I can't even remember where I heard this riddle, perhaps it was passed down to me as a child from a wise elder, or maybe I saw it late one night when floating through the television sphere. Regardless as to where it came from, it stands as one of the Greatest Riddles Ever Told:
Jim @ foresthiker.com
Two identical twin lumberjacks are assigned two identical plots of land. Both brothers (Lumberjack Jake & Lumberjack Jeffrey) never tire, never need food or water, and both are assigned to the standard eight hour shift on their identical plots of land.
Lumberjack Jake spends his entire 8-hours doing nothing but swinging his axe, and by the end of the day manages to cut down an even 100 trees.
Lumberjack Jeffrey on the other hand, spends his time by chopping trees for 50 minutes, followed by a 10 minute break, for the entirety of his 8-hour shift (8 breaks in total). By the end of Lumberjack Jefferey's shift, he manages to cut down 115 trees. (15 more then his identical brother).
So the riddle is; What Was Lumberjack Jeffery's Secret? How did he cut down so many more trees?
The Answer?
Like any great riddle, the answer is simple; Lumberjack Jeffrey spent his ten minutes of every hour sharpening his axe.
And like any simple answer, its context can be applied to much further concepts. Lumberjack Jeffrey outperformed his brother by literally staying sharp. He used a great skill known as "working smart" instead of "working hard." We should all take a cue from Lumberjack Jeffrey and spend some time sharpening our axe. Take some time to step back and prepare for the next step, and most importantly, take some time to stay sharp.
Story telling is an important aspect of human life. From the beginning we were told fairy-tales as we fell asleep, watched Disney movies in corralled control, and listened intently around the campfire as images of hooked hands and floating meat cleavers were told above the flames.
As we grew up the stories still stuck around. Gossip written on the bathroom walls, teenage angst spelled out through rhythms and lyrics, and a developing understanding of the world that comes with time and only the slightest bit of maturity.
As we grow up further, stories still shape the way we learn. Amusing anecdotes told in class, intriguing dialogue in movies and media, and daily conversations with the world around you. The importance of stories does not derive from its delivery however, it all stems from the message received.
Stories can make you laugh, cry, or yell obscenities. That's what stories are for though, to make you feel something. Forget the plot, characters, cast, lighting, narrative, perspective, medium, credit, actors, and writers; forget it all. A story can only pass mustard if it makes you feel something, anything at all.
Stories are our way of subtly expressing universal feelings. Feelings of camaraderie, of cheerfulness, and zest for life. Feelings of anguish, despair, and loneliness. Stories have no limits to what they can tell, or no parameters to how they can be understood. Stories withstand the test of time and evolve as we evolve, and more times then not, the endings change.
So the next time your out telling your drinking buddies about your encounter with an angel, or standing in front of a faceless crowd selling your image, or chatting about your day with that special someone; think about what your doing, think of what your message is, and most importantly think about the story you are trying to tell.
"We hold these truths self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness."
You know these words, everyone who has grown up in America knows these words, but when is the last time you prodded past the pronunciation, the memorization, and towards the actual meaning of this iconic message?
My interest lately has fallen upon the third intrinsic right of mankind, and the second paragraph the Declaration promises. The Pursuit of Happiness.
What was our founding fathers trying to give to us? For them it may have meant a pursuit of happiness under no restrictions from an oppressive kingdom, or perhaps an unmeasurable standard to instill belief towards, or hopefully they meant much more.
When the Declaration of Independence was signed and sent to the king, it stated no new ideas, no new tones of life, and no new rhetoric unfamiliar to man. It may have been a symbol of the first times these ideas have been so articulately addressed into writing, but life, liberty, and especially the pursuit of happiness had been engraved into the genetics of every sleeping man and women across our newly formed nation.
Where's Waldo?
I would dare say that our founding fathers were not inventing new concepts, but trying to encourage those to understand a freedom that does not come free at all. A freedom that comes at the price of discovery, learning, and of course, failures. These rights are a part of us just as much as our
thoughts, emotions, and understandings of the world are. The founding fathers did not give us these rights, but instead guaranteed and challenged us to use them.
So the question is, where are you on the pursuit of what makes you happy?
