Christmas at the Hutchinson Zoo in Hutchinson Kansas

We went to the Hutchinson zoo tonight for a Christmas event. They had some trees decorated by various groups, and the train took you for a ride through some lighted areas. We rode the train three times.

It was cold. In case you can't tell from my multiple layers and the blanket they provided. I felt like I was channeling Ralphie.

It's not the most elaborate display I've ever seen, but it's free and happening a few blocks from my house. It's hard to beat that. And I love the train. The train ride does cost $1.50, and it's worth every penny. Times three.

Here you can see the new building from the train.





The trees all had to be decorated with items that could withstand the weather. Some were pretty creative.







If you're local, don't despair - you've not missed your chance. You can go tomorrow night, or next Thursday, Friday or Saturday. It's from 6-8 and you will be able to ride the new train.

Unsettle Their Minds

Education is not to reform students or amuse them or to make them expert technicians. It is to unsettle their minds, widen their horizons, inflame their intellects, teach them to think straight, if possible.
--- Robert M. Hutchins

I ran across this quote and the concept of "unsettle their minds" really struck me. I love that idea - unsettle the mind. When you think about it, isn't that really the time we come up with the most creative ideas? When our brains are a little bit off their normal tracks?

I suppose the trick is to find ways we can "unsettle the mind" while still being able to function enough to think straight.

Tonight I was in a situation where we were brainstorming and I realized just how much I enjoy that. It's interesting to put your mind on a particular path and branch out from there. I like the free form nature of brainstorming. I think it's best when the mind is "unsettled."

I will be thinking more about this in coming days. The Unsettled Mind. Sounds like a book title.

The Day

I continue to make progress on the Christmas "chores" at hand. I want to put a few more decorations on the tree, and the ribbon for garland and then it will be done.

I've been working on my Christmas letter. (Yes, I'm one of those people who writes the dreaded/beloved Christmas letter. If you don't want to read it, just throw it away. I'll be none the wiser.) Because I'm not hosting a holiday party this year I'll not mail nearly as many items as usual. And I have no sense of urgency about getting the invites in the mail.

These days I'm still moving rather slowly, so it's taking me awhile to do everything. I wrap a present or two, put a few decorations on, and then I'm ready to rest. At this rate it will be a wonder if I'm done before Christmas.

Tomorrow is going to be a busy, busy day so I must get some rest. Unfortunately, one of my favorite Star Trek The Next Generation shows is play - the Traveller, for those of you who are fans. I have a toy of the Traveller on my desk at work. I used to keep one of Picard and the Traveller on my desk. Picard to remind me of what leadership should look like and the Traveller to remind me things aren't always what they seem.

Regardless of my love of Trek, I must sleep.

A Season for Everything

Life, indeed, has a season for everything.

Sometimes we slip into a season we didn't anticipate or desire. You take stock of yourself one day and realize that you're deeply embedded in a life you weren't expecting. Then comes the moment when you have to decide if you want that life or if it's time to change.

Sometimes we tumble head first into a season of life we seek. We jump off the bridge, dive into the cold water, and hope we can hold our breath long enough. Just long enough. We want to get to the moment when we're comfortable enough that we can tread water, just for awhile, to fully grasp who we are now.

Every life has some seasons of discontent, and hopefully some seasons of pure joy. We all just hope there are more of the latter than the former.

The other day I heard a phrase: "I always grieved for who she might have been." Isn't that a sentiment we can all apply to people in our lives? Sometimes to ourselves? Who she might have been. Who we might have been. Who I might have been. We are all just trying to become the people we are meant to be. We just don't necessarily know who that is.

Robert Frost, that master of seasons, wrote of the road less travelled, although he never used that phrase. He was sorry he couldn't take both the roads because having to choose meant leaving one road untouched. The seasons we choose are like that - choosing one means leaving others behind.

But, of course, we don't always get to choose the seasons of life. Some are thrust upon us while our protestations fall on deaf ears. Some seasons push us to the limit and beyond. Some seasons are all too brief, and some seem to stretch on endlessly.

Regardless of how we get there, by choice or default, I can only believe there's something to be gained from each season. Each season, however we get to it, is part of making us who we are meant to be.

Cyber Monday is not a Bargain Day

Back in the long, long ago days - you know, like five years ago - when lots of people didn't have high speed net access at home, the Monday after Thanksgiving was a big online sale day. Why? Well, because those sneaky employees were using the company access (and perhaps time) to do some Christmas shopping.

I am certainly not opposed to online shopping. I do it often, although I much prefer to do it at home instead of at the office. I've done some Christmas shopping online already this year. But if retailers want to entice me to shop on "cyber Monday" they're going to have to step up their game. A lot.

If it's just a decent sale price then it's nothing to get excited about. Free shipping is great, but, frankly, I pretty much expect that. All the time. And if you won't give it to me on the average Thursday, one of your competitors will. Guess who I will buy from?

One of the great things about the internet is that it has taken competition for the shopper's dollar to a new level. Unfortunately, online retailers have not risen to the occasion as far as I can tell. But, then, I'm a person with my own high speed internet connection, which I was putting to use on Thursday, when the deals were better than they are now.

Do retailers just think we won't notice? We do. Really.

If you really want to compete for my money you've got to do better. Honest. Here I sit with a high speed connection and I'm blogging on it instead of buying on it.

Quote of the Day

"It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer."
--- Albert Einstein

Of course, I think most of us would argue that Einstein was very smart, but there is some wisdom in this statement.

I've always been a great "starter" but not always a good "finisher." In the last few years I've made an effort to address that, and I have to say I've been pretty successful in making changes.

Part of the process has been to realize that some things simply take a long time to accomplish. I've been working on this novel off and on for eight years now, although I haven't had any brain power or energy for it in 2009. But, it has been a real learning experience for me. Some things do just take an extended period of time.

Black Friday

I did quite a bit of Christmas shopping today. I wasn't sure I'd feel up to shopping this year, but I found some good stuff in the ads yesterday and got everything I was after this morning.

What I didn't get was much sleep. I will be rectifying that situation shortly. I desperately wanted to come home and nap, but knew that was a very bad idea because then I'd be up half the night. So, I'm trying to stay vertical until a reasonable early time to go to bed.

I also got some goodies for myself today. As always, I end up shopping for myself more than I should.

My big purchase of the day was a new phone. It's a droid - the Samsung Instinct. It's the fastest phone on the market at the moment and so far I like it. I say that even though I don't really know how to use some of the basic functions on it yet. Learning how to answer it is a must before I go to bed tonight. It's embarrassing to have to call people back and tell them I couldn't figure out how to answer the phone when they called. It does, however, provide a tremendous amount of amusement for folks.

One of my stops this morning was the local target where there was no parking in the entire lot, and hundreds of people waiting in line. I think it's the largest crowd I've been in for a black Friday sale. There's some fun involved in the whole experience, although I certainly wouldn't want to make a habit of shopping this way.

I think tomorrow I'll stay home most of the day. Without hundreds of other people around.