Texas Freeways

I want to show you the freeway exit I must take to get to work.
Texas Freeways are not like California Freeways.
California Freeways are designed for high speed and high volume.
The Dallas/Fort-Worth area is growing rapidly, and the number of cars on the freeway is approaching an unsafe level for the design of the system (IMHO).
There is no reaction time built-in to the design.
You must know where you are going.
There is not enough time given to drivers who are first-timers.

Click on the 2 images below to zoom-in to be able to read the embedded text.




The following images are first person view taking the Ross Ave exit at a time of day when traffic is very light/

Back to the Pain

I hurt my back last week as I left the apartment to go to the airport to attend my daughter's wedding. It happened as I was lifting my travel bags and a few bags of garbage. The weight wasn't real heavy - it was just enough, combined with the bad movement, reaching down to the left with my right arm. I am not supposed to lift more than 20 LBS that way (according to my long time firend and Chiropractor, Kurt Alexander).

I felt the tweak and flash of pain. By the time I was in Las Vegas for a 4 hour wait between flights, the pain had inflamed to where I could not stand it anymore. The layover was long due to US Airways shutting down all flights to Visalia, so I had to re-work the flight plan, and this was the best I could do.

I asked for extra pillows at the hotel, and slept on top of them.

On the way back, there was a 2.5 hour delay in Las Vegas. I had awoke at 5:30 Am, and did not get to my apartment until midnight.

There was no food in the house, so I had to shop the next day. That was all I could do, except that I was so unhappy, I went to see a movie: Get Smart. I was in such a bad state, I didn't laugh once. I did go to the Chiropractor, who said my hips were misaligned (right leg short).

I wanted to go to work the next day, but just couldn't do it. I was upset that I lost my cell phone during the trip, and could not call my boss that I would not be in the office. I tried to get my apartment in order, and I went to see another funny movie: Kung Fu Panda. To put myself in the proper mood, I began laughing in the car as I drove to the theater. I remembered a group from India called "The Laughing Club". The premise of the club is that the act of laughing, even if it is forced, makes you feel better. So they make up laughing styles, and give them names, like "lion laugh", where you put your hands up like lion's paws and give a roaring laugh. It worked for me, I was feeling happier as I walked into the theater, and really enjoyed the movie.

Wednesday, I was still very sore. I went to the chiropractor again. This time the left leg was short - by a lot - over 2 inches). He straightened me out, and I went home. I wanted to go to work, but had to rest. I did make it to work by 2:30 PM, but I could hardly walk. I worked for 2 hours, then came home. I sent an emal to my boss explaining what was happening. I felt better emptionally for having gone to work, but couldn't stay long.

By 10PM Wednesday, I could feel the pain subsiding. Thursday morning, it was much better. It is my bed that does this, but it takes time - not an instant thing. I was in that kind of pain all the time in CA - I had forgotten about it. Once I got the ANGEL BED in TX, it still took 2 weeks for the inflamation to go down.

I had gotten used to that pain - had it for years ever since I helped pour come cement in Kathe's backyard. My Chiropractor was on a mission, and his substitute wasn't as perceptive. When Kurt came back, he took X-rays and saw the damage. He began giving me spinal decompression treatments, which made life livable. But this bed, it's a miracle. In 4 days I have gone from pain so severe I would think about dying, to something I can ignore. I am hoping my the end of the week it will be gone.

I am trying to rush through all my personal open projects so I can start 2 new big ones. I am currently working on an Insanity Claus video, Christmas Tree Ornaments for Missionary Work (1500 or more), and sorting/scanning fotos to be scanned. The new projects are learning to dance, and learning how to be a video jockey. I am not sure about being a VJ, but I want to learn how to make software provide tools for VJs.

The market is wide open - there are a few players, and their stuff is either crap or beautiful but unresponsive (doesn't react well to real-time data from the music - they are stressing the graphics, so the depiction is too slow). I know I can do a lot better - and make some pretty cool stuff, but I have a lot to learn to get there. I can tell that none of them understand how to write real-time software, and they have no idea what the data is that is beig deleivered to them from the samplers. The data is from a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), which is the process used in military apps to do tactical surveilllance (finding out where the enemy's equipment is as it is moving) - SIGNAL PROCESSING. It is great to see that kind of technology used for peaceful purposes - especcially ART.

Omega Man

Well, I tried lowering my Omega 3 from fish oil to help lower my blood pressure.
it helped a little, but it really dropped off my focus. I just wasn't understanding what I was reading.

My therapist suggested I might join Mensa in order to get together with people that I have more in common - similar quirks... So I went and took the online test. I got an 80%, but it was very hard for me. My brain just refused to work fast.

So I have brought the Omega 3 dosage back yup to where it was.

I was thinking - why don't women have Adam's Apples? The only thing that seemed reasonable to me was that men needed to attract females for mating, so an Adam's Apple allowed for more intricate mating calls. Maybe I should take up yodeling....

Starting a Lot of Things Over

I had to retire my old email address: larsumms@pacbell.net. Yahoo told me to upgrade. Their software bungled it, creating an intolerable position, and they would not help me. Too bad for them. I was slowly getting off their services anyway - Google is better. This was the last straw. So now my email is larsumms@gmail.com. I kept the first part, because all my WWW IDs start wth that. I probably should have changed them all to lasummers, which I like more. Too late.

I already had an account with Google's BLOGGER under the email larsumms@pacbell.net. Google would not let me combine the blogs under one account, and it doesn't like the fact that I use both accounts simultaneously.

So I have decided to abandon all my old blogs. They will exist, but I won't do much to maintain them anymore.

Lots is changing. I think I finally got my Blood Pressure under control after 2 months. It got up to 188/86. I have had two days of low 120s, so that looks good.

I have begun exfoliating my scalp, especially the ears. I have always had a lot of dandruff, but now it is easier to get to it (since I have shaved my head).

I have decided to be happy.

I have been working out 4 days a week - cardio for 30 minutes. I am going to start doing it every day, so I don't have to keep a "count" or remember if I have done it enough this week, etc.

I got depressed this week about loneliness/women. When I was single the first time, and at BYU, surrounded by nice women, I still got a lot of rejection and was very lonely. This happened even though the ratio of women to men were 3 to 1. Not sure why, but it was of course due to who I am - or how I presented myself. I did eventually find someone. It will happen again. It's like the beginning of the movie: Hitch. I like who I am, and I am not going to de-emphasize parts of myself to get attention. In fact, I am going to emphasize the parts that I think LDS women don't like. I want a woman who wants me because I am Insanity Claus, not because I wear a suit on Sunday and fit the standard profile of "Active LDS".