David Foster's Wallace's "A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again" is one of the few modern American masterpieces out there. Through a non-fiction narrative of incredible descriptions, philosophical thought, and endearing revelations, David Foster Wallace takes readers on a tour of his impressive observation and writing skills.
A handful of his essays and 90's driven rhetoric is a bit harder to follow, coupled with the constant need for a dictionary/thesaurus/Wikipedia/bigger brain to read his work. But it is possible to sludge through some of his technical writing savvy, and when an essay hits you in the write way, it's the closest thing to teleportation (except teleportation).
These essays for me included two prime examples of a skilled writer let loose in familiar situations. The first, an essay chronicling the Illinois State Fair. DFW's detailed accounts in the 4-H building, the baton-nista competition, and human description acquired while people-watching at the Illinois State Fare is full of laughs and intriguing insights.
After his encounter and subsequent essay on the Illinois State Fair, Esquire sent him on a Mega Cruise Luxury Cruise Ship. And this, in my opinion, is the best and most reflective of his style and talent. This essay is consequentially the title essay of the book and also the very last 100 pages of the thick manuscript. Worth the ride the whole way, it will make you think differently on how you see and interpret the world, take it for a spin.
Cornfields to canyon lands, I spent the last week (and my birthday) traveling to the American Southwest along with some student peers to camp, explore, and rock out. It was an amazing trip and now that vacation mode is over, I can truly begin to appreciate the adventure that took place. Here is the short low-down on the journey that took a van full of Iowans across state borders and into one of the greatest holes on Earth:
Moab, Utah After spending more time then I care to think about in a van, we arrived in Moab late into a starry night. After a few clutch hours of shut eye, we were welcomed to the Southwest with deep canyons, spectacular arches, and views far different from the Iowa landscape. After spending the day exploring these foreign terrains we continued onward, and under the cover of darkness we rolled into and set up camp at Gooseneck State Park, Utah.
We arrived in a darkness that's lost upon the city-scape, darkness that collaborates with the absolute silence of dormant surroundings, and a darkness that served as a canvass for a relaxing night under a sky full of stars.
(^)The rising sun uncovered the sleeping Gooseneck landscape that lay carved by the San Juan River. Gooseneck was a spectacular sight that stretched the eyes, but it was only a preview for what was to come down the road.
Grand Canyon National Park, AZ
The best advice given to us from the beginning, was that it is optional to hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, but mandatory to hike back up. This was slightly put up to the test as we traversed the nine miles of the Hermit Creek Trail. Along the way (up & down) we learned about the joy of taking breaks from hard work, the funny side of optimism, and the beauty that is the embrace of mother nature and father time.
Through its landscape seemingly painted to the sky, it seems impossible to imagine the intensity of the Grand Canyon, and for a moment ordinary eyes open to an extraordinary sight.
Last weekend I was fortunate enough to attend the inaugural Midwest Outdoor Leadership Conference (MWOLC) at the Ohio State University. The conference itself was chalk full of sleepless nights, interesting seminars, and a good representation of some like-minded interests. It is always reassuring to be gathered with a large amount of people that share similar passions as yourself, to allow a perpetual excitement build as you spread new ideas between each other.
Now of course we had to do some climbing along the way. With a little detour and a late night driving, we found ourselves waking at the Red River Gorge in Slane, Kentucky. We hopped on the refrigerated rock and did our thing. As continued by this weekend, My climbing career consists mostly of falls and curse words (sailor mouth!), but I always have fun far off the ground and hanging on a rope. Adventures like this push your restart button and give you that get-up and go feeling; so start your engines, forfeit some sleep, and find some excitement in your life.
In the meantime, you can check out a small example of a Lead Climbing fall
My latest photo endeavor included the challenge to collect movement in action. To represent action through a still shot. And in this digital age, I was able to go out, fill the memory card with blurry shots and over-exposed images, and luckily walk away with a few that turned out pretty well:
I'd like to always thank the folks that volunteered their time and effort to help me get the shots, without all of you I would just be some creep job trying to take photos of himself on a moving merry-go-round.
