When Our Outlet Fails Us

You unwrap the new video game.<br /><br />You turn on the sporting event.<br /><br />You go see the movie.<br /><br />You tinker around in the garage. <br /><br />We do these things because they relieve us from reality. On a day where work, home, family, or friends disappoints us, we have that optional list of things that keep us from thinking about reality for a while.<br /><br />Some people call it their "outlet."<br /><br />But what happens when the thing that causes us to jettison out of reality abruptly crashes to the ground? Or - even worse, slowly sinks into oblivion. What happens then?<br /><br />I am asking myself that question tonight, on a night where my outlet - sports - failed me. Michigan couldn't score a touchdown in a 23-9 loss to Nebraska, and the Detroit Tigers couldn't score a run in a 2-0 loss to the San Francisco Giants. My night ended with a bad taste in my mouth, when it could have just ended on a good, relaxing note simply by ignoring both games.<br /><br />Instead, I listened to the Tigers game on the radio (I refuse to listen to Joe Buck and Tim McCarver on principle), and had the Michigan game on mute on my TV. After a very nice day sleeping in, grocery shopping, exercising, and cleaning, I wanted to end it by cheering on my sports teams.<br /><br />Instead, my sports teams decided not to show up. At least, that's how it felt.<br /><br />So what am I to do? What are any of us to do? Michigan lost control of the Legends division with the loss. The Tigers are on the brink of being swept in the <i>World Series</i>. After following the teams passionately for the past few months, it feels like ignoring them would be to go cold turkey on them.<br /><br />You get to the part of the video game that you can't figure out.<br /><br />Your team keeps losing.<br /><br />Your movie was lousy.<br /><br />Your tinkering is just breaking things instead of fixing them.<br /><br />These are the things that are supposed to relax us, and instead they infuriate us! We may even get more stressed over our hobbies than we do over our regular lives! Why do we do this?<br /><br />I'll tell you why: because the payoff is just that sweet.<br /><br />You do these things hoping that we can see everything just like we have in our heads:<br /><br />You win the video game.<br /><br />Your team wins the championship.<br /><br />You have seen the best movie of all time.<br /><br />You created the greatest machine ever made.<br /><br />We keep going back because we hope that, someday, those "outlets" will reap the finest rewards.<br /><br />We will go to another Michigan game.<br /><br />We will turn on the television or radio tonight to see what happens in Game 4.<br /><br />And next season, we'll be back again. They can crush our souls, take our money, and stomp on our hopes and dreams, but we'll always come back. We'll come back more passionate than ever. We'll call into radio shows, check out the websites, buy the merchandise, and drive our friends and family crazy. We may take a vacation from our outlet to clear our heads, but we'll return. We know that someday, we will be lifted into a feeling of euphoria - a feeling that no one can take away from us.<br /><br />And we will celebrate in triumph knowing that we were there all along - through the thick <b>and</b> the thin.

When Our Outlet Fails Us

You unwrap the new video game.You turn on the sporting event.You go see the movie.You tinker around in the garage. We do these things because they relieve us from reality. On a day where work, home, family, or friends disappoints us, we have that opt…

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Babe of the Week: Animal Costumes

