We went to Holy Grill and talked about what Bo has been doing. He seems to be doing well, but needs to be a lot more insistent on the companies he is helping to hire him or pay him. He seems to be really happy now that Umi is here and they are going to be getting married soon. I found out that Sean Teague is moving to the bay area. I hope Bo is happy wherever he ends up. Also found out that John Forrest just graduated and is looking for a job in robotics for a mechanical engineer.
This book was very good. The arguments were laid out clearly and logically, with anecdotal supporting evidence. The concepts covered were very good, about getting other people to work for you the best that they can. The methods to doing this are creating the right atmosphere, asking good questions, not being the decision maker, and giving individuals more power and responsibility than they would normally get. Where I work has policies that are meant to support this kind of environment, and they work to a certain degree. I’d say this is my number two favorite book so far.
The title of this book is a misnomer. The book has very little about science, and the little it does have is half-science. It isn’t pseudoscience, just all the science in it is reported anecdotally. I was very disappointed by this book. There were also large portions of the book dedicated to meditations and overall expounding on meditation, mindfulness, and enlightenment having nothing to do with science. I would recommend avoiding this book. The book also had a bit of a different view on mindfulness and what that means vs. the way I had been understanding it in other books on the subject.
The one good thing I can say about this book is the way it points out how Buddhism, and other religious groups, could be more like the scientific community. The best of these is open logical discussions on policy and practice.
Stephanie and I went to the Ballet tonight in SF to see Cinderella. It was ok, as Ballet just isn’t my thing. I have to admit there were some really cool parts, both visually and comically. I’m too much a person that likes witty banter, and comical nuance. These things are really hard to get across in a ballet. There was a scene where Cinderella was taught how to dance by the seasons, and I just didn’t understand it. At first I thought she spent a year learning to dance, but the ball was later that night. Then I thought that she retroactively had been taught by her experiences throughout life, but that just didn’t fit the story. I’d say I’m looking for meaning where there is none.
Nick, Steph, and I finished up the game of Stone Age that we started while in line for Ironman 3. I won, but only by 9 pts, as Steph was really racking up the points for all her huts.
After that we played a couple of games of Factory Fun. The first three I beat Steph one on one. Then Nick joined in and Steph won by a lot, with Nick in a solid second.
This was not that great of a listen. The author spent most of the time in somewhat related anecdotal stories, as well as only giving moderately useful guidance on what to do to better yourself. The last book I read “The Power of Habit” was much better, even though it only talks about willpower in one chapter of the book. This book also mirrored much of the Buddhist teachings of mindfulness that I’ve been listening to. It has been a really interesting how I’m hearing those Buddhist overtones in parts of many of the books I’m listening to now. I think it has to do with the ideas being very tested and refined. Western teachings on self-improvement are just catching up to the idea of being mindful. That said, I still don’t agree with some of the other Buddhist teachings.
This went wayyyyy off book, and I’m really interested to see where they take some of the lines that they took irreparably off the book. Gendry, Sansa, and Little Finger were the ones who went way off book. This makes the TV series so much more interesting, since it isn’t following the books exactly. I don’t know what is coming next and that is exciting. I’m going to really enjoy the next few episodes of the story.
I got some nice beer and cider for the viewing, and Nick made some really tasty taco makings. I got the bottles that are readily resealable and paid Trey to get some more next time.
We were joined by Trey, Simon, Nick, Steph, Tony, and Jamie. Riley came over afterwards to watch Once Upon a Time with us.
I got to ride Trooper today, and he wasn’t the most obedient horse I’ve ridden. Belle was a great horse to ride when considering how well she listened. Although Belle was also a great horse to ride in preparation since Belle didn’t listen too much to the reigns when I was directing her. Trooper was the same, but so much worse. I felt really good doing the 2-point in the trot today. The feeling was great to just stand in 2-point while the horse was doing it’s thing under me. I was able to balance there and there was no problems in keeping my control, or being able to direct the horse at the same time. I was really happy about the being able to direct the horse at the same time especially. The biggest problem with Trooper was trying to direct him in general. He really didn’t listen to what I was trying to do.
At the mountain view art festival yesterday there was a company that was selling these trivets that turn into a bowl. I got one for Nana, which I will be giving to her when I visit later this month. These are amazing, and I was going to get one for the parents, but Steph was tired. After the nap we went to horseback riding.
Here is the bowl version:
here is the trivet version:
