going bald

Those who know me best will attest that for the past two years, the hair atop my head is not what it used to be. I was under the impression that I drew the head-of-hair-for-life card, but alas, dear reader, my thinned top and plainly receding hairline indicate otherwise.

Tonight was the night where a man in my circumstances explores options. Too bad I didn't save my recent google/wiki searches, because that would pretty much tell the story. An abridged version:

male pattern baldness awareness day
alopecia
free testosterone
free testosterone sex
free testosterone sexual activity
free testosterone sexual activity balding
sexual activity balding
rogaine
anagen
minoxidil
minoxidil price
cheap rograine
cheap minoxidil
male balding hairstyles
kimbo slice

I started out looking for male pattern baldness awareness day because I thought that would be a good day to start rocking what I by and by came to know is called a power donut. (See Larry David, above)

But then I realized that I should also think about the alternatives. For example I didn't know if Rogaine would be something you apply for a while which reverses the balding for life (Of course it isn't). I also wondered about price. Getting cheap generic minoxidil runs about $60 per year, and doesn't seem expensive even if I were to use it for the next 30 years.

But I'm not really one for chemicals. Especially when there is also a timely maintenance routine twice daily, let's be honest.

So by and by I learned such terms as "skullet" and "free testosterone" and I learned who Kimbo Slice is.

You see, it's one thing to embrace the short hair cut, but what about the beard? And I'm not interested in a goatee really. But I got some great tips at artofmanliness.com, and that might be worth a read if you're looking for a laugh or, let's be honest, some information.

On another note, it's nice to get to Louisiana again, the birthplace of my offpsring. We are all together again and everybody's finally getting over colds and so on. Annie and Isaac started competing for objects and attention. On Monday we'll head back to Houston via New Orleans and then we'll enjoy a few days off for Spring Break.

Here we go, springing forward in Spring again.

all the single ladies

Flash Mob. That's my newest interest. And what better introduction than:



And when I am not thinking about flash mob these days, I am thinking about addiction and recovery. In fact, I combed through some web-research for language clues because a while back, when I was working alongside guys in recovery, it became clear to me that there is "addict thinking" and "rational thinking" and lately I wanted to get something like a clear picture of what language clues one can key in on when it comes to talking with someone in recovery. My findings are worth sharing, I think.

The thing is, I copied them all down from a website I found (which didn’t allow cutting and pasting). I copied them to a notebook page. But unfortunately my computer, in the process of hibernating or something, lost my efforts. So I will just point you to the webpage, and you can scroll down to addict thinking and criminal thinking and find them for yourself I guess (starting at around page 30 of 88).

Actually, there’s a lot of other things I think about, other than flash mobs and abuse recovery. For example, the wife and kids. Since this week we’re occupying different states, I’m thinking about them a lot more than I’m spending time with them these days. I’m really looking forward to seeing them on Friday! Until then, it’s flash mobs, and addiction recovery, and oh yeah, work.

Work, which is thinking about the academics and administration of this language school, as well as instruction in language and math at the college, is also taking up plenty of time. And it’s enjoyable, for the most part.

Also enjoyable is watching the setting sun through our big circular windows. The glass is thick, and when one views the sun near the edge of the window, a couple clear refractions from the sun can be seen. And I am sure that if there is a large sunspot or an eclipse of mercury, I could check it out in the refraction action of the window. In fact, I gave that more thought to that today than I did flash mobs.

McMiscellaneous

Here I am, on the way back to Houston. And before you think I am blogging while driving, please rest assured I am in a McDonald's parking lot. No, I will not eat their food, but ever since I learned that all McDonald'ses offer free wi-fi, I've been frequenting their parking lots from time to time. And yes, I will slurp one of their smoothies from time to time, actually.

