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I was blithely scanning my feeds the other day when Roger von Oeck’s post Be Willing to Be Led Astray resurrected (eek! it’s alive!) an interesting memory from the ol’ gray matter. (Hmmm, is it ‘grey’, or ‘gray’? I never can remember. Oh, well, in my case it’s probably more like mauve.)

His premise, “expect the unexpected or you won’t find it”, comes from our old buddy Heraclitus, and raises some very good points. Do yourself a favor and read it. It’s OK, I’ll wait…

Hey, you’re back! For me, the “money quote” is this one:

“When I’m in a hurry or narrowly focused on a task, I have a hard time adopting this mindset. That’s because I tend to filter out information that strikes me as irrelevant. Conversely, when I’m relaxed or playful, there’s a greater probability that unexpected things flow my way.”

Ain’t that the truth! But I’m warning you now - by adopting this attitude, you might accidently change your life! I say this from experience because that’s exactly what happened to me…

A long time ago (but NOT in a galaxy far, far away – it was actually just the next one over), my grandmother took me downtown to pick out what I wanted for Christmas. Since I was only about 5 or 6, going downtown was an adventure in itself; but this trip – ah, this trip was to pick out something for MEEEEEE! (Being a kid brings a sort of “center of the universe” aspect to everything, don’t you think?)

Anyway, we went into the toy department, and my eyes immediately fastened on this shiny toy airplane with a rubber band motor. I was in love! “That’s what I want!” I cried. But then my grandmother (bless her heart) did something really unexpected – she said “No, you don’t want that.”

Was she kidding? Of COURSE I wanted that! My life would simply not be complete without it! There was NO WAY I was leaving the store without it! I HAD to have… well, you get the picture, right? I basically threw a tantrum because she was standing in the way of what I had focused on.

Here’s where it gets good, though.

She led me over to another part of the store, where they had model kits of airplanes, ships and all kinds of other stuff on display. “This is something you might like,” she said. “How about a model airplane kit instead? You like to make things, don’t you? You can build it yourself!”

(Actually, the truth was, I was good at taking things apart - radios, alarm clocks, that sort of stuff. Putting them together - well, not so much.)

An amazing thing happened then. As I looked at the many different model kits of planes, ships and other cool stuff, my eyes were magically drawn to a model spaceship – you know, one of those silly things you only see in really bad Sci-Fi movies made back in the 50’s. (The picture above is actually very close to the model spaceship I built back then. It’s always been a huge disappointment to me that REAL spaceships couldn’t be as cool as this one.)

Suddenly, my whole world changed.

The results of this little episode wrought profound changes in my life. I became interested in space, science, and anything scientific. I discovered and began to read science fiction. I became technically oriented at an early age. I became a really, really good speller (as a result of reading so much sci-fi I developed a fantastic vocabulary at an early age). I studied technically-oriented subjects in school; I became an engineer; I learned to dream big dreams… oh, the list goes on and on.

The fact is, this single event actually changed my life – all because I became open to “another” possibility. Of course, I had to “unfocus” a bit – but thanks to a very wise grandmother, it happened.

I’ll let you draw your own lessons - surely you’ve had a similar experience? As for me, I just have one last thing to add:

Thanks, Grandma!

You know, it would just be absolutely finer than a frogs hair if you would subscribe to my RSS feed!

We’ve often talked about goals and goal-setting here at the Zone (well, at least twice). Goals are good. Goals are necessary. Goals serve an important purpose in helping us accomplish, uh, stuff.

Over time I’m sure you’ve had lots of goals. Long-term ones, short-term ones, etc., etc., ad nauseum. In fact, sometimes it’s a chore just figuring out the goals you really want; separating the peach from the fuzz, so to speak.

But what happened to the goals that, well, didn’t make the cut? Do they just fall by the wayside? Are they consigned to goal purgatory, that place where all despondent goals go when they don’t quite make the team? Whatever happened to them?

