Tag: #NewYork

  • Diversity

    Why do I strive for diversity? And for that matter, why do most people my age and younger feel the same way?

    I have been thinking about these questions often, not only for the political environment that we are in now, but also when it come to my child growing up. I want her to be exposed to as many different people as possible. In New York, that was pretty easy, and I might add happily, diversity is California has been wonderful as well.

    I think that this desire for diversity in me comes from attending integrated public schools, from kindergarten to my senior year of high school. That was 13 years of being exposed to kids that were nothing like me, and at the same time, we all behaved like kids. I have a picture from the birthday party where I turned 10, and in that picture are six boys, each of a different ethnic background. And I know that I am not the only person who can say that from where I grew up.

    Sadly, I now realize, the first time that I started hanging out with only white people was when I went to college. University was so completely socially segregated that now it seems odd that no one ever brought it up.

    My point is that I believe that it is vitally important that kids be exposed, and learn with, as many different children as possible. What scares me now is that I see parents, through gentrification, creating segregated schools again.

  • Walking

    So… I have been doing the video work out stuff, and I pretty much hate it. I’m doing it, but I hate it. And again, it’s the fake level of excitement of the people in the videos that really bother me. Now, I freely admit that the system works, so it’s just the thing I have to deal with. I hate working out, but I want to lose weight and live for a while.

    I have been following the routine for two weeks. I have also adjusted my diet, and focused on getting 8 hours of sleep, and no more late-night snacking. And the results…

    Nothing…

    I have neither gained or lost weight.

    Last time I did this, back when I was living in New York, I saw results in two weeks. I could clearly tell that positive changes were having an effect. So, why is there no change this time around?

    I thought about this for over the past few days, specifically what are the changes from the last time, to this time?

    And then it hit me.

    I checked the pedometer on my phone…

    In California, I average 500 steps a day.

    In New York, I averaged 8,000 steps a day.

    I have lost the linchpin of my ability to get into shape; having to walk everywhere.

    Looks like I will have to get back to running…

  • Stay Alive

    I had made a promise this weekend that I would start working out again come Monday morning, which by the way, is the worst morning to start working out. It’s a fact… or at least should be.

    Most people say that and make this promise and have written about getting started and all the motivation crap.

    For me, I lost my running shoes in the move. They were in New York, and I remember packing them up, or I think I do. When all of our stuff made it to California; no running shoes, and I also lost a pair of gray slip on Van’s that I loved.

    So, I had no running shoes, and honestly, not a big deal, right? Yeah, I don’t have a job, and I can’t justify spending money on shoes, when that should go to rent, and I also don’t want to add to our debt.

    That left me one option, that I’m not very proud of… a workout DVD. It’s more like a program as the thing has like 20 different DVDs for working on parts of your body. Look, I will admit that the shit works, provided that you stick to it, as the wife and I used it in the past. So, I’m not knocking the program.

    What makes me uncomfortable about the whole thing is the super positive attitude from the people in the workouts. I interpret their reactions as inauthentic, and that has everything to do with me and not them. I also understand that they are paid actors to be super-hyped about “gains” and crap.

    Exercising for me is just a necessary evil of getting older. I want to stay on the planet as long as possible (wife, kid, family, friends, things like that) so I have to get up and work out.

    I sort of wish there was a workout video that was like “Hey man, we get it. You just want to be healthy or look good with your shirt off. Whatever it is, we get it. So, let’s get this over with so we can move on to other things.”

    I don’t know how motivating that would be.

  • Vote Today

    It Primary Day in New York, which is pretty useless. I had written how to get more people to vote, and this morning there was a piece in the NY Times about how New York state does things that seem to hamper people’s ability to vote.

    Full disclosure, I won’t be voting in the primaries as I am not registered with a political party. The process of registering with the Board of Elections as a member of a party is complicated and has to be done well in advance. (yet another reason why turnout is low, and incumbents stay in power.) I preferred to keep my independence, but now I am beginning to feel that to make changes in the system, I have to start taking part in the party.

    Though I am not voting, there are two people I would specifically be voting for today; Cynthia Nixon, and Zephyr Teachout. And by putting my support behind the two of them, I can see that I am still hanging on to my Bernie Sanders ideology; progressivism fighting and gumming up the system, if need be.

    I want to believe that this stance is part of the solution, but I do know that democracy really does run on compromise, and how much of my progressivism and liberal leanings am I willing to find middle ground on?

    Either way, you should get out and vote.