"You Don't Take a Photograph, You Make It" -Ansel Adams
Best Accidental Picture of the Day: "Bailing on Jumping a Picnic Table, 2012" ----->>>
Meditation is not an uncommon term in our American daily lives. We are all familiar with the images of Buddhist monks sitting bald-headed and cross-legged on the mountain side, or the transcendental Jim Carrey floating above his body a la "Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls." <-----
My healthy tip for this week is to forget all of the stereotypes or send-ups of the traditional idea of meditation. Instead allow yourself slip into the art of staying in the present moment.
Meditation is healthy way to consciously asses and understand all the demanding stimuli that is introduced to our bodies on a daily basis, and you don't need a mountain top to do it. Simple meditation is not primarily a physical act as it is a tool of the mind. It's a way to actively engage your actions, thoughts, feelings and emotions while taking a passive approach to acting upon them. And in my life (or anyone's life) a good dose of meditation is surely needed.
Personally I find time to sit back and think about my current situations when I'm out running the streets, or walking to class, or those last moments of the night before falling asleep. Sometimes it's subconscious, and sometimes I'm fully aware of it, but when I find myself out on the long runs or walking home late from the library, I try and take a step back from my mistakes in the past and my fears for the future to understand exactly where I am in the present. I am not trying to achieve any goals or standards I set for myself, I am just trying to become aware of them.
So get out their and escape a bit; ride the bike, skip the bus, go grocery shopping... Do whatever you need to do to get a grip on that never-ending question: What makes you happy?
Coca-Cola is not the first name you think of when coming up with sustainable companies, but as I listened to Dave Katz (Senior Vice President, Midwest Region, Coca-Cola) speak about his companies relationship to the community it inhabits, a new light shined on the classic coca-cola bottle I've become so accustomed to.
David Katz continually referred to the rhetoric of "The Genius of And." He held it in relation to turning "or" situations into "and" situations. In his case he was referring to thoughts that once held true such as you can either have a heavy, wasteful bottle and have it look good OR you can have a light-weight, post-recycled bottle that is jarring to the eye. Dave Katz applied his theory by stressing that Coca-Cola is no longer accepting "or," and introduced as evidence the 30% plant-based, 100% recyclable, Coca-Cola PlantBotlle. Proof that you can have a light-weight bottle AND have it look good.
Coca-Cola's theory of "the genius of and" stretches far past their bottle materials. They want people to know that you can recycle AND not go out of your way, that you can use the Earth's resources AND ensure future use for all other generations, and of course you can be a global leader in business AND inspire moments of optimism on an individual level. Coca-Cola may not be the most sustainable company out there, but in terms of progress to a better world, they are among the leaders in the pack. So the next time you are standing at the vending machine or presented with an "or" decision, think of Coca-Cola and uphold The Genius of And.
I have never struggled so hard coming up with content for a specific blog entry as I have done with this one. Meta-Reference (more specifically meta-fiction/film) is something that has long since intrigued me well before I even realized what it was. I had seen movies before that involved meta-reference, but the movie that really got me thinking about writing about meta-reference was Charlie Kaufman's "Adaptation".
As I stayed up late one night, completely pulled into the movie, I began twisting my brains around the idea of character realization and the devices we use to tell our stories. The quick (but confusing) run-down on Adaptation: Charlie Kaufman (character) plays himself (screenwriter) as he sits through the production of his latest screenplay (Being John Malkovich (also a crazy movie)). Charlie Kaufman is hired to adapt a real-life book (The Orchard Thief) into a screenplay. Charlie Kaufman (character/screenwriter) unintentionally includes himself in the screenplay (based on the real book) and what inevitably happens is that the movie (Adaptation) begins to be about Charlie Kaufman (whichever) writing the screenplay for the movie (no-longer based on the book) of which we are already, and have been, watching for an extended period of time. So in brief, Adaptation is a movie about watching itself being written (I think).
This warped my brain around so much that I dedicated time and patience to research and eventually blog about the whole ordeal, only to find that I could not formulate a reasonable way to present the information regarding meta-realization. I threw around "clever" ideas such as referring to myself writing the blog, and then referring to myself about referring to myself writing the blog, and then as a dramatic twist I would refer to myself about referring to myself about referring to myself writing the blog. But I decided that it would be way to confusing.