It is the 20-teens, afterall. Nowadays, you can do all sorts of things. Like, for example, you can browse the current world emergencies and disasters from the comfort of your own home without turning to the news. It is from there that I was reminded our family vacation spots during my childhood, at Island Park in eastern Idaho. There is also home to one of the worlds' largest calderas, a large caldera distinct from the great Yellowstone caldera. It is older, it shares Yellowstone's high status as an 8 out of 8 on the Volcano Explosivity Index, and it is--the way I understand it--part of a path of calderas which form every so often as our Earth's crust passes over the hotspot which is now responsible for the geo-active Yellowstone as we know it.



For more Snake River Plain info, just wiki it, or click here. Otherwise I'll go on and on about southern Idaho.

Anyway, I like that you can find out about what disasters are happening around the world without all the newsy drama bits. Of course, it's not the most uplifting, but hey, what do you expect from a McDonald's parking lot?

Well, the unfortunate thing about this week is that I will be flying solo in Houston until Friday. On the plus side, today is a day off for me, making up for extra hours I've already logged. I'll mozy on back to Houston, and get situated for the week. I've got teacher training, a final week at school, and presumably plenty to keep me occupied. Plus, I am headed back with a car full of stuff. Now that we got our garage somewhat cleared out, it's time to get all of our belongings that have been lingering at the Bourgs' house since way back even to Bonnie's teenage years.

Well, even though it's Mardi Gras time everywhere, I am getting reminded of how out-of-proportion it is in Louisiana. In Texas even, a few long hours away, it just isn't that big of a deal.

good day, ticket update

What a beautiful morning we had this morning. The birdsong was outdoing the sun, which was outdoing the crisp spring weather, which was outdoing the relative stillness we call home in the pocket of this subdivision which is in a small pocket in the corner of the vast expanse of the otherwise bustling city of Houston. Sure, I was racing off to work, but how nice it is that the morning commute to work is 4-7 minutes and involves only one left turn on busy roads.

The math problem for the day is this, and if you are used to driving in Houston, you might get this one: My commute to work takes 4-7 minutes. My commute home from work is twice the distance, but also takes only 4-7 minutes. Each commute is the shortest legal driving route. Explain.

I taught a conversation class today. I don't teach it every day, so when I do have it, it is a little bit of fresh air for me, and for the students, since we all get to do something we don't usually get to do. They told me how they like when I lead the class. Teachers like to hear that sort of thing. Also I'm seeing my regular students improve. Teachers like to see their students grow.

But I won't kid you. One of the best parts of the day came when I called the Henderson Mayor's Court to discuss my speeding ticket. Yes, slow me got a speeding ticket racing back to our bustling city from Louisiana in January. I was speeding 73 in a 60 on I-10, coming off the bridge, and so I was easy pickings. An old hat in years past at mitigating tickets and cleaning up my driving record, of course I wanted to appear in court and take care of this ticket. But it turns out the court date is a Wednesday, the place is four hours from Houston, and it is the Wednesday that is the day before the day before our final exam for this term, so there's no nice way for me to miss out on that day. Driving there in the wee hours, and driving back in the afternoon is an option, but please note that on either side of that Wednesday, I will also be driving to Louisiana twice. The hours add up, so you might understand why I was interested in checking out the legal services available which might help me in taking care of that ticket.

I found that for a fee of $200, I could retain a lawyer to represent me, even to go so far as to say that he would make sure I don't have a moving violation. Of course, the old hat I am, I was adding up a fine for a non-moving violation with the lawyer fee, and realizing that financially, it wasn't going to make sense unless the speeding ticket was $200 or more. I was pretty sure that the non-moving violation fine would be around $100, and I knew that $300 was more than any penalty I'd see immediately from an insurance standpoint. I also recognize that I'm not the type like I used to be, and that I could probably expect to go another couple or three years without getting pulled over, and I, in my way, considered these things, along with the recognition of my pride for having a nice and clean driving record for the past 35 months. (The 35 months previous to those I had 4 or 5 citations.).

Anyway, before I could retain the lawyer, I realized that I needed to call and get the exact ticket cost in order to finally weigh the pros and cons. Bonnie and I joked about it being $150 because I told her if the ticket were only $100 I would just pay it, and if it were $200 I would just pay the lawyer. So of course, when I called the Henderson Mayor's Court, they explained that the fine was, indeed, $150. But then, of all things, when I inquired more about the non-moving violation, the clerk explained that if I paid before the due-date, they make sure it does not go on my record. Now, it sounds a little fishy, so of course I googled it. It looks like there might be a simple online course ($40) I might have to take--and I'll call and get all the details, but I am pretty stoked that I will pay less than $200 total, and still keep the dang infraction from my record.

Other good things happened today. But unless I get off of here and get on the Wii and check out my body test for the day, I'm not going to be able to put a virtual stamp on the virtual calendar to mark my virtual progress.

Thanks for reading.

our last February weekend in 2011

Today was a good day. The sermon used Groundhog Day the movie as a broad illustration of living each of our days the best way we can.

Fr. Rob Price - 2/27/2011 from Dunstanite on Vimeo.

Lots of Wii tennis in the afternoon.

We also cleaned half of the toys into a new "toy chest" we have in the living room. It isn't really a toy chest, but it is a chest, and it has toys in it. Our idea is that we can store them there and every week or month or whatever, trade toys in and out of it. In this way we can keep fewer toys in circulation, and, hopefully, fewer toys scattered around on the floor.

I think I want to do this with the books too. It's a nice surprise to unpack some old favorites, and then you want to read them. When they sit on the shelf the whole while, even good old favorites get overlooked.

Bonnie's baking more cookies. She is getting a ball out of Peas and Thank you. Orry likes to sing and dance. Isaac likes to work on the computer but he struggles some with the way the mouse works. Annie does her best to stay involved and get the kind of attention only 1 yr olds get.

From yesterday:

This morning I went to a McDonalds for free wifi, only to find that the place had a padlock on their only power outlet. It would have been fine if my laptop were fully charged, but I had only about a half hour left. Of course, I found this out after I purchased a fruit smoothie to justify my sitting in the restaurant for a couple hours.

Why was I planning on sitting at McD’s for two hours? Well, this is vehicle sharing for you. This morning was a fun event at the Houston Zoo that we didn’t want to miss. Unfortunately it is also a day for my teacher training (part of going through a Texas Alternative Teacher Certification process). So we packed up the kids before dawn and drove to my destination and dumped me out so the rest of the brood could go enjoy zoo membership benefits.

Wifi isn’t working at the actual location of my teacher training, so I hoofed it to the golden arches down the road where I was confident I could spend the morning completing some tasks and stumbling upon who knows what Internet treasures.

As it was, I was able to grade a bunch of papers and get some stuff done. It’s unfortunate I can’t be plugged in during this teacher training session, but it’s not at all the end of the world. Goodness, they showed a short segment on “why we teach” that even had my steel heart leaking out emotion as I was choking back the tears.

Our Wii involvement has declined somewhat after the first-week-frenzy. I think Bonnie and I both got a little sore from our vigorous routines. Orry and I have been teaming up on our computer opponents in the game of tennis, teaching them a lesson. I have observed a heightened sense of centered balance, the attainment of which is commendable, I’d say.

a list, and forgiveness

How are your jigsaw skills? How are your competitive skills? Here is for an online jigsaw puzzle challenge for you.

On my list of things to do is to make a list of things to do. Exciting things to get you coming back here. I suppose my Wii fitness updates won't be as exciting for you all as they are for me.
And if you're curious about our IBD experiences, or about how our letter writing is going, you know right where to go. I like what I've seen some of you do with your blogs and "challenges", which make us all want to stay tuned and check out the updates. I want to do something like that. I tried to get Bonnie to post her "30-day Bean Challenge" on here, because I'm sure that would really be a gas. But there's got to be other clever ideas to keep you reading. Okay, true to form, I now have a list. I don't think it will exactly get the trumpets blaring, but now I am thinking that in addition to the usual randomness, you may also get a smattering of....

