Mountain Man opened for the Decemberists last night at the Boulder
Theater. This trio of young ladies did a mostly a cappella set that
showed off their haunting voices. On some songs, they sounded like
Gillian Welch and Alison Krauss, blending a raw sound with a sweet
sound, while on others they whimsically twisted melodies like Joanna
Newsom. They even did a creditable job on medieval rounds. They
weren't musicians, but their voices made admirable instruments in
themselves. Amazingly, the audience was completely quiet during the
whole performance.
The Boulder Theater has an unfortunate tendency not to introduce
opening acts. Sometimes it isn't necessary, but I hadn't heard of this
band before. My only complaint is that when I first heard their name,
I thought it was "Mountain Maam." Sounded right to me...
The Portland-based Decemberists band came with a large contingent,
including organ, accordian, pedal steel guitar, plus the dulcet singing and
fiddle playing of former Nickel Creek member Sara Watkins.
Lead singer/songwriter Colin Meloy led with "Down by the Water" from
their new album, "The King Is Dead." While Boulder philosophically is
a sister city to Portland, large bodies of water don't occupy a large
part of our pysches. For example, a recent song by Colorado singer
Danielle Ate the Sandwich mentions crawling under a barbed wire fence
to visit a lake.
Meloy got the audience to participate in a rousing sea shanty by
assigning them the part of a person being swallowed by a whale. Much
shrieking and moaning was required. Another audience favorite was "16
Military Wives."
Meloy is a master of romantic songwriting as well, on tunes such as
"O, Valencia!" The new song, "We Both Go Down Together," about
star-crossed love would bring tears to the eyes of any couple.
A warm ending to a snowy night was "June Hymn," a lush recounting of
the return of spring. In land-locked Boulder, we realized yet again
that the spring the Decemberists know is hothouse exotic to us--ivy in
trees? Yellow bonnets? Training jasmine?
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Monday, April 19, 2010
The Bravery in Breck
We trundled up to Breckenridge this weekend to see The Bravery, who
played before a small crowd for the Spring Massive (end of the ski
season).
This post-punk band out of New York has spent most of the past five
years being huge in the U.K. Amazingly (to me), the show was
free. Maybe they haven't been as big in the U.S., but I felt they have
a Springsteen-like charisma and thought the show was fantastic. There
were a lot of kids in the audience, so lead singer Sam Endicott showed
admirable restraint and only dropped the F bomb once or twice, while
bass player Mike Hindert kept his clothes on.
Endicott has a Robert Smith-like voice, so some of their songs sound
like the Cure. But the band can also rock hard. Drumming talent is key
to punk rock (think Green Day, for whom they opened last year), and
Anthony Burulcich has it in spades.
Highlights were "Believe," "An Honest Mistake," and "Time Won't Let Me
Go."
The band attempted to do a song in praise of summer, "Hey Sunshiney
Day." I think Coloradans are spoiled and believe sunshine is a
birthright. Songs with this theme (e.g., "One Day Like This" by Elbow)
are a lifeline to people suffering the drear of another gray day.
Now to download some more of their songs...
played before a small crowd for the Spring Massive (end of the ski
season).
This post-punk band out of New York has spent most of the past five
years being huge in the U.K. Amazingly (to me), the show was
free. Maybe they haven't been as big in the U.S., but I felt they have
a Springsteen-like charisma and thought the show was fantastic. There
were a lot of kids in the audience, so lead singer Sam Endicott showed
admirable restraint and only dropped the F bomb once or twice, while
bass player Mike Hindert kept his clothes on.
Endicott has a Robert Smith-like voice, so some of their songs sound
like the Cure. But the band can also rock hard. Drumming talent is key
to punk rock (think Green Day, for whom they opened last year), and
Anthony Burulcich has it in spades.
Highlights were "Believe," "An Honest Mistake," and "Time Won't Let Me
Go."
The band attempted to do a song in praise of summer, "Hey Sunshiney
Day." I think Coloradans are spoiled and believe sunshine is a
birthright. Songs with this theme (e.g., "One Day Like This" by Elbow)
are a lifeline to people suffering the drear of another gray day.
Now to download some more of their songs...
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Avatar's Tender Interlude
By now millions have seen James Cameron's ground-breaking new 3D epic,
"Avatar." Although it is a rollicking good time at the cinema, there
have been numerous criticisms, including its supposed admiration for
war and its simplistic and somewhat stereotypical quasi-racist
viewpoint (ie., the natives are nobler than the ruthless civilized
invaders, but once the white guy hero is converted, he leads them out
of their predicament).
I have to say I enjoyed it thoroughly, in the same vein as Lord of the
Rings, where it was necessary to rise up and kick evil-doers'
butts--more than once.
And, although the white guy hero Jake Sully did indeed lead the
natives to victory (albeit probably temporary), I think the movie
detractors have skimmed over the role played by his mentor in making
this an extraordinary tale of love and redemption. We've all heard that
behind every successful man there's a woman. In Jake's case, there was
Neytiri, a 9-foot tall blue woman who was more powerful than the
forklift Ripley used to beat up the Alien mother. Neytiri is destined
to be the next co-leader of her people, the Na'vi, and she reluctantly
agrees to teach him the ropes (literally).
Jake falls in love with Neytiri, and with her coaching is able to hold
is own with the other Na'vi warriors. He even is able to ride a flying
dinosaur that only a few natives have domesticated. Neytiri in turn
falls in love with Jake's Avatar, even though she knows he is not one
of their people.
One scene made the movie for me. Setup for the scene: The hero has been judged to be a traitor to the human race, and a battle with the Na'vi ensues. The military has been dispatched to seek and destroy the hidden encampment containing the capsule linking Jake's human body to his Avatar, tossing his body out into the unbreathable Pandora atmosphere.
During the battle, Neytiri sees her mate go unconscious. She has seen this before. She immediately assesses the situation and searches
for the human camp. Inside she spots the capsule. Beside
it is a small human who is suffocating. She recognizes him as Jake,
picks him up, and cradles him tenderly in her arms. She
administers an oxygen mask and hopes for the best. Instead of dying, Jake
revives and is able to rally his people and turn the tide of the
battle.
As in Titanic and The Abyss, this small scene demonstrated again for
me Cameron's mastery in portraying the faith and willing sacrifice of
true love. No amount of detonations or whizbang 3D effects can compare.
"Avatar." Although it is a rollicking good time at the cinema, there
have been numerous criticisms, including its supposed admiration for
war and its simplistic and somewhat stereotypical quasi-racist
viewpoint (ie., the natives are nobler than the ruthless civilized
invaders, but once the white guy hero is converted, he leads them out
of their predicament).
I have to say I enjoyed it thoroughly, in the same vein as Lord of the
Rings, where it was necessary to rise up and kick evil-doers'
butts--more than once.
And, although the white guy hero Jake Sully did indeed lead the
natives to victory (albeit probably temporary), I think the movie
detractors have skimmed over the role played by his mentor in making
this an extraordinary tale of love and redemption. We've all heard that
behind every successful man there's a woman. In Jake's case, there was
Neytiri, a 9-foot tall blue woman who was more powerful than the
forklift Ripley used to beat up the Alien mother. Neytiri is destined
to be the next co-leader of her people, the Na'vi, and she reluctantly
agrees to teach him the ropes (literally).
Jake falls in love with Neytiri, and with her coaching is able to hold
is own with the other Na'vi warriors. He even is able to ride a flying
dinosaur that only a few natives have domesticated. Neytiri in turn
falls in love with Jake's Avatar, even though she knows he is not one
of their people.