Now you may be wondering where I’m going with this. Well so am I. Actually, it was prompted by a tag from William Tully at LOGICal eMOTIONs, who recently wrote New Meme? (likely not), wherein he talks about the “Top 5 Goals I Never Seriously Considered”. Yeah, Tully, sometimes it can be a real shame to think about the way things “might have been”. Gee - what if any of these goals had actually happened?

(Tully and I have been talking a lot about memes lately, and it’s been something of a race (sortof like watching turtles do laps) to see who would fire off the first new meme. I gotta admit though, the more I thought about this one, the more I liked it.)

After all, IF (he said, sagely) the value of a good meme is to help blog readers learn more about blog writers, then this is actually a pretty good way to provide some insights into the way our brain cells tick over. Not bad, Tully, not bad! (And by the way, you know what they say about giving someone too much rope!)

So after considerable, er, musing (hey, it’s what I do here!), I give you…

The Top 5 Goals I Never Seriously Considered

1. I have always wanted to be a spaceman. This one tops the list by a very long way. Ever since I was a kid (that’s human, not goat), I’ve wanted to be one of the ones who went out and explored the vast universe; to go where no man has gone before; to seek new worlds and new – well, you get the picture. I even wrote about what got me started in that direction here, if you’re interested.
2. Also from the same experience above, I wanted to become a writer. Oddly enough, I’m now actually on the road to that one; something I never thought would actually happen! Who knows? Maybe one day there will finally come the Great American Novel from the same keyboard that currently gives you Middle Zone Musings.
3. I actually started, but turned away from being an orchestra conductor. I’ve written songs and music, but have always wanted to stand up there and conduct my arrangements in front of an audience. *sigh*
4. Being an inventor was always something that seemed exciting and interesting, until I discovered how much work, time and failure went into it. But that was then (hey, when you’re a kid, the LAST thing you want is to work and fail!) Nowadays, however, although I realize the value in failure, alas, I’m too busy to do much inventing anymore. However, there IS that one cool idea…
5. Finally, I’ll add engineer to the list. Interesting twist of fate, this. The fact is, my father was an engineer, and as I grew up, I thought I wanted to be one too. Well, that is until I ran into that nearly impermeable barrier called calculus. Then I wanted to be anything but! And yet… and yet, here I am an engineer and project manager, and loving it! Go figure.

So there you have it; five interesting little tidbits into the heart and soul of yours truly. What say you, my friends? Do you dare reveal yet a bit more about yourselves to an unsuspecting world? I don’t ask this lightly; I really would like to know a bit more about you. It’s what friends do.

So let’s see… I think I’ll tag Liz Strauss, David Armano, and Matthew Stibbe. What were the things you thought about doing with your life… but didn’t?

You know, it would just be absolutely finer than a frogs hair if you would subscribe to my RSS feed!

All right everyone, it’s that time of the month again! (No, not that time, silly, this time!) Time to step away from the daily grind and take a deep breath. Do a couple of jumping jacks, deep-knee bends, or maybe even some mental gymnastics. Or something.

That’s right, ladies and gentlemen – the time has come for another exciting edition of… OOB!
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Dept. of Dummies

MAKE magazine’s website has something that should interest all you do-it-yourselfers out there – instructions on how to make a stunt dummy out of household items. (I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wished I had one of those around the house!) But what caught my eye was the lead-in quote:

Dead Horse Dept.

It’s not often we get something from THIS department, but when we do…

The news site Boston.com ran this story on Jan. 4 about a mysterious AP photo from the Sheboygan County Historical Research Center (So THIS is what those research dollars are going for?) picturing a well-dressed man sitting on what is apparently a dead horse.

Alas, so far no one has been able to identify the man or anything else about the circumstances. Despite incredible publicity having been generated by everything from caption-writing contests (wish I’d thought of that one) to historical society inquiries, still no luck.

If, on the off chance this turns out to be your long-lost Uncle Horatio, please let us know immediately. There’s a dead-horse disposal bill waiting with his name on it.

Thrills, Chills, and Other Excitement Dept.

