Definition of Cold

The high school baseball season has started and we just finished our first two weeks.  I absolutely love going to baseball at this time of the year.  We have a nice high school stadium and from most of the field we look east into the Great Western Divide of the Sierras and the snow capped peaks smile back.  But as soon as the sun starts to drop towards the horizon, the temperature drops with it and it is COLD.  Or as I tell my students, there is a decided lack of heat in the air.  Some days I have more wool on than a lamb and I am still cold.  But there is still nothing like hearing the smack of a baseball on a wooden bat, even if it is a fungo.

Yesterday I took a class that is preparing me in new skills.  I'm hesitant to say what those skills are because of my normal reluctance and because some information just needs to be kept to a few people.  The course was good, but basic.  I came away with more questions, but I had more questions answered than are left to ask at this time.  I'm sure as I gain more skills, many more questions will be thought of to ask.  The class was with a cross section of people and everyone had their own reasons to be there.  I wondered quietly why some were there, or if they were ready yet for the class, but that is my natural bent on most things.  I question myself about my own actions so deeply, that I'm taken aback sometimes when others don't do the same.  And that is a criticism of myself, not others.  In the end, I learned and honed some skills.  I polished my thinking during the day and regardless of what may happen, I feel better prepared for the future.

We have a new coach this year.  He is a former player and friend and he is a fisherman.  We have another fisherman on the staff and they keep telling me they will take me out sometime.  With the chilly weather lately, they have been comparing "Cold Fishing Day" stories. I do want to rekindle or restart fishing.  It's one of the activities I stopped doing when I started teaching and coaching.  I know this is obvious to most, but have you ever made a list of what you no longer do that you did before you married, had children and worked at a career instead of a job?  Again this is not a whine as much as thinking out loud about where we are in our life.  Or it is to me at least.  More importantly, I'm thankful for the opportunity to try some things and hopefully I can actually start doing some of them again.

The freeze has hurt some of the local citrus groves.  We have had some damage, but we haven't inspected the gardens in detail.  That is going to happen today.

Thought This Might Help Someone

I found this at  A Wood man's. . .     I know it's been around, but I think it has some good information and led to a discussion with my wife and daughter.

”THROUGH A RAPIST’S EYES"

Ok, not the sort of thing I would tend to read about or pass on, but I saw it on Pinterest, and I've got two daughters, and they have friends. Besides, so many young women tend to walk around with their heads in the clouds and apparantly oblivious to their surroundings. This is written from an American society's point of view but the info is still relevant to the UK.

 ”THROUGH A RAPIST’S EYES” (PLEASE TAKE TIME TO READ THIS. it may save a life.) Reblog this!

It seems that a lot of attackers use some tactic to get away with violence. Not many people know how to take care of themselves when faced with such a situation. Everyone should read this especially each n every girl in this world. THOUGHT THIS WAS GOOD INFO TO PASS ALONG…

FYI - Through a rapist’s eyes! A group of rapists and date rapists in prison were interviewed on what they look for in a potential victim and here are some interesting facts:

1] The first thing men look for in a potential victim is hairstyle.
They are most likely to go after a woman with a ponytail, bun! , braid, or other hairstyle that can easily be grabbed. They are also likely to go after a woman with long hair. Women with short hair are not common targets.

2] The second thing men look for is clothing. They will look for women whose clothing is easy to remove quickly. Many of them carry scissors around to cut clothing.

3] They also look for women using their cell phone, searching through their purse or doing other activities while walking because they are off guard and can be easily overpowered.

4] The number one place women are abducted from / attacked at is grocery store parking lots (car parks).
5] Number two is office parking lots/garages.
6] Number three is public restrooms. (toilets)

7] The thing about these men is that they are looking to grab a woman and quickly move her to a second location where they don’t have to worry about getting caught.

8] If you put up any kind of a fight at all, they get discouraged because it only takes a minute or two for them to realize that going after you isn’t worth it because it will be time-consuming.

9] These men said they would not pick on women who have umbrellas,or other similar objects that can be used from a distance, in their hands.

10] Keys are not a deterrent because you have to get really close to the attacker to use them as a weapon. So, the idea is to convince these guys you’re not worth it.

POINTS THAT WE SHOULD REMEMBER:

1] If someone is following behind you on a street or in a garage or with you in an elevator or stairwell, look them in the face and ask them a question, like what time is it, or make general small talk:
"can’t believe it is so cold out here, we’re in for a bad winter". Now that you’ve seen their faces and could identify them in a line- up, you lose appeal as a target.

