around a 1/2 marathon. Next weekend I’m going to do the same thing. It’s kind of the way of my world. Running. Of course it isn’t my entire life, but it is something that does help me focus. Like many things, it is as much a force for positive change as much as it is a metaphor for everything else that I aspire to do in my life.

    People make goals. I’m going to run a 5K or a marathon or whatever distance. They reach the goal, and then they stop. But athletes do not stop. They keep at it. They use each event as a measurement of performance, and then they go back to do it again, with the hopes of improvement, and doing better.

    That’s how life should be, it isn’t a goal, it’s a journey, and adventure. We strive continuously to do our best and be a better version of ourselves each and every-time.

    The weekend is over, time to recover. Get your coffee cups at the ready and have a great week.

  • A day in Port Limon, Costa Rica

    Hanging out in Costa Rica.
    It’s a rainy day and I am on a rainforest tour. Not sure that as a Floridian that I’m as impressed as I should be. The walk was easy and the rain was light. I hate to walk in the rain. One pleasant thing was the expectation of insects was high, and yet, I barely saw a single one.
    We went on a boat ride and honestly, having kayaked the Silver River in Ocala, FL showed me more bio diversity that unnoticed here and yet this place is the most bio diverse spot on the planet, as we were told.
    I did see a few birds, some spider and howler monkeys, and a 3 toed sloth.
    The weather really is nice. Even with a little misty rain it is hard to complain about it, when it could be steamy and hot.
    Looking forward to getting some coffee, as it’s a local thing. And next we are off to the banana plantations.
    That was the quickest drive by in history. Oh well. What can one expect… the final destination was a tourist trap… but I waited until I returned to the port area where I got a few souvenirs. I think there is much more to explore, but this port didn’t do much for tourism in Costa Rica.

  • Notes from Cartagena

    As I travel in Cartegna Columbia I’m reminded as we passed by restaurants and shops that the world is a smaller place than we sometimes imagine. I see a shop for Fish N Chips and then one for Tacos. Every corner is a Juan Valdez, purveyors of fine Colombian coffee, like Starbucks in America.

    What makes a city team with life? Do you stop and think about the green space in cities and the things that people demand for their homes?
    Looking at sky rise homes with AC units sitting outside buildings that look fairly new is a surprise.
    Some streets are flooded due the tides from the ocean and the bus moves on around the perimeter of the peninsula.

    It’s another day.

  • Just messing around with GarageBand

    So here is a small track that I created that can be used as a ringtone.

  • Earth Day, Socialism and TGIM

    Well Happy Earth Day. I have written something just about every “Earth Day” up until a few years ago, so I’m bring it back… with a vengeance. I think there was a time when we thought that the right forces would look at science and have rational conversations about saving the planet. It would seem that we no longer are in the mind set that we should try to save the planet, conserve natural resources or that clean water or air even matter.

    Raping Mother Earth for all that she’s worth, after all, we’ll be dead and things won’t matter. This seems to be the mantra that many governments are choosing to follow. I do believe science, and the use of trends to predict the outcomes of things. Computers are getting better at modeling and while it isn’t perfect, the science is sound. We need to try reverse our footprint on the planet, and we can be more and more successful stewards of the planet.

    The population of this planet will continue to grow and out grow our power consumption, and it will be interesting to see where we find the resources to feel 40 Billion people a day, in the not so distant future. We are lucky that technology will help, but it can’t solve all our problems, not if we want to continue to live in harmony on this big blue marble.

    So with that, let me segue into my next topic which is Socialism. I am really tired of hearing people confuse communism and socialism. I’ve seen Meme’s out there that claim if the government controls this or that, then they will control the people. I find that this whole line of thinking is ridiculous. The USA is already filled with lots of socialistic ideology.

    We have lots of government agencies that provide lots of handouts to small segments of the population, like farm subsidies, tax breaks for companies like Amazon (which is basically corporate welfare), and we could go on and on.

    But what do we Americans get to take advantage of from the socialism that our tax dollars provide?

    • Roads, like the Interstate Highway.
    • The Post Office
    • Libraries
    • Schools
    • The military
    • Police
    • Fire
    • Publicly funded hospitals.
    • OSHA (Safety)

    I could go on and on, but you get my point. The foundations of societies are built on sharing resources because not one or even a few can pay for some huge undertakings. Healthcare is an excellent example of something that no person can afford to be without. We already have healthcare for seniors called Medicare. Guess what, we pay for it. It isn’t free, it is paid in advance by the recipients over their lifetime, just like social security. I don’t believe that when you take the deep dive look into these things that people will be asked to pay their fair share of, that it will be deemed a government handout. Socialism isn’t about stealing from the government coffers, it’s about ensuring a minimum standard of services available to a society.

    We don’t have to go far to see plenty of western democracies that have much more radical social programs, England, France, Sweden, the UK and Canada all do a lot for their people. Minimum standards are great, then employers could supplement what the “Medicare for all” doesn’t cover.

    It’s time we recognize the difference between communism and socialism, because our failure to do so will be the economic fall that is looming on the horizon.

    Thank Goodness It’s Monday

    I only know one person that says that. I’m generally dreading going back to work, but this is going to be a fast week. I have so much to do, and no time to get it all done, but in some way I know it will magically come together. I’m good at the crunch time. I can make the magic happen. So TGIM!

  • Friends turning 50

    Last night I was out with some good friends from High School. I’m nearly 50, and we are all experiencing that, OMG, we’re all turning 50 stage of our life. So good conversations about where we are, where we are going, and what’s going on right now. There are lots of things that we probably think about collectively when we think about turning 50, like should we do something spectacular to celebrate? Of course everyone has a birthday at different times throughout the year, so you can’t just have one day for everyone, how special would that be? But turning 50 is sort of a right of passage. It’s sort of the kind of things that they write movies about. Think Bucket List.

    I’m not afraid of turning 50. I figure it’s like that movie Logan’s Run, where the crystal on your hand blinks and you go to carousel. And with the meat crisis in this world, we then find out where soylant green comes from. Seems simple.

    Ok, I kid, but 50 is a big deal. It is that transition from youth to I got 10-15 years before I retire. I think that we are more apt to face our mortality as we hit milestones like these, where we ask ourselves if we are where we want to be, and are we with whom we want to be with. We, more now than ever, see the fragile-ness that makes up our lives. We all know people from our generation who have passed away, and with each year that passes, a few more of our contemporaries will no longer be with us.

    So we cherish each year, and celebrate. We do more to stay healthy, strong, and vibrant. In a world that has so much going on, we want to all live and succeed and enjoy life.

    But getting back to friends. At least with my friends, it is not a competition of toys and things like that. It’s about having great moments. It’s about being with people who allow you to honor each other, celebrating life, and helping each other to remember, being alive is more than just breathing the air. It’s about having these amazing connections.

    I’m not sure yet what I will do to celebrate turning 50. I’m excited to do a lot of things. It’s not one thing, it’s everything, and I’m glad that I will have friends that will be there for me, and me for them, because you only turn 50 once… and we get a whole year to commiserate.