AdventuresInMissingThePoint.com

The title is from the Kirate Kid movie.  Mr. Miyagi first starts his apprentice Daniel training in karate with only mundane chores: waxing cars, painting fences, and sanding floors.  Just before the apprentice burns out and gets fed up, Mr. Miyagi shows that the rote chores that are now burned into Daniel’s memory are ways to defend himself.  The waxing and painting motions block punches and the sanding motion blocks kicks.

It’s probably a bunch of BS, but it’s inspirational.  This year, I’ve changed my cross-training workouts from a more traditional weight lifting to also include Miyagi Functional (MF) type.  I really like MFing.

Last week I spent the whole week MFing.  I took a week off my weight training and we moved our stuff from one apartment to another.  This is functional weight lifting.  It’s both cross-training and produces a visualize end result.

More generally this year, I’ve spent a lot of time cleaning.  I’m not sure if I can block punches or kicks.  I bet I can’t run any faster (a more representative physical constant).  However, I think it can be a more rewarding workout than going to the gym.  When you do a workout at the gym, you get the satisfaction of endorphins and (short-term) fatigue.  The only other accomplishments are abstract: traveling 3 miles while not moving, lifting metal up only to bring it right back down, etc.  MFing is more comprehensive.

When you clean, you try to collect as much dirt and dust as possible.  So you scrub, brush, vacuum, and then move stuff so you can scrub, brush, vacuum some more.  This can be as physically as demanding as you feel like.  However, after scrubbing, brushing, and vacuuming you get physical accomplishments: negative entropy!!!

Lately, I’ve been focusing on general cleaning, but trying to specifically detail one area (e.g. shower door, black trim on the car, wood polishing).  I think the general cleaning helps maintain endurance, while detailing might provide instances to improve strength, due to any straining in awkward positions.

Also to appease my appetite for learning, I’ve been formulating my own cleaners: laundry detergent, window cleaner, and wood polish.  (Search DIY ___ for formulations, if you want to make your own.)

I feel in better shape, based on the fact that I have more endurance for a cleaning session.  The added bonus is an organized environment and belongings which promote efficiency.  I find it more exciting using well maintained equipment, in an organized environment.

That’s what I’ve got.  What do you think: Is this lame . . . or, the start of my amazing , MFing path towards enlightenment?

While I prefer the book, there is an entertaining scene in the movie version of Never Cry Wolf. The bush pilot Rosie responds to his passenger’s concern about the engine quitting during mid-flight, while climbing out of the cabin, with the following quote.

What’s wrong?!  I’ll tell you what’s wrong: Boredom!  And do you know the cure for boredom? Adventure!

–Rosie, in Never Cry Wolf

While nothing interesting comes from the mundane and normal, maybe safety should hold a higher ranking than Rosie is giving it.  Nonetheless, I like the counter-intuitive logic involved.

I sold my car about a month ago.  I sold it because my car felt like more of a liability than a joy.  It has nice environmental implications.  Going car-free has nice financial advantages.  Going car-free means less hassle too.  Those are some nice effects, and they factored into my decision.

I ultimately made the decision based on the fact that I like cycling, as a form of transportation, more than driving; I don’t need a car in my current situation; AND, I have a back-up car I can use, Dre’s.  So, I’m mostly car-free.  I use her car regularly about twice a week.

It took me a month and a half to sell my car (and about 2+ years of mental deliberation and motivation-mustering).  I followed the advice I found on the internet: make sure the car is mechanically sound, clean it, detail it, and then list it for sale using multiple mediums.

• Mechanically sound: After having a (false) low-tire pressure sensor on my dashboard for about a year, I finally figured out that my full-size spare was setting off this alarm.  (The alarm system works with each tire with RF technology: good to know.)  $0.75* of compressed air fixed the problem.  I also had two dents removed for $150.  To me, watching this guy remove the dents was the equivalent to what others find from watching football or baseball while sitting in the front row.  The artisan, if you will, had such an impressive technique and a depth of knowledge from his years of experience that he made it look simple.
• Clean it: I spent two weekends in a row cleaning for about 6 hours from each session.  This was the genesis to my recent cleaning as a workout, as it is both gratifying from both an endorphin perspective as well as from a visual accomplishment.
• Detail it: Even though I cleaned it thoroughly, I had a professional detail my car for $150.  I took the day off work and spectated.  Another artisan full of tricks.  I truly enjoyed this experience too.
• List it: I used autotrader, craigslist, and parked it with a sign next to a busy street.  I had the most interested buyers from autotrader; the most communication from craigslist; and, a big goose egg from the sign.