Looking for something to justify the cost of your $3,500 worth of high-tech computer equipment? Well, why not join the 49,000 who have already clicked on the (use your best ‘announcer’ voice here, and don’t forget to dial up the reverb) Greatest Show on Earth – watching cheese cure at the West County Farmhouse Cheesemakers website.

I’m tellin’ ya folks, you just can’t make this stuff up!

That’s right, ladies and gentlemen, you read it right. If you’re looking for a solution to those gee-I’m-bored afternoons, you may as well toss out those useless X-Boxes, Nintendos, and all that other entertainment paraphernalia, because literally nothing can hold a candle to this one. Just get a bowl of chips, your favorite soft drink, and click on www.cheddarvision.tv, and in no time, you’ll be, uh, cured.

Dept. of Existentialism

Sometimes even the simplest of actions may have the direst of consequences. This short blurb titled Existential key stroke from the New Scientist website Feedback section is a case in point:

Dept. of Justice

From Futility Closet:

Need we say more?

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Shameless Self-Promotion Dept.

And finally, for those of you who are perhaps new to this site, or unfamiliar with the concept of OOB (it stands for “Out Of the Box” and rhymes, appropriately enough, with “boob”), you might want to check out the earlier episodes (#1 will explain it all):

OOB #1
OOB #2
OOB #3
OOB #4
OOB #5
OOB #6
OOB #7
OOB #8

Then again, you might not (but remember, one day you will be assimilated).

You know, it would just be absolutely finer than a frogs hair if you would subscribe to my RSS feed!

Well, it’s February 23, and if you’re a Texan from Texas like me, that can mean only one thing – it’s GO TEXAN DAY! Yee-Haaw!

Even the traffic in to work this morning seemed lighter than usual; guess they’re all out on the trail rides. Yep, that’s the life. Sleepin’ under the stars, sittin’ around the campfires, eatin’ those traditional trail suppers of beans and grits, gettin’ up at four in the morning to saddle the horses, uh, cleanin’ up AFTER the horses, and - hey, what happened to all my “g’s”?

Yessiree, if you’ve never done any of those things, you ain’t lived! At least, you ain’t lived like a crazy person! Hey don’t get me wrong – I think it’s great if a certain segment of the local population actually LIKES doing that stuff, but I’ll take my nice warm bed every time. Besides, sometimes the weather might be unseasonably warm, like it was this week (up in the low 80’s), but it never fails to rain at least some of the time.

For those of you who might not be from around these parts, once a year the rodeo comes to Houston-town, which means this week a bunch of enthusiasts pack up the mules and ride a three- to five-day trail (they use the streets now, but what the heck) from the surrounding areas toward the Rodeo site (it used to be the Astrodome, but now they come to the Reliant Center). I’m sure it’s a lot of fun, not to mention a pleasant change of pace, uh, if you enjoy that sort of thing.

So, today my hat’s off to the trail riders and rodeo folks, and may your horse always be “hoof-side” down (because believe me, you wouldn’t like the alternative)!

You know, it would just be absolutely finer than a frogs hair if you would subscribe to my RSS feed!

Well, I’m doin’ it. Yep, I’m taking the plunge. Risking it all. Going for broke. (Sheesh, how many of these clichés can we put in here before the Metaphor Police come and arrest me, anyway?) I know it’s probably of no real importance to you, faithful reader, but what the hey, we bloggers occasionally have to struggle to come up with something to blog about, so why not this?

What I’m talking about is making some changes to the MZM site (sound of screeching tires followed by prolonged car crash). Oh, don’t panic, I’m just referring to the look, not the content, silly (and I’m talking about ME panicking, not you). Besides, you may or may not have already noticed a few changes to the sidebar of late.

For instance, the blogroll was moved down to the bottom to make room for more active content at the top. This includes the “Throw me a bone” section with links to every possible feed and reader you could possibly want, plus the “subscribe by email” and Technorati link. (And, by the way – why NOT throw me a bone and make me a “fave”? C’mon, I asked nicely

After having recently read all two wildly positive reviews of the new GoogleReader, I thought I’d give it a trial shot. (Up to now Bloglines, with all its quirks, was my reader of choice.) After only one day I like it better, but I’ll give it a week before letting you know how it’s going. There are some nice features, though – adding additional feeds is particularly easy, for instance.