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />And now for something completely different! Instead of hot babes this week, IWS honors some cute, fun and hilarious pet costumes for Halloween.<br /><br />First up is Fire Truck Corgi …<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIGwiFfSyiaVVJeNt3Jev2n4o5OmBEYsjLB0F0GjMb2LS8q5mcrHQT0X9xZk7KkF4otBduqPrDQBRLpSzTYOpgl68WEgv3UYFuyDXvhbE434NUdwJAYo86HTSYSpupdnnwRk4qMTom5GM/s1600/Corgi+Fire+Truck+Halloween.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIGwiFfSyiaVVJeNt3Jev2n4o5OmBEYsjLB0F0GjMb2LS8q5mcrHQT0X9xZk7KkF4otBduqPrDQBRLpSzTYOpgl68WEgv3UYFuyDXvhbE434NUdwJAYo86HTSYSpupdnnwRk4qMTom5GM/s320/Corgi+Fire+Truck+Halloween.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Here’s Pumpkin Cat…<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9e4dlcy7EQGEnRWJCoKBQh2ae6S8sxQVVQR3c_fE5R42Sb5pfe-UveQVIYrcENnYPUwIA4hLwaJ20ib2kbS-VZtbtpqfdUf8bOD7UTsc0DnYP2J4_obWBDHzEPJHfR4pHZQiMa7F-AgI/s1600/pumpkin+cat+costume.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9e4dlcy7EQGEnRWJCoKBQh2ae6S8sxQVVQR3c_fE5R42Sb5pfe-UveQVIYrcENnYPUwIA4hLwaJ20ib2kbS-VZtbtpqfdUf8bOD7UTsc0DnYP2J4_obWBDHzEPJHfR4pHZQiMa7F-AgI/s320/pumpkin+cat+costume.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />How ‘bout a nice hot Baked Pug Potato…<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnT1-le788GICrrC9OSJ5N9VC5UdBSgyTGYofyOCPPERTigtnYXezbgdJrTMTQfPLcHndiD85edkfQls8QEs-V_j3TVzUxHFQ9mtQqfGAQ5ok8JL54McTjxoXnEUIQmoniExHGejezCaQ/s1600/Pug+Baked+Potato+Halloween+Costume.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnT1-le788GICrrC9OSJ5N9VC5UdBSgyTGYofyOCPPERTigtnYXezbgdJrTMTQfPLcHndiD85edkfQls8QEs-V_j3TVzUxHFQ9mtQqfGAQ5ok8JL54McTjxoXnEUIQmoniExHGejezCaQ/s320/Pug+Baked+Potato+Halloween+Costume.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><br />Awww little kitty is a lobster in a pot on the stove …<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrwDrVS-6-0UnPlnQqt41348X67UccdxmqwMmjkdbKQ5T0R07v2Q0vf-xEZWxMyAhDsmYKQH-9m9INnBv4XJPTW1ntyZwye5f7v8uoyuV318rqn_BG1Wa0l-mTkiDEstJIX-zFRxwCu2k/s1600/Lobster+Cat+Costume.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrwDrVS-6-0UnPlnQqt41348X67UccdxmqwMmjkdbKQ5T0R07v2Q0vf-xEZWxMyAhDsmYKQH-9m9INnBv4XJPTW1ntyZwye5f7v8uoyuV318rqn_BG1Wa0l-mTkiDEstJIX-zFRxwCu2k/s320/Lobster+Cat+Costume.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />BatDog!!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRCWaU-wTdQ7P_bqgd2d2aO43PqcoavaUKMXn-ccqrWr2tSuj02HtxdX1Riy0pzefUvvM9-lHUldXLfYryP7koTJABN5YIKFZDXJJd6HULLrTPcRBPbTBrJrZdkuxN07gWzV_fH4LNhts/s1600/Dog+Batman+Costume+Halloween.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRCWaU-wTdQ7P_bqgd2d2aO43PqcoavaUKMXn-ccqrWr2tSuj02HtxdX1Riy0pzefUvvM9-lHUldXLfYryP7koTJABN5YIKFZDXJJd6HULLrTPcRBPbTBrJrZdkuxN07gWzV_fH4LNhts/s320/Dog+Batman+Costume+Halloween.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />And of course, Elvis Cat has left the building …<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixh6IZT06f8KfZSPk37lynWdKKi3-AutLSyUWADhenyqjg5sdsB49l73zyPDVnCndT_C8x4ZiapxcFQVhynrgTYfm6XkSL9arN9bF8nujWr7Y3nuEgRO2KXWm9jbpXbHGlNasGwOMoP8Q/s1600/Elvis+Cat+Costume+Halloween.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixh6IZT06f8KfZSPk37lynWdKKi3-AutLSyUWADhenyqjg5sdsB49l73zyPDVnCndT_C8x4ZiapxcFQVhynrgTYfm6XkSL9arN9bF8nujWr7Y3nuEgRO2KXWm9jbpXbHGlNasGwOMoP8Q/s320/Elvis+Cat+Costume+Halloween.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />So there you go kids! Some of the cutest Halloween costumes you’ll see anywhere! Don’t forget to join us on I’m With Stupid today for <a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/im-with-stupid/2012/10/28/open-line-sunday" target="_blank">Open Line Sunday</a> and call in and talk to us!<br /><br /></div>

Babe of the Week: Animal Costumes

And now for something completely different! Instead of hot babes this week, IWS honors some cute, fun and hilarious pet costumes for Halloween.First up is Fire Truck Corgi …Here’s Pumpkin Cat…How ‘bout a nice hot Baked Pug Potato…Awww little kitty is…

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Today's archidose #628, Part 2

When I snapped some photos of the <a href="http://www.fdrfourfreedomspark.org/">FDR Four Freedoms Park</a> on Roosevelt Island during its <a href="http://cfa.aiany.org/index.php?section=calendar&evtid=4867">Archtober Open House</a> (posted as <a href="http://archidose.blogspot.com/2012/10/todays-archidose-628.html">Today's archidose #628</a>) there were some large tents occupying the lawn for opening festivities. On my second visit a week later the tents were gone, so below are photos of the lawn, moving from the north to the south (note the optical illusion that happens with the tapered plan of the lawn, visible in the second-to-last photo).<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/archidose/8128771901/" title="FDR Four Freedoms Park by archidose, on Flickr"><img alt="FDR Four Freedoms Park" height="480" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8186/8128771901_433511c888_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/archidose/8128773067/" title="FDR Four Freedoms Park by archidose, on Flickr"><img alt="FDR Four Freedoms Park" height="480" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8185/8128773067_124e4eb8e6_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/archidose/8128773847/" title="FDR Four Freedoms Park by archidose, on Flickr"><img alt="FDR Four Freedoms Park" height="480" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8335/8128773847_4de7cccc2f_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/archidose/8128774611/" title="FDR Four Freedoms Park by archidose, on Flickr"><img alt="FDR Four Freedoms Park" height="480" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8050/8128774611_befdd94362_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/archidose/8128775387/" title="FDR Four Freedoms Park by archidose, on Flickr"><img alt="FDR Four Freedoms Park" height="480" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8050/8128775387_f2b004004c_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br />To contribute your Flickr images for consideration, just:<br /><blockquote>:: Join and add photos to the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/archi-dose/">archidose pool</a>, and/or<br />:: Tag your photos <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/archidose/">archidose</a></span></blockquote>

Today's archidose #628, Part 2

When I snapped some photos of the FDR Four Freedoms Park on Roosevelt Island during its Archtober Open House (posted as Today's archidose #628) there were some large tents occupying the lawn for opening festivities. On my second visit a week later th…

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Hot tub is open!

<span style="font-size: large;">The hot tub is open for business!  </span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Finally!  </span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">The Hot Tub company sent up two guys to replace some parts yesterday.  They drove 2 hours from Cork.  I thought they would be in and out in an hour but they were at it all day.  I think they had to practically rebuild the Hot Tub operator.  They left at 5pm and the hot tub began to heat.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">This morning, I got a text from Ciaran who is in Belfast to check if it was warm.  I dipped my foot in and it was so nice that I promptly hopped in and sent him a text of the steam rising!</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">It was -1 degree celcus last night, so today is perfect weather for hot tubbing in the garden.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Here's my twin sister and I enjoying cocktails in the hot tub!</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIXAqxctshtguVL9ZDbJAjqxzypQiUZjvvuiskb2tQSjeSUZrukAZS3XPmyyO-FyCUN9beEEButVJgE_PTsk4Ov0g33NYIUJhB5N8Gyp2yINTle1Mum7S-QWfFi77XH5Hty68rb0xmqqlc/s1600/IMG_2274%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIXAqxctshtguVL9ZDbJAjqxzypQiUZjvvuiskb2tQSjeSUZrukAZS3XPmyyO-FyCUN9beEEButVJgE_PTsk4Ov0g33NYIUJhB5N8Gyp2yINTle1Mum7S-QWfFi77XH5Hty68rb0xmqqlc/s320/IMG_2274%5B1%5D.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUV5jj_4o_FaMdrBpXnNro1CgRwmIE6XWiYn80idqyKO7DZoGXNCTksSt0yjFm3JMta1-E7nFKEy3UU44t-Z54UJv46MJ-nTczttiBfniKz6Xna8AgTQISN7PoDr740F9NNPtR0PGVjSNA/s1600/IMG_2276%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUV5jj_4o_FaMdrBpXnNro1CgRwmIE6XWiYn80idqyKO7DZoGXNCTksSt0yjFm3JMta1-E7nFKEy3UU44t-Z54UJv46MJ-nTczttiBfniKz6Xna8AgTQISN7PoDr740F9NNPtR0PGVjSNA/s320/IMG_2276%5B1%5D.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The view from the hot tub - what a beautiful sky!</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLoLHqX37W7DCaZd64U1nV6HSWJh3tPtTl5dmNJlbiSZudrrE0XJUvvdcpXulZfwLG8u7QVV7ZnDrnfBDAC87aoGZgPfo6RruwLTzrcNc5DBOroV2AUfP_kX7-3mcI78M272Tg8d8JfeuK/s1600/IMG_2275%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLoLHqX37W7DCaZd64U1nV6HSWJh3tPtTl5dmNJlbiSZudrrE0XJUvvdcpXulZfwLG8u7QVV7ZnDrnfBDAC87aoGZgPfo6RruwLTzrcNc5DBOroV2AUfP_kX7-3mcI78M272Tg8d8JfeuK/s320/IMG_2275%5B1%5D.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLtboiraOxSFIrI4mvOTQ_bGXu5tQSwGmRh_Qia8wLZB3FccISmDpBHa9FVZRVuJRqED216YbbqG8E0bUVgiwj-GfjQfWsonWj_rn3yf9TN1bjtSjazLS61I_1_pcAtifdcMxBQ6bdCBKt/s1600/IMG_2278%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLtboiraOxSFIrI4mvOTQ_bGXu5tQSwGmRh_Qia8wLZB3FccISmDpBHa9FVZRVuJRqED216YbbqG8E0bUVgiwj-GfjQfWsonWj_rn3yf9TN1bjtSjazLS61I_1_pcAtifdcMxBQ6bdCBKt/s320/IMG_2278%5B1%5D.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>

Hot tub is open!

