LandMinds

Listening to: Kids Next Door on TV
Mood: Depressed and Hungry
Drinking: A glass of Chiraz

December approaches with large strides and yet, I cannot feel like Xmas is months away. In fact, by the feel of the weather, one could say that Fall is in the air. As the years past, I have felt the lack of seasonal changes with increasing unease. After all, my native France had all these seasons where they are supposed to be and while we often cursed the heart of winter for its glacial presence, we welcomed snow as a sight to be treasured and always looked forward to warm summer nights, cool spring showers and the wonder of fall’s leaves ballet. The comings of fall and winter have been linked d for a long time to bouts of depression but I suspect that the lack of seasonal patterns is also a source of depression. After all, what good is summer is it can never be compared to winter. Black needs white in the Tao and so sunny months need dark ones. I just does not feel like Xmas outside…

On the other hand, as the cycle draws to an end, my heart feels the Xmas tingle and looks forward to lights, trees, hot chocolate and fire side discussions with those I love. I guess that what I lack in snowy displays I get in the glow of my family and friends, a glow that lightens each and every day of the year. So if like me you miss a white Xmas, find refuge in the tradition and rejoice that the most important part of this holiday, love, surrounds you. Maybe next year will I fly the Big Apple or to a snowy resort with the tribe, so that for once my inside feeling an be matched by my surrounding…

And for those in search of novelty, check out this upside down Xmas tree (http://www.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/2005-11-07-christmas-trees_x.htm ) Lots of things have been said about the usefulness of such a tree. I say it just leaves more room for presents. That is what our society seems to be all about these days.

Dinner is now ready for consumption. I love to cook as much as I love to eat the result.
Pierre out…

Posted by Pierre at 06:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Mood: full and tired with a chance of late night
Listening to: Repetitive kids videogames soundtrack.
Drinking: Camomille Tea

Welcome to this blog Thanksgiving 2005 edition! Don’t’ leave quite yet, I promise to avoid the usual meaningless platitudes! I just would like you to think back to the people that were around you today. When it all comes down to it, these people are your life, your environment, and populate your own personal reality, today. So try to remember this meal and always be thankful for the individuals who shared it with you. After all, the fate of the world, a country, or any of the myriads of deformed events presented daily in the media are nothing in comparison to the life of those who shared your table today. Always invite strangers at your table, care for your family and friends; Good starts and ends here, in the moment. Dara, Axel, Morgan, Bev, Bud, Royce, David Violet and Mindy, you made my day special and I will forever bear it within me. For that, I am thankful…

Pierre out…

Posted by Pierre at 10:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Playing: Beanfield – The Great Outside (Dixon ADVC Retouch)
Mood: Mellow with a chance of neurosis

Monday night in sleepy Florida. The wind outside persists in pushing things around and it almost feels like autumn, like the real autumn, the one that orchestrates fancily dressed leaves dance parties and announces winter just before he leaves, like a small club spinner just before the graveyard break. Well, no real autumn here, this is always summer, with a slightly colder temp once in a blue moon (Check this link for the meaning of the expression http://www.obliquity.com/astro/bluemoon.html)…

Not much to talk about tonight, as if Monday was a bland staging area for the rest of a week that speeds up until the weekend arrives, then comes to a dead halt of potentials soon evaporated in Saturday night last glass of whiskey. At least this Monday did not bear too f-ups. Thank G for little things! Plus this week is a short one, whatever that means (I believe it means ‘short work-wise’).

I was musing this morning on which educational step to take next. As a web guy, it would be natural to go for a PhD in computer science, but the perspective of taking yet more programming courses, math courses and other dry technicalities leaves me with a fairly nauseous feeling. Guys, this is supposed to be fun! I have looked at PhDs in education, given the fact my ideal job is to teach technology and web design, along with researching new approaches, angles and altogether throw a spin on the online scene before it gets to comfy. I have a degree in law, one in education and one in CIS. What’s next? If you read this and whether you know me or not let me know what you think.

The burning lavender incense is almost out. The wind has decided to rest for a little while. I’ll do the same.