One scene made the movie for me. Setup for the scene: The hero has been judged to be a traitor to the human race, and a battle with the Na'vi ensues. The military has been dispatched to seek and destroy the hidden encampment containing the capsule linking Jake's human body to his Avatar, tossing his body out into the unbreathable Pandora atmosphere.
During the battle, Neytiri sees her mate go unconscious. She has seen this before. She immediately assesses the situation and searches
for the human camp. Inside she spots the capsule. Beside
it is a small human who is suffocating. She recognizes him as Jake,
picks him up, and cradles him tenderly in her arms. She
administers an oxygen mask and hopes for the best. Instead of dying, Jake
revives and is able to rally his people and turn the tide of the
battle.
As in Titanic and The Abyss, this small scene demonstrated again for
me Cameron's mastery in portraying the faith and willing sacrifice of
true love. No amount of detonations or whizbang 3D effects can compare.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
I Am Woman, Hear Me Geek
The number of women majoring in Computer Science made some gains in
the 1980s, but began a precipitous slide in the 1990s. And in today's tough
job market, it is not an easy ride, even if you're a female.
Although my computer science education began as a "nontraditional"
(meaning: older) student, I immediately became aware that it was
highly competitive, and the number of females in class was low. In
order to succeed, you needed to survive classes intended to "separate
the men from the boys." I had a good academic track record and was
used to competing scholastically.
What I didn't have was the sporting mentality. The idea was not only
to get to the goal (and get your praise), but also to run over the
competition. The guys all seemed to get this, as did the male
instructors. If you asked a fellow student what yesterday's
assignment was, you were likely to get a smirk for an answer.
What about the few female students and instructors? Were their faces
being pushed into the muck? Were they indignantly spluttering as they
flung mud aside like GI Jane? Nope, 'fraid not. They were generally
helpful and supportive. What's with that, women? Are you a man or a
mouse? I think the answer is that they are women first and geeks
second. If called upon to act like a rodent, they tend to lose
interest.
How can you keep your hard-won female or minority geeks from scurrying
away? The following advice applies to both men and women:
1. Get or be a mentor. Although I eventually completed my master's
degree, I suffered many moments of self-doubt. What made the moments
bearable was having a mentor, who empathized and provided suggestions
for survival strategies. The same self-doubt happens to male students,
but they are conditioned to tough it out. Females do better if they
have someone to share the suffering with. Whether male or female, the
INTJ/Green personality geek wants friends, preferably smart ones.
Having a mentor makes you feel valued.
Mentors commonly feel that they learn as much by mentoring as they
teach. It is gratifying to feel appreciated.
2. At work, let females get a word in edgewise at meetings. You might
find they have some good ideas if encouraged to express them. The
stereotype that women will chatter aimlessly about their feelings at
meetings is bogus, because they are rarely given a chance to chatter
at all.
3. When bonding with fellows, allow females to participate in
conversations about sports and technical issues. Female geeks like
these topics. What they don't like are long discussions about
people you used to work with that they never met. Notice the new
friends sitting in front of you.
4. Keep stretching your geek's comfort level. If she has never led a
quality assurance team, rotate the leadership among the team
members. The rest of the team may see that they are safe with your
geek as both leader and co-worker.
5. Be scrupulously fair in handing out promotions and raises. Trust is
crucial, and once lost causes the geek to seek other
opportunities. When justifying why a raise was given to someone
else, the logically minded geek must find nothing to argue with.
Do not let your female geek think she might be worth less than a
male geek.
6. Encourage "showing your stuff." This can be done on the job via
plum assignments, or it could be by giving back to the
community. This is a two-way street. Just as you enjoy mentoring,
your female or minority protege will enjoy being able to show
others how they got where they are and what they do. The community
in turn will see that being a geek is not all about being alone in
a cubicle and that science and IT offer interesting and relevant
career opportunities.
the 1980s, but began a precipitous slide in the 1990s. And in today's tough
job market, it is not an easy ride, even if you're a female.
