Pandora internet radio. If you just followed the link I could quit writing. Still here?

With Pandora I can just type the name of an artist or song and the genome creates a playlist based on multiple factors. So far the stations are dead on.

To truely reap the benefits you should really rate the music you hear. This allows you to tweak the station. You can combine stations to give your self variety or you can just sit back and listen and be surpised at how well the genome works.

Much of the music I do hear is music that I already own but I have found a few interesting bands whose music I may have to add to my library.

Pandora makes adding music simple with links to Amazon where they have the .mp3 or the CD. Those who don’t care about the quality of the music can also get their DRM ladden selections from iTunes.

It would be interesting if I could use the genome on my library to create playlist for me but perhaps I ask too much.

All paths lead to the same thing, a destination. Enjoy the path you are on for what it is. Accept that you are where you are because of the past. There is no path. You are where you are accept it. Embrace it. You must or it will never change.
What lies ahead? There is no path.

Often we ignore the most important thing.  Is it because we don’t know how important it really is?  Do I even know what it is?   I know it is not sex, though it ranks at the top even if it is only self love.   It is not water, we can survive a couple of days without water(not a pleasant survival mind you). We can survive even longer without food.  But the most important thing, the one that we take for granted, is breath and we can not survive long without it at all.

Breath is autonomic and for this reason we give it little thought.  But civilization has changed the way we breath and we did not even notice.  As children we used all of our lungs to breath but as we aged we got lazy.  Most of us only use the top portion of the lungs and then not even all of that.  Many people even breath through their mouths instead of through the nostrils which are there to filter and warm the air(ever notice how cold air burns your lungs).

“The Yogi Complete Breath is the fundamental breath of the entire Yogi Science of Breath, and the student must fully acquaint himself with it, and master it perfectly before he can hope to obtain results from the other forms of breath”(Science of Breath, by Yogi Ramacharaka, pseud. William Atkinson, [1904]).

The complete breath fills the lungs in one fluid motion from the bottom to the top.  The following exercise should help to obtain the Yogi Complete Breath.

1. Sit or stand erect.  Inhale, through the nostrils, steadily filling the lower parts of the lungs by bringing the diaphragm into play, which descending exerts a gentle pressure on the abdominal organs while pushing forward the front abdominal walls.  Then fill the middle pushing out the lower ribs, sternum and chest.  Then fill the higher portions of the lungs, lifting the upper ribs and chest, in the final movement the lower abdomen will be slightly drawn in supporting the lungs and helping fill the remainder of the lungs.
2. Hold the breath for a few seconds.
3. Exhale slowly.  Holding the chest firmly and pulling in slightly the abdomen and lifting it up as the air leaves the lungs.  When all of the air is out relax the abdomen and chest.

It sounds deceptively simple, and with practice it will be.  Remember, the inhalation is one movement not three as one may think at first glance.  With enough practice, I will do this exercise three times a day, all of the movements will be almost automatic.

I honestly thought I would be more challenged by this “early riser” bit.   I am not saying there were not mornings I did not want to get out of the bed, but my body was moving well before my brain was awake enough to form a protest.  The two minutes brushing my teeth in the morning was often filled with chatter from my mind trying to convince me that I could crawl back in bed though.

I added the morning exercise routine to help and give me something to do that damned early in the morning.   Turns out the exercise part was more of a challenge than the “early riser”.  The idea was to utilize my time productively not to become a body-builder or a fitness freak.

The key was to be flexible in my routine. A six day routine seemed the most logical to help with the “early riser” ordeal.  Muscles need time to rest in order to grow.  I walked twenty minutes one day and did calisthenics for twenty minutes the next.  January is a cold month and I hate cold (seriously considering the equator).  On the few mornings that it was too cold or rainy I had to compromise on the walk.

Since the walk is a cardio workout, I  substituted  a couple of aerobic work-outs that I streamed via Netflix for the walk on mornings that the weather did not cooperate.  We were given a stationary bike that had rarely been used previous to this challenge so I used it some mornings while I watched documentaries or videos on workout routines I might want to try.  It is always a good idea to completely watch an exercise video before attempting to follow said video.

I am not convinced that I want to remain an “earyl riser”, but I have other challenges ahead that will benefit from this habit so I will continue for a little while anyway.  The next challenge will be about “the most important thing ever”.  Stay tuned to find out what that is.  Hopefully there will be more to post with this one.

Last night a storm rolled through rousing me from my slumber.  Heavy rains and winds gusting to 60mph, hmm should I…back to sleep.  Until today there has been nothing more significant to add, except on days three and four I allowed my self a twenty minute power nap.

The alarm went off at 6:00am, head foggy, the mind desperately searching for reasons to convince the body not to move.  Ha, I win.  I am up and off to brush my teeth.

Today is my calisthenics day, good thing considering the weather.  Conversations in my head, don’t bother, you’ve done enough, go back to bed.  I push through and get started on push ups, as my mind gives up and joins the program.

Currently my exercise routine is fairly simple and to the point…get up and exercise.  One day I walk for 20 minutes.  The next day I do core (back, abs and chest) exercises for 20 minutes.

I started the exercises at a reasonable level for me.  This month is about getting up early and getting more done.  Any excercise I do now is more than I have been getting.  The idea is to create the habit.  I will be increasing the intensity of the exercises as my body becomes accustomed to more than my computer chair.

I think the break in my sleep by the storm was to blame for my foggy head.

the thoughts flow like water

we build dams

should we share

who do we help

who do we harm

will the dams hold

are thy necessary

for how long

how long before nature has it way

the dams burst

flooding the mind

Yes, I am aware that the new year was actually five days ago.   Each new year holds hope and comes with many new challenges.   Some people make New Years Resolution and most of those resolutions are soon forgotten about.  The last New Years Resolution I made was many years ago.  I made a resolution to not make resolutions, it worked great, its been more than ten years and I never broke that resolution.  I decided this year to challenge myself and people keep asking how my resolution is going.  This is not a New Years Resolution.

The challenge for me is to become an early riser.  Those of you who know me certainly can attest that the night owl is just retiring when most people are getting up.  I tell you now…it will happen.   My inspiration for this challenge came after reading Steve Pavlina’s How to Become and Early Riser, not because the new year was upon us.

I am not following word for word but it was great inspiration.  Typically in the past I would go to bed when I wanted and generally rise in the afternoon sometime.  Most of my work is done after typical business hours anyway so it has never been a problem. But I noticed that I was spending far more time than I really wanted to sleeping.  Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy sleep.   But, maybe Steve was right, I could have more time if I had a set waking time. I will never have a set bedtime again but a set waking time I might be able to work that in.

I found a time that would be reasonable to my perception.  I discussed the idea with my wife, explaining that I was also going to start exercising as well.   Kristi was very interested in getting up with me to exercise so 6:30am would be the latest she could get up and fit a workout in before work. I did not want it to be on the half hour so 6:00am was agreed upon.  6:00 is very very damned early to me, but it had to be a challenge.  I decided to start on January 2, 2009.  No way I was missing my friend’s party for New Years Eve.

You still think it is a New Years Resolution?  I can see where you might.  To get around this I have merely commited to 30 days(conveniently ends January 31, 2009).  Any of you that followed the link will understand that by this time it will be a habit and I should be able to move on to a new challenge.

A rose by any other name may smell as sweet but, a New Years Resolution by any other name may well get the job done.   If you have a New Years Resolution, good luck!