Pierre out…

Posted by Pierre at 10:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

While I am able to tear apart and rebuild some of the most complex PC configurations, cars are forbidden territory, an arcane area that forever remains out of reach of my intellect. Mostly, as it is common with human and mathematics, the problem is probably more a mental blockage than anything else. Yet, it remains that I am nowhere close to a grease monkey.

When my front light went out on my bug, I froze, my mind full of horror stories from friends with similar vehicles who broke the light casing, destroyed the safety system beyond use and otherwise blew high pressure light bulbs. It was not until I received a written warning from the police that I felt compelled to break open the hood and delve in the cavernous entrails of my favorite steed. I took me a while before I mustered the courage to actually apply myself long enough to get the job done. But let my pain not be in vain. For all you 2003 bug owners out there, here is how it is done:

- Look on the side of the engine housing that harbors the burned out light. Right where the light casing is you should see a tab protruding from the casing. Right above this tab is a criss-cross patterned plastic square. Push in the square while pulling the tab upward until it cannot move anymore. The light casing is now loose and will slightly protrude from the car’s body.
- Pushing lightly from the inside, slide the casing out.
- ACHTUNG – DELICATE PART. You must separate the front of the light casing from the back. This is achieved by popping four grey plastic tabs located on the right, left, top and bottom of the shaft. These tabs are attached to the back of the unit. As the bug gets older, or maybe by mere design, these tabs are VERY fragile, using a large blade to pop them will break them (I broke 2 out of 4). Once the tabs are broken (or at least 3 out of 4) the light is no longer secured and you must spend 2 or 3 hundred dollars to buy a new part. Once you have safely removed the tabs, the two units separate.
- Now look at the back of the ‘back’ element. You should see a black plastic cover. First thing to do is to remove the screw that holds the tab. The screw insert is star shaped so be ready to have one of these nifty heads in your tool chest.
- Once the screw is off, you must use patience and skill (and I am NOT using the word lightly) to remove the black cap’s 2 lower tabs and 1 superior tab.
- Once the tab is off, you can access the back of the bulb, which is held down by a spring. Pop the spring carefully up and it will swing upward.
- Remove the faulty bulb carefully. I advise safety glasses and gloves in case the bulb blows, these babies are not your friendly household type.
- Replace the buld and push the spring back into place.
- Replace the black cap and reassemble CAREFULLY front and back elements. Tabs can also break on the insert.
- Slide the light shaft inside the frame. Both sides have plastic rails that slide inside metal rails located in the frame.
- Once the shaft is back in, push the tab down.
- YOU ARE DONE. GO HAVE A BEER…

I hope that helps. Let me know if you encounter new and unusual circumstances.

PIERRE

Posted by Pierre at 08:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

WHAT DEFINES HOME…

'Home is where family is': Simple yet flexible concept. 'Over 12 years ago, I moved to Florida from Paris and never gave a thought about how long I planned on staying. All I knew is that Brevard county was a better place to raise kids and build a family. Now, 12 years later, I realize that ‘you can take the city boy out of the city but never the city out of the city boy’. To be honest, I do not care for the beach or the ocean, do not like outdoor activities that much, detest the heat and have no affinity for ‘Southern living’. The Florida I moved to was but a collection of postcards and distorted memories that have now faded back to collective imagery, with little or not personal connection to it. Don’t get me wrong, I still think this is an ideal place to raise a family, but my inner city boy craves skyscrapers, busy avenues, crowds, exhibits, art, music, shows, dark alleys, parks and just plain café tables on a street corner. New York anyone? It came to my mind that this may be midlife crisis but I would rather think of it as a deeply ingrained need for my natural environment: the concrete jungle.

So where is home? Where do I want home to be? Do I wish to uproot my little tribe and set my tipi up in the shadow of Manhattan? What a wonderful thought. Yet, I do not feel totally comfortable with it, a feeling that I could not explain until a few nights ago. There are places on Earth that are defined not by their physical context but by the people who dwell in them, places that are more ethereal and energetic than merely physical. The Karate Quest Dojo 3620 South Hopkins Avenue - Titusville, Florida is such a place… I have now trained in martial arts there for 4 years and some change and have discovered an eclectic collection of people, each of them having touched my life in some profound way. The entrance to these walls is not a door but a threshold where the world is left behind and I am home. The humble dojo is a catalyst for many good changes that have affected my path, jut as if I was meant to be there and meet these people, thus becoming part of them as they became part of me. Teachers and students became friends and connections were made that neither time or space can dissipate. I will not name these individuals for they know who they are. Rather, I would invite any of you in the vicinity to pay a visit and discover what I found for myself in 2001. Home is where my family is, but that can be anywhere we go. Home can also be a place where my whole persona feels comfortable and enriched. I was fortunate to stumble upon one such place and I now know why I cannot move away. And when the time comes, then I will depart, yet never really will I leave this place for it is forever tattooed upon my inner being. Thank you to all for showing me the way, one more time.

