Alexandersmap

    Month: February 2019

    • Learning the Hard Way

      Learning the Hard Way

      “Do what you love + low overhead = a good life.  Do what you love + I deserve nice things = time bomb.” – Austin Kleon

      Put another way, don’t live outside your means, for it will eventually catch up with you.  That’s a lesson I distinctly remember hearing when I was in high school, but it didn’t resonate.  It’s not until you get older with responsibilities heaped onto you and some bad financial decisions along the way, that you really learn this one.

      The best way to learn is through the mistakes of others.  That’s what being a student of life will teach you if you’re paying attention.  Most people don’t pay attention.  We’re all human, and as humans we stumble along the way.  The key is how quickly you recover.  We’re all more resilient than we think we are, but lord life has a way of testing you.  The best decisions I’ve made in life – getting married again and becoming a father – come with a price.  Many people aren’t ready to pay that price.  My first wife wasn’t ready to pay that price.  My current wife was.

      “Fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice, shame on me.” – Unknown

      Sometimes learning involves trusting the wrong people.  I’ve made the same mistake a few times over in jobs I’ve had over the years.  Join a company, look around and realize it isn’t at all as it was portrayed when you were interviewing, decide to tough it out and make the most of it.  Eventually part ways when it’s clear to both sides that this thing isn’t going to work.  Repeat.

      The older I get, the more I realize that we’re all just trying to figure it out.  We all would have done many things differently along the way.  I’d have taken more risks early in my career.  Traveled more.  Lived in different countries.  Joined the Navy after college.  Written more.  Started a business instead of working for others.

      That’s the curse of perspective.  Most of us learn the hard way.  I’m no exception.  I’m smart enough to learn from other’s bad examples in partying too much, burning bridges, buying expensive toys, running with the wrong crowd, being a negligent parent or a helicopter parent, etc. just as I’m smart enough to learn from other’s positive examples of consistent exercise, holding your tongue, surrounding yourself with people who raise you up, and being fully engaged with your children while giving them space to learn and grow.

      “The eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend.” – Robertson Davies

      “When the student is ready the teacher will appear.” – Buddhist Proverb

      I’ve heard this Buddhist proverb for years and generally believe it to be true.  It can be applied to larger milestones in life, but on a granular level it applies to any moment.  When you stop the internal dialogue spinning in your own head long enough to pay attention to what’s in front of you, you’re ready to take in that information.  And that makes all the difference.

    • Old Growth Pine

      New England is covered in forest today, but it’s a different forest than the one that greeted the first settlers to the region.  Back then old growth trees dominated the landscape.  And the tallest of these trees were the white pines.

      White pines were tall and straight and thus highly attractive for ship masts.  Surveyors went through the forests of New England and marked the best of these trees with an arrow slash to designate that the tree was the property of the king.

      The high demand for masts for the British Navy depleted the old growth pine forests of New England by the 1770’s, right about when the colonists were beginning to rebel against the Intolerable Acts that would permanently separate the American Colonies from Great Britain.  This didn’t mean a reprieve for the white pines, as the shipbuilding market shifted focus from the British Navy to merchants ships.

      The forests have grown back, but it would be fascinating to time machine back to 1500 AD to see what New England looked like then.  If you get deep into the woods on a quiet morning, you can hear the wind blow through the white pine needles.  It’s not hard to imagine the call of the sea from this sound.

    • Arlington Mill Reservoir

      There are two ponds that flow into the Spicket River that helped supply the Arlington Mills in Lawrence with its water.  Each pond has a unique history worthy of a closer look.  Arlington Mill Reservoir, or today just Arlington Pond, and Big Island Pond, which borders Derry, Atkinson and Hampstead, New Hampshire.  Big Island Pond flows into Arlington Pond, which then flows into the Spicket River, which powers the Arlington Mills before eventually flowing into the Merrimack River and ultimately the Atlantic Ocean.

      Arlington Pond occupies 269 acres and is located in Salem, New Hampshire.  In 1919, 100 years ago this year, Arlington Mills purchased the land surrounding and underneath what is now the pond.  The next year they began construction of a 48 foot tall dam, which they called the Wheeler Dam, after the Wheeler Mill that once occupied the site.  In 1923 they completed the dam and filled the reservoir.  In doing so a stretch of Old North Salem Road and the foundations for the original mill buildings were submerged.  That would be an interesting dive site.

      People bought the land around the lake.  According to the Arlington Pond Protective Association, “The land surrounding the lake was owned by Thomas Kittredge, Sr. He owned a coffee shop in Haverhill, Massachusetts and sold parcels of the land to his customers; the lots were nicknamed “Coffee Pot Lots”.” – APPA

      I don’t see Arlington Pond often, but I hear it.  Boats, fireworks, snowmobiles and ATV’s are loud enough at night that the sound travels to where I live.  I’m roughly halfway between Arlington Pond and Big Island Pond.  And while Arlington Pond is much more accessible from a viewing standpoint, I’ve spent much more time on and in Big Island Pond.  Where Arlington has built up around the entire  shoreline, Big Island Pond has a more rural feel thanks to the protected land at Governor’s Island.  But Arlington has it’s charms too.  At some point I’d like to get on the pond and go for a swim there. Then again, you might say that I’ve already swum in the water before it gets there.

    • Wind Turbines

      Wind turbines keep popping up.  30 years ago you’d be hard pressed to find one in New England.  Today they’re seemingly everywhere.  And yet the New England states lag far behind other states like Texas, Oklahoma, Iowa, Illinois, New York, California and Oregon.  That middle swath of the country is all prairie, the land is cheap and the wind plentiful.  That’s a great recipe for wind turbines.

      New England is working to catch up.  There are plenty of wind turbines popping up.  But solar seems to be the green energy of choice.  Which is funny when you think about the number of sunny days versus the number of windy days.  Wind just seems like a logical choice.

      The biggest wind farm project in New England was Cape Wind, an offshore wind farm situated south of Cape Cod that would have produced 468MW from 130 turbines.  But it was in the wrong place.  The rich people in Nantucket and Hyannis objected to the prospect of looking out from their beachside mansions and seeing wind turbines.  So after 16 years the Cape Wind project was cancelled.  And billionaires celebrated.

      When I look out at Buzzards Bay in Pocasset, I can see eight wind turbines that were built in Wareham and Bourne.  Have they changed the view?  Absolutely.  But I don’t mind seeing them.  To me wind turbines represent a sustainable future state.  I hope my grandchildren and great-grandchildren have a world worth living in.  And I wonder about people who think only of themselves and the view they have.  Selfish narcissist bastards I believe.  There are way too many of those inhabiting the world nowadays.

    • Small, Daily Tasks

      Small, Daily Tasks

      “…remember in life that your duties are the sum of the individual acts.  Pay attention to each of these as you do your duty… just methodically complete your task.” – Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

      “Practice yourself, for heaven’s sake, in little things, and hence proceed to greater.” – Epictetus

      Breaking down big work into small, daily tasks, done consistently over time, helps you achieve your goals.  That’s an accepted recipe for success.  It applies to a job in sales as much as it applies to a job in construction.  It doesn’t always work.  Sometimes the job is too big and the tasks won’t get you there.  You need enough runway to take off, but you also need enough thrust from the engines.  But in general this formula of small, daily tasks hits the mark.

      Hit your quota?  Do your duty, just methodically complete your task.

      Build a high-rise building?  Do your duty, just methodically complete your task.

      Write a novel?  Do your duty, just methodically complete your task.

      Raise children to be responsible members of society and great people?  Do your duty, just methodically complete your task.

      Remodel a bathroom on the cape in your spare time?  Do your duty, just methodically complete your task.

      With that reminder, I need to get busy completing my small, daily tasks on this bathroom remodel.

    • A Case for Micro Spikes

      A Case for Micro Spikes

      I slipped on the ice the other day and landed hard on my back.  The backyard was a sheet of ice with a dusting of snow on top of it.  I knew the dangers of these conditions, after all, I’ve lived in New England most of my life.  But I couldn’t find the micro spikes after turning out the camping stuff and looking in all the usual spots, so I decided to walk carefully and slowly.  Bad move.  The ice sloped down towards the back fence, and the coating of snow on top of it created extremely hazardous conditions.  I tried to walk on blades of dormant glass that were popping up through the snow…  nope.  Before I knew it I was slammed onto my back.

      I’ve been hit by a car and the world went into slow motion as I migrated from bumper to windshield.  I still remember it 42 years later.  This wasn’t like that.  No slow motion, no reaction time whatsoever.  Slammed onto the cold, hard ice at high velocity.  The only thing I managed to do was keep my head from hitting the ground.  People die from stuff like that.  I don’t care to die just yet.  
      After lying on the ice for a minute assessing my condition, I could tell I did some damage, but it wasn’t catastrophic.  No, just painful.  Hell, two days later and its still painful.  I feel like Rocky pounded my ribcage for 9 rounds.  Just another winter in paradise.
      I eventually found the micro spikes.  I’ll wear them from now on when I feed the birds.  Spring is less than 30 days away.  Around here that usually means second winter.  Best to keep those micro spikes handy.