*I recently filled up Dre’s tires from 30 psi to 35 psi with 20 cycles from my (bicycle) floor pump.  So going forward, I think it’s easier to pump 4 tires x 20 cycles = 80 times than it is to find 3 quarters and drive to the gas station.

I ended up selling the car to a millwright who needed a new vehicle to get to work.  I like to think he will be more excited about using it than I will.  (I also believe I recouped the $300+ I put into the effort as I pulled in $1000 more than I was expecting for the sale based on Kelly Blue Book information and gut feeling.)

The key learning I had from this experience was that 1) cleaning is a good workout and 2) it’s more fun to drive something clean and mechanically sound.

There’s some coordination involved, for times I want to use a car — using Dre’s, bumming a ride, or renting a car  — but it’s not boring!

In fact to generalize, I think the easiest way to add adventure is to take away comfort (and may I suggest not compromising safety ;)).  One way to do this is to plan “next time” to do it yourself.  There’s lots of areas where you can remove service costs: cooking, repair, entertainment, vacation plans, etc.

I recently watched Jeremiah Johnson, a 70s movie based on a man who removes himself from society to live in the mountains.

There is a scene where he essentially decides to stop wandering after months of drifting.  He decides on a plot of land near a river.  And for the next few moments in the movie, he builds a log cabin in the time span that appears to be somewhere between 2 weeks and 2 months.

The movie doesn’t detail the design or give the viewer a tour of the finished house.  I’m guessing that his house is a one room shelter, very simple in design.  It lacks heat, a kitchen, and a 3 car garage.  For the argument’s sake, let’s say he could render all the comforts he wants within the next 5 years, while still maintaining his hunter-gatherer lifestyle.

I paint this picture because my first reaction to the scene was wonder and shock, in observing that he could just build a house. My current model of a house is *at least* a 15-year mortgage, if not the even more popular 30-year option.  Not even to mention utilities, taxes, HOAs, and the basic human need of cable television.

It takes 3 to 6 times longer to provide for one’s housing than it did before modern conveniences.

Even though today’s houses are more comfortable and convenient than the house Jeremiah built, I question the intentions of technology in our paradigm, including banking.  The “advantages” seem to have a superfluous amount of comforts, or at least it seems to be holding Westerners back rather than providing a more efficient method.

Is this too much of a naysayer or pure analytic view?

I had 4 goals for Oten (the year 2010), recorded here.  My goals were broken into four compartments: learning about electricity, qualifying for the Boston Marathon, setting a budget, and reading 4 big books.

I’m not sure what my impetus for these goals was.  However, I know my driving force lately has been to feel more human: that is developing skills and knowledge, over just experience.  Maybe I had a Jonathan Livingston Seagull moment.

Electricity

I’d like to think my interests here are that electricity is becoming less of a want and more of a need.  So I think now, while electricity is relatively cheap is a good time to learn about it*.  Also, buying simple mechanic devices without electronic controls is becoming a novelty, thereby increasing my desires all the more.

My biggest efforts here were getting Technician and General Ham radio certifications.  I made it about halfway through studying for Extra Class before I let life get in the way.  I really enjoyed studying for these tests, as it provided a refresher and practical application in electronics.

On the practical scene, I learned how to solder.  I replaced the original wire nuts in my aquarium light switch with soldered connections.  No big deal, if you can draw you can solder.

Overall, I’m pleased with my progress, but I admit it lacks anything with depth or creativity.

*Somewhat related, here’s a neat Doomsday prediction gone wrong article.

Boston Qualifier

Here my goal had a slightly more than ego-basis.  This year I found that one gets a much more solid understanding after trying to implement what he learns; that is practical experience is as valuable as theoretical.

I failed in the end result, but I think I became a much more knowledgeable runner this year.  In terms of end results, I did PR in the 5k and half-marathon.  I’m happy with my efforts and learning. My favorite running book this year that helped increase my knowledge just as much as it helped my motivation is George Sheehan’s Running to Win.  (Terrible title, but very practical information.)

I won’t be trying for a BQ any time soon, but I don’t plan to put this goal to bed forever.

Budgeting

Serendipitously, I read Your Money or Your Life soon after making this goal.  I think this book creates a logical framework to ensure that you’re in a good feedback loop with one’s spending: that is not too much or too little, but a nice Goldilocks amount to ensure efficiency yet maintain personal growth.

4 Big Books

This past year I reclaimed my lost interest in reading making this goal a walk in the park.  If you’re keeping track, four books I would consider big (classics or dense textbook-like) that I read are:

• Ishmael
• Mindful Economics
• Siddhartha
• 1984

I ranked them in my personal liking.  So, I got that going for me, which is nice.  As in the introduction to this, my goals going forward are still to acquire more skills.

Perhaps without as much structure in the goals though . . .