So finally I decided to perhaps give some solid definitions and examples of Meta-Reference (Fiction & Film). If you are familiar with the movies "Stranger Then Fiction" or "The Never-Ending Story" you are already familiar with Meta-Film. In both of these movies, the main character is simultaneously involved in two distinct plot lines that refer to each other in unity and self-consciously address the devices of story-telling being used. The main characters of the plot reveal that they are aware of their own story being told, thus share an odd similarity with the intended viewer.
Or perhaps either of Stephen King's "The Secret Window" or "The Dark Tower" series. Where in the first of the two, the main character becomes (or is) the main sinister character he himself is writing about, or the ladder where Stephen King himself is an essential plot character who (as a character in the story) needs to finish writing the story (of which he is in) so the main characters can continue on. Real Crazy Stuff.
I may have just confused myself further upon re-reading what I have wrote, but I hope the message gets across. For further insight onto Meta-Realization follow this link: Meta-Reference Articulated
"The Grapes of Wrath" is an American made epic that chronicles the Joad Family as they set their sights out west towards the land of opportunity. As one of John Steinbeck's most well-known, and debatably best works of fiction, "The Grapes of Wrath" stands on it's own as a masterpiece that depicts not only the lives of those awe-struck citizens that paved the way into the Great Depression, but also the culture and imminent peril that had swept across our Great Nation during those times.
After reading any work of fiction, once that last page has been turned and the narrative has come to some sort of conclusion, the reader should be left with something. It's not necessarily anything quantifiable, and it certainly has nothing to do with an absence of anything (time, energy, brain-cells, etc.), but it leaves you with something like a scar. Certain readings leave the skinned-knees scar, a little redness but for the most part it will subside, other books however, like "The Grapes of Wrath," leave you physically altered. This sounds terrible at first, but I assure you just the opposite. When I finished this book I was introduced to what it means to be hungry, to be desperate, and to cling onto nothing but hope, because no matter what you own or who you answer to, no one can take away your hope for a better life.
If you have not done so, I urge you to pick up "The Grapes of Wrath," (can be found at your local bookstore, online, or in every high-school and secondary education facility across the nation). Here's an interesting tidbit for your next trivia night: "The Grapes of Wrath" gets it title from the "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," and the title itself is mentioned in text in a later chapter:
"And in the eyes of the hungry there is a growing wrath. In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." - John Steinbeck
While in route to a local cross country ski course, a friend told me the secret to recruiting folks for outdoor recreational
pursuits. It largely involved a certain level of convenience provided. He
brought up a fundamental truth regarding human consciousness. He talked about the difference between commitment and
going, the dissonance in following through with your beliefs, and
basically the difference between “the walk” and “the talk.”
Specifically we talked about how easy it is to answer the
question “do you want to go camping?" (or any recreational pursuit). Nine times out of ten, from those who find joy from these activities, the answer will be "yes, of course." The answer however, is completely different then the action. To actual take that step out the door is a much larger and real commitment then agreeing or talking about taking that step. That is where the issue of convenience comes in.
By the time we had made it to the ski course and were pulling on our boots, my buddy explained the process of providing convenience so no one can pull the "weary-of-work" alarm. He said you have to pull up on their doorstep, have the bags and equipment tucked neatly into the backseat, and breakfast in hand. Make it as easy as possible for people to comply. He made a good point, and I'm sure to this day he understands that the concept of convenience stretches well across the human paradigm.
The thought really occurred to me as I walked around the University of Iowa's campus for 40+ minutes with a read-over newspaper in hand and looking for a recycling bin. I eventually located one strategically located underneath a printer, but I wondered how many people (including myself on a tighter schedule) would take the time to seek out the proper reciprocal for their papers, plastics, metals, and cardboards? It's another issue of convenience. Another issue of the taking the path of least resistance. Very few people (at least in Iowa City) are opposed to Recycling, yet the number of people that are "pro-recycling" don't translate into volume saved or post-consumer turnover. And of course it can be applied farther then properly placed recycling bins.
So the question that the environmental engineers, advocates, screwballs, and accountants should be asking is how can we make sustainability convenient for people? How can we make people want to drive less, to consume less, and to dispose less? New ideas are out there and progress is being made, single-stream recycling is making conserving more convenient, but the window is still wide-open for opportunity. And whether or not the climate is truly changing, it is clear to see the culture and mindset towards common-day practices are.