2] If someone is coming toward you, hold out your hands in front of you and yell Stop or Stay back! Most of the rapists this man talked to said they’d leave a woman alone if she yelled or showed that she would
not be afraid to fight back. Again, they are looking for an EASY target.

3] If you carry pepper spray (this instructor was a huge advocate of it and carries it with him wherever he goes,) yelling I HAVE PEPPER SPRAY and holding it out will be a deterrent.

4] If someone grabs you, you can’t beat them with strength but you can do it by outsmarting them. If you are grabbed around the waist from behind, pinch the attacker either under the arm between the elbow and
armpit or in the upper inner thigh - HARD. One woman in a class this guy taught told him she used the underarm pinch on a guy who was trying to date rape her and was so upset she broke through the skin and tore out muscle strands the guy needed stitches. Try pinching yourself in those places as hard as you can stand it; it really hurts.

5] After the initial hit, always go for the groin. I know from a particularly unfortunate experience that if you slap a guy’s parts it is extremely painful. You might think that you’ll anger the guy and make him want to hurt you more, but the thing these rapists told our
instructor is that they want a woman who will not cause him a lot of trouble. Start causing trouble, and he’s out of there.

6] When the guy puts his hands up to you, grab his first two fingers and bend them back as far as possible with as much pressure pushing down on them as possible. The instructor did it to me without using
much pressure, and I ended up on my knees and both knuckles cracked audibly.

7] Of course the things we always hear still apply. Always be aware of your surroundings, take someone with you if you can and if you see any odd behavior, don’t dismiss it, go with your instincts. You may feel a little silly at the time, but you’d feel much worse if the guy really was trouble.


FINALLY, PLEASE REMEMBER THESE AS WELL ….

I know you are smart enough to know these pointers but there will be some, where you will go “hmm I must remember that” After reading forward it to someone you care about, never hurts to be careful in this crazy world we live in.

1. Tip from Tae Kwon Do: The elbow is the strongest point on your body. If you are close enough to use it, do it.

2. Learned this from a tourist guide to New Orleans : if a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM. Toss it away from you…. chances are that he is more interested in your wallet and/or
purse than you and he will go for the wallet/purse. RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!

3. If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car: Kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole and start waving like crazy. The driver won’t see you but everybody else will. This has saved lives.

4. Women have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping,eating, working, etc., and just sit (doing their checkbook, or making a list, etc. DON’T DO THIS! The predator will be watching you, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to get in on the passenger side,put a gun to your head, and tell you where to go. AS SOON AS YOU CLOSE the DOORS , LEAVE.

5. A few notes about getting into your car in a parking lot, or parking garage:
a. Be aware: look around your car as someone may be
hiding at the passenger side , peek into your car, inside the passenger side floor, and in the back seat. ( DO THIS TOO BEFORE RIDING A TAXI CAB) .
b. If you! u are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passenger door. Most serial killers attack their victims by pulling them into their vans while the women are attempting to get into their cars.
c. Look at the car parked on the driver’s side of your vehicle, and the passenger side. If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the mall, or work, and get a guard/policeman to walk you back out. IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY. (And better paranoid than dead.)

6. ALWAYS take the elevator instead of the stairs. (Stairwells are horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot).

7. If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS RUN! The predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 in 100 times; And even then, it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ. RUN!

8. As women, we are always trying to be sympathetic: STOP IT! It may get you raped, or killed. Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking, well educated man, who ALWAYS played on the sympathies of unsuspecting women. He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often asked “for help” into his vehicle or with his vehicle, which is when he abducted his next victim.
  

Send this to any woman you know that may need to be reminded that the world we live in has a lot of crazies in it and it’s better safe than sorry.

This and That

Just some thoughts roaming around my brain.

We just completed our first week of baseball for the upcoming season.  A little wet and certainly cold.   That is how our season starts around here.  It seems to be a good group of young men and the coaching staff has them focused.  We have a coach out that hasn't been on the field for over 15 years.  He coached most of the rest of the staff and it is absolutely a dream to have him helping young people.  We'll see what happens this year.

I finished Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell and I'm still trying to process everything.  So much information that seems relevant to my life now.  Or maybe it is that my eyes have opened just a bit more and I can see things that I couldn't before.

It has been fun and illuminating to be reading a book about Lent, before Lent.  How great Thou art, truly.

One of the downsides of baseball starting is being away from home more.  I leave and it's barely light and come home after dark.  Part of Saturday and Sundays are the only time to see home and family during daylight.  I always feel beholden because I can't contribute as much to the upkeep of our home during baseball.

It is enjoyable to watch a fire burn though.

Another Book Review

This time I have a book to avoid.  Not that it is a horrible book, just that it is not good and there are better books available.  Hit by a Farm:How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Barn sounded like a good book.  Two women move to rural Minnesota and start to farm.  The decide what they will raise and grow; sheep, grapes and chickens; and then tell of the travails of being a farmer.

It's how the story was told, complaining and non-specific, that was tiring.  The choices were debated and told, as well as some of the setbacks or defeats, but again in a complaining and non-specific manner.  The decision to buy a sheepdog was detailed, but after that we heard no more of the dog. And the grapes that didn't withstand being planted incorrectly.

I will admit that I didn't finish the book, twice.  The first time I read only a few chapters before stopping.  This second time I made it half way before realizing I wasn't enjoying or learning anything.  And I eventually was worn down by the many times I was told how this farming gig was intruding on the author's writing job. The mildly salacious twists of the words to create chapter titles became difficult also.

Ultimately if I hadn't read How to Grow a Farmer; Animal Vegetable, Miracle; or Giving Good Weight by John McPhee; I may have finished this book.  They are books I enjoyed and learned from.

When the Killing's Done by T. C. Boyle

This is the second of Boyle's books that I have read.  The first, The Tortilla Curtain, was one I searched out as it dealt with the immigration conundrum in California.  When the Killing's Done was lent to me by another member of our Art Department/reading group.

When the Killing's Done is a multi-generational and multi-sided look at the Channel Islands off the coast of Santa, Barbara, CA, and specifically the selective elimination of non-native animals species on those islands before they became a National Park. Like how the immigration question was dealt with in The Tortilla Curtain, Killing's is a look at the liberal/save all animals/let's not change a thing view of nature versus the Park Service/modern conservationist view of let's get things back to where it was at one time so everyone can see what we had.

Along the way every character's personal foibles are on stage with their agendas, and Boyle mixes up the pot until it is easy to see there are no easy answers.  Every person in the book is both selfish, self-serving and trying to make the world better according to their perspective. Kind of like life.

I would recommend the book and the advice to not be afraid to think through some of the questions asked by it.

The Wisdom of Charlie Daniels

Our government is a reflection of what much of our nation has become, Lazy,self indulgent and dependent without ambition or foresight.

Everybody should have a dog in this fight by paying taxes,even if it's one half of one percent.

If you can retain reason when those around you panic you are a leader. Let's all make the day count.

How about giving Dave Ramsey a shot at working out a federal budget. He'd get it done.

Better to face a little trouble today than to kick it down the road where it grows into a big ugly problem Let's all make the day count.

For me paying taxes is taxation without representation same thing the American Revolution was fought over I don't have any representation.

All Tweets from the fiddler himself.

A Skull by Any Other Name. . .

. . .Would not taste as good as the Albarino wine we recently drank.  We traveled north recently and two sons and I ate at Cindy Pawlcyn's Wood Grill and Wine Bar on St. Helena.  We were there to taste the Albarino at a Vintner's Splash for Calavera Wines.  John Derr, the owner, and grower Steve Collum have put together this wine.

Albarino is a Spanish varietal grown in Calaveras County by Collumn.  It is a good alternative for those that want something new in a white wine.  I'm not a tasting expert, and my tastes tend towards big red wines, but I like this wine. It is light, but doesn't have the "green" taste some whites have.  Another example of the "green" is the hoppy taste of an IPA.  I steer away from those. This Albarino is a very good example of what I like in a white.

John also grows grapes on Mt. Veeder with his wife, Ashley, at Lampyridae Vineyards, the highest vineyard in Napa Valley.  You should notice that the Derrs choose unique names for their ventures.  Calavera is Spanish for skull.  Lampyridae is the scientific name for firefly, which is what the lights of San Francisco look like from the top of their Mt. Veeder property.  Lampyridae grapes have been made into wonderful wines by Beringer, Schulz, and others.  They also produce the Communication Block group of wines to help support Napa Valley Kids Connect which is a program in the Napa ValleyUnified School District schools to help students with communication and motor difficulties.

The Albarino was good and I look forward to drinking it again.

I saw this book recently and thought it sounded like a good book to start each day with. The authors are wide and varied.  I was looking for a book to start my thinking processes for the day.  Hopefully it would give me something to ponder and dwell on for the day.

So far it has.  I hope to from time to time write about what that particular day's reading was and somment on my thoughts.

Let's Have Some Fun

Our wonderful niece, Maya, shared this with us this past weekend.  Every parent can appreciate this.