The hot tub is open for business!  Finally!  The Hot Tub company sent up two guys to replace some parts yesterday.  They drove 2 hours from Cork.  I thought they would be in and out in an hour but they were at it all day.  I think they had to practic…

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Life, Interrupted: Changed by Cancer - NYTimes.com

On Monday evening I stood on a stage in front of a thousand people and talked about what I've learned since my diagnosis with cancer two years ago at the age of 22.<br /><br><br /><br>I was speaking at the Angel Ball, the yearly red-carpet event for the Gabrielle's Angel Foundation, which in this past week alone raised nearly $4 million for blood cancer research. I had never spoken in front of so many people before. It was one of the proudest moments in a tough journey over the past two years. And I was able to meet world-class doctors and researchers, other cancer survivors and even some celebrities.<br /><br><br /><br>On the drive over, though, my nerves were shot. All I could think about was whether I had spent enough time memorizing my speech, and whether I'd chosen the right dress. Lurking in the back of my mind was a laundry list of "to do's" and checklists thrown like scraps on a mounting pile of anxiety.<br /><br><br /><br>But there was something different about this stress. It took me a minute to put my finger on it, but there it was: For the first time since my diagnosis I was stressed about something that didn't have to do with cancer.<br /><br><br /><br>I bristle when the word "gift" is used in the same sentence as "cancer." There is no upside to having a life-threatening illness. It can ruin lives, friendships, families and dreams, and trying to focus too much on finding a silver lining can trivialize real suffering. I would never have voluntarily chosen to go down this path. But like any other struggle, cancer has changed me. I wish I could learn about overcoming struggle by training for a marathon or applying for a new job, like many of my peers are doing in their early 20s. But life is unpredictable, and we don't always get to choose our battles.<br /><br><br /><br>Cancer robs you of your ability to look at the big picture — or at least obscures it. The news that I had cancer ripped away the expectations I had of myself to be a certain type of person with a certain type of life. I used to think that looking at the "big picture" meant figuring out 1-year, 5-year and 10-year plans. Back in 2010, I had just graduated from Princeton with highest honors, and I felt pressure to get on the fast track to success — whatever that meant. Like a lot of my peers, I was in the thick of the culture of anxiety surrounding achievement. I signed a two-year contract at a fancy corporate job even though I knew I much preferred Birkenstocks to high heels, creative writing to spreadsheets. This path wasn't right for me, but even though I felt miserable I continued going to work each morning because I was focused on the idea that having a practical, long-term plan was part of seeing the big picture.<br /><br><br /><br>I like to think that I eventually would have found my way to a career that both inspired me and paid the bills. But before I was able to figure out what that was, the cancer showed up. My life was interrupted. My doctors told me I would need intensive chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant. From the looks on their faces, I could see that there wasn't going to be any quick fix for my disease.<br /><br><br /><br>I had spent a lifetime focusing on the big picture, but cancer forced me to look at the small picture. I had no choice. I quickly learned that trying to predict the results of a bone marrow biopsy or a round of chemotherapy was a torturous and futile exercise. So, for the first time in my life, I began to focus on the present.<br /><br><br /><br>In the midst of doctor's appointments and long hospitalizations I tried to organize my days around small acts of happiness by asking myself: What will make me feel better right now? How do I handle the worry I'm feeling right in this moment? Gone were the vague worries about a future career. Sometimes the answer to those questions was writing in my journal, visiting with friends and family, or eating peanut butter cups and watching bad romantic comedies. On other days, it meant having a good cry under my comforter. Little did I know, I was building muscles along the way — not lats and biceps, but invisible muscles that now kick in to carry me through stressful situations.<br /><br><br /><br>And so there I was, sitting in the limousine, a few minutes before I was to give my speech. I was nervous — that wasn't going away. But I also felt a sense of calm. After two years of nonstop chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant, I realized that as a cancer patient, I had experienced my share of real stress and pressure, and I had learned how to confront it and cope with it.<br /><br><br /><br>I still can't see the big picture — the long view remains obscured. I can't change that. But I'm noticing that I am changed. And I learned on Monday night that giving a speech in front of a big crowd — something that would have been difficult to imagine before my cancer diagnosis — was now well within reach.<br /><br><br /><br><a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/25/life-interrupted-changed-by-cancer/?src=recg">http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/25/life-interrupted-changed-by-cancer/?src=recg</a>

Life, Interrupted: Changed by Cancer - NYTimes.com

On Monday evening I stood on a stage in front of a thousand people and talked about what I've learned since my diagnosis with cancer two years ago at the age of 22.I was speaking at the Angel Ball, the yearly red-carpet event for the Gabrielle's Ange…

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