One additional feature of GoogleReader (and most other readers too) is the ability to create a ‘blog’ of articles I think are worth sharing. As I find worthwhile posts, I can easily flag them for inclusion in a blog that even has its own feed. What’s really cool about Google’s is the new widget just above the blogroll that displays the latest items I consider worth your time to visit. Nice feature, Google!

One BIG change coming up may or may not even be noticeable, I’m not sure yet. The Zone started back in prehistorical times (June ’06) when the old Blogger was the rule. After the New Blogger rolled out, MZM was converted (meaning its place in Heaven is assured)… well, almost. By that I mean I haven’t finished the template updates because, well, I’m almost ashamed to say it, but it means I actually have to get my hands under the hood and do some work!

Unfortunately, when I make the switch, all that nice, shiny “glitter” I’ve labored to add over the last six months will disappear. “Not a problem,” Blogger assures me, “it can all be added back”. Uh-huh, OK, maybe. That’s not the point – I have to add each item back manually. Yuk! Ah well, once done, the new template provides more flexibility (they say), so it will be worth it.

So anyway, don’t be surprised if you see things looking a tad different. Not to worry. ‘Course, if you see a bright flash, followed by an ominous mushroom-shaped cloud on the horizon… well, that was probably me.

So… Onward, through the fog! Darn the torpedoes; full speed ahead! More coal, you fool, more coal! [… as the continuous string of metaphors eventually fades into the distance]…

You know, it would just be absolutely finer than a frogs hair if you would subscribe to my RSS feed!

Note: After spending three days of (ahem, have to use my deep ‘announcer voice’ here) Deep Thoughts (see yesterday’s post), I thought it might be fun to lighten up a bit today with something completely different…

Well, it ain’t your Grandpa’s pine box!

This month the coveted OOB* Award goes to British coffin-makers Vic Fearn & Company Limited (click on “crazy coffins”). Although they started out manufacturing the usual, er, stuff, it seems that after being asked to make a few “special” caskets (the first one was a scale model of a jet fighter, followed by his & hers scaled-down canal boats), there turned out to be a booming business in unusual sarcophaguses sarcophagum sarcophagi coffins.

In fact, they’re so amazing, they even send them on an art tour. Besides the Egg shown here, among the strange and unusual sartorial sachets produced so far are:

• Electric guitar
• Sports bag
• The Bride of Dracula
• Ski sledge
• Bell-shaped
• Skateboard
• Box kite

Well, with that kind of inspiration, let’s unleash the creative beast that lies within and have some fun, shall we?

Question of the day: If you could be put COMPLETELY in charge of picking the casket for someone, who would it be, and what would it look like? (Hmm… for the sake of propriety, we’d better use Liz’s rule here: be nice.)

Bonus Question: What would you choose for yourself? (As for me, I’d like something in blue - and definitely shark-shaped. And don’t forget the shades.)

* OOB stands for “Out Of the Box”

You know, it would just be absolutely finer than a frogs hair if you would subscribe to my RSS feed!

In case you wondered where I was yesterday (you DID miss me, didn’t you?), I’ve been invited to join the 100 Bloggers network, and I had to spend a few days gathering my thoughts (it’s sorta like herding cats, only harder and less rewarding). Finally, after three solid days of intense cogitation, a stray neuron fired, and I was off!

So for your edification, here’s an excerpt from my contribution on this month’s topic, commitment:

“What is it, I ask you, about commitment that strikes fear into the hearts of the most courageous people? And why does making a commitment seem to have the power to make otherwise sane and reasonable people run screaming into the night, gibbering wildly about overwhelming doubts, worries and fears?

Why does commitment get such a bad rap, anyway?”

Please click on this link, That Wonderful, Terrible Word, (it’s like.. follow the hand) to read the whole article… and thanks!

You know, it would just be absolutely finer than a frogs hair if you would subscribe to my RSS feed!