    • Benedict Arnold

      Growing up in the United States of America, you heard a version of history that made our Founding Fathers and the generals who fought the American Revolution out to be heroes.  And in many ways they were.  The winners write the history, no doubt, but they did create a democracy that was the envy of the world while fighting off the greatest military power of the day.

      I’ve read that if Benedict Arnold had been killed at Saratoga instead of badly wounded he would be remembered as one of our greatest heroes.  There’s no doubt that he was a complicated man; aggressively ambitious to a point where he drove those he commanded, was loathed by many of his peers, but loved as a true leader by anyone who saw him in action.  
      Had Benedict Arnold not turned against the colonies, he would have been celebrated as one of our greatest military leaders for his raid on Quebec, the raid on Ticonderoga, the Battle of Valcour Island on Lake Champlain against overwhelming odds, the Battles of Ridgefield, Connecticut and Saratoga. In all of these, Arnold exhibited courage, persistence, strategic vision and competitive spirit critical in war.  He sacrificed an enormous amount of his personal wealth and political power for the Revolution, and was a key reason the British were ultimately defeated.  And yet he’s best known for his betrayal.
      You can’t take omit that betrayal when considering the man.  There’s no doubt that he deserved the condemnation and infamy he received and receives to this day for not just betraying the colonies, but also betraying George Washington and the troops he served with.  But it’s… complicated.  If Arnold weren’t such a hero in 1775-1778, his betrayal in 1780.  He remains the most famous traitor in history, and the most forgotten hero.
      I’ll try to visit a few of the places that Benedict Arnold made history in.  Not because I admire the man, but because without him I’m not sure that the Continental Army would have won in the end.  And what would our history have been then?  Unlike Washington, there aren’t a lot of “Benedict Arnold slept here” placards on the sides of colonial era homes.  But there are monuments to what he accomplished, and I’d like to explore a few of those in 2019.

    • What’s Up is Down

      What’s Up is Down

      While it makes sense that to go up a river or a lake that is fed by a stream or river, intuitively when you live in the Northeast you think of going up the river as going north or west.  That’s because the majority of rivers that flow to the sea do so in a southbound or eastbound way.  To go “up the river” to SingSing was to go up the Hudson River from New York City to Ossining, New York.  But there are several examples in the region where the opposite happens.  

      Watershed maps indicate several rivers that flow north to the St Lawrence River.  These include the Chaudière River (Rivière Chaudière) and the Richelieu River, which is fed from Lake Champlain and Lake George through a series of smaller rivers.  Because these two lakes flow north to the St Lawrence, going “up the lake” means going south, and going “down the lake” north.  This upside down world of navigation makes perfect sense when you think about water flowing down, but is topsy-turvy when you think about north-south.
      It’s a good reminder that your way of thinking, based on your experiences, isn’t necessarily correct.  Next time I think I’ve got something all figured out I’ll reflect on nature’s reminder that what’s up can indeed be down.  That’s a good reminder for all of us.

    • Timelessly Human

      Timelessly Human

      “How long are you going to wait before you demand the best for yourself?” – Epictetus

      Epictetus died 1,884 years ago.  And yet there’s so much truth in this quote.  Mankind has struggled inwardly with the same things for as long as we’ve been thinking.  If I’ve learned anything from history, philosophy, stoicism and religion it’s that we’re all very human.  And that’s timeless.


    • Storm Warnings and Salacious Distractions

      Storm Warnings and Salacious Distractions

      The Northeast is going to get four-to-eight inches of snow this afternoon.  This wasn’t the lead story on the national morning shows, but only because there was an update on the budget debate in Washington, DC.  We live in a world where six inches of snow becomes a stop the presses! moment.  If it weren’t a snowstorm it would be the latest scandalous celebrity affair, or some other salacious distraction.

      “Nie mój cyrk, nie moje malpy
      Not my circus, not my monkeys.” – Polish Proverb

      Stoic philosophy would dictate a similar approach to this insanity.  Ignore the noise, focus on your own priorities.  And that’s what I shall do today as “Snowmageddon” approaches.  Use the information for appropriate planning, and tune out the rest.