Although my computer science education began as a "nontraditional"
(meaning: older) student, I immediately became aware that it was
highly competitive, and the number of females in class was low. In
order to succeed, you needed to survive classes intended to "separate
the men from the boys." I had a good academic track record and was
used to competing scholastically.
What I didn't have was the sporting mentality. The idea was not only
to get to the goal (and get your praise), but also to run over the
competition. The guys all seemed to get this, as did the male
instructors. If you asked a fellow student what yesterday's
assignment was, you were likely to get a smirk for an answer.
What about the few female students and instructors? Were their faces
being pushed into the muck? Were they indignantly spluttering as they
flung mud aside like GI Jane? Nope, 'fraid not. They were generally
helpful and supportive. What's with that, women? Are you a man or a
mouse? I think the answer is that they are women first and geeks
second. If called upon to act like a rodent, they tend to lose
interest.
How can you keep your hard-won female or minority geeks from scurrying
away? The following advice applies to both men and women:
1. Get or be a mentor. Although I eventually completed my master's
degree, I suffered many moments of self-doubt. What made the moments
bearable was having a mentor, who empathized and provided suggestions
for survival strategies. The same self-doubt happens to male students,
but they are conditioned to tough it out. Females do better if they
have someone to share the suffering with. Whether male or female, the
INTJ/Green personality geek wants friends, preferably smart ones.
Having a mentor makes you feel valued.
Mentors commonly feel that they learn as much by mentoring as they
teach. It is gratifying to feel appreciated.
2. At work, let females get a word in edgewise at meetings. You might
find they have some good ideas if encouraged to express them. The
stereotype that women will chatter aimlessly about their feelings at
meetings is bogus, because they are rarely given a chance to chatter
at all.
3. When bonding with fellows, allow females to participate in
conversations about sports and technical issues. Female geeks like
these topics. What they don't like are long discussions about
people you used to work with that they never met. Notice the new
friends sitting in front of you.
4. Keep stretching your geek's comfort level. If she has never led a
quality assurance team, rotate the leadership among the team
members. The rest of the team may see that they are safe with your
geek as both leader and co-worker.
5. Be scrupulously fair in handing out promotions and raises. Trust is
crucial, and once lost causes the geek to seek other
opportunities. When justifying why a raise was given to someone
else, the logically minded geek must find nothing to argue with.
Do not let your female geek think she might be worth less than a
male geek.
6. Encourage "showing your stuff." This can be done on the job via
plum assignments, or it could be by giving back to the
community. This is a two-way street. Just as you enjoy mentoring,
your female or minority protege will enjoy being able to show
others how they got where they are and what they do. The community
in turn will see that being a geek is not all about being alone in
a cubicle and that science and IT offer interesting and relevant
career opportunities.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Taking Care of Yourself and Managing Stress
I have been in the working world a long time. Every so often your boss
will suggest that you attend a half-day or whole-day seminar on "time
management" or "stress management." When I first took such courses,
they typically emphasized some practical time-saving tips. Over time,
however, these have evolved into sessions about how the press of overwork
isn't your fault, but you can't get angry--you just need to take care
of yourself better. "Relax, sing, soak your feet, buy yourself
something." {ref}
I am here to advocate a return to the former style. As a judging (and
judgmental) geek, I can readily see that it is illogical to try to
avoid stress by ignoring it. It does me no good to hear "Stress is
bad for you, so get rid of it!" There is, of course, concern that if
you aren't "nice" you may lose your job or your friendships or your
spouse. But, if you need to report a problem or stressful situation to
the significant people in your life, they had better be able to take
it. We just have to work on our ability to "break it to them gently."
Because geeks naturally do such a good job of time management, they
may need to be clued in that one can only keep so many plates in the
air at once (now known as "simultaneous multithreading").
