Parataxis change shift at 3am & 3pm

Of all the morning walks this week today's was one of them. The stopwatch was reset at Icebergs and by the time the photo (left) was snapped, 20mins had transpired. The pace today was a little more brisk than the last two days, but that may be due to the paucity of cloud cover, a later start or myriad other factors not accounted for as yet. Also, B pointed out these stairs at Tamarama as a steep shortcut back home and frankly that was the best workout of the week. Spring is in the air and I feel surprisingly healthy.

There was an email I received yesterday that, at the bottom, said please consider the environment when printing this email. This got me thinking... I did consider the environment and yet I printed the email, all nine pages! I believe the only thing that the emailer should do is NOT write that pleonasm. It's really just a potential waste of printer toner, ergo this harms the environment more than.

The non-sequitur of the day, other than the subject of this posting (I was inspired by a parataxis yesterday when I thought of the title, but now don't have anything to add), is the pluperfect tense. I'm impressed when you can fool Microsoft when using this tense. Long ago (circa 1983) I used to thing it was incorrect to have the words "had had" back-to-back. It just couldn't be correct. However, inter alia after 5 years of studying Latin coupled with being awarded my Grammar Police ranking in 2002, I think the pluperfect is my favourite tense (closely followed by the future perfect, but that tense will have had enough over-use next year).

Finally, I had my first comment on my blog-page. The whole idea of anonymity intrigues me. I'm not sure if you are anonymous in order to not reveal yourself to Mike Zero, or to not reveal yourself to others who read this blog. In any case, comments and feedback are welcome.

And a parting quote, as is my current theme:
"I wanna make a jigsaw puzzle that's 40,000 pieces. And when you finish it, it says 'go outside.'" - Demetri Martin

Atlas Shrugged

Is cartography still a profession? It's something I have some interest in, but fear that with satellite imagery (Hubble aside), myriad atlases in bookstores, Google Earth and even the opening screen of Universal Studios films (coupled with distant Pluto recently struck off as a planet), there's little out there for me to do as an aspiring cartographer.

Sure, there are those vexing issues between the Peters Projection and the Mercator Projection (I prefer the former if only for alliteration - I'm a Peters Projection Person) which can be endlessly debated, but this is but a minor point in the world of a map man. I know a little about steradians and have argued with a friend whether the moon is a Lambertian surface (I think it is) , but does this actually cut it for me? Is there anything more out there that needs to be mapped. Sure, cartography is large scale architecture, or maybe inverse architecture as you're plotting that which already exists, but maybe there is a need. Polar icecaps melting, sea levels rising, the odd volcanic gurgle or Iceland changing shape - they all add up to a dynamic Earth which needs to be updated. Further, with countries changing name, borders or both they must require a budding assistant. When the ferrous drapery (read: iron curtain) fell, I'm sure there would have been a lot of work out there. Whether it be Republic of the Congo or neighbouring Democratic republic of the Congo maps are required.
Robert Frost said that good fences make good neighbours, and cartographers are those who can ensure this happens on a grand scale.

This morning's walk went swimmingly. Another overcast yet magical sunrise (left) and my third consecutive day of "fitness". My diet, starting on Tuesday (and redundantly pausing for a hiatus each weekend during birthday season), became further refined with speak of Glycemic Index and associated good foods. A quick search on the website led me to this cereal: Ultra-bran™ breakfast cereal, Vogel's brand, soy and linseed extruded wheat bran cereal (30.2 g fiber per 100 g) Australia.
I think I may need to locate it, purchase it and strive for better food intake. This will include a reduction in these at least for a while. So, with a new diet and hopefully a routine of waking up very early to get out and make it beyond Tamarama, there'll be a new Mike Zero at the by the end of Oktoberfest.

Today's quote is from Demetri Martin:
"Employee of the month is a good example of how somebody can be both a winner and a loser at the same time."

A sequence of non sequiturs

This morning was quite the struggle to get out of bed at 6am. Last night I discovered that the snooze setting on my alarm can be varied to any number of minutes. This I find odd, intriguing and ultimately futile. To set it to 1 minute is not, to me, a snooze. And to set it to 1hour is hardly effective. But, as usual, I digress.

Once the rain in the distance cleared and I could actually see the beach, and in spite of the ever-present grey clouds it was time to walk again. The crowds along the tayelet never cease to amaze me at the crack of dawn. Fitness freaks, general freaks, owners who look like their dogs... it's almost disconcerting not to be there given that it would imply laziness. The Spaziergang was great and will continue most mornings for the next few months at least.

I have a meeting with the institute (read: TBI) today. Tying into one of the few founding tenets of this elite think tank, there is no agenda scheduled. Frankly, there may not even be a real meeting. Meetings always seem to be a reason to have coffee and for this I am thankful. Acrostics Anonymous meets tomorrow (more coffee); it's been tough in the acrostic world of late. I think there's a new café near the tennis courts too, so even when trying to do something more active than a meeting, you can imbibe coffee.

I have been advised, nay instructed, to go on a diet. Once YK finishes I'll be consuming fewer bagels, less hummus, darker chocolate, smaller cakes whilst balancing this with more fish, açaí and bamboo. I'm not sure if I should be listening to Alkan, eating alkanes, avoiding alchohol or just ignoring any advice given to me. The words mildly obese seem oxymoronic, so I am not concerned - what is grammatically wrong can't harm me, no?

One parting Mitch Hedberg quote for today:
"Alcoholism is a disease, but it's the only one you can get yelled at for having. 'Damn it, Otto, you're an alcoholic.' 'Damn it, Otto, you have lupus.' One of those two doesn't sound right."

A new year of dipthongs

A very brief first posting... for the new year of the jews is looming (I can tell, for my throne faces west and I can clearly see the nearest star to earth).

I attended Palindromes Anonymous yesterday, you guessed it, at noon. There were a couple of new members, Bob and Anna, who like me believe something can only be a palindromic if it can be read forwards and backwards on a letter-only basis. Debate ensued as to whether a word palindrome was a true palindrome. Given that the closing of each meeting fits this "true palindrome" definition*, the three of us at least were content that we'd won the debate. As with any think tank, there is no right or wrong; it is the process through which thought is trigerred that is the actual winner (philosophically). Next week's discussion, although not palindromic, is whether the past-tense of focus has a single or double "s".
* Satan oscillate my metallic sonatas.

With kavorka I bid you a bon weekend.