In conjunction with Youtube, an editing team, and 80,000 potential director's; a remarkable movie has come into creation. "Life in a Day" is a movie that shows simply what it claims, life in day. July 24th, 2010 to be exact. The concept is that on this particular day thousands of people were instructed to video tape their daily lives while answering a few simple questions such as what are you doing, what is in your pockets, and what do you fear? Cameras were even shipped to third world countries to assure a fair representation of the entire world. And after editing over 4,500 hrs of video, a brilliant project emerged.
This kind of project represents two things: first it is a fantastic representation of the technologic culture we live in and secondly, that no matter who you are, what you are, or where you are; there are millions of people going through the exact same daily struggle as yourself. Never before have we been able to connect on such a global scale, to see the differences between cultures, and to simultaneously be united by them.
Undoubtedly over the last 10 years we have made a severe leap in technology. Now more than ever can we share ideas, thoughts, and anything else that canvasses the art of civilization. As a blooming member of the Facebook generation and at the beginning of an era that forgoes home phones for cell phones, it is clear to see that the sails that once fostered the voices of our time have been taken down and replaced with motors. Nothing is more apparent in the matter then the current state of the music industry.
The linear progression of how music has been distributed can seem easy to distinguish. When radio towers first popped up, music as an industry really took off. Record sales and corporations devoted to providing records rose from the ground and over-shadowed nearly everything you listened to. Records were made, distribution was tracked, money was made, and the American public tapped their toes along to the tune. As the emergence of the world wide web came into play, the music industry suddenly got a new face lift.
Napster suddenly took advantage of the seemingly fire-like quality that the internet seems to inhabit, the ability it has to spread information quickly with a few thousands strokes of kindling generated from user interest, to suddenly upturn how we thought about music. Suddenly the listeners were in charge again, they didn't have to read the reviews or shop at the department stores for music, they could click and enjoy uninterrupted, unfiltered music with the click of a mouse. And although Record Industries and a handful of music makers (see Metallica vs. Napster 2001) hated the transition, it was a glorious step for the listener.
Somewhere along the way, or perhaps inherently intertwined from the beginning, a severe problem came along with the collision between art and profit-making. After board-meetings, audience testing, and mass production, certain musical performers started writing music for the charts, and when you begin to write for the #1 spot, you write for no one. An ability to please is different than an ability to communicate, to share ideas, and to paint a canvass that reflects personal meaning or self-sacrifice. It's not just the music industry either, you can see the paint-by-numbers effect in every sequel of a once original movie, in the seventh season of any long-running sitcom, or brain-washed authors writing mysteries without any true mystery behind them.
But back to music. In my opinion and with clear exceptions, the greatest albums produced by most any current band seem to be the ones most early in their career. The reason behind this I suppose is because at the time of recording, these blossoming instrumentalist were artist. They were wide-eyed and dreaming of the stars, they invested personal feeling and consciousness to every note, every lyric, and every single bit of ambition. They dreamed of the money and the fame, but hadn't gotten their first real taste of the forbidden fruit. And then they take off, propel among the stars, and begin writing for everyone (and no one in particular).
With the ability to now download, rip, zip and unzip music, the novelty of creating music is forced to return to the idealized innocence those young-songwriters once had. Suddenly they can begin to write music not for everyone, and especially not for the record companies dastardly intentions, but instead write songs for you and me, the fans, and more importantly while untainted by corporate greed, can write songs for themselves. This will surely crop out many song-writers who prefer to pay the checks and the ones who truly fantasize not about expressing themselves but instead about owning a hot-tub for every floor of their multi-story mansion, and what it will leave us, the listeners, will be truly in our greatest interest, it will leave us with artists.
-B.L.
Perhaps I have fantasized the man too much, but ideally what I want is music artists to embody the soul and power of Bill Withers. Through the rumored discrepancies he has had with his two record companies, the attention he received through popular culture, and most importantly the music he makes, I have concluded in my mind that Bill Withers is the man and he would surely be at the fore-front of the fight against record companies. So please enjoy...
"I write and sing about whatever I am able to understand or feel. I feel that it is healthier to look out at the world through a window than through a mirror. Otherwise all you'll see is yourself and whatever is behind you." -B.W.