It has been suggested that jobs that do not allow you any control are
the most stressful. For example, a secretary's job is more stressful
than a senior software engineer's. Some seminars suggest being
"proactive," implying that your company doesn't know what it wants you
to do, so you need to step forward and tell them. Your bosses will
know whether they like what you do or not, but they won't provide much
guidance. If you find yourself in such a situation, get out of
there. Your boss's job is to be the boss. If you want to be the boss,
start your own company. If you like working for a stovepipe
organization with several levels of management, by all means do
so. Work your way to the level that makes you happy and
satisfied. Find bosses (mentors) who will help you get there.
Suggestions:
1. Try to maintain a cool head in a crisis. Well, try to emulate those
people you admire who can keep a cool head in a crisis.
2. Apologize (sincerely) if you have to. False apologies are worse
than none.
3. Although it takes time, keep significant people in the loop of what
is going on. This can be difficult for a person who would rather
work than communicate. Speaking from experience, frequent verbal
updates and progress reports can do wonders for your career. You
could be doing an incredible amount of work, but if the boss
doesn't know it, you won't be recognized.
5. Relax, sing, soak your feet, buy yourself something. (Maybe a nice single malt?)
Ref: "I'm Juggling as Fast as I Can," Denny Kercher, Chrysalis
Publishing, Lafayette, CO 2004
will suggest that you attend a half-day or whole-day seminar on "time
management" or "stress management." When I first took such courses,
they typically emphasized some practical time-saving tips. Over time,
however, these have evolved into sessions about how the press of overwork
isn't your fault, but you can't get angry--you just need to take care
of yourself better. "Relax, sing, soak your feet, buy yourself
something." {ref}
I am here to advocate a return to the former style. As a judging (and
judgmental) geek, I can readily see that it is illogical to try to
avoid stress by ignoring it. It does me no good to hear "Stress is
bad for you, so get rid of it!" There is, of course, concern that if
you aren't "nice" you may lose your job or your friendships or your
spouse. But, if you need to report a problem or stressful situation to
the significant people in your life, they had better be able to take
it. We just have to work on our ability to "break it to them gently."
Because geeks naturally do such a good job of time management, they
may need to be clued in that one can only keep so many plates in the
air at once (now known as "simultaneous multithreading").
It has been suggested that jobs that do not allow you any control are
the most stressful. For example, a secretary's job is more stressful
than a senior software engineer's. Some seminars suggest being
"proactive," implying that your company doesn't know what it wants you
to do, so you need to step forward and tell them. Your bosses will
know whether they like what you do or not, but they won't provide much
guidance. If you find yourself in such a situation, get out of
there. Your boss's job is to be the boss. If you want to be the boss,
start your own company. If you like working for a stovepipe
organization with several levels of management, by all means do
so. Work your way to the level that makes you happy and
satisfied. Find bosses (mentors) who will help you get there.
Suggestions:
1. Try to maintain a cool head in a crisis. Well, try to emulate those
people you admire who can keep a cool head in a crisis.
2. Apologize (sincerely) if you have to. False apologies are worse
than none.
3. Although it takes time, keep significant people in the loop of what
is going on. This can be difficult for a person who would rather
work than communicate. Speaking from experience, frequent verbal
updates and progress reports can do wonders for your career. You
could be doing an incredible amount of work, but if the boss
doesn't know it, you won't be recognized.
5. Relax, sing, soak your feet, buy yourself something. (Maybe a nice single malt?)
Ref: "I'm Juggling as Fast as I Can," Denny Kercher, Chrysalis
Publishing, Lafayette, CO 2004
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Two Geeks
A month or so after starting this blog, I was curious whether it would
be indexed by Google. The settings indicated it would.
A bit to my surprise, I discovered there are *two* sites called the
well-rounded geek on blogspot.com. The only difference is that the
other one isn't hyphenated. Not my grammatical preference, but by
today's standards, acceptable usage.
Kind of a shock, there, blogspot. I've signed up with lots of other
services, sites, vendors, etc., and they never let me take a name that
was already taken. Guess I just assumed the same would apply to the
title I gave my blog.
