Category Archives: Omphaloskepsis

Omphaloskepsis is a word you won’t find in all dictionaries. It refers to the practice of meditating while contemplating one’s navel. Stolen from http://www.gynob.com/contnavel.htm

Thanks, Steve

Steve Jobs passed away today at age 56 after a battle with cancer.  Here’s a few random thoughts…

On this day, I own a buttload of Apple gear: iPhone, iPod, iPad, MacBook Pro, Apple TV, Apple TV 2, Time Capsule, Mac Mini… I’m planning on getting an iPhone 4S as soon as possible.

I was (and am) a big open source dork at heart, but Apple’s simplicity and ease of use, especially the past 7 years really spoke to the pragmatic side of me.  It turned me into a fan boy, I guess.  It didn’t hurt that OS X is NeXTStep is UNIX… I touch OS X and Linux every day.

One of Dinah’s first words was iPod which she taught herself so she could ask me to turn on music for her.

In college, I loved using the NeXT computers we had. My first class in college used scheme on the NeXT’s. The NeXT is one of the first places I played Doom.  I took calculus using Mathematica on the Mac in college.

Steve also touched my kids’ lives via Pixar. (Okay, my life too, I saw Toy Story in the theater first run, long before I had kids.) Also through their first computer, a Mac Mini.

There were too other public figures who’s lives and deaths touched me the way Steve’s passing is touching me today: Jim Henson and Fred Rodgers.

Photo 127: Happy Birthday, Dinah! We want cake! Where’s our cake?

7 years ago (in just about an hour and a half from when I’m posting this) my life changed forever when Dinah was born.  She’s kept me going for 7 years, and hopefully I’ve been doing the same.  She’s become an articulate, creative, and caring little girl, a great big sister, and a joy to have around.

(If you were wondering about the post title, here’s a link to one of Dinah’s favorite songs: Seven by They Might Be Giants.)

Photo 123: The Problem Area

I stayed home sick today battling an ear infection in my left ear.  Today was better than the past two days when I had stabbing pains in my ear, but its still not 100%.  For most of the day I’d say I hovered around 45 to 50% since I couldn’t hear out of it.  I’m feeling better this evening, but its still tender. Tomorrow is 48 hours on antibiotics, so I should be mostly out of the woods.  Although, I do kinda feel like I have something only children should get.

Anyway, my ear seems strangely small to me when made the subject of the today’s photo,