Introspection, Inspiration and Inception.

Introspection, Inspiration and Inception.

Introspection:
I have been reflecting on 2017 in numeric terms, on personal level and in overall society.
As for basic living, I have had 1,095+ meals, 2,600 hours of sleep, 375 showers (not 52), brushed my teeth 1,400+ times and had 17 Haircuts.
I have driven 11,107.8 miles in my car, and flown 5,380 direct (5,500 actual) air miles. As for the Internet: 6 blog posts, a few pages on my site, about 1000 Tweets and most of my Facebook posts.

I have also watched 227 episodes of “Jeopardy!” It should have been 230 episodes some were preempted by other events. That’s just about 14,000 clues.

I have been to the Levoy Theatre 15 times.

My computer has tested 19 tested Mersenne numbers (2^p – 1) to determine if prime – none so far, and double checked 10 more and those still were not prime numbers.

The Earth has traveled about 584 million miles along its orbit, with respect to the sun. Don’t ask me to count the Earth’s rotation in the mix.

Between “Dancing With The Stars” Seasons 24 and 25, and “So You Think You Can Dance” Season 14, I learned that I could possibly dance.

After watching “Property Brothers [all incarnations],” “Love It or List It,” “Fixer Upper,” “Good Bones,” and “Desert Flippers,” I reaffirmed that I could work on my own house projects within reason. Then you call a specialist if you can’t do it yourself.

January:
New Hope for 2017. A new type of President in Donald J. Trump. A new reason to complain for some. Advice: If you don’t get your way, don’t throw a temper tantrum, because you are an adult. Definition of adult: starts at 18, not delayed until 30.

February:
The Patriots won a big game and I think that was the last professional football game I watched. Valentine’s Day tends to be a week long celebration. Celebrate love and cooperation, not hate and resistance.
One morning a week later, I was watching what I thought was news. I determined it was “Fake News” or at least hysteria or hypnosis on a 15 minute repeating cycle. Normally two hours of a cable news morning show covers: a major event, politics, some cooking, entertainment, the weather and sports.

March:
I went to see “Most Likely to Succeed” and I changed a few habits. I attend much more professional development that’s free or out of my pocket. At the end of the month, I went to Google Bootcamp Level 1 at Stockton for 2 days. [Plug for Kiker Learning here.]

April:
A reality check on creep of privatization in education: maintenance, cafeteria, substitute teachers, teacher’s aides, ESP, teachers for 20% to 25% of salary through almost long-term assignments. Travel south: ironically 4 months early for 100% solar eclipse. “Doctor Who” Series 10 lasts for a few months. More requirements for so little.

May:
Genius hour activity: Mars Calendar MY34. The Kentucky Derby: remembering an old friend and knowing someone I should take to the races. Another year older, 47, another time to reflect. “The Shack” a perspective on God (not like “Star Trek V: The Final Frontier”). EdCamp Happy Camper was my first EdCamp and I won an electronic sock puppet. The closest to that was Bacon Bytes in 2015. I became a Google Certified Educator Level 1. The Preakness: more horses. I took the Jeopardy! online test: no word yet, if I was on there, I couldn’t tell you anyway.

June:
I drove 3 hours to Google Bootcamp Level 2 in Bergen County, then the next week went to Garden State Summit Google Apps for Education. The Belmont: even more horses. Graduations: some good speeches, some virtue signaling speeches. Apparently some feel that patriotism is hate speech and if you have a difference of opinion with someone, you can ignore their genuine greeting. Learn not to get involved in identity politics. Hate the action, not the person. I became a Google Certified Educator Level 2.

July:
Be a good host. Marriage is a great thing with the right person. Riding a tractor is exhilarating. Interviews are not meant to be a reality game show.

August:
New Start Career Network: validation of retraining yourself, meeting new people. Help others: be non-partisan. Check your power surge protectors, they’re dated. If there is no date on it, then it’s over 20 years old. I attended a 50th Anniversary: cooperation and compassion lasts. A Solar Eclipse on a summer day can create a cool breeze. Last minute help can save the day.

September:
Bridge out: Imagine, you get in your car drive the path you take every day and all of a sudden you’ve lost one of your major options. The path you travel sometimes needs to change and may take longer. “The Orville” on Fox (now Disney) vs. “Star Trek: Discovery” on CBS All Access. I need a good laugh not more virtue signaling. Apps get larger, delete an app, clear cache. After a while forced obsolescence occurs and you need to replace your phone. That applies to Apple and Android. EdCamp SoJersey at Stockton.

October:
Groundhog day in October. Goal to be healthier. You can make resolutions at anytime – even October 8th. After 3163 days 100,000 miles in my car. A name from the past makes me realize some nonsense is in the past.

Amazon could come to Millville, NJ with infrastructure enhancements. Some sand plants nearby could be converted to computer chip or solar panel manufacturing. Easy access to NJ-55. Philadelphia, Atlantic City, Rowan University, Stockton University and Rutgers University in Camden within 45 minutes to 1 hour. Traffic not that bad. Millville straight-line equidistant between New York City and Washington, DC ~115 miles.

November (Big Month):
Archives organization. Election Day: Balance in New Jersey. In 2008, Barack Obama (D) was elected as the 44th President, then in 2009 Chris Christie (R) elected Governor of New Jersey. In 2016, Donald J. Trump (R) was elected as the 45th President, then in 2017 Phil Murphy (D) elected Governor of New Jersey. Like I said in January, If you don’t get your way, don’t throw a temper tantrum, because you are an adult. Get back to blogging. EdCampNJ in New Brunswick. Winning hardware is fun. Know the odds. Facebook Marketplace: Get a Drafting Table and accessories. Create a Maker Space. Thanksgiving: be thankful for family and health. Continue to take care of the homefront. I closed the month with a lunch and tour at an exclusive place. It still feels surreal to me.

December:
I can’t really dance, but I can sing. Downsizing and organization. Christmas preparations. Christmas. I’ll close this section with a quote from Peter Capaldi as the 12th Doctor in the “Doctor Who” Christmas Special: “Twice Upon a Time” … [spoilers] … “Never be cruel, never be cowardly. And never ever eat pears! Remember – hate is always foolish… and love is always wise. Always try to be nice and never fail to be kind.”

Inspiration:
Inspiration can come from many places. It can come from people: family, old friends, mentors, teachers, coworkers, strangers, clergy, and even political figures. It can come from books, poems, photography, all other forms of media.

Inception:
Now that it is 2018, it is a time to begin again. Regenerate.

This is post 5 of my alphabet posts.

Act Boldly. Change Deliberately.
Educate Frequently.
GISday 2017
Happy, Healthy, Hiking.
Introspection, Inspiration and Inception.