My daughter took a light-hearted poke at the other geek, saying,
"Don't worry mom, his idea of being well rounded is probably something
like knowing *both* C and Java."
At any rate, I apologize abjectly to the other geek for treading on
his territory. Hopefully we will complement each other and do our best
to raise all geeks to well roundedness.
be indexed by Google. The settings indicated it would.
A bit to my surprise, I discovered there are *two* sites called the
well-rounded geek on blogspot.com. The only difference is that the
other one isn't hyphenated. Not my grammatical preference, but by
today's standards, acceptable usage.
Kind of a shock, there, blogspot. I've signed up with lots of other
services, sites, vendors, etc., and they never let me take a name that
was already taken. Guess I just assumed the same would apply to the
title I gave my blog.
My daughter took a light-hearted poke at the other geek, saying,
"Don't worry mom, his idea of being well rounded is probably something
like knowing *both* C and Java."
At any rate, I apologize abjectly to the other geek for treading on
his territory. Hopefully we will complement each other and do our best
to raise all geeks to well roundedness.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Geeks and Sports
Our society values sports. There are a lot of good reasons. Sports
teach teamwork. It is fun to be a member of a team or to root for one.
Sports help keep you physically active and healthy. They teach you
to follow rules and to play fairly. They give you an avenue for
competition. People who excel at sports become role models.
It is also obvious that many see sports as a civilized form of
warfare. When well played, a game has all the advantages given
above. When played badly, bodies and egos get bruised. Many geeks have
experienced the shame of being picked last for the team because they
are viewed as less physically "talented" than their mates.
What is physical talent, and is it really important? For any given
game, certain skills or physical attributes are useful. For example,
in baseball, it is ability to throw a fastball, to sprint, and to
catch fly balls. In basketball, being tall is an advantage, because
the basket is 10 feet from the ground. But people have been getting
taller, so perhaps that advantage is shrinking. In Tae Kwon Do, the
flexibility to kick somebody in the head is pretty important. A fifth
dan black belt who breaks five bricks just doesn't seem human! For
sports, physical talent seems important. Hard work goes a way toward
physical improvement, but talent is just something you're born with.
We don't really need physical talent to be physically healthy. Average
flexibility is plenty for routine tasks, and you are rarely called
upon to do the splits at work. Your body stays happy if you just walk
half an hour a day. In fact, working your body too hard leads to
untimely wear and tear, stress, and injuries. Any Pilates teacher will
emphasize that you should build a strong "core" but teaches you to
move about as effortlessly as possible. Pilates was originally
developed for rehabilitating injured dancers but is widely popular for
maintaining general fitness. Competition is discouraged.
So, we see this disconnect between physical talent and physical
health. We want both, of course. But if we want to participate in
sports, what's to be done if we don't have the former? Enquiring geeks
want to know.
Recommendations
1. Consider a sport that can be done either alone or on a team. A good
example is bicycling. You can start out by riding to work alone and
then work your way up to riding a multiday tour. Or, if you want to
try racing, you can enter time trials, where the competition is
against the clock or against your personal best. If your personal
best looks competitive, you can try a triathlon. If to your
surprise you find that you actually have some talent (and a good
VO2max ratio), you can try team racing.
2. If you want to take up a sport, first find out what the average
timeline is for reaching the desired level. You might have more
patience if you knew that high-level karate black belts have been
working on their technique for 15 years or more. It is likely they
weren't born with talent but with much work, perseverance, and five
years, they learned how to kick. Or, you may decide to pursue
another sport that requires a lower learning curve.
3. Balance your sport with some "healthy lifestyle"-enhancing
activities such as hiking, yoga, Pilates, vegetarian cooking, or
meditation. These will help improve your ability to focus on your
vision for yourself (both on the field and at work) as well as to
relax and recondition you. Don't forget to stretch. Hey, keep
breathing!