Posted by Pierre at 10:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Now that Viagra has been targeted for blinding or impairing some users, it seemed that the time had come to pay the piper (no pun intended) for all the chemically induced woodies. Besides, why would men have all the fun and benefit for the communal efforts of the medical community? Maybe given the numbers of male doctors did it make more sense for them to focus upon their aging little heads rather than give ladies the attention they needed. Enter http://www.pt141.com/, a pheromone that promises to create instant heat upon nasal absorption. The product works on female rats that are driven to seek male rats attention after being exposed to the product. The studies do not say if the good looking rats get more attention or if PT141, like alcohol, turn every toad into a prince.

A word of advice to you gentlemen: While the lady in your life may need a little ‘startup’ after spending a day working, taking care of the kids, the bills, the house and dinner, you would be well advised to step in and take a load off her shoulders. Nothing turns a woman on like a man who pitches in. One of the major things I have learned in life is that for the feminine gender, sex is but a continuation of less intense situations such as washing dishes, conducting intelligent conversations and, yes, cuddling. Every road leads to sex less it is cluttered with male gaucherie.

For those who do not know what to do with all this instant arousal, take a look at Anne Hooper's Kama Sutra and New Sex Now: Life's Ultimate Pleasure

To be continued…

PIERRE

Posted by Pierre at 09:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Don’t get me wrong, I love my Beetle passionately. If you have to buy a car, buy a Beetle! I do not work for Volkswagen but I must say the perfection of their little car has turned me into a customer for life. But enough about my car, just check their site at http://www.vw.com and let’s go back to my rant: I hate driving. I know I moved to a country where the automobile is part of the ‘dream’, thus explaining why so many drivers fall asleep at the wheel. However, I dream of living in a large city where I can take the bus/subway or simply walk; G forbid I would exercise my legs. Driving places me in a claustrophobic space where I spend 40 minutes twice a day moving at great speed down a road toward a destination that does not even mandate my presence (check ATA at http://www.knowledgetree.com/ata.html ). Moreover, other such vehicles, most of them faster and bigger, speed in the same direction and are constantly attempting to ruin my day by sending me flying in the ditch. Ditches, in Florida, have gators and finishing in a gator’s stomach is not my idea of a good morning. In contrast, a large city would bring me the leisure of using public transportation to go from A to B, which is in itself not a cake walk on most days, but at least would provide some time for reading the daily news. I tried to drive and read and either the two activities are incompatible or I am not good at it. In the end, I consider driving a stressful activity that depletes my batteries before I even start working. If you live in an environment where you walk to work or use public transportation, please drop me a line and share.

Posted by Pierre at 10:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Driving to work today, I heard news on PBS that perfectly explain and justify my starting this blog: 60% of TIVO users skip commercials, thus prompting a news conference by major channels today in NYC to downplay the trend and keep advertisers from fleeing their waves like peasants before the Mongol hordes. I immediately thought “60% percent of TIVO users skip commercials! That means 40% of them sit there taking in the crappy slogans mass manufacturers lob at their chito-clogged brains!”. Really people, can you believe that? I mean what would motivate a sentient being to sit through commercials when they do not have to? We are not talking about European caliber commercials, ones that use both funny plots and soft porn to lure you into buying their goods. The American public is far more demanding about family values and would immediately rise against whichever television channel shows a nipple or the hint of a pubic area. After all, children are watching and should not be shocked by pictures of the human body between scenes of violence in their favorite show/cartoon/evening news. I would love to hear from someone who digests these ads despite the ability to skip them. It could be the discovery of a new specie.

Posted by Pierre at 10:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)