With below freezing temperatures and crowded buses, students have once again flooded the streets of Iowa City to begin the first day of the new semester. School starting is always bitter-sweet, and after taking the last semester to complete an internship, I had forgotten the busy schedule involved with being a college student.
I can't complain to much however, the busy curricular and extra-curricular lifestyle is unquestionably missed by those who no longer live it. This semester also happens to be my last before graduation; so sudden plans to squeeze all that I can get out of it have come to surface and as of now it's a waiting game to see how everything will turn out.
Tentative plans and things on the radar include:
2nd Annual "Get Belayed on Valentine's Day" Climbing Competition
Midwest Outdoor Leadership Conference
3rd Annual Polar Plunge including inaugural Polar Beer Olympics
Spring Beak?!
Ice Silo and Cross Country Skiing
General Tom-Foolery
And Many More!
Alas among all these fun things (of which I plan on doing none alone) I must remind myself that their are still classes to attend and tests to ace. Ideas are always out their for adventures and I hope to hear them.Come join me, let's do something fun, and as always; enjoy the weather.
Just as you start to figure it out, Iowa pulls a fast one on you. After having multiple days of sunny skies and 50 degree fall weather, the Iowa morning awoke in a Winter mode. As the evening ran darker throughout the day before, a cold wind that had been circulating, but not striking, finally gained enough momentum to bring in the snow flurries. Now shovels are being dragged across sidewalks, and brake lights are more common then the stop-lights that now radiate in a cup of snow. The weather forecast had predicted it, but based on their past misplaced judgments, it was a snowy surprise.
It's a contrasting feeling between the short but welcomed false summer of the last couple of weeks and the new ice-fort I have awoken to. Let me assure you, the thermometer at my place is never above 62 degrees and every temperature drop is noticed. I had been slightly sun-burnt from Iowa January a few days ago and now I feel the need to adorn the winter gear a la Randy from the "Christmas Story." -->
Iowans almost have a sick pride in our radical weather jumps. Like the stereotypical image of the Iowa farmers talking about rain on the front porch, some natives, myself included, get a sense of excitement over drastic weather changes.
And it's not just Iowa Natives, its most Mid-Westerners. We all not only take the weather in strides, we relish in the changing forecasts and the gambling weathermen and women. It may be looking to deeply into a situation that could be labeled "just how it is," but perhaps the variable Bingo game that Mid-Westerners play each year with the weather is attributable to the Mid-West personality. The same personality that is so keenly portrayed as rural and corn-fed in a caricature sense.
While it may be true that we are corn-fed, much of the denser parts of Iowa is not farmland, and the personality that I am referring to is beyond occupation. Mid-Westerners (in general) are always nice enough for conversation, sharp enough for dialogue, and are always able to roll alongside any situation. And it may be the snow packed to closely to my window, but I believe that those personality traits are linked to the weather.
Mid-Westerners can and have dealt with a lot of wild weather conditions. And rarely we have any say in it. Alongside 50 degree weather in January we have seen rain that freezes upon impact, blazing summer heat that burns the bottom of rubber running shoes, tornadoes that rip the red paint off of barn-doors, biblical sized floods, and of course more snow then what we know to do with. And when the dust finally settles, we all marvel at the impeccable force nature has dealt to us.
We know that value of hard-work as we shovel our cars out of five feet of fresh snow, we understand the alertness that comes with an approaching thunderstorm, and most importantly we deal with it. And we deal with it a touch of eloquence I might add. We ski through snow-covered streets and battle the heat with cold-drinks and fresh food, and our complaints are always cast aside against revelry and appreciation. Appreciation for the fact that we can not only handle the weather that defines our region, but we embrace the obstacles to the point that it begins to define our very lives.
See ya' 2011, it's been good. Another year under the belt. And what better way to spend the night then amongst friends at a festively decorated shindig. We all gathered and ate delicious food and home-aid cocktails while the music flowed and the party began to pick up. People stood around talking about the past, celebrating the present, and of course holding cheers for the future.
I managed to sneak a video-camera to the party and ask a few questions through out the night. I enjoyed listening to all the honest responses, the quiet murmurs, and the R-Rated commentary. And although as the night grew longer and the speech more slurred, sobering truths lie behind every message. Whether it is coming home for the first time, finding someone you care for, or finding pride within yourself, it is clear that 2012 will be a good year.