4. Don't spread yourself too thin. Professional golfers know they get
better by swinging a golf club. Bikers have to put in the
miles. Most don't try to do three sports in hopes of making
themselves better bikers. Weight lifting may be complementary, but
I'd put it in the category of item #3.
5. Cut yourself some slack in the self-esteem department. Many geeks
are actually in very good shape; they've just never had the
opportunity to compete either in a team or solo sport. If you've
been bullied or just don't like the war-like aspects of sports,
note that seeking some sort of success in sports will be rewarded
in our society. It's called "looking for love in all the wrong
places."
teach teamwork. It is fun to be a member of a team or to root for one.
Sports help keep you physically active and healthy. They teach you
to follow rules and to play fairly. They give you an avenue for
competition. People who excel at sports become role models.
It is also obvious that many see sports as a civilized form of
warfare. When well played, a game has all the advantages given
above. When played badly, bodies and egos get bruised. Many geeks have
experienced the shame of being picked last for the team because they
are viewed as less physically "talented" than their mates.
What is physical talent, and is it really important? For any given
game, certain skills or physical attributes are useful. For example,
in baseball, it is ability to throw a fastball, to sprint, and to
catch fly balls. In basketball, being tall is an advantage, because
the basket is 10 feet from the ground. But people have been getting
taller, so perhaps that advantage is shrinking. In Tae Kwon Do, the
flexibility to kick somebody in the head is pretty important. A fifth
dan black belt who breaks five bricks just doesn't seem human! For
sports, physical talent seems important. Hard work goes a way toward
physical improvement, but talent is just something you're born with.
We don't really need physical talent to be physically healthy. Average
flexibility is plenty for routine tasks, and you are rarely called
upon to do the splits at work. Your body stays happy if you just walk
half an hour a day. In fact, working your body too hard leads to
untimely wear and tear, stress, and injuries. Any Pilates teacher will
emphasize that you should build a strong "core" but teaches you to
move about as effortlessly as possible. Pilates was originally
developed for rehabilitating injured dancers but is widely popular for
maintaining general fitness. Competition is discouraged.
So, we see this disconnect between physical talent and physical
health. We want both, of course. But if we want to participate in
sports, what's to be done if we don't have the former? Enquiring geeks
want to know.
Recommendations
1. Consider a sport that can be done either alone or on a team. A good
example is bicycling. You can start out by riding to work alone and
then work your way up to riding a multiday tour. Or, if you want to
try racing, you can enter time trials, where the competition is
against the clock or against your personal best. If your personal
best looks competitive, you can try a triathlon. If to your
surprise you find that you actually have some talent (and a good
VO2max ratio), you can try team racing.
2. If you want to take up a sport, first find out what the average
timeline is for reaching the desired level. You might have more
patience if you knew that high-level karate black belts have been
working on their technique for 15 years or more. It is likely they
weren't born with talent but with much work, perseverance, and five
years, they learned how to kick. Or, you may decide to pursue
another sport that requires a lower learning curve.
3. Balance your sport with some "healthy lifestyle"-enhancing
activities such as hiking, yoga, Pilates, vegetarian cooking, or
meditation. These will help improve your ability to focus on your
vision for yourself (both on the field and at work) as well as to
relax and recondition you. Don't forget to stretch. Hey, keep
breathing!
4. Don't spread yourself too thin. Professional golfers know they get
better by swinging a golf club. Bikers have to put in the
miles. Most don't try to do three sports in hopes of making
themselves better bikers. Weight lifting may be complementary, but
I'd put it in the category of item #3.
5. Cut yourself some slack in the self-esteem department. Many geeks
are actually in very good shape; they've just never had the
opportunity to compete either in a team or solo sport. If you've
been bullied or just don't like the war-like aspects of sports,
note that seeking some sort of success in sports will be rewarded
in our society. It's called "looking for love in all the wrong
places."
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