Intriguing Translations and Idioms (um...)
Neato Websites (let me stumble upon that for you)
Sermons Worth Repeating
Knowledge Worth Knowing (what's that, crickets?)

Okay, so you see, I need to work on my list. It's not the most sensational. Yet.

Today's sermon at church, though, was strangely moving to me. And odd, because really we got a play by play of the opera--yes, opera--of Dead Man Walking. You might wonder what kind of church we are going to, so let me tell you Episcopalian now and we'll get that out of the way. In fact, I just learned that you can not only listen to but watch this very sermon, which has about 75 seconds of commentary other than the literary relating.

Fr. Bob Wells - Sermon 2-20 from Dunstanite on Vimeo.

I want to tell you, that with these sermon-of-the-mount-sermons of the current lectionary, I can't go a week without thinking of forgiveness in my own life. And I never saw myself as being one with forgiveness issues. But this last decade has been a doozie, and I find myself on the fence with my personal fulfillment/development on account of my ability or inability to forgive. In spite of myself.

Upon further inspection I wonder if it's not exactly forgiveness I long for, but resolution. Like, I am forgiving/ have forgiven, but there is still a tension because the matter is unresolved. No confrontation has occurred. I just don't know.

And since you're still reading, I'll go ahead and continue so as to possibly appease your curiosity and illustrate my pains. The part of my heart that doesn't feel right is about my father's siblings and what happened in that part of my family. In the spirit of my good old grandma, I think I can accept even the worst of humanity in my loved ones (And mind you, even though sometimes I feel like it, nobody's actions or intentions here get so close as to be near the worst of humanity.), can embrace even their shortcomings or trespasses as they trespass against me, or against my good old grandparents, or father, which interestingly is more the case here I think. Like I said, all is either forgiven, or something close to it. But I think the tension remaining, which becomes apparent whenever I hear a sermon about forgiveness, has to do with never taking a chance to reconcile or at least resolve something with said loved ones. And honestly, I just don't know when or how that's going to happen. Which makes me wonder what's really going on there with my forgiveness, fear, love, or what. To be examined....

And, now, that's about enough currenttroydanielbecker for you today, wouldn't you say?

a new pastime

We got a Nintendo Wii. I was just watching "Bonnie" get hit in the head with soccer cleats, ha ha. Earlier "we" were speeding down mountain slopes, and pedaling our bikes. Orry and I "went for a run" earlier. Am I worried a little that this is replacing good old fashioned real activity? Yes. Now she just fell from an urban tightrope. But there is no question our activity level is increasing, so I'll just take that for now, and later we'll be able to arrange our lives better for real recreation.

It was a busy week for me. We administered a midterm on Tuesday which took a lot of time in preparation and follow-up. Last Saturday I spent much of the day in teacher training courses, so it has seemed like a long stretch. Hopefully next week I can relax more to make up for it. I keep getting more and more duties at the school where I work. Which is great--I hope the pay adjusts to make up for it sooner rather than later!

As for idle time nowadays, I do read up quite a bit about Inflammatory Bowel Disease and people's experiences. Today I was thinking about trying to assemble a mass study/survey in order to try and sift patterns out of thousands of Crohn's and colitis patients. Nowadays with information technology, it seems feasible that a layman could do something like this with the help of the Internet and forms. Yet it seems like a broad comprehensive study done carefully could help make great progress in untangling the mysteries of IBD. (All of you faithful readers already know about our IBDinourhome blog.).

Bonnie's got the place looking pretty good. We still have some boxes to unpack, and some stuff out in the way, but it's feeling really homey. Our family room, where most of our time is spent, connects to our dining area and has a window into the kitchen. It is a nice space, with 12 foot ceilings and now new venetian blinds on big windows along one whole wall. But the best part of it is when it's filled with five giggling Beckers, enjoying our life together.

If you want to see a bunch of aerial photography, just visit here and scroll down, looking for photos you like the best, or juxtapositions you appreciate.